You can disagree if you want, but I stand by what I said. Going back to your comment about Hitler, I completely agree: in many ways, Hitler was incompetent and a caricature. But he understood how to manipulate people, and that is what made him so dangerous. Trump isn’t a mesmerizing orator like Hitler; he’s an entertainer with a gladiatorial style and schtick. Regardless, he manipulates and divides people all the same. It’s the only way he can survive. This is how he has gone through his entire life.
I don’t think he’s smart enough to have a strategy. He just spouts off whatever comes into his mind , no filter at all.
I think this provides a very easy unifier for the Democratic party – there’s pretty much no risk for Biden or anyone to say “Trump’s words are hateful and he should apologize, and I stand with AOC and all people of color against such bigotry”.
And I don’t think he did, either. Manipulation implies doing something for the specific purpose of achieving something. Trump and Hitler just go “Bwuh ? Well I guess that works, fuck it, as long as I’m winning Imma play that hand !”
I think Trump essentially got lucky when it turned out that many people don’t care about the racist things he says. And for some people it’s a positive for him to say that stuff.
He’s lucky in the sense that he picked the right time to use this theme. He couldn’t have gotten away with this in 2000, or 2004, but the election of Barack Obama was the first visible sign to white Americans that America was entering a new era, and as much as I hate to say it, for some whites, it was like awakening from a nightmare.
Heh, remember back in 1996 when a lot of Republicans were really excited about the possibility of black JCS chairman General Colin Powell running for President? Heck, he actually won the NH Republican VP primary on write-in votes.
But Powell endorsed Clinton in the 2016 race, as any Republican with even half a brain or conscience would, so he’s dead to the Republican establishment now. They are going all in on the white-resentment sales pitch.
Weird that he didn’t single out Tom Malinowski, an actual immigrant (from Poland) and Trump critic. I wonder what colored his perception?
I’m pretty sure that “aim higher” means “focus on Nancy Pelosi.”
Trump is definitely very good at something, as evidenced by the fact that he managed to win the Presidency. Though one could certainly argue that his skill is entirely instinctual, without involving any conscious thought or planning.
It seems that post analysis, people are coming down on either the “he has no filter, he’s old/white” side or “this is a smokescreen to distance the Epstein case” side.
Both of those are likely and believable. Still, I thought sharing Stephen King’s take on it would be sobering:
“First, you stoke hatred and fear of minorities. Then you round them up and put them in camps. Next, you send out raiding parties to get those who have been driven into hiding. The armbands come next right?”
Cite:
Yup. Thump has handed the Dems something they can all (temporarily) agree on.
Trump won in large part because Clinton was a weak candidate who had been bashed pretty much non stop since 1992. And he was very well known from being on TV weekly for over a decade.
Probably the fact that he’s never heard of Tommy Boy and the guy gets no media.
It doesn’t exert any pressure on the Democratic party. Pelosi and Sanders came out almost at the same time with their critical tweets, and it took all of 0.4 seconds for them to reach the same conclusion: a swift and unequivocal response–regardless of how moderate or progressive someone is–is what is needed in times like this. So if this is a game that Trump is playing, it might as well be tee-ball.
All the hand wringing over all this scary “pressure”? Expressing worry at the prospect of progressives being fired up? Give me a break. All this chicken little talk is why moderates are likened to cowards so much. The best thing that can happen to Dems is that the progressives are fired up, because that is what gets Dem voters to the polls.
Agreed.
And this will inspire all Dem voters to support WHOEVER is the nominee. Because now everyone can see what the alternative is - want to pout and stay home because your favorite Dem did not get the nomination? How does 4 more years of idiot-racist-boy sound?
Trump is not playing some kind of strategy here. Trump is blathering. Trump is sundowning. Trump is just saying what the drunk asshole in the bar says when his buddies talk about “them minorities”. I imagine Trump is having in depth chats with luminaries such as Stephen Miller, where they come up with funny bon mots like this.
There is no “strategy”. Just spew from his mouth-hole.
In politics, there is always strategy going on, so I see where it is tempting to try to grab onto a post hoc rationalization for what comes out of Trump’s lie-chamber. But there is none. He just gurgles up another bolus of pus-flavored lie, and on to the next.
Some Dems will still stay home, hopefully not enough to make a difference. I bet most of the stay home Dems will be Bernie fans still mad about 2016.
Then they are not “Bernie fans”. They are going to have to come to terms with the fact that for the next election - if they stay home - they are Trump supporters. Plain and simple.
Any progressive that does not vote next election because the nominee is not “pure enough” to suit them, or has some imperfection that they do not like… Is a Trump Supporter. They might as well put on a MAGA hat and scream for minorities to be deported.
Any Dem who bitches about flaws in the chosen Dem candidate should ask themselves why they are supporting a Republican mentally deficient fascist wanna-be who is about as suitable for the job as a drunken toddler with a loaded gun.
Because this coming election is about getting as many D’s into office as humanly possible. Full stop.
I think one advantage the GOP has is some of them will hold their nose and vote for Trump because of judges, not many will stay home.
This is pretty much literally “Go back to Africa” or it would be if trump actually knew that Somalia is in Africa.