I think everyone expected him to cry fowl when he lost in 2020. I think being a little surprised that he'd go so far as to stage a violent coup is probably understandable.
Figuratively, though. It wouldn’t be difficult to imagine Trump squawking like a chicken and flapping his arms while turning in a tight circle when something truly upsetting to him occurred.
We aren't. The context was "he said he wouldn't accept the election results" not "why should nobody vote for a fascist".
He's easily the most corrupt president in US history. From start to finish it was just a long game of him trying to figure out how he could bilk more money out of his supporters, the united states, foreign powers, etc. And since his supporters are a bunch of racist nazis, he put corrupt racist nazis in charge of nearly every executive branch position.
I can say that it was not the only reason. (After all, he did lose the 2020 election) In 2016, I voted for Trump. This was because my friends did too. I thought he was going to drain the swamp so to speak. He had very good slogans and populist policies that appealed to the masses. He made you feel seen.
This changed when he kept on with his attempted Muslim ban, rhetoric to lock people up, and name calling throughout the first three years. There were some bright spots, such as better finding to CBP and policy changes to alleviate our court system (still not perfect as one needs more resources in the court system too) The Trump administration actually engaged over in Central Asia which had a noticeable impact over there. My dad had pointed out that the Government was doing some good work not quite making it to the mainstream media. I noticed Britain leave the EU for questionable reasons because of the same forces. I read the Mueller Report on Russian interference in the 2016 election (and barely remember it four years later)
I thought that it was likely that the Russians colluded with the Republicans, but it could not be proven. And it could have remained that way if not for Trump's first impeachment. Trump withheld aid to Ukraine in return for finding dirt on his political rival Joe Biden as well as trying to pin the election interference on Ukraine. This impeachment had a man I highly respect break from his own party and vote to convict for abuse of power. But he was the only one who would stand against the tide.
Three years in, I could be counted as a swing voter, favoring neither party. I had seen the Republican party pay lip service to Christian values and yet fail to have integrity. I had a mild dislike of Trump and was starting to think his policies were not implemented correctly. Then Covid happened
I lost my job, was chronically online, and listened to a lot of podcasts. Trump had a really bad messaging problem then. I thought he needed to throw his phone in the toilet and stay off of Twitter. He recommended hydroxycloroquine as a treatment which was kind of dumb. He didn't support his governors when they would lock down states for public health and instead would berate my own governor for trying to save lives. The more extreme Michigan Republicans would compare her to Hitler (Godwin's law at work) and Trump would engage with that. This mostly made me appreciate Governor Whitmer more as she was making good policy decisions.
A couple months go by and George Floyd was killed by police officers in Minneapolis. This was murder. People would be protesting the police brutality that pervades police departments everywhere. The police unions that let problematic officers go from one police department to another and spread their often racist policies. There were protests everywhere from DC to Seattle. While many conservatives will focus on the shit show that was CHAZ, I saw the one in DC. Especially on one morning when security services cleared the park for Donald J Trump to go across the street for a photo op. This photo op was front of a church where he held a Bible upside down. And in that moment, I saw the Trump presidency as a fake Christian presidency. It didn't matter how pro-life he was or how many pastors endorsed him anymore. That ruined it forever for me.
The following months would only serve to cement that opinion as I saw him lay the groundwork for denying the election by discrediting mail in voting, especially as there was much more need of it than previous elections. I thought this was a stupid move as he would be undermining Democratic legitimacy. Little did I know, that was the point. We all know what happens next though. The election happens, Trump is defeated, launches over 50 lawsuits, wins one, and changes zero districts. He incites a riot at the Capitol. He spreads conspiracy theories. He blackmails a secretary of state. He gets impeached again and gets acquitted again.
The OP is proof of how much Trump has stretched the overton window, to the point that you can find liberals saying that 2016 Trump might have had a pass for some.
Exactly. And all of these commenters saying "Yes, well what if the person we're talking about is just media illiterate and doesn't pay attention to politics or has been incredibly successfully hiding under a rock for the last 8 years"... literally all someone has to do to determine that Trump is a horrible excuse for a human being is to read anything he's ever said or watch any of his appearances on camera. Any of them. Take your pick. If you can't clock that he's a fucking monster within 5 minutes of whatever clip he's in, then either you have no understanding of the difference between right and wrong, or you're dumb as hell. And if you do clock that he's a shithead and vote for him anyway, that makes you as bad as he is.
And hey, I get it. There are some incredibly stupid people in this world. But, like, 73.5 million people voted for that fat orange idiot in 2020. So it seems statistically unlikely that all of those people would fall into that category. For all, or even the majority of Trump's voters to not be shit human beings would be a statistical wonder.
Ok, fair enough. I stand corrected. I suppose it is possible that someone out there could have missed every other thing Trump has said and done except for this clip and gotten a favorable impression of him. I will try to not be so narrow-minded going forward.
Worse, if he’s the antichrist, they’re the choades who were suckered into believing him. They talk about how he’s picked by Jesus. Some pastors have given sermons about how he is an “imperfect vessel”. But I’ve never heard any say he’s the antichrist, not even close.
Trump is openly saying that he's going to be a dictator. Trump is the Republican election pick. If you vote Republican, you vote for Trump, you're a shit bag faschie voting for fascism. Full stop.
He’s fighting in court claiming absolute immunity. He’s never going to stop committing crimes. Today he was in a courtroom for a defamation case while simultaneously defaming the sexual assault victim who’s suing him. They’re all fucking degenerates, every last one of them.
That's why SCOTUS has put off all requests for hearings in regards to Trump - They need him to win the election before they rule that presidents have total immunity so he can "Day One Dictator."
Trump's team is doing everything they can to delay his court cases past the election, I'd put up $50 saying SCOTUS will take the cases they're denying as soon as he's the president elect or whatevs.
But that's what they want... They want a dictator because they don't want the president who can't do anything because his hands are tied by complicated political checks and balances. They want a president that doesn't care about the courts or the legislation that they disagree with. They want the president who pushes authoritative action through the bureaucracy. Unfortunately they don't understand that those actions will never be to aid them but only aid himself.
Don't you dare excuse the 2020 voters. That man's platform was standing on top of the corpses of thousands of people dead because of his active undermining of efforts to handle the pandemic.
Stop trying to retroactively make this shit reasonable. It was outrageous and unforgivable long, long before now.
I mean, 75,000 less people voted overall than in the 2016 caucus. Granted most of those probably died of covid or just didn't want to go in the cold, but still...
I read on here a few days ago about Haley being representative of the LEAST extreme. That many of her voters would just end up voting Biden, even though they don't agree with most of the politics.
I could almost give them benefit of the doubt. Anyone ignorant enough to call Biden socialist though is immediately not worth talking to
Haley? As in Nikki "slavery wasn't a cause of the Civil War" Haley? Nikki "six week abortion ban" Haley? Nikki "withdraw the US from the Human Rights Council because of its 'chronic bias against Israel'" Haley?
I'm kinda baffled that we're a decade deep into this and people are still hung up on the fact that despite knowing their figurehead is an asshat, genuinely good people can have the level of cognitive dissonance to simultaneously support what they believe he represents, while also ignoring his actions.
There are societal divisions to the very bedrock of the USA - Trump is a symptom, not the condition.
I agree to an extent but there's a certain point where cognitive dissonance can't be the excuse. We're long past that. There have been countless wake-up calls, off-ramps, breaking points, etc. if absolutely none of them, not one, has made you stop and reconsider after all this time, then what will?
Frankly, if you're so ethically and mentally shattered as a human being that cognitive dissonance is enough to make you support a man that has done every possible thing under the sun over the course of 8 years to illustrate what a walking cancer he is on society, then there's no fundamental difference between you and the actual goose-stepping supporters, because you will ultimately behave exactly the same regardless. There's nothing anyone can say or do to help you, so why should anyone waste their time concerning themselves with whether or not you're a true asshole or just mislead.
I always wonder how many people would have to openly say they are part of a new "American White Nationalism group" before it hits critical mass and most of the other white people cower with their tails between their legs and go over to join them? I think the percent is lower than it should be, I really think the threat would only need to look credible to hit that point. So what 30%? Who knows maybe even 25 or 20%.
Indeed. "Grab them by the pussy" and his mocking of a disabled person all made it very clear. Anyone still on board with him after that was a certified asshole.
Offer them something better.
They support Trump because he makes them feel:
Smart for cutting through all the lies to get to the truth.
Part of something bigger than themselves.
Victimized/marginalized (few things are more empowering than being wronged).
The opposition has to overcome these powerful emotions. Currently, they are kinda banking on a decisive victory in court. That might be enough to dispel some of the enchanted, but will only encourage the most fervent. Worse, if it doesn't get him locked up or disqualify him from running, it's going to increase his power.
The best way to fight it is with a candidate that can beat him. I hope Biden is capable of pulling it off a second time.
Besides Trump himself, there are systemic issues that we should be fighting over. The electoral collage system is a huge problem that isn't going away. 2000 and 2016 elections won by candidates with fewer votes.
Gerrymandering is also a big reason why he has as much support as he enjoys. Honestly, I might not care as much if he were president if Congress and State legislatures weren't so out of wack with our population distributions. Representative government my ass. Land is straight up voting and it should piss us all off way more.
If there was a grand government conspiracy to keep Trump from power, why didn't they keep him from power the first time? And why has this conspiracy been so ineffective at disappearing or otherwise fast-tracking a baseless trial against him to convict and imprison him? Why hasn't the CIA or FBI simply taken him out, given their historic track record of taking out foreign or domestic politically problematic persons?
What conspiracy could be so ineffective as to permit him to not only rise to power, but to attain it for a time, and to try to reclaim it?
Because legacy, independent, and basement medias are constantly beaming images of Trump at them, and when they're given no other option of ideas that's the only one they know. That's why I find it hard to believe that Trump is a Russian asset, then it would mean the media is also owned by Russians, but they're not, they're owned by Western billionaires. Trump has been engineered by the ruling class, and so has his popularity.
Ding!! The ruling class used Trump to weaponize bigotry.
Whats fucked up is as I've watched all of this unfold, I can't help but briefly entertain the idea that those fuckers all decided to do their own version of Richmond Valentine's Plan from Kingsman:
When you get a virus, you get a fever. That's the human body raising its core temperature to kill the virus. Planet Earth works the same way: global warming is the fever, mankind is the virus. We're making our planet sick. A cull is our only hope. If we don't reduce our population ourselves, there's only one or two ways this can go: the host kills the virus, or the virus kills the host. Either way...
A lot of people have explanations based on rational reasoning, like if they see the same facts that we do, but reach different conclusions. But these explanations always come off feeling a bit, I dunno, wobbly. What if it's not rational at all? What if it's a form of brainwashing, or something like hypnosis?
I think that when a person with a relatively normal level of intelligence hears the word salad that Trump routinely strings together, their response is usually along the lines of: "What the hell is that idiot saying now?"
But when a MAGAT hears him speak, they think: "Well shit. I can't understand what he's saying, and I think I'm pretty smart, so he must be a genius!"
A big part of it that few are willing to look at is the that it is a reaction to the rapid, forceful acceptance of transgender issues in our society and i totally get it. Im not willing to support fascism though just cause i want things to change... im also not willing to argue about this with anyone cause people on both sides of this issue are as closed minded as it gets. edit: i've indulged this more than i planned on. i'm now done responding. I'd be happy to explain myself further, even arguing, but the LGBTQ agenda has taken over the internet and anything i have to say that goes against it gets removed because i'm "being a bigot."... this is fascism guys. MAGA is fascist, LGBTQ is fascist... go ahead and take my words down now. Have a nice day.
rapid, forceful acceptance of transgender issues in our society
Oh! How terrible for you! How can you possibly manage to live your life now that you're aware of other people's hardships? This is totally unfair for you!
What part of our society is catering to them? The part where we decide it's wrong to attack them because they are transgender? The part where we think it's okay for them to have the same rights as everyone else? Please tell.
Not to take away from your message, but what you've called out is under the umbrella of 'intersex' and genetic disorders, not necessarily trans. There can be large overlap between the two, but they are separate things.
I'm actually not trans, but I've never felt like anyone was "forcing me to participate" in trans culture or society. On the other hand, I have often felt like religious people were pressuring me into their system of beliefs, so if we're worrying about that sort of pressure, then we should start there.
You know you sound like a nazi and yet you keep repeating the same nazi propaganda.
Do you complain about accommodation for anyone else? 🤔 All you have to do is literally not say something offensive to a trans person. That's it. You don't have to like trans people, you don't have to like gay people. Hell, you don't even have to like black people if you're a racist. BUT YOU HAVE TO LEAVE THEM ALONE. That is literally all you're required to do. If leaving people alone is a problem I'm afraid it's a you problem.
Hate to tell you but I'm non binary. I'm 49 and knew in 1978 that I was the wrong gender.
I'm also neurodivergent and there is compelling evidence that there is a connection between gender dysphoria and neurodivergant disorders like adhd and autism.
Maybe accepting trans people is simply learning to accept that people are built different and that something that is part of a person's disability should be accepted because people with disabilities should be accepted.
This is a belief that people have, i do not share their belief but i still hope they have a nice day. take it or leave it, im not going to explain any further.
As a trans person, I absolutely disagree with you on that topic. But I do agree that a lot of the people supporting trump are single-issue voters, whether it be LGBT rights, abortion, immigration, etc.
You know, just placing "being a bigot" in quotation marks doesn't make you not a bigot. You are very much a bigot. Like, the very definition of one. So if you've got a problem with that, I suggest you take it up with Merriam-Webster.
All of his supporters in 2016 were also bad people. They saw the "grab them by the pussy" tape, they saw him make fun of a disabled person, and thought he was still a worthy candidate for their vote.
Whenever I brought this up to my Trump-supporting aunt (who lives in the UK) she would just wave it off and say, "Oh that's fake news." I genuinely think they're incapable of even entertaining those facts, let alone seeing them and supporting them as you say. It's an absurd level of brainwashing.
Oh, I got sick of Trump so quickly that around a year after he got in office I was just catering discussions with "Why would you support a known and admitted rapist?" Doesn't advance the conversation with those fools, but it certainly ends it.
When I actually talk with Trump supporters, it's very clear to me that many don't actually support trump. Or, at least, not the trump we see. It's usually a case of leading a busy life and making the mistake of trusting a news org to tell you the truth of the matter when you have five minutes to catch up. And if you pick one that supports trump ...well you see where this goes. It is admittedly clear that people don't understand the gravity of the situation—but as a result, the 'crime' is usually ignorance, not maliciousness. As always, the fact that this is a 'political' topic muddies the water, and no one understands what the other side actually wants. We do agree on most things, it's just silly tribalism that makes us call a large portion of the population a "piece of shit".
There are always those outliers that are genuinely evil, but I do believe they're outliers.
I am sure they are out there, but I haven't actually met an open Trump supporter who isn't an unhinged lunatic. In a few cases, we have gone a lifetime without their awful politics coming out, until Trump comes up and then they are actually unashamed fascists, Christian nationalists, and conspiracy guzzling assholes.
Personally I don't care to characterize em as lunatics, because that word really only serves to categorize them into an entirely different realm of brain function, and I feel like that's counterproductive and misrepresents how fascism works. It's not that millions of people lose their minds and frothingly support fascism, it's that fascism is capable of presenting itself as something else, or necessary, to an otherwise normal in-group base using a number of psychological weak points, many of which have been exacerbated in the Internet age with little popular understanding.
To name one example, I think of some folks I knew in my hometown, brilliant engineers, electricians, people with extreme talent in one specific thing, living in places where diversity has been historically squashed so they've only known a snow globe's worth of the world. And, especially among the older generation, they're simultaneously not very social media savvy but also way too online... Once they're given a nebulous external force to fear, the final stop of that train should be a surprise to no one.
I don't say this to absolve fascists of personal blame, because well and truly fuck 'em, they are responsible nonetheless. But fantasizing that their brains are just broken and don't function like ours is missing the point. Everyone's susceptible to a grift, social media bubble, or wishful thinking of some kind. And when you factor in trauma as a politically neutral psychological force, human behavior suddenly becomes a lot less "stupid" and a lot more... frustrating. Pretending we're not weak to analogues of many of the same things is doing ourselves a disservice. We need a better standard than just doing what they do when they talk about trans people like we're space aliens incapable of reason.
To be fair, that's likely because the more reasonable ones are smart enough to know it's stupid to openly proclaim support of trump. It's likely that outlier group I mentioned that are 'open trump supporters'
Yeah there's a huge mistake in assuming everyone is some politically engaged online person, most people live their lives and experience politics though media. They saw the media and people freaking out over Trump from the start, yet they experienced little to nothing during his Presidency that negatively impacted their lives in contrast.
Also I feel like social media and modern news networks have hugely reinforced this "tribalism". Unfortunately, negative news always does better than positive news so I can't see news/social media platforms turning around and trying to slow down this effect.
Glenn Greenwald actually talked about how Trump supporters are famously distrustful of (a) the Security State and (b) corporate media, and so there's only like two news sources that they show positive numbers for trust in - Fox and Newsmax.
What doesn't help is that they do lie about Trump, and make him out to be a literal insurrectionist... Think what you want about him in terms of his politics being colored by racism and Islamophobia (his Muslim ban was pretty nuts), but you can't call the guy an insurrectionist unless you greatly modify what an insurrection is and what it means to insight one. Things like this plus upgrading frivolous financial misdemeanors that megacorporations routinely violate to federal crimes in an effort to remove him from the ballot have a radicalizing effect...
But yeah, IDK, I'd vote for Trump over Biden because he is antiestablishment and his foreign policy is better in the long run.
Where do you get your definition of insurrection? I'd have thought that attempting to overthrow a democratically elected government to install yourself as dictator meets just about any definition.
That's a mere interpretation of what happened that would never stand up in a court of law, hence why no formal charges have been brought. It's completely speculative.
Which is exactly why we can't remove him from ballots or refer to it as an insurrection.
Remember the Iraq War? We referred to the opposition after Hussein fell as terrorists (not very accurate, very lame Zioconservative take), or as insurgents, which is accurate.
Insurgency implies some long term armed resistance. It can't refer to some impromptu riot on the police lines.
The stacking of the senate, failure of democracy and abandonment of the rule of law makes bringing federal charges pointless (see his multiple impeachments). This is a strange standard to try (and fail) to apply under the circumstances.
an organized attempt by a group of people to defeat their government and take control of their country, usually by violence:
J6 cannot meet such a burden since it was not an organized attempt and it certainly wasn't violent in the way that a real move to overthrow the government would be, only violent in the sense that any disorganized protest can be.
... And while some people can toss around the word insurrection, you notice that there is no serious charge against Trump on this, because there can be no charge, since he said nothing nor does any other evidence exists which show he incited anyone to any illegal act, let alone an attempt to overthrow the government. This is only possible through assumption & interpretation of what happened that it was even an 'insurrection.'
✅ Pre-planned by several groups - remember the criticism Pelosi was facing because it was well known ahead of time that this attack was planned? Several organisations were involved - Oath Keepers, Proud Boys, NSC-131, Qanon... Yep.
to defeat their government and take control of their country
✅ A transparent attempt to seize the capitol by force and overturn the election after loudly and consistently rejecting the results, coercing electors, posing as fake electors - not to mention decades of gerrymandering and voter suppression, but that's straying from insurrection into rigging elections... Yep.
usually by violence
✅ Aside from using force to achieve what they did, don't forget that there were caches of weapons and that Trump was trying to have the mag detectors removed. The insurrectionists were calling to hang members of parliament while forcing their way on to the floor, ransacking congressional offices, injuring cops... Yep.
What part of your definition do you think hasn't been met, again?
Trump hasn't been charged with insurrection because the Democrats are cowards and the Republicans and their appointed judges are corrupt. I'll rely on the dictionary for my definitions over relying on liberal cowardice and conservative corruption, thanks.
Nah, an insurrection is what was happening in Iraq after the 2003 invasion (and happening rightfully so).
If what occurred on J6 was an insurrection, it would have been explicitly violent or had a real organized plan for the literal overthrow of the government.
Even the ridiculous plan organized by the Proud Boys was not really an insurrection even though it involved demanding a re-vote (or a re-vote after a recount) because it ultimately wanted to preserve democratic norms, and the fools who came up with it sincerely believed that democracy was completely undermined by the last election... Which, arguably, it was.
Employing non-lethal means to occupy a place as a protest seems reasonable, doesn't it? This is what people did after the killing of George Floyd.
He was calling for it during the campaign. Literally stood on a stage and told the Proud Boys to be ready.
Stop trying to act like this shit wasn't painfully obvious from the beginning. 2016, you maybe had some excuses, but after all the shit that happened in the 4 years he was in office, there is not a god damn thing anyone can use as an excuse for voting for him a second time. None.
I mean, the writing was on the wall. Even before the election, he was saying things like: "Oh, they're gonna rig the election against me, folks", and his rhetoric was so toxic that at Republican debates, the moderators were asking him things like: "If you lose the election, will you abide by the peaceful transfer of power?" Which, of course, he didn't agree to.
I mean, yes, he hadn't actually incited people to try to overthrow the government at that point, but he very much was on record saying that that was his intention.
An event that simultaneously eliminates the love affair a majority of Americans have with capitalism followed by sufficient legislative representation to push for changes that benefit individuals and not corporations.
From what I see, Trump is indicative of a growing trend, generally by conservatives to bring religion and their beliefs into government.
Trump is more absolutist and authoritarian than many other political candidates that I have seen.
To my best understanding of the current climate of the people who support him, they want more authoritarian control over what other people do. Partly in an effort to make themselves more comfortable in their own social interactions with others. So their assumptions of things like, women have curves, and men wear pants and have beards, and men like women and women like men, etc, are always correct, despite the fact that reality disagrees with them.
They're always on the lookout for any way for them to improve their socio-economic standing as well, with the basic concept of more for me, less for everyone else.
I believe that to them, Trump is a means to an end. Less for everyone else, more for them. More of their rules, and values, imposed on others, whether others want it or not.
Take for example, gay marriage. IMO, it's just marriage, eg. Two people who love eachother pledging their intention to continue to love and support eachother. My view is starkly contrasted by their view of "marriage is between a man and a woman before God!" (Or similar). Something something, the sanctity of marriage.... Blah blah. Nobody seems to care about divorce rates though the writings they're imposing on others pretty clearly state that marriage before God is a joining of souls in permanent matrimony and cannot and will not be broken. Ever. But I digress. Since they're opposed to gay marriage, they don't want it to be allowed, though it's clearly discrimination. Arguing about "Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve" and whatnot. The authoritarian, bull headed, my way out the highway mindset of someone like Trump, can actually achieve such goals. He's absolutist. Whether he believes in the prohibition of gay marriage or not.
On a personal note, I hope all the LGBTQ+ people get all the same rights to be as happy or as miserable as the cis/straight people. You're all fabulous and I love you all as brothers/sisters/siblings (for the gender ambiguous). I personally will continue to support you and fight along side all of you for equality.
Circling back to the point, this viewpoint can be copied and pasted on a number of issues that the right may not feel that they are properly represented on. Another good example is abortion; but that has mostly played out with the whole roe v. Wade thing, so I won't go into more detail there, despite the fact that I have a lot of things to say about it.
I think that demonstrates the point. They don't value him for what/who he is, they value him more for what he can do for them... To accomplish their goals and impose their ideals on everyone else. His ethical deficiencies and disregard for anyone's opinion, well-being, and opinion, are desirable features for them.
They're pushing for oppression of anyone who is different from them, trying to move up their capitalist ladder of success. Trump is just the latest tool that they're trying to use to accomplish that goal.
Meanwhile the supreme court is hearing a case that may make it impossible for the feds to regulate anything. The Koch brothers (America's oligarchs) are behind it. They are still mad about the regulations on oil drilling waste.
I'm still confused why some of the right wing people do some things. This is a good example of something I cannot make sense of. I can only guess it's in the same vein as absolute freedom, which is a core philosophy for some people, not necessarily just right wing people.
IMO, government regulations can, and often do, help the country as a whole. Absolute freedom borders on anarchy too closely for me.
“marriage is between a man and a woman before God!
Ummm.. but what about all the men in the bible with many wives. There was no one man one wife thing in almost the entire Bible. Almost all of the people who are touted to be amazing examples of God's peopel... were polygamists... and since that wasn't enough, they would have the concubines on the side. Point that out and they run away.
