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Comment by venomsnake | Hacker News Reader

Condescension, smugness and contempt for the electorate are effective ways to lose otherwise sure elections.

Yes, but it's still true. Even from Trump supporters I've yet to hear a good reason to support him. The standard reasons are that he can't be bought (because he is one of those rich people you're talking about having too much influence), that he speaks his mind (is that why his positions are wildly inconsistent?) or that he represents a break from the status quo (true, but by being far worse!).

I'm not saying Trump supporters are idiots, but I have yet took figure out how one would support him otherwise.

From what I gather some of the appeal is that what we've been doing doesn't seem to be working, so why not shake it up? I don't agree with that statement, but I can see why people fall into it.

He says things that people agree with, that other candidates wouldn't say. And he comes across as a strong leader who would actually implement change. It's as simple as that.

I would never vote for him. But it's hard to not have sympathy for someone you see getting attacked and slandered for saying something you agree with. Political rhetoric like "supporters are X are idiots" creates polarization. People who were on the fence before become stronger supporters of X, because they feel they are under attack and need to stand up for what they believe.

Trump is a master of this tactic. He says things he knows lots of people believe, but that are very controversial. This gets him tons more media attention than other candidates.

The US Congress has an 11% approval rate. The idea that people would support a candidate from outside that system is not hard to fathom.

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