Why People Still Support Trump - Bloomberg"A week ago I expressed the hope that President Donald Trump's lamentable performance after the Charlottesville protests would hurt his standing in the polls.
This didn't happen.
If there was a blip, it was in the other direction.
I'd be pleased if Trump's regrettable decision to pardon former sheriff Joe Arpaio dented his popularity, too, but I'm not holding my breath.
Trump's supporters are loyal.
What is one to make of this?
There are two main theories of Trump's support.
- One is that a large minority of Americans -- 40 percent, give or take -- are racist idiots. This theory is at least tacitly endorsed by the Democratic Party and the mainstream liberal media.
- The other is that a large majority of this large minority are good citizens with intelligible and legitimate opinions, who so resent being regarded as racist idiots that they'll back Trump almost regardless. They may not admire the man, but he's on their side, he vents their frustration, he afflicts the people who think so little of them -- and that's good enough.
...Democracies that work make space for disagreement.
You can disagree with somebody in the strongest terms, believing your opponents to be profoundly or even dangerously mistaken.
But that doesn't oblige you to ignore them, scorn them, or pity them.
Deeming somebody's opinions illegitimate should be a last resort, not a first resort.
Refusing to engage, except to mock and condescend, is both anti-democratic and tactically counterproductive..."
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