The VOTERS are the problem, Charlie. Four decades of their brains being poisoned by talk radio and Fox News has turned these voters into hateful little assholes. I’m not even sure they would change if they suffered repeated electoral defeats. Thanks the the Courts, they can live in these little bubbles all across the country without any …
The VOTERS are the problem, Charlie. Four decades of their brains being poisoned by talk radio and Fox News has turned these voters into hateful little assholes. I’m not even sure they would change if they suffered repeated electoral defeats. Thanks the the Courts, they can live in these little bubbles all across the country without any care of Democrats being able to do anything to help the people that these voters hate so much.
Yup. It’s the voters but like you said, keep peeling back the onion and you have GOP politicians and an entire infotainment industry who profit or gain power by inflaming divisions, mostly dishonestly. Feedback loop. Sarah Longwell’s GOP Triangle of Doom.
It’s very lucrative - you can become a member of Congress or even President by playing this vile game. Or make $5M-$20M as a primetime Fox host. No honor, no integrity, no shame.
It is hard to believe that this mess is happening; that so many people, brainwashed for years by conservative media, would insist, despite the mountain of evidence, that Trump did nothing wrong.
I still want to understand WHY they stand by him. Not all of these people are stupid. Sure, they seem to be emotionally attached to a man who cares nothing about them, but why? I can’t even stand to listen to his voice; they hang on his every word.
I suppose at the end of the day that a big part of it is that the world is changing, and they are deeply unhappy about it. There doesn’t seem to be anything that anyone can do to get us out of the Trump rut. If Trump dies, another Trump might come along-heaven forbid. One is enough!
Scrawf - well said. I totally get partisanship, tribalism, confirmation bias - human nature, nothing new, we are all susceptible to a degree.
But this is something altogether different - irrational and toxic and dangerous - and hard to wrap my brain around.
From “he’s kind of an asshole, but let’s give a businessman a chance as POTUS” in 2016 to today: “he is infallible, no criticism is tolerated, the entire justice system is out to set him up, the electoral system is corrupt, anyone who doesn’t support him is stupid or evil, only he can save the country by burning the government down, bring on the retribution and civil war”.
I exchanged texts with an old childhood friend yesterday who is in this camp. I can’t say anything about Trump without an automatic, often conspiracy-oriented defense. In his 60s, college educated (history major!), successful investment advisor. It’s madness. How do you continue to be friends with someone you have so much respect for? So sad, and so unnecessary.
I have a similar good friend. It used to be that we would try to convince each other, and sometimes I would get a concession from her. But by the next debate, it would be like that never happened. She would be freshly fired up from Fox News or her sister's diatribes, broadly condemning the left/Biden/Hunter/Nancy/abortion/CRT/woke/trans in broad sweeping statements, far from specific actions we had discussed the time before. Listening to someone call out all the evil & bad behavior is faster and more satisfying than looking for other sources.
Agreed. If Trump were to assume room temperature today, the base would still be radicalized. He would be deified and the right-wing media would go on feeding their fantasies.
No matter the natural cause, about 3 seconds later a conspiracy would be hatched about how he was murdered by the “Deep State”. It would be an article of faith among these people in a week.
That's my primary apprehension about any scenarios involving his death. He needs to live as long as necessary for his fall to be complete. Only after his trials and convictions (fingers crossed) and, ideally, some wallowing in prison, would I be more comfortable. Until then: 1) he didn't pay his due; and 2) his potential for martyrdom is greatest amongst the largest number of people. The martyrdom will happen regardless, but I'd like to contain the scope of believers as much as possible.
Fox has had a $750 million kick in the ass from Dominion, with another similar suit in the works. Not enough to put them out of business, but it's enough for some schadenfreude.
The VOTERS are the problem, Charlie. Four decades of their brains being poisoned by talk radio and Fox News has turned these voters into hateful little assholes. I’m not even sure they would change if they suffered repeated electoral defeats. Thanks the the Courts, they can live in these little bubbles all across the country without any care of Democrats being able to do anything to help the people that these voters hate so much.
