Trump's Useful Idiots

It's not a new idea that Trump's tweets are used to distract the public from his awful policies.
It's also not a new idea that Trump's tweets distract from specific policies. Consider this Mashable article.

Back in December, we questioned whether Trump's masterful ability to offer social media junk food in place of political broccoli was intentional or not. But one year into his leadership, it's apparent that the intention doesn't really matter. Either way, Trump has wrested control of our eyeballs, distracting us from talking about much more than whatever's on his mind.

But it wasn't until this week that I realized that the outrage from Trump's tweets is both intentional and targeted.

Then, he had to find something more shocking. And he came up with this (utterly disgusting, indeed) statement about those 'shithole' countries. Why? Probably because of another awful bill that he passed with the help of the corporate Democrats, who voted to give him vast warrantless spying powers.
And the liberal media actually love such statements by Trump, because they end up to become the perfect decoy.

Not only did the 'shithole' comment distract from so-called "Resistance" leaders like Pelosi and Schiff selling us out, and aiding the Trump agenda, but it also hid the fact that the Pentagon plans to start a war with Iran.
Which do you think will have more impact on your life? War with Iran, or the tweet?

It occurred to me that if a certain window of time is targeted, then an audience is also being targeted. That targeted audience is the people who will scream the loudest about the tweets. They are the ones giving the most help to Trump.
So who bites on Trump's bait?
First and foremost, anyone who includes themselves as part of the "Resistance".
MSNBC and CNN also comes to mind.
But they may be willing participants.

Trump's Useful Idiots would include anyone not banned from DKos.
I single them out because I checked DKos on the 'shithole' day, and while they wasted a lot of bandwidth on virtue signaling their outrage over Trump's tweet, not a single diary mentioned the FISA law (except in regards Trump's tweets about FISA) or Iran.

It's pathetic how the same Democrats that demand obedience from independent thinking progressives, and ban those that don't bend a knee, are the ones helping Trump out the most.

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to challenge Feinstein

Here in my home state of California, in response to President Trump signing the GOP tax reform bill into law, state Senate Democratic leader Kevin de Leon has taken up a new cause: fighting for the right of the richest Californians to evade their taxes.

It’s almost unbelievable – but true. De Leon (who is also the leading challenger to Sen. Dianne Feinstein in her primary battle as she seeks re-election this year) has proposed setting up a new so-called charity that would enable the Silicon Valley and Hollywood elite to claw back their losses from the Trump administration’s new tax reform law.

That tax reform law, let’s remind ourselves, actually means that some of the richest people in the richest parts of America will pay more in taxes, thanks to drastic cuts in deductions for state and local taxes they pay.

To fight off President Trump’s vicious attack on their rich friends (read: donors), California Democrats want to set up a “California Excellence Fund.” Donations to the fund would be matched dollar-for-dollar by tax credits, which can then be subtracted from tax bills as “charity.” It’s a classic liberal version of charity, mind you: all the money would go straight into the coffers of the state government’s general fund.

Who would benefit from this bit of creative accounting? Californians earning over $1 million a year, mainly.

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Song of the lark's picture

@gjohnsit well DiFi squeaked back on my list with the release of the Fusion papers otherwise I would be voting for a challenger. I know I know, but I vote. My choices are bad and bad and that's the democrats. Needless to say the GOP is irredeemable. What I want to know is why are the Green Party in CA is hardly in evidence. I mean WTF. They should be polling 20 percent at the least. It's a rhetorical question and yes I already know we are totally screwed.
And to the point of the diary its clear I'm a useful idiot. At the very least it good to be useful and wanted. Heh! I'm like the well beaten dog loyal to the end.

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divineorder's picture

@Song of the lark @gjohnsit

Video link in tweet below is to Jimmy Dore interview with Hartson:

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A truth of the nuclear age/climate change: we can no longer have endless war and survive on this planet. Oh sh*t.

divineorder's picture

@Song of the lark Greens running

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A truth of the nuclear age/climate change: we can no longer have endless war and survive on this planet. Oh sh*t.

@gjohnsit @gjohnsit @gjohnsit comes to mind as I read the De Leon California Excellence plan. /s

Edited for clarity

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Life is what you make it, so make it something worthwhile.

This ain't no dress rehearsal!

edg's picture

Trump didn't tweet anything about shithole. That was a leak by Dem Dick Durbin of something Trump supposedly said at a meeting with Senators about the immigration bill. What it sounds like is Dems trying to torpedo Trump/Republican ability to get immigration concessions.

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@edg
is another one of Trump's racist rants. Durbin's comments were corroborated by at least two Republicans at the meeting who asked for anonymity.

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edg's picture

@FuturePassed

of the people at the meeting, people in Congress in general, and the public at large don't think (at least privately) that some countries are shitholes? Why do so many people want to come to the US if their own countries are so great?

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@edg
that they know better than to say aloud.

You might think a little about how many of those so called "shithole countries" are still struggling with the effects of colonialism.

Finally, many Latin American immigrants came to get away from the vicious governments the US installed that were trying to kill them. In any case immigration from Latin America was declining even before Trump. Maybe the wages are better there now.

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edg's picture

@FuturePassed

I've already thought and commented many times about the after-effects of British and other colonialism on Africa, Spanish colonialism on Central/South America, and American colonialism in the Middle East. It's clear the United States has taken over the job of country-wrecking from the Brits, etc.

