Anger Management

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall.
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.
All the King's horses.
And all the King's men.
Couldn't put Humpty Dumpty together again.

Lewis Carroll, Through a Looking Glass

Seldom have voters been angrier than they are at the moment. They feel politicians and the political establishment on both sides of the aisle have abandoned them.

Donald Trump has tapped into this anger, which is focused on the direction of the country, the Iran deal, the state of the economy, and the disruptions and disappointments of ObamaCare.

With ObamaCare, anger still festers over its unilateral, some say arrogant, passage without a single GOP vote. Voters are angry over the financial penalties imposed by the individual and employer mandates. They are angry over rising premiums and deductibles. They are angry over narrowing networks, and the inability to keep and choose your own doctors, hospitals, and health plans.

The middle class and the young are angry over stagnant wages and difficulties finding full-time work with health benefits. They feel they should not be wholly responsible to financing those 10 million people who have received subsidies.

There is anger among the states who do not feel capable of carrying the burden of ObamaCare-induced Medicaid expansions. There is anger among the unions who feel their plans should not be penalized for generous health care benefits. There is anger among Republicans who have tried and failed 50 times to repeal ObamaCare.

People are mad as hell, and in one way or another, they are saying they are not going to take it anymore. They fear the American dream is slipping away. Donald Trump is articulating their frustrations.

Donald Trump says America is like Humpty Dumpty, about to take a great fall. Only he can put America together again. But what if he is Humpty Dumpty? And what if he has a great fall? And what if he runs as a third party candidate? Will the Republican party have a great fall? And will the GOP’s king-makers be able to put the party together again?