il miglior fabbro

Yet again, Walter Russell Mead gets to the heart of the matter:

We do not, as a nation, have a lot of experience with choices like this, and it may be that voting behavior will be harder than usual to predict. It’s likely, for one thing, that Trump’s shortcomings grate much harder on elite sensibilities than they do on those of ordinary Americans. The well-socialized, well-seasoned upper-middle class is scandalized by Trump’s bluster and contempt at such a deep level that it is hard for many in the political class to understand, much less assess, his appeal.

And there is a factor that needs to be taken into account as well: Given the manifest shortcomings of both candidates, it is likely that many voters will approach the choice this year with a bitter sense of betrayal and disdain—for the status quo and the political establishment that has presented them with such a terrible choice. In that case, voters might think that with two unacceptable candidates running, the only way to express their distaste for the process and anger at those whose leadership has brought the country to this point is to vote for the candidate the establishment most hates. That would clearly be Trump.

That's my sense, too -- after 7+ years of Hope and Change, things aren't really going very well for a lot of people, and it's difficult not to pick up the sense that people want to take a 5000 PSI pressure washer to Washington to blast away at the corruption. My opinion on Trump has not changed one iota, but there is no way in hell to deny that the "well-socialized, well-seasoned upper-middle class" has completely earned the contempt it gets from Trump and his followers. As is always the case with Mead, you should read the whole thing.