“Did you laugh? Did you wonder who could possibly be influenced by it? Perhaps you scorned the rubes watching it in red America? Did you think it was ineffective? Dumb? Crazy? Did you think it was normal? Did it seem sinister?”
Sadly, I didn’t laugh. This rhetoric is far too familiar to me to find any humor in it. The religious undertones and delusions of these religious fanatics is mind boggling.
Not to mention, the absurdity of a deeply flawed, secular kleptocrat being the savior of the free world. It’s almost a scene straight out of the Omen. God enlisting the worst sinners to do his bidding is hilarious on its face. I guess it’s the same principle as “to catch a crook, you need the mind of a crook.” Except, Trump is the biggest crook of all.
I do understand how the evangelicals can support a rapist in Trump, though. They forgave Josh Duggar for raping his sister for years, and thought Roy Moore was a good, god fearing Christian, even though he’s a pedophile. Their reasoning? Mary had Jesus at 15, so child rape isn’t a sin.
Or how God created Trump to burn the midnight oil in cabinet meetings? Seriously? He did t show up to the Oval until 11:00 am and promptly left by 4:00pm; spending hours tweeting all day. Trump gives new meaning to the term bankers hours. He also spent more than a year and a half on the golf courses during his first term in office.
That said, of course this advertisement will be warming received by his flock; and that’s the hilarious part! I guess when these rubes can be easily manipulated by a bunch of prosperity ministers, who continually fleece their flocks weekly, voting for a narcissistic, sociopathic, authoritarian kleptocrat is just the natural progression.
My initial thoughts watching the Trump ad were this can’t be real. This must be satire. Is Steve joking with us? Yesterday I described Trump as a sick, twisted monster. I will dig in and stand by that statement.
My only disappointment with Biden’s speech was it happened while millions were at work and did not see it.
MAGA members are a segment of political society who are willfully ignorant! They refuse to listen to anything which is enlightening and truthful about Trump!
Maybe it's time to drop the name "Republican" and speak of the MAGA party. After all, there's nothing left of the former Republican party that's recognizable today. Remember, it was largely the party of Abraham Lincoln which put the 14th Amendment into the U.S. Constitution when it was a youth.
I believe TFG is using the Christian nationalists as a means to an end. He will jettison them as soon as he achieves his goal. His loyalty is to only himself. We have two fights in my opinion. One fight is to end trump and the other is to stop Christian nationalism from succeeding. Democrats must retake the House to send Johnson back to the back bench.
I read people's comments about it being too bad so many millions missed the President's powerful speech at Valley Forge. So, send it to them! What if every Biden voter sent the video to one friend or relative? Two ? FIVE? Sure, many folks won't click on the link, but some will. They will see and hear the speech
Ack Maybe be moved by it. My point is, we know we can't count on the mass media to cover the campaign fairly, let alone urgently. We need to do it ourselves. Given modern communication tools, each and every one of us can join the fight to save democracy. What's stopping us?
I really think, as a 67 year old woman who as a Sixth grade student sat among my classmates every Friday for an entire school year and watched shorts and newsreels from WWII, that there is an entire segment of this country that doesn't understand history. And another segment, a huge segment, that was never exposed to it. Those Fridays were depressing and our three hour movie exposures seemed like eternities. But they usually ended with something upbeat.
And most importantly, they gave me a sense and a visualization of what happened in the 1940s, and at no other point in my education did anything else come close to showing or exposing it.
A great number of my peer group have remained in the small, mostly christian white town, and, most disappointingly to me, support the Rs and Trump. I have no idea why.
Re: "His MAGA cause is trying to overthrow 248 years of American independence, and replace it with a tyranny filled with a menagerie of American Nazis, theocrats, grifters, sexual predators galore, conspiracy theorists, election deniers, serial liars, and a collection of scumbaggery that boggles the imagination": and the news media is just EATING IT UP!! "STORIES 'FOREVER'!" "Millions of eyeballs generating billions in ad revenues!"
To repeat what the former CEO of CBS said, as Trump ascended to the Presidency: "He may be terrible for the country, but he's GREAT FOR US!"
