# A Perfectly Reasonable Amount of Schadenfreude about Things Happening to Trump & His Enablers (Part 2) **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Tags:** trump\ **Created:** [May 19, 2023, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-2/984250 "2023-05-19T03:20:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 55
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2023, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-2/984250/1081 "2023-07-30T17:30:50Z")
> [@EllisDee](#): > > Wasn’t it young voters voting in historic numbers that helped put Biden in the White House? No idea. Did they? I remember that the Democrats did well overall with younger voters. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2023, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-2/984250/1082 "2023-07-30T17:39:34Z")
> [@BlankSlate](#): > > No idea. Did they? Yes they did. [https://www.cnn.com/2022/03/22/politics/young-voters-democrats-midterms-biden/index.html](https://www.cnn.com/2022/03/22/politics/young-voters-democrats-midterms-biden/index.html) > Soaring turnout and big margins among young voters were central to the Democratic victories in the 2018 congressional and 2020 presidential elections. Details: > **[Half of Youth Voted in 2020, An 11-Point Increase from 2016](https://circle.tufts.edu/latest-research/half-youth-voted-2020-11-point-increase-2016)** > > We estimate that 50% of young people, ages 18-29, voted in the 2020 presidential election, a remarkable 11-point increase from 2016 (39%) and likely one of the highest rates of youth electoral participation since the voting age was lowered to 18. Our... ---
**Author:** ![smithsb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smithsb/32/12107_2.png) [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2023, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-2/984250/1083 "2023-07-30T17:40:44Z")
Going back a month or so, donations to the DJT PAC went from 1% going to his legal defense fund to 10%. ""Facing multiple intensifying investigations, former President Donald J. Trump has quietly begun diverting more of the money he is raising away from his 2024 presidential campaign and into a political action committee that he has used to pay his personal legal fees. The change, which went unannounced except in the fine print of his online disclosures, raises fresh questions about how Mr. Trump is paying for his mounting legal bills — which could run into millions of dollars — as he prepares for at least two criminal trials, and whether his PAC, Save America, is facing a financial crunch." Now to actually wrench this money out of his grasp (mine, mine, mine) to pay out to lawyers; well good luck with that. here and others:[https://electionlawblog.org/?p=137066](https://electionlawblog.org/?p=137066) ---
**Author:** ![CaptMurdock](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/captmurdock/32/11736_2.png) [@CaptMurdock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaptMurdock)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2023, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-2/984250/1084 "2023-07-30T17:59:34Z")
No. Stay here and help the rest of us run _them_ to North Korea and/or Russia. This country needs an enema. Tooting party favor sold separately. ---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2023, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-2/984250/1085 "2023-07-30T18:13:50Z")
> [@CaptMurdock](#): > > This country needs an enema. Tooting party favor sold separately. -becomes convinced that @CaptMurdock is spying on him, as that exact movie is being streamed when the above post was being read/written- 😁 ---
**Author:** ![CaptMurdock](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/captmurdock/32/11736_2.png) [@CaptMurdock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaptMurdock)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2023, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-2/984250/1086 "2023-07-30T18:17:11Z")
Nonsense. Utter nonsense. By the way, the clock on your microwave is five minutes slow. ---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2023, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-2/984250/1087 "2023-07-30T18:21:21Z")
Heh. It is. For the record, I was streaming it because of a comment I recently put in the Musk Pit thread… ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Wiggler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/red_wiggler/32/13190_2.png) [@Red\_Wiggler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Wiggler)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2023, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-2/984250/1088 "2023-07-30T19:53:16Z")
This is important stuff. Between every presidential election there are 16 million newly eligible voters; during the same interim 14 million people born before 1980 leave the voting roles permanently. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2023, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-2/984250/1089 "2023-07-30T21:28:26Z")
I know this quote is from aways upthread, but it was just last night in time. > [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > > Republicans and Republican-leaning independents saying they believe Trump has done “nothing wrong” dropped 9 points in the last month, from 50% to 41%. > > So his strongest base seems to be slipping out from under him. There’s some schadenfreude for you. I’d argue it’s his _weakest_ supporters who’re deserting him. The hard core will still be buying Trump memorial merch from grifters 20 years after Trump himself is dead and buried. Even if he died in a prison. But as discussed by several folks since, the fact his support is down to half-ish of the RW half-ish of the country, so 25%-ish overall, is certainly excellent news. Thanks for bringing that out. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2023, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-2/984250/1090 "2023-07-30T21:35:32Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > I’d argue it’s his _weakest_ supporters who’re deserting him. The hard core will still be buying Trump memorial merch from grifters 20 years after Trump himself is dead and buried. Even if he died in a prison. I think there’s a difference between Trump supporters, and Trump cultists. Supporters see Trump as a means to an end; oppressing people they hate, pushing for legal changes or appointing people that forward legal changes they like, “owning the libs” in general. Cultists see Trump **as** the end. They don’t like him for what he does, they like him for who he is. He can do no wrong. These are true MAGA. It’s like… There’s one kind of person that gets a Trump bumper sticker, and another that gets a Trump tattoo. He’ll never lose the latter, but his hold on the former seems to be slipping. ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2023, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-2/984250/1091 "2023-07-30T21:36:01Z")
