In the 2010 essay which was heard around the world, Angelo Codevilla had this:
... When pollsters ask the American people whether they are likely to
vote Republican or Democrat in the next presidential election,
Republicans win growing pluralities. But whenever pollsters add the
preferences “undecided,” “none of the above,” or “tea party,” these win
handily, the Democrats come in second, and the Republicans trail far
behind. That is because while most of the voters who call themselves
Democrats say that Democratic officials represent them well, only a
fourth of the voters who identify themselves as Republicans tell
pollsters that Republican officeholders represent them well. Hence
officeholders, Democrats and Republicans, gladden the hearts of some
one-third of the electorate — most Democratic voters, plus a few
Republicans. This means that Democratic politicians are the ruling
class’s prime legitimate representatives and that because Republican
politicians are supported by only a fourth of their voters while the
rest vote for them reluctantly, most are aspirants for a junior role in
the ruling class. In short, the ruling class has a party, the Democrats.
But some two-thirds of Americans — a few Democratic voters, most
Republican voters, and all independents — lack a vehicle in electoral
politics.
Sooner or later, well or badly, that majority’s demand for
representation will be filled. Whereas in 1968 Governor George Wallace’s
taunt “there ain’t a dime’s worth of difference” between the Republican
and Democratic parties resonated with only 13.5 percent of the American
people, in 1992 Ross Perot became a serious contender for the
presidency (at one point he was favored by 39 percent of Americans vs.
31 percent for G.H.W. Bush and 25 percent for Clinton) simply by
speaking ill of the ruling class. Today, few speak well of the ruling
class. Not only has it burgeoned in size and pretense, but it also has
undertaken wars it has not won, presided over a declining economy and
mushrooming debt, made life more expensive, raised taxes, and talked
down to the American people. Americans’ conviction that the ruling class
is as hostile as it is incompetent has solidified. The polls tell us
that only about a fifth of Americans trust the government to do the
right thing. The rest expect that it will do more harm than good and are
no longer afraid to say so....
Trump ran under the "Republican" banner, but it is clear that he is not a "Republican" in the Paul Ryan/GWB (the Dumber)/McConnell sense. In fact, a very strong argument could be made that Trump is not a "conservative," either--simply look at his wars of choice and his spend-it-bond-it fiscal policy--and most recently, talking down to Americans who oppose data centers.
Hmmmm.
By the way, this is NOT an endorsement of the Democrats, who--if anything--are worse, and corrupt to boot. So, Capper (and your bot followers) please stay out of my combox.....
