I agree that Trump is just one man. He is not the problem, but the symptom of deeper problems in our country. Donald Trump is not rising to power because 300 million people let him. It's more like 10-15 million who are voting for him and a least twice as many who are doing what they can to try to top those 10-15 million.
I'm a small "l" libertarian, so I believe in the smallest government possible. Everyone running is much more of populists than I am. Except for a few third party options who also believe in smaller government. (Oh yeah, republicans don't really believe in small government even thought they try to claim they do.)
But the libertarians will never win the presidency. Why? Humans want POWER. The majority of people tend not to vote to divest themselves of power, even representative power.
I have studied why people joined or did not stop the Nazi's Holocaust Europe or Communist genocides in Asia. It's something that baffles me. As you can see, if someone tries to put a madman in power over me, in my personal life or by national governance, and I personally will risk my life to stop them. But, for those who have been in situation much more serious than what we are facing right now, it's not as simple to say they "let" Hilter or other madmen and their supporters etc do what they did. People want to live. When someone comes to your door and says follow my rules or die, people follow those rules... There are also a lot of other complex reasons why people did not stop Hilter and there are many who became involved in the effort to stop him and those who supported him.
They paid for it with their lives.
America is quite the experiment. We are the longest representative democracy around. What we are watching is that people want to have power. Control. Someone to come in and fix this mess. They don't want to be the ones who do it.
America was founded on the idea that WE the people are responsible for our governance. WE have the power and responsibility. We lose that idea and we end up with a Trump.
The two party system is a system of revenge. It will destroy or country. We are watching it happen.
One of the solutions to the Trump phenomenon is for people to realize WE do have power. Everyone one of us. Together we can fix the problems we are facing and we don't need a Trump to do it for us. Or Bernie or Cruz or Clinton or... any of them. (ah, now I have offended everyone.) I honestly get frustrated when people begin to act helpless because yes, what we are up against is serious but the minute we start to say, I only have my vote... we lose. We lose.
I feel helpless too but I refuse to give up. I am a voter. I am even more a person with a voice.
At the convention I was talking to the state party chair about an issue with the vote. It was a very respectful and interesting conversation. The state party chair is a very famous guy in politics but I was not star struck at all. (I generally don't get star struck.) I asked him my questions and he explained his perspective. While I disagreed, he did take the time to talk through the matter with me, and he actually changed a decision he made. A senator and his aide were nearby. The aide asked me, "who even are you to be so bold?"
I looked at him and I said, "I'm a voter. Your boss works for me." I felt half obnxious, but in that moment, I was thinking of all the voters I was there to represent. The aide stammered and then said "yeah, you are right."
I wish all Americans would realize voting is hiring who you want to represent you, and right now those options stink because the two party system stinks, but the two party system is there because that's what the voters are picking.
We are hiring the leaders we have. We have power. We need to take it back from the people we have been giving it to and say enough.
The desire to take back power is a little of what is fueling Trump. I have talked to many Trump supporters who AGREE he is an "a__hole" but are so pissed at the GOP they are voting for him as a big F U to the GOP. I have talked to many Trump supporters who want to take back power, and think Trump will take it back for them... rather than taking back their power themselves.
As for Mr Trump himself. He may or may not end up with the nomination. Many people are using most of the peaceful power we have right now to try to stop that from happening. And many are organizing with violent options too.
Trump will not become president because 300 million simply let him. It will be because he had just a little more power than the millions who have been trying to stop him.
