**Please, please do comment that this is too long. I know it is. Also, I know I've stated a lot that
is obvious. So there is no need to comment on that. This is a necessary exercise for me as an outlet
for the stress created by living through this four-year long nightmare. At least there is a poll at
the end!**
It is a fear and righteousness that drives the most avid Trump supporters unlike any existing in those outside of that movement. The level of fear, anger and insecurity defies articulation to a point of understanding. Of course, among Trump supporters there are also the hanger's-on and the ignorant that just love the flag waving comradery providing them with a very righteous feeling of patriotism, a cause and a purpose. My wife has an aunt in this category. She often reminds my wife of the terrible things BLM protesters are doing that we don't hear about in the mainstream media. My wife always says nothing in response. We try to maintain a relationship. These too are folks that have a need to vent their anger for feeling less than and insecure for reasons they lack the desire or ability to comprehend. In the latter group (of supporters), some are not deep thinkers, and were it not for a specific television news and commentary channel, it is unlikely their fervor would be sustained. Both groups absolutely exhibit all of the criteria that comprise a cult of personality. I think it is obvious and summed-up in Donald Trump's campaign statement as the leader: "I alone, can fix it." Although, when alone with these folks, they are not unlike any other citizen in this country. They can be your neighbor or co-worker or much like in our case, a relative. However, when they are together, they can be like an angry mob out to avenge a wrong that has been perpetrated on them. The primary driver of their anger during the campaign seems to be all of the lies that Trump is spreading among them. I've heard them say things like "people's dogs are getting mail-in ballots" and "the radical Democrats are trying to steal the presidency". Katy Tur on MSNBC interviewed a couple of them and one veteran said that if Trump loses, he would "defend our country by force".
The vast majority of those in both of these groups are Caucasians. One of the traits that they all seem to share, but unwilling to acknowledge aloud, is a feeling of superiority in terms of race and their American heritage. A good example of that is a belief among some that white people have evolved beyond black people. They really believe that white people are just inherently superior. I know that many believe this, because some have told me just that. However, I don't think that generally it is always a conscious thought, but more just something that is ingrained in their psyche. Probably something they heard at some point in the past. I don't claim to know for sure. I mean, what else would explain the widespread white supremacy beliefs we see in Trump supporters. Generally speaking, it is common knowledge that a good many people are often threatened by things they don't understand and those that look or act different than them. Probably, the most common belief/trait Trump supporters also share is that there is some secret and dangerous force hidden within the government that will work against them and their way of life. This force is working silently in the government mostly within, but not entirely confined to the Justice Department (FBI/CIA). That force is also silently working to undermine their leaders. However, it isn't clear to me if Trump and the appointed sycophant's under his direction actually believe this or if they just promote it. It absolutely is a belief in one form or another that is long-held by most far-right conservatives. Whenever a law, a bill or even a candidate that they support fails, they believe that there is a group of unseen people that were working behind the scenes to affect it. Since they cannot be identified, they call it the "Deep State". It is a widely held fear. It is insidious, because there is no simple means by which to rid them of this fear. Generally, it is often impossible to disprove a conspiracy theory when the basis of it does not exist. If you ask them to prove it exists they will acknowledge that they cannot prove it, but that they just believe it. I have to remember that after all, it is just a theory. That, in itself, means that it is not something anyone can prove. If you've ever listened to a journalist trying to pin-down a Trump supporter, it becomes a lot like playing a game of whack-a-mole. Consider the issue of Trump and Russia. They don't want to engage except to say things like; what is the problem with Russia? Why does everybody try to blame Trump for seeking a better relationship with Russia? Its always Russia, Russia, Russia? If you try to argue that Russia is a long-time enemy of the U.S. and also is an authoritarian dictatorship that wishes us harm, and that Russia is only looking out for its own interests, they usually respond with; "Trump is trying to change that", and "the Trump administration has been tougher on Russia than anyone else". While there is some truth in that, the fact is; Trump has never, and I mean never, stood up to, or said anything critical of Russia. In fact, most believe that he has given Russia license to do whatever it likes. That includes interfering in the 2020 U.S. elections. Trump stood in front of the whole world and said that he believes Putin over his own intelligence agency. Yet, his supporters refuse to have a dialogue about any of this and always deflect to the statement that he has been tougher on Russia than anyone else. It is as though Trump has taught them all to gaslight his critics. Of course, another reason they won't engage and don't believe many of the issues democrats have with Trump is, because they only get their information from one place. Unfortunately, Trump T.V. does not cover or broadcast much negative news relative to Donald Trump. So that is likely the primary reason many of his supporters know little else about him than what he wants them to know.
I find it interesting that another common characteristic in an avid Trump supporter is the need to cling to their guns. I rarely meet one that does not have a permit-to-carry. This is one characteristic that you can easily attribute to their level of fear. The guns provide a means of comfort. Now, I know that not every single Trump supporter has every one of the attributes I have mentioned, but some of them are commonly found in most. Since most of their behavior and thoughts are based in fear, that fear often manifests itself in anger. I always say that fear and anger really defines a Trump supporter. One can have a pleasant conversation with a Trump supporter until you challenge their beliefs. Then suddenly, that calm gentle demeanor usually turns to a vicious anger. It is as-though you just called their mother a nasty name. You become a threat to them. I believe that is, because they derive a great deal of security and comfort from their leader that has promised to protect them. He is standing-up for their beliefs and confirming the legitimacy of their fears. If you challenge either, you become a part of the fear-based threat that drives their politics.
