seattle prattle wrote:
SDSU Aztec wrote:
An experiment was held to determine whether a reality T.V. host could become a good POTUS and the results seem to indicate the answer is no.
Not in the eyes of his followers. Until you come to grips with that, you will never begin fixing the deep rooted sentiment that allowed him to come to power and maintain the loyalty of a vast swatch of the country.
There seems to be a few main reasons for their undying support, and I still believe the R base is split somewhat despite them all feeling frustrated and tired of the way government has worked. The main thing they share is that they've ate up the decades of lying and broken promises by the GOP. The fear mongering and gas lighting got a point that the base no longer wanted principled conservatives like McCain and Romney. They wanted blood, someone to stick it hard to the libs and prevent their country from getting taken by the deep state and immigrants. This in turn, allowed the GOP to welcome crazier and more corrupt people, until they brought in Trump.
As a result of the brainwashing, many Rs want the government to get broken and dismantled. Many also believed an outsider like trump would be a good vehicle for change. The rest just hate the left and would vote for the R no matter what (e.g. Igy). I have to believe that a lot of them knew enough about trump to see that he was a crook from the start, or at least an unethical guy. They just didn't care and to some his incompetence was a huge plus even. It's warped thinking, but the brainwashing and anger made room for that.
Throughout his term, the more extreme he became and the more the left demanded accountability (or attacked him, from the right's POV), the more convinced they were that he was their guy, their guardian and savior. Many thought even God had a hand in choosing him. They let themselves slip into an even more hateful people, to the point that no matter how vile, corrupt and divisive he became, they stood behind him. In turn, right-wing media and the GOP amplified the vitriol and enabled trump. This formed a reinforcement loop.
But the people spoke and rejected trump. They also rejected the GOP's senate majority. They want the Dems in control. Yes, the damage was too great and still a massive number of voters are in utter love with trump. But that is a fundamental problem that is boiling over now as the whole operation has been decapitated. The scapegoating can't keep up with the crisis and a reckoning is overdue.
So what will happen from now on? Trump's fate isn't a good one. He has blood on his hands, prosecutions waiting and endless enemies who want to hang him high. He was a colossal failure. Rs, both politicians a the base, will have to make a choice of attitude. Either they continue to double down, which will become unsustainable and lead to violence, or they will have to abandon their hatred or at least retreat and tend to their wounds. One thing is for sure, trump ruined the idea that an outsider can sweep in and govern well. Also, the GOP can't remain unified in its trumpian state. The extremists have been fully exposed and people are picking sides and turning on their own. The toothpaste is out and can't be pushed back in. The GOP can't find a trump replacement, certainly not quick enough anyway. The anger will have to be directed somewhere.
It's sad to see the people behaving like this and adopting violent measures, but there is a positive. What people will see in the history books are not just trump's destructive policies and extremism, they will now also see the storming of DC by seditious trumpers and the official vote by Republicans to overthrow the election results. History won't judge these people well.