The rise of Neo-Nativism: Putting Trump into Proper Context

[Pointedstick]

Thought-provoking article.

http://spotlight.ipsos-na.com/index.php ... r-context/

Many argue that Trump’s rise in the polls is nothing but a fluke (link, link, and link); that once the Republican voters come to their senses, a more credible candidate will emerge (link, link, and link).  These people may be right; horse race polls are ephemeral at best this early in the election season (Ipsos analysis of election poll accuracy).

This, however, misses the critical point about Trump – and the current anti-establishment furor gripping the Republicans. Independent of the polls, there is a method to Trump’s madness.

Simply put, Trump’s candidacy taps into a deep, visceral fear among many that America’s best days are behind it.
[...]
More than half (58%) of Americans don’t identify with what America has become. Almost as many (53%) feel like a “stranger in their own country”. This sense of loss is particularly pronounced when we look at party identification: while 45% of Democrats don’t identify with what America has become, a whopping 72% of Republicans don’t. Trump’s populism speaks to this real and emotional sense of economic and cultural displacement.
[...]
It shouldn’t be a surprise that Trump has found a willing audience among Republicans. Indeed, fully 64% of Republicans are moderately or strongly nativist, including over a quarter (26%) who agree with all three of the nativist statements (compared to only 31% moderately or strongly nativist among Democrats).  Such trends clearly show Trump’s appeal among the Republican base.

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