THIRD PARTY POSSIBILITIES?

There was a thought-provoking article in POLITICO by Justin Gest titled: WHY TRUMPISM WILL OUTLAST DONALD TRUMP.

It is thought-provoking because the author poses the question: Is the Trump campaign about the man or the message? Saying that if Trump loses, will the Trump supporters continue to be united and looking for another leader.

The author studied “white working class politics” and asked Trump supporters as well as other whites in this class, if they would be willing to support a third party dedicated to “stopping mass immigration, providing American jobs to American workers, preserving America’s Christian heritage and stopping the threat of Islam” – basically a protectionist, xenophobic, Christian based party?

The author states that 65% of the white working class would and this is a huge number.

I have also heard of the term NATAVIST PARTY bandied around. Nativist, by definition, means protecting the interests of the native population against immigrants. The irony here is obviously that “real” American natives are the American Indians and everybody else is an immigrant.

This group believes that if you were born here, you are a nativist. But it is not as simples as that; you also have to be born into a white, European community to belong to this party.

According to the author, people in this group are usually white males, of lower socioeconomic status, without a university education and ideologically conservative. Interestingly these males are usually under 40 years of age which means they will be here for a long time.

Members of this group are angry, angry at their loss of social status, loss of political clout, loss of middle class status where once they were “somebody”; the backbone of America.

It is hard to convince this group that globalization and other factors have shifted and changed the economic landscape in this country just like the industrial revolution did years ago; and the country and its people adjusted…for the better.

There are many things that the government can do to help these people adjust to the new landscape but today, our government is locked in an unproductive ideological party war and cannot seem to address real issues and real needs.

So this group turns to people like Trump who promises to bring back the good old days and restore these people to the status they used to enjoy. People like Trump among others in world history, tend to put the blame for this group’s malaise on others; on immigrants, on Muslims, on Mexicans, on non-whites, on liberals, etc. and once these factors are addressed (in some undefined way) the good times will roll again.

This large group of whites has made its presence known and therefore this group cannot be ignored. Their anger is real and it cannot be slaked by logic or reason; they believe what they want to believe no matter what the reality on the ground is.

Republicans can alter their ideology to embrace this group and Democrats can offer plans to address some of this group’s needs or a third party will be formed to specifically reflect this group.

I have long called for a VIABLE third party straddling the ideologies of both current parties and producing its own ideology based on fiscal conservatism and social liberalism but this “Trumpist” party will only serve as an election spoiler and not a stand-alone viable political party.

We are heading into uncharted waters and as exciting as it might seem (history in the making) it is also very dangerous.

Note: Bernie Sanders is not a Democrat but an independent. He garnered huge crowds at his rallies and, I think, had and has a huge following. These people, just like Trump people, will remain a force looking for a new leader because they will not be absorbed by Hillary’s Democrats. This group also can and might make up a base for a third party.