"there are striking similarities between Trump and George C. Wallace. The connections between the two — their rhetoric and their ability to fire up crowds — give us a better sense of what Trumpism will mean once he is gone from the campaign stage. After all, political losers as well as winners can shape the future. It is more difficult to assess the long-term implications of a figure like Mr. Trump, whose “policies” seem even more incoherent than those of George Wallace. He, too, has learned how to exploit the deepest fears and hatreds of white Americans frightened about the present and despairing of the future. Whether he is nominated by the Republican Party or simply disappears into the long line of discredited demagogues, he has already left his mark.Just listen to the speeches of his fellow Republican candidates.
At www.nytimes.com
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