one of the best articles about Trump I've ever seen
Submitted by The Liberal Moonbat on Sun, 09/27/2020 - 5:56am
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-09-25/trump-turns-us-election-into-figh...
Never mind the headline in the URL; I have no idea why it says something so different from what the actual headline - and topic - is. It is simple, surprisingly noncontroversial (which is GREAT for outreach, of course), and most importantly, speaks volumes about why Trump Derangement Syndrome is such a tragedy.
If you share nothing else with the stubborn Trumpaphobes in your life, try this!
Comments
This is hardly a new insight
People have been associating Trump and Wrestling Entertainment right from the get-go. He's the ultimate Heel.
There is no justice. There can be no peace.
My thought exactly
The point is, it ought to explain why the "TDS" mentality is such a trap.
In the Land of the Blind, the One-Eyed Man is declared mentally ill for describing colors.
Yes Virginia, there is a Global Banking Conspiracy!
Yes, but
- Trump is one part WWE, one part Ross Perot, and one part PT Barnum. It helps that he's ignorant and can spout an endless stream of inanities with total confidence that they're true; putting Rove's manufacturing reality on steroids. It also helps that the crap he spouts just happens to be close enough to how ignorant Americans think that they can go, Yeah! and never look at what Trump actually does which is no different than McConnell Republicans.
His foes, otoh, tend to speak boringly in tongues. Mixing in a bit more truth and reality with their lies as they continue to proceed with serving their corporate and wealthy masters.
The percentage of those that emotionally identify with Trump, even as there is zero relationship between their everyday lives and that of Trump, is high. My guess is 30+%. Probably not dissimilar to those that emotionally identified with Obama in 2008, and that number hasn't declined all that much in the past twelve years; hence the nomination of his mentally addled sidekick who on his own almost nobody emotionally identifies with.
But Covid is no worse than an ingrown toenail!!
According to CDC, nearly everybody but old fogeys survives Covid-19!! And even old fogeys don't die from it unless they're fat, diabetic, have heart disease, and would've died anyway!! I read it on Fox News so it must be true!!
Seriously, though, here are recent statistics from CDC about survivability through August 8, 2020. Indications are that survivability is increasing.
As for Trump, he's no Haystacks Calhoun.
Trump is in the WWE Hall of Fame
Wrestling
I sincerely believe that this biographical detail is the key to understanding the Trump Phenomenon in American Politics. The basic marketing strategy of wrestling is a mock battle between Good and Evil, with Evil characters always making transparent rationalizations of their Evil Behavior as they claim the Good Guys are really the Bad Guys.
Trump took this schtick into the 2012 GOP Primary, ostensibly backing Newt Gingrich, while promoting himself.
I get nothing but blank stares whenever I bring up this detail to a TDS sufferer. I find this amusing. In the world of wrestling, they divide the audience into two distinct groups -- the Marks and the Smarts. The Marks believe they are watching a real fight between characters who really hate each other. The Smarts realize they are watching an exhibition of fake mayhem, but enjoy both the spectacle and the histrionics of the Show.
It is so ironic that the upper middle class liberals are the Marks and the unsophisticated and unknowledgeable wingnuts in the empty states are the Smarts -- who see how well Trump's villainous act drives liberals beyond the bend, and love it.
I have friends and relatives in real life who are literally immobilized with loathing for this jerkoff. Virtually everything that bothers them is stuff he says -- rather that anything that he actually does.
I cried when I wrote this song. Sue me if I play too long.
Nailed it
Your description of the Marks as "...the upper middle class liberals" and the Smarts as the "...unsophisticated and unknowledgeable wingnuts in the empty states" is dead on the money.
I know and have worked alongside many, many hardcore Trump supporters. My guess is that 90% of them fall into the Smarts category. They fully understand what's going on and get great satisfaction from watching Trump "make lib'ruls cry." In a way, it's all they've got. Many of these voted for Obama, and had to watch as he screwed them over. In a way, they've given up, but they are going to at least go down laughing. I've seen that attitude over and over and over again.
I've watched some of these folks sitting in front of a television while Trump was speaking or at a press conference -- much of the time they would be practically rolling on the floor laughing. They know Trump is a liar, they know he's a con man, they know he's a philanderer, they know he's a tax cheat, they know he's a draft dodger, but they don't care any longer. He's as deplorable as they've been told they are, so he's their guy.
Here's the sad part - and I've mentioned this before on C99: Many of these same people, these deplorables laughing with Trump, came to me during the 2016 election with very serious and heartfelt questions about Bernie Sanders. It was as if they were going to get the chance to vote for FDR again.
And they would have.
What he DOES makes me insane too!
This is a helpful discussion and new(ish) to me. The thing is, from a President certain words ARE actions. Pulling out of Paris Climate Accord is an action, and a very destructive one, even if an accord is just words. The War on immigrants (be they Mexican or Middle Eastern) is definitely actions to go with the hateful words. He has driven out brilliant graduate students as well as letting children die at our borders. His "America First" rhetoric has encouraged selfishness and disregard for human rights around the world. His words (coupled with the actions of the political appointees he has put in charge of important agencies) have set back environmental protections by decades, and, of all things discredited the CDC. His words on Corona have made the epidemic much worse because some people believe him. And now I dont even believe CDC guidance because it isnt scientists writing it anymore. The only thing he has going for him is he hasnt started new wars. I too am heartbroken about Bernie, both times, and appreciate your Steely Dan reference, great music from cynics in a more optimistic era. Comments???
Do not let the plutocrats divide us!
The only thing he has going for him is he hasnt started new wars
That's pretty damned huge; almost as big as it gets, especially given that there is no greater enemy, NONE, than our own Military-Security-Financial-Spiritual-Telecom-Industrial-Etc Complex.
The War on Immigrants has been going on at least as far back as the formation of the DHS; Trump is just piloting the car that had its itinerary programmed into it before he ever got behind the wheel.
Pulling out of the Paris Accord sucks, but the nice thing about saving the planet is that there are still hundreds of other countries on it who can save us all with or without American help (there should be NO "indispensable nation" - not America, not Russia, not Britain, not China, not Brazil, not Germany, not Israel, and sure as hell not Saudi Arabia - NOT ONE).
Is he horrible? Absolutely - but during his time as Commander-In-Chief of the biggest, greediest, most ruinous war machine ever seen on the face of this planet, he has stayed his hand and dared neglect the endless hunger of Morgoth, and that really does make him the Lesser of Two Evils.
In the Land of the Blind, the One-Eyed Man is declared mentally ill for describing colors.
Yes Virginia, there is a Global Banking Conspiracy!