As an independent voter, I have never understood the need to align yourself with one party exclusively, even if it means voting against your own interests. Even more baffling to me is aligning yourself with one candidate above all others time and time again when their performance has been lacking, their rhetoric borders on non-sensical, and their commitment to the broader good of the people has changed to the commitment of doing themselves good.
Republicans Keep Supporting Donald Trump
Of course, I’m talking about Donald Trump and forty percent of this country who refuse to give up on what is quite possibly the first ex-president sentenced to jail. At this point, electing Trump to a position of power may seem quite insane.
To Understand Why, We Must Understand the Conservative Agenda
First of all, Republicans aren’t stupid. This seems to be the underlying theme of left-leaning media who are bonkers that anyone would vote for Trump. I have news for those talking heads. Over the last 30 years, the Republican establishment, including the far-right loonies, has fundamentally changed the United States of America from a left-leaning slow-and-go democracy to a fierce “My Way or the Highway” right-of-center juggernaut that isn’t going away.
What They’ve Accomplished (With Trump’s Help)
Over the last 30 years, they’ve accomplished a wide range of policy objectives, including enhanced gun availability, the abolishment of Roe v Wade, gutting Affirmative Action, packing courts with conservative idealists, demolishing unions, and gutting regulations to enrich their corporate sponsors.
Bad for the People, but Good for Them
These policies may be detrimental to the American people, but they’re precisely what conservatives want. Each win brings them closer and closer to their ultimate agenda: complete control of American politics and, with it, control of America’s wealth and population.
Brings Us To Donald Trump
With that background in mind, we can explore Donald Trump’s popularity. Let me explain for those who can’t grasp the intrigue and excitement of electing an indicted ex-president with questionable leadership ability to lead the greatest power in the land.
Here are 11 reasons Republicans won’t give up on Trump.
They’re Angry
Republicans who voted for Donald Trump are outraged. They are angry at a system they perceive to be unfair. They are angry at Democrats, who they believe will give away the bank to appease a cause. They mistrust people who want a powerful government and despise anyone who wants a handout. That same anger propels them towards Donald Trump with a cult-like devotion unseen in American politics.
And It’s Contagious
The anger is contagious. It spreads like wildfire among his devoted. The anger at their economic position morphs into anger at the political system and career politicians they hold responsible. Trump, by saying the unsayable, became the figurehead.
They Fear Change
Conservativism has always been about holding onto systems and values of the past. Any movement to change the status quo invokes a primal fear in them. They’re happy with the system and terrified of how a new system would affect them.
The System Upholds Their Values
Trump voters take their values seriously. They dislike the transgender revolution, abortion, and attempts to dismantle the patriarchy because all these ideas clash with their sense of right and wrong.
Whether you agree with those values or not isn’t the point. It’s meaningful to them, and they can’t see past their fear and anger to consider how these policies impact others.
He Personifies the Backlash Against Them
Donald Trump has become their champion because the prevailing feeling amongst Republicans is that he has been treated unfairly, just like they have.
Ask any Trump supporter, and they will tell you that they don’t believe the courts, the media, and anyone who speaks out against him because they have been trying to get him out of office since he beat Hillary Clinton. Republicans think he’s being persecuted for his ideas (their ideas) rather than fairly charged for his illegal actions.
It’s Us Against Them
Trump, through his dogged relentlessness to regain power (essentially to stay out of prison), has created an “us against them mentality” in Republicans. As Trump’s legal battles mount, the tribalism of the MAGA movement gains strength.
They View Him as the Strong Man Leader They Crave
In times of crisis, conservatives often seek a strong man who will lead them out of the darkness and into prosperity. For Republicans, Trump is that leader.
They see him as the patriarchal boss with a benevolent toughness who demands excellence he portrayed in his television show, The Apprentice.
He Stands By His Convictions
Trump voters don’t see the lies and obfuscation to protect himself. They see a man who will stand by his convictions and get angry at the injustice of government hand-outs and liberal policies rewarding abhorrent behavior.
He Says What They Think
They see a man who will fight for the things they can’t say publicly but fume about behind closed doors. Trump gives them a voice and the courage to vent their anger at what they see as a country slipping away from the American Dream to a Sanctuary Haven of freeloaders and degenerates endangering the lives of their children and their beliefs.
Trump Tells Their Story From Their Perspective
Trump voters will disagree with accusations that they’re scared. They are not frightened of change; they are angry at being told how to live. That’s why they believe Trump is their best hope for themselves and the country. They desperately want someone to tell their story, and let’s face it: Trump is the best storyteller on the planet.
They Refuse To See the Truth
It doesn’t matter that Trump has proved time after time that he is a self-centered, egotistical maniac consumed with delusions of grandeur and will literally throw anyone who smites him under the bus.
His quest to be king is real, but the Republican electorate doesn’t want to see that side of him.
He’s Not Great, but He’s Still My Man!
By and large, Republicans are fair-minded, although you wouldn’t think so watching MSNBC or other left-leaning news outlets.
Many acknowledge Tump’s shortcomings, but they’ll let them all slide because they think he’s still their best chance for realizing their vision of America.
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D.G. Allen is a political commentator and writer.