Trump had built his name into one of the nation’s most recognizable brands, and he knew how to market the hell out of even lousy products. He’d learned a lot from televangelists and snake oil salesmen. Democrats, by contrast, don’t seem to have learned much at all. Whether they’re attempting to brand themselves or demonize their opponents, it never seems to turn out too well.
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The rise of cable television and social media have created so many disparate voices that it’s hard to make sense of it all. Whom should we believe? Rather than trying to follow all the competing arguments, it’s easier to simply “pick a side,” play follow the leader, and nod in agreement at whatever that leader might say.
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People have scratched their heads and wondered why so many white evangelical leaders had embraced Donald Trump, the heir to a New York fortune who’s spent it on high living and self-promotion. Because he might as well be one of them. It’s like looking in the mirror.
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(Trump’s) been acting like Jesus, without all the nice-guy talk about loving your neighbor and turning the other cheek — which is exactly what makes him more attractive to many evangelicals than their putative founder. They feel like victims, and they want to lash out. To fight back. And Trump’s “vengeance is mine” attitude gives them permission to do so, whatever Jesus himself might have said.
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You might say it’s a war between Republicans and Democrats, or conservatives and liberals, and in large measure, that’s true. But at the heart of it, it’s a war between reality and denial. Nearly half the country has been sold a bill of goods by Donald Trump and his cronies. But they don’t want to admit they’ve been swindled — because it would involve admitting they’re the worst thing in Trumpworld: losers and suckers.
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History doesn’t look kindly on populist leaders, because they largely appeal to their time and lack relevance once it’s passed. They thrive in the fires of their own rhetoric, but when cooler heads prevail, they’re largely forgotten.
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