Elections for nation offices ought to have an IQ threshold
Yup. It’s the voters but like you said, keep peeling back the onion and you have GOP politicians and an entire infotainment industry who profit or gain power by inflaming divisions, mostly dishonestly. Feedback loop. Sarah Longwell’s GOP Triangle of Doom.
It’s very lucrative - you can become a member of Congress or even President by playing this vile game. Or make $5M-$20M as a primetime Fox host. No honor, no integrity, no shame.
It is hard to believe that this mess is happening; that so many people, brainwashed for years by conservative media, would insist, despite the mountain of evidence, that Trump did nothing wrong.
I still want to understand WHY they stand by him. Not all of these people are stupid. Sure, they seem to be emotionally attached to a man who cares nothing about them, but why? I can’t even stand to listen to his voice; they hang on his every word.
I suppose at the end of the day that a big part of it is that the world is changing, and they are deeply unhappy about it. There doesn’t seem to be anything that anyone can do to get us out of the Trump rut. If Trump dies, another Trump might come along-heaven forbid. One is enough!
Scrawf - well said. I totally get partisanship, tribalism, confirmation bias - human nature, nothing new, we are all susceptible to a degree.
But this is something altogether different - irrational and toxic and dangerous - and hard to wrap my brain around.
From “he’s kind of an asshole, but let’s give a businessman a chance as POTUS” in 2016 to today: “he is infallible, no criticism is tolerated, the entire justice system is out to set him up, the electoral system is corrupt, anyone who doesn’t support him is stupid or evil, only he can save the country by burning the government down, bring on the retribution and civil war”.
I exchanged texts with an old childhood friend yesterday who is in this camp. I can’t say anything about Trump without an automatic, often conspiracy-oriented defense. In his 60s, college educated (history major!), successful investment advisor. It’s madness. How do you continue to be friends with someone you have so much respect for? So sad, and so unnecessary.
I have a friend like that. We do not discuss politics. Funny thing is, she was completely uninterested in politics for years.
I have a similar good friend. It used to be that we would try to convince each other, and sometimes I would get a concession from her. But by the next debate, it would be like that never happened. She would be freshly fired up from Fox News or her sister's diatribes, broadly condemning the left/Biden/Hunter/Nancy/abortion/CRT/woke/trans in broad sweeping statements, far from specific actions we had discussed the time before. Listening to someone call out all the evil & bad behavior is faster and more satisfying than looking for other sources.
Shoot this into my veins.
Agreed. If Trump were to assume room temperature today, the base would still be radicalized. He would be deified and the right-wing media would go on feeding their fantasies.
If they lose enough elections(although who knows how many losses it would take?), do you think that it will make a difference?
No matter the natural cause, about 3 seconds later a conspiracy would be hatched about how he was murdered by the “Deep State”. It would be an article of faith among these people in a week.
Exactly. it never occurs to them that real Deep State would have prevented his win and/or had him taken care of long before this much damage was done.
Yeah, this is it. Trumpism is here to stay for a huge chunk of these people. Forever. It’s honestly almost depressing.
If he were to die, followers would gather three days after his burial to await his second coming.
Ben,
Three years later he will be just a distasteful memory.
From your mouth to God's ears.
Just like those loons who went down to Dallas to await JFK.
That's my primary apprehension about any scenarios involving his death. He needs to live as long as necessary for his fall to be complete. Only after his trials and convictions (fingers crossed) and, ideally, some wallowing in prison, would I be more comfortable. Until then: 1) he didn't pay his due; and 2) his potential for martyrdom is greatest amongst the largest number of people. The martyrdom will happen regardless, but I'd like to contain the scope of believers as much as possible.
Absolutely forking correct.
^^^ RW Media is a huge problem, for sure.
Fox has had a $750 million kick in the ass from Dominion, with another similar suit in the works. Not enough to put them out of business, but it's enough for some schadenfreude.
The real problem for Fox is that their viewers are all seniors who will die soon.
Trump always said he loved his low information voters.
Who else would actually vote for him if not already related by birth, marriage or criminal record?
well, they always do what they claim the opposition is doing,
So I'd say dead people.
Does brain-dead count?
two votes, a before and after.
But is that because they think he will join them soon or wake them? Probably not the latter; that would make them woke.
It’s true. The Birchers have been around forever.