According to this article from The Hill, some voters in the Trump base appear to be experiencing a change of heart in their allegiance to Trump. Many of these people are describing this transformation with the question What were we thinking by voting for him?. Their original intent they report, in voting for the inexperienced, bullying, billionnaire candidate was to shake things up in Washington.
This desire for a shake-up emanated from a a growing sense of resentment and disgruntlement with the status quo. Throughout Obama’s two terms, voters from a certain demographic group began to believed that the federal government now catered to the minorities in the country more than to their group of non -college educated whites. They felt a loss of status and respect and the idea of voting for this guy Trump who offered to go to Washington and trash the establishment seemed like a good idea at the time.
Now inexorably, Trump’s shiny veneer has worn thin for a small segment of the Trump base. Trump’s numbers are beginning to slide. Not a lot but enough to take note.. From the Resistance perspective, this news comes with the automatic follow-up question, What took them so long to see the light?
But the anti-Trump crowd must be patient and remember that the typical Trump devotee was looking for a way to lash out at the elites and the establishment in Washington.. These feelings went deep in 2016 and were compounded by the slow wage growth and the down-turn in manufacturing in the rust belt states over recent years. Trump deftly exploited their fears and growing animosity.
For Trump supporters to come to the realization that he used them for his own self interest and not to serve their needs is a bitter pill to swallow. It is easier on the ego to stick with Trump and disbelieve all the evidence piling up that he has been a con man in business and remains one in the Presidency. Imagine how difficult it can be for a Trump voter to accept that he is a criminal and maybe even an asset to the Russians as well.. That enough Trump voters have become disillusioned to show up in the polls, can be viewed as good news.
And who knows? This slight ticking down of Trump’s favorability numbers may not last. As the author of The Hill article suggests, the enlightenment may only be temporary and those newly dissatisfied Trump people may, alas, return to the fold.
The Resistance, however, for the time being anyway. can take heart with the recent polls. Taking the optimistic view, this tiny crack of disillusionment in Trump’s base,may foretell a gaping break – with Michael Cohen’s testimony only days away. In the meantime lets breathe a happy sigh that a few Trumpies have for now, had their epiphanies.
https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/426057-trumps-base-shows-signs-of-eroding-ahead-of-re-election-bid