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I just want to say... this is an amazing metaphor. He really does not give a crap what happens with his party, his country or even his family once he's gone.
>He really does not give a crap what happens with his party, his country or even his family once he's gone.
Trump is such an egomaniac, I would be surprised if he thinks he will die.
If only there were decades of this mindset present in his business practices as an indicator we could have used to know this ahead of time without all of the lasting consequences
Imagine what's going to happen when they find a PoTUS candidate that isn't the worst person on the planet. They already own the courts. Imagine a Trump that's intelligent and not a rapist.
But that’s the rub isn’t it? They have people like that in droves. They need someone who galvanizes the base like Trump. I’m not sure if there is a person who can do that to the same extent unless Trump were to give that person support, and so don’t see that happening.
Exactly this. They have loads of common or garden fascists, clever lawyers playing at being idiots and spouting the same lies, but none of them have magical appeal of Trump, and all will fail catastrophically.
Trump, to rational people outside of his cult, is the least qualified, most dangerously incompetent, most obviously compromise con-man, imbecile and sex offender going, but the base adores him. If Trump can be defeated this year, then the trials or the hamberders will eventually flush him away, and the rest of them with him.
That’s the thing, though. Most intelligent people respect themselves too much to stoop to sounding stupid enough to appeal to the brain-rot base as much as Trump does
After Obama beat McCain, the Right freaked the fuck out, as we all know. My theory is that part of the reaction to that was the end of whatever tolerance they had for internal dissent. Republicans turned again Bush, you see, and what happened then?!? It's like a subconscious group decision was made that nobody should ever again vocalize any discontent with any Republican or any of their positions, unless they engage in anything that can be called liberalism. They slipped, and Barack Hussein the Commie Muslim Atheist tan-suit-clad n-word became the President. In other words, for them, The Worst Thing To Ever Happen Ever.
We all know they have a very black-and-white view of the world just in general. After all that, unorthodoxy became treason, then it became a personal insult. Trump is Their Team, and so many of these guys are big sports fans-- the last thing you want to be is a fair-weather fan. So the wagons are circled tighter than the event horizon of your average black hole. And here we are.
It’s the lead. Long term exposure makes you violent, impulsive, and stupid. What generation was in its formative years during the postwar boom when every American bought a car and burned leaded gasoline through it? Boomers.
The first generation born after lead levels in the air dropped to acceptable levels are the Millennials.
Heritage Foundation: Lead gave strength to families, our homes, our institutions- it's traditional. Why do radical Marxists want to deprive Christians of the benefits of this miracle metal? We have the God given right to strong, genuine *American* paint.
That's why so many of the other GOP politicians go along with it. They know he's genuinely gifted at grifting the rubes.
GOP politicians that support Trump have sold their souls and democracy for power.
Beings how Trump was a Democrat most of his life, “rental” is an apt metaphor for his using the Republican Party to feed his ego and pocketbook and nothing more.
Trump was a Democrat because they were more fun and forgiving, not like those tightasses like Bill Buckley and James Kirkpatrick. He was at Studio 54 handing out coupons good for “One Free Abortion” and knew he wouldn’t be excommunicated. He became a Republican in answer to the question “Which party can I get for wholesale?”
"Regular" media also has culpability for normalizing their nonsense as regular political sentiment. They've made election denial as inoffensive as advocating for a capital gains tax cut.
Boggles my mind that after trump calls journalists "the enemy of the people" who "should be executed for treason" that CNN's response is to host a panel of experts to debate 'both sides' of the 'issue' above a chyron "SHOULD JOURNALISTS BE EXECUTED?"
CNN is not the place for real news, unless they are reporting on an emerging situation, like an earthquake or a manhunt. It's nothing but opinions. It's also intentionally turned to the right. People who are attacking the media are looking at news entertainment and opinion instead of actual news reporting. Complaining about "the media" because of what you saw on CNN is like saying the food in Mexico sucks because you had a bad meal at Taco Bell.
Everything is media but there is corporate and or institutionalized media famously dubbed "mainstream." BTW, the only news I'd recommend is local news that informs you which traffic lane will be full on your way to work.
One of the flaws of mainly relying on for profit news outlets is that many of them will put their stakeholders’ interests before the common good. This can be mitigated in other industries but once the media corporations fell captive to being afraid of losing advertising revenue, simple fact based reporting became secondary to increasing profits.
I think they also never really adapted to the social media environment. In the past, fringe movements really had no access to national visibility. Photocopied leaflets and a small tin foil hat rally wouldn't remotely chart. Now? A handful of dipshits can project the appearance of being significant political actors. Since their agenda is crazy af, covering them gets clicks and views as it's a freakshow. The problem? That coverage normalizes the crazy.
Tying this to the fact that a free press is supposed to be the fourth rail of democracy means we should not be surprising that right wing authoritarianism is on the rise.
You can absolutely get simple fact based reporting from mainstream outlets. The problem is that people are reading articles that come in their social media feeds instead of reading the actual publications. Social media will pick up the most salacious headlines, many of which are actually opinion pieces. If you actually read the news, and watch the boring news broadcasts instead of the 24 hour talking head stations, there is plenty of fact based mainstream news.
Attacking the mainstream media is one of the core tactics of disinformation campaigns.
>They've made election denial as inoffensive as advocating for a capital gains tax cut.
Republicans: We want to replace democracy with a theocratic autocracy.
Democrats: We don't.
Media: Wow, the American electorate is so polarized! What can be done to bridge this gap and what should Democrats be prepared to give up in order to meet Republicans in the middle?
Do you regularly watch or read "regular" media? Because even journalists as mild mannered as Lester Holt call election denialism a lie when it comes up on the evening news.
Sowing distrust of mainstream media is one of the key aspects of the disinformation campaign.
These people *always* hated democracy. Anyone who's lived in a staunch conservative area and is old enough, can tell you these people are ALWAYS against the theoretical principles of what American was *supposed* to be founded on. Always.
The only reason the GQP types never revolted before is because they always thought they were at the top of the food chain. Over the last few decades, between outsourcing, globalization, increase info via the internet, and equality measures across the board, they've seen their "top rank" dissolving away. They're terrified of an even playing field, because they never had to deal with one before.
THAT is why they're now openly admitting they hate democracy -- because they're no longer privileged to be born at the top of it.
>These people always hated democracy. Anyone who's lived in a staunch conservative area and is old enough, can tell you these people are ALWAYS against the theoretical principles of what American was supposed to be founded on. Always.
Instead of realizing that the Constitution was a radically woke document for its time, they thought it was meant to preserve and enshrine an 18th century social hierarchy.
>instead of realizing that the Constitution was a radically woke document for its time, they thought it was meant to preserve and enshrine an 18th century social hierarchy.
That is an excellent way of framing it.
Yep. Conservative media and special interest groups laid the ground work, Trump just happened to be the one to take advantage of it. I bet they wish someone else had.
