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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsTrump voters are selfish: They love him because they identify with him
New psychological research: Trumps voters were not confused or deluded. They knew what they wanted, and got it
CHAUNCEY DEVEGA
03.23.20185:00 AM
The political corpse that is and was the 2016 presidential election continues to reveal its secrets. The newest revelation? Donald Trump's public supported an incompetent, ignorant bigot and possible traitor largely out of greed and selfish impulses.
In his new article, "Personal values and support for Donald Trump during the 2016 US presidential primary," published in the journal Personality and Individual Differences, psychologist Ryne Sherman explains "a prototypical Trump supporter" as someone with "little interest in supporting social welfare programs," "a strong desire for power," "a strong desire to make money," various "concerns about personal and financial safety" and a "preference for strictly adhering to social conventions (i.e., order, structure, and following the chain of command)."
Sherman concludes that "values perceived to be shared with Donald Trump" were "a key driver of support" during the 2016 primaries. "This was true of both Republicans and Democrats, regardless of political ideology. Those who felt more similar to Trump in terms of his values were more likely to support him.
These findings undermine any claim that Trump is somehow not a "real" Republican and thus not representative of what conservatives really believe or think:
Thus, this study also indicates that support for Trump was still largely associated with identifying as a Republican or Conservative. In other words, despite the presence of prominent never Trump Republicans, those who supported Donald Trump did indeed share highly overlapping personal values with Republicans and Conservatives, regardless of their own political attitudes. ... [T]hose who most closely matched the Donald Trump values profile, were just as likely to report being Republican or Conservative as they were to report supporting Donald Trump. In other words, the typical Trump supporter was very much Republican and Conservative.
more
https://www.salon.com/2018/03/23/trump-voters-are-selfish-they-love-him-because-they-identify-with-him/
oberliner
(58,724 posts)I don't remember seeing this level of analysis of Obama voters.
leftstreet
(36,078 posts)They normalized him as an authentic POTUS candidate
oberliner
(58,724 posts)One of the more embarrassing moments was when they covered one of his "announcements" live and it turned out to be an ad for Trump branded products (as most of his early campaign appearances were).
kimbutgar
(20,874 posts)I suspect my ex husband I divorced in the 80s is a Twitler supporter. I ran into a guy who I worked with several years ago who I was always curious around, Twitler supporter. A mean girl I knew in high school Twitler supporter. Its in their DNA.
Dulcinea
(6,505 posts)They have no power. Dolt 45 told them exactly what they wanted to hear.
A lot of them are working class rural people who have seen their jobs & way of life disappear. They don't want retraining. They want their lives back the way they were. They see society changing, and they don't want any part of it. These are people who have been left behind by globalization. Maybe they don't want to see that neither Trump nor anyone else can stop it. "There are none so blind as those who will not see."
hedda_foil
(16,368 posts)Highlights
Personal values predict support for Donald Trump beyond political attitudes.
Low Altruism, high Power, Commerce, & Tradition predict Trump Support.
People with similar values to Trump were more likely to support his candidacy.
Values were a stronger predictor of support than political attitudes.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0191886918300862#!