Trump Names The Bloodsucking Parasites

As he campaigns in New Hampshire, Trump is kicking his rhetoric up a notch and becoming more stridently populist and nationalist:

“In a nearly one-hour speech, Trump railed against pharmaceutical companies. He railed against oil companies. And insurance companies. And defense contractors. And he set himself against a political system that he said allows big-money corporate “bloodsuckers” to control the government with campaign contributions.

“Whether it’s the insurance companies, or the drug companies, or the oil companies, it’s all the same thing,” Trump said. “We’re never going to get our country back if we keep doing this.” …

There were portions of Trump’s Plymouth speech that sounded like Bernie Sanders, if Sanders had Trump’s sense of showmanship. In fact, Trump mentioned Sanders favorably, saying they agree on trade. Trump also said Sanders is correct in his charge that Hillary Clinton is compromised by the big-money contributions she has accepted — a charge the billionaire developer aimed at his Republican rivals as well.

Trump began by discussing Saturday night’s Republican debate. He claimed that instead of students, the hall at St. Anselm’s College was filled with big Republican donors. “I’m looking at the room and I see special interest guys,” Trump said. “That’s why we pay so much.” …

The only way to clear the mess in Washington, Trump argued, is to elect a president who is so rich he doesn’t need anybody’s money. “I think self-funding is a big thing,” Trump said. “I’m the only one that’s self-funding, Democrat or Republican. everyone else is taking from — I call them the bloodsuckers.” …

But all that misses the bigger picture. The man leading the Republican race is doing so on a platform that would blow up the Republican Party as it now exists in Washington. If Trump is bringing new voters into the party, he’s doing it by promising to make the party virtually unrecognizable to its members today. If he were elected president and did what he says he will do — and many, if not most, political insiders cannot get their heads around even that possibility — Trump would be an astonishingly disruptive force in Washington. Of course, that is exactly what his voters want.

And despite various reports that Trump is moderating his style and presentation a bit, the fact is, his views remain absolutely radical in a Republican context. That is the Trump who is leading the race in New Hampshire. And the candidate who played “Revolution” a second time as he left.”