Again, when California has an earthquake, you never hear about the 5 million houses that DIDN'T fall into a canyon; they're not "news". All you hear about are the three that DID! But the way the news media portray it, the folks back east think EVERY house in California fell into a canyon!
Similarly, you never hear about the millions of Americans and/or politicians who are NOT Nazis, or theocrats, or grifters, or sexual predators, etc.; you only hear about the ones who ARE. And the way those Nazis, et. al., are portrayed, you'd think the ENTIRE COUNTRY was filled with Nazis, theocrats, grifters, etc.
So, can we please continue to take whatever the news media is pouring down our throats with a grain — nay, a trainload — of salt?
Interesting that Don Jr. gets a nod. If God chose Dad , Don Jr. is the likely successor. The Founding Father's knew the threat of mixing church and state. How do we stop this madness?
Do you remember when he was in office there was talk of whose turn it would be next - Junior or Ivanka? She was supposed to be the first woman president after TFG.
Again, compelling commentary; powerful oratory. Likening Chris Christie to the 101st Airborne--again--is a bridge too far, however. You're projecting your own decency onto a bully (Christie) who simply recognizes this is the only path to preventing his political irrelevance. I'd love to be wrong, but surely CC knew better after covid and the unnecessary deaths of hundreds of thousands of Americans. Yet he endorsed Trump in 2020. So he apologized for 2016. Big deal! On the other hand, if you, with your expertise, say it's necessary for Christie to stay in the race in order to grievously wound Trump, then I guess I'm all for it.
As a man of faith all that this "God Made Trump" ad tells me is that even the Almighty has bad days. Well written and poignant as always Steve. Thank you.
I am numb, never could I possibly believe that in America 2024 this blatant propaganda could be produced by any political party.
How do you fight this?
30% of us get our news from TikTok
5x the number of people watch espn than news
Facebook, twitter instagram are a feast of lies and distortions
I went to see a new production of kill a mocking bird the other night and some of us hung back for coffee while the garage emptied out. When I said we had read this in the 50s a 60s or 70s in high school and right here is Palm beach it is off the curriculum, library and many book stores which are following the governor’s dictate, two of these people said “that’s what happens when you jam crap down peoples throats”
Your column yesterday said we survive Trump, I disagree, when his new head of FTC shuts down msnbc, scotus rules it is unconstitutional, and the Trump AG says they will take no action, America is done and I’m on the way to NZ,
The add is chilling! It is pure evil. Drawn from the heart of the Nazi toolkit. It is democracy’s nightmare! I agree with Steve Schmidt in every way. Biden and his team have an incredible mountain to climb in order to counter this sort of horrible propaganda. It’s horrible because it has already convinced 40% of the electorate to vote for Trump. The very group that will in the end looser the most from a Trump victory although they just can’t see that as they are so blinded by the conviction they are given that Trump is their messianic savior. Like Hitler led the German people to their destruction so Trump will lead America to its destruction at which point, of course, the very people who elected him, should they survive the destruction, will say - we did not know what was happening. The refrain of the blind, the ignorant, those who are hoping for some salvation, but without the ability to work towards that salvation themselves. These people need to open their eyes, wake up to the realities before it is too late. Before they commit themselves and America to the hell fires of hatred, racism and fascism by voting for this false messiah, by voting for Trump. America beware!
Two things - I recoiled in horror when I watched the tRump ad. I think I was on the verge of an anxiety attack. Do people really believe that shit? OMG! This ad is a nightmare. Second, it’s hard to do, but we must all support Chris Christie. I have never sent a contribution to a Republican before, but I’m kind of considering it. I’m afraid I’ll upset the cosmic balance of things LOL.
“Did you laugh? Did you wonder who could possibly be influenced by it? Perhaps you scorned the rubes watching it in red America? Did you think it was ineffective? Dumb? Crazy? Did you think it was normal? Did it seem sinister?”
Sadly, I didn’t laugh. This rhetoric is far too familiar to me to find any humor in it. The religious undertones and delusions of these religious fanatics is mind boggling.
