WHY TRUMP IS AHEAD
In TIME's Jan. 18 cover story, editor-at-large David Von Drehle outlined how Donald Trump had cannily bypassed traditional political and journalistic power brokers in favor of self-funding and social media. The feature drew praise from readers like Isaac Weingart of Northridge, Calif., who called it "the most thoughtful and persuasive piece I've read on why Mr. Trump is almost immune from critical analysis."
Responses were more mixed on the subject of the candidate himself. Although Don Mitchell of Indianapolis was jubilant ("Finally! A politician who doesn't mimic a party line"), many worried about Trump's success. "Could this be the end of our great country?" wondered Peter Gallivan of South Hadley, Mass. And Mike Barr of Akron, Ohio, said Von Drehle's analysis "was expressed far more succinctly…