Ummm… but what about all the men in the bible with many wives. There was no one man one wife thing in almost the entire Bible. Almost all of the people who are touted to be amazing examples of God’s peopel… were polygamists… and since that wasn’t enough, they would have the concubines on the side. Point that out and they run away.
There's several points in the Gospel where Christ points at a departure from this though, right, like in Matthew 19 and Matthew 22, but the most poignant passage is 1 Corinthians 7:
2 But since sexual immorality is occurring, each man should have sexual relations with his own wife, and each woman with her own husband. 3 The husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband. 4 The wife does not have authority over her own body but yields it to her husband. In the same way, the husband does not have authority over his own body but yields it to his wife. 5 Do not deprive each other except perhaps by mutual consent and for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control. 6 I say this as a concession, not as a command. 7 I wish that all of you were as I am. But each of you has your own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that.
8 Now to the unmarried[a] and the widows I say: It is good for them to stay unmarried, as I do. 9 But if they cannot control themselves, they should marry, for it is better to marry than to burn with passion.
The purpose of getting married is the relief of sexual lust - and since we are talking about just relieving it, the idea of having multiple wives or concubines on the side is a perversion of this. We can even look at the story of King David and Bathsheba as an example of why you shouldn't covet moaaarr wamen. It has been pointed out before that, like, adultery and lust are so powerful and pertinent that 2 of the 10 commandments are about it...
So i would say that one of the clarifications that exist, and one of the new usherings in of Christianity, is strict monogamy, and also praise for monasticism...
I think it's simpler than that. Conservatism, at its core, has always been a purely reactionary opposition to liberal and progressive politics. In the modern era, it has felt the need to wrap itself in something resembling a positive ideology which presents thinly falsifiable policy positions, regardless of how narrow and mutable those ideological boundaries might be. Because until recently, abject, reactionary nihilism has been seen as a losing position.
Trump has freed conservatives from that burden. No longer do they need to create and defend any flimsy intellectual basis for their reactionary stances - Trump has presented a completely liturgical basis for conservative nihilism, and in doing so, he has freed millions of anti-intellectual CHUDS from the burden of thinking, and they love him for it.
Conservatism, at its core, has always been a purely reactionary opposition to liberal and progressive politics. In the modern era, it has felt the need to wrap itself in something resembling a positive ideology which presents thinly falsifiable policy positions, regardless of how narrow and mutable those ideological boundaries might be.
Well, there's two major divides within conservatism as it plays out today, right?
Classical liberalism, we can call one, and then populist conservatism...
Classical liberal Republicans/Libertarians are highly principled and highly progressive with very positive, engaging values - think about these old guys like Paul Findley who were fundamentally isolationist, anti-war, pro-Palestine conservatives, that truly believed in Hayek's Constitution of Liberty and that the key to bettering humans is through decentralization of power, minimal government, and human freedom.
And then there is conservatism that goes back to, like, tradition or populism.
Of course, these things often combine, but I think you need to treat conservatism with a lot of nuance because otherwise you are just dismantling a strawman.
Because until recently, abject, reactionary nihilism has been seen as a losing position.
Revolutionary nihilism is how radical liberalism was portrayed by Dostoevsky in the Devils - a great book - and it does make sense, because we see at its root that some of these radical movements actually were about reinventing all of society around totally new principles and annihilating what has hitherto been normalized in Western civilization...
Yes, there is like the Nietzschean reactionaries who want to build the New Man, but yeah, it's still a losing position. I do not even think that guys like BAP are even on that level - like some of the hardcore neopagan LARP squad certainly envisions a completely new basis to muh Western civilization. But it's not like Varg Vikernes is a viable option - in spite of how wildly popular Black Metal became after hipsters getting into blackgaze and shit after ironic Pitchfork album reviews, not even one of the most seminal figures in the genre can be anything much more than a joke for having these beliefs.
I think one of the problems we have is the paranoia about this stuff - you act as if the right is really some monster that is rising to swallow the country in a wave of Fascism, but it's not the right who are anywhere near successfully removing their opponents from ballots.
I mean, unless you were one of the several hundred thousand people who died or lost loved ones to COVID for entirely preventable reasons. Or someone who's not a complete shit human being who actually cares about their country being a democracy. But yeah. If you are a shit human being and you believe that COVID was caused by 5G networks or something, then sure. Trump was a great president.
You mean to say that at the end of his term, a deadly virus hit the whole world and he couldn't get a vaccine created in time to save everyone? Come on man, what could anyone have done in that timeframe? Does he get credit for the vaccine that Joe Biden and Democrats said they would NOT take because Trump recommended it? But when Biden took office was recommending it all day every day.
Secondly, our country is a republic, not a democracy--please lookup the Pledge of Allegiance.
Are you saying saying the Jan6 fiasco--where no one died (by the rioters), Democrats refused Trump's requests for National Guard, and no one was convicted of treason or insurrection--was worse than the summer of love--where cops were murdered, businesses and government buildings destroyed, all in the name of George Floyd, who died from a drug overdose?
I'm going to respond to this first, because I think it's the most succinct example of the point I'm about to make:
Secondly, our country is a republic, not a democracy–please lookup the Pledge of Allegiance.
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I think it's very unlikely that you know what either a republic or a democracy is. Because you seem to think that they're mutually exclusive, when in fact they are very much not. America, my slow friend, is a democratic republic. A republic is a political system in which a representative is given executive authority for a particular period of time. The "particular period of time" bit is what differentiates it from, say, a monarchy. Presidents in the US are elected every 4 years. This makes it a republic.
A democracy is a political system in which the populace as a whole is invested with the authority to vote on things. This can, and often does include representatives, such as a president.
So you see, America is both a Democracy AND a Republic, and the two are not mutually exclusive. There. Now that you've had the most basic of civics lessons that you as a potentially functional adult SHOULD HAVE ALREADY FUCKING KNOWN... let's get to the meat of what you replied with.
You mean to say that at the end of his term, a deadly virus hit the whole world and he couldn’t get a vaccine created in time to save everyone?
No. That would be stupid. Trump had no control over the virus any more than anybody else in the world did. And yet, he was the figurehead of the nation, and wielded executive authority that allowed him to take steps to mitigate its impact. This is the same for every other head of state in the world. So one has to ask why America did so poorly in its response to the virus compared to most of the rest of the world.
The truth is, at every turn, Trump did the dumbest, most harmful thing possible. Remember that time he speculated openly on the mic about whether you could inject bleach or shove a light bulb up your ass to kill COVID? Good times. Or that time when he caught COVID, was rushed to Walter Reed where he received treatments not available to the rest of the public, and then he ordered his secret service guys to drive him around (while not masked) to show the world that "hey - COVID's no big deal!"
I could go on with more, but I doubt you're going to read anything I've written anyway. Your last paragraph is somehow dumber than the ones before it, which is impressive. You have shown yourself to have very little in the way of critical thinking skills, which means you'll believe even the dumbest lies out there. Like your idiotic belief that the Democrats refused the National guard when there is video of Nancy Pelosi urgently requesting National Guard support. Or your even more idiotic belief that George Floyd died of a drug overdose only after being choked for 9 minutes.
I mean, my god man. How stupid can you possibly be? Have you never been taught how to examine things critically? Just, for the love of fuck, pull your head out of your ass and look at the real world around you once in a while. You have been repeatedly lied to by the people you're defending, and you're too dumb to see it.
I know what both are, but if we are to define what our government is, it would surely be a republic over a democracy. For example, if I said I ate an orange apple, I'm eating an apple, not an orange, even if it has some characteristics of an orange. Same could be said for democratic republic. Does it has democratic characteristics, yes, but it is a republic.
I don't luke how Trump handled the virus in every way, I'll give you that one. Depends on the study, but hydroxychloroquine has been effective for some, with all the variants and specific combinations of factors, it won't work for all, just like Tylenol or Motrin isn't a one stop fix for a headache.
With hundreds being put in jail for non-insurrection charges while Left media also claiming it was an insurrection for years, you can't belive that at all. Even before that the Russia election interference.
Critically think about it, do you really think Trump is the only one to do anything sketchy in politics? It's all a media and government circle jerk to make him unlikeable and ruin his name.
The good thing is that It's really is backfiring in a big way too because folks who can think critically see it's the Democrats so scared of corrupt, vile Trump they need to talk about him even when Biden won. They sure can't talk about Biden's efforts on immigration, economy, or war efforts, or even just walking and talking.
There is no confidence in our nation as soon as Trump left office. Stock markets plunged, inflation went up, used up our oil reserves, botched Afghan exit, wars popping up all over. I understand d you can be critical of both sides, and I do see Trumps flaws, but it is undeniable life during during Trump's presidency was better than now.
I know what both are, but if we are to define what our government is, it would surely be a republic over a democracy.
Bro. It's both. It's literally just both. It is a republic AND a democracy. They don't cancel each other out or anything. Dying on this hill is really not helping your case that you're not an idiot.
I don’t luke how Trump handled the virus in every way, I’ll give you that one.
Right. Nor does anybody with a shred of common sense who didn't want hundreds of thousands of Americans to die for no good reason.
With hundreds being put in jail for non-insurrection charges
They stormed the capitol, assaulted police officers, and tried to stop the transfer of power of the government. They are all traitors, every single one of them. Stop defending them.
If I'm a district attorney, and I have someone on assault and treason, and assault is easier to prove, then I'm going to charge them with assault. Especially when there's hundreds of cases to process. That's just common fucking sense, something you apparently lack.
Critically think about it, do you really think Trump is the only one to do anything sketchy in politics?
He's the only president we've had who was an actual traitor. So that's notable.
It’s all a media and government circle jerk to make him unlikeable and ruin his name.
Yes, those pesky media and their recording devices that accurately record the things he says and does. It's their fault he's unlikable and his name is ruined.
The good thing is that It’s really is backfiring in a big way too because folks who can think critically see it’s the Democrats so scared of corrupt, vile Trump they need to talk about him even when Biden won.
He's a fucking traitor, you idiot. And he's the front-runner for the Republican party. He could be president again. It's fucking terrifying. Of course people are talking about him. If you motherfuckers had any sense of civic pride or patriotism, Trump would have zero chance of ever coming near any position of authority again for the rest of whatever remains of his life. But, of course, the Republican party is a hive of scum and villainy, and you would rather elect an actual traitor who has systematically grifted you for years than someone who thinks that trans people and gay people deserve civil rights.
Stock markets plunged, inflation went up,
Yes. That was definitely Joe Biden's doing, and not the global fucking pandemic that lasted for several years and caused enormous financial impacts on every country in the world. You fucking idiot.
I understand d you can be critical of both sides
Do you? Because I don't think you do. You seem totally cool with having a woefully unqualified, incompetent con artist who has already committed treason against the United States becoming president again. Seems to me like you wouldn't know critical thinking if it walked up and shoved its fist up your asshole.
Sadly and most disturbing is the knowledge that the people wanting to elect him back into office are the very people who will mostly be destroyed by his being in office, and the ones who will be the first to be forgotten and trampled in the ensuing horror shitshow.
Even in 2016 it was obvious what kind of person he was. His "good" supporters claimed that being President would change him for the better. We all knew then that they were wrong. We all know now that they were lying.
This. There were plenty of articles pointing out how Trump supporters were already saying "he doesn't REALLY mean that" about the extreme policies he was pushing.
If a presidential candidate promises to something horrible, you take it seriously and vote against him. The end. Except we as Americans don't know that.
Trump is charismatic because he's a narcissist. Not in spite of it, but because there's a direct causal link.
This plays into a host of factors for the afflicted, including poor self esteem, familiarity with (and abuse from) other narcissists, and a whole lot more. This is very, very bad news because it suggests that a huge swath of the country is coping with some degree of mental health problems. The current system is pretty good at handling full-blown disorders, but anything less gets a pass or maybe is held at bay with minimal intervention. The bad part is that folks are predisposed to overt manipulation like we've seen in the last two presidential elections, because of it.
Edit: Usually I like posting things like this along with a solution, rather than just alarming people. In this case, I feel the need to post the core problem at hand, so that maybe people can see what they're actually up against, and focus their efforts in the right place. Unfortunately, I have no idea what the right answer is here, but I'm willing to talk to anyone about it. Thanks for reading.
