
A Century of Political Spin - boh
http://www.wsj.com/articles/a-century-of-political-spin-1452267989
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vezzy-fnord
Also worth adding is that the rise of "outsider" presidential candidates who
gain large momentum (as the author mentions Trump and Sanders) has in fact
been a staple of U.S. politics and seems to occur in intervals once every
12-20 years.

Starting from the contemporary Republican-Democratic dichotomy, you had Henry
A. Wallace of the Progressive Party gaining 2.4% (1.1+ million) in 1948,
George Wallace of the American Independent Party getting 13.5% in 1968, John
B. Anderson as an ex-Republican independent with 6.6% in in 1980 and finally,
of course, Ross Perot in 1992 and 1996.

(Eugene V. Debs was also an absolute sensation in the early 20th century. His
imprisonment for sedition led to riots and he got 6% of the vote as a
socialist in 1920 _while in prison_. Warren G. Harding commuted his sentence
in 1921.)

Thus, Trump is in fact nothing new or all that interesting as far as U.S.
politics goes. He's just in time. It had been 19 years since Ross Perot's last
candidacy. I don't expect anything consequential to occur out of either Trump
or Sanders.

~~~
lumberjack
But objectively Trump is pretty centrist, no? He is just not welcome by either
of the political parties.

Is that not the case?

~~~
loumf
He holds views far to the right of the Republican party. This is enough to
explain why neither party would welcome him

Even if he held mainstream Republican positions, the party might reject him on
his tone and for not owing them anything.

They also might not welcome him because he's unqualified to be president.

~~~
sahhhtt3
You mean "to the left of the Republicans" I assume? He's pro-gun control, pro-
abortion, against eminent domain reform, pro-business regulation, and so on.
He's historically donated to and endorsed Democrats including the Clintons.
Basically he's the asshole version of Michael Bloomberg, who was technically a
Republican but wouldn't have passed for one anywhere other than NYC.

~~~
outlace
He used to be some of those. He used to be a democrat. His current form as a
presidential candidate is way hard-right.

~~~
bruceb
He isn't hard right. All one has to do is go to rightwing blogs/news sites and
see the many people who bemoan the fact he isn't conservative.

Don't confuse saying impolite and occasionally trollish things with having
"hard right" positions.

~~~
outlace
I think going by his positions on issues and his supporters in scientific
polls he would qualify as pretty far right, maybe not the farthest right, but
definitely over there (definitely not center-right). I wouldn't use anonymous
comments on blogs and news sites to place someone on the political spectrum.

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calibas
Putting a positive spin on spin itself... Not surprising coming from one of
Murdoch's papers.

