Jon GrudenWhen Jon Gruden’s racist, homophobic and misogynistic emails came to light he was forced to step down as coach of the Oakland Raiders. I wonder, if you put Gruden’s fate to a referendum, would he stay or go?
It is virtually certain that white males would give Gruden a big thumbs up. White women would be split. People of color regardless of gender, would want him gone.
I can make this bold assertion because I read a lot of polling data. After a while, you can pretty much guess how public opinion breaks down. It is depressingly predictable.
The big change in American society isn’t that public opinion has changed that much. But, as the nation becomes more racially diverse, white attitudes are no longer protected from scrutiny and dissent.
The big exception is LGBTQ rights. Here, there has been a major shift toward the affirmative. Still, you can’t understand the fury in MAGALAND unless you understand how unacceptable this shift remains in the minds of MAGA folk.
Racial resentment and opposition to gay rights virtually define conservative politics. This fact makes moderate Republicans extremely uncomfortable. Many no longer want to be associated with the red team.
But where can they go? They are beginning to realize that Jon Gruden’s emails mirror majority opinion in the GOP.
Did Donald Trump create this reality? No, but he has both revealed and exacerbated the phenomenon. Trump is successful because he shamelessly parrots the dark side of American public opinion. He has degraded his follower; and they may well have degraded him.