Not to mention, the absurdity of a deeply flawed, secular kleptocrat being the savior of the free world. It’s almost a scene straight out of the Omen. God enlisting the worst sinners to do his bidding is hilarious on its face. I guess it’s the same principle as “to catch a crook, you need the mind of a crook.” Except, Trump is the biggest crook of all.
I do understand how the evangelicals can support a rapist in Trump, though. They forgave Josh Duggar for raping his sister for years, and thought Roy Moore was a good, god fearing Christian, even though he’s a pedophile. Their reasoning? Mary had Jesus at 15, so child rape isn’t a sin.
Or how God created Trump to burn the midnight oil in cabinet meetings? Seriously? He did t show up to the Oval until 11:00 am and promptly left by 4:00pm; spending hours tweeting all day. Trump gives new meaning to the term bankers hours. He also spent more than a year and a half on the golf courses during his first term in office.
That said, of course this advertisement will be warming received by his flock; and that’s the hilarious part! I guess when these rubes can be easily manipulated by a bunch of prosperity ministers, who continually fleece their flocks weekly, voting for a narcissistic, sociopathic, authoritarian kleptocrat is just the natural progression.
i wish i could laugh. terror is what i feel.
My initial thoughts watching the Trump ad were this can’t be real. This must be satire. Is Steve joking with us? Yesterday I described Trump as a sick, twisted monster. I will dig in and stand by that statement.
My only disappointment with Biden’s speech was it happened while millions were at work and did not see it.
MAGA members are a segment of political society who are willfully ignorant! They refuse to listen to anything which is enlightening and truthful about Trump!
It appears they've moved on from willfully ignorant through proudly ignorant to enthusiastically ignorant.
Aspirationally ignorant?
Maybe it's time to drop the name "Republican" and speak of the MAGA party. After all, there's nothing left of the former Republican party that's recognizable today. Remember, it was largely the party of Abraham Lincoln which put the 14th Amendment into the U.S. Constitution when it was a youth.
It was good, but the November 2 speech was better IMHO. He's got so much on his plate right now.
I will watch it today as I have been in this fight back to when Trump said Obama was not an American. In 2011, I told friend there would be blood.
I believe TFG is using the Christian nationalists as a means to an end. He will jettison them as soon as he achieves his goal. His loyalty is to only himself. We have two fights in my opinion. One fight is to end trump and the other is to stop Christian nationalism from succeeding. Democrats must retake the House to send Johnson back to the back bench.
Christian Nationalism is an oxymoron! “We the people “ isn’t in their vocabulary!
So God Made Trump. It would be laughable if it wasn't so disgusting and a little scary to be honest.
I wasn’t aware Gods had such a keen sense of humor.
What’s worse are some of his supporters and administration sycophants..:)
I read people's comments about it being too bad so many millions missed the President's powerful speech at Valley Forge. So, send it to them! What if every Biden voter sent the video to one friend or relative? Two ? FIVE? Sure, many folks won't click on the link, but some will. They will see and hear the speech
Ack Maybe be moved by it. My point is, we know we can't count on the mass media to cover the campaign fairly, let alone urgently. We need to do it ourselves. Given modern communication tools, each and every one of us can join the fight to save democracy. What's stopping us?
I really think, as a 67 year old woman who as a Sixth grade student sat among my classmates every Friday for an entire school year and watched shorts and newsreels from WWII, that there is an entire segment of this country that doesn't understand history. And another segment, a huge segment, that was never exposed to it. Those Fridays were depressing and our three hour movie exposures seemed like eternities. But they usually ended with something upbeat.
And most importantly, they gave me a sense and a visualization of what happened in the 1940s, and at no other point in my education did anything else come close to showing or exposing it.
A great number of my peer group have remained in the small, mostly christian white town, and, most disappointingly to me, support the Rs and Trump. I have no idea why.
Well said Steve. Keep up the fight.
Re: "His MAGA cause is trying to overthrow 248 years of American independence, and replace it with a tyranny filled with a menagerie of American Nazis, theocrats, grifters, sexual predators galore, conspiracy theorists, election deniers, serial liars, and a collection of scumbaggery that boggles the imagination": and the news media is just EATING IT UP!! "STORIES 'FOREVER'!" "Millions of eyeballs generating billions in ad revenues!"
