Highbrow Magazine - trump campaign https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/trump-campaign en Donald Trump’s Politics of Improvisation https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/6055-donald-trump-s-politics-improvisation <div class="field field-name-field-cat field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/news-features" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">News &amp; Features</a></div></div></div><span class="submitted-by">Submitted by tara on Sun, 11/06/2016 - 16:27</span><div class="field field-name-field-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" rel="og:image rdfs:seeAlso" resource="https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/field/image/12trump.jpg?itok=KTJviykQ"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/field/image/12trump.jpg?itok=KTJviykQ" width="480" height="319" alt="" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p> </p> <p><strong>From our content partner <a href="http://newamericamedia.org/2016/11/donald-trump-and-the-politics-of-improvisation.php">New America Media</a></strong>:</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>Opinion</strong></p> <p> </p> <p>The spirit of improvisation finds its ultimate expression in the workings of American democracy. Like improvisation, democracy believes every voice, however marginal or foolish, should be heard, every vote counted.</p> <p> </p> <p>Then along came Donald J. Trump whose irrepressible spontaneity knocks much of this rosy vision about improv and democracy into a cocked hat. Presidential historian Jon Meachum calls Trump “Unabashedly improvisational.” David Axelrod describes him as “an improvisational performer, long on chutzpah and borscht belt put-downs but short on facts.” We’ve all seen it. The man gives no thought to the next thing out of his mouth. If Hermes the Trickster, the lord of boundary crossing, god of thieves and liars was the first improviser, Donald Trump the con man is his dark doppelganger, a dark echo point by point.</p> <p> </p> <p>Immediacy? 3am tweets. Check.</p> <p> </p> <p>Boundary crossing? Let me count the ways.</p> <p> </p> <p>Hierarchy bashing? To the last.</p> <p> </p> <p>In our culture, spontaneity is a validator, an authenticator, it makes one out to be trustworthy: “Trust me,” says the improviser, “I’m not in control of what I say. My muse made me say it.” In Trump’s case his unfiltered spontaneity is a kind of dog-whistle. Because he improvises we are told, he is more trustworthy than Hillary who prepares for debates and stands by her well-thought-out words, remembering not to contradict herself — lock her up!</p> <p> </p> <p>How is it that just being yourself — let Trump be Trump — redeems you? What if you’re a raging narcissist? What if you — spontaneously — get all the facts wrong? Redemption? Not hardly.</p> <p>The gesture of spontaneity functions as a device of persuasion based on the premise that spontaneity is the solution, not the problem.</p> <p> </p> <p>But our great improvisers know better. Mark Twain’s famous notice to Huckleberry Finn attacks rhetoric, purpose, and morality. “Persons attempting to find a motive in this narrative will be prosecuted; persons attempting to find a moral in it will be banished; persons attempting to find a plot will be shot.”</p> <p> </p> <p>Such gestures authenticate and authorize, and invite us into the adventure of a liminal world which distrusts logic and rationality, even fact. Sound familiar? But the great improvisers hold up a mirror to their illogic. At first promising a direct, unmediated experience of Truth and Reality, at some point they say, are we sure we want to go that far? As Mark Twain does when Huck’s raft drifts “free and easy” further and further into the slave states.</p> <p> </p> <p><img alt="" src="/sites/default/files/7trump_2.jpg" style="height:351px; width:625px" /></p> <p> </p> <p>Lesser improvisers lack that self-reflexiveness. George W. Bush set a high standard for this kind of dangerous innocence. The Decider-in Chief, he didn’t need State Department analyses. He looked in Russian Premier Putin’s eyes and saw directly into his soul. On the basis of this unmediated experience, free of logic or facts or analysis, we should trust Putin. The gesture can thus be instrumental in matters of life and death. In this case it served us ill, doing little to prepare us for Putin’s culture of oligarchy and power grabs, his invasion of Georgia and the Ukraine, or his support of Syria’s Assad and present atrocities in Aleppo.</p> <p> </p> <p>Whitman, that great improviser, sought “majesty and beauty … latent in any iota of the world.” Improvisations seek to grab not just the day but all of life. (We know what Trump likes to grab).</p> <p> </p> <p>Still, as these last months have shown, it is both wrong and dangerous to suggest that improvisation and democracy are necessarily or inevitably linked, that if it’s improvised its authentic and trustworthy.</p> <p> </p> <p>Improvisation and tyranny are also linked. I mean this as a matter of historical fact. In classical Greece and Rome, aspiring tyrants often linked themselves to Dionysus, the god who like Hermes only more so, challenges the reigning rationality and hierarchy. Tyrants-to-be invoked Dionysus to rally their base against the ruling powers of the polis. Everything is all everyman-democracy, I-am-your-voice, let-us-put-an-end-to-hierarchies, until, established in power, they pull out the tyrant’s mantle.</p> <p> </p> <p>Trump has made it clear that, given half a chance, the tyrant’s mantle won’t hang long in the closets of Trump Tower on the Potomac. (Perish the thought). Even if he loses on November 8, I’m sure he will have dusted it off as he fans the flames of the Trumpsters who would like nothing better than to tear Hillary, the Republican Party, the constitution, and our democracy to shreds – or whatever is left of it after Tuesday, Nov. 8th.</p> <p> </p> <p><strong><em>Author Bio:</em></strong></p> <p> </p> <p><strong><em>Founder of the Ridenhour Prizes for Courageous Truth-telling, Randy Fertel, PhD, is the author of A Taste for Chaos: The Art of Literary Improvisation.