People don't like being told they can't do/have something, even if it is bad for them or they don't actually want to do it. Like how dogs will bark at closed doors (Barrier Frustration) or telling a kid to clean his room makes him not want to do it. Trying to keep him off of the ballot or putting him in prison, even if it is the legal consequence of his own actions, makes people want to vote for him more.
I hate this take so much. I see it all the time. "We can't kick Trump off the ballot! I mean, yes, he's a traitor, and yes he tried to overthrow the government, and yes we have a specific clause of a constitutional amendment that is meant to prevent traitors from assuming office again, but think of how much better it would be if he's allowed to run anyway and he loses???"
Ok. But what if he wins? If he wins, we can say goodbye to the form of government we've had for the last 250 years. That shit's out the window the second that traitorous fuck takes office. Gone. You really want to risk that just so that the optics are better?
They were proud when Hilary called them 'deplorable.' If the Times called them out, it would just prove what they already believe; that they are being oppressed by the elites.
Sure. It is the fault of people with common sense that other people vote for fascists. This argument is so bullshit. If you support a fascist because someone said something mean you always were open to the idea of fascism. So you always have been a shit human being. No comment would change this.
they are right to fear judgement, and i don't care what motivates ignorant pigs.. if you voted for Trump, you're no longer my countryman or neighbor, and i will never give a shit what happens to you or your family.. if you bring your children to me hungry, i will feed you and them a bowl of shit..
Way to dehumanize people simply because you don't agree with their political candidate. Your entire comment can be copied, with replacing Trump with Biden and sent back at you. Wonder how it would make you feel if people started treating you that way.
you've done a good job explaining how stupid and childish all Trump supporters are.. they think Trump and Biden are the same thing, and just a preference..
fuck them.. all of Trump's crimes are on their heads, and they will stick forever.. they are all selfish, irresponsible scum.. all of my votes were taken in good conscience.. there is no redemption for the treason of voting for Trump..
I think the post is literally implying that in previous elections, you absolutely could make the argument that people were being fooled, but that's no longer true. People voting for this guy are doing so not because they've been tricked, but because they want to and are doing so with open eyes.
I thought it was because people like Asmongold make youtube videos indirectly encouraging it, saying stuff like "He's actually gonna win the election due to the power of memes and his stupid NFT's, WOW OMG GUYS! How many of you voted for him! Let's POLL it!".
Yeah. At this point (honestly by 2020 no matter what) there's no question. The only two possibilities are a multi-million-Democrat conspiracy against him, or the dude's guilty of 21 major crimes related to election theft.
But Trump voters actually support the idea that it's ok for the Republican to steal an election. Simple as that.
I don't think it's about feeling some kind of superiority. I think it's important to keep telling each other this so we remember - this is who they are. They are not rational thinking individuals.
The reason being that we cannot waste any time or energy thinking they can be redeemed. All our energy needs to be spent on making sure we vote and everyone we know votes. Because they will be voting and voting Trump, and won't be changing their minds. And that vote is a threat to our freedoms and our democracy.
Is that how you see the world, better and worse? To me it’s simply a statement of fact. They are clearly not rational actors. They are voting emotionally - fear, anger, hate.
Before you say it, yes, we all vote with some emotion, but these people are voting against their own best interests in almost every aspect of politics just for some brief dopamine hit to own the libs.
Why do we hate the people who are easily fooled rather than the people who are doing the fooling?
The problem is willful ignorance. A lot of Trump supporters knew better from day 1 and chose to be easily fooled. I had a friend when I was a kid who used to cheer on the defendants in court cases when he thought they were guilty of heinous crimes because they got to "fuck with the system" if they got off. People like that grew up to vote for Trump because he would "fuck with the system".
I think it's ok to hate someone who voted for Trump BECAUSE they wanted to elect an enemy of the majority. It might not be productive to hate them, but it's okay to.
How long and how loudly... how open will their distaste for right wing
We're dumb evil immoral pedophiles who are going to hell, and every time we try to cooperate with them in any way they backstab us and then blame us. What exactly are we losing standing up to them when they're going to punch us whether or not we do?
I am starting to feel like you could just switch a few words around and then the shit we believe about them and the shit they believe about is identical
The concept is assymetry. The most obvious (Godwinian) example is to take virtually any anti-Nazi quote and intersperse the word "Jew". All of a sudden it becomes horrible and bigoted. You can absolutely then take any anti-Jew bigotry and say the word "Nazi", and it suddenly becomes just and true.
Why? Because Trump Supporters and Democrats ARE fundamentally different. The best answer to the paradox of tolerance says that tolerance is a social contract - we are to be tolerant to those others who accept to follow that contract, but it can be open season (in terms of intolerance, not violence) for those who do not.
I’ve been lucky enough to have some conversations with Trump voters and they have indeed said some dumb ass shit. But nothing unexpected, they’re all from fox n shit
Sure, in a few cases. In others, it was more on the tune of:
"I voted for Trump because he's going to raise taxes on the poor so they pay their fair share"
or
"I voted for Trump because he promised to get rid of illegal immigrants. Just because there aren't many in my state doesn't mean they're not CRIMINALS who should be removed at all costs!"
or
"I voted for Trump because he's going to do some crazy stuff like leave the Paris Climate Agreement. This is going to be fucking entertaining and I'll have my popcorn. People are gonna get PISSSSSED"
or
"I really don't like Trump, but no politician is perfect and I'm willing to deal with Trump because he's going to help us finally ban abortion".
It's ok. It's so common that companies teach classes on interpreting (or not over-interpreting) emotion into email. It's one of multiple reasons people often get into heated arguments on the interrnet when they would not in person.
I remember when my older sister said she's would vote Bush because she's was worried about her children's future and tur'rists. In her mind, if she's didn't vote conservative, her children's would suffer, somehow.
Suggesting third party is like having 2 loved ones taken hostage and held at gunpoint, being forced to pick one, then picking neither and letting both get shot because to pick one is to support the murder of one of your loved ones.
I get the sentiment, genocide is fucking horrifying and it's sickening that the US government is actively funding it, but there doesn't exist a solution within the bounds of electoralism.
This analogy is wrong. If one of them is to get shot anyways, then the other person won't get shot. Three options:
Person 1 gets shot
Person 2 gets shot
Nobody gets shot
The question is whether you are trying to prevent it or actively endorse a person getting shot. Because if enough people would not endorse it, nobody would get shot.
The ends do not justify the means! That is exactly the logic that the IDF uses. "We just kill all the 2 million Palestinians, and then we can live in safety!". Supporting genocide is not a justifiable way to "save democracy" (whatever that even means).
Vote Cornel West. Vote Jil Stein. Or if the Democrats finally get their head of of their ass and get a Non-Zionist like AOC on there, Vote for them.
Nah, not how it works. Trump gets elected, and far more extreme fascism becomes normalized and the courts get packed with even more evil scumbags. Genocide continues, possibly at an accelerated pace.
Biden gets elected, genocide continues, but on the ground fascism isn't enabled and there's more room for grassroots leftist movements to take place.
There isn't a third party option, that's a farce of the 2 party system. It doesn't actually exist, it's to provide the illusion that the American people actively support the current 2 parties, rather than passively supporting them. Its not a real option and never has been.
I was responding to a transphobe saying his opinion about an issue he knows nothing about is not valid compared to the lived experience of trans people.
Also I'm Canadian. Check my post history. It's all there.
Yeah I noticed that. I was confused about the mass down voting. Not sure if he deleted his comment or I clicked the wrong response arrow.
Either way, when I see people posting nazi propaganda about trans people (or anyone for that matter) I tend to get defensive.
People forget that when the nazis got into power they didn't go straight for the Jewish community, they dipped their toes in the water by going after the lgbtq community first. Once they got away with that they knew they could go after the disabled, Jews and Roma etc. The Republicans are currently following the nazi playbook.
Well I feel bad for flaming you. Might want to make an edit clarifying that you weren't responding to OP, because you really look like a Trump voter saying lol to this post
I'm kinda surprised I'm getting down voted for pointing out someone has a bigoted opinion about an issue they have no knowledge about. As someone whose actually been dealing with gender dysphoria since the 1970s I've become rather knowledgeable about the subject and as someone careening towards 50 I don't have the patience to coddle bigots.
Even in 2016 it was clear he was a con artist. He literally said in one of the debates that he wouldn't accept the results of the election if he lost.
Cue 2020: shocked Pikachu face
I think everyone expected him to cry fowl when he lost in 2020. I think being a little surprised that he'd go so far as to stage a violent coup is probably understandable.
If you cry fowl you probably need to see a doctor to get your tear ducts checked out.
tear *ducks. Fixed that for you
I can’t believe I missed it.
Figuratively, though. It wouldn’t be difficult to imagine Trump squawking like a chicken and flapping his arms while turning in a tight circle when something truly upsetting to him occurred.
*Tear ducks
I'm sure Dick Cheney will be able to get that sorted out for you.
Why are we acting like Jan 6th was the only logical reason to be against him by that point?
Have we just forgotten his presidency? There was already no excuses going into 2020, especially with the COVID deaths.
We aren't. The context was "he said he wouldn't accept the election results" not "why should nobody vote for a fascist".
He's easily the most corrupt president in US history. From start to finish it was just a long game of him trying to figure out how he could bilk more money out of his supporters, the united states, foreign powers, etc. And since his supporters are a bunch of racist nazis, he put corrupt racist nazis in charge of nearly every executive branch position.
Anyone voting for Trump is a terrible person.
Since Trump supporters won't defend their own ideas I will emulate one for you right now.
"Trump rightfully won the election and Biden is an illegitimate president." Uhm, not sure if they actually believe this... I guess they said it once?
"Trumps plan to destroy the deep state will save the country." Is that something they say?
Honestly guys I can't. They are all batshit and I don't think they believe anything.
I can say that it was not the only reason. (After all, he did lose the 2020 election) In 2016, I voted for Trump. This was because my friends did too. I thought he was going to drain the swamp so to speak. He had very good slogans and populist policies that appealed to the masses. He made you feel seen.
This changed when he kept on with his attempted Muslim ban, rhetoric to lock people up, and name calling throughout the first three years. There were some bright spots, such as better finding to CBP and policy changes to alleviate our court system (still not perfect as one needs more resources in the court system too) The Trump administration actually engaged over in Central Asia which had a noticeable impact over there. My dad had pointed out that the Government was doing some good work not quite making it to the mainstream media. I noticed Britain leave the EU for questionable reasons because of the same forces. I read the Mueller Report on Russian interference in the 2016 election (and barely remember it four years later)
I thought that it was likely that the Russians colluded with the Republicans, but it could not be proven. And it could have remained that way if not for Trump's first impeachment. Trump withheld aid to Ukraine in return for finding dirt on his political rival Joe Biden as well as trying to pin the election interference on Ukraine. This impeachment had a man I highly respect break from his own party and vote to convict for abuse of power. But he was the only one who would stand against the tide.
Three years in, I could be counted as a swing voter, favoring neither party. I had seen the Republican party pay lip service to Christian values and yet fail to have integrity. I had a mild dislike of Trump and was starting to think his policies were not implemented correctly. Then Covid happened
I lost my job, was chronically online, and listened to a lot of podcasts. Trump had a really bad messaging problem then. I thought he needed to throw his phone in the toilet and stay off of Twitter. He recommended hydroxycloroquine as a treatment which was kind of dumb. He didn't support his governors when they would lock down states for public health and instead would berate my own governor for trying to save lives. The more extreme Michigan Republicans would compare her to Hitler (Godwin's law at work) and Trump would engage with that. This mostly made me appreciate Governor Whitmer more as she was making good policy decisions.
A couple months go by and George Floyd was killed by police officers in Minneapolis. This was murder. People would be protesting the police brutality that pervades police departments everywhere. The police unions that let problematic officers go from one police department to another and spread their often racist policies. There were protests everywhere from DC to Seattle. While many conservatives will focus on the shit show that was CHAZ, I saw the one in DC. Especially on one morning when security services cleared the park for Donald J Trump to go across the street for a photo op. This photo op was front of a church where he held a Bible upside down. And in that moment, I saw the Trump presidency as a fake Christian presidency. It didn't matter how pro-life he was or how many pastors endorsed him anymore. That ruined it forever for me.