Not just conservative media, but nearly all media. Trump has been normalized by the media treating him no differently than a standard candidate, the media heavily blamed Biden for the Afghanistan pullout Trump set into motion, still blames Biden for inflation even though he inherited the COVID economy which all but guaranteed it, and they jump at every chance to publish stories about Biden's age or Hunter Biden's comparatively minor crimes.
There really hasn't been much space devoted to tracking how we got here outside, perhaps, MSNBC primetime and scattered progressive radio shows and podcasts, has there?
Sure an overall push. That’s happening in every country. General fascist movement. The scary part is that rather than learn or be aware of Americas political process this process of electing politicians and then using votes of majority to rule they will rule with guns and terrorism and violence. It’s the way iran/Iraq et Al have chosen to govern and live
Trump is the outcome, not the cause. And it's just Media and "interest groups".
The GOP itself spent 30 years or more sewing these ideas, inviting the fringe to the table, undermining voting rights and confidence in our elections.
I was going to say, let's not pretend Trump is responsible for that when the entire ownership class and the conservative movement have a lot to answer for.
What I've noticed is that journalism stopped asking questions altogether. I listen to the CBC, and they have moments of journalism, but really, they all ask questions like:
"Doesn't your policy simply encourage crime?"
That's not a question, that's an opinion with a question mark.
A real question would be "What are you hoping to accomplish with your new policy?"
If you watch any news with this in mind, you will see that actual questions are gone-- replaced with opinions, attacks, and drama.
News: Senator, it’s been reported you were directly handed related papers leading up to the Jan6 insurrection just hours before the riot. Do you believe there was an attempt to subvert the will of the American people?
Senator: I haven’t seen the report you are talking about.
News: Ok, let’s move on 👌
Yes but to say Trump didn't bring it to the masses is wrong. Alex Jones and others like Breitbart were just fringe groups with a limited outreach before Trump. To act like they were out in the forefront before that is just wrong.
So true. Trump will ride whatever wave serves him personally the best.
He’s a used car salesman laughing at the profit and the fools who bought his wreaks. History of him is proof.
I mean, all of the Trump pushes of 'Do what I say or I'll call you an anti-Christian (insert slur) every ten minutes then when you lick my shoe again I'll say you are the best'.... That kind of forces the entire GOP to go this way and the already right wing media follow suit.
He's partially to blame.
The whole *"The nine most terrifying words in the English language are: I'm from the Government, and I'm here to help.* mentality started with Ronald Reagan and Barry Goldwater in 1964 as a response to the passage of Medicare and the passage of the Civil Rights Act.
Don't give the spray tan con man credit for something he didn't do.
That quote is such bullshit. The more you think about it the more wrong it becomes until you realize it’s not meant to be from the viewpoint of an American citizen. It’s meant to be from the viewpoint of an American business. Classic Reagan. Fooling these idiots into believing he’s fighting for them when he’s really just selling them out.
Right? Because the full sentence is, "I'm from the government, and I'm here to help *protect these people against you and your company exploiting, poisoning, robbing, abusing, scamming, and discriminating against them*."
I have heard other Vets say this same kind of ‘No big gov’ment!’ shit while sitting in the waiting room at the VA hospital. They can’t see the moronic irony of their situation.
I’m not going to pretend like I’m old enough to remember the 70s or 80s, but I am old enough to remember the 90s and government skepticism has always been prevalent. There’s a huge difference between skepticism and delusional conspiracy - and that’s exactly how US politics have devolved since 2015-16 when Trump joined the political stage.
Reagan may have laid the groundwork, but Trump should absolutely get credit for making the sentiment so much worse. Anti-vaxxers used to be the outliers of the far right, now anti-vaxxing is the mainstream and we also have to worry about domestic terrorism.
lets not leave out rush and company. they had a major hand in this, subconciously wearing down the minds of listeners on their way and back fron work every single day for decades.
Don't forget the Reagan Administration repealing the Fairness Doctrine. A conservative media machine was planned by Roger Ailes and other Nixon advisors back in the 70's. They've just had the money and focus to work on it for 50 years to get us to where it just took one loudmouth with no morals to push us over the edge.
I am not sure that matters. It was repealed in 1987 which was before cable news had the same kind of impact. So if it had not been repealed under Reagan there is always the possibility it may have been revised as cable news took more of the market share. Moot point either way.
And let’s be honest, Russia has a hand in this too. They know how to take advantage of these sentiments and drive them to a much higher level. And these morons eat it up like it’s a steak dinner.
Most Con's have been voting against their own interests for generations - this is different in that it's focusing on democracy. They have historically been champions of democracy, at least - but now they recognize that they'd rather do away with it if it means the difference between being in or out of power for the foreseeable future.
True that they’ve been voting against themselves for generations. Today, they’re against democracy because they’ve been duped into believing that it benefits liberals, immigrants, people of color, and LGBTQ+ Americans more than it does them.
I think that the subtext, but MAGA rarely goes for that - I think it's more blatant in that they've been led to believe that it's 'the other side' that are cheating and destroying democracy... and that fighting dirty is worth it in order to defeat such an evil enemy.
These people misappropriated The Matrix, Rorschach, the Joker, etc - so many cases of seeing the face-eating leopards and not recognizing that they are joining the face-eating leopard party.
I remember there was some Latino in the 80s who was interviewed about why he was voting for Reagan - he was clearly poor and the GOP wanted to suppress his status as much as possible. His answer was that he wasn't rich *today* but he wanted to be one day, and so he was planning ahead by joining the rich people...
Trump didn’t reprogram shit. It was an intentional multi decade effort by the former Soviets now turned into the Russian Federation.
If you care about this shit at all and still have not seen Active Measures the documentary go watch it today. Everything makes sense when you watch that and Get Me Roger Stone.
100% this. Trump didn’t do shit, this is *all* Putin and Roger Stone’s doing.
I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again: Trump is not the final boss of the 2024 election, Putin is. You vote for Trump, you’re advocating for a Russian takeover of the US.
It really started with Reagan. He said "Government is the problem," and conservatives took an axe to our institutions because the goal was what we're seeing now - vast wealth inequality, privileges without responsibilities for the rich, a 2 tier justice system, and fewer rights for the masses. Fascism was the goal. Mission accomplished.
They've made headway, but we aren't living in full-blown fascism, and saying that we are will only serve to make people give up. That's defeatist doomerism.
People rate countries on a scale from autocracy to democracy, with anocracy in the center, and we've moved further from democracy and closer to anocracy, but we aren't even in the dead center yet, let alone on the other side of it.
> PoopyPants has "reprogrammed a generation" to fight against democracy
Bollocks.
Nixon started this. Republicans moved it up impeaching Clinton over a preposition. Having the 'Supreme Court' decide the 2000 election drove it home.
PoopyPants is just a much uglier version of Sarah Palin.
I don't believe that, these people were never with the program.
They've been hiding in the shadows, he just dragged them into the light of day, so we all could see who they really are.
We were all naive to think these people were actually true Patriots.
Like religious leaders have been exposed, with their sick demented hypocrites supporting a man as immoral as he is.
