IT’S THE STORY, STUPID: Love him or hate him, Donald Trump’s “Make America Great Again” commands such devotion and loyalty from millions of regular Americans because it does what Rod Martin told us in 2010 the Right had to do if it hoped ever to defeat the Left.

Rod recently republished his 2010 essay in which this striking passage appeared:

“It is common sense that if jobs are flowing to China we should both negotiate better deals with them and also make our own competitive environment better. It is common sense that we shouldn’t turn California’s Central Valley into a desert for the sake of a tiny fish that isn’t even native to the area, at the cost of putting ex-farmers in food lines instead of in their fields feeding the world.

“It is common sense that American foreign policy should first and foremost serve America’s national interests rather than the interests of foreigners. It is common sense that budgets should be balanced, that people should have not just the opportunity but the duty to work for a living, that faceless bureaucrats in Washington don’t understand or care about your family as much as you do, that the safety net should encourage advancement, not stifle it. It is common sense that schools should focus on subjects that will help kids become good citizens and perform well at work, that families should be reinforced, that neighborhoods should be safe.”

I have no idea if Rod Martin has been the political genius behind Trump but, if you read this lengthy essay that first appeared 14 years ago, you will likely find yourself wondering why we all haven’t been reading and re-reading it ever since.