What if the tables were turned? What if, instead of the Republican ticket, Trump somehow ended up running as a Democrat? He still could have appealed to the populist vote by promising to make things better with jobs and improving inner cities. Instead of a giant border wall and repealing Obamacare he could have promised free healthcare and free education, like Bernie Sanders only with no plan to back it up.
In my alternate reality Trump is running against Mitt Romney. The Russians are still interfering in the election but instead it’s registered Democrats getting fake news about Mitt Romney in their Facebook feed from ultra-liberal new sites.
In this alternate reality would you have been duped into voting for Trump? I’d like to say I wouldn’t. I’d like to say I’d still be able to see that Trump is a lying con-man. However would I have been able to plug my nose and cast a vote for Mitt Romney instead? It’s an interesting question. When I look at it from this perspective it helps me understand what may have been going through people’s minds last year.
What do you think?
While I don’t discount that possibility, the one flaw I see is that most liberals want facts and details … not just soundbites. Not, mind you, that I think we are immune to being duped … I just think that you have to put more thought and effort into it. Also, looking at the Republican debates I have a hard time envisioning the liberals I know going for the “school yard bullying” tactics that he displays. Would I have voted for Mitt … I don’t know, I may have skipped the presidential vote altogether (although that is also hard to envision as I have always voted … ). I can say that with few exceptions (Clinton, Clinton, Obama, Obama) most of the time I have voted against rather than for presidential candidates … so it is possible I would have voted for Mitt.
While my alternate reality is a stretch, I agree with your assessment of liberals needing details and facts. Also, I think Trump is just too gaudy to appeal to liberals. If I did sense the insanity of Trump that I did in our real election I do think I would have gone for Mitt simply because he would have been the more responsible choice.