Senior Editor Seth Leibsohn chats with Rabbi Dov Fischer about President Trump’s approval ratings and what they mean . . . and don’t mean.
Intro Voice: Seth Liebsohn, Chris Buskirk. It’s principals and politics. The Seth and Chris show is on now.
Seth L.: …Over at American Greatness, the feature article is must reading. I need to tell you. The title of the piece is “Polls Don’t Tell the Tale”. Trump’s support is deep and here is why. Folks, you want to read this and you want to print it out and read it. This is a tremendous tour de force and I am delighted to have as our guest who’s willing and happy to take your calls as well. The author of that piece, nationally prominent, Rabbi Dov Fischer based in California. As I say, nationally prominent. I’ve been following his work for decades actually.
“Polls Don’t Tell the Tale. Trump’s Support is Deep. Here’s Why.” Rabbi Fischer, welcome to the air waves of Phoenix.
Rabbi Fischer: Thanks so much. It’s great to be here.
Seth L.: Well, thank you. It’s great to have you and there’s a lot I want to do with you if you have the time. Rabbi, why does Trump’s support run deeper than the media is conveying, or then the media would have us know?
Rabbi Fischer: There is so many factors, including somethings I just did not have in the article because of space limitations. First of all, our support runs deeper. It’s not in the article because lots of us do not tell the media, or our neighbors, or friends how much we support Trump.
Seth L.: Exactly right.
Rabbi Fischer: They understand that our jobs could be in peril …
Seth L.: You bet.
Rabbi Fischer: … and that our social status can be in peril. You see, if it’s the other way around, if you’re a liberal in a conservative community or environment, and you tell people, “Hey, I’m a liberal. I think Obama is great.” No one is going to fire you, no one is going to take away your rights because conservatives approach things from the perspective that everyone’s allowed to have their opinion because we believe in independence.
Seth L.: You bet.
Rabbi Fischer: We believe in independent free will.
Seth L.: Yeah.
Rabbi Fischer: But liberals believe that they know what’s best for everyone, and that they aren’t prepared to do what’s best for us, even if we don’t want it as with Obamacare. So, first of all, the reason that President Trump support is much deeper than of surveys show, is that lots of us is just a little bit quieter about speaking out openly about how much we back him.
Seth L.: Mm-hmm (affirmative).
Rabbi Fischer: Secondly, I think it’s extremely important that when he ran for President, many of us voted for him with great concern. That is we knew we did not want Hillary. So, that was the easy part. That’s why we voted for him, but many of us had a little bit of concern. Is he really a conservative? Or is he a hybrid conservative/liberal? Does he have a grounded ideology? Is it possible that maybe the last person who gets his ear can change his opinions …
Seth L.: Right.
Rabbi Fischer: Is he going to name conservative judges the way he promises?
Seth L.: Mm-hmm (affirmative).
Rabbi Fischer: Now, six months later we see, “Wow! He’s doing everything he said he would do, he’s been solid and like a Rock of Gibraltar, he is under the enormous attacks from the media, he hasn’t backed down. If anything, he’s become even stronger. So, I think we’re becoming very fiercely loyal to someone whom many of us weren’t sure completely would be as good as he turned out to be.
Seth L.: We’re talking to Rabbi Dov Fischer. You want to get in on the conversation, you are welcome to at 602-508-0960. Are you were with Donald Trump last November? Have you grown stronger? Have you grown more concerned? Rabbi Fischer, I think you’re absolutely right in diagnosing . . . Well, I think you’re right in both your main points. Let me give you an example of the first that I’ve like for sometime now. I heard a lawyer in Virginia, you’re a lawyer too, but I’ve heard a lawyer in Virginia put it this way, “Please evade the way liberals talk about politics and conservative circles in the way conservatives talk about politics in liberal circles.”
It’s a cultural issue. You and I have heard the trope, again and again this is a center-right country. I’m not so sure that it is. I think people sometimes say that, or we conservatives say that to convince ourselves of things. I look at the culture and I’m not so sure it’s a conservative country. What this lawyer friend of mine said is, let me give you an example of why it isn’t.
A conservative walks into dinner party not knowing anyone. Guest. That conservative is not going to share their political viewpoints. Or at least kind of open up with them because they assume that the room is against them. A liberal goes into a diner party, where she or he doesn’t know anyone. They will have no problem expressing or being the first to express their political opinions because they assume the room is with them.
There is an assumption in our culture that is set, that has a liberal setpoint. I think. It is because of the media, I think it’s because of education, higher as well as elementary and secondary, I think it has to do with entertainment and Hollywood, I think it has to do with the corporate boardrooms. There’s this liberal cast over the culture. So, I think that’s one thing that conservatives feel a little [inaudible] to express their points of view.
On the second point, Donald Trump doing what he said he would do. Yes, I agree and I think it’s unfortunate that it’s left to websites, talk radio, people like yourself that we have to identify the tote board of things he’s accomplished, things he has done because you’re not going to get it from the media. They’re caught up on Russia. But, I will tell you as a talk radio host who takes calls every day. I have callers that will say, “Eh, I’m not sure we’re winning.”
The Sessions stuff doesn’t look good. I wonder sometimes, Rabbi if we give too much credibility to the main stream media. Outlets that only have a million viewers let’s say, but speak with a much larger voice than their viewership.
Rabbi Fischer: I agree you very, very much so in both points that you were speaking about. On this latter point, we get the media other than let’s say Fox News, and some people get maybe one American network, but we’ve to channel CBS, and NBC, and CNN. They themselves think, since they control five out of six news networks, or whatever, and MSNBC. They themselves think because they control the New York Times and the Washington Post and the L.A. Times. They think that, “Hey, take a look at this.” Five out of six TV News sources, and three out of three major newspapers, and who knows . . . 80, 90 percent of university professors …
Seth L.: Right.
Rabbi Fischer: … and most everybody in the movies, “Hey, we really are the majority.”
Seth L.: Right.
Listen to the entire interview.
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