# I pit over-the-top Anti-Trump hysteria **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Tags:** trump\ **Created:** [August 5, 2025, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-over-the-top-anti-trump-hysteria/1021735 "2025-08-05T18:11:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 61
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2026, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-over-the-top-anti-trump-hysteria/1021735/1202 "2026-02-07T14:51:41Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Trump and the Republicans are doing a lot of terrible things. We need to remove them from power, in this case by voting rather than fighting. We need to convince people to vote against Trump and the Republicans. In some cases, people who might vote against Trump and the Republicans for one reason might also agree with Trump and the Republicans on some other thing. So we need to avoid arguing with these people on the subject they agree with Trump and the Republicans on in order to get them to vote against Trump and the Republicans. And all we do then is replace one group of fascists, with a slightly different one who still want to kill most of us. And have completely fragmented and crippled any opposition to them in the process. To be blunt, following your strategy in WWII would have just resulted in the US joining the Axis. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2026, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-over-the-top-anti-trump-hysteria/1021735/1203 "2026-02-07T15:24:52Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > And all we do then is replace one group of fascists, with a slightly different one who still want to kill most of us. And have completely fragmented and crippled any opposition to them in the process. > > To be blunt, following your strategy in WWII would have just resulted in the US joining the Axis. So you feel there is no significant difference between Donald Trump and the Republicans being in power and somebody like Joe Biden and the Democrats being in power? I disagree. I feel that regardless of what ideal you feel the Democrats fall short of, the Democrats in office cause far less damage than the Republicans do. So I feel that helping to oust Republicans and put in Democrats is worth working for. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2026, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-over-the-top-anti-trump-hysteria/1021735/1204 "2026-02-07T15:25:23Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > It’s 1943. Hitler and the Nazis are killing millions of Jews. What’s the best way to stop the killings? > > Remove Hitler and the Nazis from power? Or argue that killing Jews is wrong? This is a delusionally distorted comparison. _Hey folks, you have a choice: on the one hand, you can simply remove Hitler and the Nazis, and on the other hand, you can just sit around arguing while they do their deadly deeds!_ In real life, of course, removing Nazis from power is nowhere near that simple, and arguing against Nazi policies in no way impedes efforts to work against Nazis. Sheesh. I think @Little_Nemo may honestly believe that when **he** quarrels on a messageboard he’s actually accomplishing something to bring down Trumpism, while when **other** people quarrel on a messageboard they’re just wasting time and effort so he must berate them. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2026, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-over-the-top-anti-trump-hysteria/1021735/1205 "2026-02-07T15:29:16Z")
> [@Kimstu](#): > > Sheesh. I think @Little_Nemo may honestly believe that when **he** quarrels on a messageboard he’s actually accomplishing something to bring down Trumpism, while when \*\*other \*\* people quarrel on a messageboard they’re just wasting time and effort so he must berate them. I don’t know why you would think that when I’ve never said anything to indicate that. I didn’t start this thread to win people over to opposing Trump and the Republicans. I’m assuming most of the people here are already committed to that goal. As am I, despite accusations otherwise. What I’m discussing here is how to best communicate with people elsewhere who are not committed to voting against Trump and the Republicans and how to best motivate them to joining us. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2026, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-over-the-top-anti-trump-hysteria/1021735/1206 "2026-02-07T15:42:04Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > What I’m discussing here is how to best communicate with people elsewhere who are not committed to voting against Trump and the Republicans And the only even slightly practical idea you seem to have on that subject is “_hey, if you happen to encounter a Republican who plans to vote against Trumpism, don’t start directly personally attacking them about their other Trumpist beliefs_”, **which everybody here already agrees with.** You pretend to be talking about constructive strategies for actual activism, but it’s all just dogmatic tone policing to give you an excuse to scold people. ---
**Author:** ![DavidNRockies](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidnrockies/32/6279_2.png) [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2026, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-over-the-top-anti-trump-hysteria/1021735/1207 "2026-02-07T15:56:31Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I don’t know why you would think that when I’ve never said anything to indicate that. And yet, _everything you’ve said_ seems to indicate that. Have you noticed how many allies you have here? How many people you’ve brought around to your way of thinking? I’m betting you haven’t. I think you’re either at zero … or … less. Kudos. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2026, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-over-the-top-anti-trump-hysteria/1021735/1208 "2026-02-07T16:14:56Z")
I understand now! So the end justifies the means, and the enemy of my enemy is my friend. So simple! Good thing reality isn’t complicated and messy. I look forward to betraying my friends with a clear conscience now that my noble purpose has been shown to me. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2026, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-over-the-top-anti-trump-hysteria/1021735/1209 "2026-02-07T19:48:00Z")
