Why so many people still support Trump

[brycejones]

So here we have another example of our fine lefty friends using homosexual innuendo as a means to insult someone. How very progressive of you.

So butt play can only be homosexual?

 

[cytg111]

Mike? You must have me confused with someone else. Keep guessing.....here is a hint: not Bob either.

Sure thing Pence.

 

[VRAMdemon]

The primary lesson of the Trump election and administration is that so long as you can keep people polarized and tuned into "news" outlets and dogma that support your agenda, you can do no wrong. The truth is irrelevant, as are what would normally be considered scandalous behavior. Trump, whether by accident or design, was the first person to go against the conventional wisdom that making provable lies and behaving abhorrently would negatively affect your election chances, and that blatant partisanship itself can be a selling point rather than something that although useful should be publicly denied. However now that it has been revealed that whether the Emperor has clothes or not is irrelevant, others are sure to follow.

Any politician who promises to put non Christians, non whites, immigrants, "leftists" and their enablers in their place will be well reviewed by the GOP base. A willingness to undermine democracy is a price they're willing to pay.

Best case scenario, the elderly white people who make up the bulk of trumpists die off and their children are better people. But who knows, trumpism could be appealing to young people too. The rise of anti democracy right wing strongmen and their followers who fear the others is a global problem

The only hope is that somehow Trump gets smacked down hard. So hard that his name automatically takes on a negative connotation, the same way that Nixon and McCarthy do now. So that if anyone tries this sort of thing again he can be called Trumpian and dismissed

 

[SMOGZINN]

The only hope is that somehow Trump gets smacked down hard. So hard that his name automatically takes on a negative connotation, the same way that Nixon and McCarthy do now. So that if anyone tries this sort of thing again he can be called Trumpian and dismissed

Unfortunately it looks like that is not going to happen and that this is the new normal for our politicians. Anything to win. Nothing is to low. Ethics are for chumps. As long as you don't get caught in a felony before the election you can make it go away after. Power is all that matters, do anything to get it.

 

[Jhhnn]

Unfortunately it looks like that is not going to happen and that this is the new normal for our politicians. Anything to win. Nothing is to low. Ethics are for chumps. As long as you don't get caught in a felony before the election you can make it go away after. Power is all that matters, do anything to get it.

Mighty broad brush you're swinging there.

 

[cytg111]

Why so many people still support Trump?
Is it because stupid is a bottomless pit that one eyed kings can draw from ad libitum?

I mean you have be a special kind of stupid to swallow what Tucker is serving here?
What is Tucker doing? Scrambling around trying to catch whatever froth falls from Hannitys face? Sure looks that way.

 

[alien42]

So here we have another example of our fine lefty friends using homosexual innuendo as a means to insult someone. How very progressive of you.

Are you flirting with me? I think I feel a tingle.

 

[SMOGZINN]

Mighty broad brush you're swinging there.

Like Jackson Pollock with a mop.

 

[Victorian Gray]

Have never claimed to be virtuous.

I appreciate your modesty but your own words tell us that you are truly one of the virtuous.

 

[UberNeuman]

I appreciate your modesty but your own words tell us that you are truly one of the virtuous.

You're speaking to Sir Corn - Knight of the First Order of the Steely Dan.

lol.

 

[Victorian Gray]

You're speaking to Sir Corn - Knight of the First Order of the Steely Dan.

lol.

Hey, I liked Steely Dan. They made some nice music.

 

[UberNeuman]

Hey, I liked Steely Dan. They made some nice music.

lol. You've read Naked Lunch?

 

[Victorian Gray]

lol. You've read Naked Lunch?

Actually, no. I never developed a taste for William Burroughs. But I did like Edgar Rice.

 

[StinkyPinky]

People still support Brexit for the same reason. Many of them know they screwed up but by god they aren't willing to admit they messed up. So they double down. It's human nature I suppose.

 

[UberNeuman]

Nothing exemplifies typical lefty hypocrisy than a good homophobic insult. Well done.

ah, Corn - always trying to go after the low hanging fruit....

 

[BurnItDwn]

So butt play can only be homosexual?

Didn't you know, sir mixalot was wrong, women don't even have butts, and to think otherwise is IMPURE THOUGHTS THAT MUST BE PURGED! PRAISE OKRAN

 

[BonzaiDuck]

I voted for trump. I will not again.

And yes white males are under siege. I See open racism all over the media regarding us that I've never seen before in my life. I don't blame it on anybody but spineless whites. We have entered a new age. Its not going to be pretty when white men decide to do something about it. Like stop working and paying into the system and watch the world start eating each other.

