Written by David Starr   

Donald Trump's supporters may have members of the working class within them. They may contain racists and thugs. But a Politico piece (1/17/2016) written by Matthew MacWilliams sums up the general character of them in a word: authoritarian.

MacWilliams conducted a poll in late December 2015 for the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. He concluded that authoritarianism and fear of terrorism topped other variables as to why people support Trump; rather than age, gender, ideology and religion. MacWilliams found that most of Trump's supporters favor the deportation of 11 million illegal immigrants, banning Muslims from entering the United States, setting up a database to track Muslims and shutting down mosques.

Appeals to fear and hysteria combined with authoritarianism are potentially a combustible mix. It can tend to bring out the xenophobia within Trump's supporters. With economic and social conditions the way they are in the U.S., MacWilliams writes that "[c]onditions are ripe for an authoritarian leader to emerge. Trump is seizing the opportunity." That combustible mix is being stirred by Trump.

Authoritarianism is a factor in other issues Trump supporters favor. A Public Policy Polling survey (2/14 - 15/2016) for South Carolina showed that 38% of respondents wish the South had won the U.S. Civil War. Seventy percent wanted the Confederate flag to fly over their state capitol. And 16% think that whites are superior to other races.

Establishment conservative politicians don't seem to understand the goal of Trump supporters. (Trump is a part of the establishment, being in the 1%, but touches a nerve unlike the other Republican candidates do.) In Real Clear Politics (2/16/16), Chuck Todd simply says that Trump supporters want change.

Something like raising the living standards of the working class. But does Trump have an economic plan, or is it something he'll think about later? The GOP, meanwhile, caters to its fellow corporate elites, cutting taxes for the wealthy, paying no tax on offshore tax havens and wanting endless war.

Writing in Counterpunch, Hrishikesh Joshi says that the way to stop Trump is through open dialogue:

"It's common wisdom that when human desires are suppressed, they have the potential to express themselves in extreme or distorted ways. What has been repressed in this case is open dialogue about some of the most challenging social and political questions of our time. Trump is able to thrive in a vacuum left by the intellectual and political elites suppression of frank and open discussion of certain issues."

Trump supporters may be authoritarian, and contain racists and thugs, but it's a matter of working class members to go beyond the appeals to fear and hysteria, and support someone who is really looking out for their class interests.