By Selwyn Duke
WASHINGTON D.C. (Texas Insider Report) Donald Trumps rise this election season has been historic amounting to something heretofore unseen in the annals of American politics. Given this its perhaps not surprising that many are still befuddled by the phenomenon. Trump is tapping into anger against The Establishment and over immigration and is sounding a nationalistic note in an age where it is not the elite" norm.
Pundit Charles Krauthammer is bewildered saying that for some reason" Trump is immune to the laws of contradiction." (In reality Democrats get away with contradiction continually; the only difference is that the media actually report on Trumps.) Also in the news recently is that some find his appeal among evangelicals inexplicable." Of course its all quite explainable.
In an earlier piece which I strongly urge you to read I expanded on certain factors evident in the Trump phenomenon. Trump is
And as I wrote When you have a hero leading the troops in the heat of battle against a despised oppressor you dont worry about his marriages past ideological indiscretions or salty language. You charge right behind him." This is largely why Trumps contradictions dont matter. Yet more can be said.
I often mention the fault of mirroring" which most everyone exhibits and is when you project your own ideals values priorities and mindset onto others. Its particularly amusing when pundits and politicians comment on the electorate and speak as if everyone is a politics wonk who analyzes issues logically within the context of a broad knowledge base (pundits themselves often lack erudition and reason.
Of course theyre blissfully unaware of it when thus guilty and nonetheless consider those qualities ideals. But man is not Mr. Spock and logic and reason play less of a role in peoples decision-making than most of us care to think.
This brings us to what Trump now has. Its something all successful politicians have to a degree and that every iconic one has in spades: an emotional bond with his supporters.
Trump has been criticized for speaking in vague generalities and not providing specifics on the campaign trail. This misses the point. If advertising a product on TV do you willingly provide mundane details about its ingredients or describe the intricacies of its manufacturing process? Thats more the stuff of documentaries and insofar as the vendor goes would only be found on an Internet product-information page (tantamount to a politicians policy-position page) 
provided for those interested.
No you say Look 15 years younger!" or Lose 20 to 30 pounds in 6 weeks!" Or think of the circa 2000 Mazda commercial with the young boy whispering Zoom zoom!" It was advertising an expensive hi-tech machine but was invoking the unbridled joy of childhood thus endeavoring to pique peoples passions. And thats the secret: capture your audience on an emotional level and theyre yours.
Or think about affairs of the heart.
If youre truly bonded and in love with your wife its not because you first looked at her and rendering a logical analysis thought Well shes vibrant and seems to have good genes so wed likely have healthy kids; and shes a darn good cook and I relish a fine pot roast."
Rather a true romantic bond is somewhat inscrutable an emotional phenomenon not an intellectual one. And its powerful enough to cause a woman to follow a man into a life of faith or a life of crime (Bonnie and Clyde); it explains the enduring good marriages and the bad ones.
Likewise playing on emotion is not the sole province of morally bad or good politicians only of successful ones. Hitler did it and Churchill did it; Huey Long did it and Reagan did it. When a candidate stands on a podium expounding upon 
policy nerd-like or has little to say beyond touting his accomplishments" (John Kasich comes to mind) theyre proving they dont get it. Create an emotional bond with the people and theyre yours.
And they will remain yours in the face of others intellectual appeals for their affections for as Ben Franklin observed
Coca-Cola has Coke is it!" Nike Just do it!" and Barack Obama had Yes we can!" (no he couldnt but it worked). Now can you think of a GOP candidate other than Trump identifiable by way of a catchy and popular slogan?
And its no coincidence that Make America Great Again" was also Reagans slogan in 1980.
Of course stating the obvious to connect with people emotionally you must capitalize on something appealing to them emotionally. Trumps bold nationalism does this. What do the others offer? Jeb Bush is associated with saying that illegal migration is an act of love" and John Kasich with Think about the illegals families cmon folks!" which might appeal to illegal migrants if they could speak English.
And none of the others will even support suspending Muslim immigration despite deep and widespread fear of Muslim terrorism which certainly will appeal to Daesh (ISIS).
Its as if Trump is courting Lady America with wine roses and his alpha-male persona while the Establishment candidates are lead-tongued nerds promising a tent with NSA surveillance a bowl of soup and squatters on a burnt-out lawn.
Contact Selwyn Duke follow him on Twitter or log on to SelwynDuke.com
- Tapping into anger against the Establishment and over immigration and is a plain-spoken breath of fresh air.
- Sounding a nationalistic note in an age where it is not the elite" norm.
- Not campaigning as conservative but a populist which almost by definition tends to make one popular in an era of mass discontent.