> [@DavidNRockies](#): > > Have you noticed how many allies you have here? How many people you’ve brought around to your way of thinking? > > I’m betting you haven’t. I can assure you I’ve noticed the hostility that’s been directed at me. But the cause is bigger than me. And the reason I started this thread and continue to respond instead of going off and starting a new thread is because I don’t need to talk to people who already agree with me. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2026, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-over-the-top-anti-trump-hysteria/1021735/1210 "2026-02-07T19:51:02Z")
> [@Dr.Drake](#): > > I understand now! So the end justifies the means, and the enemy of my enemy is my friend. > > So simple! Good thing reality isn’t complicated and messy. I look forward to betraying my friends with a clear conscience now that my noble purpose has been shown to me. I’ve said you shouldn’t swear at people or direct personal attacks against them when they disagree with you on an opinion you hold. I don’t see that as a betrayal. ---
**Author:** ![DavidNRockies](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidnrockies/32/6279_2.png) [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2026, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-over-the-top-anti-trump-hysteria/1021735/1211 "2026-02-07T19:59:18Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > And the reason I started this thread and continue to respond instead of going off and starting a new thread is because I don’t need to talk to people who already agree with me. Something that could be done in an old-school telephone booth, I should think. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2026, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-over-the-top-anti-trump-hysteria/1021735/1212 "2026-02-07T20:04:06Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > So you feel there is no significant difference between Donald Trump and the Republicans being in power and somebody like Joe Biden and the Democrats being in power? No, I feel that your plan would just replace Donald Trump with some other Republican if it did anything at all, while cratering support for the Democrats. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2026, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-over-the-top-anti-trump-hysteria/1021735/1213 "2026-02-07T21:08:31Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > No, I feel that your plan would just replace Donald Trump with some other Republican if it did anything at all, while cratering support for the Democrats. That’s I feel it’s important to make the message that the problem in not just Donald Trump and his administration. The Republicans in Congress and in the Supreme Court have condoned and enabled Trump. There’s also the obvious issue that we can’t vote Trump out of office in 2026. So we should focus on the congressional elections and make the central issue of this election removing Donald Trump from power. I acknowledge that if we remove Trump we just put Vance into the presidency. That’s not good. But I feel impeaching and imprisoning Trump will put Vance on notice, especially when he doesn’t have a friendly congress to protect him. And if Vance follows Trump and does as bad, then we move on to Vance and impeach him next. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2026, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-over-the-top-anti-trump-hysteria/1021735/1214 "2026-02-07T21:20:30Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > There’s also the obvious issue that we can’t vote Trump out of office in 2026. So we should focus on the congressional elections and make the central issue of this election removing Donald Trump from power. Which we won’t do by driving away most of the supporters of the Democrats like you want. ---
**Author:** ![Banquet\_Bear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banquet_bear/32/373_2.png) [@Banquet\_Bear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banquet_Bear)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2026, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-over-the-top-anti-trump-hysteria/1021735/1215 "2026-02-08T00:09:14Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > You’ve got Ku Klux Klan members, who hate Jews, to fight against Hitler and the Nazis, in order to stop the killing of Jews. By not talking about that issue. …this is so fucking stupid. And I’m back to trying to figure out if you are trolling or just delusional. And its back to trolling for me. Because I’m brown. And the Ku Klux Klan ALSO hate me. Why would I, as an individual, choose to “say nothing” instead of telling them to “fuck off?” They hate me. And they are almost certainly aligned with the Hitler-loving people and the Nazis. They would welcome an invasion with open arms. And if they told me they wanted to “fight the Nazi’s” I’d assume they were _lying_. > [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > That’s what we need to do here. No. No we don’t. The numbers don’t work. It’s what you tried to do last election, and you lost the House, the Senate and the Executive. It’s a failing strategy because firstly it assumes you can deal with these people in good faith: but you can’t. They are scumbags because they are racist and sexist and transphobes and _liars_. Secondly because it assumes you can make up the numbers in a way that matters. Thirdly, whether you admit it or not, it involves _making concessions_. “Yeah, I’ll vote for the Dem. But you got to do something about who can use a bathroom first.” And conversely that means _you end up pushing away your base_. And that’s the big one. You take them for granted. You just expect them to come out and vote for you. You assume you’ve got them in the bag. The last election was the first election that I remember where voter suppression wasn’t foregrounded. I suspect in 2024 we would have seen the biggest nationwide effort to suppress Black and marginalised votes and that barely hit the news. Every single election its often the marginalised vote that pushes the Dems (or the “left” in other countries) over the top. But over the last four years you had Biden stand proudly at the State of the Union pledging not to “defund the police”, but to _fund them_. The Dems happily funded and materially aided the genocide of the Palestinian people. They largely stayed silent on trans issues. Right now they don’t commit to abolishing ICE. And yet: people like you just assume you are going to get their vote even if it means fighting red tape for months just to get their name back on the voter rolls, if it means standing in line for hours in the heat with no water. If it means walking for hours because the polling places have been reduced. You ignore these people to try and court the racists and the transphobes and the misogynists. And you wonder why you lose. You are asking everyone here to hedge their bets on _the worst people in the world_. That’s a _losing strategy_ best exemplified at what happened at the last election. That doesn’t mean I’m going to go out of my way to find racists who will vote against Trump just so I can call them names. But if I’m in the same room as an obvious trans-hating-asshole and they ask me to shake their hand? I’m going to tell them to fuck off. Because I think it’s more important to _fight for what I think is right_. That should be the baseline. And instead of trying to “convert” the right-leaning, trans-hating arsehole who has already said _they are voting against Trump_, you build a coalition of other people that want to fight for what’s right and build a coalition of the people they are fighting _for_. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2026, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-over-the-top-anti-trump-hysteria/1021735/1216 "2026-02-08T00:36:27Z")
> [@Banquet\_Bear](#): > > Because I think it’s more important to _fight for what I think is right_. That should be the baseline. And instead of trying to “convert” the right-leaning, trans-hating arsehole who has already said _they are voting against Trump_, you build a coalition of other people that want to fight for what’s right and build a coalition of the people they are fighting _for_. Yup. Being an obvious appeaser who refuses to stand up for your allies because you’re worried it might make it more difficult to concoliate your opponents is not a good look. It’s been said before, possibly in this thread as well, that it’s instructive to look at classic union-organizer tactics. They divide their potential recruits into four categories, from most to least receptive: 1) activist supporters, 2) passive supporters, 3) undecided, and 4) opponents. Their advocacy focuses on trying to change 2’s to 1’s and 3’s to 2’s. When they encounter a 4 they don’t start verbally abusing them, but they don’t waste time trying to recruit them or persuade them into agreement. You get a lot further by showing that you courageously stand by your allies than you do by appearing afraid of insufficiently appeasing your adversaries. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2026, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-over-the-top-anti-trump-hysteria/1021735/1217 "2026-02-08T00:54:05Z")
> [@Kimstu](#): > > concoliate LOL, “conciliate”, sorry. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2026, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-over-the-top-anti-trump-hysteria/1021735/1218 "2026-02-08T03:03:23Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > And the reason I started this thread and continue to respond instead of going off and starting a new thread is because I don’t need to talk to people who already agree with me. YMMV, but in my 25+ years as a Doper, I’ve never formed the impression that Dopers as a whole respond positively to being scolded. Maybe it’s time to declare victory and ask that the thread be closed. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2026, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-over-the-top-anti-trump-hysteria/1021735/1219 "2026-02-08T04:32:09Z")
> [@Banquet\_Bear](#): > > But if I’m in the same room as an obvious trans-hating-asshole and they ask me to shake their hand? I’m going to tell them to fuck off. Because I think it’s more important to _fight for what I think is right_. That should be the baseline. And instead of trying to “convert” the right-leaning, trans-hating arsehole who has already said _they are voting against Trump_, you build a coalition of other people that want to fight for what’s right and build a coalition of the people they are fighting _for_. Also, associating with such people too much is bad idea because _they_ might well be the ones who convert _you._ Lots of people ended up sucked into the far Right because they thought they were immune to propaganda and just being “ironically” racist or whatever. Then in a decade or two it wasn’t a joke anymore. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2026, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-over-the-top-anti-trump-hysteria/1021735/1220 "2026-02-08T04:49:51Z")
> [@Kimstu](#): > > Yup. Being an obvious appeaser who refuses to stand up for your allies because you’re worried it might make it more difficult to concoliate your opponents is not a good look. > > It’s been said before, possibly in this thread as well, that it’s instructive to look at classic union-organizer tactics. They divide their potential recruits into four categories, from most to least receptive: 1) activist supporters, 2) passive supporters, 3) undecided, and 4) opponents. > > Their advocacy focuses on trying to change 2’s to 1’s and 3’s to 2’s. When they encounter a 4 they don’t start verbally abusing them, but they don’t waste time trying to recruit them or persuade them into agreement. > > You get a lot further by showing that you courageously stand by your allies than you do by appearing afraid of insufficiently appeasing your adversaries. I’ll point out - again - that I have no interest in conciliating my opponents or appeasing my adversaries. I want them to lose. As kaylasdad99 observed “I’ve never formed the impression that Dopers as a whole respond positively to being scolded.” This is true about people in general; they don’t respond positively to being scolded. So using your system, what’s likely to happen is you’re dealing with a passive supporter and you scold them for not being an activist supporter? Is your scolding likely to move them from being a passive supporter to an activist supporter? Or is your scolding likely to move them from being a passive supporter to being undecided? Passive supporters are your allies. You, as an activist supporter, should be standing up for them not scolding them. ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2026, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-over-the-top-anti-trump-hysteria/1021735/1221 "2026-02-08T04:57:22Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > and you scold them for not being an activist supporter? Who is doing that??? Where are my “dozen examples”??? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-over-the-top-anti-trump-hysteria/1021735.md?page=60) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-over-the-top-anti-trump-hysteria/1021735.md?page=62)