To repeat what the former CEO of CBS said, as Trump ascended to the Presidency: "He may be terrible for the country, but he's GREAT FOR US!"
Again, when California has an earthquake, you never hear about the 5 million houses that DIDN'T fall into a canyon; they're not "news". All you hear about are the three that DID! But the way the news media portray it, the folks back east think EVERY house in California fell into a canyon!
Similarly, you never hear about the millions of Americans and/or politicians who are NOT Nazis, or theocrats, or grifters, or sexual predators, etc.; you only hear about the ones who ARE. And the way those Nazis, et. al., are portrayed, you'd think the ENTIRE COUNTRY was filled with Nazis, theocrats, grifters, etc.
So, can we please continue to take whatever the news media is pouring down our throats with a grain — nay, a trainload — of salt?
Interesting that Don Jr. gets a nod. If God chose Dad , Don Jr. is the likely successor. The Founding Father's knew the threat of mixing church and state. How do we stop this madness?
Do you remember when he was in office there was talk of whose turn it would be next - Junior or Ivanka? She was supposed to be the first woman president after TFG.
I seem to recall reports that Ivanka and Jared believed they'd both be elected President eventually, but her turn would come first.
Again, compelling commentary; powerful oratory. Likening Chris Christie to the 101st Airborne--again--is a bridge too far, however. You're projecting your own decency onto a bully (Christie) who simply recognizes this is the only path to preventing his political irrelevance. I'd love to be wrong, but surely CC knew better after covid and the unnecessary deaths of hundreds of thousands of Americans. Yet he endorsed Trump in 2020. So he apologized for 2016. Big deal! On the other hand, if you, with your expertise, say it's necessary for Christie to stay in the race in order to grievously wound Trump, then I guess I'm all for it.
Well, we do have something in common with Israel. Both countries are being destroyed from the inside by religious fanatics.
As a man of faith all that this "God Made Trump" ad tells me is that even the Almighty has bad days. Well written and poignant as always Steve. Thank you.
I am numb, never could I possibly believe that in America 2024 this blatant propaganda could be produced by any political party.
How do you fight this?
30% of us get our news from TikTok
5x the number of people watch espn than news
Facebook, twitter instagram are a feast of lies and distortions
I went to see a new production of kill a mocking bird the other night and some of us hung back for coffee while the garage emptied out. When I said we had read this in the 50s a 60s or 70s in high school and right here is Palm beach it is off the curriculum, library and many book stores which are following the governor’s dictate, two of these people said “that’s what happens when you jam crap down peoples throats”
Your column yesterday said we survive Trump, I disagree, when his new head of FTC shuts down msnbc, scotus rules it is unconstitutional, and the Trump AG says they will take no action, America is done and I’m on the way to NZ,
My unfiltered first impression of all the "God made Trump ..." statements: Even God poops.
The add is chilling! It is pure evil. Drawn from the heart of the Nazi toolkit. It is democracy’s nightmare! I agree with Steve Schmidt in every way. Biden and his team have an incredible mountain to climb in order to counter this sort of horrible propaganda. It’s horrible because it has already convinced 40% of the electorate to vote for Trump. The very group that will in the end looser the most from a Trump victory although they just can’t see that as they are so blinded by the conviction they are given that Trump is their messianic savior. Like Hitler led the German people to their destruction so Trump will lead America to its destruction at which point, of course, the very people who elected him, should they survive the destruction, will say - we did not know what was happening. The refrain of the blind, the ignorant, those who are hoping for some salvation, but without the ability to work towards that salvation themselves. These people need to open their eyes, wake up to the realities before it is too late. Before they commit themselves and America to the hell fires of hatred, racism and fascism by voting for this false messiah, by voting for Trump. America beware!
Two things - I recoiled in horror when I watched the tRump ad. I think I was on the verge of an anxiety attack. Do people really believe that shit? OMG! This ad is a nightmare. Second, it’s hard to do, but we must all support Chris Christie. I have never sent a contribution to a Republican before, but I’m kind of considering it. I’m afraid I’ll upset the cosmic balance of things LOL.