The Main Stream Media and Beltway Right are touting polls showing Ben Carson is now leading Donald Trump in the critical state of Iowa [Poll: Ben Carson leads Donald Trump by double digits in Iowa, by Tal Kopan, CNN, October 26, 2015], ignoring his astonishing lead in both New Hampshire and South Carolina and the latest CBS poll saying he is actually even in the Hawkeye State. [Trump and Carson tied in Iowa, poll shows, by Lydia Wheeler, The Hill, October 25, 2015]. But Trump is just beginning his attack on Carson for hisweakness on immigration, and my own observations suggest this New Yorker’s connection with the Heartland is very real.
I attended his recent rally in Oklahoma City. It’s clear Trump understands what the Republican Establishment doesn’t—the GOP only wins if disaffected white voters who might stay home actually turn out to vote. Trump is winning over those people who couldn’t bring themselves to support Mitt Romney in 2012.
Perhaps significantly, it was my son David and my (Mexican) wifewho really wanted to go to the rally. My son even got to exchange greetings with The Donald!
As befits a superstar, Trump didn’t appear until an hour after the rally began, as more and more people kept arriving. The location for the rally was cramped, creating the sense of an overflowing crowd. And Trump’s give-and-take rapid-fire speaking style helped create a bond of intimacy between himself and his supporters. Here’s the full video:
For example, when Obama was booed, Trump quipped “Oh, don’t worry, he’s only gonna be there for a short period now.” (After 21 minute mark)
The crowd itself was mostly white Middle America types—but then, that’s what most Oklahomans are. But there were some black folks there, and interestingly, Trump is drawing north of 20% of black voters in hypothetical matchups with Democratic candidates [Results of SurveyUSA Election Poll #22490, September 4, 2015]. That’s stratospheric for a Republican.
Before Trump spoke, there was a public prayer, another indication of how Trump is appealing to evangelicals.
What was truly striking was Trump’s remarkable rapport with ordinary Americans. Here was a New York City billionaire appealing to several thousand Okies. And yet everyone had something in common—love of country and disgust with our current bipartisanleadership. ...
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