Immigration and declining middle class incomes and an increasingly multinational world is leaving people susceptible to being told that immigrants who don't look like the native populations are to blame, or the EU/United Nations. Rise in women's economic power as well.

It's why I think Trump is a symptom not the cause. He's a great showman for a certain type for a certain cause.

The UK, for example, threw out the Tories for a Labour government.

In Hungary, Orban has a liberal rival he is gaining momentum.

But yes, voters are being manipulated by populist misinformation and propaganda, stoking anti-immigrant fever.

Here's the celebrations in France:

Link to tweet

I'm not generally the type to celebrate death, but I certainly don't grieve some people dying. Holocaust deniers like Le Pen, the world is better off without.

It won't be peaceful and dignified. Actually, neither side will be "dignified."

The people are looking for someone to blame for the high cost of living .

That seems to be a major destabilizing force in many societies and unfortunately there are many bad actors like Putin and other billionaires jumping to take advantage.

deeply unpopular - almost anyplace where there is more than the most minute of numbers.

A huge amount of people vote on that issue. Some aren't even conservative and take a right-wing view on it.

I was talking to a non-political neighbor, who happens to be 25 years older than me, so maybe mid to upper 70's. I was reminiscing about the old Staten Island Mall in the 1980's, and how much I missed all of the old stores and the old layout. He agreed with me, but went way further. He said "Now it looks like Iran when you go to the SI mall." He was referring to the amount of Muslims that shop there now. I was in total shock, and had to leave the conversation.

It swings back and forth. Mostly based on the current economic conditions locally. People vote from their pocket books. They do, the phrase 'all politics are local' is absolutely true. Consider world economic conditions in the late '70s and early '80s. In the USA unemployment in Johnstown PA and Lackawanna NY was close to 20 percent. 1 in 5 out of work. Reagan won. Around the same time, Thatcher came to power in the UK, and Mulroney in Canada. Cut to the late '90s, and Clinton won based on the economy. If things are good, incumbents thrive, if they are not incumbents lose. To the majority of the electorate, kitchen table issues matter. More then ideology.

without rational worldwide action. Look at climate change for one.

These problems, climate, insane wealth concentration, tech trashing jobs, more ...

These may be the drivers of immigration. People almost always attack the symptom rather than the cause.

Cannot be solved without coordinated wordlwide response. Nationalism both prevents response, and the worsening situation promotes nationalism.


Worldwide media love the turmoil and drive it. Probably bribed by dictators, the only beneficiaries of the madness. Hint: Putin and Murdoch.

Fascist playbook. Use turmoil. Provoke turmoil.

How it is now expressing itself is really something.

It's like a bunch of two year olds taking over the
sandbox from the adults and turning into ramrods
against anyone who doesn't want to give them
their way, since the adults left them with serious
weapons to use.

BTW, the real weapon behind all this sits behind
a red button, and has for a long time.

it just is

...but a number of left wing governments have become tone deaf.

After Trump won, many here were pissing and moaning about people who voted for Trump or didn't vote because of the "price of eggs". They were obviously tone deaf as well, violent revolutions have started over food. You bust your ass all week and still can barely afford to feed your family, something is going to give.

Of course some right wing governments are on the rocks for the exact same reason. So its a mixed bag.

"It's the economy, stupid" still is a euphemism that rings true. We have a lot of domestic issues that need to be addressed, I would even say that some people who voted for Trump held thier nose as they know he won't do anything to allevieate the situation. But on the flip side, they were not going to reward another term when thier issues are not addressed. When things look like nothing is going to change, you are not going to bother.

What bewilders me, there are some here who say we need to move closer to the center. WTAF!? So just turn off even more liberal voters?

Again, we need to address domestic issues and take action on them. It's crazy when Democrats and Republicans have the same issues, but, due to "team mentality" won't work together (thanks Newt, you bastard). But its also an opportunity I think we are better prepared to play on.

As for other nations, they are suffering the same problems. And to be honest, they have a right to be angry, a governments first responsibility is to its own people, lose sight of that, stuff will happen. That's how George H. W. Bush lost to Clinton.

It will eventually swing back, probably with an over-correction.