As I see it, part of the trouble here is "white identity". Suppose you were "black" and lived in the 1940s. Would your sense of "black identity" make you happy about being "black"? No -- the minorities wanted to be accepted as being merely "human" -- with dignity and an even chance at the extant opportunities. That was Pete Buttigieg's campaign message the other day, targeted at people like Mike Pence. People don't "want" to be homosexual when they're going to be treated like dirt for it.

The Black Panthers wanted to foster a sense of "black pride" or black identity, but they did so during the civil rights struggles. Black Muslims did much the same thing. This was all part of a reaction to both the promise of civil rights activism, and a long experience of being black, being treated "black" and living "black". Majorities don't need "Identity": they already have privilege.

So now we see a reaction to the perceptions about other people in other places, such as megalopolises that have larger black populations. These are media perceptions. If Mr. and Mrs. Cornpone in F***bucket Idaho ever go to Seattle or Frisco, it's because they can afford a vacation. They look around. They don't "live" the experience. Ask yourself why McCain lost to Obama by a landslide in some poor state like West Virginia, where the black population is now only 4% of the total. During the time of Mother Jones and the Mine Wars, black and white West Virginians fought side by side against the mine owners.

Identity is a refuge of people whose self-esteem is seeking a quick fix.

I would have laughed at the idea of voting for Trump when he first started pounding the Birther drum. I knew him for what he was, and his Birther Frenzy was only part of it.

Here -- here's another current thread to at least suggest a point I want to make:

"White" woman engaging in hate crimes

Does she have a self-esteem problem? Does she worry and fret about the future of skin pigments in the evolution of the species that occurs in reality over many tens of thousands of years?

That's why I like to use the word "Caucasian" instead of "White". And that's why sons and daughters of slaves prefer "African-American" instead of "Black".

 

[glenn1]

When people realize that they've been hoodwinked into making a horrible mistake, they don't automatically turn around and admit it and thank you for pointing it out.
That's not how people work.
When people feel angry and betrayed and unsure of themselves, they're just as likely to double down on stupid.
What may have started out as poor judgment or simple ignorance becomes a point of pride.

You could start by asking some of those voters "what could we do to earn your vote?" instead of "why do you still support Trump?"

You might be surprised how people can accept your policy positions even if they would otherwise not prioritize that particular decision among alternatives (or perhaps even oppose your position) provided they feel like they were actually heard in the process of you arriving at those positions. Likewise you can completely alienate them even if they would be inclined to agree with you if you seem to be starting with the premise of how they're wrong, racist, or ignorant and need you to "enlighten" them on the proper way to think.

This is exactly why I think Buttigieg is the candidate to beat in 2020. He knows how to speak to people who would otherwise be opponents and not seem like he's "talking down to them," ignoring their concerns, or basically telling them "move out of your racist hick town to the big city where you can join us morally correct folks."

https://www.cnn.com/2019/03/30/politics/hillary-clinton-spokesman-pete-buttigieg/index.html

 

[Jhhnn]

You could start by asking some of those voters "what could we do to earn your vote?" instead of "why do you still support Trump?"

You might be surprised how people can accept your policy positions even if they would otherwise not prioritize that particular decision among alternatives (or perhaps even oppose your position) provided they feel like they were actually heard in the process of you arriving at those positions. Likewise you can completely alienate them even if they would be inclined to agree with you if you seem to be starting with the premise of how they're wrong, racist, or ignorant and need you to "enlighten" them on the proper way to think.

This is exactly why I think Buttigieg is the candidate to beat in 2020. He knows how to speak to people who would otherwise be opponents and not seem like he's "talking down to them," ignoring their concerns, or basically telling them "move out of your racist hick town to the big city where you can join us morally correct folks."

https://www.cnn.com/2019/03/30/politics/hillary-clinton-spokesman-pete-buttigieg/index.html

You assume voting for Trump was rational in some indescribable way or that people can reason their way out of something they didn't reason their way into. People are stubborn, particularly conservatives. They're loyal to a fault.

I figure Trump is already shedding voters, the ones who took a chance on Trump & realize they rolled snake eyes. OTOH, if they're letting Fox tell 'em what they rolled, they think it's a winner. Voters most strongly affected by Trump/Russian con artistry exhibit a strong dunning kreuger effect, as well. "Mess with my head? Nobody messes with *my* head! I'm too smart!"

