They support him because they get the contempt dripping from Mr. Obama and Mrs. Clinton whenever the subject is the things they cherish: faith, patriotism, the decency of ordinary citizens, and so on. Above all, they support him because they also get that the elite contempt for Donald Trump is a proxy contempt for them.
I'm sure to get ridiculed for this by the usual suspects, but this really hit me.
I've done my share of mocking of Trump supporters, some here, mostly at TOS. And it ashames me to admit it, but I think some of that was some latent elitism. I'm well-educated, etc., and it is extremely seductive to slip into a tone of mocking condescension for those who aren't as educated, or aren't as good as many others in either written or verbal expression. It's so
easy to dismiss someone else's concerns just because you can make them look foolish in an argument, and it can be a bit of an ego boost as well. "See how badly I defeated you in this discussion? See how much better I am than you?"
I had a bit of that assholery in me when I first got commissioned. It took spending a lot of time among enlisted Marines for me to pull my head out of my ass and realize I wasn't a better person, or a better man, simply because I was more educated or intelligent in an academic sense. Other people can be good, decent, very capable individuals ever though politics, etc., is not their forte, and even though they haven't honed their rhetorical and linguistic skills.
I think the nomination of Trump was a terrible mistake that will cost our country dearly. But I don't think it means that those who supported him are bad people, bad Americans, or somehow lesser for it. Many of them are "salt of the earth" types whom we might admire and respect if politics didn't enter into it. Rougher language, etc, may be more common, but it doesn't make them bad. They're pissed off at some things at which they had good caused to be pissed, and just misjudged the best avenue for channeling that anger.
Anyway, I'm not participating in any more of the election stuff, but I do want to apologise here to anyone if I acted the condescending bleep.