Political typologies: Fool, Knave, Hero
Democrats call Trump a knave. He is evil and dangerous.
Republicans call Biden a fool. He is a senile bumbler.
Each Party realizes it has a flawed hero.
I was reminded of the three-part typology for branding one's opponent and oneself by yesterday's headline and lead story in the MAGA-friendly media company Newsmax. Trump said we are led by fools.
Fool, along with Knave, is one way to shape the view of a political rival. One's own candidate is the Hero. The typologies are very useful for decoding political messaging. A college classmate, Sandford Borins, had a long career as a professor teaching political science and management at the University of Toronto. He described the typology in this article. I find it insightful and useful. His larger website is here. http://www.sandfordborins.com
Trump isn't going away. Democrats cannot brand him as a has-been or loser. They are branding him as a knave. The January 6 hearings describe his effort to overturn the election and remain in power using legal fictions and violence. Other than his Supreme Court picks, Democrats are now saying very little about his policies. They point to his character. Yes, he was wrong, but mostly he was bad.
The typologies simplify and clarify. Republican branding of Biden had formerly been that he was both senile and evil--Stalin-like. He was a socialist or communist, a tyrant who wants to take away your guns and murder babies. That talk is still out there, but the Afghanistan exit, inflation, gas prices, and the Russian invasion have refocused GOP branding Biden as dangerous for his incompetence. A helpless old fool is different from--nearly opposite of--a scary tyrant.
Democrats are refocusing, too. The Mueller Report noted that the Trump campaign of 2016 welcomed illegal collusion with Russia but there was little of it because his campaign was too disorganized to carry it out. The January 6 committee is making the case that Trump was the mastermind quarterbacking the insurrection, laying the groundwork of election doubt long before the election. They show him working tirelessly up to the end, courting legislators, election officials, and people in the federal departments. The story now alerts voters to Trump's efforts to get people into place in election roles in battleground states and to get loyalists into offices. Democrats warn that Trump won't make the mistake of hiring a Jeff Sessions or Bill Barr again.
Trump is not hiding his intent. Trump is embracing his knave brand. He is recruiting his team and replacing RINOs. Trump justifies this by saying the whole system is rigged, that the media lies, that everyone cheats, that knavery is the way of the world both at home and worldwide. He will be better and more vicious at knavery than our enemies.
MAGA Republicans have their hero in Trump. Trump's moral flaws are irrelevant--and maybe positive in this corrupt, dangerous world. More idealistic Republicans are uncomfortable with this worldview, which is why there is space for a DeSantis who projects Trump's willingness to fight hard and dirty in the culture wars, but presumably has boundaries. He is Trump-lite. Liz Cheney is a clean-hands hero, but not to most Republicans. They think she misunderstands the world. So does Pence. The two of them think rules matter. Trump sold the idea that the world is a ruleless street-fight.
Democrats don't have their hero yet. Biden did his job and he defeated Trump. That makes him hero-enough for the past. The post Biden era is already beginning. You don't hear Democrats claiming Biden is at the top of his game. Republican criticism of Biden smooths the way to the Democratic future. Democrats are looking for their hero.