</em></strong></p> <p> </p> <p><strong>From our content partner <a href="http://newamericamedia.org/2016/11/donald-trump-and-the-politics-of-improvisation.php">New America Media</a></strong></p> </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/donald-trump" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Donald Trump</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/elections" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">elections</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/presidents" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">presidents</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/republicans" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Republicans</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/trump-campaign" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">trump campaign</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-author field-type-text field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Randy Fertel</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-pop field-type-list-boolean field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Popular:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">not popular</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-photographer field-type-text field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Photographer:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">New America Media; Google Images</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-bot field-type-list-boolean field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Bottom Slider:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Out Slider</div></div></div> Sun, 06 Nov 2016 21:27:45 +0000 tara 7230 at https://www.highbrowmagazine.com https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/6055-donald-trump-s-politics-improvisation#comments Donald Trump Could Learn a Lesson From King Midas https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/6040-donald-trump-could-learn-lesson-king-midas <div class="field field-name-field-cat field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/news-features" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">News &amp; Features</a></div></div></div><span class="submitted-by">Submitted by tara on Sun, 10/23/2016 - 14:41</span><div class="field field-name-field-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" rel="og:image rdfs:seeAlso" resource="https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/field/image/9trump.jpg?itok=KaIsbZky"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/field/image/9trump.jpg?itok=KaIsbZky" width="480" height="268" alt="" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p> </p> <p><strong>From our content partner <a href="http://newamericamedia.org/2016/10/trump-could-learn-from-king-midas.php">New America Media</a></strong>:</p> <p> </p> <p>A few weeks before the 2016 presidential election, Donald Trump left the American political stage for the amphitheater, following the trajectory of a Greek tragedy. The real estate tycoon who co-wrote <em>Midas Touch: Why Some Entrepreneurs Get Rich — And Why Most Don’t</em> is touched instead by the Midas curse.</p> <p> </p> <p>In modern lingo, the Midas touch implies a prodigious gift: Its possessor profits from whatever he undertakes. It is named for a legendary king who prayed to Dionysus, the god of wine, for the power to transmute whatever he touched into gold. But the story itself serves as a warning. “So Midas, king of Lydia, swelled at first with pride when he found he could transform everything he touched to gold; but when he beheld his food grow rigid and his drink harden into golden ice then he understood that this gift was a bane and in his loathing for gold, cursed his prayer,” wrote the Latin poet Claudian.</p> <p> </p> <p>In the 21st century, the gold is the news media, and they cannot help but train their gaze 24/7 upon Donald Trump. Back in March, <em>The New York Times</em> estimated that “over the course of the campaign, he has earned close to $2 billion worth of media attention, about twice the all-in price of the most expensive presidential campaigns in history.”</p> <p> </p> <p>Practically everything the man said is quoted. Trump knows how to remain on the front page no matter how popular or unpopular he is in the polls. The reality star of <em>The Apprentice</em> was created by the media and seems drunk by the limelight.</p> <p> </p> <p>And he played it well. Nate Silver and his team at Five Thirty Eight noted that Trump has hacked the system: “Trump has been able to disrupt the news pretty much any time he wants, whether by being newsworthy, offensive, salacious or entertaining. The media has almost always played along.”</p> <p> </p> <p>Disruption and chaos, after all, is the power of Dionysus, who frees people from their inhibition and endows his worshipers with hedonistic appetites, drunkenness and sexual urges, stoking their primal instinct. According to mythology, those he possesses become empowered and unrestrained.</p> <p> </p> <p>When Trump is outrageous, his fans cheer him on. He famously said in January, “I could stand in the middle of 5th Avenue and shoot somebody and I wouldn’t lose voters,” and in February added, while rallying in Nevada, “‘I love the poorly educated!” No other candidates in modern U.S. history could possibly make such statements and get away with them.</p> <p> </p> <p>But if old King Midas initially rejoiced in his miraculous gift, he soon despaired. The gift that kept on giving indiscriminately eventually robbed him of everything precious.</p> <p> </p> <p>As with Trump, we now see the high price one pays for taking up permanent residence in the limelight. After all, overexposure can often lead to cancer. Everything that was recorded by the media on Trump seems to find its way into the public arena. This was the case with his now famous lewd conversation, captured by a hot mic, with Billy Bush in 2005 while doing a show with <em>Access Hollywood</em>. In it, he more or less boasted of sexually assaulting women and committing adultery.</p> <p> </p> <p>As Trump’s popularity falls, we see the power of the Midas curse at work: Whatever he touches fails to gain but instead begins to lose its value, to become a damaged good.</p> <p> </p> <p><br /> <img alt="" src="/sites/default/files/8trump.jpg" style="height:416px; width:625px" /></p> <p> </p> <p>NBC’s Today show has cut Billy Bush, for instance. Trump’s companies have filed for bankruptcy six times, according to Politifact, burning his lenders and business partners along the way. Trump University, now defunct, remains embroiled in lawsuits. Its former employees are calling it a “lie.”