Modern analytics applied to Google search data have shown that Donald Trump was not the cause of a surge in right wing sentiment. That sentiment actually brewed in the fringes over the presidency of Barack Obama. Trump merely surfed to power on the wave of the culmination of that sentiment.
The same was what was likely behind the surprise victory of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte in 2016. Duterte did not cause the swing to right-wing populist sentiment. He rode on the surge in that sentiment that snowballed during the incompetent presidency of Benigno Simeon ‘BS’ Aquino III.
The lesson here is that the Opposition led by the Yellowtards is going about their campaign all wrong today. Continuing to rabidly sing to their old bleeding heart hymn books will only further galvanise the formidable support base of Duterte. And they will likely lose big time in the coming 2019 congressional elections.
The Philippine Opposition need to ditch the Yellowtards and the obsolete rhetoric they keep chanting if they are out to grab what’s left of any opportunity to score at the balls in the homestretch of this campaign.