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CedricH · M
It‘s a testament to a changed Republican Party that if you debate with a Trump supporter on the internet, the conversation won’t be about America‘s proper role in the world, public debt, specifics about deregulation and tax policy, trade policy or immigration policy in general.
Instead, many interactions quickly start to revolve around the idea that there‘s a corrupt Deep State, that Democrats are all criminals, that the Wall Street Journal and Forbes are socialist outlets because they‘re not controlled by Alex Jones or Tucker Carlson, that the US is producing biological weapons in Ukraine, that every charge, legal prosecution or indictment of Trump has to be lawfare of a corrupt government, or that there‘s a Davos-based globalist masterplan for a world government and only Trump wants to stop it… where does it end?
How can you have a political conversation with people who live in that kind of parallel reality? Once there, I suppose, there‘s no coming back from it.
Instead, many interactions quickly start to revolve around the idea that there‘s a corrupt Deep State, that Democrats are all criminals, that the Wall Street Journal and Forbes are socialist outlets because they‘re not controlled by Alex Jones or Tucker Carlson, that the US is producing biological weapons in Ukraine, that every charge, legal prosecution or indictment of Trump has to be lawfare of a corrupt government, or that there‘s a Davos-based globalist masterplan for a world government and only Trump wants to stop it… where does it end?
How can you have a political conversation with people who live in that kind of parallel reality? Once there, I suppose, there‘s no coming back from it.
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CedricH · M
@JimboSaturn It‘s not as though people haven’t always focused on different facts that seemed relatively more significant to them and ignored or dismissed others. That‘s how politics in a democracy works… but it seems to me that it has gone far beyond that with the ascendency of Trump.
If you can capture it in a moment, in 2008 John McCain corrected and scolded a potential voter when she stated that Obama was a terrorist, Arab socialist.
Trump in 2016 would‘ve cheered them on if someone like that had made a similar claim during a Townhall event. So the receptivity was there before, but Trump had the skill to harness it through demagoguery.
If you can capture it in a moment, in 2008 John McCain corrected and scolded a potential voter when she stated that Obama was a terrorist, Arab socialist.
Trump in 2016 would‘ve cheered them on if someone like that had made a similar claim during a Townhall event. So the receptivity was there before, but Trump had the skill to harness it through demagoguery.
JimboSaturn · 56-60, M
@CedricH I know, it's mind boggling. Blatant crazy lies have been completely normalized and people just say anything they feel without any reference to facts. As you may have heard, Trump said on a live TV debate that illegal Haitian immigrants are eating American pets; it's totally insane. He also said newborn babies are being executed at birth. Blatant lies easily fact checked on the spot and he still wins the elections. Americans just don't care.
CedricH · M
@JimboSaturn Yes, exactly. If Bush, Romney, or McCain had said something like that, they‘d have been crushed because they were trying to win yet weren’t prepared to unleash the floodgates separating them from what was once the isolated fringe of the American Right … but Trump has normalized it and attracts not just conspiracy-prone individuals from the right but with RFK and Tulsi Gabbard as part of his coalition, he won left-leaning people with “idiosyncratic” views too.
JimboSaturn · 56-60, M
@CedricH It's like all Americans have become these teens filled with misguided angst. The mistrust every single institution and have eroded the belief in every value they have along with choosing the crazy anti-heros for their government. They fundamentally mistrust and hate all their government and institutions. It's profound immaturity and being ill-informed about the world. Scary stuff.
CedricH · M
@JimboSaturn And I think that was part of the reason why the Democrats lost… they ran an establishment campaign that was about preserving the institutions and of trusting the institutions, adhering to basic unwritten political norms and voters just didn’t respond to that message because they‘re prepared to vote out of anger, frustration and deep skepticism about everything government or elite related.
I hope the Democrats don’t try to turn to even more populist rhetoric and themes to capture this mood in the country. I think a Democratic populist might fail where a Republican populist could succeed.
I hope the Democrats don’t try to turn to even more populist rhetoric and themes to capture this mood in the country. I think a Democratic populist might fail where a Republican populist could succeed.
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Confined · 56-60, M
@CedricH rusting the institutions?????????? Trusting what institutions????????????
Political Norms?????? What???
How is having every one in the military running around in dresses Normal?
What economic policies did they have that lowed gas prices? Trumps last day in office Gas was 1.60 a gallon. 2 weeks after Biden took office it went up to @3.00 or more a gallon! Basic groceries Doubled in price.
They catered to sick sick people in the trans community. Biden suppored the Trans school shooter.
Biden wanted to legalize abortion Right up to birth! They stated that loud and clear! What rock have you been living under?!?!?!!?
Trump closed the boarder and made us a safe country again. Biden opened the boarder and invited every terrorist and criminal he could find. He even flew people in with military air craft. We have 20 million criminals running loose in the USA and we have no idea where most of them are. How many has Canada taken in ???? How many has the EU taken in? ZERO!
There are still idiots that believe Jan 6th was an inserection. The MSM claimed it was! How many shots were fired????? ONE it was by Michale Byrd. He had a long long history of disciplinary issues with the capital police. He shot and murdered in clold blood Ashley Babbit a decorated Military vet! No one else was harmed what so ever during this peaceful protest. NONE No one took over the military, no one stole nuclear codes and tried to start a nuclear war, there was no violence what so ever. There was a FAKE investigation where no witnesses were called.
How long did the MSM cover up that our president had stage 4 dementia???? Why is he still in office??????? He has no idea what is going on and the VP is DRUNK all the time and has no grip on reality!
WAKE UP! You people are not living in reality if you believe people wanted us to be a socialist republic.
We have a constitution and Biden and his cronies committed Treason over and over and over. Once Trump is in office all these traitors will go to jail.
Political Norms?????? What???
How is having every one in the military running around in dresses Normal?
What economic policies did they have that lowed gas prices? Trumps last day in office Gas was 1.60 a gallon. 2 weeks after Biden took office it went up to @3.00 or more a gallon! Basic groceries Doubled in price.
They catered to sick sick people in the trans community. Biden suppored the Trans school shooter.
Biden wanted to legalize abortion Right up to birth! They stated that loud and clear! What rock have you been living under?!?!?!!?
Trump closed the boarder and made us a safe country again. Biden opened the boarder and invited every terrorist and criminal he could find. He even flew people in with military air craft. We have 20 million criminals running loose in the USA and we have no idea where most of them are. How many has Canada taken in ???? How many has the EU taken in? ZERO!
There are still idiots that believe Jan 6th was an inserection. The MSM claimed it was! How many shots were fired????? ONE it was by Michale Byrd. He had a long long history of disciplinary issues with the capital police. He shot and murdered in clold blood Ashley Babbit a decorated Military vet! No one else was harmed what so ever during this peaceful protest. NONE No one took over the military, no one stole nuclear codes and tried to start a nuclear war, there was no violence what so ever. There was a FAKE investigation where no witnesses were called.
How long did the MSM cover up that our president had stage 4 dementia???? Why is he still in office??????? He has no idea what is going on and the VP is DRUNK all the time and has no grip on reality!
WAKE UP! You people are not living in reality if you believe people wanted us to be a socialist republic.
We have a constitution and Biden and his cronies committed Treason over and over and over. Once Trump is in office all these traitors will go to jail.
CedricH · M
@BizSuitStacy Believe it or, what happens in America is part of our reality too, so me discussing issues related to American politics is in no way inappropriate. And I‘m not dissing anyone, I‘m excoriating a certain type of habit that can also be found among German voters of the AfD (on the right) or BSW (on the left)
