I hear this is going to take 10 years to neutralize- We will not be returning to the time before Trump. That is good in many respects-so much has been uncovered in our broken system. The only positives are that fact and this has forced more Americans to be critical thinkers.
But the biggest takeaway is why so many voted for him when they knew who he was. Greed. Bigotry. Cruelty. And for those who were truly ignorant of his nature: how? No access to outlets? The dark powers that be used him as a front. They still exist. Will it be too late to dismantle what they have set up already and will in the next two years? Can we impeach members of Congress for dereliction of constitutional duty?
I chalk it up to the prevalence of the Right-Wing Authoritarian personality type in our society. Only they can believe that Trump is good for America and able to fool themselves that he is good for them. The truth, that the only people Trump detests more than his opponents are his supporters, is so obvious to anyone willing to see it.
Don’t feel bad for her, she’s already starting in the father and grandfather’s footsteps with selling crappy merchandise. Yes I know she’s still a kid, and I truly hope she can get away from her family’s corruption
Look at their outrage a couple of years back over Taylor Swift. The insistence that she was some kind of George Soros-arranged psyop. They couldn't accept that someone they'd come to resent and despise was so huge purely on talent.
Bro got booed at a WWE Event (supposedly his target demographic), the US Open Tennis tournament (supposedly rich people who love his tax cuts), and an NBA finals game (not sure what else he was expecting). His only safe havens are SEC football games LOL.
Mike, I think you’re 100% bang on from a psychological perspective, but I think you rather miss the boat from a sociological/political perspective, although the issue is the same.
Who supports Trump overwhelmingly, and has done so since the first time he rolled down the golden escalator, did so despite the disasters of his first term, and did so again? And who will do it again and again and again?
Evangelical, hyper conservative, reactionary Christians. The last time I saw the figure, they still supported him at something like 70 to 80%. STILL! Despite Epstein, despite yet another war where Americans and Iranians are dying, despite 30% increases in prices for groceries over the last year and a half, despite a 30% increase in gas prices.
DESPITE EVERYTHING!
Like many countries in the first world west, religion is losing its dominance. They’ve lost a number of cultural wars, like gay people. So they switched to transgender people. They lost on gay marriage, so we see laws being passed in every red state to exclude gay people and force them back into the closet however they may do so. And of course, it’s not just gay people. They would like to see sex education gone, birth control gone, abortion gone— every single one of their hot button issues. They want to see the Johnson amendment gone. They want taxpayers support for religious purposes. They want money flowing from the federal government to churches. They want an end to the separation of church and state.
They don’t just want cultural relevance, they want cultural Dominion. And they want to be in charge when it happens. Listen to people like Pete hegseth. Listen to the fundamentalist Baptist Church. Listen to the southern Baptist at their upcoming convention. Listen to the Christian nationalists.
It is a major portion of their attacks on Islam, quite apart from the fact that those brownpeople speak funny and don’t believe in Jesus. It’s behind the de-listing of the Mormons.
I’m absolutely convinced this is a major part of the support for Israel. They don’t give a crap about Israel itself. It’s only been 50 years since F Bailey Smith, president of the southern Baptist convention, declared that “God Almighty does not hear the prayer of a Jew”. They want that war in the Middle East because they hope it will engulf the Middle East, and thereby remind Jesus that he’s 2000 years late for his return. They want to see the end times, where Jesus returns and they get to live happily ever after in white peoples heaven, where the streets are paved with gold and people that can’t listen to harp music get to play harps for eternity
They want to be back in control the way they used to be. And thus they continue to support Trump no matter what he does, no matter who he is, no matter what damage he does to the country, because he is promising them the one thing they want above all: RELIGIOUS DOMINION.
And the Republican Party also wants the power and the money. So do the billionaires. And sometimes the Republican Party and the billionaires are exactly the same people as the heart rate evangelical Christians.
They want power. They want money. Above all, they want religious Dominion, so that they can have revenge on every person, religion, nationality, sexual orientation, woman, gay person, transgender person that has ever disrespected them and said “no, I don’t think so”.
I may be wrong about this, but I really don’t think so. This is a major factor in how Trump got elected the first time and the second time. I’ve been studying this for more than 50 years. And unless this is recognized by anyone besides atheists, we’re not going to solve our problem.
You're on the right track for ure -- but I think the less fanatical "Make America White Again" crowd is falling away as they realize that "owning the libs" is costing them money. They're less interested in the Rapture than in the price of gas and groceries.
There are plenty of Christians who do, and Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Sikhs, Taoists, Wiccans, Druids etc. as well as Agnostics and Humanists. The Pope being the most well known to speak out recently. Please stop lumping all of us together as somehow clueless or ignorant about what is happening. Many of us were part of the Civil Rights, Women’s and LGBTQ movements, and more recently protests against ICE.. Some of us physically putting ourselves at risk. Atheism does not confer special wisdom or insight.
