Rich Zeoli Column: Not A Word About Russia
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) –
One word I heard nothing about from people in the crowd last night - Russia.
— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) June 22, 2017
Yes, that was an actual revelation by a New York Times reporter who covered President Trump's recent rally in Iowa. No one cares about Russia.
It's a shocking revelation to a beltway inhabitant, but not at all shocking to everyone outside the beltway where the concerns are jobs, the economy, healthcare, immigration, and jobs. Not Russia. Russia doesn't affect their lives and more importantly, they don't believe for a second that Trump colluded with Russia or that Russia had any influence in the election. The people taking time out of their lives to wait hours in the summer heat to attend a Trump rally know full well who influenced this election.
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That's the most profound realization by a beltway inhabitant. The people who elected Trump are still as passionate about him as ever and they know full well that they, not Russia, are the reason Trump is President. And they are proud of that fact! Again, this is something the inside the beltway mentality prevents you from processing.
They call it "The Beltway" because of Route 495, otherwise known as the Capital Beltway. It's a congested mess. It also literally creates a giant highway belt around the District of Columbia and parts of Maryland and Virginia. Some of the most expensive zip codes in America are inside the beltway and it's very possible that highway keeps a majority of people contained inside a Russia echo chamber. Or perhaps they appreciate that the beltway keeps out the kind of person who waits hours in the summer heat to attend a rally by the likes of Donald Trump.
Either way, they are out of touch with America and so are the Democrats. You can easily transport the Beltway mindset to California and New York and some cities in between. The longer Democrats harp on Russia, the more their chance for victory vanishes. Despite their clear agenda of obstructionism, Trump's loyal base increases in intensity. Why? The people who elected him are invested in his success. They want him to make America great again and unless he does something major to betray their trust; they will have his back in the face of baseless Russia allegations and Democrat obstructionism.
And to the Times reporter's point, if Russia does come up at a rally, it will probably be someone laughing at how absurd it is that people inside the beltway are so disconnected with the rest of America, they think Russia, and not the people attending the rallies, elected this President.
