After seven TV interviews and four radio interviews in two days promoting the release of my new book, The Right Problems, I realized that many media people are still trying to understand why Donald Trump is still dominating the Republican presidential race. After all, establishment politicians and political pundits continue to say he can't win the nomination.
Really! Despite his style and tone that a lot of people don't like, there must be a lot of people participating in the polls who like him as a candidate. Granted, the voters haven't voted yet, but Trump has been at the top or near the top of every presidential poll since he announced his candidacy in June 2015.
It’s the Trump Phenomenon. It’s all about the qualities people perceive as in Trump. Leadership, fighter, and winner. Regular folks aren't asking about "specifics" like the establishment keep bringing up. They just want to feel proud about this nation's ability to fight and win. We have lost those qualities in the last seven years.
Other candidates also project these qualities to varying degrees, especially those candidates who are described as "outsider" candidates – especially Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio, who are also consistently among the top three in the latest polls.
Despite the negative attacks against each of them from various sources, they remain in the top tier in the polls. Even when they attack each other with spoon-fed media soundbites, they keep on trucking.
I'm starting to conclude that it's because all three have connected with the massive frustration of most voters with establishment politicians who continue to celebrate incremental establishment results. Yes, some of it is due to bitter political partisanship, but some Democrats are openly saying they are going from voting Democrat to voting Trump. They didn't say Republican. They are saying Trump. I've heard it on my radio show many times with my own ears!
These trends are not necessarily predictors of the final outcome of this presidential contest, but they defy conventional political wisdom. Good! Conventional political candidates who win have produced disappointing results for the people of this country for decades.
I'm also starting to conclude that voters are not swallowing the spoon-fed political noise against candidates like they use to. Just this morning, I saw three political attack ads against Marco Rubio for his missed votes in the Senate as a first-term senator. The ad never said he missed critical votes, which means that particular Super PAC was focusing on the wrong problem, which voters don't care about.
The next phase of this unpredictable presidential campaign season starts with the Iowa caucuses and the presidential primaries in February. There will probably be some more results that the media and the establishment can't explain using conventional establishment logic.
If that happens, get ready for an outsider Republican nominee, and an unconventional president! Wow!
That would be great!
After seven TV interviews and four radio interviews in two days promoting the release of my new book, The Right Problems, I realized that many media people are still trying to understand why Donald Trump is still dominating the Republican presidential race. After all, establishment politicians and political pundits continue to say he can't win the nomination.
Really! Despite his style and tone that a lot of people don't like, there must be a lot of people participating in the polls who like him as a candidate. Granted, the voters haven't voted yet, but Trump has been at the top or near the top of every presidential poll since he announced his candidacy in June 2015.