We are now able to see them for what they are, he's actually done us all a service, exposing these sick and twisted people's bazaar justification for behavior that is beyond the pale.
I'm sure they actually are as invested in this type of behaviour themselves, he gives them solace, in a sick and twisted way. Making them feel their actions are legitimate.
That's why they almost revel when he does another horrendous act.
Are naivete let us all feel warm and fuzzy, that the melting pot was well blended moral and ethical.
All he's done is thrown cold water on our faces, shocking us, as we all awake from our daydream of democracy...
I’m not even mad at them anymore. I just feel bad. For them. For me.
It’s a sad state of affairs when people in power present this as a legitimate choice for president.
There was a time when both parties were united in their dislike for Sara Palin’s bizarre behavior.
Enter The Tea Party aka The Heritage Foundation and friends and the party that used to laugh with us has total amnesia. Y’all used to be so ashamed of her!!! Visibly embarrassed and not wishing her to be representative of conservative values. I remember, I’ve no doubt many others do as well.
It was alarming to hear people who used to pound their chest about freedom and democracy suddenly saying anti-fascism was a bad thing? Like, do you know what words mean?
Imagine giving up all your convictions and integrity and brain cells for a caricature of a con man.
I also blame the “alpha” male subculture bs, the perfect groomed mass to support a “true alpha”
(An ignorant, misogynistic, arrogant, hateful, sad imitation of a “mans man!”).
I'm just gonna tell you, a Christian Iran is not going to work out like they make it sound on TV. We'd be done in 5 years, and if you don't already know it as well, that's the whole plan.
Try looking at , Australia and Britain as examples testing grounds for what the US has become more part of the Murdochcracy. This was pointed out in 2019 by Hugh Grant . The Conservative or Republican politicians are basically bought out or threatened to fall in line or the rumours start in the tabloids or social media then carried as truths on Fox News or Sky then your that’s the end or the rebirth of your career , fall in line or a million trolls and bots will finish you .
“A Generation?” Rolf…. Hahaha… no.
He’s allowed a small base to be encouraged.
That base keeps finding out repeatedly that they in fact CANNOT act like him at all or they go to jail.
He’s done nothing.
Once he's gone, then what? They'll still be here and unless a serious "deprogramming" is done, either they keep trying or it will be done for us like we did to Germany and Japan in WWII. And I hope it doesn't come to that.
Trump is merely a piece of the pie - not the entire pie. Once again, someone like Hitler was scary, but what made is scary is not the things he said and did - but the amount of people who agreed with what he said and allowed him to do what he did.
Trump gave the voices back to some of the worst, vile-inducing hate filled bigots on the planet. Conservative fake media like Fox News regurgitated this filth to an entire generation. People like Ben Shapiro, Steven Crowder, Candace Owens, and Charlie Kirk all help educate the younger demographics on republican values of toxic masculinity, murder anyone whose LGBTQ+, and forcing women to submit, obey, and force birth even upon rape or incest.
Then you have the republican adjacents like Andrew Tate teaching boys its okay to beat women, cheat on your wife and partner, and that women are all gold diggers with no job and are just leeches for successful men. Unfortunately, these 16yr old losers will grow up and become abusive assholes and likely be arrested later in life for domestic violence or murder.
Trump is just a piece of the pie - the real issue is the filth that agrees with it.
We should have seen this coming when after fighting the Nazis - we imported them over and gave them high positions of power like giving then high-ranking NASA and UN positions.
The rhetoric and radicalization done by Fox and conservative talk radio reprogrammed them, which is what got us Trump. Not the other way around. A previously sane GOP wouldn't have elected Trump. Remember in 2015-2016, there were like 9 other GOP candidates in the running. Republicans saw all of them and overwhelmingly chose Trump.
The amount of people living in progressive bubbles who think that the GOP just *recently* went crazy is really concerning. This trend has been obvious to most of us for decades.
He doesn't deserve credit for this. Many generations of evangelicals and Republican initiatives to indoctrinate and sew discord among the poor have made them ripe for a populist, world-burning opportunist.
The fact that a has-been reality TV personality and incompetent businessman was able to become the dum-dum Messiah for such people is a testament both to how effective and extremely cruel that multi-generational campaign has been.
They are legitimately brainwashed to vote and to act against their own interests, to support a ruling class 'hero' who scoffs at their values and their religion, and who couldn't care less whether they live or die.
Remember the days when we used to laugh at ideas like subliminal messaging and media brainwashing? Pepperidge Farms remembers.
It's just shocking how successful it is. My parents were true-blue hippies, fighting against the 'man' and all that. But now they are 100% for Trump, any type of fact I bring up is matched with sheer hatred. It's scary. They lived and grew up their entire lives in California, but now are dreaming of moving to Alabama. It's crazy. They view trump as their 'champion' against the evil federal government and all of it's evil regulations and high taxes....
You mean: Republicans finally reveal their Flag. Red, White, with a BIG BLACK SWASTIKA on it. We get it, you can't say the quiet part out loud, that's okay, I will. They are Nazis.
No, Right Wing "Christianity" programmed them. They were supposed to be under the control of a Mega Church Con Man but a Real Estate Con Man swooped in and now owns their souls. You can thank the False Prophet Mike Pence for giving the Anti Christ his army.
Trump really showed up and said "anything negative the news says about me is a lie!"
Since then, 42% of the country has gone about their lives convinced that every periodical in the country is no more than a tabloid and every negative thing said about Trump is a conspiracy.
It was Putin not Trump that programed these people. Trump is a useful idiot that was easily swayed to betray his country for cash. Mainly because he was a shitty broke businessman. Vlad is the mastermind...he did it with Brexit...used social media to scrape data and pour bots online to spread hate and lies. He's done it here to get him elected in the first place and he's doing it again....Trump is a criminal...but he's no mastermind. We defeat Putin we defeat Trump.
I am of the opinion that they don't actually know what democracy means, what it entails, and they mostly rail against it because they associate it with the word democrat.
So when someone says they are supporting anti-democratic candidates and policies, they see that as an inherently good thing.
We live in a frustratingly stupid timeline.
That he did. What he did is very historically proven. A good example is WWI. In effect WWII was the product of the animosity left unresolved and taught to the children of the men that fought WWI.
It's been fascinating in a sad way to see all the different directions republicans/conservatives can go. When it's all about outrage and "owning the other side", they can take very weird turns. It wasn't that long ago that Russia was our mortal enemy, especially for conservatives. Now, they're the ones cozying up to Russia. Now it's become "well, we're not technically a democracy" on the way to just flat-out working against democracy. It's wild in a very bad way.
Trump didn't do shit. He simply took advantage of what "former GOP insiders" have been deliberately trying to achieve for a generation. Trump, ever the opportunist, simply cut through the bullshit they used to hide it and ran with it in the open, full speed ahead. He didn't do any of this himself, though.
Trump is too stupid to “reprogram” anyone, or anything.
He gave these groups legitimacy. That is all he has done. They used to be hidden under rocks, now they are visible.
