Donald Trump’s symbiotic relationship with the Republican base is his key to victory
The pundits and the mainstream media were caught flat footed. They started to believe their own rhetoric. The reason that they miscued on the success of Donald Trump is rather simple. They lied to themselves as the Republican Party got co-opted by the TEA Party and others.
It is a bit more complicated however. When President Obama got elected, the paradigm was broken. While the change in demographics has been talked about for some time, it was never in your face as it was with the election of President Obama. Moreover, people that were not struggling for generations were suddenly struggling. Instead of blaming the real culprit, the plutocracy that destroyed the economy, nativism crept in.
The birther movement, the bigoted caricature of the president, and the outward disrespect in an attempt to de-legitimize this President that looked different, was in full vogue. This was all done with the blessings of otherwise intelligent people with the expectation of scuttling this president’s progressive intent.
The vile machinations were not successful in the first two years given the vast Democratic majorities. Apathy kept Democratic voters at home in 2010. The Republican landslide brought a new cast of characters whose values were pretty close to the values expounded by Donald Trump.
The GOP leadership was too scared to challenge. You see, by then the cancer of increased bigotry, increased intransigence, and intolerance had metastasized. The Party changed. While Jeb Bush would love if it had been his brother’s party, he was left with an intolerant nativist party. Donald Trump, the chameleon that he is, simply adapted to the party. Now there is a symbiotic relationship between him and the Right Wing of the GOP, the voting wing of the GOP.
Senator Mitch McConnell and his ilk did everything to scuttle the President. He had to demonize a well liked President to do so. That demonisation included ensuring the party became more intolerant. The polls show that that change is deep and may be more permanent than the leaders desired. Henceforth, Donald Trump.