I’ve been trying to understand how people could vote in sufficient numbers to elect Trump. This election should have been a blow-out, but instead, it’s a blow-up. Set aside for the moment voter intimidation (especially in key contested states like NC, WI and OH), the too-careful, too-confident Clinton campaign, the misguided polls, media’s abdication of responsible journalism, Russia’s meddling, and Comey’s thumb on the scale. I think Trump’s supporters come in two principal flavors — dice throwers and bomb throwers.
They are now represented by Trump’s first two appointments.
Reince Preibus represents the dice throwers, mainly Republicans who would have preferred someone else, but were willing to bet on Trump.
Steve Bannon represents the bomb throwers, who want major change, and have settled on Trump as their vehicle.
Both of these stances are gambles, but one sees Trump — at least potentially — as a regular politician who will be tamed. I see no evidence that he can or will transform himself from an indecent candidate into a normal President. Preibus has the thankless task of trying to patch things up between Trump and the Paul Ryan Republicans. Good luck with that. Even after he brought them clear majorities in both houses of Congress, and offers guaranteed domination of the judicial branch (on which the “religious” right justified their gamble), they will continue to find him distasteful. They will be squeezed between conscience and pragmatic gains. Guess which side will carry the day.
Bannon and his followers are under no such illusion. No transformation will occur, and they are untroubled by quaint notions of propriety. They want Trump as nasty, disruptive, and unpredictable as possible. Motivated by revenge, they have scores to settle. And with no patience for making nice, they are impatient for violent confrontation, bullying, domination, and shouting down.
I have the feeling that President Obama and Secretary Clinton advised us to recognize and maintain an open mind in regard to the first type of Trump-ist. But nothing in their expressions of patience and conciliation offers guidance for how to act toward the second type.
For now we have to keep Masha Gessen’s advice in mind, and thank Sen. Merkley for setting the pace on resistance.