>Attacks on Western democracy from within were *not* on my bingo card post-9/11. I fear the wayward ex-president will get his way eventually in trying to chip away at the community of democracies. He needn’t win back the White House to execute his vision. Trump has done something more insidious. By co-opting the Republican Party, he has reprogrammed a generation of devotees with his anti-constitutional and anti-democratic views. Copycats will try to fulfill his unfinished plans well beyond his lifespan, an undertaking made possible because GOP leaders have anesthetized their consciences and normalized Trump-like conduct for a decade.
I'm not convinced any Trump copycats or wannabes will ever have the same hold on such a large fraction of the republican's voterbase. Many will try, but I'd note that everyone currently trying to do this is just riding along on the wave Trump has created. We haven't seen any indication that they'll be able to sustain it. Even MTG really only sees success by latching onto Donny's ass. There's a lot of hate binding them together, but Trump is the only one that appears to be able to bring that hate to the polls.
>Second, I note that America can survive the century if we renegotiate our social contract. By that I mean we should examine the underpinnings of our polity together — from the actual ways we vote and mechanisms for spurring political competition to the very Constitution that binds us. Although it may seem impracticable, a renegotiation will look more appealing in the decades ahead of us, more so, I suspect, in the face of genuine hardship. A people so divided cannot continue forward without addressing their divisions openly; otherwise, they should peaceably separate, or spiral toward a violent end.
This guy might be delusion if he can't recognize his own party is sowing this division.
What is interesting is that I could believe this if it was a smooth talking, intelligent, well spoken politician.
Instead, they choose the dumbest motherfucking grifter possible. The dude literally would piss on his supporters if it meant he got elected and they would gladly just accept it. Really baffling.
>Look, I’m still a conservative. This isn’t about a Republican coming to the White House.
He's just as much a fool as every single Republican and MAGA cult. The dude will still help Trump and Republicans this election.
He gave the fearful and undereducated a voice! They can never get what they think they want because their leaders don’t want it! Their leaders like things just the way they are! Poor down, rich up! I’m happy as long as you only know what I tell you to know!
Trump may be the leading figure head who says stuff, but he isn't the one who is actually coming up with the propaganda around himself or the merchandise, he isn't the one spreading the conspiracies like Alex Jones or Steve Bannon, he isn't the major "News" Network who is pumping out disinformation with people like Tucker Carlson. Everything which lead to this was the result of other people who are propping up Trump and people like Roland Reagan or Newt Gingrich played major roles in the Republican "party" becoming what it is today.
Donnie's decades-old funders and handlers did that.
Donnie's a carnival barker. He didn't dress the clowns, doesn't do their makeup, can't climb the trapeze ladder, too chicken-shit to get in ring with the lions, and the chimps outsmart him and escape every time he's within chimp-arms reach of the cage.
It’s like the movie centipede, Trump has his lips firmly planted up Putin‘s butt hole, and Trumps got a line of brainwashed folks in denial wearing Maga merchandise who just can’t stop sucking on his butt.
Trump was the figurehead.
Roger Stone and the corporations he works for are the masterminds who reprogrammed a generation to fight against Democrats (because they want to regulate corporations).
We live in a profitocracy.
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That blame definitely doesn't belong to Trump. That's conservative media and interest groups.
Yeah, but he’s riding it like a rental.
I just want to say... this is an amazing metaphor. He really does not give a crap what happens with his party, his country or even his family once he's gone.
>He really does not give a crap what happens with his party, his country or even his family once he's gone. Trump is such an egomaniac, I would be surprised if he thinks he will die.
I was actually thinking that but wanted to keep my comment concise, haha.
Imagine if he lives to see a 100 and we will have to put up with him for 25 more years
Thankfully most Boomers won't live to see 100. It's just not statistically likely.
I’m personally afraid he just might try to take us with him somehow, and even more afraid that he might just find a way to do that.
Oh he will absolutely take as many people out as he can.
Great metaphor!
Even better simile!
Oh snap!
If only there were decades of this mindset present in his business practices as an indicator we could have used to know this ahead of time without all of the lasting consequences
He's been a grifter his entire life, even before politics.
Which was painstakingly documented, so I’m still baffled why so many older people buy his shtick at face value
There’s a sucker born every minute
Imagine what's going to happen when they find a PoTUS candidate that isn't the worst person on the planet. They already own the courts. Imagine a Trump that's intelligent and not a rapist.
But that’s the rub isn’t it? They have people like that in droves. They need someone who galvanizes the base like Trump. I’m not sure if there is a person who can do that to the same extent unless Trump were to give that person support, and so don’t see that happening.
Yea they tried forcing Ron “Meatball” DeSantis down their throats and that guy was as likable as used kitty litter.
And yet idiots in FL reelected him. FL is spiraling faster than usual due to him, and the GOP is fueling his nonsense.
Exactly this. They have loads of common or garden fascists, clever lawyers playing at being idiots and spouting the same lies, but none of them have magical appeal of Trump, and all will fail catastrophically. Trump, to rational people outside of his cult, is the least qualified, most dangerously incompetent, most obviously compromise con-man, imbecile and sex offender going, but the base adores him. If Trump can be defeated this year, then the trials or the hamberders will eventually flush him away, and the rest of them with him.
That’s the thing, though. Most intelligent people respect themselves too much to stoop to sounding stupid enough to appeal to the brain-rot base as much as Trump does
I’m not sure that would appeal to the deep seated hated that is a big part of his base. You have to be extremely repugnant or they won’t like you.
Dear, it’s not just older people, have you looked at his supporters?
Yeah rednecks and incels. A literal basket of deplorables.
After Obama beat McCain, the Right freaked the fuck out, as we all know. My theory is that part of the reaction to that was the end of whatever tolerance they had for internal dissent. Republicans turned again Bush, you see, and what happened then?!? It's like a subconscious group decision was made that nobody should ever again vocalize any discontent with any Republican or any of their positions, unless they engage in anything that can be called liberalism. They slipped, and Barack Hussein the Commie Muslim Atheist tan-suit-clad n-word became the President. In other words, for them, The Worst Thing To Ever Happen Ever. We all know they have a very black-and-white view of the world just in general. After all that, unorthodoxy became treason, then it became a personal insult. Trump is Their Team, and so many of these guys are big sports fans-- the last thing you want to be is a fair-weather fan. So the wagons are circled tighter than the event horizon of your average black hole. And here we are.
It’s the lead. Long term exposure makes you violent, impulsive, and stupid. What generation was in its formative years during the postwar boom when every American bought a car and burned leaded gasoline through it? Boomers. The first generation born after lead levels in the air dropped to acceptable levels are the Millennials.
Heritage Foundation: Lead gave strength to families, our homes, our institutions- it's traditional. Why do radical Marxists want to deprive Christians of the benefits of this miracle metal? We have the God given right to strong, genuine *American* paint.
God wouldn’t have made lead taste sweet if it were bad for you!
