My Friend Is A Trump Supporter

[Yallow]

We have great conversations. He does know all about Trump too, and is great at defending him. The funny thing is the reason he supports Trump. He says the entire Republican Party is corrupt, and the proof is from a visit to his doctor, and his bill. He said the whole system needs to be torn down, and he is counting on Trump to mess it up. I halfway agree. Halfway.

Our government IS completely corrupt, and what is good for Average Americans is the last thing most politicians seem to care about.

I halfway agree with him.

The problem is the carnage that will happen, and how many of us will be hurt. Both him and I will be paying.....

Oh well.

There, now you know why at least one person likes Trump!

[MADem]

1. How can you have "great conversations" about a sexist, racist pig-asshole?

The DRUMPF man is a Mussolini WannaBee.

He's a Dictator in Waiting. If you think that unhinged short fingered vulgarian is going to solve problems of corruption you have not been paying attention. He is the leader of the march down the road to ruin. You cannot, if you think about it, even "halfway agree" with a racist, homophobic, xenophobe.

[Yallow]

2. My Friend Has A Point

Our government is completely corrupt.

What will it take to fix it?

Trump?

In his mind it is our only chance.

I keep telling him Bernie would do a better job, but he is convinced.

Instead of fixing our government, he wants it torn down.

Tea Party mentality.

He has never mentioned the words tea party.

[radical noodle]

3. If anything, Trump is more corrupt than our government eom

[mnhtnbb]

8. You need to ask your friend why his theory didn't work in Iraq.

This is typical Republican thinking. They destroy the government that exists and are so arrogant and self-deluded that they think whatever
they've destroyed can be replaced with something better.

Really, you ought to remind him what has happened in Iraq.

[Solly Mack]

4. Yeah. You know, destroying the town doesn't save it.

It creates a void that can be filled by any manner of scary things. That belief that, somehow, something good or better will come from the ashes is discounting the vagaries of human nature.

The assumption that bringing the whole system down would result in a better government isn't a given.

Sounds like someone tossing a match on a gas soaked lawn and hoping the house doesn't burn as well.

Yes, government is corrupt. Yes, that needs changing. But unless your friend is aiming for violent revolution, he has to work within the existing system to make those changes.

But if your friend is looking to revolution, he better have something to replace the existing government at the ready because, otherwise, there's that scary void just waiting to be filled by some would-be tyrant. Unless your friend is delusional enough to think people will suddenly join hands and form a new government that is without any of the old differences and rancor between the left and the right.

My guess? Your friend believes that bringing the whole system down will somehow give rise to a government more to his way of thinking. A fantasy which beggars a fantasy candidate. Which does explain his support of Trump.

If your friend is hoping Trump will bring the system down and, somehow, change it for the better instead of becoming that
tyrant -in-the-void, your friend isn't listening - he's merely reacting.

[napi21]

5. I just spoke to my son about the candidates. He asked me what I thought and who I was supporting.

I've always tried to stay away from politics with him because I know he supports the Pubs, and I don't want to get into an argument over silly things with him, but he asked,, so I decided I'd answer him. I told him I supported Bernie. I know HE supports Trump. He said he thought Bernie would do a Great job as Prez, but Hillary is probably going to be the Dem nominee. He hates Cruz, thinks Rubio is way to inexperienced. He said the final contest will be Hillary v/s Trump, and as much as he hates Hillary, he believes she will be our next Prez.Iasked why he hates Hillary, and he said she puts herself above everyone else. She doesn't think she has to abide by the rules like everyone else. He was in the Navy fir 14 years and he said if he had done a fraction of what she's done, he's be in prison! He doesn't believe her when she claims she never had any confidential info communication over her private server. He dealt with confidential info while in the Navy, and if there is ever a question about mishandling secure info they don't ask for an explanation. YOU ARE WRONG, GUILTY, AND YOUR CARTED OFF. Hillary thought she could just use her own personal server just because of who she was.

I asked him if he believed the same thing about Collen Powel because he too had the same job, and used his own personal server. I didn't get an answer. I must say I was pleasantly surprised when he told me Hillary will be our next Prez.

