Cory Farley: Trump still breaking all the rules

Cory Farley
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Cory Farley

A friend who's covered decades of politics tells me there are two immutable facts, things an observer can always count on:

  • No person, project or proposal will ever fall below 30 percent approval.
  • Nothing is accidental.

That second one, I should explain, applies to major offices. The likes of county commissioners and state reps are well capable of blurting out idiocies. At the higher levels, though, everything is scripted.

I haven't asked, but I suspect Donald Trump is challenging these theories.

Let's save the first one for another day. It might still hold up anyway — supporters who haven't turned away from the president aren't likely to be repulsed now, and he's still above 30 percent. (So, in conservative circles, is ignorance. You may have seen the poll finding that 58 percent of Republicans believe colleges "have a negative effect" on the country. I don't even know how to start commenting on that.)

To address the second rule, I need to reveal a fact that may disillusion a few readers: Politicians sometimes say things they don't believe.

You can learn to spot these moments. A candidate or official will make, in an unguarded moment, a "controversial" statement, or use a word that's no longer accepted in society. If it blows up, as it's likely to do on social media, they'll float a "clarification": "When I said Mexicans were thugs, obviously I didn't mean 'Mexicans' or 'thugs' ..." 

If that doesn't work, watch for the Heartfelt Apology: "I've never used that term before, and after inadvertently using it, I learned that some people find it offensive. I sincerely apologize ..." 

One of the things that worries me about Donald Trump is that he hasn't reached that second stage. He won't admit even in a lie that he may have been ... what's the word? Starts with a "w ..."?

Wrong, that's it. When he's caught, as he has been hundreds of times, he'll send somebody like Sarah Huckabee Sanders out to blast the fake news media for quoting him accurately. If that doesn't fly (it always does with his base), they'll play it off as a joke most of us are too snowflakey to get.

The other day, though, I came across a list, something like "things you know about anyone who supports Donald Trump." If you're in that beleaguered group, look for  yourself here:

1. You want to be ruled, not governed.

Acceptance of authoritarianism has been called "the single trait that best predicts Trump support." You can Google it.

2. I would not want to do business with you.

"I" is the author of the list, not me. But me, too.

3. You're either racist or racism doesn't bother you.

Of course you're not. But Trump's racism hasn't changed your mind.

4. You have issues with women.

No comment needed here.

5. You aren't as Christian as you claim to be.

"WWJD?" isn't a question they ask in the GOP these days.

6. You don't support the Constitution.

Muzzle the media, suppress votes, endorse and advocate religious discrimination, abandon the sick and poor; how long a list do you want?

That may not be how you see yourself; probably it isn't. But it's how the country sees you.

Cory Farley is a freelance writer living in Verdi.

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