Insightful article re Trump supporters and the Republican party.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-presidents-base-vs-the-republican-party-1500419237
This article gave me greater insight into the 2016 election results. We all know that white working class and rust belt voters left the Democratic Party, their traditional home, and swUng the victory to Trump. Yes, the Dems had ignored their plight for too long, but Republicans have never care about working-class people. How did the Repubs get this great migration? They played on tribalism. White supremacy is alive and well in many parts of America, among all classes. Obama's election was the ultimate affront to many whites of all classes. "Make America great" again meant to many of all classes 'make America a country dominated by real Americans, white Christians, and their values, and keep others out.'
Further Trump appealed to the anti-feminist, macho, male supremacists who view women as subordinate to men and their sexual and reproductive wants. The
Republicans played the culture-wars card and were able to channel some of these traditionally democratic voters to their side. In spite of the fact that the Republican party is anathema to their economic interests. I'm not saying this applies to all white working class voters who supported Trump. This is a frequent Republican tactic. Get people whose self-interest is opposed to Republicans, to vote by stoking their fears of trans-gender people raping children in restroom, saying God made marriage only for opposite sex people, homosexual behavior is sinful, etc. I don't think Trump was smart enough to figure this out. But, his campaign people, esp. Bannon, did.
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