[struggle4progress]

6. "Stop corruption! Vote for the guy with mafia connections!"

[Surya Gayatri]

7. Corruption? You're talking corruption? Might I direct your attention here...

Can Donald Trump ever claim to be '100% clean'

?t=60

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10027661151

Your "friend" is sadly deluded.

[beac]

9. Replying so I can watch vid later. n/t

[Hortensis]

10. Your poor friend's notion that further destruction is preferable

to sitting down and identifying the problems, coming up with solutions, and going to work implementing them is pathetic and appalling typical. They can burn down the barn and claim they have destroyed the "establishment," but the second they calm down the rings will be slipped back in their noses by secret leaders maneuvering from the background that they don't even know exist.

The problem is that conservatives don't have a long, successful tradition to look to for what they should do. Unlike liberal philosophy with its roots in the Enlightenment, conservatism as a political philosophy is practically brand new and only finally coalesced as a political force in the 1950s in response to the New Deal.

Extremely unfortunately for America, American "traditional conservatism" wasn't nearly well enough established when it came under attack by social conservatives from the south flooding into the GOP the 1960s and economic extremists like the Kochs, who started using it as a tool to undermine government and funnel wealth to themselves starting in the 1970s. (Not to mention all the other dysfunctional wingnut factions that arose on the right.)

Since traditional conservatism was in the way, the southern, largely white supremacist, and evangelical supremacists went to work imposing their own philosophies on the GOP, while economic ultraconservatives went to work imposing their own philosophy and reeducating Americans to idealize business and fear government.

Two large, extremist conservative movements, extreme social/religious and extreme economic, both profoundly inimical to and destructive of democracy -- and both intrinsically dysfunctional, took over the GOP, rooted out traditional conservatives, and brought us to this point.

So here we are. Today's conservative party has been taken over by the very worst elements on the right. The answer is for traditional conservatives to rediscover their principles and take power back from all the greedy, anti-democracy, wingnut, hateful, and destructive movements that have shouldered them aside.

Instead, many are angry and rebelling but...that's all. So far no answers. Trump and his dick. The other dicks, all of whom will do their best to get the rings firmly seated again so business can continue as before. Who to choose? Sixty million good people who want to do what's right but who know only what they have now been trained to believe: That they must first and above all keep the Democrats from destroying America.

[Surya Gayatri]

11. Excellent analysis. Why not post this as an OP on its own?

Two large, extremist conservative movements, extreme social/religious and extreme economic, both profoundly inimical to and destructive of democracy -- and both intrinsically dysfunctional, took over the GOP, rooted out traditional conservatives, and brought us to this point.

[Hortensis]

12. You mean someone read it? :) Insomniac

stream of thought because we on the left are extremely ignorant about conservatives and conservatism. Not as amazingly as them, of course. But America is not just us, we are also 150+ million conservatives of all stripes. We have to understand our other half and what they require.

Everyone here actually wants "real" change, not incremental struggles. Well, the way to get that is the only way that works in a democracy: We can have real change now IF we form a majority alliance with some those moderate, sensible conservatives who cannot accept the GOP's dickish choices.

[Surya Gayatri]

13. Know thine enemy!

Couldn't agree more:

Everyone here actually wants "real" change, not incremental struggles. Well, the way to get that is the only way that works in a democracy: We can have real change now IF we form a majority alliance with some those moderate, sensible conservatives who cannot accept the GOP's dickish choices.

The ONLY way to effect lasting change in a working democracy is by coalition building.

[pampango]

14. Blowing things up out of frustration, anger, hate or fear is the easy part.

At one time or another Trump and has associates have threatened to tear up Obamacare, trade agreements, immigration reform, the Paris climate agreement, deals with Iran and Cuba. I'm sure I am forgetting other things that he has promised to tear up, blow up, repeal ...

Donald spends much less time discussing what government policies or international agreements he is for that will improve the lives of the 99%. Instead he offers scapegoats - people, countries, religions - to blame and direct our anger at, as if that solves a problem. And he offers destruction - tear it up, blow it up, repeal it.

In some cases 'tearing it up' is indeed half of the answer. But without knowing what happens after we 'blow it up', half an answer is really no answer at all.