 

[Indus]

You assume voting for Trump was rational in some indescribable way or that people can reason their way out of something they didn't reason their way into. People are stubborn, particularly conservatives. They're loyal to a fault.

I figure Trump is already shedding voters, the ones who took a chance on Trump & realize they rolled snake eyes. OTOH, if they're letting Fox tell 'em what they rolled, they think it's a winner. Voters most strongly affected by Trump/Russian con artistry exhibit a strong dunning kreuger effect, as well. "Mess with my head? Nobody messes with *my* head! I'm too smart!"

Most voters are so set in their belief system, they take 10 minutes or less to decide who they want to vote for.. they probably thought GOP lower taxes and my obamacare premium.. that's it!

 

[glenn1]

You assume voting for Trump was rational in some indescribable way or that people can reason their way out of something they didn't reason their way into. People are stubborn, particularly conservatives. They're loyal to a fault.

I figure Trump is already shedding voters, the ones who took a chance on Trump & realize they rolled snake eyes. OTOH, if they're letting Fox tell 'em what they rolled, they think it's a winner. Voters most strongly affected by Trump/Russian con artistry exhibit a strong dunning kreuger effect, as well. "Mess with my head? Nobody messes with *my* head! I'm too smart!"

You could try to appeal to previous Trump voters.

Or.............

You could take the old @Jhhnn approach and basically say “you were stupid to vote for Trump but we hate Trump enough that we’ll allow a racist like you to vote for our candidate.”

 

[Indus]

You could try to appeal to previous Trump voters.

Or.............

You could take the old @Jhhnn approach and basically say “you were stupid to vote for Trump but we hate Trump enough that we’ll allow a racist like you to vote for our candidate.”

If a Republican Hillary who was right of Obama couldn't appeal to Trump voters, what makes you think anyone else could other than actually going and campaigning in PA, MI & WI which she took for granted?

If it wasn't racism, it was pure stupidity and hate. People tend to double down on those.

 

[Jhhnn]

You could try to appeal to previous Trump voters.

Or.............

You could take the old @Jhhnn approach and basically say “you were stupid to vote for Trump but we hate Trump enough that we’ll allow a racist like you to vote for our candidate.”

So dishonest. I'm not belittling any Trump voter who realizes they made a mistake. It happens to everybody. If they can't come to that conclusion they'll vote for him again. In order for them to get there they'll necessarily have to realize that Trump messed with their minds. What I have to say to those people is that Trump isn't who & what they've been led to believe, that their emotional investment isn't warranted at all.

Step outside of your own perspective & pretend you're a Russian propagandist trying to tear America apart to understand why they backed Trump.

 

[glenn1]

So dishonest. I'm not belittling any Trump voter who realizes they made a mistake. It happens to everybody. If they can't come to that conclusion they'll vote for him again. In order for them to get there they'll necessarily have to realize that Trump messed with their minds. What I have to say to those people is that Trump isn't who & what they've been led to believe, that their emotional investment isn't warranted at all.

Step outside of your own perspective & pretend you're a Russian propagandist trying to tear America apart to understand why they backed Trump.

Saying "voting for Trump was a mistake" is not and never will be a reason to vote FOR someone else. If your platform doesn't appeal to Trump voters (or at least not actively repel them) then you won't get their vote nor do you really deserve it. The vast majority of the country is way past being influenced in the least by arguments that boil down to "vote against X because s/he is evil." If the Dem candidate in 2020 is someone whose main focus is raising taxes on the rich, banning plastic straws, which locker room transgender folks use, tying to ban SUVs, and allowing unlimited immigration then that person will not get the vote of folks who went Trump in 2016 because those are not the concerns of those 2016 Trump voters. That's not the same thing as saying those positions are "wrong" but they don't resonate with that crowd and if Trump at least speaks to their concerns (like not being effectively told they need to abandon their lives in racist flyover state USA and move to NYC or SF to survive) they'll vote for him even if they don't think Trump will fix their problems.

 

[tweaker2]

Let's not discount or ignore what is, for better or worse, a very efficient and effective factor influencing the voter's decision making process and of which, imo, the Repubs have a far better grasp and mastery over: that being their ability to convince folks that having their emotions be their guide is so much more satisfying and rewarding than having to go through the bother of putting some deductive brain power to task in order to seek enlightenment.

Those that "feel their way" through the decision making process appear to be more susceptible toward voting against their own best interests without hesitation, which in and of itself is a remarkable thing to see and of which the Repub leadership have exploited with great success.

edit - opinion expressed in this post is limited to the subject of politics and voting in particular.