The Problem Isn't Just Trump. It's Our Ignorant Electorate. - by Ron Reagan

[DonViejo]

It is not effete snobbery or elitist condescension to note that ill-informed voters contributed to the current mess.

RON REAGAN
03.06.18 3:38 PM ET

For many of us, mornings have taken on a certain nauseating sameness. We roll out from beneath the blankets and, before the scent of coffee has reached our nostrils, we are checking the news feeds for the latest semi-literate tweet coughed up by the ranting, traitorous squatter occupying the Oval Office.

The rest of the day is spent in a kind of horrified suspension, holding our breath, waiting for whatever outrage will inevitably belch forth from the White House—once a bastion of seriousness and decorum, now ground zero for the demise of western democracy. How many lies will Trump spew today? Which dictators will he suck up to? Will he smear a Gold Star family? Attack a woman who dares to call out his smarmy predations? Unveil a puerile, racist nickname for a Senator or member of his own cabinet?

As much as we loathe it, however sickening it might have become, every day seems all about him, a former game show host and real estate failure, a hawker of rot-gut vodka and bullshit degrees from a fraudulent “University” who once styled himself as “the Donald”. The cable news shows lead with his most recent flatulence, the op-ed pages brim with intimations of doom, late night comedians are having a field day.

He is the president and, thus, bears watching. But we would be mistaken to think that he is truly the center of our universe, a man with a plan, commanding the heights, directing the action.

more
https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-problem-isnt-just-trump-its-our-ignorant-electorate?ref=home

[skylucy]

1. Excellent OP by Ron Reagan.

[Hoyt]

2. Exactly. We can despise trump, but the Deplorables are what we have to worry about.

[PatSeg]

22. Yes

There are many despicable people in the world, but they wouldn't make it to the White House without the support of ignorant voters. Trump's base is what we should be worried about. Trump will be gone, but they will still be out there.

[poboy2]

23. for them...

[Dustlawyer]

25. But how did they get to be so bad? Answer: RW media programmed them.

We need to place most of the blame here and work to do something about the insidious propaganda!

[BigmanPigman]

3. I always enjoy listening to his commentary.

He is a guest on Chris Matthews sometimes and his perspective is usually one I agree with. I also like his FFRF ads (devout atheist and not afraid of burning in Hell).

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

4. Fuck yeah! nt

[cynical_idealist]

5. that's why they attack education

kochs etc.
less educated are easier to manipulate and mislead.
(+ the truth has liberal bias...)

[ffr]

6. Not just ignorant. Willfully selfish Ayn Rand "me first" followers

Link to tweet

[ProfessorGAC]

20. The Worst Of That, ffr, is. . .

. . .that they are doing "me first" while not realizing that they're following the lead of people who are making that those people are last, not first.

[BSdetect]

7. A worthy article.

[dlk]

8. A Quality Education is a Powerful Thing. Thus, the Decades-Long, GOP Assault on Public Schools.

Ignorant people are much more easily manipulated. Anyone who disputes that fact only needs to take a look at who's in the White House.

[smirkymonkey]

9. Excellent article.

OMG, that clip of Bob Lutz going against Bill Maher and Neil DeGrasse-Tyson just made me want to beat my head against the wall! That is the epitome of every conversation with a right-winger when you try to argue with facts and they refuse to accept reality. It's so incredibly frustrating!

[appalachiablue]

10. The truth, continued focus on the major distractor while deconstruction

on a large scale takes places rapidly. Enabled by the Ignorant and the Selfish, very bad characters for democracy indeed.

K & R

*2016 Presidential Election Map* 'Trump Central' and how!

[Honeycombe8]

11. So true. nt

[RestoreAmerica2020]

12. Thanks for post. His eloquent sensibilty is appreciated.

He made many poignant observations
often expressed here by very wise, informed, and knowlegeable DU members.

[mountain grammy]

13. Very good. He makes every point.

[misanthrope]

14. The greatest irony here

is the role his father played in putting us on this track.

[moondust]

15. Yup.

World shudders, knows it won't necessarily be over when Drumpf finally leaves.

[meadowlander]

16. +1. I've been saying all year

that Trump is less of a problem than the Tea Party congress that enables him and the yahoos that elect them.

[Cha]

17. Yes, it's all of them.. the very ignorant Brainwashed

electorate and those they elect.. and the Russian mole who cheated his fucking way in.

[colsohlibgal]

18. Amen

Fox and right wing radio have created millions of functional idiots who believe in a totally different and mostly fictional reality. This has led to a totally incompetent, crazy, often evil carnival barker as president.

This has been helped by the insane decision that money is speech.

[DavidDvorkin]

19. Exemplified by the 1980 election.

[Wounded Bear]

21. K & R...Ron Reagan is the best...

[niyad]

24. RR is correct--it is the 62 million deplorables who voted for this mess who worry me.

[Eliot Rosewater]

26. Thus my daily comment that SIXTY MILLION Americans support treason.

[Mike Nelson]

27. Ronnie and Nancy...

...had great kids!

[Thomas Hurt]

28. Ignorant people or those lacking critical thinking skills are easier to exploit and oppress...

explains why the right wing in this country have such disdain for intellectuals and are trying to de-democratize education. Just part of the on going struggle of the christo-fascist theocrats.

[LonePirate]

29. Pissing off liberals means more to them than preventing harmful policies from being enacted.

If the deplorables are given the choice of opposing a policy or law because it makes their lives worse or supporting the policy or law simply because liberals are opposed to it, they always choose the latter option. They are nothing but ignorant, bigoted, sadistic nihilists. The only way to counter that is via education land the deplorables are against that, too.