I am not going to be reactionary about this and fling insults at them. There is, to me a common thread in their polarization. I prefer to understand what is happening, if that is possible.
“I'd probably be lying if I said some of us aren't scratching our heads every once in a while,” says Ulrich. “I sometimes wonder if he didn't bite off a little more than he could chew."
While we are painting with a broad brush, (24% don't back Trump) the farmers who remain loyal are loyal and that's the point. Parse that sentence a big and you can see that and how they are using confirmation bias to reinforce their thinking. They are keeping their hopes up, waiting for something that is not likely to happen and they can't see it, even though the article makes it obvious.
So, they are committed to the ideology and devoted to their leader and probably most likely taking his word for it, which has been a big mistake. Oh, they are grumbling, but who really likes to be proven wrong? They are living in an echo chamber where the subplots involved support their mindset and that filters their opinion.
And politics are deeply personal these days, according to Chris Larimer, a political science professor at the University of Northern Iowa. Larimer says farmers have to square their economic differences with Trump, with their partisan allegiance to him.
It is not very pragmatic to be that personal about politics when you are doing business and depend on the results. That quote hits the mark. They won't be able to square that so loss and frustration will result, hence, more anger and despair and scapegoating. It is a viscous circle.
Too bad, though. Even if they think they are making sacrifices for their leader and believe Republican propaganda, that won't work out practically speaking. Loyalty and stubbornness are detrimental and counterproductive in a case like this, and they are turning out to be unpatriotic. Imagine telling them that!
Fortunately the devotees are a minority. Too bad they are helping Trump screw them and ignoring his history.
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