Russia and our election

[Dill]

(07-09-2017, 11:02 PM)hollodero Wrote: Not every republican voter. But everyone who still supports Trump and is planning to vote for him again. Sure that's his base, what else? To me, that's the equivalent for the "alt-right" base, which is just an expression not free of subjective perception, I used to say right-wing populism. But whatever.
If someone's a republican that now supports Trump no matter what - then yeah, he's part of his base, which I do not see as being republican, but as being "alt-right". I get some will never vote anything else but republican no matter what or who, but that doesn't exclude them from being part of said base. If someone's willingly shouting maga and fake news, he's an alt-right person, that I personally do not see as a republican first and foremost any longer. A traditional republican, as I see it, would distance himself more and more from what's going on right now.

Last month I spent a week in rural Texas with my cousins (15 in number) who range in age from 54-72. 11 of that group voted for Trump, as did their spouses. I'm pretty sure none is alt-right. Some are evangelical, and some struck me as very confused: "I just don't know who to believe" one said. The constant storm of alternative facts has this effect on many voters. Mostly they know a lot about their jobs and local issues but not much about history or how government works.

I share your perception that the support for Trump is unusually strong, not susceptible to counter-argument. But I would caution against overly broad application of a term like "alt-right."  I limit application to white nationalists and those who take up anti-multicultural politics while specifically rejecting traditional conservatism, the Republican establishment, and "globalism."  

Islamophobia and anti-immigration sentiment have become "gateway" issues which draw a wide spectrum of conservatives and right wingers into a more alt right worldview, even if people do not explicitly embrace white nationalism. A lot of alt right themes and ideas are bleeding into other conservative groups and positions so the delimitation is no longer as clear as it was a year ago. Blocks of voters, including self-proclaimed "centrists," have moved a step closer to the alt-right, but not close enough to be simply identified with them. We are still a long ways from identifying even a majority of the Trump base with the alt-right.