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A special report on Donald Trump’s America

The Economist Original article ›
LyrArc Article Gist
This report in the Economist magazine says views in the Trump base of support in rural areas and among white working class voters are likely to persist for some time. One reason given is that many of these people live in isolation and little contact with the more educated urban voters in America. Another factor cited here is that only a fifth of voters follow politics closely, and of these voters only a small fraction have a good grasp of the positions of the two major parties. Most people follow the instincts and thinking of the groups they are with. As a result many of the issues covered in the media such as climate change and U.S. withdrawal from the Paris agreement, the Comey firing and the Mueller investigation into Russian meddling in the election, president Trump's Twitter comments, are not having much impact on the president's ratings among his support base at this early stage of the Trump presidency.

Yet it is too early to tell only 6 months into the Trump term in office. After 8 years of president Obama's two terms in office voters who feel left out are not likely to change their views in so short a time. Republican voters as distinct from the core Trump base voter are also unlikely to change their views after 8 years of Democratic party administration. By staying close to traditional Republican party positions president Trump is likely to continue to have the support of the lifelong Republican party voters unless things change. Can a centrist position emerge after voter fatigue with excessive partisan opinion, as voters seek to make America a more quieter place and a consensus on working together to lift all boats emerges. This could be expected as time passes.

 


The future for conservatism and the Republican Party as seen at the American Enterprise Institute in 2016 with the popularity of Trump

01/27/2016

A resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute says the Republican Party and conservatism have missed the problems facing the working class, leading to the popularity of Trump. He sees dangers in the deportation of 11 million Hispanic Americans that Trump has called for, and says conservatism and Republican ought to mean many positive things to working Americans that have missed out on opportunities in the last decade- that it will take many years and more than one election cycle to change this. In fact Speaker Ryan called for a forum on poverty and inequality for working class people, only after Trump increased his popularity by appealing to older white Americans left out by changes in the economy in the last decade.

Grouped Articles

Here’s what a conservative policy agenda should look like in the Trump era - The Washington Post

Washington Post 01/27/2016

A Myopic Shift Toward Trump

Wall Street Journal 01/27/2016

What Republicans Should Say

New York Times 01/29/2016

How Both Parties Lost the White Middle Class

New York Times 02/01/2016

GOP leaders, you must do everything in your power to stop Trump - The Washington Post

Washington Post 02/25/2016

As Donald Trump Rolls Up Victories, the G.O.P. Split Widens to a Chasm

New York Times 03/01/2016

Globalization and the white working class in Europe and the U.S. in 2016- job losses, regional disparities, growing inequality with declining incomes

07/13/2016

Sanders, Trump, in the U.S., Marie Le Pen in France, and Brexiters in England appeal to white working class which has not benefitted from trade agreements and globalization. Globalization has produced very different outcomes for different industries and regions, benefitting some and hurting others. Leaders of existing political parties have failed to grasp and respond to these changes leaving room for others to take up the cause of the white working class. TPP trade agreement for instance benefits the information technology industry and hurts the automobile industry in the U.S., producing unequal outcomes that come after years of job losses and hollowing out in some industries- making it unpopular, and raising questions about the wisdom of such policies when most of the gains in free trade are already behind us according to Krugman and other experts.

Grouped Articles

Brexit: The Era of the Angry Voter Is Upon Us - SPIEGEL ONLINE

SPIEGEL ONLINE 07/06/2016

What the New GOP Means for Wall Street

WSJ 07/19/2016

Support for Trump in unexpected places | US elections 2016 | DW.COM | 20.07.2016

DW.COM 07/20/2016

The presidential campaign and the US middle class | US elections 2016 | DW.COM | 13.03.2016

DW.COM 03/13/2016

Hillary Clinton Asks Not for Trust, but for Faith in Her Competence

The New York Times 07/29/2016

Two Political Conventions, Two Distinct World Views

WSJ 07/28/2016

The blue collar and white working class vote in the 2016 U.S. presidential election

11/12/2015

Grouped Articles

Both parties face a blue-collar imperative - The Washington Post

Washington Post 11/12/2015

Populism on the Rise in GOP Race for President

Wall Street Journal 11/12/2015

It’s the American Dream, Stupid

Wall Street Journal 01/10/2016

Here’s what a conservative policy agenda should look like in the Trump era - The Washington Post

Washington Post 01/27/2016

What Republicans Should Say

New York Times 01/29/2016

How Both Parties Lost the White Middle Class

New York Times 02/01/2016

Rebublican 2016 presidential candidate Donald Trump and the core support from the white working class, many 55-64 years without a high school education

11/18/2015

A PRRI and Brookings Institution survey shows 55% of Donald Trump's support comes from the white working class who see immigrants in a negative light and are critical of large corporate interests. This group also sees political correctness as being a problem.

