From the “you just can’t make this shit up” department, the trump campaign releases a digital ad with a photo of the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janiero, Brazil with the caption “WE WILL PROTECT THIS”.
Oooohhkay, one of 3 possibilities here:
The trump campaign is too stupid to realize the statue is not in the US.
The trump campaign knows their base is too stupid to realize the statue is not in the US.
The trump admin is pledging to protect all statues throughout the world that Americans may like. By…I don’t know, sending in US troops to defend those statues if they seem to be threatened in some way?
File this in the same trashcan as all those Facebook “Post this picture of the flag to show you’re not ashamed!” posts. It’s (right-wing) virtue signalling. Logic and facts are irrelevant.
The Trumpists get to pretend that all statues everywhere are under threat and therefore this one is, and they get to show what amazing and brave Christians they are by guarding a statue that AFAIK no one is trying to get rid of (well, there’s probably somebody - there always is - but it’s not a serious threat). They feel good about themselves and that’s all that matters.
Finally a ‘South of the Border’ ‘Jesus’ Trump want to use the ‘Power of America’ to protect . . . calls to increase the height of the wall to follow.
CMC
Reminds me of that old Star Trek where Spock (I think) goaded the rogue intelligent computer into an infinite loop with the old canard about what it means when a perpetual liar says he’s lying.
In this case …
By far the best way to extend Trumply protection to that statue would be for the US to buy Brazil. I hear it’s especially cheap right now. That totally appeals to the imperialists and, given the 85% practicing Christian make-up of Brazil, the wild-eyed Xian fringe.
But then we’d also be importing a lot of sort-of white and definitely-not-white people. Substantially none of whom speak English.
So now imagine the thoughts in the Trumply supporters’ heads:
Must save statutes - Must not have non-English speaking non-whites - Must save statutes - Must not have non-English speaking non-whites. …
Does not compute does not compute DOES NOT COMPUTE. BOOM!
For what it’s worth the President of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro, is the closest thing Trump has to an International disciple. More like, the only person below Trump in Putin’s multi-level marketing scheme.
It’s Trump. Don’t overthink it. Making a show about a Christian statue, even one in another country is showy and signally. Living as a Christian requires, you know, doing something.
I think they think it’s the statue Christ of the Ozarks. They look similar, but the Ozarks one is much smaller and much more modern. (If you’re near Eureka Springs Arkansas, it’s at a tourist trap Passion Play site but they’ll let you in free if you say you want to see the statue.)
Nope, Bolsonaro’s his own kind of authoritarian, linked to Brazil’s history of military dictatorship and pushing similar but not the same authoritarian/populist buttons as Trump.
He isn’t Trump’s disciple, he’s an example of parallel development, or devolution in this case. Sorta like the wheel being invented around the same time in completely separate ancient civilizations.
Based on ad buys in states that were safely ensconced in the Trump column during the last election it looks like to me that his campaign has given up on winning outright and is concentrating on not being blown out of the water. They’re spending millions in Ohio, Iowa, and Georgia. Georgia for God’s sake. If Trump isn’t even safe in Georgia it’s going to be a loss of epic proportions. Defending Christ statues is appealing to his base, that 40% of the electorate that he’s desperate not to be abandoned by.