</p> <p> </p> <p>And the women who didn’t want to be touched? They did not turn golden upon being groped. They turned instead into people who live with shame and the trauma of being assaulted. And they dare speak up in public? Public shaming.</p> <p> </p> <p>But by far the institution that continues to burn fiercest and brightest is the Republican Party. After having shaken hands with the man and endorsing him, it went into free fall. And as the establishment begins to distance itself from the GOP presidential nominee late in the game, Trump goes on a scorched-earth campaign to destroy it, creating a divided society.</p> <p> </p> <p>The recent headlines say it all. The Washington Post: “Trump declares war on GOP, says ‘the shackles have been taken off.’ “ CNBC: “The GOP civil war is finally here. And Trump is winning.” <em>Mother Jones</em>: “Donald Trump takes to Twitter to stoke a GOP civil war.”</p> <p> </p> <p><em>The Los Angeles Times </em>last week noted that Trump, as he fell further in the polls, is sketching “out conspiracies involving global bankers, casually threatened to jail his political opponent, and warned in increasingly specific terms that a loss by him would spell the end of civilization.”</p> <p> </p> <p>The Midas gift turned out to be too much of a good thing. In another version of the story, as told by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Midas also accidentally turned his much adored daughter into a gold statue, and because no food could touch his lips, he slowly starved to death.</p> <p> </p> <p>Trump, who is bringing chaos to the American political scene and fanning the seed of fear and racism, should heed the old Greek tragedy. He stands to lose more than the election. He stands to lose his own humanity as well.</p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p><strong>Author Bio: </strong></p> <p> </p> <p><strong><em>Andrew Lam, an editor at New America Media, is the author of “Perfume Dreams: Reflections on the Vietnamese Diaspora,“ “East East West: Writing in Two Hemispheres,” and “Birds of Paradise Lost,” a collection of short stories. The above article first appeared in </em>USA Today<em>.</em></strong></p> <p> </p> <p><strong>From our content partner <a href="http://newamericamedia.org/2016/10/trump-could-learn-from-king-midas.php">New America Media</a></strong></p> </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/donald-trump" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Donald Trump</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/trump-campaign" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">trump campaign</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/media" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Media</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/king-midas" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">king midas</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/elections" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">elections</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/hillary-clinton" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Hillary Clinton</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-author field-type-text field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Andrew Lam</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-pop field-type-list-boolean field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Popular:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">not popular</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-photographer field-type-text field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Photographer:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">New America Media</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-bot field-type-list-boolean field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Bottom Slider:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Out Slider</div></div></div> Sun, 23 Oct 2016 18:41:21 +0000 tara 7209 at https://www.highbrowmagazine.com https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/6040-donald-trump-could-learn-lesson-king-midas#comments What Would the GOP Do If Trump Drops Out? https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/6032-what-would-gop-do-if-trump-drops-out <div class="field field-name-field-cat field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/news-features" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">News &amp; Features</a></div></div></div><span class="submitted-by">Submitted by tara on Sun, 10/16/2016 - 13:44</span><div class="field field-name-field-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" rel="og:image rdfs:seeAlso" resource="https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/field/image/6trump_0.jpg?itok=lsLpy8vE"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/field/image/6trump_0.jpg?itok=lsLpy8vE" width="480" height="312" alt="" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p> </p> <p><strong>From our content partner <a href="http://newamericamedia.org/2016/10/heres-what-the-gop-would-do-if-trump-dropped-out.php">New America Media</a></strong>:                                                                 </p> <p> </p> <p>It’s hardly a secret that the GOP party establishment cringed in stark terror at the thought of Donald Trump as its standard bearer. But when he was literally the last man standing after months of bruising GOP presidential debates, wild accusations, charges, digs and slurs at and among the contenders mostly by Trump, the party had to accept the inevitable for worse, not better, that it was stuck with him as its presidential candidate.</p> <p> </p> <p>The inevitability of Trump was made somewhat palatable by the bitter reality that a lot of people liked him no matter what, and that he remained competitive in the polls with Clinton. That didn’t mean the party regulars liked him, or wanted him, just that they had no choice.</p> <p> </p> <p>Trump squeezed the always lurking noose around his neck even tighter with his latest outrage against women. The noose this time almost certainly choked what little presidential winning life that Trump ever had out of him. The party regulars know it, and are scared stiff that not only is he headed for an epic electoral rout but will drag the Senate and a big chunk of the House back to the Democrats. So the choice he has is to quit the race. An always defiant Trump says he won’t. But if he does, and he would likely do it by submitting a letter to the party bigwigs, starting with RNC chair Reince Priebus, stating his withdrawal.</p> <p> </p> <p>In that case, here’s what the GOP will likely do.</p> <p> </p> <p>It will invoke Rule 9 of the Republican National Committee’s bylaws and choose the option in it of dragooning all 168 members of the RNC from wherever they are and ask for a quick tally of who the members think would have the best shot of beating Clinton or at the very least avoiding a Gotterdammerung fiery immolation of the Senate and House GOP candidates. The candidate that would get the presidential nod would be the one who got the most votes from the members’ choices and it would probably take a few ballots to get that person.</p> <p> </p> <p>Now the big problem is time. It’s running out. The fill-in candidate’s name must be submitted to the state’s ballots and get on enough of them to have any shot of bagging the mandatory 270 electoral votes needed to grab the White House. The deadlines for getting on those ballots are just about up. Worse, with absentee ballots being cast weeks before Election Day on November 8, it might already be too late to get another name other than Trump on many of them.</p> <p> </p> <p><br /> <img alt="" src="/sites/default/files/1trumppence.jpg" style="height:351px; width:625px" /></p> <p> </p> <p>The best the GOP can hope for is simply to hope and pray it can do enough with its ground game and resources to keep full strength in the House and sweat out whether it can keep the Senate.</p> <p> </p> <p>The time and hassle obstacles pretty much guarantee that the likely fill-in candidate would be GOP VP contender Mike Pence. Now the RNC voters don’t have to choose him just because he is the VP candidate, but the time factor, the fact that he got generally high marks for his one debate joust with Democratic VP contender Tim Kaine, and the fact that he’s a GOP party insider, make him a near shoo-in for the fill-in spot.</p> <p> </p> <p>Barring a smear revelation of even more stunning proportions about Clinton, than Trump got, Pence can’t win. The best the GOP can hope for is simply to hope and pray it can do enough with its ground game and resources to keep full strength in the House and sweat out whether it can keep the Senate.</p> <p> </p> <p>For the GOP regulars, the millions that from day one found the notion of a President Trump one that even Ripley would howl at the thought of even putting in his Believe it or Not, it’s a sweet deal.</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>Author Bio:</strong></p> <p> </p> <p><strong><em>Earl Ofari Hutchinson is an author and political analyst. He is the author of How “President” Trump will Govern, (Amazon Kindle) He is an associate editor of New America Media. He is a weekly co-host of the Al Sharpton Show on Radio One. He is the host of the weekly Hutchinson Report on KPFK 90.7 FM Los Angeles and the Pacifica Network.</em></strong></p> <p> </p> <p><strong>From our content partner <a href="http://newamericamedia.org/2016/10/heres-what-the-gop-would-do-if-trump-dropped-out.php">New America Media</a></strong></p> </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/donald-trump" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Donald Trump</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/mike-pence" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">mike pence</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/elections" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">elections</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/white-house" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">White House</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/hillary-clinton" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Hillary Clinton</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/trump-campaign" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">trump campaign</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/reince-priebus" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">reince priebus</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/republicans" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Republicans</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-author field-type-text field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Earl Ofari Hutchinson </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-pop field-type-list-boolean field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Popular:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">not popular</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-photographer field-type-text field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Photographer:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Google Images; Wikipedia Commons; Reuters</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-bot field-type-list-boolean field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Bottom Slider:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Out Slider</div></div></div> Sun, 16 Oct 2016 17:44:42 +0000 tara 7197 at https://www.highbrowmagazine.com https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/6032-what-would-gop-do-if-trump-drops-out#comments How Donald Trump Hides His Mediocrity in ‘Crazy’ https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/5942-how-donald-trump-hides-his-mediocrity-crazy <div class="field field-name-field-cat field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/news-features" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">News &amp; Features</a></div></div></div><span class="submitted-by">Submitted by tara on Sun, 08/07/2016 - 16:03</span><div class="field field-name-field-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" rel="og:image rdfs:seeAlso" resource="https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/field/image/8trump.jpg?itok=8Gu8U9jP"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/field/image/8trump.jpg?itok=8Gu8U9jP" width="480" height="319" alt="" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p> </p> <p><strong>From <a href="http://www.theroot.com/articles/politics/2016/08/the-mediocrity-of-dope-how-donald-trump-hides-his-averageness-in-crazy/">The Root</a> and republished by our content partner New America Media</strong>:</p> <p> </p> <p>Donald Trump is not insane.