Many have been surprised by Trump's showing in the polls. He has a strong following that is indifferent to the lack of substance in almost everything he states. We should not be surprised. Trump's supporters are representative of the new GOP. His style is a bit different from the rest of the candidates but they are all trying to sell themselves to a well defined, and carefully cultivated, segment of the electorate. They live in an alternate universe that is strange to those who do not live in the same information cocoon. They remind us of the "Know Nothing Party" that is a forgotten party of US history. In Europe they would belong to one of the right wing populist parties. In our two party system they have been incorporated into the GOP. A lot of old line Republicans are uncomfortable with the new GOP, but they are not sold on the Democratic Party either. They are fiscal conservatives who understand that all of the GOP candidates will cut their taxes and try to shrink entitlement programs.
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