late wrote:The end result will be enormous damage to the country.
Boo hoo.
late wrote:Putin approves.
Cool.
drguitar wrote:"Do all (most) Trump supporters see Trump as an "obnoxious ass" that they like because of his policies?"
I don't think his base is monolithic. Evangelicals, for example, aren't going to be as thrilled with his style and his multiple marriages, etc. However, they overlook all of that because of who he said he would appoint to the courts. He released a list of judges he would appoint. He was honest about that, and it's very important to evangelicals. So while they were holding their noses and voting for him in 2016, in 2020 they are going to be voting for him enthusiastically. By contrast, blue collar workers that tend to vote Democrat frankly like his style and think he's hysterical. People that go to a dive bar after a day of working in a steel mill aren't typically known for their Martha Stuart manners and sensibilities. Stylistically, Trump stands in incredibly stark contrast to today's political correctness militants promoting "wokeness" and "cancel culture." A lot of the Tea Party base likes Trump because he fights the political correctness and cancel culture, whereas milquetoast Republican/conservative types like George F. Will or David Brooks, and their elected bretheren like Mitt Romney and erstwhile Jeff Flake desperately want the approval of these people. So the while the Tea Party types don't necessarily act like Trump, they view people like Mitt Romney as useless--a waste of space.
drguitar wrote:And if so, at what point of his obnoxious ass behavior be too far for his supporters?
He gets pushback a lot. Lindsay Graham pushes back on his tweets a lot, for example. Rank and file folks say the same thing. However, that can be a sticky wicket as well: a lot of people agree with what he's saying, but prefer he not say it--like "He is a sleazebag" about Jerry Nadler. They more or less agree with Trump, but they think it's rude to speak like that.
drguitar wrote:What if he continued to separate children from their families at the southern border?
Well, there we are back to policy and not outrageous statements. Every president has been doing this for decades. There is really nothing new or novel about it, other than the sheer number of people crossing the border illegally and the press framing the issue when Republicans occupy the White House.
drguitar wrote:In other words, what would it take for the "obnoxious ass" Donald Trump to be seen as a detriment to the office of the President of the United States?
Probably adopting the views held by the establishment--free healthcare for illegal immigrants, open borders, free trade with China, more pointless wars in the Middle East, etc.
Ultimately, it's really not about Trump the person. It's about working and middle class voters feeling like they have been getting screwed over by the people who govern them. It's not limited to the United States either. Brexit, the Gilets Jaunes, Lege, etc. are all examples of voters feeling they have been maliciously misruled by the "elites." When Tony Blair's former seat goes Tory, you know the world has turned upside down for the establishment.
That's why Trump has been very clever about his rhetoric, because he's putting himself on the side of the vulgar working classes. That culture is so absent in Washington DC, they simply cannot relate to it.
QatzelOk wrote:Do you think that the earth needs entertainers to lead it at this moment in history?
Do we just need a good laugh at this point?
I think we have a corrupt establishment that needs to be disestablished. Who does it right now doesn't concern me that much. For example, I find it highly amusing that Sanders is leading in the polls right now. The establishment is utterly vexed by this. They're impeaching Trump over the Biden matter, and Biden is not benefiting at all--even with Sanders sequestered in the Senate and unable to campaign. While I would prefer another four more years of Trump, I ultimately just don't want to see Biden win. In 2016, I just didn't want to see Jeb Bush or Hillary Clinton.
That said, I do think the ability to entertain people can certainly be construed to be one of the
five bases of power: referent power. That's why I think the impeachment is going badly for the Democrats--ultimately, it's not entertaining.
"We have put together the most extensive and inclusive voter fraud organization in the history of American politics."
-- Joe Biden