Trump must be a very charismatic person to be able to get so many around him to believe in the delusion. When is the last time a head-of-state had a cult like following?
Trump must be a very charismatic person to be able to get so many around him to believe in the delusion. When is the last time a head-of-state had a cult like following?
It's both the cult and the 24/7 Grift-o-Thon cottage industry that has sprung up around him.
There are literally thousands of people who benefit -and will only continue to benefit if he remains a contested public figure- from Trump's public persona.
The Quest stands upon the edge of a knife. Stray but a little, and it will fail, to the ruin of all. Yet hope remains while the Company is true. Go Flames Go!
Trump must be a very charismatic person to be able to get so many around him to believe in the delusion. When is the last time a head-of-state had a cult like following?
I think you are giving him too much credit.
I doubt many of them really believe in the delusion, but they believe in what it wants to achieve - a right wing authoritarian regime at any cost. I think most of them know that Trump is full of crap. They just like having someone in the White House that can help them get what they want and will play along.
Then there are some who are just finding a way to make money or further their careers either by supporting him or by capitalizing on the controversy. Just like how some stand-up comedians lamented that they didn't want the Bush era to end because it provided so much material, there are people who benefit from Trump's nonsense.
Then you have those who are in so deep that their careers basically go down with Trump, or may even get implicated in his crimes.
If we are just talking about the deplorables, then that just proves there are a lot of stupid people, but I doubt even most of them really believe him, but they want the same ends that he does. As George Carlin once said, think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
I recall watching a Vox video about why Putin and authoritarians in general can pretty much get away with saying anything they want, and they argued that the psychology at play has less to do with actually believing the lie, but rather an unconscious respect some people have for people that can say anything they want, regardless of whether there is truth in it. It is one of the ultimate shows of power to deny reality. It gets to the point that people even stop questioning whether it is a lie, because it doesn't matter. What matters is just the fact that the person has the power to do it with impunity. People then repeat those lies because they crave the same kind of power. The truth is no longer important at that point.
__________________
"A pessimist thinks things can't get any worse. An optimist knows they can."
Last edited by FlamesAddiction; 12-01-2020 at 04:39 PM.
The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to FlamesAddiction For This Useful Post:
Trump must be a very charismatic person to be able to get so many around him to believe in the delusion. When is the last time a head-of-state had a cult like following?
It's kind of the standard for that type of ruler. Currently active and more successful at it would be Modi.
Actually though, I think once Trump no longer has the power of the office, other Republicans will start taking him down - ex. Never Trumpers, Lincoln Project.
It's got to suck if you're a Republican who had been aspiring to make a run for President in the coming years. I'm still unsure how long the support for Trump holds beyond 2021 and how large the contingent will be, but you've got to be beating yourself up if you spent the last four years backing Trump up and taking part in the elevation of Trump to his current status among his supporters, unknowingly screwing your political career aspirations along the way.
CNN reporting the Justice Department is investigating a charge of exchanging money for a pardon!!
I mean it doesnt surprise me in the least in fact as I'm on the fat arse's mailing list I'm honestly surprised it hasn't come up as an offer on my facebook page
2 for 1 pardon's!!, do you want a real 'get out of jail free' card? just send 9.99 to Trump enterprises, 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
It's got to suck if you're a Republican who had been aspiring to make a run for President in the coming years. I'm still unsure how long the support for Trump holds beyond 2021 and how large the contingent will be, but you've got to be beating yourself up if you spent the last four years backing Trump up and taking part in the elevation of Trump to his current status among his supporters, unknowingly screwing your political career aspirations along the way.
I wouldn't feel sorry for any of the folks that hitched their wagon to Trump. His brand of politics was 100% toxic, if those politicians thought that was the path to victory, then let them soak in the wake of defeat.
Trump's show has been cancelled. His influence will fade and he'll struggle to stay relevant to continue the grift.
Actually though, I think once Trump no longer has the power of the office, other Republicans will start taking him down - ex. Never Trumpers, Lincoln Project.
It's tough to get the party back when Trump has the overwhelming majority of support within the party. They'll have to pay him off to go away or something, otherwise there isn't an easy way out of Trump world. You can't win with him in general elections, and you can't win going against him in primaries.
How specific do pardons have to be? Does he have to mention the crimes that they committed in order to be pardoned for them?
My thought is that the textualists of the Supreme Court would argue that the only limitation on Pardons is that it can’t be used in cases of impeachment. So the founders gave a clear remedy, impeach then prosecute. Now one could if one could Pardon oneself for all crimes that may have been committed that would take away the ability of impeachment then prosecution to be the remedy.
So it would be an interesting case.
The only example of a generic Pardon is Nixon by Ford and it was never tested.