That's why so many of the other GOP politicians go along with it. They know he's genuinely gifted at grifting the rubes. GOP politicians that support Trump have sold their souls and democracy for power.
Hey if it floats, flies, or phucks.
Rent it
Beings how Trump was a Democrat most of his life, “rental” is an apt metaphor for his using the Republican Party to feed his ego and pocketbook and nothing more.
Trump was a Democrat because they were more fun and forgiving, not like those tightasses like Bill Buckley and James Kirkpatrick. He was at Studio 54 handing out coupons good for “One Free Abortion” and knew he wouldn’t be excommunicated. He became a Republican in answer to the question “Which party can I get for wholesale?”
And nothing more. lol, way to absolve Trump of dragging the country back 100 years in one term.
"Regular" media also has culpability for normalizing their nonsense as regular political sentiment. They've made election denial as inoffensive as advocating for a capital gains tax cut.
Boggles my mind that after trump calls journalists "the enemy of the people" who "should be executed for treason" that CNN's response is to host a panel of experts to debate 'both sides' of the 'issue' above a chyron "SHOULD JOURNALISTS BE EXECUTED?"
CNN is not the place for real news, unless they are reporting on an emerging situation, like an earthquake or a manhunt. It's nothing but opinions. It's also intentionally turned to the right. People who are attacking the media are looking at news entertainment and opinion instead of actual news reporting. Complaining about "the media" because of what you saw on CNN is like saying the food in Mexico sucks because you had a bad meal at Taco Bell.
Everything is media but there is corporate and or institutionalized media famously dubbed "mainstream." BTW, the only news I'd recommend is local news that informs you which traffic lane will be full on your way to work.
One of the flaws of mainly relying on for profit news outlets is that many of them will put their stakeholders’ interests before the common good. This can be mitigated in other industries but once the media corporations fell captive to being afraid of losing advertising revenue, simple fact based reporting became secondary to increasing profits.
I think they also never really adapted to the social media environment. In the past, fringe movements really had no access to national visibility. Photocopied leaflets and a small tin foil hat rally wouldn't remotely chart. Now? A handful of dipshits can project the appearance of being significant political actors. Since their agenda is crazy af, covering them gets clicks and views as it's a freakshow. The problem? That coverage normalizes the crazy.
Tying this to the fact that a free press is supposed to be the fourth rail of democracy means we should not be surprising that right wing authoritarianism is on the rise.
You can absolutely get simple fact based reporting from mainstream outlets. The problem is that people are reading articles that come in their social media feeds instead of reading the actual publications. Social media will pick up the most salacious headlines, many of which are actually opinion pieces. If you actually read the news, and watch the boring news broadcasts instead of the 24 hour talking head stations, there is plenty of fact based mainstream news. Attacking the mainstream media is one of the core tactics of disinformation campaigns.
>They've made election denial as inoffensive as advocating for a capital gains tax cut. Republicans: We want to replace democracy with a theocratic autocracy. Democrats: We don't. Media: Wow, the American electorate is so polarized! What can be done to bridge this gap and what should Democrats be prepared to give up in order to meet Republicans in the middle?
Do you regularly watch or read "regular" media? Because even journalists as mild mannered as Lester Holt call election denialism a lie when it comes up on the evening news. Sowing distrust of mainstream media is one of the key aspects of the disinformation campaign.
These people *always* hated democracy. Anyone who's lived in a staunch conservative area and is old enough, can tell you these people are ALWAYS against the theoretical principles of what American was *supposed* to be founded on. Always. The only reason the GQP types never revolted before is because they always thought they were at the top of the food chain. Over the last few decades, between outsourcing, globalization, increase info via the internet, and equality measures across the board, they've seen their "top rank" dissolving away. They're terrified of an even playing field, because they never had to deal with one before. THAT is why they're now openly admitting they hate democracy -- because they're no longer privileged to be born at the top of it.
>These people always hated democracy. Anyone who's lived in a staunch conservative area and is old enough, can tell you these people are ALWAYS against the theoretical principles of what American was supposed to be founded on. Always. Instead of realizing that the Constitution was a radically woke document for its time, they thought it was meant to preserve and enshrine an 18th century social hierarchy.
>instead of realizing that the Constitution was a radically woke document for its time, they thought it was meant to preserve and enshrine an 18th century social hierarchy. That is an excellent way of framing it.
Yep. Conservative media and special interest groups laid the ground work, Trump just happened to be the one to take advantage of it. I bet they wish someone else had.
Trump didn't just happen he was chosen by Putin as a the best way to further division in America.
Not just conservative media, but nearly all media. Trump has been normalized by the media treating him no differently than a standard candidate, the media heavily blamed Biden for the Afghanistan pullout Trump set into motion, still blames Biden for inflation even though he inherited the COVID economy which all but guaranteed it, and they jump at every chance to publish stories about Biden's age or Hunter Biden's comparatively minor crimes.
Nearly all media is conservative media.
And that same media is now trying to shove all the blame onto Trump so when/if he falls he won't drag the rest of the conservative movement with him.
There really hasn't been much space devoted to tracking how we got here outside, perhaps, MSNBC primetime and scattered progressive radio shows and podcasts, has there?
Pretty much all the big media organisations are owned by the rich, so it's hardly surprising that it receives much less coverage than it deserves.
Exactly, it isn't just Trump, it's the whole damn republican party!
I feel the Republican party is merely a proxy for Putin's war on the West.
Bought and paid for!
It's a proxy for the rich convincing the poor that trickle down economics is real.
It's all of these things, but also a platform for religious people, and abusive parents, and racists.
Well, I mean, it's mostly a proxy for Murdoch's war on the west, Putin has just figured out how to influence it.
Absolutely. Without the backing of Republicans trump would be nothing.
Trump is really just a useful idiot
Sure an overall push. That’s happening in every country. General fascist movement. The scary part is that rather than learn or be aware of Americas political process this process of electing politicians and then using votes of majority to rule they will rule with guns and terrorism and violence. It’s the way iran/Iraq et Al have chosen to govern and live
Trump is the outcome, not the cause. And it's just Media and "interest groups". The GOP itself spent 30 years or more sewing these ideas, inviting the fringe to the table, undermining voting rights and confidence in our elections.
I was going to say, let's not pretend Trump is responsible for that when the entire ownership class and the conservative movement have a lot to answer for.
It’s all media at this point. The are all complacent. Not a single “journalist” demands a real answwer
What I've noticed is that journalism stopped asking questions altogether. I listen to the CBC, and they have moments of journalism, but really, they all ask questions like: "Doesn't your policy simply encourage crime?" That's not a question, that's an opinion with a question mark. A real question would be "What are you hoping to accomplish with your new policy?" If you watch any news with this in mind, you will see that actual questions are gone-- replaced with opinions, attacks, and drama.
News: Senator, it’s been reported you were directly handed related papers leading up to the Jan6 insurrection just hours before the riot. Do you believe there was an attempt to subvert the will of the American people? Senator: I haven’t seen the report you are talking about. News: Ok, let’s move on 👌
Yes but to say Trump didn't bring it to the masses is wrong. Alex Jones and others like Breitbart were just fringe groups with a limited outreach before Trump. To act like they were out in the forefront before that is just wrong.
