Agreed. This is too delicious to rush.

Thank you. It's crucial that people understand the modern origin of

that term and that it derives from the final year of WW2 as Germany dispensed with any and all norms, and actually issued a "Nero Decree" to destroy even Germany.

White supremacist groups absolutely know the meaning of "Total War."

Was it a signal?

Thank you.

I couldn't remember whether Hitler, Himmler, Goebbels or Goehring said it.

That phrase wasn't used by accident. It's a relatively famous phrase, at least among people with some familiarity with the final phase of the Third Reich.

And "Nero Decree" is another phrase that springs to mind on this memorable evening.

Michael Steele is someone I take fairly serioiusly.

He's been saying for months this election would be far, far closer than the polls showed. He's a devout believer in the "Hidden Trump Voter."

At first I didn't want to believe him, but he turned out to be right.

Narcissists absolutely DO kill themselves, but Trump is not that kind

of narcissist. The idea that they don't is a popular myth.

NARCISSISTIC PERSONALITY DISORDER AND SUICIDE

Agreed.

I completely accept the bottom line of the OP and the spirit in which it is offered, but I don't think money has much to do with this.

They love Trump because he has the same enemies they do. ("owning the Libs" )
"Religious freedoms" (translation: Christian Privilege)
The Racism Agenda
Guns
Hate and terror of "globalization", "socialism" and "tyrannical government"

Living in a blistering red area, I see up close what the Trumpsters value. Many of them live in dilapidated homes and don't even know the names of our stock markets.

Katherine Stewart and Sara Posner, in their respective books, make a

powerful argument that Trumpism existed before Trump, and that it will continue on afterwards, although where it goes remains to be seen. They both argue that it can be traced back to the 1960s Civil Rights movement.

Katherine Stewart: The Power Worshippers
Sarah Posner: Unholy

I LOVE this line:

I mostly agree with you. However, I think there is some truth to the

"Hidden Trump Voter" too.

I don't think it's conspiracy thinking at all to wonder about Russian interference. Hell, the former Chief of the Counterespionage Section of the FBI, Peter Strzok, has warned about this, as have dozens of other current and former Intel people. The most worrisome scenario is one in which, say, every 15th vote is changed and it's not possible to see that something has been placed in the election system.

But at this point I'm leaning towards: USPS failure (by design) and the Unpolled Trump Voter who in some cases is a member of a far right Christian church (nationalist or reconstructionist).

Well, I love your post. But I also agree with Don Winslow's tweet: