Why Trump Has Such a Hold on His Followers
And what you can do about it.
There he goes again.
The other night I was over at my mom’s house and got sucked into watching MSNBC. The talking heads were bemoaning Donald Trump’s latest outrage, speculating about how to respond, and openly questioning whether anything anyone does can make a difference.
It’s easy to understand why they are feeling hopeless.
President Trump has a remarkable track record of saying outrageous, unthinkable things and getting away with it. From “shithole countries” to “grab ’em by the pussy” to Charlottesville, he’s proven preternaturally adept at avoiding political consequences for his behavior.
For people on the left, this teflon presidency is infuriating and crazy-making. It’s the kind of thing that inspires calls to “take the gloves off”, stop fighting fair, and at the extreme end of the spectrum even respond with violence.
While understandable, such calls are based on a misunderstanding of what makes President Trump so powerful. And, if acted upon, would hurt Democratic chances in 2020 and the progressive movement as a whole.