Bullying covers up fear.
"My way or the highway!"
The root cause of rude, obnoxious and overbearing behavior is insecurity. A bully does what he does because he is basically insecure. To cover up his lack of self-confidence, he over-compensates by bullying others into submission, forcing them to yield and do what he wants, thus "proving," to himself at least his competence.
The odd thing is, this tactic often works, since it relies on a strong sense of courtesy and civility that most people have, and on some level they see that the one with the loudest mouth must want whatever the issue is quite strongly.
News reporters, meanwhile, develop a shield of courtesy that enables them to listen and record what is being said, no matter how rude the assault. They rely on time and exposure, knowing that eventually the demagogue will overstep the bounds of civility that even the most devoted supporter ignores.
Currently, one man dominates the media field and provides entertainment for many with his often outrageous outbursts. Behavior like that is only entertaining, but easy for journalists to cover. The story practically writes itself, especially when presentations by other candidates are dull by comparison, even when their policies and positions are well thought out and have substantial depth.
A score of candidates from the two major parties in America want to move to the White House, but with Mr. Bluster attracting all the cameras, and before larger crowds, the others try to compete by matching the bombast.
However, their attack skills are no match for Mr. Bluster, and the exchanges only drag down what little quality of debate there was to begin with.
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