[gorbachev]

His underlying message was almost the same as Bernie Sanders', i.e. "the establishment is not serving you, but the corporate overlords". That's not doom and gloom. It's the reality of much of America. The people living that reality blame the Clintons (and Obama, and to a lesser degree the two Bushes) for making it happen.

That's ultimately why he won.

He got some bonus votes from racists and other kooks, and he wrapped his core message in the typical right-wing xenophobia that resonates well with the base of the modern GOP.