The following months would only serve to cement that opinion as I saw him lay the groundwork for denying the election by discrediting mail in voting, especially as there was much more need of it than previous elections. I thought this was a stupid move as he would be undermining Democratic legitimacy. Little did I know, that was the point. We all know what happens next though. The election happens, Trump is defeated, launches over 50 lawsuits, wins one, and changes zero districts. He incites a riot at the Capitol. He spreads conspiracy theories. He blackmails a secretary of state. He gets impeached again and gets acquitted again.
But you know that part of the story
...apparently as a distraction while he worked with Lawyers to setup fake faithless electors to invalidate the results of states he lost.
*con man. Con Artists have an actual skill.
Oh, and men don’t?? You’ve now begun your tour of my victim complex.
or the "russia, if you're listening..."
Or in Helsinki when he said that he believed Putin over his own intelligence officers.
He didn’t respect the results when he won. He saw that he lost the popular vote and cried about it for ages.
He physically mocked a disabled news reporter during his campaign.
He openly said the way to get women is to grab them by the pussy during his campaign.
He openly admitted to being a racist dumbass with the whole "build the wall" during his campaign.
Yeah I'd say it was pretty cut and dry that he was a special kind of dog shit from the beginning.
The OP is proof of how much Trump has stretched the overton window, to the point that you can find liberals saying that 2016 Trump might have had a pass for some.
Yeah Trump has been openly fascist since long before he became president. Anyone with two ears and a functional brain could see that.
Yup we have a presumed presidential candidate openly talking about how he going to be a dictator
Exactly. And all of these commenters saying "Yes, well what if the person we're talking about is just media illiterate and doesn't pay attention to politics or has been incredibly successfully hiding under a rock for the last 8 years"... literally all someone has to do to determine that Trump is a horrible excuse for a human being is to read anything he's ever said or watch any of his appearances on camera. Any of them. Take your pick. If you can't clock that he's a fucking monster within 5 minutes of whatever clip he's in, then either you have no understanding of the difference between right and wrong, or you're dumb as hell. And if you do clock that he's a shithead and vote for him anyway, that makes you as bad as he is.
And hey, I get it. There are some incredibly stupid people in this world. But, like, 73.5 million people voted for that fat orange idiot in 2020. So it seems statistically unlikely that all of those people would fall into that category. For all, or even the majority of Trump's voters to not be shit human beings would be a statistical wonder.
Not to rest from your overall message, but I have the one single clip where Trump is unironically saying something positive. Of course, this speaks more about how deranged a significant portion of the GOP is than about Trump.
Ok, fair enough. I stand corrected. I suppose it is possible that someone out there could have missed every other thing Trump has said and done except for this clip and gotten a favorable impression of him. I will try to not be so narrow-minded going forward.
Don't worry, I somehow doubt that hypothetical person exists lmao
Bible belt thinks he's the anti-christ and wants him to ruin the world so they can have their rapture.
Worse, if he’s the antichrist, they’re the choades who were suckered into believing him. They talk about how he’s picked by Jesus. Some pastors have given sermons about how he is an “imperfect vessel”. But I’ve never heard any say he’s the antichrist, not even close.
Not so sure about that.
Trump is openly saying that he's going to be a dictator. Trump is the Republican election pick. If you vote Republican, you vote for Trump, you're a shit bag faschie voting for fascism. Full stop.
I have long said the KKK traded their white hoods for red caps. Fuck the GOP.
I actually threw away my red Nike hat just to avoid the confusion. Fuck trump.
As an Angels fan I feel this so much 😭
I threw away my yellow shirts not to be confused with a Piss Boy.
He’s fighting in court claiming absolute immunity. He’s never going to stop committing crimes. Today he was in a courtroom for a defamation case while simultaneously defaming the sexual assault victim who’s suing him. They’re all fucking degenerates, every last one of them.
That's why SCOTUS has put off all requests for hearings in regards to Trump - They need him to win the election before they rule that presidents have total immunity so he can "Day One Dictator."
Trump's team is doing everything they can to delay his court cases past the election, I'd put up $50 saying SCOTUS will take the cases they're denying as soon as he's the president elect or whatevs.
But that's what they want... They want a dictator because they don't want the president who can't do anything because his hands are tied by complicated political checks and balances. They want a president that doesn't care about the courts or the legislation that they disagree with. They want the president who pushes authoritative action through the bureaucracy. Unfortunately they don't understand that those actions will never be to aid them but only aid himself.
Well if Trump tries the dictator thing we can always try out that 2nd Amendment thing.
I'd like to remind everyone that some of us are shit people but haven't and still don't support Trump.
"Look, I might be a shit person, but even I have standards."
Don't you dare excuse the 2020 voters. That man's platform was standing on top of the corpses of thousands of people dead because of his active undermining of efforts to handle the pandemic.
Stop trying to retroactively make this shit reasonable. It was outrageous and unforgivable long, long before now.
Almost all of my coworkers are Trumpers, can confirm, they are all shit people.
Centrists: It's not all Republicans that support extremist candidates, there's still lots of non-extremists in the party!
Iowa caucus: Trump 51.0% DeSantis 21.2% Haley 19.1% Ramaswamy 7.7%
Leaving 1.0% or less that don't support an extremist candidate
At 1% or less, you can assume we're talking about people who signed up for the wrong caucus by accident or something.
*of the ones voted in the extreme weather
Mmm. And what's going to be the excuse after the New Hampshire primary next week?
Something like 14% of Iowan voters actually turned out. So 51% of that. It's still not ideal of course 🤷
I don't think the Iowa caucuses are like normal voting. It's more like an event:
https://youtu.be/wP3d5sG-QM8
I don't think a single person under 40 was in that room, so these numbers and results track.
I mean, 75,000 less people voted overall than in the 2016 caucus. Granted most of those probably died of covid or just didn't want to go in the cold, but still...
I read on here a few days ago about Haley being representative of the LEAST extreme. That many of her voters would just end up voting Biden, even though they don't agree with most of the politics.
I could almost give them benefit of the doubt. Anyone ignorant enough to call Biden socialist though is immediately not worth talking to
Haley? As in Nikki "slavery wasn't a cause of the Civil War" Haley? Nikki "six week abortion ban" Haley? Nikki "withdraw the US from the Human Rights Council because of its 'chronic bias against Israel'" Haley?
Nikki "saying everything she thinks GOP wants to hear to get elected" Haley, yes.
I think Republicans are all selfish assholes, but the ones who are willing to avoid having trump as president can at least read
I'm kinda baffled that we're a decade deep into this and people are still hung up on the fact that despite knowing their figurehead is an asshat, genuinely good people can have the level of cognitive dissonance to simultaneously support what they believe he represents, while also ignoring his actions.
There are societal divisions to the very bedrock of the USA - Trump is a symptom, not the condition.
I agree to an extent but there's a certain point where cognitive dissonance can't be the excuse. We're long past that. There have been countless wake-up calls, off-ramps, breaking points, etc. if absolutely none of them, not one, has made you stop and reconsider after all this time, then what will?
Frankly, if you're so ethically and mentally shattered as a human being that cognitive dissonance is enough to make you support a man that has done every possible thing under the sun over the course of 8 years to illustrate what a walking cancer he is on society, then there's no fundamental difference between you and the actual goose-stepping supporters, because you will ultimately behave exactly the same regardless. There's nothing anyone can say or do to help you, so why should anyone waste their time concerning themselves with whether or not you're a true asshole or just mislead.
I always wonder how many people would have to openly say they are part of a new "American White Nationalism group" before it hits critical mass and most of the other white people cower with their tails between their legs and go over to join them? I think the percent is lower than it should be, I really think the threat would only need to look credible to hit that point. So what 30%? Who knows maybe even 25 or 20%.
At the beginning of 2016 maybe you could say that. By late 2016 it was obvious what kind of person he was. Nobody after that gets a pass.
Indeed. "Grab them by the pussy" and his mocking of a disabled person all made it very clear. Anyone still on board with him after that was a certified asshole.
Most Trump supporters just believe every negative story about him is a government conspiracy created to try to keep him out of power.
The lawsuits, the criminal charges, the COVID deaths... They think they're all lies of the liberal media.
How do you fight that?
Offer them something better. They support Trump because he makes them feel:
The opposition has to overcome these powerful emotions. Currently, they are kinda banking on a decisive victory in court. That might be enough to dispel some of the enchanted, but will only encourage the most fervent. Worse, if it doesn't get him locked up or disqualify him from running, it's going to increase his power.
The best way to fight it is with a candidate that can beat him. I hope Biden is capable of pulling it off a second time.
Besides Trump himself, there are systemic issues that we should be fighting over. The electoral collage system is a huge problem that isn't going away. 2000 and 2016 elections won by candidates with fewer votes.
Gerrymandering is also a big reason why he has as much support as he enjoys. Honestly, I might not care as much if he were president if Congress and State legislatures weren't so out of wack with our population distributions. Representative government my ass. Land is straight up voting and it should piss us all off way more.
In 2016 that candidate was Bernie
True
If only Biden backed out, their win would be guaranteed
Having a functioning brain?
If there was a grand government conspiracy to keep Trump from power, why didn't they keep him from power the first time? And why has this conspiracy been so ineffective at disappearing or otherwise fast-tracking a baseless trial against him to convict and imprison him? Why hasn't the CIA or FBI simply taken him out, given their historic track record of taking out foreign or domestic politically problematic persons?
What conspiracy could be so ineffective as to permit him to not only rise to power, but to attain it for a time, and to try to reclaim it?
It's difficult to trust anything when you firmly believe the source of the well is tainted. There's a religiosity to it.
I as a Canadian just don't get the appeal. He's not handsome by any stretch so there's no ascetic attraction.
He's not nearly as wealthy as he claims he is so it can't be admiration for his success.
He's got zero charisma so it can't be his charm.
He's as dumb as a pile of rocks so it can't be they admire his intelligence.
He's got the athletic prowess of a half dead goldfish and the skin tone of one so it can't be his physical ability.
I honestly just can't fathom the appeal.
He appeals to the hateful, and the stupid. He wants to hurt the people they want hurt. It's that simple.
I imagine if you were also as dumb as a pile of rocks you'd think he was perfectly smart.
There is no appeal, they're just too stupid to understand his flaws.
We are talking about Americans here. They aren't the brightest people. So to most of these points they think the opposite.
Because legacy, independent, and basement medias are constantly beaming images of Trump at them, and when they're given no other option of ideas that's the only one they know. That's why I find it hard to believe that Trump is a Russian asset, then it would mean the media is also owned by Russians, but they're not, they're owned by Western billionaires. Trump has been engineered by the ruling class, and so has his popularity.
You think that Donald Trump won because too many people saw his picture on TV?
I'm going to say he won because he said the quiet part out loud and a good chunk of Americans are just dumb bigoted fucks. Especially now.
Ding!! The ruling class used Trump to weaponize bigotry.
Whats fucked up is as I've watched all of this unfold, I can't help but briefly entertain the idea that those fuckers all decided to do their own version of Richmond Valentine's Plan from Kingsman:
A lot of people have explanations based on rational reasoning, like if they see the same facts that we do, but reach different conclusions. But these explanations always come off feeling a bit, I dunno, wobbly. What if it's not rational at all? What if it's a form of brainwashing, or something like hypnosis?
What Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin and Viktor Orbán Understand About Your Brain
I think that when a person with a relatively normal level of intelligence hears the word salad that Trump routinely strings together, their response is usually along the lines of: "What the hell is that idiot saying now?"
But when a MAGAT hears him speak, they think: "Well shit. I can't understand what he's saying, and I think I'm pretty smart, so he must be a genius!"
A big part of it that few are willing to look at is the that it is a reaction to the rapid, forceful acceptance of transgender issues in our society and i totally get it. Im not willing to support fascism though just cause i want things to change... im also not willing to argue about this with anyone cause people on both sides of this issue are as closed minded as it gets. edit: i've indulged this more than i planned on. i'm now done responding. I'd be happy to explain myself further, even arguing, but the LGBTQ agenda has taken over the internet and anything i have to say that goes against it gets removed because i'm "being a bigot."... this is fascism guys. MAGA is fascist, LGBTQ is fascist... go ahead and take my words down now. Have a nice day.
Oh! How terrible for you! How can you possibly manage to live your life now that you're aware of other people's hardships? This is totally unfair for you!
you're projecting... have a nice day.
What part of our society is catering to them? The part where we decide it's wrong to attack them because they are transgender? The part where we think it's okay for them to have the same rights as everyone else? Please tell.
Not to take away from your message, but what you've called out is under the umbrella of 'intersex' and genetic disorders, not necessarily trans. There can be large overlap between the two, but they are separate things.
I'm actually not trans, but I've never felt like anyone was "forcing me to participate" in trans culture or society. On the other hand, I have often felt like religious people were pressuring me into their system of beliefs, so if we're worrying about that sort of pressure, then we should start there.
You know you sound like a nazi and yet you keep repeating the same nazi propaganda.
Do you complain about accommodation for anyone else? 🤔 All you have to do is literally not say something offensive to a trans person. That's it. You don't have to like trans people, you don't have to like gay people. Hell, you don't even have to like black people if you're a racist. BUT YOU HAVE TO LEAVE THEM ALONE. That is literally all you're required to do. If leaving people alone is a problem I'm afraid it's a you problem.
Zero specifics, just platitudes, very cool. Classic right wing 😎
I feel like your last sentence should inspire some introspection for you haha
I didn't say im not willing to change my mind, i said im not willing to argue about it... with people on the internet
"...im also not willing to argue about this...cause closed minded as it gets"
I didn't say im not willing to change my mind, i said im not willing to argue about it... with people on the internet
Hate to tell you but I'm non binary. I'm 49 and knew in 1978 that I was the wrong gender.
I'm also neurodivergent and there is compelling evidence that there is a connection between gender dysphoria and neurodivergant disorders like adhd and autism.
Maybe accepting trans people is simply learning to accept that people are built different and that something that is part of a person's disability should be accepted because people with disabilities should be accepted.
You're welcome to believe whatever you want to believe but i don't believe you and i'm not going to argue about it. Have a nice day.
This is a belief that people have, i do not share their belief but i still hope they have a nice day. take it or leave it, im not going to explain any further.
What belief? You think transgender people are just making it up?
That's an interesting way to say "I'm a bigot."
label me however you want, it doesn't mean you're right... have a nice day
I love how you transphobes think that you know some stranger's internal life much better than they know it themselves. So fucking arrogant.
As a trans person, I absolutely disagree with you on that topic. But I do agree that a lot of the people supporting trump are single-issue voters, whether it be LGBT rights, abortion, immigration, etc.
Have you tried just minding your own business?
You know, just placing "being a bigot" in quotation marks doesn't make you not a bigot. You are very much a bigot. Like, the very definition of one. So if you've got a problem with that, I suggest you take it up with Merriam-Webster.
All of his supporters in 2016 were also bad people. They saw the "grab them by the pussy" tape, they saw him make fun of a disabled person, and thought he was still a worthy candidate for their vote.
Whenever I brought this up to my Trump-supporting aunt (who lives in the UK) she would just wave it off and say, "Oh that's fake news." I genuinely think they're incapable of even entertaining those facts, let alone seeing them and supporting them as you say. It's an absurd level of brainwashing.
Oh, I got sick of Trump so quickly that around a year after he got in office I was just catering discussions with "Why would you support a known and admitted rapist?" Doesn't advance the conversation with those fools, but it certainly ends it.
Belief is social. People struggle to believe things that clash with their in group. They'll go to great lengths to avoid it.
When I actually talk with Trump supporters, it's very clear to me that many don't actually support trump. Or, at least, not the trump we see. It's usually a case of leading a busy life and making the mistake of trusting a news org to tell you the truth of the matter when you have five minutes to catch up. And if you pick one that supports trump ...well you see where this goes. It is admittedly clear that people don't understand the gravity of the situation—but as a result, the 'crime' is usually ignorance, not maliciousness. As always, the fact that this is a 'political' topic muddies the water, and no one understands what the other side actually wants. We do agree on most things, it's just silly tribalism that makes us call a large portion of the population a "piece of shit".
There are always those outliers that are genuinely evil, but I do believe they're outliers.
I am sure they are out there, but I haven't actually met an open Trump supporter who isn't an unhinged lunatic. In a few cases, we have gone a lifetime without their awful politics coming out, until Trump comes up and then they are actually unashamed fascists, Christian nationalists, and conspiracy guzzling assholes.
Personally I don't care to characterize em as lunatics, because that word really only serves to categorize them into an entirely different realm of brain function, and I feel like that's counterproductive and misrepresents how fascism works. It's not that millions of people lose their minds and frothingly support fascism, it's that fascism is capable of presenting itself as something else, or necessary, to an otherwise normal in-group base using a number of psychological weak points, many of which have been exacerbated in the Internet age with little popular understanding.
To name one example, I think of some folks I knew in my hometown, brilliant engineers, electricians, people with extreme talent in one specific thing, living in places where diversity has been historically squashed so they've only known a snow globe's worth of the world. And, especially among the older generation, they're simultaneously not very social media savvy but also way too online... Once they're given a nebulous external force to fear, the final stop of that train should be a surprise to no one.
I don't say this to absolve fascists of personal blame, because well and truly fuck 'em, they are responsible nonetheless. But fantasizing that their brains are just broken and don't function like ours is missing the point. Everyone's susceptible to a grift, social media bubble, or wishful thinking of some kind. And when you factor in trauma as a politically neutral psychological force, human behavior suddenly becomes a lot less "stupid" and a lot more... frustrating. Pretending we're not weak to analogues of many of the same things is doing ourselves a disservice. We need a better standard than just doing what they do when they talk about trans people like we're space aliens incapable of reason.
To be fair, that's likely because the more reasonable ones are smart enough to know it's stupid to openly proclaim support of trump. It's likely that outlier group I mentioned that are 'open trump supporters'
"Be careful to attribute malice to actions taken by ignorance".
Something like that, I don't remember the quote correctly.
I'd say as a small counter-argument though, the amount of ignorance required to still support Trump is not something simply to hand wave away.
Hanlon's razor -- "Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity"
Yeah there's a huge mistake in assuming everyone is some politically engaged online person, most people live their lives and experience politics though media. They saw the media and people freaking out over Trump from the start, yet they experienced little to nothing during his Presidency that negatively impacted their lives in contrast.
Great way to rephrase my point, a lot more concise XD Sometimes I ramble.
Yess! You are so right and people should hear it!
Also I feel like social media and modern news networks have hugely reinforced this "tribalism". Unfortunately, negative news always does better than positive news so I can't see news/social media platforms turning around and trying to slow down this effect.
Glenn Greenwald actually talked about how Trump supporters are famously distrustful of (a) the Security State and (b) corporate media, and so there's only like two news sources that they show positive numbers for trust in - Fox and Newsmax.
What doesn't help is that they do lie about Trump, and make him out to be a literal insurrectionist... Think what you want about him in terms of his politics being colored by racism and Islamophobia (his Muslim ban was pretty nuts), but you can't call the guy an insurrectionist unless you greatly modify what an insurrection is and what it means to insight one. Things like this plus upgrading frivolous financial misdemeanors that megacorporations routinely violate to federal crimes in an effort to remove him from the ballot have a radicalizing effect...
But yeah, IDK, I'd vote for Trump over Biden because he is antiestablishment and his foreign policy is better in the long run.
Where do you get your definition of insurrection? I'd have thought that attempting to overthrow a democratically elected government to install yourself as dictator meets just about any definition.
That's a mere interpretation of what happened that would never stand up in a court of law, hence why no formal charges have been brought. It's completely speculative.
Which is exactly why we can't remove him from ballots or refer to it as an insurrection.
Remember the Iraq War? We referred to the opposition after Hussein fell as terrorists (not very accurate, very lame Zioconservative take), or as insurgents, which is accurate.
Insurgency implies some long term armed resistance. It can't refer to some impromptu riot on the police lines.
You didn't answer my question - where do you get your definition of insurrection?
Trump has already been found to have incited insurrection in court, and was disqualified from the ballot in Colorado for just that reason.
The stacking of the senate, failure of democracy and abandonment of the rule of law makes bringing federal charges pointless (see his multiple impeachments). This is a strange standard to try (and fail) to apply under the circumstances.
I suppose my definition is the one from the Oxford dictionary:
J6 cannot meet such a burden since it was not an organized attempt and it certainly wasn't violent in the way that a real move to overthrow the government would be, only violent in the sense that any disorganized protest can be.
... And while some people can toss around the word insurrection, you notice that there is no serious charge against Trump on this, because there can be no charge, since he said nothing nor does any other evidence exists which show he incited anyone to any illegal act, let alone an attempt to overthrow the government. This is only possible through assumption & interpretation of what happened that it was even an 'insurrection.'
✅ Pre-planned by several groups - remember the criticism Pelosi was facing because it was well known ahead of time that this attack was planned? Several organisations were involved - Oath Keepers, Proud Boys, NSC-131, Qanon... Yep.
✅ A transparent attempt to seize the capitol by force and overturn the election after loudly and consistently rejecting the results, coercing electors, posing as fake electors - not to mention decades of gerrymandering and voter suppression, but that's straying from insurrection into rigging elections... Yep.
✅ Aside from using force to achieve what they did, don't forget that there were caches of weapons and that Trump was trying to have the mag detectors removed. The insurrectionists were calling to hang members of parliament while forcing their way on to the floor, ransacking congressional offices, injuring cops... Yep.
What part of your definition do you think hasn't been met, again?
Trump hasn't been charged with insurrection because the Democrats are cowards and the Republicans and their appointed judges are corrupt. I'll rely on the dictionary for my definitions over relying on liberal cowardice and conservative corruption, thanks.
Nah, an insurrection is what was happening in Iraq after the 2003 invasion (and happening rightfully so).
If what occurred on J6 was an insurrection, it would have been explicitly violent or had a real organized plan for the literal overthrow of the government.
Even the ridiculous plan organized by the Proud Boys was not really an insurrection even though it involved demanding a re-vote (or a re-vote after a recount) because it ultimately wanted to preserve democratic norms, and the fools who came up with it sincerely believed that democracy was completely undermined by the last election... Which, arguably, it was.
Employing non-lethal means to occupy a place as a protest seems reasonable, doesn't it? This is what people did after the killing of George Floyd.
I don't think one could make that argument in 2020, though. The man led an insurrection attempt. All questions were answered.
In 2021.
He was calling for it during the campaign. Literally stood on a stage and told the Proud Boys to be ready.
Stop trying to act like this shit wasn't painfully obvious from the beginning. 2016, you maybe had some excuses, but after all the shit that happened in the 4 years he was in office, there is not a god damn thing anyone can use as an excuse for voting for him a second time. None.
I mean, the writing was on the wall. Even before the election, he was saying things like: "Oh, they're gonna rig the election against me, folks", and his rhetoric was so toxic that at Republican debates, the moderators were asking him things like: "If you lose the election, will you abide by the peaceful transfer of power?" Which, of course, he didn't agree to.
I mean, yes, he hadn't actually incited people to try to overthrow the government at that point, but he very much was on record saying that that was his intention.
I could make that argument in 2016
There were thousands dead because of his kneecapping of COVID management. There's no excuses for 2020. None.
all i can do is look at our country and let out a big sigh. what will it take for the US to better itself?
A meteor a big fucking meteor
You watched Don't Look Up? It will take more than a meteor.
That meteor was pretty fucking effective, though. Not one person on Earth ever voted for Meryl Streep's character again, I can assure you.
An event that simultaneously eliminates the love affair a majority of Americans have with capitalism followed by sufficient legislative representation to push for changes that benefit individuals and not corporations.
A constitutional convention forced by the military as part of the conclusion of a civil war.
to borrow an old phrase: "it would take an act of congress"
From what I see, Trump is indicative of a growing trend, generally by conservatives to bring religion and their beliefs into government.
Trump is more absolutist and authoritarian than many other political candidates that I have seen.
To my best understanding of the current climate of the people who support him, they want more authoritarian control over what other people do. Partly in an effort to make themselves more comfortable in their own social interactions with others. So their assumptions of things like, women have curves, and men wear pants and have beards, and men like women and women like men, etc, are always correct, despite the fact that reality disagrees with them.
They're always on the lookout for any way for them to improve their socio-economic standing as well, with the basic concept of more for me, less for everyone else.
I believe that to them, Trump is a means to an end. Less for everyone else, more for them. More of their rules, and values, imposed on others, whether others want it or not.
