Donald Trump is not simply filling a "slow news period" void right now. The people supporting him are as passionate and enthusiastic as I've ever seen. And unless Trump self-destructs or otherwise removes himself from the race, I don't see these supporters eventually deciding to go with a conventional candidate instead.
A real movement is happening here. Sowell may not see it from his vantage point. But I'm hearing it in the workplace, at family barbeques and church events. All the talk is about Trump and about time we had somebody that's truly going to shake things up in Washington.
Granted, there was some of this same excitement in 1992 with Ross Perot. But Ross Perot was running a 3rd party campaign right from the start. Which was doomed because the Democrats and Republicans are going to automatically get about 40% of the vote. The battle is always for the 20% in the middle. And guess what Perot's final number was on Election Night? Right about 20%.
Trump is running for the GOP nomination so if he gets it, he'll get the 40% GOP vote, most of the 20% in the middle, and perhaps some of the Democrat 40% as well. This was Reagan's path to victory in 1980 and 1984 - the last election years that Republicans won states like New York and California.
The demographic tide has definitely turned against the GOP since 1984 but also consider that since then, the GOP has not nominated a truly charismatic leader for president either. I don't think America is as blue as people think. Like Reagan, Trump has the ability to pull a lot of moderates and even Democrats to the GOP column. This is what has the establishment media and Beltway crowd in full panic mode.
I think Sowell is paying too much attention to the mainstream media and not enough attention to the people out on the street who are simply fed up with career politicians and their lies as well as the direction of our country. They will take a successful business man with his warts over anybody that the two parties are putting up currently.
Reagan tapped into average Americans by referring to the government as though he was not a part of it. People identified with Reagan because the oversized government was picking his pockets as well. Trump, even more than Reagan, can make this case for himself.
Good post, well said.