Why Does The Working Class Believe Donald Trump ?
by John Russell
I don't know of an unauthorized biography of Donald Trump, but there were 3 or 4 long form magazine articles about him, done with Trump's co-operation at the time, that served in their way as biographical material about Trump. All of these writers concluded, and have said in interviews, that Donald Trump is a serial liar and an extreme narcissist. The man who was the ghost writer for Trump's most famous "self-written" book, his autobiography so to speak, "The Art Of The Deal", has gone on tv a number of times pleading with American voters to reject Trump because he is a habitual liar with the attention span of a 6 year old. This author, Tony Schwartz, was in Trump's office, observing Trump at work and on the phone (he was allowed to eavesdrop on Trump's business calls) for six months. Schwartz is now ringing the fire bell about Trump.
The common explanation for why someone will vote for Trump is that he is sticking it to the ruling class and the working class likes his plans to continue sticking it to the ruling class after he is elected. They "believe in" Trump.
He is going to build a wall, he is going to stick it to China, he is going to expel Muslims and Mexicans, he is going to bring back manufacturing jobs, he is going to get tough on crime. All these items appeal to the "working class" view.
What the working class view ignores, intentionally or not, is that Donald Trump's promises are meaningless. Donald Trump has zero history of championing the working class, rather his actual history is that of exploiting the working class. Most famously he refused to pay hundreds of small businesses and contractors the full agreed to price for tendered services to his businesses. He has been sued hundreds of times for lack of payment. Trump has also fought tooth and nail against the right of his casino and hotel workers to unionize. Rather than make his Trump brand products in America so the working class here can have jobs, he has taken his manufacturing needs overseas where the labor is dirt cheap. Again he has zero history of championing the working class. To the contrary.
Then there is Trump's frauds against working people. When Trump started "Trump University" he was already a billionaire. He didn't need the estimated 5 million dollars in personal profit he received from the "university" business, yet he took part in obvious fraud designed to separate middle class and working class people from their money and put it into his pocket. He also took part in at least two other "multi-level marketing" scams that are akin to pyramid schemes, and lent his name to a bizarrely marketed scheme to peddle mostly worthless vitamin supplements.
The question we have to ask , now with increasing urgency, is why the working class in America believes Trump. Are they uninformed? Apathetic toward a more accurate view of Trump? So bigoted and attracted to the "nationalist" view that they can no longer tell right from wrong? And when do we intend to find out these things? After Trump is elected, and the massive disappointment is realized?
The warnings are out there, from people who know Trump well , people who spent time with him and/or have been observing him for decades. Trump does not care about you, he cares about Trump. His promises are meant to be broken. And when he breaks them he will tell the working class that they misunderstood him , or he will continue to lie and then say they should still believe him over their lying eyes. In 15 months Trump has barely made an inch of progress in turning himself into a more responsible and believable prospective president.
It is long past time to stop believing him.
Most of the people I have known in my life are middle class and working class. I consider the working class to be the salt of the earth. It is tremendously painful to see so many being duped by this fraud.
True believers in people like Trump, Hillary or Obama are like like true believers in three different religions. No matter how many times you criticize their God it will not change their minds. No matter what evidence you put in front of them to prove you are correct in your criticism of their God, it will not diminish their faith and devotion.
True believers in people like Trump, Hillary or Obama are like like true believers in three different religions.
The Dallas Morning News knows all about Trump and all about Clinton.
Knowing these things, they broke 76 years of endorsing the Republican candidate for president the other day and endorsed Hillary Clinton. The editorial said that Trump is not qualified to be president of the United States and Clinton is.
That is how to address the issue in front of us.
. When Trump started "Trump University" he was already a billionaire. He didn't need the estimated 5 million dollars in personal profit he received from t
Nor did the multi-millionaire Clintons needs the 17 million Bill pocketed for serving as the honorary Chancellor of a for profit university. I'm sure the students of those for profit scams that Hillary rails against when she is not profiting from them are glad they paid extra so Clintons could have a couple million more to play with.
Bill's got to have that cash to spread around on "lolita island" with his convicted pedophile friends and for the other "salt of the earth" stuff he does for the working class.
It's no wonder the Clintons and Trumps are such good friends, there the same type of people, only the Clinton's spend more time planning their lies.
When it is all said and done, Hillary will have about 90% of newspaper and other reputable endorsements, which will be based of full knowledge and understanding of the "strengths" and "weaknesses" of both candidates, and the working class will have Trump's preposterous and empty promises.
He isn't even a legitimate candidate by his words and deeds. His only legitimacy derives from the primary process where he was able to deceive people with his lies and bravado.
Here is my take on it.
The working class doesn't have the time to investigate whether or not something being said is true or not. They are too busy trying to make ends meet. So when they hear a man, who seems to speak plainly, trys to be like one of them which appeals to them. Trump does that and with a fervor that excites them.
Let me give this as an example. I was listening to him talk about hairspray to coal miners.
Please note that the first thing he does, is put on a coal miner's hat, which is like saying, I am one of you. Then he goes on to discuss, how the original gas used in hairspray (CFC's), which is no longer used in hairspray because it affect the ozone layer, because of regulation, and how dumb the whole thing is.
Besides the fact, that it is a long established fact that CFC's do affect the ozone layer, most coal miners are breathing in material that is dangerous to them, but this is the life most were born into. They are also facing regulations that could take away their jobs. So Trump has now appealed to a basic fear of theirs, which is their livelihood, by pointing to the regulations on CFC's. Do you think any of those coal miners understand or even care about CFC's, especially given that they deal with much worse on a personal basis? So Trump just won them over by being acting like one of them, while giving them false information that they will never look up, since they are too busy with life.
