Everywhere you look, in all countries, there’s a burning hatred of the rich and powerful: the bankers, Wall Street, and the establishment in general. This hatred was cleverly exploited by Donald Trump. And this has appalled the serious representatives of capital.
Doubt.
Trump is as establishment as any other American politician. The only difference is whose billionaire fan club is bigger. His agenda is one of deregulation which is going to make a lot of corporations and investment firms very happy.
From the article:
It is a strange paradox that a billionaire like Trump could pose successfully as the champion of the interests of the working class. He is, of course, a faithful representative of his class – the 1 percent of super-rich Americans who own and control the nation.
For a long time, the Democrats were able to pose as the political representatives of the working class. But decades of bitter experience has convinced millions of workers that this is a lie.
They are looking for a radical alternative. This might’ve been provided by Sanders, if he had decided to break with the Democrats and stand as an independent. But he capitulated to the establishment of the Democratic party, and that disillusioned his base.
This left the road open for a right-wing demagogue like Trump, who seized the opportunity with both hands. It is not generally known, but in 2015, Trump privately told Yale business school Professor Jeffrey Sonnenfeld that he purposefully copied the anti-corporate messaging that Bernie Sanders’ campaign had shown was effective.
That indicates at most he knows how to lie and say what people want to hear better than the candidates of the Democratic party do.
It’s not a “kick in the teeth for the establishment”. It is very much in line with the status-quo of American politics.
I think the distinction is between liberalism (the status quo) and fascism (the kick in the teeth).