Trump this.

• Author: Emord, Jonathan W.
• Position: Presidential candidate Donald Trump - Polling Booth

CONTRARY to conventional wisdom, the meteoric rise of Donald Trump in the polls is a bellwether for Republican glad tidings on Election Day 2016. While it is too early to predict the outcome of the primaries, let alone the presidential election, the popularity of Trump reveals a lot about American sentiment, and that sentiment is anything but a ringing endorsement for a "third" Barack Obama term, contrary to Obama's self-congratulatory and hedonistic statement that he could win a third election if constitutionally permitted to run. Ironically, the presidential term limit is among the few constitutional provisions that Obama seems willing to respect.

Trump enjoys widespread name recognition, but also is the subject of tremendous ridicule from Republican opponents and the media for his brash, vituperative, and condescending persona. He often attacks the person of his political opponents and media critics equally with the content of their criticisms. He does not profess a deep intellectual understanding of the Constitution, U.S. history, or international politics, but he does epitomize (or perhaps the better word is characterize) a rugged individualism, an unabashed Yankee spirit that there is nothing beyond his reach. He is the antithesis of the Obama theme of an America in decline.

Given his pugnacious nature, why then does he appeal to so many? The answer well may be that, in part, he is unafraid and directly critical in an age of professional handlers, political spin, and circumspection to avoid offense. In short, he is a bull in a China closet and that appeals to those totally disaffected with politics as usual and with the politically correct environment that imbues U.S. politics.

Moreover, he appears to be an outsider, although he is, in fact, an insider with well-groomed ties to powerful Republican and Democratic incumbents alike. However, his verbal bomb-throwing makes him unpredictable, frequently at odds with those with whom he previously broke bread and financially supports.

Media pundits, particularly those of a liberal turn, delight in Trump's rise, thinking it indicative of an internecine conflict within Republican ranks that will weaken overall GOP chances of defeating sure-bet Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton in the general election. That, I think, is a misreading predicated on a superficial understanding of the Trump phenomenon.

Trump's rise in large measure is a reflection of public disgust with all things Washington...