Much of the establishment’s criticism of Donald Trump comes from its failure to comprehend the reasons for his soaring popularity.  Establishment types seem untroubled by the problems facing America, so they can’t understand the urgency that fathered Trump’s rise.  Minor adjustments to the Hindenburg’s dining room menu just aren’t going to get it.  (Kind of like organizing the deck chairs on the Titanic after the iceberg strike?   Ed.)
 
 
 
 
Their overwrought analysis, their hand-wringing and their contemptuousness for Trump betray a disdain not only for Trump but for Americans who recognize the gravity of America’s predicament — and who, in desperation, have turned to Trump for bold action.
 
 
 
It’s hard to overstate Americans’ concern for the state of the nation.  Horrified by President Obama’s Sherman-esque march through America, they are tired of hearing that nothing can be done.  They are through with empty promises from establishment politicians.
 
 
 
People are tired of Obama’s pitting blacks against whites, women against men, gays against heterosexuals, rich against poor, non-taxpayers against taxpayers, citizens against cops and his Muslims against Christians.  They can no longer stomach Obama’s apologizing for America and excusing terrorists while rushing to attack Christians at every turn.
 
 
 
People are sick of being called racists for things that happened in this country before they were born or before they could vote, for opposing Obama’s destructive agenda, or for simply being Republicans.  They abhor the war on cops orchestrated by racial hucksters and pandering politicians.  They are incredulous that any president would deliberately engineer America’s decline and degrade our military.  They are tired of the nation’s chief executive officer’s flouting laws and thwarting the people’s will.
 
 
 
Americans are sick of Obama’s trashing America’s founding, assaulting capitalism, and bellowing about man-made global warming as a pretense to impose more liberty-smothering regulations.  They are nauseated by politicians who are more interested in bipartisanship with scofflaws than with saving the nation.
 
 
People are mortified by the nation’s fiscal instability, its unbridled national debt, its spiraling entitlements and Washington’s refusal to address them.  They are sick of the fraudulent spending “cuts.”  They have had their fill of the lies, especially about Obamacare, whose costs dwarf Obama’s promised projections and are getting worse by the day.  They’ve reached their limit with this administration’s rewarding unemployment and laziness while punishing work, it’s honoring socialism and demonizing capitalism.
 
 
 
People are sick of politically correct bullies.  They are exhausted by lectures about not paying their fair share when half the income earners don’t pay income taxes.  They are fed up with lies about decreasing unemployment rates when tens of millions have dropped out of the workforce.
 
 
 
Every other week, we face a new existential threat to the nation — threats perpetrated or enabled by Obama and the Washington establishment.  But the establishment meets these perils with barely disguised indifference.  Islamic terrorism is overrunning the Middle East and has reached our mainland, and Obama doesn’t dare whisper its name.  Obama refuses to enforce the borders; he orders his administration not to enforce immigration laws; he lawlessly grants amnesty to millions of immigrants who are here illegally; and he and his party set up sanctuary cities that harbor criminal immigrants.
 
 
 
Last year, we faced an invasion from Central America; now, in the name of compassion, we are inviting in Syrian refugees — some 72 percent of whom are, curiously, men.  Are we afraid to wonder aloud whether those who sidestep the legal immigration process will embrace the American idea?  Whether they will end up on the welfare rolls?  (Really…is there any legitimate question about this?  Ed.)
 
 
 
With Congress’ help, Obama bypassed the Constitution’s treaty clause and entered into a reckless, non-verifiable nuke deal with Iran and will give the Iranians a $150 billion signing bonus to fund terrorism and build ballistic missiles.
 
 
 
 
So where does that leave us?
 
 
 
People have heard one too many times that the Republican Party, if it regains control, will turn things around.  Republicans have been so timid in opposing Obama’s agenda that many have quit believing they’ll reverse this madness if they acquire full control.
 
 
Along comes Trump, who gives voice to these legitimate grievances instead of calling people racist, selfish or hysterical.  He emphasizes the urgency of these problems, and he denounces the status quo, the establishment, Washington inertia and political correctness without an ounce of apology.  People are dehydrated, and he’s their Gatorade®.
 
 
Whether Trump could or would deliver on his promises is one thing, but the establishment’s arrogant failure to acknowledge, let alone decry the horror of, the status quo is his lifeblood.  If Trump is a monster, the establishment is Dr. Frankenstein, so please spare us the lectures.
 
 
 
I happen to prefer other candidates, and certain things about Trump make me nervous; but I appreciate that he is shaking things up, and I refuse to belittle Trump’s supporters for believing he would be more effective than many of his establishment rivals.
 
 
Our forefathers’ precious gift of liberty to us is not self-sustaining, and if we don’t quit kicking it to the curb, it will leave us, never to return.
 
 
 
 
David Limbaugh is a writer, author and attorney. Follow him on Twitter @davidlimbaugh and his website at www.davidlimbaugh.com. To read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.