Michael Smerconish, recently criticized for "attacking" Fire and Fury author Michael Wolff, asked on his radio program why Trump's ratings have failed to top 40% despite such a strong economy. James Carville cited this furthered intensity of political polarization for the seeming disconnect.
Personally, I think it's because Trump has just said too much shit that is too unforgivable to many people. Some people like it, hence 38%. The rest ... not so much. It's like this analogy from the second ASOIAF book that always stuck in my head (btw, Game of Thrones is hot garbage. Fuck anyone who likes it); that being that an onion that is only slightly rotten is just a rotten onion. Trump is a rotten onion because the perceptions (note: perceptions) of things he has said and done are so bad that they render any good in him remote and obsolete; for instance, the belief that he is a racist, a sexist, or just a complete idiot. These (perceived) qualities are just too unforgivable for a president, regardless of any benefit that springs from his tenure.
Later on, Michael Steele and a guest host spoke to a pastor about why evangelicals seem to be willing to set aside their moral values to support Trump (with regard to the porn star affair and similar controversies). Rather than go into some spiel about the lesser of two evils, or some such, the pastor just straight up admitted that, yeah, it's about the intersection of race, politics, and religion. He said that he has seen in his own communities a terrific "fear of the unknown", aka, anyone who isn't white and religious. These people hope in vain that Trump will miraculously make America white again, to save them from having to learn to live in a world where many if not most of the people around them don't look and think like them. They are willing to sacrifice their values to avoid the fear.
I think he was pretty spot on.
Thoughts?
Personally, I think it's because Trump has just said too much shit that is too unforgivable to many people. Some people like it, hence 38%. The rest ... not so much. It's like this analogy from the second ASOIAF book that always stuck in my head (btw, Game of Thrones is hot garbage. Fuck anyone who likes it); that being that an onion that is only slightly rotten is just a rotten onion. Trump is a rotten onion because the perceptions (note: perceptions) of things he has said and done are so bad that they render any good in him remote and obsolete; for instance, the belief that he is a racist, a sexist, or just a complete idiot. These (perceived) qualities are just too unforgivable for a president, regardless of any benefit that springs from his tenure.
Later on, Michael Steele and a guest host spoke to a pastor about why evangelicals seem to be willing to set aside their moral values to support Trump (with regard to the porn star affair and similar controversies). Rather than go into some spiel about the lesser of two evils, or some such, the pastor just straight up admitted that, yeah, it's about the intersection of race, politics, and religion. He said that he has seen in his own communities a terrific "fear of the unknown", aka, anyone who isn't white and religious. These people hope in vain that Trump will miraculously make America white again, to save them from having to learn to live in a world where many if not most of the people around them don't look and think like them. They are willing to sacrifice their values to avoid the fear.
I think he was pretty spot on.
Thoughts?
