By Scott Tibbs, September 1, 2016
I never knew Fareed Zakaria was such a yuuuge supporter of Donald Trump. He might as well be, because that is the effect of the editorial written by this arrogant, elitist, condescending, self righteous Pharisee.
Let me bottom line it for you. If you are anti-Trump, mocking and ridiculing the working-class white voters who support him is the single most counterproductive way you can make your point. You might as well be openly campaigning for Trump, because that is the effect of your words. There are many good arguments to be made against Trump. I have made more than a few myself. But attacking working-class white voters will not move them away from Trump. Instead, it will harden and intensify their support of him and even softens the opposition to Trump among other groups when they see this naked bigotry.
The reality of the 2016 political landscape is that working-class whites have felt abandoned for years by the elites of both parties, and many of them see Trump as the one person who is addressing their concerns. Whether this belief is justified or not is irrelevant. This is the reality of how many people think, and you have to engage in the real world instead of how you wish the world was. If Trump's opponents want to peel working-class whites away from Trump, mocking and ridiculing them will not work. Instead, explain why Trump's policies (specifically his trade policies) are not going to be helpful to the people who support him most fervently.
This is a populist revolt, so attacking the people revolting is like pouring gasoline on the fire.
