mathjax

Sunday, March 6, 2016

Trump knows how to manipulate people

#DonaldJTrump does not know how to build walls and buildings; he knows how to fund them. He didn't get ahead by writing laws; he bought politicians. He didn't study and research all the building codes and regulations; he hired people to do that for him. He doesn't know how to run a TV show; he lets people set it up for him.

Trump knows how to manipulate people.

In this video Matt Lewis points out how Trump mimics Mussolini's body language and Matt proposes that Trump must have studied demagogues.

Trump is an expert on using people, not knowledge, personal skill, or other qualities. He has tapped into anger the right way and he is slowly pushing people towards a deal: his deal.

Early on when Trump was brash and rude, he was going for attention and he was so successful the other candidates got no air.  Even today, the media asks every candidate what Donald would do rather than treating them individually. It must be insufferable for other candidates they can't be judged on their own merits without a comparison to only one candidate. It must be debilitating to get pushed off message by what they thought about what Donald J Trump was doing.

This situation seems to confound the politicians and the media but they don't understand they are being manipulated to get Trump what he wants. He is rude but they still cover him.  He is offensive but his opponents still respond to what he is doing. They don't understand how popularity works. He does.

Remember, Trump had two dry runs on presidential races. He has watched the media and learned how to work them. He watched the voters and how disaffected they became. He gave many interviews over the years. When he says he could shoot someone dead in the street and people would still support him he is not joking his intuition is correct.

WE laughed at him last time and didn't take him seriously because he stepped down last time. That is why people couldn't accept Trump the idea and Trump the leader.

Trump started out being outrageous on purpose to get the attention. He knew the media have become sensation whores that can't help themselves losing perspective and covering beyond the pale rhetoric. They all did what he wanted and turned towards him. And now they are in a ratings bonanza and can't help themselves because for once cable news about politics is getting massive ratings. They are Trump-locked on high volume campaign rhetoric. They have turned ridiculous up to eleven. They can't stop even if they wanted to so now they are attacking Trump for his hysterics but not for their own lack of objectivity. They even make money attacking other journalists for their unprofessionalism.

Back when he started, voters listened to the loudest voice that was displaying their frustration. He said things they accepted despite the nonsense because they wanted a change and wanted a different kind of person.  Trump is not a politician, he is a business man and that appeals as successful; he gets things done. They don't think Trump is actually going to bomb ISIS's families but whatever he does it's better than what the politicians are proposing. They see it as rhetoric; just like the lies politicians tell them so why is the media so shocked?

I thought to myself Trump was either a moron or a genius.  When he started tirades I thought he is either clever or he's going to do himself in within a month.  The factor that makes me suspect he is playing a strategy is that he has started to soften his language. I thought back in August 2015, if he comes out strong and then moderates his ideas with more reasonable sounding language he is playing for time against the general election. He knows that when the real race begins people will have forgotten the sound bites and silly quotes. That's old news. By the time November arrives he will be into policies and out of nonsense.

Stephen Colbert knows a hell of a lot more about playing a demagogue on TV. He understands the media, he understands the public. He plays to them and is popular with them night after night. He thinks Trump will be the nominee.

This campaign works because he has become so popular that attacking him causes voters to rally behind him. It reinforces the narrative that if people are attacking Trump; then even Obama and the Pope don't get that attacking him is the worst idea.

Trump's support is actually increasing despite his negative ratings, that should tell you more about his strategy than anything else.  The longer this campaign goes, the more rational he will morph. He may not win but he played a very good game, with a winning strategy.




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