</p> <p> </p> <p>I know, I know. That might be terribly hard to prove, particularly since Trump says something crazy about every five minutes. And yes, we’re just about assured that if Trump could somehow be elected president, he’d start a nuclear war with China over a tweet from the Chinese premier declaring that Peking University’s economic department is better than that of Trump’s alma mater, Wharton. But nope, Trump’s not insane. He’s just mediocre. And he’s scared to death that we’ll realize it.</p> <p> </p> <p>All successful people, particularly those in the public eye, have a sneaking suspicion that they’re really just frauds, and that when the public takes a closer look and stops praising their “genius,” then they’ll be found out. For most high achievers, that bit of insecurity is a motivator, the drive that allows them not to settle for the mundane and to keep the bar high for everything they do. But that’s not the same for mediocre people like Trump, the ones who lack the tools to reach that higher bar. So, in lieu of reaching high, they go low.</p> <p> </p> <p>To understand Trump, you’ve gotta understand that as a white man with wealth, he’s lived in an America that’s different from that of most Americans, including other white Americans. His privilege, including skin color, wealth and access, allows him to live a comfortable life of mediocrity.</p> <p> </p> <p>Don’t be impressed by the money in his account or the buildings with his name on them. Make no mistake: Trump’s a walking and talking “gentleman’s C” unpreparedness. A mediocre world where you get into top colleges because SAT scores are for the poor schmucks who actually read books, but not for the sons of New York developers. If most wealthy kids think their success is because they hit a triple when, in actuality, they started on third base, then Trump thinks he hit a grand slam without even having to take his home run trot.</p> <p> </p> <p>Donald Trump lives in a world where six bankruptcies don’t mean a Rent-a-Center credit score and the accompanying shame of having your mom co-sign your application for electricity for your studio apartment, but are instead a talking point of pride as you recount how you were somehow able to make millions, even as your suppliers got stiffed.</p> <p> </p> <p>All of that is cool if you’re just a private citizen more interested in being the host of a top-rated show, but when you expose yourself to public scrutiny, like running for president, your mediocrity slip is gonna start showing from under your boastful dress. And so, even in the deep, dark recesses of their consciences, people like Trump begin wondering whether or not if they’ve gotten in over their head and, most importantly, is there an escape route?</p> <p> </p> <p>Mediocre people like Trump are narcissists, and they’re most happy when their narcissism is unfettered and unchallenged. So if Trump decides to get into the New York headlines by declaring that the Central Park Five should be given the death penalty for a crime we later find out they didn’t commit, it’s just Donald being Donald. Forty years of Donald being Donald is a hard habit to break for Trump, and his ego is inextricably attached to the seductive light of fame and attention.</p> <p> </p> <p>But at the same time, Trump knows that his outward charisma is as hollow as a Mexican piñata. He knows that in order to survive, as the spotlight grows hotter and hotter, melting the facade of the “Billionaire Who Is Smarter Than Everyone Else Because He’s a Billionaire,” he has to keep dancing to keep everyone distracted. To keep everyone looking at the shiny metal object he throws out to the public, his fans, the media, the sane, so that our gaze will move from him: Mexicans are rapists! Muslims need to be banned! McCain is not a hero! Cruz’s father killed Kennedy! Latino judge can’t judge him! Keep dancing, keep dancing!</p> <p> </p> <p>Keep them distracted! Stick and move, stick and move! Hillary is crooked. Insult a Gold Star Mother. More! More! Use straw men to deflect responsibility (“Well, that’s what people are saying … ”) as you’ve always deflected responsibility for your actions. Like when you stiffed those desperate folks at Trump University.</p> <p> </p> <p><img alt="" src="/sites/default/files/6trump_2.jpg" style="height:406px; width:625px" /></p> <p> </p> <p>And when that doesn’t work, when everyone gets hip to your diversion game, the mediocre like Trump don’t take a step back and recalibrate. Or, like everyone else, including the ordinary, make an honest attempt to learn what they don’t know, change direction and then gain a new start by showing that they’re at least trying. That’s not what the mediocre like Trump do, especially when there’s another tried-and-true shortcut available. What the Trumps of the world do is turn into pathological liars.</p> <p> </p> <p>Lying is much easier than working to understand the truth, mainly because many people believe that lies are simply different truths. And when you lie consistently, even over the easiest things to be honest about (Melania wrote her speech. I don’t have a relationship with Putin), then you can create a new universe where people think you’re a pathological liar, and therefore, why should people expect you to tell the truth?</p> <p> </p> <p>All of this is self-sabotage. Trump doesn’t want to be president, any more than he wants to sit down and read a book. As with most mediocre people, knowledge is his kryptonite, and Trump is lucky enough to be able to buy and sell people to tell him what he wants to hear, so he can be free to say whatever is in his brain. And his brain is telling Trump, “We’ve gotta get out of this situation as fast as we can. Maybe I should shoot someone and see if people stop following me.”</p> <p> </p> <p>But you know what? America isn’t going to let Trump quit. In a world where we laud the “low information” voter, and we have a substantial demographic of white working-class who don’t see Trump’s diversions or lies as a detriment but, rather, as a talisman for a better life, we’re just going to have to endure Trump’s mediocrity for another 100 days.</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>Read the rest <a href="http://www.theroot.com/articles/politics/2016/08/the-mediocrity-of-dope-how-donald-trump-hides-his-averageness-in-crazy/">here</a></strong>.</p> <p> </p> <p><strong><em>Author Bio:</em></strong></p> <p> </p> <p><strong><em>Lawrence</em></strong><strong><em> Ross is the author of the Los Angeles Times best-seller The Divine Nine: The History of African American Fraternities and Sororities. His newest book, Blackballed: The Black and White Politics of Race on America’s Campuses, is a blunt and frank look at the historical and contemporary issue of campus racism on predominantly white college campuses.