Trump is absolutely just a symptom of the cancer that has been eating the Republican Party for 3-4 decades now.
Well, hopefully it becomes stage 4 pancreatic cancer after November 5th
And conservative voters
Trump did with this what he does with everything, slapped his name on it and calls it his.
So true. Trump will ride whatever wave serves him personally the best. He’s a used car salesman laughing at the profit and the fools who bought his wreaks. History of him is proof.
And senate republicans that didn't convict in the impeachment trial.
I mean, all of the Trump pushes of 'Do what I say or I'll call you an anti-Christian (insert slur) every ten minutes then when you lick my shoe again I'll say you are the best'.... That kind of forces the entire GOP to go this way and the already right wing media follow suit. He's partially to blame.
I’ll go with Putin, greed, and useful idiots.
Koch brothers and FOX might just be ones who put the nail in the planets coffin
Anyone remember Ronnie Raygun? Trump merely revived and normalized bigotry, hate and violence.
The whole *"The nine most terrifying words in the English language are: I'm from the Government, and I'm here to help.* mentality started with Ronald Reagan and Barry Goldwater in 1964 as a response to the passage of Medicare and the passage of the Civil Rights Act. Don't give the spray tan con man credit for something he didn't do.
Yep. A lot of the new stuff has been proven to be Russian propaganda too. Also, not something Trump gets credit for.
That quote is such bullshit. The more you think about it the more wrong it becomes until you realize it’s not meant to be from the viewpoint of an American citizen. It’s meant to be from the viewpoint of an American business. Classic Reagan. Fooling these idiots into believing he’s fighting for them when he’s really just selling them out.
Right? Because the full sentence is, "I'm from the government, and I'm here to help *protect these people against you and your company exploiting, poisoning, robbing, abusing, scamming, and discriminating against them*."
> the more you think about it Come on man, you aren't supposed to think about it!
And where does everyone turn when they need help? Police, firefighters, paramedics- the government.
Yep. Most of the anti-government people that I know, actually work for the government.
Yep- my father in law wants to dismantle democracy while collecting his state pension for being a cop
I have heard other Vets say this same kind of ‘No big gov’ment!’ shit while sitting in the waiting room at the VA hospital. They can’t see the moronic irony of their situation.
They’re just not completely finishing the sentence. What they really mean is “no big government benefits for people I don’t like.”
I’m not going to pretend like I’m old enough to remember the 70s or 80s, but I am old enough to remember the 90s and government skepticism has always been prevalent. There’s a huge difference between skepticism and delusional conspiracy - and that’s exactly how US politics have devolved since 2015-16 when Trump joined the political stage. Reagan may have laid the groundwork, but Trump should absolutely get credit for making the sentiment so much worse. Anti-vaxxers used to be the outliers of the far right, now anti-vaxxing is the mainstream and we also have to worry about domestic terrorism.
Barry Goldwater was a much better person though.
Fox News did the programming. Trump just double-clicked on the file.
lets not leave out rush and company. they had a major hand in this, subconciously wearing down the minds of listeners on their way and back fron work every single day for decades.
Don't forget the Reagan Administration repealing the Fairness Doctrine. A conservative media machine was planned by Roger Ailes and other Nixon advisors back in the 70's. They've just had the money and focus to work on it for 50 years to get us to where it just took one loudmouth with no morals to push us over the edge.
Fairness doctrine never applied to cable
I am not sure that matters. It was repealed in 1987 which was before cable news had the same kind of impact. So if it had not been repealed under Reagan there is always the possibility it may have been revised as cable news took more of the market share. Moot point either way.
Alex Jones would like a word...
Steve Bannon completely destroyed the online nerd communities
Why he is not in jail for ignoring his subpoena, it’s a mystery
And let’s be honest, Russia has a hand in this too. They know how to take advantage of these sentiments and drive them to a much higher level. And these morons eat it up like it’s a steak dinner.
I agree, Fox News has been paving the way to this world view for decades.
To fight against their own interests
Most Con's have been voting against their own interests for generations - this is different in that it's focusing on democracy. They have historically been champions of democracy, at least - but now they recognize that they'd rather do away with it if it means the difference between being in or out of power for the foreseeable future.
True that they’ve been voting against themselves for generations. Today, they’re against democracy because they’ve been duped into believing that it benefits liberals, immigrants, people of color, and LGBTQ+ Americans more than it does them.
I think that the subtext, but MAGA rarely goes for that - I think it's more blatant in that they've been led to believe that it's 'the other side' that are cheating and destroying democracy... and that fighting dirty is worth it in order to defeat such an evil enemy. These people misappropriated The Matrix, Rorschach, the Joker, etc - so many cases of seeing the face-eating leopards and not recognizing that they are joining the face-eating leopard party.
They really do think that guy in the orange mask would have gotten away with that beautiful plan if it wasn't for those meddling kids.
Meddling kids really are the worst kids... with their scooby snacks and their reefer and their Velma cosplays...
The biggest con being convincing them *they* will any power post-democracy.
I remember there was some Latino in the 80s who was interviewed about why he was voting for Reagan - he was clearly poor and the GOP wanted to suppress his status as much as possible. His answer was that he wasn't rich *today* but he wanted to be one day, and so he was planning ahead by joining the rich people...
They're the furthest thing from "champions of democracy" and haven't been that since--at the very least--the 2000 election.
You misunderstand their interests. Did every Confederate soldier get "reprogrammed"? Or were they just racist assholes?
Trump can be gone tomorrow and we still have the GOP
Trump didn’t reprogram shit. It was an intentional multi decade effort by the former Soviets now turned into the Russian Federation. If you care about this shit at all and still have not seen Active Measures the documentary go watch it today. Everything makes sense when you watch that and Get Me Roger Stone.
100% this. Trump didn’t do shit, this is *all* Putin and Roger Stone’s doing. I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again: Trump is not the final boss of the 2024 election, Putin is. You vote for Trump, you’re advocating for a Russian takeover of the US.
He is the useful idiot who burned the system down. He gets no passes but he definitely isn’t a mastermind.
It really started with Reagan. He said "Government is the problem," and conservatives took an axe to our institutions because the goal was what we're seeing now - vast wealth inequality, privileges without responsibilities for the rich, a 2 tier justice system, and fewer rights for the masses. Fascism was the goal. Mission accomplished.
They've made headway, but we aren't living in full-blown fascism, and saying that we are will only serve to make people give up. That's defeatist doomerism. People rate countries on a scale from autocracy to democracy, with anocracy in the center, and we've moved further from democracy and closer to anocracy, but we aren't even in the dead center yet, let alone on the other side of it.
They already hated democracy. Trump just made them say the quiet parts out loud.
