http://www.realclearpolitics.com/ar...he_media_miss_about_trumps_appeal_130001.html
What’s been well covered is his populist allure, his nativist bombast, his blunt statements and swaggering threats, his vast riches, and, of course, his ability to surprise and entertain. That’s all accurate. So is his appeal to a dark undercurrent of voter resentment and anxiety, what historian Richard Hofstadter once called the “Paranoid Style in American Politics.”
What’s missing, then? The public’s sense that, whatever Trump’s failings, he is actually competent. That’s a compelling proposition to many Americans, who don’t think Washington bureaucrats or bloviating senators could organize a two-car funeral.
These voters look past the gale-force winds of The Donald’s hot air. They believe that he knows exactly what he is doing and that his impressive record of accomplishments proves it. They see his office buildings, golf courses, and apartment towers and conclude he can smash through Washington’s gridlock.
Trump can manage tough, complicated projects and complete them. If his managers don’t get the job done, he’ll fire them. He won’t just talk about negotiating a tough deal, as President Obama or John Kerry do. He’ll use leverage effectively, hold his cards close, and wring every last nickel out of a deal.
What’s been well covered is his populist allure, his nativist bombast, his blunt statements and swaggering threats, his vast riches, and, of course, his ability to surprise and entertain. That’s all accurate. So is his appeal to a dark undercurrent of voter resentment and anxiety, what historian Richard Hofstadter once called the “Paranoid Style in American Politics.”
What’s missing, then? The public’s sense that, whatever Trump’s failings, he is actually competent. That’s a compelling proposition to many Americans, who don’t think Washington bureaucrats or bloviating senators could organize a two-car funeral.
These voters look past the gale-force winds of The Donald’s hot air. They believe that he knows exactly what he is doing and that his impressive record of accomplishments proves it. They see his office buildings, golf courses, and apartment towers and conclude he can smash through Washington’s gridlock.
Trump can manage tough, complicated projects and complete them. If his managers don’t get the job done, he’ll fire them. He won’t just talk about negotiating a tough deal, as President Obama or John Kerry do. He’ll use leverage effectively, hold his cards close, and wring every last nickel out of a deal.