Trino is not a real human being, but he suffers more than anyone probably knows because his idea of his gross.accomplishments is forever derailed. The country is a substitute for his father, always praising little Donald as so smart, such a ‘deal maker,’ and attractive to women, he’s learned that the reality is he’s a dumb fraud of a man, inauthentic and unlikable. No wonder Obama gets under his thin skin. Obama is the real Deal.
It will take years to mend the disaster that Trump created as the country can not heal this damaged person, and he will live his life out exacting revenge for not being the adored Dictator he thinks he is.
Trump's one and only true superpower is to become whatever the person in front of him wants to see. Crass and racist for rallies, reasonable and even self-deprecating when meeting with Maher or Mamdani. Friend of Isreal or anti-semite, sometimes in the same day. He believes in nothing but the pursuit of approval. In a very real way, there's no “there” there, like an evil version of Chauncey Gardener from “Being There.”
Vance also believes in nothing, and has proven more than willing to bend himself into any shape necessary to move his career forward. But there's one significant difference:
He's bad at it. It takes effort for him to do, and that effort shows. Trump changes instinctually. A chameleon on a leaf doesn't need to think about the color “green.” It just suddenly is. Meanwhile Vance struggles, changing from his “populist” suit into his “regular average human” suit in full view of everyone.
WOW you nailed it Mike! I've been thinking this for a long time. Have you ever seen the movie "The Magic Christian?" What it is about is money can buy a person anything they want. This movie was made in England and is a spoof, but true on all levels. Saying things like if you have money you can bribe some one to do almost anything, like if you want someone to eat out of a gutter you bribe them into doing. Our current situation is a lot like the same thing. "HE" wants it all but in the end he has to realize money cannot buy respect, caring, empathy or love. And oh what a sad state of affairs he is. I've known people like him. They try to reach out to people that people with money called in the old days "commoners"! People that work hard for a living and play hard as well. They actually enjoy life. But they have something "HE" will never have Character and integrity and a slew of other things. I used to watch a woman try to kiss up to people that in her mind she thought were commoners. She would talk to them and never realized that as we watched it play out they were ignoring her. Because try as she did she could never put herself in their shoes because she was a con that played that poor needy person when she was not.
So so true. Thank you for your observations
You nailed it. The culture has rejected him. He’s only got himself to blame
I hear this is going to take 10 years to neutralize- We will not be returning to the time before Trump. That is good in many respects-so much has been uncovered in our broken system. The only positives are that fact and this has forced more Americans to be critical thinkers.
But the biggest takeaway is why so many voted for him when they knew who he was. Greed. Bigotry. Cruelty. And for those who were truly ignorant of his nature: how? No access to outlets? The dark powers that be used him as a front. They still exist. Will it be too late to dismantle what they have set up already and will in the next two years? Can we impeach members of Congress for dereliction of constitutional duty?
I chalk it up to the prevalence of the Right-Wing Authoritarian personality type in our society. Only they can believe that Trump is good for America and able to fool themselves that he is good for them. The truth, that the only people Trump detests more than his opponents are his supporters, is so obvious to anyone willing to see it.
He stirred up anger and promised he is the only who could fixs.... then rode on that momentum. His greatest tools are anger, threats, and fear.
And let's not forget -- after causing all that disruption, he falls asleep during the
game, and then leaves early.
Who is the guy nodding off sitting next to DJT? Poor Kai Trump seems lost!
Don’t feel bad for her, she’s already starting in the father and grandfather’s footsteps with selling crappy merchandise. Yes I know she’s still a kid, and I truly hope she can get away from her family’s corruption
Great column. It's going to take the country years to get over this insanity.
The younger generation will be burdened with the cost of undoing the damage.
Fabulous column. Describes our predicament with Trump perfectly!
Watched you this morning on the Stephanie Miller show, over at FStv🤓 Good Job and will reStack ASAP 💯👍
Look at their outrage a couple of years back over Taylor Swift. The insistence that she was some kind of George Soros-arranged psyop. They couldn't accept that someone they'd come to resent and despise was so huge purely on talent.
Great summary of the core rot of MAGA and the Republican party Mike! If only their parents had loved them a little more when they were little.
Bro got booed at a WWE Event (supposedly his target demographic), the US Open Tennis tournament (supposedly rich people who love his tax cuts), and an NBA finals game (not sure what else he was expecting). His only safe havens are SEC football games LOL.
Mike, I think you’re 100% bang on from a psychological perspective, but I think you rather miss the boat from a sociological/political perspective, although the issue is the same.
Who supports Trump overwhelmingly, and has done so since the first time he rolled down the golden escalator, did so despite the disasters of his first term, and did so again? And who will do it again and again and again?
Evangelical, hyper conservative, reactionary Christians. The last time I saw the figure, they still supported him at something like 70 to 80%. STILL! Despite Epstein, despite yet another war where Americans and Iranians are dying, despite 30% increases in prices for groceries over the last year and a half, despite a 30% increase in gas prices.
DESPITE EVERYTHING!
