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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsThe no-brainers who are um sort of okay why not with Trump
A friend reported that he was playing chess with a guy who, during a pause said with furrowed brow, "What's this about someone trying to kill Mike Pence?"
The friend paused to take in this and consider how to answer. "Uh, it happened January 6. You know, when Trump sent the mob down to the Capitol. Some of them planned to kill Mike Pence if they could get him."
No-brainer asked, "Why did they want to kill him?"
Patient pause. "Well, Trump wanted him not to ratify that Biden won the election."
"Oh. Why Pence?"
"The vice president is the one who does that-- counts the electoral votes and says Biden won. It's just a formality, but Trump wanted to stop it."
No brainer said, "Wait. Mike Pence was vice president? I thought he was governor." (They live in Indiana.)
Friend had gotten tired of explaining, but felt like he had to ask: "Who did you vote for?"
Trump, of course.
Now the no-brainer is wandering around in a fog, no doubt, unable to get it straight. I can imagine him muttering, "So... Pence beat Trump? Does that mean Pence is president now?"
My friend's point is-- perhaps many Trump voters are completely clueless, completely unread, unwilling/unable to read headlines or use google. Then again, apparently this no-brainer doesn't even watch Fox News. Alas, he was aware just enough to remember he was registered to vote, and he probably obediently went down to vote and saw Trump's name on the ballot and thought, hmm. I think I've heard that name before. I'll vote for him.
But... I guess the good news is, at least he heard enough floating in the ether to have captured a fragment of reality, that someone somewhere somehow wanted to kill Mike Pence.
This is another thing we have to deal with when saving democracy... or maybe we can just pat them on the head and say, "Yeah, isn't it weird that Trump wanted to kill someone. I don't like that, do you?"
Whiskeytide
(4,462 posts)viva la
(3,315 posts)The no-brainer is a retired teacher.
Has a master's degree.
jimfields33
(15,948 posts)I think they thought he was still Governor. Very few know state legislators.
TheProle
(2,198 posts)In a 2019 survey, 12% of Americans had never heard of Pence.
In a 2011 survey, 6% had never heard of then-VP Biden, who's been part of the national political landscape for decades.
https://fox59.com/news/politics/12-percent-of-americans-dont-know-who-mike-pence-is-according-to-poll/
Whiskeytide
(4,462 posts)of Americans think Morgan Freeman was the president. Geez.
hurple
(1,306 posts)Several times.
He was once in that comet hitting earth movie. Then again in that terrorists attack England movie. And I'm sure there have been other times.
Sheesh! Do you're research!
viva la
(3,315 posts)Only FDR faced a comparable number of disasters.
Totally Tunsie
(10,885 posts)empedocles
(15,751 posts)about the Hearings, etc., did not want to talk about it, or any politics. Knows little politics.
I've known her for a long time. She does tune in to 'local' news, which is fed as 'local sourced'.
She blamed Biden for putin invading Ukraine. If trump was president putin never would have done that.
viva la
(3,315 posts)If he would have invaded UKR in 2017, Trump would have happily approved, instead of Biden helping to arm and support Ukraine.
Deminpenn
(15,290 posts)or no to attention to politics. All politics and political news is just an etheral cloud floating by that sometimes drops a few tidbits of information on them, but it rarely sticks or causes them to ask questions or think about how that might affect them.