Take for example, gay marriage. IMO, it's just marriage, eg. Two people who love eachother pledging their intention to continue to love and support eachother. My view is starkly contrasted by their view of "marriage is between a man and a woman before God!" (Or similar). Something something, the sanctity of marriage.... Blah blah. Nobody seems to care about divorce rates though the writings they're imposing on others pretty clearly state that marriage before God is a joining of souls in permanent matrimony and cannot and will not be broken. Ever. But I digress. Since they're opposed to gay marriage, they don't want it to be allowed, though it's clearly discrimination. Arguing about "Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve" and whatnot. The authoritarian, bull headed, my way out the highway mindset of someone like Trump, can actually achieve such goals. He's absolutist. Whether he believes in the prohibition of gay marriage or not.
On a personal note, I hope all the LGBTQ+ people get all the same rights to be as happy or as miserable as the cis/straight people. You're all fabulous and I love you all as brothers/sisters/siblings (for the gender ambiguous). I personally will continue to support you and fight along side all of you for equality.
Circling back to the point, this viewpoint can be copied and pasted on a number of issues that the right may not feel that they are properly represented on. Another good example is abortion; but that has mostly played out with the whole roe v. Wade thing, so I won't go into more detail there, despite the fact that I have a lot of things to say about it.
I think that demonstrates the point. They don't value him for what/who he is, they value him more for what he can do for them... To accomplish their goals and impose their ideals on everyone else. His ethical deficiencies and disregard for anyone's opinion, well-being, and opinion, are desirable features for them.
They're pushing for oppression of anyone who is different from them, trying to move up their capitalist ladder of success. Trump is just the latest tool that they're trying to use to accomplish that goal.
Meanwhile the supreme court is hearing a case that may make it impossible for the feds to regulate anything. The Koch brothers (America's oligarchs) are behind it. They are still mad about the regulations on oil drilling waste.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/oct/26/charles-koch-us-government-rightwing-supreme-court
I'm still confused why some of the right wing people do some things. This is a good example of something I cannot make sense of. I can only guess it's in the same vein as absolute freedom, which is a core philosophy for some people, not necessarily just right wing people.
IMO, government regulations can, and often do, help the country as a whole. Absolute freedom borders on anarchy too closely for me.
Ummm.. but what about all the men in the bible with many wives. There was no one man one wife thing in almost the entire Bible. Almost all of the people who are touted to be amazing examples of God's peopel... were polygamists... and since that wasn't enough, they would have the concubines on the side. Point that out and they run away.
There's several points in the Gospel where Christ points at a departure from this though, right, like in Matthew 19 and Matthew 22, but the most poignant passage is 1 Corinthians 7:
The purpose of getting married is the relief of sexual lust - and since we are talking about just relieving it, the idea of having multiple wives or concubines on the side is a perversion of this. We can even look at the story of King David and Bathsheba as an example of why you shouldn't covet moaaarr wamen. It has been pointed out before that, like, adultery and lust are so powerful and pertinent that 2 of the 10 commandments are about it...
So i would say that one of the clarifications that exist, and one of the new usherings in of Christianity, is strict monogamy, and also praise for monasticism...
I think it's simpler than that. Conservatism, at its core, has always been a purely reactionary opposition to liberal and progressive politics. In the modern era, it has felt the need to wrap itself in something resembling a positive ideology which presents thinly falsifiable policy positions, regardless of how narrow and mutable those ideological boundaries might be. Because until recently, abject, reactionary nihilism has been seen as a losing position.
Trump has freed conservatives from that burden. No longer do they need to create and defend any flimsy intellectual basis for their reactionary stances - Trump has presented a completely liturgical basis for conservative nihilism, and in doing so, he has freed millions of anti-intellectual CHUDS from the burden of thinking, and they love him for it.
Well, there's two major divides within conservatism as it plays out today, right?
Classical liberalism, we can call one, and then populist conservatism...
Classical liberal Republicans/Libertarians are highly principled and highly progressive with very positive, engaging values - think about these old guys like Paul Findley who were fundamentally isolationist, anti-war, pro-Palestine conservatives, that truly believed in Hayek's Constitution of Liberty and that the key to bettering humans is through decentralization of power, minimal government, and human freedom.
And then there is conservatism that goes back to, like, tradition or populism.
Of course, these things often combine, but I think you need to treat conservatism with a lot of nuance because otherwise you are just dismantling a strawman.
Revolutionary nihilism is how radical liberalism was portrayed by Dostoevsky in the Devils - a great book - and it does make sense, because we see at its root that some of these radical movements actually were about reinventing all of society around totally new principles and annihilating what has hitherto been normalized in Western civilization...
Yes, there is like the Nietzschean reactionaries who want to build the New Man, but yeah, it's still a losing position. I do not even think that guys like BAP are even on that level - like some of the hardcore neopagan LARP squad certainly envisions a completely new basis to muh Western civilization. But it's not like Varg Vikernes is a viable option - in spite of how wildly popular Black Metal became after hipsters getting into blackgaze and shit after ironic Pitchfork album reviews, not even one of the most seminal figures in the genre can be anything much more than a joke for having these beliefs.
I think one of the problems we have is the paranoia about this stuff - you act as if the right is really some monster that is rising to swallow the country in a wave of Fascism, but it's not the right who are anywhere near successfully removing their opponents from ballots.
I think it's simpler than that--life was just better before Biden and after Obama.
I mean, unless you were one of the several hundred thousand people who died or lost loved ones to COVID for entirely preventable reasons. Or someone who's not a complete shit human being who actually cares about their country being a democracy. But yeah. If you are a shit human being and you believe that COVID was caused by 5G networks or something, then sure. Trump was a great president.
You mean to say that at the end of his term, a deadly virus hit the whole world and he couldn't get a vaccine created in time to save everyone? Come on man, what could anyone have done in that timeframe? Does he get credit for the vaccine that Joe Biden and Democrats said they would NOT take because Trump recommended it? But when Biden took office was recommending it all day every day.
Secondly, our country is a republic, not a democracy--please lookup the Pledge of Allegiance.
Are you saying saying the Jan6 fiasco--where no one died (by the rioters), Democrats refused Trump's requests for National Guard, and no one was convicted of treason or insurrection--was worse than the summer of love--where cops were murdered, businesses and government buildings destroyed, all in the name of George Floyd, who died from a drug overdose?
Come on man!
I'm going to respond to this first, because I think it's the most succinct example of the point I'm about to make:
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I think it's very unlikely that you know what either a republic or a democracy is. Because you seem to think that they're mutually exclusive, when in fact they are very much not. America, my slow friend, is a democratic republic. A republic is a political system in which a representative is given executive authority for a particular period of time. The "particular period of time" bit is what differentiates it from, say, a monarchy. Presidents in the US are elected every 4 years. This makes it a republic.
A democracy is a political system in which the populace as a whole is invested with the authority to vote on things. This can, and often does include representatives, such as a president.
So you see, America is both a Democracy AND a Republic, and the two are not mutually exclusive. There. Now that you've had the most basic of civics lessons that you as a potentially functional adult SHOULD HAVE ALREADY FUCKING KNOWN... let's get to the meat of what you replied with.
No. That would be stupid. Trump had no control over the virus any more than anybody else in the world did. And yet, he was the figurehead of the nation, and wielded executive authority that allowed him to take steps to mitigate its impact. This is the same for every other head of state in the world. So one has to ask why America did so poorly in its response to the virus compared to most of the rest of the world.
For starters, it's probably not a good thing that he routinely poo-pooed life saving measures, such as social distancing and masking. And it's also not a good thing that he promoted things like hydroxychloroquine, an anti-malarial drug that has zero proven benefits in relation to COVID. Additionally, I would argue that it was a bad thing that members of his administration sought to divert life-saving medical equipment such as ventilators from blue states.
The truth is, at every turn, Trump did the dumbest, most harmful thing possible. Remember that time he speculated openly on the mic about whether you could inject bleach or shove a light bulb up your ass to kill COVID? Good times. Or that time when he caught COVID, was rushed to Walter Reed where he received treatments not available to the rest of the public, and then he ordered his secret service guys to drive him around (while not masked) to show the world that "hey - COVID's no big deal!"
I could go on with more, but I doubt you're going to read anything I've written anyway. Your last paragraph is somehow dumber than the ones before it, which is impressive. You have shown yourself to have very little in the way of critical thinking skills, which means you'll believe even the dumbest lies out there. Like your idiotic belief that the Democrats refused the National guard when there is video of Nancy Pelosi urgently requesting National Guard support. Or your even more idiotic belief that George Floyd died of a drug overdose only after being choked for 9 minutes.
I mean, my god man. How stupid can you possibly be? Have you never been taught how to examine things critically? Just, for the love of fuck, pull your head out of your ass and look at the real world around you once in a while. You have been repeatedly lied to by the people you're defending, and you're too dumb to see it.
I know what both are, but if we are to define what our government is, it would surely be a republic over a democracy. For example, if I said I ate an orange apple, I'm eating an apple, not an orange, even if it has some characteristics of an orange. Same could be said for democratic republic. Does it has democratic characteristics, yes, but it is a republic.
I don't luke how Trump handled the virus in every way, I'll give you that one. Depends on the study, but hydroxychloroquine has been effective for some, with all the variants and specific combinations of factors, it won't work for all, just like Tylenol or Motrin isn't a one stop fix for a headache.
With hundreds being put in jail for non-insurrection charges while Left media also claiming it was an insurrection for years, you can't belive that at all. Even before that the Russia election interference.
Critically think about it, do you really think Trump is the only one to do anything sketchy in politics? It's all a media and government circle jerk to make him unlikeable and ruin his name.
The good thing is that It's really is backfiring in a big way too because folks who can think critically see it's the Democrats so scared of corrupt, vile Trump they need to talk about him even when Biden won. They sure can't talk about Biden's efforts on immigration, economy, or war efforts, or even just walking and talking.
There is no confidence in our nation as soon as Trump left office. Stock markets plunged, inflation went up, used up our oil reserves, botched Afghan exit, wars popping up all over. I understand d you can be critical of both sides, and I do see Trumps flaws, but it is undeniable life during during Trump's presidency was better than now.
Bro. It's both. It's literally just both. It is a republic AND a democracy. They don't cancel each other out or anything. Dying on this hill is really not helping your case that you're not an idiot.
Right. Nor does anybody with a shred of common sense who didn't want hundreds of thousands of Americans to die for no good reason.
They stormed the capitol, assaulted police officers, and tried to stop the transfer of power of the government. They are all traitors, every single one of them. Stop defending them.
If I'm a district attorney, and I have someone on assault and treason, and assault is easier to prove, then I'm going to charge them with assault. Especially when there's hundreds of cases to process. That's just common fucking sense, something you apparently lack.
He's the only president we've had who was an actual traitor. So that's notable.
Yes, those pesky media and their recording devices that accurately record the things he says and does. It's their fault he's unlikable and his name is ruined.
He's a fucking traitor, you idiot. And he's the front-runner for the Republican party. He could be president again. It's fucking terrifying. Of course people are talking about him. If you motherfuckers had any sense of civic pride or patriotism, Trump would have zero chance of ever coming near any position of authority again for the rest of whatever remains of his life. But, of course, the Republican party is a hive of scum and villainy, and you would rather elect an actual traitor who has systematically grifted you for years than someone who thinks that trans people and gay people deserve civil rights.
Yes. That was definitely Joe Biden's doing, and not the global fucking pandemic that lasted for several years and caused enormous financial impacts on every country in the world. You fucking idiot.
Do you? Because I don't think you do. You seem totally cool with having a woefully unqualified, incompetent con artist who has already committed treason against the United States becoming president again. Seems to me like you wouldn't know critical thinking if it walked up and shoved its fist up your asshole.
The worst part is that it’s not only Americans who are Trumpists. We’re Swedish and my mother looks up to that prick. How and why, I don’t know.
She wants to talk about immigration in your country, but can't.
We’ve discussed it before, it’s not that. It’s the anti-vax, illuminati-believing “secret hand sign” crowd that she’s part of…
If you support trump now.... You are a Natzi ... Full stop.
They’ll proudly wear I’m a shit person badge if it means bringing Trump back to power
Sadly and most disturbing is the knowledge that the people wanting to elect him back into office are the very people who will mostly be destroyed by his being in office, and the ones who will be the first to be forgotten and trampled in the ensuing horror shitshow.