Like many countries in the first world west, religion is losing its dominance. They’ve lost a number of cultural wars, like gay people. So they switched to transgender people. They lost on gay marriage, so we see laws being passed in every red state to exclude gay people and force them back into the closet however they may do so. And of course, it’s not just gay people. They would like to see sex education gone, birth control gone, abortion gone— every single one of their hot button issues. They want to see the Johnson amendment gone. They want taxpayers support for religious purposes. They want money flowing from the federal government to churches. They want an end to the separation of church and state.
They don’t just want cultural relevance, they want cultural Dominion. And they want to be in charge when it happens. Listen to people like Pete hegseth. Listen to the fundamentalist Baptist Church. Listen to the southern Baptist at their upcoming convention. Listen to the Christian nationalists.
It is a major portion of their attacks on Islam, quite apart from the fact that those brownpeople speak funny and don’t believe in Jesus. It’s behind the de-listing of the Mormons.
I’m absolutely convinced this is a major part of the support for Israel. They don’t give a crap about Israel itself. It’s only been 50 years since F Bailey Smith, president of the southern Baptist convention, declared that “God Almighty does not hear the prayer of a Jew”. They want that war in the Middle East because they hope it will engulf the Middle East, and thereby remind Jesus that he’s 2000 years late for his return. They want to see the end times, where Jesus returns and they get to live happily ever after in white peoples heaven, where the streets are paved with gold and people that can’t listen to harp music get to play harps for eternity
They want to be back in control the way they used to be. And thus they continue to support Trump no matter what he does, no matter who he is, no matter what damage he does to the country, because he is promising them the one thing they want above all: RELIGIOUS DOMINION.
And the Republican Party also wants the power and the money. So do the billionaires. And sometimes the Republican Party and the billionaires are exactly the same people as the heart rate evangelical Christians.
They want power. They want money. Above all, they want religious Dominion, so that they can have revenge on every person, religion, nationality, sexual orientation, woman, gay person, transgender person that has ever disrespected them and said “no, I don’t think so”.
I may be wrong about this, but I really don’t think so. This is a major factor in how Trump got elected the first time and the second time. I’ve been studying this for more than 50 years. And unless this is recognized by anyone besides atheists, we’re not going to solve our problem.
You're on the right track for ure -- but I think the less fanatical "Make America White Again" crowd is falling away as they realize that "owning the libs" is costing them money. They're less interested in the Rapture than in the price of gas and groceries.
There are plenty of Christians who do, and Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Sikhs, Taoists, Wiccans, Druids etc. as well as Agnostics and Humanists. The Pope being the most well known to speak out recently. Please stop lumping all of us together as somehow clueless or ignorant about what is happening. Many of us were part of the Civil Rights, Women’s and LGBTQ movements, and more recently protests against ICE.. Some of us physically putting ourselves at risk. Atheism does not confer special wisdom or insight.
Trino is not a real human being, but he suffers more than anyone probably knows because his idea of his gross.accomplishments is forever derailed. The country is a substitute for his father, always praising little Donald as so smart, such a ‘deal maker,’ and attractive to women, he’s learned that the reality is he’s a dumb fraud of a man, inauthentic and unlikable. No wonder Obama gets under his thin skin. Obama is the real Deal.
It will take years to mend the disaster that Trump created as the country can not heal this damaged person, and he will live his life out exacting revenge for not being the adored Dictator he thinks he is.
Well said! Thanks
Trump's one and only true superpower is to become whatever the person in front of him wants to see. Crass and racist for rallies, reasonable and even self-deprecating when meeting with Maher or Mamdani. Friend of Isreal or anti-semite, sometimes in the same day. He believes in nothing but the pursuit of approval. In a very real way, there's no “there” there, like an evil version of Chauncey Gardener from “Being There.”
Vance also believes in nothing, and has proven more than willing to bend himself into any shape necessary to move his career forward. But there's one significant difference:
He's bad at it. It takes effort for him to do, and that effort shows. Trump changes instinctually. A chameleon on a leaf doesn't need to think about the color “green.” It just suddenly is. Meanwhile Vance struggles, changing from his “populist” suit into his “regular average human” suit in full view of everyone.
Even sociopaths can’t keep up the mask all the time.
WOW you nailed it Mike! I've been thinking this for a long time. Have you ever seen the movie "The Magic Christian?" What it is about is money can buy a person anything they want. This movie was made in England and is a spoof, but true on all levels. Saying things like if you have money you can bribe some one to do almost anything, like if you want someone to eat out of a gutter you bribe them into doing. Our current situation is a lot like the same thing. "HE" wants it all but in the end he has to realize money cannot buy respect, caring, empathy or love. And oh what a sad state of affairs he is. I've known people like him. They try to reach out to people that people with money called in the old days "commoners"! People that work hard for a living and play hard as well. They actually enjoy life. But they have something "HE" will never have Character and integrity and a slew of other things. I used to watch a woman try to kiss up to people that in her mind she thought were commoners. She would talk to them and never realized that as we watched it play out they were ignoring her. Because try as she did she could never put herself in their shoes because she was a con that played that poor needy person when she was not.