Mytheos Holt has an interesting take on the Trump phenomenon in his latest article:
Trump’s candidacy should also serve as a cautionary tale about just what happens when you try to brand even the smallest indiscretions as evidence that someone is of the Devil’s party. To illustrate this, ask yourself this question: what label can the Left (or the Right, for that matter) apply to Trump that hasn’t already been so devalued by overuse?
That he’s a racist? So is anyone who criticizes President Obama’s golf swing these days.
That he’s a sexist? So is anyone who defends due-process rights.
That he’s a phony? What politician isn’t?
That he’s a fascist? So were the last two presidents, depending on which books you read.
That he’s a crypto-Nazi? Yeah, because Lyndon Larouche hasn’t beaten that one to death at all.
See the problem? Even if all of these labels were true of Trump, they’ve all been used to cry “wolf” so many times that now no one thinks they mean anything anymore. Short of openly waving a Nazi flag, eating black babies, or sexually assaulting someone on live television, there’s little Trump could do to actually give these labels the power to scare people. So instead of dismissing him with labels, people actually have to engage with his arguments, such as they are, and even if he’s proven to be gloriously, hilariously wrong, the fact of having to engage with him still lends him some degree of legitimacy.
I know plenty of people for whom each of the above accusations still trumps everything, and oddly enough, I think that only further bolsters the argument. Not only do those accusations, through overuse, no longer scare us, but we’ve seen far too many people for whom one–and only one–of those accusations is simply more important than any of the rest, perhaps even all the rest put together. Be a fascist if you must, but don’t you dare be a racist! Or be a mass-murderer in the name of your religion, just don’t be an American Christian! Such myopia is also getting old.
Perhaps Trump is the answer to outrage-ism. Be a big, dorky-looking, bombastic, rude jerk. Just don’t try to pretend you’re not one. And if that’s not Trump to a “T”, what is? He is completely unrepentent. He’s the Honeybadger of politics. Donaldtrump don’t care!
That’s still no reason to vote for the guy, and I don’t intend to. But it’s easy to see why so many others are currently excited about him. And it’s about time that the usual suspects on both sides woke up and realized that they produced the environment in which Trump actually seems like a good idea.