I’m trying very hard here not to be disingenuous about what I think the motives of Trump supporters are, but as I see it, what they really want is to have somebody at the top that hates Muslims as much as they do. But other than agreeing with them about who the ‘real problem’ is, what do they actually want him to do? Here are some possibilities that will show that he is as tough on Muslims as he says he is going to be, in the name of making America safe again.
(Note: I know a lot of these are fuzzy/outrageous/against the constitution, but that’s not what I’m concerned about. I’m wondering what Trump supporters are hoping he’ll actually do, given the opportunity)
Stop all immigration from Muslim countries
Stop all immigration by people who are Muslims.
Deport all people who are Muslim and currently live in the US (regardless of where they were born)
Set up internment camps for Muslims
Kill any Muslims who are in the US
Invade Iran and Syria
Stop immigration by anyone to the US, just to be safe
Stop US aid to any countries that have large Muslim populations
Create laws outlawing Islam as a criminal organisation
I’ve seen all of these suggested as good ideas by people who are supporting Trump (some of whom I share a surname and DNA with). Or am I wrong, and is everyone just kidding, and all they really want is to have somebody who is a member of the party they support at the top?
I can only speak for those in my family who feel free (really free) to voice their opinions to my face.
They can’t stand Hillary
They’re tired of failed Republican promises to end Obamacare, cut taxes, end the deficit and whatever and they believe putting a tough guy at the top will force Congress to toe the line.
In other words, they really don’t give a shit about Muslims, illegal immigrants and all that.
A significant number of Republicans can not stomach Trump’s racism and refuse to support him, like Romney. Unfortunately there is a good number of Republicans that also approve of trickle down racism. Or were bigoted and prejudiced all along.
I still remember how even in the SDMB many Republicans dismissed points that even I reported that showed that there were many fig leafs used to defend very prejudiced actions and it was a shame that many did defend the ones that were pushing them. It is clear that a good number of republicans do know now that the party of Lincoln has been twisted completely, and not for the better. Hopefully a good number of Republicans will not let Trump prevail, to realize that a party should not come before the country.
Give that the vast majority of Trump supporters are middle/working class whites with “some college” or less education, I suspect most are vague about what they want him to do from a policy execution perspective.
I suppose what they want to see is the following results (either directly in their neighborhoods or on Fox News):
Stories about SOCOM forces tearing ISIS new IS-holes.
Fewer stories about terror attacks (at least domestically…they might get some smug sense of “I told you so” satisfaction from attacks on foreign soil)
They want jobs. They want a big steel industry in America, the way there used to be. There were radio interviews, after the convention, from people in Cleveland, once a big steel town, wanting manufacturing jobs brought back.
They don’t want to hear the reasons this can’t happen. Ideologically, many of them would be opposed to the kind of regulations that would be necessary to prevent companies from relying on foreign labor. (If we tried it, foreign companies would take over, and the U.S. would have another recession. You can’t compel companies to hire people!)
Basically, Trump’s supporters want him to make 2 + 2 equal 8. And they want a smaller government, not one that has any power over what numbers equal. I think most of them also want a pony.
Well there is one way Trump could make it happen, but you’re not going to like it. War. A big war, not these skirmishes with third world armies, one that requires millions of troops. Steel and other manufacturing are “essential for national defense” so has to be kept in the country. War economies usually lead to almost full employment.
Yes, I think that even Trump is not this insane, but he doesn’t seem to consider other people as human, so who knows?
Let’s not forget the 1000 mile long wall. Construction must start right away. Of course, Trump will have to vastly expand the border patrol, because even if you have a wall, some people will try use ropes, ladders, tunnels etc. to circumvent it. And with all those agents patrolling the wall, you don’t really need a wall at all.
Oh my God:smack: It’s a really stupid fucking idea.
I only know one person who could be called a Trump Supporter; her reasoning is that he isn’t Hillary and he isn’t really what she would call a Republican either. What does she expect him to actually do if elected? Not very much other than shoot his mouth off and complain a lot. What would she like him to do, to actually accomplish? Pretty much just shake up the status quo on the Republican side if not across government as a whole. In some small ways she is going to get her wish no matter how the election goes. Heck, it may have already happened.
IMHO, his supporters have not thought that far ahead. Right now he says stuff that resonates with them. He’s also not Hillary, and makes the left, liberals, progressives, and those RINOs shriek in terror - that is his main appeal. What he’s gonna “do” isn’t really all that important to them right now. They probably assume he’ll hire some eggheads to figure out the hard stuff while he’s being the most presidential president, ever.
Every Trump supporter I know keeps repeating the same lines about Hillary and Benghazi, no matter how many times it has been discredited. I have yet to hear what they actually want from Trump.
This. Somehow Trump will transport them to a time (when? whatever you think) when things were Great. That no such time exists is simply not accepted, of course there were times when things were Great. This is America, isn’t it?!?!
How did that line go, about those who do not study history are doomed to repeat it?
Concur. Even here on the Dope, when Trump stances are questioned/ridiculed, the answer is usually directed at “Crooked Hilary” or how bad Clinton is, not in rebutting and defending the Trump position. I suspect the same thing will happen during the campaign every time a reasonable question is put to the Trump camp on a particualr position. We shall see.
I heard a call in on a radio show from an African American Trump supporter.
He said that he wanted capital to start his own restaurant. Not a loan you understand (he was very clear about that) but just straight out money. He didn’t specify why exactly he thought a Trump presidency would result in his getting the capital he required he just knew that he wasn’t getting it under the current system.
I think that many view Trump like Monty Hall from let’s make a deal. They don’t like their current prize so they want to go with what’s behind door number 3. The less that is specified that better. If Trump says trust me I’ll make America great again, then they can put all their hopes and dreams into what’s behind that door. Although under Monte Hall the worst that would happen is that they could get a goat. The stakes are much higher here.
I think this factor can’t be overstated - there are a fair number of people in the US who are simply getting screwed by the status quo, automation and expert systems. To a great extent this isn’t anyone’s fault, but it also isn’t easily fixable. In that situation you might not actually think that Trump is going to do anything for you necessarily, but it’s a “fuck you” to the system in general.
