Extraordinary, hour-long conversation between him and the Washpo’s Editorial Board. Plausible bedside manner in conversation, but no sign of a deep understanding of anything he might be called upon to address. Speaks in sound-bite, ‘common sense’ generalisations. He’d fix stuff, do deals, get a fairer whack for the good ol’ USA. A bit like George W. Bush, in an odd way — in that he passes the folksy test of a guy the average voter might like to have a beer with. Still a climate-change denier, but clothing that view in a relativist narrative about nuclear weapons posing a bigger threat. Scary and fascinating at the same time.

Nice piece by Bill Emmott who — as a former Editor of the Economist — was twice sued for libel by Berlusconi. Sample:

The reality is that, while Berlusconi certainly has his charm, Trump’s swelling base of support seems to see a certain charm in him, too, even if it is a less seductive version. Moreover, while Berlusconi undoubtedly possesses business acumen, he has, like Trump, cut plenty of corners along the way. The ties of Berlusconi’s close aides and friends to Italy’s various Mafia clans are well documented.

But none of this is particularly important, in terms of its implications for the United States today. What is important is that both Trump and Berlusconi are ruthless and willing to resort to any means to achieve their (self-serving) ends.

Given this, underestimating Trump would be a huge mistake; he will always prove stronger, more slippery, and more enduring than expected. The only way to avoid Berlusconi-level disaster – or worse – is to continue criticizing him, exposing his lies, and holding him to account for his words and actions, regardless of the insults or threats he throws at those who do.

Too many Italians shrugged their shoulders at Berlusconi’s lies and failings, figuring that he would soon go away, having done little harm. But he did not go away, and he did plenty of harm. The US cannot afford to make the same mistake. The price of liberty, Americans are fond of saying, is eternal vigilance. In confronting Trump, there can be no discount.

Yep.

Here’s the answer, from a fascinating interview with Dr. Robert Jones, the CEO of the Public Religion Research Institute, who has done a lot of detailed, fine-grained polling:

In a nutshell, I think these voters are best understood not as values voters, not even as Tea Party voters, but as nostalgia voters, these voters that are looking back to — they’re culturally and economically disaffected voters that are anxious to hold on to a white conservative Christian culture that’s passing from the scene. I think that’s the core of who his supporters are. I think it’s highly doubtful that there are enough of those voters out there to get him across the finish line no matter who the Democratic nominee is in the general election. But there may be enough of them, and it looks like there are, to get him across the finish line to be the Republican nominee.

Lots of detail in the interview. Worth reading in full.

An alternative view is that they are people who are in revolt against the ‘Establishment’. But what is that, exactly? Here’s Nassim Nicholas Taleb’s take on it: