Trumping the Republicans: Donald Trump projects red consciousness, but is that who he is?

Summary: "Republican Party leaders are loath to tangle with the threat-flinging firebrand for whom there are no rules of engagement."<br> --New York Times, July 9<br> <br> With Donald Trump currently leading the Republican presidential field, the race is finally getting interesting. Few people think he will ultimately prevail, but Trump can absolutely affect the outcome -- and not in the Republican's favor. By alienating young and minority voters he exacerbates the party's demographic decline, and if he mounts a third party candidacy it would virtually ensure a Democratic victory in November. (Which may be fine with him, as he has supported many liberal causes in the past including Hillary Clinton's senate campaign.)<br> <br> What makes this eccentric, egocentric billionaire so popular among Republicans, the very people whose interests he threatens? Simple: he's strong, he's capricious, he shows no fear and has little respect for the rules of the game that so many see as rigged against them. He's vainglorious, thin-skinned, surrounded by beautiful women and apparently willing to offend anyone and say anything, whether he believes it or not. <br> <br> In integral terms he's "red meme", operating from the warrior stage of development that still lives in the belly of our collective beast. As such Trump is a tonic for the poll-driven drivel that most professional politicians deal in. <br> <br> In this short audio Jeff Salzman reveals some of what integral theory can tell us about the cultural -- and now political -- phenomena of Donald Trump.<br>