I noted in one of my first blog postings that the most important attribute for a Republican Presidential candidate is swagger. This has proved more prophetic than I could have anticipated. It appears that at least 40 percent of the GOP electorate is willing to ignore even dramatic rhetorical deviations from orthodox party positions as long as the candidate repeatedly shows his willingness to kick the butts of anyone they perceive to be their enemies (both foreign and domestic). In other words, the sizzle has proven to be the steak (Trump Steaks, to be precise) in this case.
The GOP establishment can never forgive Trump for displaying for all to see that a plurality of the Republican electorate doesn’t want limited government–it wants swaggering government. They will no longer be able to convince themselves, or anyone else, that all of those faithful white GOP voters in the Deep South are small government advocates crying out for more tax cuts and deregulation. That will be one of the principal legacies of the Trump campaign.