I respect the chemistry. No, wait…that’s Walter White.
I couldn’t give two shits for Trump or the bird nest on his head, even if you throw in Ivanka, Melania, and the oft-neglected Tiffany into the deal. The thing is, Trump has been a laughing stock since his earliest days as a public figure. The defunct Spy Magazine has been ridiculing him for his absurd statements and poor business acumen for decades beyond just Graydon Carter’s infamous “short-fingered vulgarian” comment. Trump was almost certainly the inspiration for the casino-owning alt-future Biff Tannen. That Trump has been able to overcome that satire and achieve the presidency despite being a legendary ass clown of a businessman speaks to some heretofore unexpressed desperation on the part of many Americans about a nation and a future they no longer feel to be a part of or represented by. And as easy as it is to just label Trump voters as a class as bigots and idiots, there is the case to be made that even if they are less than accepting of egalitarian progress, they deserve and require a degree of representation and respect by virtue of being citizens of this nation. (I refer to essentially decent people living in decaying Rust Belt and coal mining towns who really just want assurance of some kind of future, not avowed racist fuckholes of the Ku Klux Klan or alt-right worshipers of Steve Bannon-espoused conspiranoia.) Politics on both sides can’t just neglect the “middle third” because they aren’t on the economically more productive coasts, because these are the people who keep us fed and suffer neglect at the hands of exploitative corporations who move operations as suits them, leaving a void of jobs and pollution behind them.
As for the “false equivalency” of highlighting radicals on the left, there are plenty who enjoy the same “Pull the temple down,” mentality as Trump voters. The entire idea that we’re going to “break up the banks” or wholesale clearcutting of industries that are not being held accountable is a cure worse than the disease. Like it or not, our national prosperity depends on the efficiency and emplaced systems of those large banks, and they need to be held accountable without just clearcutting. The attacks on Warren for not being radical enough and demanding she step away were every bit as ridiculous as Trump boosters shouting, “Lock her up!”, particularly given Warren’s efficacy, reputation, and appeal as a reasoned voice among the shouting.
But the real danger to Warren isn’t from these admittedly marginal extremists (which, as you note, have little actual influence on the Democratic party machinery, obviously) but on the inertia of the DNC itself which tends to reward donors and big fundraisers like Tim Kaine over viable and functionally preferable candidates. Warren is an obvious choice, if not for president than as a very public face who has an almost unquestionable integrity in public service (in contrast to Clinton). Will the DNC leadership actually boost her, or will they bury her because she threatens some of the traditional funding sources? Time will tell.
Stranger