What the 70M votes cast for Trump means.

I recall thinking to myself on election night 2016 I had not previously believed the rise of an authoritarian leaning bigot, who used his bigotry to gain popularity, could happen in the US. We weren't like those "other" countries in Europe, a minority of whose population was showing signs of a willingness to listen to the intolerant message right wing extremists were spewing.

Obviously, my assumptions were wrong.

As part of his campaign pitch Old Joe has often used a commonly accepted phrase, "We are better than this." The implication being we don't fall prey to the raw emotions stirred up by calls for the worst kind of nationalism, we won't stand for grotesque abuses of power, we do not accept inveterate dishonesty, or profiteering, or boorish behavior from government officials........let alone the prez.

I want him to be right. But he isn't. 40 years ago it would have been impossible to consider a man like Trump would end up being anything more than a whining crank on a soapbox. But it is undeniable Trumpery has taken hold in America. It has tapped in to people with feelings of grievance, anger, fear, envy, and frustration. All they needed was someone to tell them who to direct those emotions at.

Trumpery, for lack of a better name, is going to be around for a while. Even if Don ends up bankrupt and in jail, where he belongs. How destructive it ends up being depends on how hard the majority is willing to fight against it. It's going to be a slog. A long fight. We, the majority, must remain engaged, informed, and energized or Trumpery will win and the US will fail.

 

There is a great documentary that helps explain the disinformation aspect of Trumpery. The algorithmic targeting of social media users is absolutely terrifying.

https://www.netflix.com/title/81254224

 

Envy? Envy? I got mine, I am happy with my community, my job and my financial situation (violent crime does not exist where I live). All I am asking is that the federal government keeps it's hands out of my pocketbook and my community. I am not interested in paying for other people's healthcare, paying for mindless wars in the Middle East/Caucuses or having the federal government shut down our business to "protect" us from the Wu Flu.

If Blue areas are supportive of burning down their communities and looting their businesses, you do you boo. As long as I don't have to live near you, I am golden. All you have to do is stop moving to where I live. I am one of those scumbag horrible deplorables (as are my neighbors), there is no reason why you should want to be anywhere near us.

 

I disagree, Trumpery's been around. Remember George Wallace and Father Coughlin?

But hell, remember the Big One? Naziism was historically German, but most of its operative aspect, particularly coercive eugenics, and 'scientific' racism was part of a movement that swept American Universities in the earliest decades of the XXth Century. It was as quickly debunked in the 1920s but not before being read by a certain German pol who was to revive it big time using the most prestigious University system in the world

And this American movement came at least partially from the system of segregation and brutal repression that was growing up in the American South to replace slavery. And before that we had actual slavery,
No, America is far from unfamiliar with modern tyranny. Some say we had a good part in inventing it.

 

The people who like authoritarian bigots voted democrat.

The authoritarianism is evident by extreme lockdown orders killing businesses and jobs by dictatorial fiat of leftist socialist Democrat governors. The democrats restrictions on free speech and authoritarian control of information distribution via a propagandist lapdog media and total control over social media companies. They closed churches and seek to take away individual freedoms such as your 2nd amendment rights.

The #FakeNews that Trump is a racist is also wearing thin as more blacks, Hispanics, Jews and other minorities voted in the highest ever margins ever given to a republican.

Joe biden who called a black reporter a crack addict, said you aren't black unless you vote for him and gave the eulogy for a KKK Exalted Cyclops and was a segregationist is the racist candidate and the democrats are by definition the racists in America.

 

Of course bigotry, hate, racism, etc. have been around forever. But the purveyors of those things have not coalesced around a political figure in these kinds of numbers before, not in the US.
Which is not to say bigotry, hate, racism, etc. are the driving forces behind all Trump supporters. But those that don't feel that way are nonetheless enabling it with their support of Trump.

 

Still pushing that false narrative huh, claiming all 70 million people are racist even the non white ones?

 

Just a thought to add that I mentioned somewhere else. He was an extremely popular reality TV star, a favorite guy before the run.

I don't think he would have got the job otherwise. I see this as something hopeful, in that it will be difficult to replicate

 

Final thought. Hopefully some decent republicans wull return to the boards once trump's gone. it'll be wonderful to have interesting political debates about important issues, other than communism, dictatorship, riots looting etc.

 

I second that.

 

See post #6.

 

Yes, it is envy, anger and grievances with those who are supposedly stealing your hard earned tax dollars. You couldn't have made the point any better.

 

The benefits you receive by being part of a community of Americans are under appreciated by you.

https://www.thomhartmann.com/blog/2008/01/day-life-joe-middle-class-republican

 

The opinion of someone who believes that the federal government is the solution to all problems.

 

The purveyors of bigotry and authoritarianism are and always have been Democrats. The only thing that ever changes is the people that they single out for their assaults and the forms that assault takes.

 

Not all Germans were Nazis nor all Russians Communists, but they ran the country and the 'movement'. You didn't vote for Nazis in 1933 if you had lots of Jewish friends or were Jewish yourself (though some Jews actually did, they were still in the camps later anyway)

 

There is another way for Trumpery to be extinguished, but it's unlikely. It would require traditional conservatives to reject it. By that I mean honor the separation of powers, the Constitution, the independence of the DoJ, and reject the use of the levers of power to consolidate support.

 

Does separation of powers include hoping they can get control of the senate so that can add four new justices to the supreme court?

 

He was the type you loved to hate. And over the last 4 years, most people came to just hate him

The last time I saw that many people LITERALLY dancing in the streets was when Saddam was overthrown and that was a fake.

 

Even after winning you still have to complain and moan about Trump? give it a rest. Its really sad that you let a man who doesn't even know your name control your life. MOVE ON ALREADY

 

George Wallace was a Democrat. Were you around in the 30's for Coughlin? I never heard of him.

 

What will it take for democrats to reject Biden who gave the eulogy for a KKK Exalted Cyclops? The guy who called a black reporter a junky and said black aren't black if they don't vote for him?

 

Perhaps y'all could really make Biden like FDR and put Americans into cages and concentration camps?

 

Nicely said.

 

Thank you for your honesty. You've scared me away. I don't want to live near you (or your neighbors). I hope I don't.