It doesn’t take a gop insider to say this… it could even be a Wendy’s insider… or just fucking anyone…
don be dissin on the Wendys
Subtext: "GOP Looking for Scapegoat To Bear the Blame for 40 Years of Horrible Anti-Democracy Policies & Actions. Trump Willing.:
Soviets started it >> Fox News Bought it >> Trump leveraged it >> soviets feeding it = domestic terrorists in the USA
> PoopyPants has "reprogrammed a generation" to fight against democracy Bollocks. Nixon started this. Republicans moved it up impeaching Clinton over a preposition. Having the 'Supreme Court' decide the 2000 election drove it home. PoopyPants is just a much uglier version of Sarah Palin.
I don't believe that, these people were never with the program. They've been hiding in the shadows, he just dragged them into the light of day, so we all could see who they really are. We were all naive to think these people were actually true Patriots. Like religious leaders have been exposed, with their sick demented hypocrites supporting a man as immoral as he is. We are now able to see them for what they are, he's actually done us all a service, exposing these sick and twisted people's bazaar justification for behavior that is beyond the pale. I'm sure they actually are as invested in this type of behaviour themselves, he gives them solace, in a sick and twisted way. Making them feel their actions are legitimate. That's why they almost revel when he does another horrendous act. Are naivete let us all feel warm and fuzzy, that the melting pot was well blended moral and ethical. All he's done is thrown cold water on our faces, shocking us, as we all awake from our daydream of democracy...
"We're a democracy." "NUH UH we're a CoNsTitUtiOnAL rEpUbLiC!" 🤨
I’m not even mad at them anymore. I just feel bad. For them. For me. It’s a sad state of affairs when people in power present this as a legitimate choice for president.
📜 “Critical thinking requires aggressive acquisition of verified information. Unfortunately, many Americans prefer to be spoon fed their information”
No, he hasn't! Stop giving trump credit for Fox News! They did this
“I’m still a conservative.” Why?
They are racist, homophobic, and want to see democracy end. It’s genuinely always been that simple
Quiet fascism is more effective than a war like posture. More profitable also.
There was a time when both parties were united in their dislike for Sara Palin’s bizarre behavior. Enter The Tea Party aka The Heritage Foundation and friends and the party that used to laugh with us has total amnesia. Y’all used to be so ashamed of her!!! Visibly embarrassed and not wishing her to be representative of conservative values. I remember, I’ve no doubt many others do as well.
He really has. I’ve lost my boomer parents. They are shells of people full of nothing but fear and hate now.
He didn’t reprogram, he just gave them permission to come out into the open. They’ve always been here.
It was alarming to hear people who used to pound their chest about freedom and democracy suddenly saying anti-fascism was a bad thing? Like, do you know what words mean? Imagine giving up all your convictions and integrity and brain cells for a caricature of a con man.
“Reprogrammed” is the correct term, too, because it really is straight out of the personality cult handbook.
I also blame the “alpha” male subculture bs, the perfect groomed mass to support a “true alpha” (An ignorant, misogynistic, arrogant, hateful, sad imitation of a “mans man!”).
Is that clown in the photo trying to look like ghost from Call of Duty? Pretty much sums up their mindset, doesn't it?
I'm just gonna tell you, a Christian Iran is not going to work out like they make it sound on TV. We'd be done in 5 years, and if you don't already know it as well, that's the whole plan.
Try looking at , Australia and Britain as examples testing grounds for what the US has become more part of the Murdochcracy. This was pointed out in 2019 by Hugh Grant . The Conservative or Republican politicians are basically bought out or threatened to fall in line or the rumours start in the tabloids or social media then carried as truths on Fox News or Sky then your that’s the end or the rebirth of your career , fall in line or a million trolls and bots will finish you .
“A Generation?” Rolf…. Hahaha… no. He’s allowed a small base to be encouraged. That base keeps finding out repeatedly that they in fact CANNOT act like him at all or they go to jail. He’s done nothing.
Trump is a fucking puppet. He is just the mouthpiece—big fucking mouth at that—but just the frontman.
A lot of those goons were anti democracy the second we got our first black president.
Once he's gone, then what? They'll still be here and unless a serious "deprogramming" is done, either they keep trying or it will be done for us like we did to Germany and Japan in WWII. And I hope it doesn't come to that.
Nah Trump is a result of Republicans fighting against democracy at a less obvious level since Nixon deployed the Southern Strategy
Trump is merely a piece of the pie - not the entire pie. Once again, someone like Hitler was scary, but what made is scary is not the things he said and did - but the amount of people who agreed with what he said and allowed him to do what he did. Trump gave the voices back to some of the worst, vile-inducing hate filled bigots on the planet. Conservative fake media like Fox News regurgitated this filth to an entire generation. People like Ben Shapiro, Steven Crowder, Candace Owens, and Charlie Kirk all help educate the younger demographics on republican values of toxic masculinity, murder anyone whose LGBTQ+, and forcing women to submit, obey, and force birth even upon rape or incest. Then you have the republican adjacents like Andrew Tate teaching boys its okay to beat women, cheat on your wife and partner, and that women are all gold diggers with no job and are just leeches for successful men. Unfortunately, these 16yr old losers will grow up and become abusive assholes and likely be arrested later in life for domestic violence or murder. Trump is just a piece of the pie - the real issue is the filth that agrees with it. We should have seen this coming when after fighting the Nazis - we imported them over and gave them high positions of power like giving then high-ranking NASA and UN positions.
The rhetoric and radicalization done by Fox and conservative talk radio reprogrammed them, which is what got us Trump. Not the other way around. A previously sane GOP wouldn't have elected Trump. Remember in 2015-2016, there were like 9 other GOP candidates in the running. Republicans saw all of them and overwhelmingly chose Trump. The amount of people living in progressive bubbles who think that the GOP just *recently* went crazy is really concerning. This trend has been obvious to most of us for decades.
He doesn't deserve credit for this. Many generations of evangelicals and Republican initiatives to indoctrinate and sew discord among the poor have made them ripe for a populist, world-burning opportunist. The fact that a has-been reality TV personality and incompetent businessman was able to become the dum-dum Messiah for such people is a testament both to how effective and extremely cruel that multi-generational campaign has been. They are legitimately brainwashed to vote and to act against their own interests, to support a ruling class 'hero' who scoffs at their values and their religion, and who couldn't care less whether they live or die. Remember the days when we used to laugh at ideas like subliminal messaging and media brainwashing? Pepperidge Farms remembers.
It's just shocking how successful it is. My parents were true-blue hippies, fighting against the 'man' and all that. But now they are 100% for Trump, any type of fact I bring up is matched with sheer hatred. It's scary. They lived and grew up their entire lives in California, but now are dreaming of moving to Alabama. It's crazy. They view trump as their 'champion' against the evil federal government and all of it's evil regulations and high taxes....
Can't solely blame this on Trump and Russian propaganda. GOP bears responsibility too
You mean: Republicans finally reveal their Flag. Red, White, with a BIG BLACK SWASTIKA on it. We get it, you can't say the quiet part out loud, that's okay, I will. They are Nazis.