Grouped Articles

Trump Rides a Blue-Collar Wave

Wall Street Journal 11/18/2015

Donald Trump Forges New Blue-Collar Coalition Among Republicans

Wall Street Journal 12/05/2015

Donald Trump calls for ‘total’ ban on Muslims entering United States - The Washington Post

Washington Post 12/08/2015

Trump Is the Democrats’ Dream Nominee

Wall Street Journal 12/10/2015

Donald Trump’s Plan on Muslims Is Opposed by Most Americans; GOP Is Split, WSJ/NBC Poll Finds

Wall Street Journal 12/11/2015

A Rash Leader in a Grave Time

Wall Street Journal 12/12/2015

Donald Trump and traditional Democrats voting in open Republican primaries

03/26/2016

A NYT report shows that the support of traditional Democrats in Blue states such as Massachusetts and in the midwest has helped propel Trump to a series of wins in Republican primaries in Jan-March 2016. There is also some correlation with a higher degree of racism, according to this NYT report. This is how Trump was able to combine wins in Mississippi and Massachusetts. Conversely states with higher serious churchgoers such as Utah and Texas have supported Ted Cruz. This theory has exceptions because of John Kasich's win in Ohio, Cruz's win in Maine and his close contest with Trump in Louisiana and Missouri, showing that a number of factors are at work, including Trump's ability to appeal to voter sentiment on issues, the fragmentation of the Republican vote, and the lack of connection with voters on issues of terrorism, security, struggling middle and working class people issues, of the other candidates. The profiles of Trump voters from his rallies show these concerns listed by his supporters.

Grouped Articles

Donald Trump’s Secret Weapon: Blue-State Voters

New York Times 03/26/2016

How the G.O.P. Elite Lost Its Voters to Donald Trump

New York Times 03/28/2016

Why Trump Can’t Break the G.O.P.

New York Times 04/02/2016

Ohio, Long a Bellwether, Is Fading on the Electoral Map

The New York Times 09/29/2016

Trump's billionaire cabinet could be the wealthiest administration ever

The Guardian 12/02/2016

Seduced and Betrayed by Donald Trump

The New York Times 12/02/2016

How the media created the Trump surge- $1.9 billion in media coverage according to the Times, a lack of proper vetting of the candidate, and missing the plight of struggling working class voters

03/26/2016

The media may have also made the mistake of thinking the Trump candidacy would fade, that it was some kind of television publicity move. Other reasons played a part- the fragmentation in the vote with many candidates, the lack of candidates who could seriously connect with voter anxiety about security, drugs, uncertainty about jobs, Trump's experience as a television personality simplifying issues with slogans. The media reflection comes in March 2016 with a series of wins by Trump in southern and midwestern states. Journalists like Tom Brokaw feel stymied by the change in attitudes of viewers who did not take vetting seriously when he tried, and veteran journalist Bob Schieffer also sees a change in attitudes. Voters seemed to be sending a message about the disconnect with them of the elites. The whole process dragged down civility and values in public life with the deterioration in the campaigning to very low levels by March 2016, leaving the media a lot to reflect on and correct.

Grouped Articles

My Shared Shame: The Media Helped Make Trump

New York Times 03/26/2016

Trump Is Obama Squared

Wall Street Journal 03/28/2016

Obama calls for more facts, fewer insults in speech to journalists - The Washington Post

Washington Post 03/29/2016

Obama Urges Journalists to Cover the Substance of the Campaign

New York Times 03/28/2016

In defense of the GOP - The Washington Post

Washington Post 04/15/2016

Softening on Trump? Remember this. - The Washington Post

Washington Post 04/23/2016


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