</em></strong></p> <p> </p> <p><strong>From <a href="http://www.theroot.com/articles/politics/2016/08/the-mediocrity-of-dope-how-donald-trump-hides-his-averageness-in-crazy/">The Root</a> and republished by our content partner New America Media</strong></p> </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/donald-trump" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Donald Trump</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/hillary-clinton" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Hillary Clinton</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/presidential-elections" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">presidential elections</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/bernie-sanders" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">bernie sanders</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/trump-campaign" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">trump campaign</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-author field-type-text field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Lawrence Ross</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-pop field-type-list-boolean field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Popular:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">not popular</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-photographer field-type-text field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Photographer:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">New America Media; Google Images</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-bot field-type-list-boolean field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Bottom Slider:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Out Slider</div></div></div> Sun, 07 Aug 2016 20:03:37 +0000 tara 7092 at https://www.highbrowmagazine.com https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/5942-how-donald-trump-hides-his-mediocrity-crazy#comments Let Donald Trump Be #NeverTrump https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/5838-let-donald-trump-be-nevertrump <div class="field field-name-field-cat field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/news-features" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">News &amp; Features</a></div></div></div><span class="submitted-by">Submitted by tara on Sun, 05/29/2016 - 15:21</span><div class="field field-name-field-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" rel="og:image rdfs:seeAlso" resource="https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/field/image/1trump_5.jpg?itok=ex0f1HfG"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/field/image/1trump_5.jpg?itok=ex0f1HfG" width="480" height="270" alt="" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p> </p> <p><strong>This column was first published in <a href="http://www.jewishjournal.com/marty_kaplan/article/let_trump_be_nevertrump">The Jewish Journal</a>; republished with permission.</strong></p> <p> </p> <p><strong>Commentary</strong></p> <p> </p> <p>I bet a friend dinner that Donald Trump would win the Republican nomination. Now I need to decide whether to bet a bottle of wine that Trump will beat Hillary Clinton. What I take from the tightening polls is that either side could win, a prospect that terrifies me, and not just because I’d be out a good Bordeaux. What will tip the election, I suspect, is whether Trump can make more people hate Clinton than the Clinton campaign can make hate Trump.</p> <p> </p> <p>When Maureen Dowd asked Trump last Friday about his Twitter feud with Elizabeth Warren, his reply was, “You mean Pocahontas?” We already knew he has a black belt in bullying. His contribution to the art of negative campaigning is that it’s Trump himself – the candidate, not his running mate, surrogates, paid ads or PACs – who’s slinging the feces. His case against Crooked Hillary is the familiar right-wing trash talk of the past quarter-century, with an accent on her marriage. The only open question is how close Trump’s tone will come to the Facebook page of Tony Senecal, his faithful Mar-a-Lago butler (“Stop the LYING BITCH OF BENGHAZI, NOW—killery Clinton!!!!!! She should be in prison awaiting hanging!!!!!!!”).</p> <p> </p> <p>The Clinton campaign has signaled that she’ll stay out of the mud and leave the daily back-and-forth to her messengers. When asked by the press about Trump’s charge that she was her husband’s enabler and is therefore herself anti-women, she frames her answer in terms of Trump’s failure to fight for issues women care about. But what if he slimes her on the debate stage? Shaming might work, if not with him, then with voters: “Have you no sense of decency?” Or she could adapt Carly Fiorina’s “I think women all over this country heard very clearly what Mr. Trump said.” She could even do a version of Lloyd Bentsen’s “You’re no JFK” to Dan Quayle: “You’re not a tenth the man that Bill Clinton is.” And if Trump tries to pull it more than once, there’s always Reagan’s debate line to Jimmy Carter: “There you go again.”</p> <p> </p> <p>Clinton’s ads could use Trump’s own words against him, but they may not stick; that’s why Trump has been called a Teflon candidate, as was Reagan. The Clinton campaign can try to brand Trump a liar, but though fact-checkers have given him a record number of pants-on-fires and Pinocchios, people aren’t joining or leaving him because of accuracy; that’s not what a protest movement is about.  Besides, fact-checking just plays into Trump’s applause line that the media are disgusting liars.</p> <p> </p> <p>The irrelevance of facts is part of what observers mean when they say that the normal rules of politics don’t apply to Trump. What’s also abnormal is his obliterating the boundary between campaigning and reality TV, an absorption of politics by entertainment that is abetted, and profited from, by the media. This transformation of the election into a soft-core S&amp;M reality show is also where Trump’s greatest vulnerability lies.</p> <p> </p> <p>Reality TV is the spectacle of humiliation. So is Trump’s campaign. He won the primaries by humiliating his rivals. Now he’s unifying his party by humiliating them again.