The Rage of Republicans

When Donald Trump says, "Mexicans are rapists," why do his listeners cheer? When he yells, "I love the poorly educated!" why does the audience roar approval? When he remarks, "Russia is not going into the Ukraine," his enthusiasts nod, despite the fact that Russia is already there. Who are these people attending his rallies, clapping at his comments, and yelling their support?

I've looked at rally photos and I see mostly white people, the majority men. I read comments of supporters and hear more about "making America great again" and boos when Trump mentions Obama's name. Trump followers seem to be angry people, intent on avoiding any factual evidence that the man they praise is less worthy than they think.

What are these people seeing when they look at this man? Is it simply a matter of identity--they voted Republican last time & will always voted Republican--or does their anger come from recent experience? I hear conservatives talk about feelings and not facts. They feel unsafe, they feel misused, they feel unsupported. This despite the fact that the US still has the best economy in the world, the lowest unemployment rate, cheap imports...

I keep coming back to fear. Are people so desperate for their lives to change, to feel less fearful, they will ignore red flags and surrender themselves, blindly, behind the whims of a megalomaniac? The media feeds this fear every day and is accountable for grave injury to the American psyche. I wonder about any parallels in this country, at this time, with how some Italians felt when Mussolini came to power.