"... ‘facts don’t work’ … You have got to connect with people emotionally. It’s the Trump success.”

[pampango]

Few Americans have heard of Arron Banks, a backer of the right-wing United Kingdom Independence party (Ukip) and a founder of the leave.eu campaign. Here he is, talking to the Guardian about consultants’ advice to hone the message of the Brexit campaign: “It was taking an American-style media approach … What they said early on was ‘facts don’t work’ … You have got to connect with people emotionally. It’s the Trump success.”

It made no sense for the UK to leave the EU, just as it makes no sense for anyone to vote for Donald Trump: he won’t make life better, or safer, or more profitable or moral or peaceful, for anyone but himself and a few cronies.

But to choose his name on a ballot as a protest vote? As a way to say, “This system, as it stands, doesn’t work for me?” As a way to say, “This system stinks, so let me show you that I fervently believe that, even if it’s not in my so-called self-interest, because the status quo is surely not in my self-interest, and maybe some change is better than none?”

As a way to say, “I feel like I’m in shackles, and maybe this man is the way out? Because that woman definitely is not?” That’s the thinking that brought us Brexit. And that scares the bejesus out of me.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/jul/28/hillary-clinton-status-quo-candidate-donald-trump

The danger of right wing populism and the demagogues who coopt it, is that it takes a justifiable anti-elite attitude and morphs it into an anti-empiricism attitude in which 'facts do not matter' - only anger and emotion matters. Few people really think that Trump really has any answers or policies solutions but how many people will vote for him simply "as a protest vote? As a way to say, “This system, as it stands, doesn’t work for me? ... This system stinks, so let me show you that I fervently believe that, even if it’s not in my so-called self-interest, because the status quo is surely not in my self-interest, and maybe some change is better than none."

I hope not too many but that is probably what liberals in the UK thought before the Brexit vote.

[whatthehey]

1. The missing qualifier

Is "for some". We just have to trust it is not the majority.

[AngryAmish]

2. Everyone relies on emotion and storytelling.

It is a feature of human consciousness.

[whatthehey]

3. Not to drive decisions to the exclusion of objective analysis

I'm fine with emotions and storytelling to entertain and edify. But they have never and will never determine major purchases, investments, and certainly not voting. I'm not quite arrogant enough to think I'm the only rational decision maker either.

[pnwmom]

4. Hillary is aware of this. Hence, the Kahn parents. General Allen and the drumming intro

to the dozens of other military veterans. The young woman with the disability. The 11 year old girl with immigrant parents.

All of these people supporting Hillary with their stories -- and plenty of emotion.

[Seahawks]

5. He is absolutely right...

...People vote on emotions in the booth.

Look at Justin Trudeau's Liberal campaign ads from Canada.

No facts. But gets the emotions going.

[thesquanderer]

6. This was a very good post. Sorry to see it sunk in the Recs. (n/t)