Constantly Challenging the Social Norm:
Trump’s political campaign this election has forever changed the face of politics when it comes to what is standard and what is acceptable. His campaign has pushed the envelope in many different ways, but even more so with his surrogate speakers. A surrogate speaker in past times would be used as an avenue for saying things that were typically not acceptable for the presidential candidate to say. While taking that into consideration, there is still a part those speakers played in trying to maintain that candidates image. Their purpose is to support and enhance their candidates image. When it comes to Trump’s surrogate speakers however, there has been very little spoken in moderation and little put into self preservation. They have been extremely vocal about their thoughts and opinions and have done very little to hold back.
For example, recently when Donald Trump spoke at a rally, one of the rally speakers, Wayne Root appeared first and spoke about Hillary Clinton and how she should be put in the firing lane for committing treason. Even in elections past, you would not hear a surrogate speaker openly talk about how he thinks a candidate should be killed for committing treason. Trump and his speakers have constantly challenged the social norm of politics through stating things so off the wall that people don’t know how to respond.
Overall, Trump’s campaign strategy has drastically impacted the political world. He is not a typical politician nor has he conducted himself as one. His surrogate speakers, as a result, have followed in his footsteps. They have been bolder and more outspoken and gotten away with it because they are a part of Trump’s campaign. Overall, I think Trump’s boldness and political incorrectness, regardless of the outcome of this election will impact election campaigns to come and what our view of normal is when it comes to politics. He has held a campaign unlike any other and it will not go without impact in the political world. It has caused candidates to be pushed to have a more radical position in politics and has very little gray area.
Sources:
http://nymag.com/thecut/2016/10/trump-rally-speaker-imagines-hillary-clintons-death.html
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/07/20/donald-trump-s-thugs-execute-hillary-clinton-for-treason.html
This is definitely a campaign that’s breaking every rule in the book. There will probably be a new kind of Rhetoric based after the precedent the campaign has set. Trump seems to love gaffes. He welcomes them as long as the media covers it for as long as he wants to talk about it. The problems that have come from his surrogates can mostly be credited towards their lack of experience in politics, and public speaking. Trump has surrounded himself with paid surrogates that work for him, or is related to him. Their main objective is to speak to his character in the wake of is most recent gaffe. Unless there is another challenger/outsider candidate like Trump, somebody with zero political experience, the surrogate lineup will most likely fall back in line with the norm of Establishment Politics after this campaign is over.