Did I answer your question, John?
I understand that Trump, or any candidate can appeal through anecdote and allusion to working class sensibilities.
My point is that despite all of Trump's attempts to momentarily act like one of them, his personal history belies his present words. He has actually taken actions in his personal life , business life, that have hurt working class people. Couple that with his utter inability to tell the truth and his promises to working class people are rendered meaningless.
But yes, you did answer the question to an extent.
I have wondered about this myself.
I can't speak for the country, nor can I really speak to all of KY, but I can tell you what I think... And this is just an opinion.
Reason #1 -- Donald Trump is a man. For those of us who live in the Bible Belt, voting for a woman is a scary thing. We're used to men being at the helm, telling us what to do, taking charge. We're used to trusting our lives to men, not women. Female doctors have a much harder time building their practice here than male doctors. Female church leaders are almost non-existent. Female heads of corporations are also almost non-existent. We have a few, but they are certainly not president of a huge corporation. This is not how I feel, but my mother did not ever want to go to a female doctor. My mother never would believe a female preacher, or support her. My mother refused to patronize woman-owned businesses, and actually switched her business from companies whose husband had died and the business was now run by their wife. How does one fix that? You can't.
Reason #2-- the churches are promoting him. Here in KY, if you've got the churches behind you, you're gold. Why do you think we have that awful Matt Bevin as governor? Because the churches promoted him, exhorted their flock to get out and vote for him, and condemned those to Hell, those that would not vote for him. Why the religious right supports Trump, I'll never know. But, they do. It doesn't matter how many truths are published about Trump-- the religious right ignores them, and, since they all watch the same news, and get their news from their church, they are an insulated bunch. How can one fix that? You can't. Here in KY, the religious right rules.
Reason #3 -- Lots of people here don't have access to the internet. They don't have computers, or they live in more rural areas that just don't offer decent internet services, or the church has told them the internet if filled with lies and sinners and those that use the internet are going to Hell. So, they don't have access to other news outlets that may offer other opinions. Their lives are isolated and insulated from the rest of the world. They rely on their local newspapers, who are affiliated with more national news organizations, and they toe their party line. If they published an article that told the truth, they would get only complaints and letters to the editor debunking that truth. Since newspapers rely on advertisements and subscriptions to keep up their revenues, they want to publish what their audience wants to hear. So, the same lies are told, over and over, until the people believe them-- even swear by them. Or they rely on the radio and TV, too. You can find just about anything you want to find on TV. So they don't watch what goes against their belief system... The radio is just on, in just about every business. Have that garbage spewn at you all day at work, every Sunday in church, by all of your friends and neighbors, and it becomes your own mantra.
Reason #4 -- The working class has no time to research and find out the truth, which is repugnant to them anyway. They are too busy making ends meet -- I agree with Perrie on this. They are too busy working 2-3 jobs and taking care of their kids to waste time trying to hear a different opinion, WHICH goes against their beliefs, and neighbors, anyway. It takes a great deal of moral courage to stand up to all of your neighbors, your church, your friends, etc. Most people just want to live their lives and keep going. If it makes it easier to put on blinders and just go, they do it.
Reason #5 -- The working class has been shat upon for so long, they are finally getting angry about it. Mrs. Clinton represents, to them, a continuation of the situation and Mr. Trump represents, to them, a break from the past and a whole new world. They don't want to listen to Mr. Trump's real beliefs and real plans for them. All I can say is that they are going to be shat upon, yet again-- by an expert in shatting. Mr. Trump does not care about them. They are seduced by the fact that this wealthy gadzillionaire talks like he wants to help them, speaks to their own personal prejudices, and tries to behave as if he is one of them. Mr. Trump has polarized their anger into one single person, and paints her as the only one at fault. The people believe it, suck it up, and revel in it. At last, someone to blame!
It's a perfect storm of madness...
It has been a head scratcher for a long time, I hope to tell you. I've been arguing with my friends and compadres in crime for decades, on job sites, in bars, at Elk and Muley camps in the deep woods, in regard to our class repeatedly voting for a party that screws them. The reasoning thus far, has been vague and distorted. So much so, it is difficult to get a full grip on the phenomena. I understand the distrust and dislike of the Democratic Party from a working pov but crikey. If you are just ham fisted and dense enough to continue voting for the same oligarchs and system, at least vote for the lesser of 2. Even if that gap is minuscule.
I think perhaps that Dowser and Perrie have about as reasonable answers as any considered.
I do think that the Democrats carry a serious blame in not being able to carry the working class as well.
Democrats and Urban Liberals would be well served to read some of the essays of Joe Bageant, Requeiscat In Pace, and his tome:
"Deer Hunting with Jesus: Dispatches from America's Class War" by Joe Bageant
Might give you a clue as to why we don't rally behind Dems.
I have to agree with Dowsers last point especially. The Working Class/Middle Class are sick and tired of being ripped-off and they view Clinton as a continuation of the same ol' rut. Many see rump as being an "insider" of the business world and so someone who may be able to turn the tables on the elite, and start taking their futures and wealth back into their own hands. I've heard many even say that they know rump is a liar and an idiot, and even if he gets into office but can't get a thing done because of his extreme nuttiness, it's still better than the status-quo that is decimating Middle Class families. It's sheer desperation and hopelessness imho; they believe the system is completely broken and corrupt, and will take an equally corrupt and broken leader to fix it.
Your comment doesn't say much for the people of this country.
We will elect a completely incompetent , pathologically lying crook and fraud because "fuck it".
We will elect a completely incompetent , pathologically lying crook and fraud because "fuck it".
Yup, possibly.