This OP Ed from the Failing New York Times reminded me of this thread. The basic gist is that the ideological foundation of conservativism is threatened by the virus response. For one, success at dismantling the government left us all vulnerable to this crisis. Two, the response is basically emergency social democracy with UBI- the checks even have Trump’s name on them! As things go forward and if the authorities continue to humor scientific findings as if they are conclusions drawn from the broadest collection of available data, the notion that we may need a government and that it can actually do things to help might start to sink in.
It doesn’t say whether they want to perpetuate the idea that government can’t do anything right by further bungling the response or if they just want to stop with the govt doing things for the general population, but it was a good read.
I think we’re seeing brain cells where brain cells don’t exist. This is #MAGA we’re talking about here. This isn’t some academic acknowledgement that their philosophy has holes - they already know that the “holes” in their arguments exist; this “protest” is a fear of losing power, plain and simple. I guarantee you that the “ideological foundation” that they’re referring to do has little to do with rebutting the expansion of social welfare, as they’re gladly panhandling just like the rest of us. They’re protesting for the same reason that Southerners protested during the 1850s: they fear losing power. They fear that an overwhelming majority of people will outvote them and reject their “culture” of guns and bigotry and reject the idea that this is their America.
I think the MAGAts do what they are told. Guys like McConnell think about stuff like this. And GOP donors don’t want social democracy- they pay good money to prevent exactly that, and appear willing to sacrifice American citizens if that is what it takes.
ETA: I would like to see some huffy reporter insist on hearing how Trump intends to pay all these trillions.
You need a sarcasm smiley after that, because the mere fact you point out they’re Republican explains all.
I think Trump&Co view this as a win-win:
Rile up the “base” and if it gets a Democrat governor removed it’s a Republican win.
Rile up the “base”, but if infections spike blame it on the Democrats failing.
If a bunch of the “base” gets sick/dead while doing all this… well, it’s the duty of cannon fodder to take losses. Because I’m convinced that’s how Trump&Co view the average member of their fan club - cannon fodder. Order them to do the dirty work and take any blame, which Trump&Co reap the rewards. And the money. Lots of money reaping in all this.
Silver lining: these people are so very, very, very dumb that you can be sure that the higher paying, less labor intensive jobs are ones they will not qualify for, thus you have a better chance. While they toil in their idiocy in a job their aging bodies can ill-handle, you will have less of that worry. This is a prison of their own making however; do not feel sympathy for them.
Well, hell, “Mr Doom and Gloom and the US is fucked forever posting that shit over and over until everyone is sick of you”; I can’t disagree with you on this one.
Spain is a very individualistic country on a global scale (a lot more than Spaniards think; we consider ourselves “bad at taking orders” but not particularly individualistic otherwise), but the closest we come to having protests is a series of individual turds who range between multiple cases of “I’ve gone done my own shopping six times a day for eighty years and I’m gonna do my own shopping six times a day so long as I can, young man!” and a bare handful of morons actually imprisoned after multiple warnings. There have been people fined for “taking food for a walk” (instead of actually going to the supermarket they’d put some stuff in a shopping bag and gone for a walk) or given warnings or fines for “buying one bag of chips” (no sir: while it is ok to buy a bag of chips along with serious food, a bag of chips by itself does not constitute “a primary need”).
But… someone stupid enough to actually get together for a protest?
I’ll note that while these morons are gathering in states of all hues, they’ve only been directed to do so by Trump in states with Democratic governors. This despite the fact that the restrictions in Ohio (Republican gov) have been extensive and lengthy.
Reread my post - I said that these protests are happening in many states, but that Trump has specifically called out states that have Democratic governors (MI, MN, and VA), despite the fact that these measures are also being carried out by states with Republican governors (OH).
