PEOPLE FOR BEING WHAT HE IS, FOR THE FAULTS THAT HE DISPLAYS, IS
RIDICULOUS
RIDICULOUS RIDICULOUS.
RIDICULOUS. AND I DON’T THINK THAT ANYBODY
WILL BUY IT.
>> AND THE LATEST COLUMN
ENTITLED HOW TRUMP WINS.
BRET WRITES MORE THAN 600
MILLION INDIANS KAVANAUGH THEIR
BALLOTS OVER THE PAST SIX WEEKS
IN THE LARGEST DEMOCRATIC
ELECTION IN THE WORLD.
DONALD TRUMP WON.
A WEEK AGO, SEVERAL MILLION
AUSTRALIANS WEMTS TO THE POLL SS
TRUMP WON.
TRUMP WON. TRUMP’S NAME WAS ON NONE OF THE
BALLOTS.
BALLOTS. THE COMMON THREAD ISN’T JUST
RIGHT WING POPULISM, IT IS
CONTEMPT FOR THE YID YL GI OF
THEM BEFORE US.
IT IS A REVOLT AGAINST 9 PEOPLE
WHO SAY
WHO SAY THE PEOPLE WHO SAY PAY AN
IMMEDIATE PRICE TO IN-VISIBLE
GOOD.
GOOD. HATRED OF THOSE WHO THINK THAT
THEY CAN DEFINE THAT GOOD WHILE
EXPECTING SOMEONE ELSE TO PAY
FOR IT.
FOR IT. THIS IS WHY I SUSPECT TRUMP WILL
BE REELECTED NEXT YEAR BARRING
AN ECONOMIC MELTDOWN OR FOREIGN
POLICY SHOCK.
POLICY SHOCK. SO THIS IS SOMETHING THAT I’VE
SEEN AND HEARD, I THINK THERE
ARE A LOT OF PROGRESSIVES MAYBE
LULLING THEMSELVES IN TOOTO A FA
SENSE OF SECURITY THAT THERE IS
NO WAY THAT HE CAN WIN AGAIN
HAVING FORGOTTEN THE LESSONS OF
FOUR YEARS AGO.
BUT WHAT DO YOU SEE IN 2020 THAT
SHOWS YOU SO CLEARLY THAT HE
COULD DO IF GENLGT AGAIN?
>> JUST TO BE CLEAR, THIS
ARTICLE IS NOT A WISH, IT IS A
WARNING.
WARNING. AND THE WARNING IS THAT THERE IS
A RIGHT WING POPULIST WAVE
SWEEPING THE WORLD.
IT IS NOT JUST AUSTRALIA AND
INDIA.
INDIA. YOU SAW THE ELECTIONS IN EUROPE,
ELECTIONS IN BRAZIL, IN THE
PHILIPPINES.
PHILIPPINES. WHEREVER YOU LOOK, RIGHT WING
POPULISTS ARE DOING WELL.
IN FACT, TRUMP IS DOING RATHER
LESS WELL THAN OTHER RIGHT WING
POPULISTS BECAUSE HIS
PERSONALITY IS SO TOXIC TO SO
MANY PEOPLE.
MANY PEOPLE. BUT THE LEFT HAS A SERIOUS
PROBLEM.
PROBLEM. AND MANY OF THE THEMES THAT THEY
SEEM TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH ARE
THEMES THAT PEOPLE FEEL PUT
THEM -- SOMEONE ELSE, SOMETHING
ELSE, BEFORE THE US, THE NATION,
THE MAJORITY.
THE MAJORITY. SO WHETHER IT IS THE POLITICS OF
ABOLISHING I.C.E. OR POLITICS OF
ASKING RELATIVELY POOR PEOPLE TO
BEAR THE COST OF CLIMATE CHANGE,
ALL OF THAT IS BAD NEWS FOR THE
LEFT.
LEFT. AND THE LEFT HAS TO FIND A WAY
TO START SPEAKING ON BEHALF OF
MIDDLES CLASSES AND WORKING CLA
CLASSES AGAINST WHAT THEY SEE AS
THREATS TO THEIR ECONOMIC
WELL-BEING, THREATS TO THEIR
SOCIAL STATUS AND CULTURAL
IDENTITY.
IDENTITY. THE LEFT USED TO KNOW HOW TO DO
THIS MUCH BETTER THAN THE RIGHT.
IT USED TO BE THE RIGHT THAT
SPOKE FOR THE ONE PERCENTERS.
BUT I FEEL LIKE THE LEFT HAS
LOST THAT ABILITY IN RECENT
YEARS.
YEARS. AND I THINK THAT AS WITH 2016,
WHEN THERE WAS SO MUCH
CONFIDENCE THIS GUY CAN’T WIN,
THAT IS CONFIDENCE THAT
DEMOCRATS, LIBERALS, SHOULD
CHECK BECAUSE THE TIDE OF
HISTORY HERE IS NOT ON THEIR
SIDE.
SIDE. >> I CERTAINLY AGREE THAT
PRESIDENT TRUMP CAN WIN AGAIN.
IT WOULD BE FOOLISH FOR LIBERALS
TO DISCOUNT THAT.
BUT MY QUESTION IS THIS, YOU’RE
DRAWING LESSONS FROM ELECTIONS
AROUND THE WORLD.
JUST A FEW MONTHS AGO HERE AT
HOME, THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY HAD A
STRONG MIDTERM ELECTION AND
TRENDS WENT THEIR WAY.
SO WHY NOT TAKE A LESSON FROM
THAT, WHY SHOULDN’T DEMOCRATS BE
CONFIDENT?
CONFIDENT? >> THAT IS A PERFECTLY FAIR
POINT, BUT BEAR IN MIND BARACK
OBAMA TOOK- -- WHAT DID HE CALL
IF?
IF? A SHELLACKING IN 2010.
PRESIDENT CLINTON TOOK ANOTHER
THUMPING IN 1994.
SO MIDTERM ELECTIONS AS
PREDICTORS OF WHAT HAPPENS IN
THE GENERAL IS VERY DIFFERENT.
ANOTHER FACT WHICH I DON’T THINK
GETS ENOUGH PLAY, LIKE IT OR
NOT -- I THINK YOU LIKE IT --
3.6% UNEMPLOYMENT.
3.6% UNEMPLOYMENT. CONSISTENTLY HIGH GROWTH RATES
ARE TYPICALLY RECIPES BY WHICH
PRESIDENTS GET REELECTED.
>> TO JONATHAN’S POINT, I WOULD
SAY THAT THE EU PARLIAMENTARY
ELECTION SUNDAY, IT DID POINT IN
THE TREND LINE OF INCREASED
TURNOUT.
TURNOUT. INCREASED YOUTH PARTICIPATION.
IT MIMICKED WHAMD IN THET HAPPEN
2018 MIDTERMS.
2018 MIDTERMS. SO I WONDER IF WELL SEE MORE
ENERGY AMONG PEOPLE WHO MAYBE
WOULDN’T BE AS EXCITED TO TURN
OUT.
OUT. >> FOR SURE.
GENE ROBINSON JUMP IN.
>> I READ BRET’S COLUMN AND I
THOUGHT IT WAS A REALLY GOOD
COLUMN AS A WARNING, BUT JUST A
COUPLE OF QUESTIONS.
I MEAN, IT SEEMS TO ME THAT
PEAPS A LESSON OF THE EUROPEAN
ELECTION, IT SEEMS THAT THE
CENTER GOT CLOBBERED.
IT WAS THE CENTER MORE THAT GOT
CLOBBERED THAN THE LEFT
SPECIFICALLY.
SPECIFICALLY. AND I WONDER IF WE’RE NOT SEEING
A BIT OF THAT GLOBAL LYLY, THAT
CENTER SEEMS TO BE TAKING IT ON
THE CHIN.
THE CHIN. THERE IS DEFINITELY A RISE IN
THE FAR RIGHT, BUT I’M NOT SURE
THAT THE LEFT IS AS CLUELESS AS
IT SEEMS TO BE.
THEY ARE SPEAKING TO PEOPLE.
AND, YOU KNOW, JUST LOOK AT OUR
DEMOCRATIC RACE NOW AND THERE
ARE A COUPLE CANDIDATES WHO ARE
REALLY SPEAKING TO PEOPLE
INCLUDING TRUMP VOTERS LIKE
ELIZABETH WARREN AND BERNIE
SANDERS.
SANDERS. SO I’M WONDERING IF IT ISN’T A
HOLLOWING OUT OF THE CENTER THAT
WE’RE SEEING.
WE’RE SEEING. >> I THINK YOU’RE MAKING A VERY
IMPORTANT POINT.
IMPORTANT POINT. ANOTHER POINT I MAKE IN THE
COLUMN, THOUGH, IS THAT CENTER
RIGHT POPULISM -- EXCUSE ME, FAR
RIGHT POPULISM SEEMS TO HAVE
SOMEWHAT MORE POTENCY THAN FAR
LEFT POPULISM.
