Democrats agonize over understanding President Trump’s supporters, whom they see as the working-class folks who were once their core constituency. But it is essential to understand that there are two types of Trump supporters. There are the shills, and there are the marks. The shills of course are the Republican elites (the politicians, their wealthy clients, the Kochs, the Murdochs, the Mercers), who have been working this con for 30-plus years, pitching lies that tax cuts for the rich will trickle down, and that the reason you’re struggling is not because your boss doesn’t pay you a living wage, but because dark-skinned immigrants are taking your jobs. Trump is their messiah, their stable genius flimflam man who lies so fluently, so shamelessly—and who is leading the GOP to oblivion.
The hope for Democrats is to appeal to the victims of this con, with compassion most of all. No one wants to admit they have been conned. Calling them racists will only help Trump get re-elected. There is a very high correlation between opium addiction and Trump supporters. These are mostly decent folk who have been pitched a hateful message from the GOP machine for 30 years.
James Heron, San Francisco
Note from KBJ: We’re not being conned, James. We love President Trump. He is making America great again.