> [@romansperson](#): > > It’s permanently changed my view of people in this country, and nothing is going to change it. I urge you to consider backing away from this level of despair, mostly because it will only hurt you. In my opinion, the people who are hardcore backers of Trump and Trumpism were always here, they just had nothing to activate them very much except their little local battles. Now we know who and where they are, and increased knowledge is a good thing. You can’t fight what you can’t see. ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2023, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-2/984250/1092 "2023-07-30T21:40:29Z")
> [@romansperson](#): > > I volunteer for Vote Forward I find this non-profit interesting but a little confusing. Would you consider starting a thread about how it works, and your own experience with it? ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2023, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-2/984250/1093 "2023-07-30T22:02:17Z")
> [@BlankSlate](#): > > The real way to make America great again? Deport everyone who voted for Trump twice. PLease don’t deport them to Europe, we have enough assholes here. Perhaps they subconsciously want to build a wall so they can’t be expelled? The fools… there never was any need! Which country would take them? > [@EllisDee](#): > > Google says there will be 8 million newly eligible voters. Does Google venture to forecast how many of those 8 million will turn out to vote? That is the relevant metric, I believe. The more, the better, probably. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2023, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-2/984250/1094 "2023-07-30T22:05:22Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > I think there’s a difference between Trump supporters, and Trump cultists. > > Supporters see Trump as a means to an end; oppressing people they hate, pushing for legal changes or appointing people that forward legal changes they like, “owning the libs” in general. > > Cultists see Trump **as** the end. They don’t like him for what he does, they like him for who he is. He can do no wrong. These are true MAGA. I like that taxonomy. I’ll go one step further, and say there’s traditional Rs who’ll vote for whoever has (R) behind their name, and if they care enough, they’ll donate a bit and/or volunteer for their local R party every 4 years. And if they’re fatcat enough, will donate serious money to the R party. Because they believe in a society governed by conventional R ideals: deficit spending in support of corporations, low taxes, light regulation, some social repression, law and order, high defense spending. The big tradeoff with them in 2016 & 2020 has been whether Trump’s evident shortcomings as a Movement R make him a worse choice as president than whoever the Ds will put up. With due consideration for all the electoral advantages a winning president of your party normally bestows on lesser federal and state offices. If, and IMO it’s still very much _if_, we can persuade most of the movement R people that they’re better off voting _this time_ for the D candidate, or at primary time voting anyone but Trump, we’ll have a good chance. That’s also where if anyone anywhere within the Rs are serious about unseating Trump as their candidate, they need to be coalescing around that one challenger right now. The structure of the R primary system is designed to deliver a clear front runner very _very_ early, then quickly turn the rest of primary season into a mass-media adulation fest / coronation of that front runner. Trump and 20 midgets, or even Trump and 3 midgets, delivers Trump a near-certain primary victory. Trump versus _X_, and _X_ alone, has a chance of being decided on the merits. Which Trump decidedly lacks. ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2023, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-2/984250/1095 "2023-07-30T22:07:33Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > If, and IMO it’s still very much _if_, we can persuade most of the movement R people that they’re better off voting _this time_ for the D candidate, or at primary time voting anyone but Trump, we’ll have a good chance. Or just not vote at all. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2023, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-2/984250/1096 "2023-07-30T22:09:54Z")
At the general election, movement Rs staying home is helpful. At primary time, movement Rs staying home cedes the field to the Trump supporters and the Trump cultists. Which makes Trump the candidate. I will be a lot more comfortable coming into the general election if Trump is not the R nominee. We can probably survive 4 years of some other R President. I doubt the country can survive 4 more years of Trump. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2023, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-2/984250/1097 "2023-07-30T22:11:55Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > I will be a lot more comfortable coming into the general election if Trump is not the R nominee. We can probably survive 4 years of some other R President. I doubt the country can survive 4 more years of Trump. I agree with you there! ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2023, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-2/984250/1098 "2023-07-30T22:14:51Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > I will be a lot more comfortable coming into the general election if Trump is not the R nominee I don’t think that can be avoided, DeSantis was the only one even slighly threatening to Trump and he’s deflated like an old balloon. ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2023, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-2/984250/1099 "2023-07-30T22:15:26Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > We can probably survive 4 years of some other R President. And here I must respectfully disagree with you. They’re all on the same page. Trump was just the convenient stooge whose butt happened to hit the chair in the Oval Office in 2016. Any other Republican butt that hits the chair going forward will be as destructive to our democracy – if not more so – than Trump. Plus Trump will be the easiest one for Biden to beat in the general election. Loathe him though I do, I want him to be the Republican nominee. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2023, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-2/984250/1100 "2023-07-30T22:23:14Z")
There are many merits to your POV. There are a lot of other very obvious authoritarians and crony capitalists and hijack-the-government types in the R pantheon right now. And a bunch of unrepentant reactionary culture warriors, raging racists, and all the rest of their sordid menagerie of troglodytes. For a long time during Trump’s rise and term in office I said the thing we need to really fear is the next actually skilled and disciplined demagogue. Trump was showing them all what was possible, but was unable to deliver actual authoritarian results except in service of his own ego. (And probably own secret Swiss accounts). How this country gets the R party and the R party faithful to climb down off the authoritarian tree limb they’re now out near the tip of is the 64 Bajillion dollar question. I wish I had answers that were robust and actionable. I don’t. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-2/984250.md?page=54) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-2/984250.md?page=56)