Thom Hartmann: The Real Reason Trump Is Leading the Polls

[thomhartmann]

Out of sixteen republican candidates - one billionaire has pulled ahead of the pack. But he's not leading because he's rich - or because he's racist. Find out why….

For more information on the stories we've covered visit our websites at thomhartmann.com - freespeech.org - and RT.com. You can also watch tonight's show on Hulu - at Hulu.com/THE BIG PICTURE and over at The Big Picture YouTube page. And - be sure to check us out on Facebook and Twitter!

[Quixote1818]

1. I really don't see the Trump supporters talking about trade.

They are the scumbag base that hates anyone who is not white and are just glad to find someone who makes them feel good about their racist feelings. I am sure a few care about trade but his jump in the polls came after his tirade against illegal immigrants.

[panfluteman]

2. I Think Thom is Overestimating Both the Intelligence and the Memory of the American Voter

on this one. And I'm sure that there is a good deal of projected wishful thinking on his part in the making of this video. It would be nice if the American voter was really that astute and on the ball. But then again, there could still be the instinctive feeling, not so much reasoned as felt and experienced directly - of free trade leading to lost jobs.

At the beginning of this video, I was mentally asking Thom, "Show me some actual footage of Trump talking about trade issues!" And when he finally rolled that footage, Trump was talking in very general terms about how stupid we are as a nation, about coming bubbles that were going to burst, etc... but no explicit mention of trade issues. But maybe that instinctive feeling and memory of getting screwed by free trade deals is so strong in the zeitgeist of the American public that a few indirect dog whistles alone are enough to awaken those perceptions, and, wink - wink, you know what I'm talking about...

And of course, the only two candidates who are even hinting at trade issues are the two candidates who are the maverick wild cards defying the corporate Citizens United election rigging system: Bernie Sanders, who is in the most direct defiance of Citizens United, and also the most explicit regarding anti-"free trade"; and Trump, who has plenty of his own money, thank you, and doesn't need to whore himself out to any corporate special interests.