</p> <p> </p> <p><img alt="" src="/sites/default/files/2trump_2.jpg" style="height:425px; width:625px" /></p> <p> </p> <p>For the audience of this campaign – the people formerly known as voters – it’s sadistically sublime to watch Marco Rubio, who called Trump a “con man,” manacled by his pledge to support his party’s nominee.  It’s delicious to watch Rick Perry, who once said Trump was a “cancer on conservatism,” now say he’s commander-in-chief material. Chris Christie called Trump a “carnival barker” whom he would never endorse; seeing Christie turn up as an apprentice butler at Mar-a-Lago is as pleasurable as watching a “Celebrity Apprentice” contestant degraded.  Early on in the campaign, Trump, who evaded serving in Vietnam, called John McCain a “loser” because he was a prisoner of war, so now there’s pathos in watching McCain masochistically endorse him. But since McCain is also the man who nearly put Sarah Palin a heartbeat from the presidency, there’sschadenfreude in seeing that, too.</p> <p> </p> <p>Trump will lose if his fans figure out it’s not just his rivals who are being humiliated – that they, his voters, are a bunch of losers to him, too. The political press calls Trump’s steady abandonment of his signature positions a “pivot.” That’s too elegant. What he’s really doing is demonstrating his contempt for his base.</p> <p> </p> <p>Trump has to believe his supporters are cowards, because they’re not screaming bloody murder now that his “self-funded” campaign has hired a hedge fund veteran to raise a billion dollars of special interest money, kicked off by a $100 million bribe from gambling mogul Sheldon Adelson.  Trump has to believe his voters are Low Energy Jebs and sad Little Marcos, 98-pound weaklings who’ll eat whatever sand he kicks in their faces, like recasting his ban on Muslim immigrants as “just a suggestion.” “I’m very flexible, “ he says. What’s next to get flexed – the wall?</p> <p> </p> <p>Voters need to see, and the Clinton campaign needs to say, that this show isn’t a story about Trump. It’s a story about them. The challenge isn’t to reveal Trump as a liar; it’s to reveal that putting your faith in him makes you a doormat in his eyes. It’s no accident that one of the phrases Trump uses most often is, “Believe me.” If you do, what you’re really telling him is, “Step on me.”</p> <p> </p> <p><em><strong>Marty Kaplan is the Norman Lear Professor of Entertainment, Media and Society and directs the Norman Lear Center at the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism.  In the Carter Administration he served as chief speechwriter to Vice President Walter F. Mondale.</strong></em></p> <p> </p> <p><strong>This column was first published in <a href="http://www.jewishjournal.com/marty_kaplan/article/let_trump_be_nevertrump">The Jewish Journal</a>; republished with permission.</strong></p> </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/donald-trump" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Donald Trump</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/hillary-clinton" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Hillary Clinton</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/nevertrump" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">nevertrump</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/trump-campaign" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">trump campaign</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/presidential-elections" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">presidential elections</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-author field-type-text field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Marty Kaplan</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-pop field-type-list-boolean field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Popular:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">not popular</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-photographer field-type-text field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Photographer:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Google Images</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-bot field-type-list-boolean field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Bottom Slider:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Out Slider</div></div></div> Sun, 29 May 2016 19:21:22 +0000 tara 6944 at https://www.highbrowmagazine.com https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/5838-let-donald-trump-be-nevertrump#comments Donald Trump’s Inexplicable Appeal Explained https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/5624-donald-trump-s-inexplicable-appeal-explained <div class="field field-name-field-cat field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/news-features" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">News &amp; Features</a></div></div></div><span class="submitted-by">Submitted by tara on Wed, 02/24/2016 - 20:43</span><div class="field field-name-field-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" rel="og:image rdfs:seeAlso" resource="https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/field/image/1trump_3.jpg?itok=Pmo8oz6R"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/field/image/1trump_3.jpg?itok=Pmo8oz6R" width="480" height="270" alt="" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p><strong>From our content partner <a href="http://newamericamedia.org/2016/02/trumps-inexplicable-appeal-explained.php">New America Media</a></strong>:</p> <p> </p> <p>NEW YORK — Since Donald Trump announced his candidacy for president in June 2015, political pundits and media commentators have been predicting his imminent demise.</p> <p> </p> <p>Despite that, Trump has now emerged as the likely Republican nominee come this fall’s election.</p> <p> </p> <p>The Republican establishment — through Super PAC's supporting Jeb Bush — burned through more than $130 million in an effort to stop Trump, yet he continues to surge in the polls.</p> <p> </p> <p>Donald Trump’s appeal, however, should not come as a surprise if it is seen in sociological terms.</p> <p> </p> <p>While he is dismissed as a “reality show star” and a “celebrity,” it is precisely the nature of this notoriety that accounts for his appeal:  Trump has been in the living rooms of millions of Americans where he has been seen as a tough but fair boss, who held people accountable and made difficult decisions.