General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: I've been thinking. What if Trump unexpectedly died? Would his movement collapse? [View all]Straw Man
(6,622 posts)Last edited Mon May 10, 2021, 03:55 AM - Edit history (1)
It would collapse. It's not really a movement anyway; it's a cult of personality. Trump knows how to do only one thing: to channel rage. There's no real policy there, just a search for the lowest common denominator of the mob -- their deepest-seated fears and hatreds. Then he appeals to that as a means to grow his power and his wealth.
He's essentially a huckster. Unless another huckster comes along, the whole thing will dry up and blow away like dandelion fluff. Not that we won't still have haters and hate-mongers; they'll always be with us. But they will lack that one central figure around whom to coalesce. I don't buy into the fear of the smarter, more evil fascists waiting in the wings; the Trumpies don't want smart. They want a boob like themselves, only a boob writ large. And really, Trump's totally amoral self-absorption is hard to top for pure evil.