You cant reason someone out of a position they didn't use reason to get into in the first place. These people were angry, frightened and felt abandoned for various good reasons, however tfg and the GOP seized on those feelings and directed that anger and fear at easy targets that are not the real cause of them and there is no logic or reason behind those arguments. The reason people consider them dumb is because the arguments they make to backup trump and their positions arent based in reason and therefore are inherently dumb.
DC is quite Blue. It's part of why there's so much resistance from the GOP to letting DC become a fully fledged state. Any electoral college seats assigned to it would likely go to the Dems. Similar issue with Puerto Rico's potential statehood.
I would argue that you can reason people out of it because people do leave cults from time to time. It's a question of approach. They may double down if you just berate them, but if you can spark something in their head that makes the whole thing unravel, you might have more luck. A seriously difficult task and maybe even an impossible one but what will the US look like if it's not somehow undertaken? MAGA is like a big infected sore on the American political landscape and there don't seem to be any great long term ideas on dealing with it other than hope it just goes away by itself.
Tiny sample size I know but I have a mate who really likes Trump and uses Twitter a fair bit and he had no idea that Trump was slurring his words badly at the speech badly at weekend.
Is this the norm that they just avoid anything that may show him up?
How are those independents and moderate republicans feeling right now?
I'd say that's completely normal. Trump's entire political career is based off echo chambers of alternative facts.
Human nature.
We hate to admit to making mistakes or being taken advantage of. Easier to double down, especially when admitting your error means giving more credence to those your think of as your cultural enemies.
I'll take "what is sunk cost fallacy" for 50k
Whatever Trump's electoral strategy is, here, or rather the strategy of those advising him on what to say, it's alarming whatever way you slice it.
Either they think there is enough of a MAGA base to win the election outright, or else Trump will try to win with a minority of support by dispensing entirely with democratic norms.
Trump has successfully normalised his craziness. That he riled up a big mob of angry protesters to surround the US Capitol to pressurise those inside to reverse an election and then stood back while a portion of them invaded the building to that end, all on the basis of a lie he knowingly promoted - this barely even registers anymore. That is fúcking MENTAL. When that fact does not automatically disqualify him in the minds of 90+ percent of Americans, that is a fundamental, foundational problem that cannot be solved through elections. Can't have a stable democracy when roughly two halves of the electorate are living in different realities and have growing antipathy. Just doesn't work. Either reconciliation or war.
Yep, there is a massive % of the cult for who the only way they wont vote for him is if they physically cant. Nothing can happen to make them change their minds, even if he turned into a complete dribbling mess.
Its entirely normal, they are told anything that isn't from certain sources is a lie fake etc. This is why the whole maga movement is inherently cultish, cult leaders indoctrinate their followers to only believe them and tell them all other sources are lies, evil doers, temptations, etc. This is also why it is so easy to convert US conservatives to it as so many are brought up in this kind of environment via the US evangelical movements, so they lack the critical thinking skills to see beyond the scam as they have never known anything else.
Then add onto all that the ability to turn your social media feed into an echo chamber and it creates an infinite loop of confirmation bias that is incredibly difficult to break people out of.
Around 15 years ago, my mother was doing MRBI opinions polls. One of the questions was if there was an election tomorrow, how would you vote? It was 2009, the IMF were here, Bertie had resigned. However, practically every house she went to, when she posed that question, the response was "Sure, we've always voted Fianna Fail in this house".
Red states are red states for a reason, and with 8 months to go there are only 2 GOP candidates, one being the obvious choice, one a bit of a gamble. If you are the type of person who votes by colour not policies then Trump is the obvious choice, and then if asked why him, they have to come up with the reasons why, even in their own mind why they are voting for him. Biden being too old is hard to deny.
The issue for a lot of voters is the absolute lack of choice.
In reality there are 5 or 6 clear voting groups out there , forced into choosing between 2 options that aren't really a good for for any of them.
From right to left you have -
None of those groups are fully represented by the available options , although the MAGAs are working very hard to purge the GOP of the other groups in their wider grouping which will ultimately be to their detriment.
At least half of the groups above don't see the core parties representing what they really want at all and the others all need to compromise somehow when choosing a candidate.
I don't see how the above ever gets resolved as the structures that sustain the two party system are almost impossible to change.
Same as the "I'm a centerist" people surely, right?
They're no more a centerist than Salisbury catherdral is a viable tourist destination
Haley winning DC, first time that a woman has won a GOP presidential primary. So that's an accomplishment.
A very minor one, given you could probably fit all the Republicans in DC into a mid-sized bar!
What's wrong with Salisbury cathedral? I recall seeing a copy of the Magna Carta there. Some good food (for England anyway) in the town too..
Plus you can nip over to Stonehenge too.
Trumps CFO pleads guilty to perjury.
Wonder what implications that is going to have on the various Trump cases.?
He had a role in the Stormy Daniels payments so will this change his willingness to give evidence etc.?
Is that why they arent allowed have senators?
I believe he forgoes his exit package if he voluntarily cooperates with an investigation
I hope Allen has done his vocal exercises before he starts to sing....
Pretty much - Statehood for DC and/or Puerto Rico would give the Democrats 2 Senators from DC and definitely 1 if not both from Puerto Rico.
Would probably give them all the extra House seats as well.
Biden got 92% of the vote in DC in 2020 - Largest % victory anywhere.
Democrats have gotten at least 80% in every National Election in DC for the last 40+ years.
Its pretty mad considering the official population is more than a few other states
Decision is in as expected.
Another one in favour of the guy who put a **** load of them there..
….https://www.getyarn.io/yarn-clip/096ae19b-e615-4c59-8b48-afa1acbb27f0
Cooperation not part of the plea unfortunately
Well, if Montana and Wyoming can have them, I don't see why DC can't.
But I've given up trying to understand the whys of the US electoral system. It is what it is.
Fair point. Still no clean sweep for Trump's crowd.
Well trump owns the Republican party and the Supreme court. Privatised, as will be the case for the rest of USA public service and govenment when he is back in power January 2025 ( via Project 2025 )