</p> <p> </p> <p>“The Apprentice” premiered on NBC in 2004. More a talent competition than an unscripted reality show, it depicted contestants of various ages, genders, and races assembled from around the country with various educational and professional backgrounds competing for the same position. In an elimination-style competition, various tasks were to be accomplished by two competing teams. The losing team then had to explain its loss — and one contestant, held ultimately responsible, was fired. The field whittled down until there was one contestant left who became the apprentice to Donald Trump.</p> <p> </p> <p>The nature of this competition highlighted the leadership qualities that voters now attribute to the Donald. In a sense, they have watched Trump in action for years on TV, and many believe he's now up for the task as head of state.</p> <p> </p> <p>In "The Apprentice" he set up difficult tasks. At the end of the competition, the two competing teams were  judged objectively. If the task was to, say, come up with an advertising campaign, advertising executives were there to judge the superior campaign. If the goal was to sell the most hamburgers at a diner, the cash register receipts determined which team won.</p> <p> </p> <p>Over this fierce competition, personalities clashed, plans came undone, teams struggled to complete their assigned tasks — and the show went on. Donald Trump appeared throughout, offering advice, conferring with consultants, watching like a responsible boss from a distance.</p> <p> </p> <p>But when the competition was over, both teams were assembled to the boardroom. Then the winning team was announced, congratulated, and dispatched to the penthouse for champagne and celebrations.</p> <p> </p> <p>The losing team, however, had to explain itself.</p> <p> </p> <p>Why did they lose? Was their plan inferior to the winning team? Who was the weakest link? Who was responsible for the mistakes that led to the loss? Who was ultimately responsible for the team’s failure?</p> <p>Who would be fired?</p> <p> </p> <p>It was all a game, of course, but year after year Americans have seen the leadership qualities Donald Trump brought to this successful show. He was fair in assigning tasks. He played no favorites. He was indifferent to a person’s gender, age, race, or background.</p> <p> </p> <p><br /> <img alt="" src="/sites/default/files/5trump.jpg" style="height:360px; width:645px" /></p> <p> </p> <p>What mattered were results.</p> <p> </p> <p>And when he determined which was the contestant who had to go, after “firing” the contestant, he briefly explained his thinking.</p> <p> </p> <p>In this election cycle, it seems that Americans find tremendous appeal in his no-nonsense approach to completing the tasks at hand.</p> <p> </p> <p>In “The Apprentice,” Donald Trump didn’t have to know what a winning advertising campaign was, or how to sell great hamburgers in a diner. He availed himself to professionals who were authorities in their field, for expertise.</p> <p> </p> <p>But he was not beholden to them.</p> <p> </p> <p>Americans believe this is the kind of leadership that is lacking in Washington. They believe Donald Trump has the experience — and leadership — to assemble the right teams of officials for the various tasks at hand — securing the border, creating incentives for companies to bring back jobs to America, empowering local government to handle the task of public education — without having to present 1,000 pages of policy positions — as Jeb Bush did on the website nobody visited.</p> <p> </p> <p>And more to the point, American believe he will hold people responsible—and “fire” officials that fail to deliver.</p> <p> </p> <p>Will it work?</p> <p> </p> <p>At this point, it doesn’t matter. What matters is that, as polls and primary victories show, many Americans believe that Donald Trump will conduct himself in the Oval Office the way he has conducted himself in the Boardroom on the “The Apprentice.”</p> <p> </p> <p>And that might be enough to get the votes necessary to make him the Republican nominee for President of the United States.</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>Author Bio:</strong></p> <p> </p> <p><strong><em>Louis Navaer is the author of the first guides to Cuba compiled since the re-establishment of relations, Cuba As Never Before, and The Best of Havana: 2016.</em></strong></p> <p> </p> <p><strong>From our content partner <a href="http://newamericamedia.org/2016/02/trumps-inexplicable-appeal-explained.php">New America Media</a></strong></p> </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/donald-trump" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Donald Trump</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/presidential-elections" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">presidential elections</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/trump-campaign" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">trump campaign</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/ted-cruz" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">ted cruz</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/marco-rubio" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">marco rubio</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/republicans" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Republicans</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/white-house" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">White House</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-author field-type-text field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Louis Nevaer</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-pop field-type-list-boolean field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Popular:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">not popular</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-photographer field-type-text field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Photographer:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Google Images</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-bot field-type-list-boolean field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Bottom Slider:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Out Slider</div></div></div> Thu, 25 Feb 2016 01:43:14 +0000 tara 6686 at https://www.highbrowmagazine.com https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/5624-donald-trump-s-inexplicable-appeal-explained#comments