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[malthaussen]

35. Can't blame a snake for being a snake.

What I see here is someone who signed up for a social contract and now believes that he was swindled, and is mighty pissed off about it. There's a lot of that going around these days. The social contact was pretty basic: I'll be a good little citizen, and you great ones will rule me with decorum and dignity, and act generally to my best advantage, and in return you get strokes, perks, and adulation, and I won't have to worry about the world because Daddy will take care of everything. And now it is becoming more obvious to more people that the chosen Daddies are in it only for themselves.

So a certain amount of outrage emerges, and it takes one of two general dimensions: those who still believe in the contract, and just want to find a proper Daddy, and those who believe that the contract itself is invalid, and want a new one. Many of those who still want a strong and righteous Daddy are in the Trump camp, because some people never learn, and are meat for a good con. Those who want a new contract tend to support Mr Sanders, who has said time and again that the campaign is not about him. Listen to the man's words: he is disavowing the Daddy role. He wants us all to grow up.

A third camp hasn't quite given up on the contract, and are in general less outraged by the current state of affairs than some others. They want a strong Daddy (or Mommy, as may be), but they are not quite so naive (or possibly so desperate) as Mr Trump's supporters, so they support Mrs Clinton. They do expect her to effect some change, so long as they themselves don't have to pay much attention to it. That's her job.

These categories don't begin to cover all voters, many of whom have radically different perspectives from the ones outlined (which is probably going to end up costing Mr Sanders the nomination, but that's a different rant). But it does apply, IMO, to that segment of the populace who are freshly dismayed with the way things have been going this century. This segment of freshly-dismayed is something new under the sun. (Well, actually, not new, but it hasn't been around for awhile) Consequently, this election is "historic" and "unprecedented." Interesting times for all.

-- Mal