One last common, but very significant trait in Trump supporters that I want to mention is a well-known and long-standing one. That is; they fall in-line. I am sure you've heard the long saying; Democrats fall-in-love, but Republicans fall-in-line. While it is a simple premise, it is insidious from the standpoint that they in-general, are much more unified behind any information, misinformation, or call to action by their leaders. To put it simply, they are easily controlled by their leaders. To me, it seems that it is almost as if they cannot think for themselves. That would not be an issue necessarily with a conventional conservative movement working within the confines of the constitution as in the past. However, with an authoritarian leader that has less than honorable intentions, it can become a very dangerous threat to democracy. If you consider that Trump has left many high level inter-governmental agency/department leaders positions vacant and others filled with temporary appointments, it seems clear that he has plans to further alter our government at the top. He has refused to fill many vacancies on the Federal Election Commission leaving it dysfunctional. One of the reasons there has been no unified federal response to the pandemic is, because Trump wants complete control over everything. He will not delegate sufficient authority to anyone in a take-charge manner, because of his fear of losing control. He must make the decisions. Remember, only "he alone" can solve it. Since he has no ideology and no real platform other than that of a wannbe authoritarian dictator, don't you wonder what his plans are for the future?
I have recently challenged a few Trump supporters by trying to explain what happens when a wannabe authoritarian dictator like Trump has his way. What he will do to consolidate his power and then what he will do after he has. What the future would look like under an authoritarian dictator like Trump. I tried to explain that the fact is; an authoritarian will ignore, alter, or rid themselves of the Constitution entirely. That is very likely with Trump. We have already seen how the Constitution keeps getting in his way. He will try to take-away freedom of the press, free and fair elections, jail his enemies and punish anyone that dare speak-out against him. I've tried to explain that once their power is solidified, they'll also likely try insure that their appointment term is changed to a lifetime appointment, and if not, that they have the power to choose their successor. Their successor can only be selected by the people if the dictator can predetermine the results.
So after saying all of that, do you wonder how they responded? Most have told me that I need a psychologist and/or medication. Some have said; "so what, it won't affect me". One guy elaborated further by stating that he doesn't live anywhere near Washington and that he, his wife and family will just go about their lives as normal. "What Trump does will have no effect on me".
Given all the aforementioned information, it is and should be a little scary as we approach the election. Trump has already acknowledged that he may not accept the election results. He is clearly riling-up his base to the extent that if he does lose, they are convinced it won't be fair. He has been calling the Democrats radical and even suggested that they are creating violence with their BLM protests. He does that to tee-up his supposed "law and order" platform. He is trying to portray the democrats as law breakers. All of this just gives more ammunition for his supporters to act out if he loses. By-the-way, the fact is: a recent study indicated that 93% of all the BLM protests were non-violent. Another study found that 95% were no-violent. It seems clear that no matter how much effort is made to protest peacefully, there is always the potential for a few that may not even be involved to initiate violence. There is also no question that law enforcement has initiated violence when directed to breakup and/or engage with protesters. A prime example is the well known incident when Trump and Barr needed the space next to the White House cleared of protesters. They used force against lawful and peaceful protesters so that President Trump could get a photo op.
I have now heard Donald Trump on multiple occasions proclaiming that this is the most important election ever. However, I have never heard him explain why. This is just another example of Trump inciting a potential violent response to him losing the election.
I don't know about you, but lately there has been a flurry of news stories that reveal or purport to reveal things Trump has done or said. Of course, Trump and his supporters deny that any of it is true. Here is the thing about all of that; when it comes to most of the new revelations, if Trump was a total stranger we'd certainly need to have a considerable amount of evidence that any of that stuff was true and legitimate. Thing is, Trump is no stranger to us anymore and I don't know about you, but most of what I've been hearing sounds "exactly" like something that the Trump I've come to know, exactly like something he would say or do. If I had not heard him say similar things or if they seemed out of character, I would have doubts. However, they don't, so I personally, believe it all.
As with all cults, the leader will use and abuse their followers to meet their own desires and needs. We have plenty of tragedies such as in Jonestown and Waco that are examples of cult followers being abused and meeting their end. I suppose that cults don't have to end that way, but they often do. Here we have many of Trump's followers that are hurting financially right now much like many other American's. Their leader has the ability to provide considerably more financial relief to help them. He has control of the GOP senate and Mitch McConnell. He could easily force them to take action to provide necessary relief. However, he doesn't. He won't, because he has no regard for the suffering they are enduring. As you are likely already aware, Trump judges the state of the economy to a large extent based upon the stock market performance. Here, he won't force the GOP to provide the relief many of his supporters need, because the stock market is performing very well. For him and the wealthy class that provide him support and funding, the stock market performance is far more important than the financial needs of his followers provided of course, that he maintains their support. As Trump has said, he could shoot someone..............So they continue to support him despite the fact that he is not helping them.
As we approach the election perhaps my biggest concern remains Russia. We know and expect Trump to create a crisis, but what we don't know is what role Russia will play. Obviously, they have the resources to create a lot of havoc to pile on top of what Trump will do. Since we have become mushrooms that are kept in the dark and fed shit, one has to worry about what Putin and his people have in store for us. We likely won't see it coming.
What do you think? Please take the poll below: