lovemydogs
lovemydogs's JournalThe Moment of 'Aha!" Regarding the Blind Love and Loyalty of Trump Supporters
I was googling articles on another subject when I stumbled across someone writing about how Trump supporters twist themselves into all kinds of knots excusing his lies, his behavior and cannot let themselves see him clearly.
A lightbulb went off in my head.
I think I know why Trump supporters are so blindly loyal to him that they would defend him and excuse him if he shot a gun off in the middle of 5th Ave., in NY as he so famously observed.
Most of Trump's supporters are older baby boomer whites. And they are not just working class. Many are Christians, have led their life by the book. Did everything they were expected to do as far as the ideal of white middle class.
But, not just the anger about the way their lives turned out, resentment over the rise of minorities, the fear of the coming minority majority, was the driving forces in attraction to Trump.
Many of them also see Trump as a harkening back to their college age days.
Many baby boomers lived a life of rebellion, anti establishment, FU at authority and turning their backs on the political and society norms of the day.
A sense of freedom, of throwing off the yolk of expectations of their parents and a deep suspicion and hate of the government that lied about Vietnam.
This generation hit their stride, however, not as hippies but, as yuppies during the Reagan age. It was the beginning of the end of their parents era of the New Deal and its dominance over public policy for over 30 years. They hated Jimmie Carter and LBJ as symbols of why they hated government and especially taxes. Taxes were for the shared burden of public policies that did the things that maintained our schools, parks, police but, also made possible the Interstate highways and maintaining them. But, to boomers it was a burden they resented. They did not want to pay for those things and for things that equalized things for African Americans after centuries of keeping them out of the good jobs and middle class.
Reagan and the new conservatives spoke to that resentment. And made greed and money worshiping good. For the first time since the depression it was good to spend on everything, to salivate over material things. And grasping for luxury items and status symbols. Throw off the pinching pennies, being wise with money, save for the things you want and doing without. Let the good times roll, baby.
Trump brought those two eras together and for much of his base, he reminded them of the euphoria of thumbing their noses at authority and government when they were young. His wealth and obscene gaudiness of taste reminded them of the fun and freedom of spend baby spend, Lifestyle of the rich and famous 80s.
The crash and austerity after 2008 brought back memories of their parents lifestyle and moderate living. Trump reminded them of Reagan and the splashiness of the 80s. Trump was a creature of the 80s and epitomized the whole era. His wealth, his showing it off, his splashiness. On top of it, he was a Reality tv star just like Reagan was in the movies and tv early in his life.
Trump reminds them of their glory days and erases the fear of 'their way of life and white dominance' being replaced, like that Obama did with his presence everyday in the White House. Obama was a constant reminder of the rise of minorities and the ebbing of white rule.
Enough With the Terrorism Porn
I am very sorry for the people in Manchester who lost their lives and are critically injured. I am sorry for everyone who has died or had been hurt in a terror attack.
Terrorism is a sad thing that is all too common these days everywhere.
Resentful and angry people carrying out their problems by killing.
But, I am sick of the Terrorism Porn.
When there is an attack in Europe these days, the news goes on a 24 to 48 hour terrorism orgy.
All Terrorism all the time.
We see the same footage hundreds of times.
If there is nothing new they fill the airwaves with the same material over and over again.
Nothing else is discussed and no other news is talked about.
All we get is deluged with Terrorism porn.
I, for one, am sick to death of it.
We do not need wall to wall coverage of nothing but,
Then we wonder why so many people are in fetal positions over terrorism and think there is a terrorist around every corner.
Is It Genocide?
I have a question
Genocide is the knowing murder of thousands and millions of people.
The republicans in the House of Congress voted to repeal healthcare.
Many who cannot afford healthcare any other way or cannot get insurance because of Pre-existing conditions needed Obamacare for their very survival.
There are many who had conditions that they could not see a doctor to manage their care and by the time they got to Obamacare, they were in severe condition.
Many who were getting cancer treatments got thrown off of their insurance because they hit a ceiling and could no longer get care.
On and on.
The republicans in the House of Congress knew this, knew that many who needed Obamacare for their very survival are going to die as a result of their vote. And they did not care. All they cared about was giving a massive tax cut to the rich - so big, it is seen as the biggest transfer of wealth to one class in history.
So, would that be considered a form of genocide?
And if so, why is no one telling the republicans that that is what they are doing?
Are We Monsters?
This is a title from an article on Juan Cole's Informed Comment written by Neal Gabler.
https://www.juancole.com/2017/05/are-we-monsters.html
He addresses the very thing that I have been wondering for several years.
That we are no longer a compassionate or caring nation.
That we are facing a reckoning someday for our unlimited quench for greed, materialism and glory in our selfishness.
Not all of us but, a sizable minority of people, a growing minority of people.
It starts by an observation of the dusting off of movie vaults of old classic monster movies from the heyday of the great Studios.
He does observe that in times of crisis in the past, monster movies seemed to abound and let people project their fears and anxieties onto the movies.
'Warner Brothers and Universal have both been dusting off an inventory of classic monsters — King Kong, Godzilla, The Mummy, The Wolf Man, etc. — which prompted New York Times film critics Manohla Dargis and A.O. Scott to speculate whether this was a reaction to a contemporary America, where monstrousness now seems to run rampant. When you add a film like the mega hit Get Out, about human monsters, you get the feeling that maybe Hollywood is onto something.'
He says that other nations ask this, like Germany or Japan after WWII or some other national horror like Rwanda. That is not the case with America. We are not in the midst of a great national horror as a War. But, there are things that are being done that will cause many to lose their lives the same as any genocide:
'Are we monsters? I know it is a distinctly odd question to ask, the sort of question people ask in self-reflection only after losing a war of aggression, as the Germans and Japanese did in the wake of World War II, or in the aftermath of some mass derangement, as Rwandans did after their intramural slaughter.
But perhaps it ought to be asked as well when a democratically elected legislature votes to throw tens of millions of poor people off the health care rolls for no ostensible reason other than to hand one party a victory for which it was desperate, and to hand the rich another windfall, as happened last Thursday when the House voted to disembowel Obamacare.'
'Have we lost our compassion? Have we become so selfish that we have no capacity for empathy, or have we become so besotted with materialism and the lust for success that we can no longer see beyond them? Is the needle on our moral compass spinning so wildly that we have lost our bearings? To paraphrase the question attorney Joseph Welch asked Sen. Joseph McCarthy, a patron saint of the right, has America no sense of decency?'
The author points out that the tempation is to point to Trump. But, Trump is a symptom. Trump would not be in the White House without people, knowing full well, despite what they say, that he was all about and the pain to be inflicted on so many.
'If we are now a failed country, as I believe we are, it is not because we have a failed presidency, although we do. It is because we are a failed people. A callousness, a self-righteousness, an obdurateness and, yes, a monstrousness has emerged from some subterranean depth where it had been forcibly submerged. We may say this is not who we are. That is denial.'
The author talks about how a sizable minority in our country now feel pleasure in inflicting pain on others. In being selfish and cruel. They vote for people they know will hurt innocents but, don't care. Even enjoy.
'There will, of course, be no national self-reflection over this cruelty, as there was in Germany and Japan, or as there was last Sunday in France when it was confronted with its own Trump, racist Marie Le Pen, and the voters overwhelmingly beat her back. Our monsters know no remorse. Hurting people is now woven deeply into the fabric of our country.'
I have had this question going through my head for a few years now. What ever happened to community and caring? I remember 20 years ago and beyond people being far more compassionate to those in need of help. I also remember people trying to put themselves in others shoes.
I remember when behaving the way Trump, the republican party and voters was shocking and condemned. That was why Nixon fell. People were upset over the actions of Nixon. They are not with Trump and Trump is far worse. People don't care if Russia is playing footsie with the White House as long as they get what they want.
Something happened in the past 25 years, or somethings, to make people be so numb to suffering and so uncaring. To pleasure in the pain and dying of others.
If we do not, as a nation, finally come to terms with the awful people we are turning into, I am afraid the answer to the writer's question is 'yes'.
Please follow the link and read the full article.
Another survey finds Poor White Working Class voted for Trump due to Xenophobia
Not surprising.
Those White Working Class who were mostly worried about the economy supported Hillary Clinton.
Those who were mostly motivated by Xenophobia and Racism voted Trump.
https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/5/9/15592634/trump-clinton-racism-economy-prri-survey
The WWC who voted for Trump said:
'PRRI concluded: “White working-class voters who say they often feel like a stranger in their own land and who believe the U.S. needs protecting against foreign influence were 3.5 times more likely to favor Trump than those who did not share these concerns.” '
The Findings were as follows:
'About 65 percent “believe American culture and way of life has deteriorated since the 1950s.”
About 48 percent say that “things have changed so much that I often feel like a stranger in my own country.”
About 68 percent “believe the American way of life needs to be protected from foreign influence.” In comparison, 44 percent of white college-educated Americans reported a similar view.
About 68 percent “believe the U.S. is in danger of losing its culture and identity.”
About 62 percent “believe the growing number of newcomers from other countries threatens American culture,” while 30 percent “say these newcomers strengthen society.”
About 60 percent “say because things have gotten so far off track, we need a strong leader who is willing to break the rules.” '
As I said above, this is not surprising but, just more evidence that the economy was not the driving factor for Trump's support.
But, what is concerning to me is that as long as a large number of people base their support and are strongly pro-Trump due to resentment and hate, then, they will support him regardless of what he does.
I think the reason for their very strong and stubborn support regardless of what he does is due to their belief that Trump is the only one who will do things to Make America White Again.
Henry Wallace: It Can Happen Here
Henry Wallace was FDR's Vice President during World War II before Truman became Vice President in the 1944 election.
During the 1930s, while battling the Great Depression, America also witness the rise of Fascism in Europe and the growing militarism of Japan.
They saw Hitler's rise and eventual take over of European countries.
In 1944, Wallace wrote a famous column in the New York Times answering the question of if fascism could happen in America and how you can tell if it is happening.
Wallace's column, 70 years later, is being reprinted and recalled. Thom Hartmann has talked about it and read it on his radio program several times. That was my introduction to the column.
Today, more then ever, it is important for people to read it and understand it. Especially those on the left who are resisting the growing fascism that is raising it's ugly head again.
With the defeat of Le Penn, that does not mean that the far right fascists movement is going to go away. They will double down and work to win in other countries and use any and all means to win.
Please read this column:
http://newdeal.feri.org/wallace/haw23.htm
Under Trumpcare, Rape Would be a Pre-existing Condition
Huffington post has an article up right now about how basically being a woman would be a Pre-existing condition. Including Rape.
As such, women would pay alot more for Insurance - if they can even get it.
The gist of the article:
'But an amendment added to the bill (after it failed to muster enough votes the first go-around) effectively gives states permission to discriminate against women, opponents say, including survivors of sexual assault.
As Gina Scaramella, executive director of the Boston Area Rape Crisis Center, argued in an Op-ed for The Hill, the so-called “MacArthur-Meadows amendment” lets states waive the Obamacare ban on charging higher premiums for women who have been raped, for example — which is a thing that actually happened pre-Obamacare.
“In one widely reported case, a 45-year-old woman met two men at a bar in Florida who bought her a drink. Hours later, she found herself lying by the side of the road with injuries indicating that she had been raped and that the men had spiked her drink. Her doctor prescribed a treatment of anti-viral, post-HIV exposure drugs to protect against HIV transmission,” Scaramella wrote to explain what women who were victims of sexual assault experienced before Obamacare.
“When the woman lost her health insurance several months after the attack, she was unable to obtain new insurance due to the health care treatment she had received for the assault,” Scarmella wrote. (That case was first reported on by HuffPost’s Investigative Fund.)'
Of course the article is longer, but, this highlights what is coming down the pike if you are a woman, especially a younger or single woman.
I remember life before Obamacare and how Insurance discriminated against women.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/under-the-new-healthcare-bill-rape-could-be-a-pre-existing-condition_us_590b3773e4b0bb2d0875ea54?v5v&ncid=inblnkushpmg00000009
The Alt-right's Real Richard Spencer
Richard Spencer is the face of America's new fascism and white nationalism.
True to their forerunners of the 1930s, these fascists love to project an image of hard core toughness and nastiness.
And, sure, with the foot soldiers there are alot of thugs looking for fights and brawls with the 'antifas' (anti Fascist left).
However, scratch beneath the surface and with Spencer you find an elite educated, mamma's boy and taker.
Spencer never held a real job. Spencer lives off his family's money from owning huge tracks of land. And the family gets alot of Government subsidies for that land.
While Spencer's parents are your average republicans who abhor their son's ideas and the controversies and embarrassments he has caused them, they never cut the purse strings and made him go out and get a job.
Spencer does have his so-called Institute, National Policy Institute. But, it lost its tax exempt status. It's not exactly setting the world on fire with donations or funding.
Looks like Richard Spencer is basically just a taker who doesn't and never did work and earn money and lives off his mamma.
What a squish.
Washington Monthly originally published the article where this information comes from and is currently published on Raw Story.
http://www.rawstory.com/2017/05/white-nationalist-figurehead-richard-spencer-is-a-dorky-mamas-boy-with-no-real-accomplishments/
Reports Are Now Coming Out Why Hillary Lost the General Election And Where We Go From Here
This is about the reports that have come out, which all reach a similar conclusion, and not about causing anyone to get mad, fight or be upset.
I just thought that people would like to know what many Democratic political firms have been finding.
It is meant for people to take in, process and think about. Not attack each other or democratic politicians, ect.
To begin with, the argument that the base did not turn out is wrong. It was because she failed to get the support and votes from a group that voted for Obama twice. Hillary lost support with some key groups needed to win in a general election. The big problem is getting party leaders, hardcore Hillary supporters to accept the results and come to terms with why.
Hillary lost alot of Obama supporters, mainly Working Class Whites.
'Indeed, the voters who flipped from Obama to Trump in just four years have amassed 70 percent of the reason why Clinton lost the election, according to an analysis by the Democratic political firm Global Strategy Group. Matt Canter, the senior vice president of the firm, has delivered these reports to party operatives, congressman, senators and think-tank leaders in order to properly inform and educate the party on what exactly happened.'
Cantor also added that its important to learn lessons from the loss and not just tell ourselves things to make us feel better.
Not only did Cantor's group but, Hillary's Priorities USA and the New York Times have conducted similar studies. They all reached the same conclusion:
'Each group made its assessment by analyzing voter files, reports that show who voted in every state, and matching them to pre-existing data about the voters, including demographic information and prior vote history. Using this process, the groups have determined how people voted – in what amounts to the most comprehensive way to analyze the electorate short of a full-blown census.'
This is what happened with Working Class Whites:
'This comes at a time when one poll shows that 67 percent of the public believes that the Democratic Party is out of touch with the concerns of most people. “This idea that Democrats can somehow ignore this constituency and just turn out more of our voters, the math doesn’t work,” Canter told McClatchy. “We have to do both.”
Clinton lost was unable to persuade working class white voters mainly because she didn’t differ from the status-quo, and Trump was a candidate that ran on abolishing the establishment class, even though he was never actually going to anyways.'
Hillary's group, Priorities also add:
' “Officials with the group have preached in recent months that Democrats can both reach out to white working-class voters and their base with a strong message rooted in economic populism,” McClatchy reported.'
They all say the biggest problem for the Democratic Party now with rebuilding is that the party is leaderless. There is no one voice to lead the party and unite it. As well as address the problems that hurt Hillary in the general.
http://www.salon.com/2017/05/01/it-was-working-class-whites-hillary-clinton-lost-a-lot-of-obama-voters-to-donald-trump-democratic-firm-says/
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