"Trump's words are so vague, general, and empty that his supporters can map whatever they want to see onto him." -- He has also stated starkly opposing views on the same issue within a short span of time, so Trumpers can quote the statement that serves their purposes and ignore the others. A striking example is how they zeroed in on the …
"Trump's words are so vague, general, and empty that his supporters can map whatever they want to see onto him." -- He has also stated starkly opposing views on the same issue within a short span of time, so Trumpers can quote the statement that serves their purposes and ignore the others. A striking example is how they zeroed in on the word "peacefully" in his 1/6 rant and ignored his many uses of the word "fight" in the very same speech.
The Trumpist hall pass is one of the more disturbing aspects of the Trump era. More bizarre is the notion that someone who's a poor example of personal ethics, and lacking any discernible piety, was the best possible defender of conservative religious and moral values in the national culture. It's like openly declaring "We love hypocrisy!"
Then there was the "Let Trump be Trump" moral exceptionalism. That phrase was always a way of saying it was unfair to hold him to any standard outside himself -- i.e. an endorsement of his solipsistic ethical understanding.
Once you've taken the position that Trump is so special he shouldn't be held to normal standards of ethics, and that only he can save America's religious and moral character, it follows that anyone who tries to hold him morally accountable is an agent of corruption -- part of the eeevil Deep State.
Then, some people discovered that the Trumpian moral exceptionalism that began is pretty much exclusive to Trump himself could be stretched out into a permission structure for anyone who praises Trump -- you know, all the good Christians who want to save America from satanic forces. And then it turns into the ethos of a whole party.
They only glommed on the word "peacefully" after it all went south. In the moment, they heard what we all heard, "fight" and responded as they had been primed to respond for weeks.
It's not a silver lining by any means, but it's fascinating to see a world-class demagogue at work. It's like watching Hitler. Trump has used his severe multiple mental illnesses to dominate the United States, disabling the Constitution and democracy itself. When do Republican senators such as Murkowski and Romney get off the fascist train? Why are they riding Trump's coattails all the way into the station, feeding themselves by eating undigested crumbs from his feces like birds?
"Trump's words are so vague, general, and empty that his supporters can map whatever they want to see onto him." -- He has also stated starkly opposing views on the same issue within a short span of time, so Trumpers can quote the statement that serves their purposes and ignore the others. A striking example is how they zeroed in on the word "peacefully" in his 1/6 rant and ignored his many uses of the word "fight" in the very same speech.
The Trumpist hall pass is one of the more disturbing aspects of the Trump era. More bizarre is the notion that someone who's a poor example of personal ethics, and lacking any discernible piety, was the best possible defender of conservative religious and moral values in the national culture. It's like openly declaring "We love hypocrisy!"
Then there was the "Let Trump be Trump" moral exceptionalism. That phrase was always a way of saying it was unfair to hold him to any standard outside himself -- i.e. an endorsement of his solipsistic ethical understanding.
Once you've taken the position that Trump is so special he shouldn't be held to normal standards of ethics, and that only he can save America's religious and moral character, it follows that anyone who tries to hold him morally accountable is an agent of corruption -- part of the eeevil Deep State.
Then, some people discovered that the Trumpian moral exceptionalism that began is pretty much exclusive to Trump himself could be stretched out into a permission structure for anyone who praises Trump -- you know, all the good Christians who want to save America from satanic forces. And then it turns into the ethos of a whole party.
They only glommed on the word "peacefully" after it all went south. In the moment, they heard what we all heard, "fight" and responded as they had been primed to respond for weeks.
A concise summary of the creeping rot.
Re: "We love hypocrisy."
Apparently they must, since they practice it religiously. No pun intended. Well, maybe a little.
It's not a silver lining by any means, but it's fascinating to see a world-class demagogue at work. It's like watching Hitler. Trump has used his severe multiple mental illnesses to dominate the United States, disabling the Constitution and democracy itself. When do Republican senators such as Murkowski and Romney get off the fascist train? Why are they riding Trump's coattails all the way into the station, feeding themselves by eating undigested crumbs from his feces like birds?