Be cool: Hate Donald Trump.

It seems that everyone who is anyone these days hates Donald Trump. Mention his name -- or chalk it on a sidewalk -- and our elites break out the smelling salts, pull up their fainting couches, and -- just to make sure all bases are covered -- ring themselves with garlic. Hating The Donald is the equivalent of black in the fashion industry: it goes well on all occasions, whether a formal cocktail party in Washington D.C., a conservative cruise to Alaska (where the basic but stylish Hate Trump is accessorized with a colorful touch of Ridicule Palin), or a casual gathering at the Harvard Faculty Club (I was just there, and Trump hate was de rigueur for faculty).  

The more he wins, the more they scream. Left and right, politician and journalist, entertainer and educator, the mere mention of The Donald is enough to cause grown men and women to fall down, calling for therapists and instituting “safe spaces” -- the new liberal craze of creating speech zones where only politically correct opinions can be voiced. No space for Trump in places where men are not men, women are not women, and everyone lives in transgendered faux-harmony.

But, at the same time, those of us who are no one, the jus’ folks who simply live and love and work, have come to this realization: Donald Trump is the only national figure of stature willing to fight the politically incorrect fight for those of us who are grateful for country, culture, and opportunity against those with power, privilege, and a thirst for control over our lives… in other words, our enemies.

Enemies? Isn’t that a bit harsh? No -- how else would you describe a political and cultural elite that arrogantly ignores the desires of the vast majority of U.S. citizens, disparaging their gratitude for blessings rooted in Judeo-Christian culture in general and the United States in particular. Enemies: those who have established a tradition of government incompetence, greed, and ever-increasing regulation of the rest of us. Enemies: the educators and journalistic elites who have taught our children that grievances are good, self-reliance is bad, and authoritarianism is awesome… as long as you consider yourself a citizen of the world and express (but not necessarily believe in) politically correct intentions.

"Make America great again” is the Trump campaign tagline originally used by Ronald Reagan in his first campaign for the presidency. It precisely captures the need to fight the decay and incompetence that has overtaken our once-vibrant blue states and cities, and now threatens the rest of the country. Swap “America” in the slogan with any city or state losing population and jobs while facing increased crime, and you have in a single sentence the Trump remedy for what ails us. Make New York great again. Make California great again. Make Detroit great again. Make education great again. How? Simple: Recognize that what we’re doing doesn’t work, and confront the suicidal attitudes, corruption, and incompetence on display by our political and educational elites. Donald Trump is doing the same thing at a national level that we do around dinner tables -- state the obvious and answer with common sense.

Left and right, they scream and whine. But The Donald thinks for himself, a successful businessman with an uncanny ability to be sensibly blunt. Illegal immigration? Think about its effect on the everyday and law-abiding… and fuggedaboutit. Those thugs trying to kill us are screaming “Allahu Akbar!”?  Hey, they’re not Christians, Jews, or even members of the First International Church of Jediism; they are Muslims…so take a deep breath, roll up the welcome mat for a bit and come up with an immigration policy saner than turning American citizens into roadkill. Industries comprising the core of our economy leaving the United States? Take a look at our trade, tax, and regulatory policies… and put this nation and its citizens first.

Chancellor Jerry Falwell Jr. of Liberty University, an early and emphatic Trump supporter, put it this way: “We need someone to bring this country back from the brink and make America great again.” The Donald, he explained, promises to be “a citizen legislator who is a tough negotiator… a businessman who has built companies from the ground up, and who will use those experiences to be tough with China, ISIS and nations that are taking advantage of the United States by stealing our jobs” (Full disclosure: I’m on the faculty at Liberty where we educate students for a life of thinking and doing stuff, not whining).

And, of course, the Washington Post -- seeking to create a safe space for Beltway elites -- responded to Falwell by getting a church staffer to call for the Baptist church to throw Falwell out because he has actively campaigned for Trump, a man who “oozes evil.” Left, right or Washington religious, they tell Trump supporters to shut up and let your betters run things. Or, as that journalistic mainstay of the left, Salon put it: “America, you’re stupid…. a nation of idiots.” So shut up. And on the right, while the politics are different, the message and attitude is the same. The still-respected but now increasingly strident National Review put it in their front page middle finger to Trump supporters: Hey, you largely live in communities that “deserve to die.” So shut up.

And so both ends of the spectrum train their rhetorical guns on Trump. But he’s having none of it, pushing back in his inimitable Queens/New York City style, talking truth and common sense to the elites that have spent the past half century floating to the top of our society. He’s a racist. He’s a homophobe. He’s anti-Christian. He’s Islamaphobic. He’s Hitler. He’s Mussolini. He’s the barbarian at the gate, the serial killer at the screen door, the leader of jackbooted millions marching to the voting booth…Trump, Trump, Trump, Trump.

All of which is why, in my first primary vote evah, I chose Trump. How could I not? I’m told that a vote for The Donald is as good as good as admitting that you’re a racist homophobe who has taken a barrel too many stupid pills.

Stuart Schwartz, a former media and consumer merchandising executive, is on the faculty of Liberty University in Virginia.