The victory of Donald Trump does not represent a victory of conservative or reactionary political views, policies and programs. Indeed, Trump himself has no real views, policies or programs. For him, is all about The Donald and his brand.
Trump’s win was an entire economic and social class’s way of giving a giant Fuck You to The Establishment which has been exploiting, plundering and killing them for decades.
I lay the blame squarely at the feet of the Democratic Party which abandoned the principles of the New Deal in exchange for a seat at the Big Boys’ table. Most of the Dem elite are more interested in personal power and wealth than benefiting their fellow citizens. (To be impartial, most of the GOP has been doing this for 100 years). The GOP has been trying to undo the legacy of FDR for 80+ years and they won the battle about 40 years ago when they discovered it was possible to bribe the opposition in addition to their own compatriots. The Dems became the Left Wing of the Money Party (h/t Michael Collins). By failing to reverse the destruction of unions, failing to invest in infrastructure & education, failing to stem the exporting of jobs, they laid the groundwork for today’s situation. Carter tried, but his hands were tied by his fellow Democrats. Since Reagan, the working class – those who actually get their hands dirty – have been devastated economically. The Democrats co-opted, gutted and ignored any progressive movements within the party and became GOP-Lite. In 2016, the chickens came home to roost.
History shows that the great majority of any particular population has always been controlled and exploited for the benefit of the minority, once a group grows to a size wherein the members of the group don’t have a personal relationship with the others and a network of mutual dependency and reliance. By my definition, politics is what happens once a group exceeds Dunbar’s Number.
Politics is all about compromise, the recognition that we all want different things. Nobody gets everything they want but most get enough that the compromises are worth reaching and honoring. The Right soon realized that by being a little less accommodating they could gradually move the Overton Window in their direction. Rather than resisting and keeping the discussion and decisions centered, the Dems abandoned their historical political principles and jumped on the bandwagon to get a bigger share of the money and power. Let me make it clear: NeoCons are not conservative; NeoLibs are not liberal. In both cases, politics is a cover for the game they are really playing – a political and financial version of Three-Card-Monte, with most of the county being bilked of money, opportunity, and sometimes lives – how many were bankrupted by job loss, homeless by foreclosure, lost in war, how many minds blighted in Flint Michigan? All to make the already wealthy even wealthier.
This election was the 21st century version of pitchforks and torches. Just as Trump’s followers didn’t care about his obvious lies, I doubt if many really expect him to fix anything. They may hope he takes down The Establishment that has consistently screwed them, and that – by itself – might not necessarily be a bad thing. Personally, I doubt it will happen. Trump is ignorant and vain. That means he’ll depend on advisors who can flatter his ego. His cabinet and appointments will likely be composed of the worst people for each slot. Authoritarians (Guliani for AG), climate-change deniers, etc. (I guarantee we will blow right past the [admittedly-optomistic] goal of limiting global warming to 2°).
Is there a worse prescription for political, social and cultural disaster than having a coterie of corrupt, slimy ass-kissers manipulating a intransigent asshole, gleefully supported by a GOP majority in House, Senate and Courts?