With the 2016 Presidential race coming to a close, we’ve heard a lot from supporters
of Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, but there is one group we haven’t heard from.
Early in Trump’s campaign, he said “the silent majority is back” and many have pointed
to this silent majority as the driving force behind Trump’s rise in the past year.
So, what exactly is the silent majority and how will these voters impact the election?
Well, the term was popularized by President Richard Nixon shortly after he took office
in 1969.
Enormous demonstrations against the War in Vietnam were taking place around the country,
and the youth were extremely vocal and visible.
But in his speech, Nixon called on the “silent majority” who agreed with him on a slower
withdrawal from Vietnam.
However they remained silent because of societal pressure from the comparatively outspoken
1960’s anti-war counterculture.
Nonetheless, this silent majority undoubtedly existed, and in fact helped Nixon win the
presidency.
But the silent majority was more complex than simply “conservatives who are afraid to
speak out”.
The term also implied those in Middle America, particularly blue-collar workers, to whom
politics was not a priority.
Nixon himself described these groups as “forgotten americans”, in that those who were the most
vocal, and received the most representation, did not necessarily represent that “silent
majority”.
But why would Trump even invoke a term by Nixon, considering his disgraceful history
and near impeachment?
Well it may be that Trump is banking on Nixon-inspired voters.
The sentiments behind a modern “silent majority” are similar to those of the Nixon era, and
the two politicians are not entirely dissimilar.
Trump’s outlandish behavior may call out severe criticism by the media, but his strict
presumption of “law-and-order”, as well as exploitation of racial tensions and public
fear to garner popularity has certainly worked to gain him the nomination.
What’s more, the United States is experiencing a hostile counter culture not unlike that
of the 1960s.
Many on the left label not just Trump, but his open supporters as “racists and sexists”.
That’s not really a label anyone wants to hold, and so it is likely that many of Trumps
supporters are silent about their support, but do still comprise a majority of the voting
Republican party.
Although Donald Trump appears to be losing support from the GOP in the final weeks of
the election, there’s still no telling how much of the silent vote he has left.
In such a close race between two generally unpopular candidates, with third parties gaining
unprecedented ground, it is possible that the silent majority may be more important
in this election than
ever before.