Trump vs Republican establishment. Really?

[razz]

I tried to read Peggy Noonan's article in the WSJ but was not prepared to sign up so googled instead and found this link about the rebuttal to her article.
The whole Trump vs Republican establishment has puzzled me as an outsider looking in. Does this article resonate with anyone?

"As leading Republicans struggle to come to terms with the phenomenon of Donald Trump, Peggy Noonan in the Wall Street Journal has an interesting thesis this morning. One part of her argument is that even the average Joe has seen for some time what brilliant professional politicians are still blind to: Trump will be the Republican nominee. In the face of the Trump phenomenon, the Republican professionals that she knows are still stuck “somewhere between depression and acceptance.”

The other part of her argument is the reason that she assigns for this blindness. Essentially, she says, there are two classes. The protected and the unprotected. The protected have everything going for them. Jobs, housing, schools, you name it. They’ve not only got it. They have rigged the system so that it keeps on giving to them. As a result, they are blind to what is going on...

Why Noonan Is Also Blind

There is one grain of truth in Noonan’s call for re-moralization of the protected class, along with two huge boulders of nonsense. First, the boulders of nonsense.

First, Noonan’s math is bad. She talks about the “top half” sticking it to the rest. Even the average Joe knows that it’s more like the top 1% sticking it to bottom 90%.

Second, Noonan is fiddling with a symptom, not the root cause. Immigration is a symptom of economic dysfunction, not the real issue. Even if immigration was in some sense fixed, the system would still be rigged against the underclass. By continuing to shine a light on immigration, Noonan herself is part of the phenomenon of “the protected class” not wanting to understand–or trying to distract attention from–the precise way in which the system is rigged.

The grain of truth of the truth in Noonan’s article concerns the need of the protected to give some thought to the consequences of their actions for the unprotected. They need to consider the consequences of their actions on the unprotected class. But not on sideshows like immigration. They need to address the specific mechanism by which the economic system is rigged."



http://www.forbes.com/sites/stevedenning/2016/02/26/understanding-trump-the-protected-and-the-unprotected/#1da17f4f33ec

[Williamsmith]

While I would defer to Peggy Noonan's obvious professionalism and journalistic skills, I would also point out that the Republican professionals....that is to say the lifetime politicians who will collect bloated pensions and be covered by gold level healthcare.....and all the associated businessmen who profit from excess government pork...........have so much skin in the game that they are convincing themselves the fort can still be saved from marauding Indians.

There is a psychological model for this called the Kubler-Ross model which seeks to explain the process of grieving. They are Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression and Acceptance. This can be applied not only to grieving of loved ones but in various forms of facing crisis in ones life.

I used the understanding of this to my advantage as an interrogator of criminal suspects. When faced with heinous criminal acts, a suspect will first often make illogical denials against irrefutable evidence. When pressed they often lash out making accusations of ill treatment or mistaken identity. If given a chance to save face they will many times accept partial blame or admit to some knowledge or involvement at a lesser level and if the planets fall into order......they will admit to entire crime and accept their fate.

Rubio is obviously at the Anger stage after having suffered through the denial. After Tuesday, the whole party may be looking at bargaining to keep a hold of some power. Acceptance is a long way down the road for most of these people.

As they say though, Every dog has his day.

[Rogar]

I couldn't read the Noonan WSJ either, but I think this is the same article on a different site.
https://patriotpost.us/opinion/40958

I can imagine that the pundits and politicians will be scratching their heads over Trumps popularity for months to come, but my humble opinion is that it has only a little to do with immigration, tax policy, foreign policy, or any of the basic issues. It's a visceral response to a distrust of "government" and also their ineffective responses to the floundering middle class, who probably have a tad of victim mentality. It comes from the same root cause as the Bernie popularity, but in the case of the liberals there is an alternative that has a vague semblance of representing the under privileged and under employed. Where as the leading alternatives among the conservatives are a man who unfortunately presents a public impression of a slick snake oil salesman and a young kid who is as connected to the trickle down economics establishment as anyone.

[razz]

OK, I can understand the vested interests from personal gain vantage points.

Forgive my ignorance but I am really trying to understand. I keep reading about the multibillionaire Koch brothers who drive the establishment. Are these really that powerful? Are they able to manage the establishment target or is it bigger than this?

ETA; thanks Roger for the link to Peggy's article. I believe in the WSJ she mentioned more of the remoralization of the protected class to consider the impact of their decisions on the unprotected.

[LDAHL]

Recent history would certainly seem unlikely to bolster the argument that Citizens United was the end of democracy. You've got the Trump show running on bile, adrenaline and a certain sick media fascination. You've got all that money behind Jeb Bush not moving the needle past 2-3% within his own party. You've got Hillary taking indignant umbrage at the suggestion that Goldman Sachs was paying for anything other than her insightful views on geopolitics and international finance. Then there's Bernie.

If there's some direct correlation between money and votes, I'm not seeing it this year.

[catherine]

Williamsmith: Interestingly, in the full article (thanks, Rogar) Noonan also references the same stages of grief that you mentioned with regard to the Republican party's slow coming around to reality.

razz: I don't think Noonan is saying she thinks immigration is the problem--I think she is underscoring that that's how the unprotected are viewing immigrants--immigrants are a threat to many people who have lost blue-collar jobs and become the scapegoat for the economic failures that you mentioned. Trump is saying what many people have probably said countless times around their dinner tables.. "if it weren't for those Mexicans..." Right or wrong, the feelings are there.


It's a visceral response to a distrust of "government" and also their ineffective responses to the floundering middle class, who probably have a tad of victim mentality.

Agreed. This is a slap upside the head, not just for Republicans, but for both parties who have been in their bubble with their vested interests as their only earpieces.

[Rogar]

Razz, there is a new book out called Dark Money by Jane Meyer that is about the Koch Bros and their political influence. I can't guarantee it's veracity and doubt that I will read it, but there are some summaries that shed some light on it. Seems like it might have a liberal slant, but I think there is something to it.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/24/books/review/dark-money-by-jane-mayer.html

[bae]

I believe I've related my experiences as a delegate for the Republicans during the last election cycle.

IMO the party establishment (not the zillionaires, just the legion of party apparatchiks who run things) had no interest in the Party, its platform, winning, or really anything else other than remaining in charge of the reins of the Party.

Win or lose, most of them get to keep their little vests, sashes, hats, $$$, and small clinging scraps of power and influence.

It's just a social club.

This year I will be participating in the Democratic Party caucus, which I suspect will turn out similarly. The way things are set up in my state, I expect it to be even worse than the Republican experience. (I was recently slyly offered appointment to a political position if I declined to run against A Chosen Candidate for another position, weasels...)

[razz]

Razz, there is a new book out called Dark Money by Jane Meyer that is about the Koch Bros and their political influence. I can't guarantee it's veracity and doubt that I will read it, but there are some summaries that shed some light on it. Seems like it might have a liberal slant, but I think there is something to it.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/24/books/review/dark-money-by-jane-mayer.html

I probably would need to understand the US system better to fully grasp and influence of money but I do remember the distress triggered about the United Citizens court decision. It seems to come down to money at all ends.

[bae]

In my experience, most people who complain about Citizens United haven't read the case or the opinions.

[creaker]

Sometimes I wonder if it's just an elaborate ruse - that the Republican party is trying to win the election by running against itself - that somehow a narcissist billionaire businessman can be a hero of the common folk. And it's working.

“Trumped" Starring Matthew Broderick & Nathan Lane
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OemqVWi_R0k

[Ultralight]

Sometimes I wonder if it's just an elaborate ruse - that the Republican party is trying to win the election by running against itself - that somehow a narcissist billionaire businessman can be a hero of the common folk. And it's working.

“Trumped" Starring Matthew Broderick & Nathan Lane
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OemqVWi_R0k

Trump will lose today. Just you watch.

[catherine]

That was hilarious! What a great parody! Thanks for sharing, creaker. On my way to forward it to DH.

[Rogar]

Creaker, loved the video! Thanks!

[Williamsmith]

Wow. Click on the link you won't be sorry. Very very funny. Hugely funny. Two Corinthians funny.

And UA.........what have you been smoking lately? It is starting to affect your judgement. Trump will cause the establishment heart burn today. After today, Trump will probably get added security.

[Ultralight]

Wow. Click on the link you won't be sorry. Very very funny. Hugely funny. Two Corinthians funny.

And UA.........what have you been smoking lately? It is starting to affect your judgement. Trump will cause the establishment heart burn today. After today, Trump will probably get added security.

I am sXe! So I ain't been smoking nothing!

[razz]

Love that video! Really funny!

[iris lilies]

Creaker,mthis vid was hilarious! I had seen other Donald parodies but not this one.