The self-enclosed Brahmin David Brooks concedes at the outset of “Did the F.B.I. Just Re-Elect Donald Trump?” (NYT).
But the Trumpian propaganda turns what is an unfortunate social chasm into venomous conspiracy theory. It simply assumes, against a lot of evidence, that the leading institutions of society are inherently corrupt, malevolent and partisan and are acting in bad faith.
If only Trump were careful and merely posited a hypothesis.
It simply assumes that the proof of people’s virtue is that they’re getting attacked by the Regime.
Ironically, Brooks is simply assuming that. It doesn’t ring true to me. When does Trump do that? All the time? Everyone the regime attacks he presumes is virtuous? That’s an overbroad assumption about overbroad assumptions.
Trump’s political career has been kept afloat by elite scorn. The more elites scorn him, the more Republicans love him.
Republicans? A lot of Republicans hate him. I don’t think the word you want there is “Republicans.” Maybe: Republicans minus the self-enclosed Brahmin Republicans, plus a lot of untouchables Democrats think are supposed to be Democrats.
The key criterion for leadership in the Republican Party today is having the right enemies.
The only key criterion Trump had was appeal to outsiders. His enemies were people with leadership in the Republican Party.