The protected make public policy. The unprotected live in it. The unprotected are starting to push back, powerfully.
~ Peggy Noonan, Feb. 25, 2016
Peggy Noonan wrote this piece back in February. The continuing success of the Trump candidacy seems to prove her point, and as usual Noonan presents it with more pith and style than just about anyone else, except perhaps Mark Steyn.
Conrad Black also has some keen observations on how we got into Trump-land, and it was his article on Trump's "inevitability" that linked me to Noonan's analysis of the rise of the unprotected.
I think Noonan's choice of words--"protected," rather than the shopworn term "elites," vs. the "unprotected," meaning you/me/everyday working people--and the powerful imagery of her examples, are spot on target to explain the uncontrollable mood of today's electorate.
In a nutshell, the unprotected are tired of taking all the hits to keep the protected safe and cozy. Donald Trump has tapped that vein and is running it wide open. If Trump is the Republican nominee, and if he can keep that line flowing clearly, he will be the next president.
I'm not saying I like what's happening in our national politics today, but I am a realist. More to the point, I'm also weary of being unprotected.
