I wondered why one of our major political parties, the GOP, went crazy and decided to worship Donald Trump.

So I decided to see if there was an answer to my questions online.

National Public Radio featured a study titled: “Activating Animus: The Uniquely Social Roots of Trump Support.”

Professor Lilliana Mason said the study was “interested in identifying the people who ultimately would like Donald Trump but finding them before Trump really existed on the political scene.”

Basically the study found that white groups with a racist point of view toward minority groups, in 2011 — like African Americans, Hispanics and Muslims — was a strong predictor of Trump supporters in later years.

Again, racism and hatred toward minorities by whites was a predictable reason to represent white people who felt this way. That says to me that America has always been a racist nation, allowing Trump and his team to target and create animus toward these racial groups to show white groups he was their man. 

He would represent the white man/woman who feared people of color. 

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He would represent a growing faction of white Americans who are fearful of losing power to people of color.

As Mason said, “that’s because . . . what we’re seeing is a real empowerment of this group of people that have . . . truly anti-democratic attitudes and goals. And they have also taken control of basically the entire Republican Party . . . not because all Republicans agree with them, but mainly because Republicans fear the voters that agree with them.”

Sad, but true.

John Wade, Lewiston


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