LEFT POPULISM. AND A LOT OF WHAT I SENSE IS
THAT LOT OF WORKING CLASS OR ON
MIDDLE CLASS VOTERS ULTIMATELY
IF YOU BREAK IT DOWN, I SUSPECT
THAT THE FAR RIGHT TAKES 55 TO
45 AND I’M GUESSING AT THOSE
NUMBERS THERE, WHICH IS WHY YOU
SEE THIS CONSISTENT SWEEP TO THE
RIGHT GLOBALLY.
RIGHT GLOBALLY. WE’RE PART OF THAT GLOBAL
PATTERN.
PATTERN. >> AND I WOULD SAY THIS THOUGH,
MIKA, FOLLOWING UP WHAT GENE
SAID, WE MAY ACTUALLY BE AHEAD
OF THE CURVE OF WHAT WE’RE
SEEING NOW IN INDIA, WHAT WE’RE
SEEING -- THINGS THAT BRELT
BRILLIANT
BRILLIANT BRET BRILLIANTLY BRINGS UP.
VOTERS HAVE BEEN PUT ON NOTICE.
I THINK ONE OF THE MOST
REMARKABLE THINGS AS FAR AS
VOTING TRENDS GO IS THAT BLACK
WOMEN IN CENTRAL ALABAMA, NOT IN
AN OFF YEAR ELECTION, RIGHT, IN
A SPECIAL ELECTION, CAME OUT AND
VOTED AGAINST THE REPUBLICAN
CANDIDATE IN NUMBERS THAT EVEN
EXCEEDED THOSE FOR BARACK OBAMA
IN 2008 AND 2012.
YOU LOOK AT WHAT WOMEN DID
ACROSS AMERICA IN NORTHERN
VIRGINIA, SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA,
GOING OUT, STANDING IN THE RAIN
TO VOTE AGAINST TRUMP SUPPORTERS
IN CONGRESS.
IN CONGRESS. I THINK AMERICA HAS BEEN
AWAKENED TO THE DANGER HES OF
THE SHORT TERM THINKING.
I THINK CONSERVATIVES.
I THINK HIGHLY EDUCATED WOMEN IN
SUBURBS, THEY ARE GONE FROM THE
TRUMP REPUBLICAN PARTY FOREVER.
SO I THINK THAT WE NEED TO TAKE
BRET’S WARNING, IT IS A GLOBAL
TREND.
TREND. I’M HOPEFUL THOUGH AS GEENLGNE S
NO ONE WILL BE LULLED TO SLEEP
IN 2020 BY DONALD TRUMP’S LIES.
>> I WILL SAY TALKING TO PEOPLE,
I’M STILL SURPRISED AT HOW MANY
PEOPLE ARE JUST SO MAD AT
WASHINGTON AND THEY DON’T CARE.
AND THEY PLAN ON VOTING FOR HIM.
THEY DON’T CARE WHAT HE DOES.
THEY JUST ARE MAD AT WASHINGTON.
IT IS STILL THERE.
BRED
BRED BRET STEVENS, THANK YOU.
>> BY THE WAY, MIKA, A LOT OF
THOSE PEOPLE THAT STILL SAY
THAT, THEY ARE WHITES.
THEY ARE.
THEY ARE. THEY ARE WHITE.
THEY RPTD BLACK VOTEAREN’T BLACK
SHAW CHARLOTTESVILLE ANDSAW
CHARLOTTESVILLE AND OTHER THINGS
THAT DONALD TRUMP HAS DONE.
THEY WERE S-HOLE COUNTRIES WHAT
YOU THEY WERE NOT WHITE
COUNTRIES?
COUNTRIES? IF YOU ARE A WOMAN, YOU SEE ONE
MISOGYNISTIC STATEMENT AND
ACTION AFTER ANOTHER, WHITE
MALES MAY STILL BE SAYING THAT,
BUT IT IS A SHRINKING ELECTORATE
FOR DONALD J. TRUMP.
>> BRET STEVENS, THANK YOU VERY
MUCH FOR COMING ON THIS MORNING.
WE’LL BE READING YOUR COLUMN IN
THE "NEW YORK TIMES."
STILL AHEAD, A NEW LOOK AT BETO
O’ROURKE, THE NEW YORKER IS
PROFILING THE TEXAS DEMOCRAT,
BUT THE BIG QUESTION, CAN HE