Thread by @fawfulfan

I don't think Trump is the only one who could do it. However, I think that Republicans fundamentally don't understand what it was about the Trump formula that worked, so they are unlikely to replicate his appeal anytime soon.

https://twitter.com/blden2020/status/1349750651635470338

Trump's formula is entirely about personality, not policy. He was vague and flexible on his political beliefs.

What made Trump work was, he was an angry idiot that every angry idiot in America could see themselves in.

Trump spent his life watching the same right-wing anger porn that all his fans did.

So when he spoke, yes mainly about race but also about all kinds of random uninformed conspiracy theories, millions of low-frequency voters thought, FINALLY someone who GETS what I'm mad about.

The problem is that most Republicans in elected office know that stuff is all bullshit and, while they pander to it, they do so in a coded, pseudo-intellectual way. And that just doesn't appeal to these voters the same way.

Republicans are now saying, we need someone who has Trump's policies but tweets less and doesn't act like a total idiot.

Wrong. The typical infrequent Trump voter or Obama-Trump voter was meh on his policies. They liked how he blew up normal politics by acting like a total ass.

If you take Trump's policies and strip away all his bluster and bullying and tweeting and infantile behavior, you're left with a politician like Kelly Loeffler. Or Matt Bevin.

You can't win with politicians like that. They appeal to no one. They go down in flames.