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2020 Presidential election

Red said:
I find it helpful to understand the emotions Trump elicits, and channels, at his rallies. I assume his rally goers are among the most fervent of his supporters, so I'd just as soon take as close a look as possible at that core of his core. Assuming he's a candidate again in 2020, though a lot can happen between now and then.

Written before the midterms, these are perspectives offered by Trump rally attendees. Good stuff...

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/nov/01/trump-rallies-america-midterms-white-house

"There is no understanding Donald Trump without understanding his rallies.

They are the crucible of the Trump revolution, the laboratory where he turns his alternative reality into a potion to be sold to his followers. It is at his rallies that his radical reimagining of the US constitution takes shape: not “We the people”, but “We my people”...

..Five rallies, eight days. At each, we explore a different emotion that Trump evokes to arouse his people’s devotion, in search of the source of his appeal."
Click to expand...

The link I left in the above comment is the best in depth description I have come across describing that part of Trump's constituency that attends his rallies. I wanted to emphasize it is not a "bash Trump supporters" hatchet job. It describes rally attendees honestly, in their own words. I see them as "victims" of a personality cult, certainly not the way they see themselves. Fellow Americans seriously misguided, but fellow Americans nonetheless.

Another part of the Trump base, which will be there for him in 2020, barring events none of us can predict, are American evangelicals, Christian nationalists. I did not know it at the time, but a month before the midterms, a film opened in 1000 theaters nationwide. Titled "The Trump Prophesy", it described the belief that Trump represents the fulfillment of biblical prophesy:

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/31/opinion/trump-evangelicals-cyrus-king.html



Also recently, leading evangelical Jerry Falwell Jr. proclaimed that sympathy for the poor is something his god intended for the next world, not this one: The man whose institutional mission includes being “a voice for the voiceless” then meditated on the uselessness of the poor — “A poor person never gave anyone a job. A poor person never gave anybody charity, not of any real volume. It’s just common sense to me.” He then suggested that it might be immoral for Christians not to support Trump.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2019/01/04/evangelicals-infallible-new-faith-gospel-trump/

I have little to no patience for Christian nationalism, that strain of Christianity that believes god is on America's side, and always has been. From the 19th century belief in America's god ordained manifest destiny to stretch "from sea to shining sea" to Falwell's belief that Trump's enemies are god's enemies, I think it's sick. But there they are, another integral part of Trump's portion of our electorate.

Trump, a president for some Americans, and the leader of a personality cult, backed by people who claim to be Christian, but who are nationalists more then anything else.....
 
Stoked said:
Tulsi Gabbard announces she is running for President.
Click to expand...

And the Russians couldn’t be any happier. She’s an isolationist, pro life, nationalist, and anti-establishment from the left. Russian disinformation campaigns will look to boost her in attempts to split leftist voters. She won’t win the nomination, but much like Sanders or Stein she potentially could draw a certain type of voter from the left and hurt the party’s nominee in the general.

Whether or not she actually has much of an impact on anything remains to be seen. But for sure the Russians love this and will try to use her.
 
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