22 March 2016
Terrorist attacks in Brussels will help Trump and Cruz, but hurt Hillary
Bombs in Brussels will solidify support for Donald Trump and Ted Cruz, but could hurt Hillary Clinton. The Democratic Party’s debacle in November, 2014, followed the ISIS beheadings earlier that year. Writing in The Atlantic on 17 September 2014, Peter Beinart reported:
As a result of the ISIS beheadings, the percentage of Americans “very worried” about terrorism has just hit a seven-year high. Once again, women are more afraid than men. According to a CNN poll last week, women are 18 points more likely to say they are “very” or “somewhat” worried that someone in their family will be the victim of terrorism. According to Pew, they are six points more likely to call terrorism “very important” to their vote this fall.
Fear is humankind’s most powerful emotion. When afraid, people choose safety over freedom. They rally to leaders who exude self-confidence, certainty, and strength. They rally to strongmen. And women, as they’ve done throughout human history, look to their menfolk for strength and protection. The terrorist attacks in Brussels will help Trump, Cruz, and the Republicans, but hurt Hillary and the Democrats. I suspect Bernie Sanders will be hurt less than Hillary.