The Trump era's 5 emerging constituencies

My travels around the country provide continuing exposure to how the country is responding to our new president. Included in this learning is information about how average Americans are coping with the dramatic new production, "The Donald Comes to Washington".

On second thought, "dramatic" may be too understated an adjective. Rarely has America witnessed such a radical turnabout in such a brief period of time. Yet even at this early stage, one can discern how various factions are coming together, or falling apart, in response to the Trump era. These five emerging constituencies are numerous and subtle and require further analysis.

First in line are the "haters" — foot soldiers of the "resistance" – ready and willing to show up at a moment's notice at any flavor of Trump protest. They are the "mad as hell and not going to take it anymore" crowd. Some (most) continue in a state of electoral semi-denial. They understand Trump won but just can't bring themselves to accept all of the new realities (real or imagined) they must confront. A fair percentage of this group lives in liberal enclaves along the coasts. Many of them do not know anyone who voted for Trump. Note that more than a few had no love lost for Hillary Clinton. These true believers were bothered by the Clintonian propensity to bend and parse the truth. Most would have preferred Bernie Sanders or Elizabeth Warren.

This hardcore opposition manifests an abiding animosity toward the new president. They have a deep dislike of "Trump the person" surpassed only by their disdain for "Trump the politician." A few even long for the days of "W" – and they really hated him. The piece-by-piece dismantling of Obama's progressive machinery will make the next four years difficult indeed.

The next group in the queue is rather small by comparison. There is no apparent leader and they do not draw the type of media attention reserved for the haters. These are the disappointed (but not transfixed) Clinton liberals hoping for an accommodation with Trump on issues of common concern (trade, child care, border tax, infrastructure improvements, no entitlement reform). Most are bothered by the illiberal shouting down of alternative voices on campus. They know that real liberals do not countenance such anti-speech behavior. Members of this group came of age during the great protest movements of the 1960s; such antics remain antithetical to their core beliefs.
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