Donald Trump, for all his efforts to impregnate American politics with penile comparisons, imbecile remarks, facile policies and vile treatment of those he deems different, has in part emboldened his base through a brilliant bit of branding.
You know the slogan: Make America Great Again™. Perhaps the most ironic coupling of words and deeds since Subway came out with "Eat Fresh." But it's catchy. Simultaneously optimistic and pessimistic. A throwback to Reagan and a shot at the Obama era. A message, it seems, that many supporters can get behind. A descendent of "Tippecanoe and Tyler too" and all of the presidential campaign slogans in between, it's all at once a trademark and a rallying cry — a populist phrase that wears corporate clothing.