There is something I have never understood about Donald Trump

He was a total piece of sh*t long before he went into politics. He was a total piece of sh*t while he was in office. And now that he is out of office, he still the same total piece of sh*t he has always been.

The only change at all is the base of the Republican Party now worships him and he is still the same total piece of sh*t he always will be.

Anyone care to explain that to me?

 

he knows how to feed hate treats to dummies.

 

He does know there's a lot of hate out there to cater to.

I was still working n a very far right environment when he was running in the primary.
A man I totally respect and quite knowledgeable made the comment "he just says what everyone wants to say".

I told him he hadn't said a damn thing that I ever wanted to say. That seemed to really confuse everyone present but as I stated in an earlier thread the coin business is very far right and racism abounded in my particular surrounding.

 

This sounds familiar. Whatever.

Most people don't pay attention. They really didn't know much about Trump before he portrayed a particular character in a "reality" television show. Somebody who hadn't paid attention didn't have any grasp of his previous dismal failures and buffoonery. They then watched him play the canny executive on TV, and believed in the concocted, bogus image.

Trump knew exactly what he was doing. Sam Nunberg would listen to Mark Levin, and tell Trump about it. Trump, along with Roger Stone and Nunberg, crafted his approach to cater to Levin's audience. Add that to Trump's TV image and his abilities as a showman: you've got a formidable demagogue. He succeeded in capturing the loyalty of the right wing media market in magnificent fashion, and history was made.

 

OK... Now that all the partisan responders have the psychological profile of the right all sorted out.... I'll offer this take on Trump from the right... I love stand-up comedy. During his campaign I was listening to a New York comic named Bobby Collins, a superbly funny man. He has done personal shows for Trump and he did quite the routine on him. His catch line was, "Trump is not your huckleberry"..... I knew when I voted for the man in 2016 that he was not good at the core. But here was the attraction;

• Many conservatives are behind the times. Yes, we often long for a simpler way of being. Trump appealed to that.
• Trump's catch phrase, "Make America Great Again" was reminiscent of how we felt as a nation under Reagan. Being world leaders as a nation and having pride in that fact. He appealed to those values.
• He talked of government getting out of the way of the economy. However I did not see any of that really come to fruition. The government takeover of healthcare has been a blessing for a few and a tragedy for many. To a conservative, the government is not capable of doing anything better than a free market economy can.

Look, it is not uncommon to have men coaching collegiate and professional sports teams that aren't necessarily good men. If that man is leading his team to victories, his flaws tend to be overlooked. When he fails, his inadequacies as a man are often the reason for his release. I believe most that voted for Trump were aware to some degree that he was not a night in shining armor. More like the black night that wins all the matches. When Trump failed, his human failures were center stage for all. That's my take anyways.

 

I see. Thanks for the explanation. I may have paid little attention to The Donald in my lifetime but I knew enough about him to never consider him any kind of moral authority or honorable leader. He seemed like a clown with a lot of money, a rich douche bag, a joke he wasn't in on, but at no time did I ever see him as someone that could lead this country. And yet... I was right.

 

Thanks, That is also insightful. You make it sound like nobody either bothered to, or wanted to, look beneath the surface of the man, if I am understanding you correctly.

This was a serious question on my part. I wasn't trying to poke at anyone or say my side is better than your side. I genuinely couldn't understand why anyone who ever heard of this man would possibly vote for him. I think back to the Pat Paulsen for President and wonder if his comical attempt at the Oval Office was suddenly a real endeavor. Donald Trump was no Pat Paulsen.

To your points, if conservatives are behind the times, why would they support a man that is clearly not a traditional candidate? There was nothing that resembled a simpler way about Donald Trump. He was about as anti-conservative as they come. An east coast New Yorker brash and elite leaning with no conservative bonafides.

Trump did anything but lead the world. He retreated from it into nationalism. We are less in the eyes of the world than before Donald Trump. We are less relevant, less respected, less engaged as a result of Donald Trump. We are nowhere near greater than we were. And Donald Trump never got any pushback from going this direction from his base.

Not only did the government not get out of the way of the economy, Trump actually tanked it by ignoring a looming pandemic and then denying it was even an issue and then pivoted to blaming China while doing absolutely nothing a government should do in the face of a world-wide pandemic. He literally made it far worse than it had to be through political posturing and inaction. We are 4% of the world and 20% of the coronavirus cases and deaths. The only thing the government got out of the way of was it's responsibility to it's citizens.

Now I know that this is all hindsight but even given that reality, the vast, vast majority of Republicans would still support this guy for another run at the Oval Office. I guess I am not as sure as you seem to be that there was any thought at all given to electing Donald Trump. At least there was no thought that stood the slightest scrutiny in the wake of the massive failure that was Donald Trump.

 

You are correct.... In reality, how deeply do most voters look beneath the surface of a presidential candidate? With news being what it is these days, everything is sensationalized to a point that you have to consume it carefully and dissect it at your own peril. Our lives are often so cluttered that something as critical as voting for the leader of the free world often doesn't merit the study that it should.

Myself, I am not much of a TV watcher. I knew the man had a TV program, but I never saw it. I could say the same about President Reagan when I voted for him.

I know there is an oddball support out there for the man. I still see Trump flags waved and the like. I find his policy was a lot of mouth and little substance. I wouldn't support the man though I am sure that there are those out there that would. I personally find him to be an embarrassment anymore.

 

I've heard it said that Donald Trump gives his base of supporters permission to be their worst selves. That makes sense given what we've seen over the last four years. And I think it explains his appeal. They see freedom to be who they are. The rest of us see them being who they are. Their behavior, albeit liberating to them, is appalling to witness. 1/6/2021 was just the extent to which they were being themselves.

 

Reagan was another rotten leader who appealed to simpletons.

 

His leadership in itself wasn't bad -- he had a good idea of what an American president was supposed to be like and he performed the role in workmanlike fashion, which is more than some presidents ever manage.

As for the policies of his administration, that's another matter entirely. Taking an ax to progressive taxation and beginning the process of dismantling the social safety net had continuing repercussions and set precedents that the country is still dealing with. Foreign policy was to some extent taken over by cowboys like Lt. Colonel North, producing some ugly results, and the US government paying cocaine traffickers was a memorable low. The claim that Reagan's militarism drove the Soviet Union to collapse is a revisionist myth.

Still, for many people Reagan is an icon of American patriotism. Legend conquers history.

 

Spot on, but then again, Lincoln also went through the revisionist treatment and maybe that's the point. Make us aspire to greatness regardless of the reality of our failings. Failings are such a downer.

 

I voted for Reagan.

Of course I was 18 at the time.

No way in hell I'd ever have voted for Trump. Not even at 18.

 

this is where the hollowing out of the middle class began by subsidizing tax cuts to millionaires and waging a war on unions and middle class wages. depends on what your priorities are

 

I agree, the domestic policies of the Reagan administration were harmful to the country, but many of those middle class people voted for the man even as he carried on with the voodoo economics (and yes, union-busting) that would make life more difficult for their children and grandchildren. They liked the myth that was woven around the Reagan presidency.

 

Hum? Idol worship. This has a familiar ring to it for some reason.

 

but he wore a cowboy hat and loved americuh