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People don't vote for Trump because they think he, personally, is the best at running the country. No, they're voting for a Good Strong King who will if only the tsar knew his way into putting Good Caring and Competent Ministers in charge of everything.
Trump's core supporters don't want him ironing out the intricacies of tax policies or trade deals or whatever. They want him putting capable people in charge of listening to their sort of people about those things, and to tear down whatever stands in their way. For that, you need a bully, not a genius.
Or a leader people respect. But I see what you're saying. My little hypothetical wasn't meant to describe Trump, by the way, though reading through it it seems an obvious jab at him. I do think Trump leads through ethos and that little drop of Retsyn that certain leaders have, that no one since Obama has had in the Democratic party. Both Reagan and Clinton had it. You don't have to have good policies to have that vibe where people just, in hearing or watching you, think they're in good hands, that they're going to be okay. Trump has it for his party but he doesn't cross the aisle well.
Harris definitely does not have it, at least for me, and though usually I can see why even people I disagree with are inspired by whatever speaker (I see the appeal in certain faith healers, for example, even if I don't share it) but I can't with Harris.
Edit:
Had to look it up, as usual for me in these parts. Thanks for the new phrase.
I will totally agree with you. I don't like Obama, I didn't like Obama, but watching him give a speech is the sort of thing which makes me understand how people voted for him. Biden, Harris, etc- they don't look like they belong there.
Trump has it, and part of the appeal is that he doesn't cross the aisle well at all. To his core supporter the problem is with the bureaucrats not listening to their sort of people and someone who's overly democrat-friendly can't very well be expected to fix that problem.
I agree with this and have made the same point before. One of the reasons for Trump's support is that he is so obviously not a member of the existing political class that people don't expect him to behave like other politicians and get subsumed into the blob the moment he takes office. Loudly advertising and broadcasting that he doesn't give a shit what these people want or respect is one of the ways he got the immense loyalty that he now commands.
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