-
Crusading against hated political correctness which has stifled tongues and killed careers nationwide. And in being the first prominent person to defeat the thought police (at least for now) and by not cowering and apologizing to them he has become a hero.
And as I wrote When you have a hero leading the troops in the heat of battle against a despised oppressor you dont worry about his marriages past ideological indiscretions or salty language. You charge right behind him." This is largely why Trumps contradictions dont matter. Yet more can be said.
I often mention the fault of mirroring" which most everyone exhibits and is when you project your own ideals values priorities and mindset onto others. Its particularly amusing when pundits and politicians comment on the electorate and speak as if everyone is a politics wonk who analyzes issues logically within the context of a broad knowledge base (pundits themselves often lack erudition and reason.
Of course theyre blissfully unaware of it when thus guilty and nonetheless consider those qualities ideals. But man is not Mr. Spock and logic and reason play less of a role in peoples decision-making than most of us care to think.
This brings us to what Trump now has. Its something all successful politicians have to a degree and that every iconic one has in spades: an emotional bond with his supporters.
Trump has been criticized for speaking in vague generalities and not providing specifics on the campaign trail. This misses the point. If advertising a product on TV do you willingly provide mundane details about its ingredients or describe the intricacies of its manufacturing process? Thats more the stuff of documentaries and insofar as the vendor goes would only be found on an Internet product-information page (tantamount to a politicians policy-position page) provided for those interested.
No you say Look 15 years younger!" or Lose 20 to 30 pounds in 6 weeks!" Or think of the circa 2000 Mazda commercial with the young boy whispering Zoom zoom!" It was advertising an expensive hi-tech machine but was invoking the unbridled joy of childhood thus endeavoring to pique peoples passions. And thats the secret: capture your audience on an emotional level and theyre yours.
Or think about affairs of the heart.
If youre truly bonded and in love with your wife its not because you first looked at her and rendering a logical analysis thought Well shes vibrant and seems to have good genes so wed likely have healthy kids; and shes a darn good cook and I relish a fine pot roast."
Rather a true romantic bond is somewhat inscrutable an emotional phenomenon not an intellectual one. And its powerful enough to cause a woman to follow a man into a life of faith or a life of crime (Bonnie and Clyde); it explains the enduring good marriages and the bad ones.
Likewise playing on emotion is not the sole province of morally bad or good politicians only of successful ones. Hitler did it and Churchill did it; Huey Long did it and Reagan did it. When a candidate stands on a podium expounding upon policy nerd-like or has little to say beyond touting his accomplishments" (John Kasich comes to mind) theyre proving they dont get it. Create an emotional bond with the people and theyre yours.
And they will remain yours in the face of others intellectual appeals for their affections for as Ben Franklin observed
You cannot reason a man out of a position he has not reasoned himself into."
Note that while this relates the futility of trying to shake a person from passionately embraced error people can also have an emotional attachment to correct beliefs for the right or wrong reasons and with or without an intellectual understanding (e.g. Plato spoke of inculcating children who are too young to grasp abstract moral principles with an erotic emotional attachment" to virtue). And this is what Trump does so masterfully. When he repeats his slogan Make America Great Again" says were going to win" under his administration or speaks of building a border wall and getting Mexico to pay for it" its silly to wonder why it resonates despite the lack of detail. Hes marketing not doing R&D; hes not trying to appeal mainly to the intellect but the emotions. And you do this with the slogan not by reciting the list of ingredients. Again this isnt a commentary on the validity of his recipe only on the principles of effective campaigning. Having said this if a candidate is the real McCoy hell also have a quality product with a list of ingredients (again a policy-position webpage) for the discriminating shopper. But if hes smart hell understand that most people are impulse buyers with relatively short memories and recognize the importance of branding himself.Coca-Cola has Coke is it!" Nike Just do it!" and Barack Obama had Yes we can!" (no he couldnt but it worked). Now can you think of a GOP candidate other than Trump identifiable by way of a catchy and popular slogan?
And its no coincidence that Make America Great Again" was also Reagans slogan in 1980.
Of course stating the obvious to connect with people emotionally you must capitalize on something appealing to them emotionally. Trumps bold nationalism does this. What do the others offer? Jeb Bush is associated with saying that illegal migration is an act of love" and John Kasich with Think about the illegals families cmon folks!" which might appeal to illegal migrants if they could speak English.
And none of the others will even support suspending Muslim immigration despite deep and widespread fear of Muslim terrorism which certainly will appeal to Daesh (ISIS).
Its as if Trump is courting Lady America with wine roses and his alpha-male persona while the Establishment candidates are lead-tongued nerds promising a tent with NSA surveillance a bowl of soup and squatters on a burnt-out lawn.
Contact Selwyn Duke follow him on Twitter or log on to SelwynDuke.com