But while stepping on them, he will say that he is stepping on their enemies harder. So it is all worth it you see.
And we all lose. All of us. We stand to lose everything.
Even in 2016 it was obvious what kind of person he was. His "good" supporters claimed that being President would change him for the better. We all knew then that they were wrong. We all know now that they were lying.
This. There were plenty of articles pointing out how Trump supporters were already saying "he doesn't REALLY mean that" about the extreme policies he was pushing.
If a presidential candidate promises to something horrible, you take it seriously and vote against him. The end. Except we as Americans don't know that.
The media needs a horse race. A horse race keeps an eye on the page or the TV. That brings in more advertising dollars. That's what it's all about.
The news used to be a loss-leader. It hasn't been for a very long time.
All spineless and subservient, in my experience. Whether to "God, guns, or country" cuckolds, the whole lot of them.
2020: And some of them, I’m sure, are good people.
NYT SHOULD SAY THAT.
NYT will never say what is actually the truth with Trump and his supporters for the simple reason that they are unable to do so.
Journalism Error. Reboot Democracy? (y/n):
Trump is charismatic because he's a narcissist. Not in spite of it, but because there's a direct causal link.
This plays into a host of factors for the afflicted, including poor self esteem, familiarity with (and abuse from) other narcissists, and a whole lot more. This is very, very bad news because it suggests that a huge swath of the country is coping with some degree of mental health problems. The current system is pretty good at handling full-blown disorders, but anything less gets a pass or maybe is held at bay with minimal intervention. The bad part is that folks are predisposed to overt manipulation like we've seen in the last two presidential elections, because of it.
Upside is that enough people are self-aware and this search text auto-completed for me. But good grief are there a lot of results: https://www.google.com/search?q=why+do+i+find+narcissists+attractive
Edit: Usually I like posting things like this along with a solution, rather than just alarming people. In this case, I feel the need to post the core problem at hand, so that maybe people can see what they're actually up against, and focus their efforts in the right place. Unfortunately, I have no idea what the right answer is here, but I'm willing to talk to anyone about it. Thanks for reading.
People don't like being told they can't do/have something, even if it is bad for them or they don't actually want to do it. Like how dogs will bark at closed doors (Barrier Frustration) or telling a kid to clean his room makes him not want to do it. Trying to keep him off of the ballot or putting him in prison, even if it is the legal consequence of his own actions, makes people want to vote for him more.
What might be excusable of dogs and children may not be so for voting adults.
I would rather have dogs and children vote then some of these MAGAheads.
I hate this take so much. I see it all the time. "We can't kick Trump off the ballot! I mean, yes, he's a traitor, and yes he tried to overthrow the government, and yes we have a specific clause of a constitutional amendment that is meant to prevent traitors from assuming office again, but think of how much better it would be if he's allowed to run anyway and he loses???"
Ok. But what if he wins? If he wins, we can say goodbye to the form of government we've had for the last 250 years. That shit's out the window the second that traitorous fuck takes office. Gone. You really want to risk that just so that the optics are better?
People like Trump for the fascism. So yeah, they're all assholes and always have been.
They were proud when Hilary called them 'deplorable.' If the Times called them out, it would just prove what they already believe; that they are being oppressed by the elites.
Losing your privilege feels like oppression.
No I don't think I'll excuse any of his voters. I could see he was a budding fascist in 2015, if you voted for him in 2016 you're a piece of shit.
What changed between 2020 and 2024 that makes it more unacceptable now?
The insurrection.
The stolen classified documents
More than 1.1 million deaths due to COVID.
I guess the really dumb people have had time to catch up.
Like, they're a basket of deplorables or something?
Trump supporters can all starve.. you can eat shit when you're hungry..
This is an example of why people vote for Trump.
they find any excuse because they're ignorant pigs every chance they get.. there's no redemption for any of them..
Nope, they vote republican because people like you alienate them with an emotional reaction.
Sure. It is the fault of people with common sense that other people vote for fascists. This argument is so bullshit. If you support a fascist because someone said something mean you always were open to the idea of fascism. So you always have been a shit human being. No comment would change this.
they are right to fear judgement, and i don't care what motivates ignorant pigs.. if you voted for Trump, you're no longer my countryman or neighbor, and i will never give a shit what happens to you or your family.. if you bring your children to me hungry, i will feed you and them a bowl of shit..
Way to dehumanize people simply because you don't agree with their political candidate. Your entire comment can be copied, with replacing Trump with Biden and sent back at you. Wonder how it would make you feel if people started treating you that way.
you've done a good job explaining how stupid and childish all Trump supporters are.. they think Trump and Biden are the same thing, and just a preference..
fuck them.. all of Trump's crimes are on their heads, and they will stick forever.. they are all selfish, irresponsible scum.. all of my votes were taken in good conscience.. there is no redemption for the treason of voting for Trump..
Cntrl + R, "trump", "biden" and you get the exact same rant from "the other side".
People vote for a guy who says racial "others" are poisoning the blood of the country because someone was crass on a web forum?
Facts.
I think the post is literally implying that in previous elections, you absolutely could make the argument that people were being fooled, but that's no longer true. People voting for this guy are doing so not because they've been tricked, but because they want to and are doing so with open eyes.
I thought it was because people like Asmongold make youtube videos indirectly encouraging it, saying stuff like "He's actually gonna win the election due to the power of memes and his stupid NFT's, WOW OMG GUYS! How many of you voted for him! Let's POLL it!".
Yeah. At this point (honestly by 2020 no matter what) there's no question. The only two possibilities are a multi-million-Democrat conspiracy against him, or the dude's guilty of 21 major crimes related to election theft.
But Trump voters actually support the idea that it's ok for the Republican to steal an election. Simple as that.
I don't think it's about feeling some kind of superiority. I think it's important to keep telling each other this so we remember - this is who they are. They are not rational thinking individuals.
The reason being that we cannot waste any time or energy thinking they can be redeemed. All our energy needs to be spent on making sure we vote and everyone we know votes. Because they will be voting and voting Trump, and won't be changing their minds. And that vote is a threat to our freedoms and our democracy.
Is that how you see the world, better and worse? To me it’s simply a statement of fact. They are clearly not rational actors. They are voting emotionally - fear, anger, hate.
Before you say it, yes, we all vote with some emotion, but these people are voting against their own best interests in almost every aspect of politics just for some brief dopamine hit to own the libs.
The problem is willful ignorance. A lot of Trump supporters knew better from day 1 and chose to be easily fooled. I had a friend when I was a kid who used to cheer on the defendants in court cases when he thought they were guilty of heinous crimes because they got to "fuck with the system" if they got off. People like that grew up to vote for Trump because he would "fuck with the system".
I think it's ok to hate someone who voted for Trump BECAUSE they wanted to elect an enemy of the majority. It might not be productive to hate them, but it's okay to.
We're dumb evil immoral pedophiles who are going to hell, and every time we try to cooperate with them in any way they backstab us and then blame us. What exactly are we losing standing up to them when they're going to punch us whether or not we do?
The concept is assymetry. The most obvious (Godwinian) example is to take virtually any anti-Nazi quote and intersperse the word "Jew". All of a sudden it becomes horrible and bigoted. You can absolutely then take any anti-Jew bigotry and say the word "Nazi", and it suddenly becomes just and true.
Why? Because Trump Supporters and Democrats ARE fundamentally different. The best answer to the paradox of tolerance says that tolerance is a social contract - we are to be tolerant to those others who accept to follow that contract, but it can be open season (in terms of intolerance, not violence) for those who do not.
Sure, in a few cases. In others, it was more on the tune of:
"I voted for Trump because he's going to raise taxes on the poor so they pay their fair share"
or
"I voted for Trump because he promised to get rid of illegal immigrants. Just because there aren't many in my state doesn't mean they're not CRIMINALS who should be removed at all costs!"
or
"I voted for Trump because he's going to do some crazy stuff like leave the Paris Climate Agreement. This is going to be fucking entertaining and I'll have my popcorn. People are gonna get PISSSSSED"
or
"I really don't like Trump, but no politician is perfect and I'm willing to deal with Trump because he's going to help us finally ban abortion".
Need I keep going? I blame them all.
I'm not angry right now. I'm just telling it like it is to me.
Please be careful not to think you read emotions into comments when they might not be there.
It's ok. It's so common that companies teach classes on interpreting (or not over-interpreting) emotion into email. It's one of multiple reasons people often get into heated arguments on the interrnet when they would not in person.
I remember when my older sister said she's would vote Bush because she's was worried about her children's future and tur'rists. In her mind, if she's didn't vote conservative, her children's would suffer, somehow.
I'm The Mighty Kräcken and I approve this message.
I'm still gonna vote for him over the genocider in chief.
You're a shit human being if you support the US. Whatever weakens the US and causes internal chaos is better for most of the rest of the world.
Hate the US or love the US, US stability has a direct causal link with global stability.
This isn't your average every day case of TDS.
This is "advanced" TDS. 😂
Yep. Same for Biden supporters though. They are Nazis's actively supporting Genocide.
Not before. Last time was fine. Now though the cat is out of the bag.
Joe Biden is committing genocide right now, not before he got elected last time. Thus voting for him again is supporting Nazism.
This should not be that difficult to follow.
Suggesting third party is like having 2 loved ones taken hostage and held at gunpoint, being forced to pick one, then picking neither and letting both get shot because to pick one is to support the murder of one of your loved ones.
I get the sentiment, genocide is fucking horrifying and it's sickening that the US government is actively funding it, but there doesn't exist a solution within the bounds of electoralism.
This analogy is wrong. If one of them is to get shot anyways, then the other person won't get shot. Three options:
Person 1 gets shot
Person 2 gets shot
Nobody gets shot
The question is whether you are trying to prevent it or actively endorse a person getting shot. Because if enough people would not endorse it, nobody would get shot.
The ends do not justify the means! That is exactly the logic that the IDF uses. "We just kill all the 2 million Palestinians, and then we can live in safety!". Supporting genocide is not a justifiable way to "save democracy" (whatever that even means).
Vote Cornel West. Vote Jil Stein. Or if the Democrats finally get their head of of their ass and get a Non-Zionist like AOC on there, Vote for them.
Nah, not how it works. Trump gets elected, and far more extreme fascism becomes normalized and the courts get packed with even more evil scumbags. Genocide continues, possibly at an accelerated pace.
Biden gets elected, genocide continues, but on the ground fascism isn't enabled and there's more room for grassroots leftist movements to take place.
There isn't a third party option, that's a farce of the 2 party system. It doesn't actually exist, it's to provide the illusion that the American people actively support the current 2 parties, rather than passively supporting them. Its not a real option and never has been.
You either vote for a fascist piece of shit or a genocidal zionist piece of shit.
Almost like bourgeois "democracy" is rigged for capitalism to begin with...
Lol whatever kiddo.
Explanation provided below, was responding to a trasnphobe and response was misdirected. Think he deleted his comment.
I can see where the confusion is. I was responding to @thoughtorgan and the parent comment was deleted so my comment is out of context.
Oh well. 🤷♂️
Checks out for a Trump voter.^misunderstanding
Wait is that in reference to me?
I was responding to a transphobe saying his opinion about an issue he knows nothing about is not valid compared to the lived experience of trans people.
Also I'm Canadian. Check my post history. It's all there.
You posted top level on this post. Looks a lot like you're responding to the OP.
Yeah I noticed that. I was confused about the mass down voting. Not sure if he deleted his comment or I clicked the wrong response arrow.
Either way, when I see people posting nazi propaganda about trans people (or anyone for that matter) I tend to get defensive.
People forget that when the nazis got into power they didn't go straight for the Jewish community, they dipped their toes in the water by going after the lgbtq community first. Once they got away with that they knew they could go after the disabled, Jews and Roma etc. The Republicans are currently following the nazi playbook.
Well I feel bad for flaming you. Might want to make an edit clarifying that you weren't responding to OP, because you really look like a Trump voter saying lol to this post
No worries. I'm just glad I'm not a trump supporter. 😅
I'm kinda surprised I'm getting down voted for pointing out someone has a bigoted opinion about an issue they have no knowledge about. As someone whose actually been dealing with gender dysphoria since the 1970s I've become rather knowledgeable about the subject and as someone careening towards 50 I don't have the patience to coddle bigots.
If that makes me unpopular then oh well.