Britain et. al. should fix the shitholes they left behind. The US should fix the shitholes we have and are leaving behind. No doubt about that.

But if the only thing that comes from Trump calling shitholes shitholes is Dem Poutrage, we're failing. We should be fixing, not whining.

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@edg
But the first step to solving a problem is admitting you have one.

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Citizen Of Earth's picture

@edg
Hahaha. That's a "Useful" way to put it.
As sure as the sun rose this morning, Trump, the fucking racist, said "SHITHOLE".

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Donnie The #ShitHole Douchebag. Fake Friend to the Working Class. Real Asshole.

edg's picture

@Citizen Of Earth

he's not the first and not the last to use that term. Several prominent Democrats have called Russia and other countries SHITHOLES. Or is it OKIYAD?

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Citizen Of Earth's picture

@edg @edg Your Boy Trump
used Shithole to describe countries with black populations. I'm astonished Trump didn't come right out an use the fuckin N-word.

Describing Russia as a Shithole is applying the term to Totalitarianism.

PS. And who the fuck cares what the Dems said. I hate the Dems as much as Repubs.

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Donnie The #ShitHole Douchebag. Fake Friend to the Working Class. Real Asshole.

@Citizen Of Earth are crappy countries anyway, regardless of the race of the inhabitants.

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dfarrah

Citizen Of Earth's picture

@dfarrah Ha. Another Trump Fan-Boy

WTF, did I tune into Farts News today. Hahaha.
Please, do regale us with your criteria of "crappy countries".
Never mind, I'll watch Farts and Friends later for the answer.

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Donnie The #ShitHole Douchebag. Fake Friend to the Working Class. Real Asshole.

edg's picture

@Citizen Of Earth

Just go away. We don't need your kind of crap-stirring self-righteousness and personal attacks here.

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Citizen Of Earth's picture

@edg
of listening to Conservo-Repub Gasslighters. So no, I am not going to follow your commands. Smile

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Donnie The #ShitHole Douchebag. Fake Friend to the Working Class. Real Asshole.

@Citizen Of Earth
a nonpartisan site, alternative opinions are welcome, we do require civility though. From everyone.

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Citizen Of Earth's picture

@JtC
I've said my peace anyway.
Just couldn't let these guys spew their "Normalize Trump" bullshit unchallenged.
Everyone have a great evening.

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Donnie The #ShitHole Douchebag. Fake Friend to the Working Class. Real Asshole.

@Citizen Of Earth

is in a continuous state of hysteria about Trump. I've been amazed at the hypocrisy of the dem side. There have been numerous clips of other political figures using profanity similar to Trump....and only crickets at that time.

It would be nice if some of hysterics would take a look at their biases once in a while.

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dfarrah

hecate's picture

@dfarrah
should know shithole. He comes from the worst shithole on earth.
4137848299_1797a8453e_o.jpg

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MarilynW's picture

@Citizen Of Earth
to brag about his comment and that person called a reporter.

T made the comment to please his (shrinking) base.

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To thine own self be true.

Citizen Of Earth's picture

@MarilynW
Also there is also logic to conclude that Durbin CANNOT take a chance on lying.
To wit, Trump is such a conniving bastard, anyone attending a meeting with him would have to believe the conversation is likely being secretly recorded. Thus Durbin would have to be stupid to make a false claim that could be disproved by Trump by simply playing the recording for the press.

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Donnie The #ShitHole Douchebag. Fake Friend to the Working Class. Real Asshole.

MarilynW's picture

@Citizen Of Earth
It's been WH policy for years although Sarah Sanders, Trump's mouthpiece, thinks she invented it.

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To thine own self be true.

@Citizen Of Earth

The US has never had war with more than one country in past administrations?

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dfarrah

@dfarrah was meant for Marilyn below when she talked about the horrors of two wars at once.

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dfarrah

WoodsDweller's picture

Trump tweets offensive, controversial rubbish nearly every to improve his "ratings". The wealthy and the Deep State are busy 24/7 trying to screw the people. Of course they are going to overlap frequently. Association does not prove causation.

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"The greatest shortcoming of the human race is our inability to understand the exponential function." -- Albert Bartlett
"A species that is hurtling toward extinction has no business promoting slow incremental change." -- Caitlin Johnstone

@WoodsDweller
People often underestimate Trump.

It doesn't change the Useful Idiots charge.

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@WoodsDweller always spouted obnoxious, controversial stuff. IMO, he enjoys the attention and getting a rise out of people.

But this, Either way, Trump has wrested control of our eyeballs, distracting us from talking about much more than whatever's on his mind.

Trumps has wrested nobody's eyes - the msdnc blows up over everything Trump does, and keeps the typical dems frothing at the mouth. Dems are so desperate about Trump, they act like a bunch of fools over nothing.

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dfarrah

@dfarrah voted to continue FISA, allowing Trump to spy on anyone.

That tells you right there that opposition by the dems is little more than hot air.

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dfarrah

dervish's picture

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"Obama promised transparency, but Assange is the one who brought it."

MarilynW's picture

Will these wars be simultaneous? One thinks one should prepare but how could one possibly do that? This is the stuff of nightmares.

Now it's a triple nightmare,
Trump,
war against Iran,
war against North Korea.

I keep thinking that there are sane people in the US government who will control Trump and his military. But the latest shithole meeting and the fawning sycophant liars protecting Trump doesn't bode well for that.

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To thine own self be true.