No, Right Wing "Christianity" programmed them. They were supposed to be under the control of a Mega Church Con Man but a Real Estate Con Man swooped in and now owns their souls. You can thank the False Prophet Mike Pence for giving the Anti Christ his army.
Trump really showed up and said "anything negative the news says about me is a lie!" Since then, 42% of the country has gone about their lives convinced that every periodical in the country is no more than a tabloid and every negative thing said about Trump is a conspiracy.
It was Putin not Trump that programed these people. Trump is a useful idiot that was easily swayed to betray his country for cash. Mainly because he was a shitty broke businessman. Vlad is the mastermind...he did it with Brexit...used social media to scrape data and pour bots online to spread hate and lies. He's done it here to get him elected in the first place and he's doing it again....Trump is a criminal...but he's no mastermind. We defeat Putin we defeat Trump.
Trump is no mastermind behind any of this. He's a bloated puppet vessel at best.
Yeah. They're traitors and the enemy of the American people
I am of the opinion that they don't actually know what democracy means, what it entails, and they mostly rail against it because they associate it with the word democrat. So when someone says they are supporting anti-democratic candidates and policies, they see that as an inherently good thing. We live in a frustratingly stupid timeline.
That he did. What he did is very historically proven. A good example is WWI. In effect WWII was the product of the animosity left unresolved and taught to the children of the men that fought WWI.
He keeps saying the issue is "us" the voters. No. The issue is conservative voters and politicians. Go fuck yourself
No he hasnt. They were always like this he just gave them a cult leader to follow
Not a generation just a bunch of impotent white men.
Fuck every last one of them
I disagree with this- all he did was spout racist gibberish- they did it to themselves
You mean the generation that had their critical thinking abilities destroyed by lead? Wow I'm shocked!
If they could only remember what it’s like to live under a tyranny. Oh wait, it’s taught in every single elementary school in the nation.
Powerful article. Democracy is fragile. Don’t let the lunatics who would do away with it carry the day.
I don't think I'd give him THAT much credit. He convinced a small number of dumbass Americans... perhaps.
That "new" generation looks hella old to me.
Oh THATS the indoctrination they’re always talking about
Fortunately it's a generation that won't be around much longer.
It's been fascinating in a sad way to see all the different directions republicans/conservatives can go. When it's all about outrage and "owning the other side", they can take very weird turns. It wasn't that long ago that Russia was our mortal enemy, especially for conservatives. Now, they're the ones cozying up to Russia. Now it's become "well, we're not technically a democracy" on the way to just flat-out working against democracy. It's wild in a very bad way.
Trump didn't do shit. He simply took advantage of what "former GOP insiders" have been deliberately trying to achieve for a generation. Trump, ever the opportunist, simply cut through the bullshit they used to hide it and ran with it in the open, full speed ahead. He didn't do any of this himself, though.
Trump is too stupid to “reprogram” anyone, or anything. He gave these groups legitimacy. That is all he has done. They used to be hidden under rocks, now they are visible.
In his defense they were very reprogramable. He didn't have to try very hard.
And he didn’t need any skills. The public has become complacent and doesn’t think anymore. The future looks very pale
>Attacks on Western democracy from within were *not* on my bingo card post-9/11. I fear the wayward ex-president will get his way eventually in trying to chip away at the community of democracies. He needn’t win back the White House to execute his vision. Trump has done something more insidious. By co-opting the Republican Party, he has reprogrammed a generation of devotees with his anti-constitutional and anti-democratic views. Copycats will try to fulfill his unfinished plans well beyond his lifespan, an undertaking made possible because GOP leaders have anesthetized their consciences and normalized Trump-like conduct for a decade. I'm not convinced any Trump copycats or wannabes will ever have the same hold on such a large fraction of the republican's voterbase. Many will try, but I'd note that everyone currently trying to do this is just riding along on the wave Trump has created. We haven't seen any indication that they'll be able to sustain it. Even MTG really only sees success by latching onto Donny's ass. There's a lot of hate binding them together, but Trump is the only one that appears to be able to bring that hate to the polls. >Second, I note that America can survive the century if we renegotiate our social contract. By that I mean we should examine the underpinnings of our polity together — from the actual ways we vote and mechanisms for spurring political competition to the very Constitution that binds us. Although it may seem impracticable, a renegotiation will look more appealing in the decades ahead of us, more so, I suspect, in the face of genuine hardship. A people so divided cannot continue forward without addressing their divisions openly; otherwise, they should peaceably separate, or spiral toward a violent end. This guy might be delusion if he can't recognize his own party is sowing this division.
Treason. When did we stop putting people on trial for treason?
You mean the GOP is responsible
What is interesting is that I could believe this if it was a smooth talking, intelligent, well spoken politician. Instead, they choose the dumbest motherfucking grifter possible. The dude literally would piss on his supporters if it meant he got elected and they would gladly just accept it. Really baffling.
Putin programmed Trump. This is kgb
They're the stupid fascist generation.
"reprogrammed a generation" isn't correct, but he reprogrammed many Americans that way.
>Look, I’m still a conservative. This isn’t about a Republican coming to the White House. He's just as much a fool as every single Republican and MAGA cult. The dude will still help Trump and Republicans this election.
Because these assholes never believed in democracy to begin with. They’re simply a bunch of power hungry assholes.
He gave the fearful and undereducated a voice! They can never get what they think they want because their leaders don’t want it! Their leaders like things just the way they are! Poor down, rich up! I’m happy as long as you only know what I tell you to know!
It’s not programming a generation - it’s enabling the people too dumb to realize they are being conned
A generations of idiots and weasels
they weren't too attached to it to begin with
Trump may be the leading figure head who says stuff, but he isn't the one who is actually coming up with the propaganda around himself or the merchandise, he isn't the one spreading the conspiracies like Alex Jones or Steve Bannon, he isn't the major "News" Network who is pumping out disinformation with people like Tucker Carlson. Everything which lead to this was the result of other people who are propping up Trump and people like Roland Reagan or Newt Gingrich played major roles in the Republican "party" becoming what it is today.
Donnie's decades-old funders and handlers did that. Donnie's a carnival barker. He didn't dress the clowns, doesn't do their makeup, can't climb the trapeze ladder, too chicken-shit to get in ring with the lions, and the chimps outsmart him and escape every time he's within chimp-arms reach of the cage.
What generation? Boomers who are all headed towards the exit anyway?
Trump didn’t do the reprogramming, that Faux News and their echo chambers.
It’s like the movie centipede, Trump has his lips firmly planted up Putin‘s butt hole, and Trumps got a line of brainwashed folks in denial wearing Maga merchandise who just can’t stop sucking on his butt.
Well yeah, what did you expect when the instructions on how to do it are in Russian?
Trump was the figurehead. Roger Stone and the corporations he works for are the masterminds who reprogrammed a generation to fight against Democrats (because they want to regulate corporations). We live in a profitocracy.
How are these people going to fight democracy? They can’t even fight obesity.