“Does anyone else remember the bleach injection policy from the Trump years? The Greenland purchase? The Great Wall of Trump paid for by Mexico?…..The issue at hand is character. Period.”
Steve, do you really need to remind us? The Trump show is nothing more than a “Carnival Barker of Horrors.” Don’t forget to visit the “Hall of Smoke and Mirrors” and the Theater of Projection and Deflection. One must literally suspend disbelief.
That said, Trump is having a complete meltdown. More than 500k people watched Harris’s speech, than Trumps. The DNC destroyed the RNC in ratings. And when the new polls are released, I have no doubt Harris will be leading in every swing state by at least four to five points and about ten nationally. This will blow Trump’s mind and send him over the deep end of a cliff.
He literally knows he’s be outmaneuvered by Harris and defeated. And as far as character goes, he has none, unless you include being inhabited by the ghost of Hannibal Lector. Not to mention, he’s losing the war of attrition; his age. He’s just a shell of the misogynistic, narcissistic pathetic parasite he used to be, and devoid of all energy and any original thought; if he ever had an original thought to begin with.
So I agree, ignore the MSM until necessary, and let Trump do the talking. Just like all delusional sociopaths; he just can’t help himself. IMHO!….:)
I’m not ignoring him, I just said, that he will be the death of himself. As Charlie Sykes has said, “a clown with a flamethrower, is still a clown with a FLAMETHROWER!”
I get he’s dangerous, but in my opinion, his schtick is stale and old, and he’s definitely not attracting any new fans. Kamala needs to continue doing what’s she’s doing. Ignore the noise, and let the Trump campaign continue to derail itself.
If you thought the Trump campaign couldn’t get any weirder, he now has the endorsement of a guy who left a dead bear in Central Park for shits and giggles, hasn’t denied he sexually molested his baby sitter, as well has having a worm infect his brain; which frankly is starting to make a lot of sense.
That said, I think the Trump campaign has reached the tipping point of “weird.” It’s now DERANGED!…:)
In contrast to TFG, Kamala has a great deal of "judgement, wisdom, grace, integrity, empathy, decency and patriotism." TFG has minus 100 in any of these qualities. TFG banked on using 'Biden's age' to win. Now it is backfiring on him. We're all see the LOSER he has always been.
I have burst out laughing a few times over the last couple of days. His comment that he will protect women and read another this morning that Republicans are leading on IVF. I wish every person voting would say no to him, but there will be those who will yes. Sad.
Daily contradicting their own statements is on brand for the orange anus face and his lemmings. The media, journalists and interviewers make the same stupid error over and over again by not questioning the logic and hypocrisy of what is being presented - it’s deliberate at this point. The other asinine thing that continues to happen is that when the Forced Birth MAGATs talk about ‘abortion at birth’ NO ONE responds “THAT’S NOT A THING” and/or “YOU SHOULD QUIT MAKING BIZARRE STATEMENTS THAT ARE FALSE.” The media has completely lost credibility and doesn’t seem to care if they’ll exist or not after the election.
The MSM is desperate for views and they'll take any they can get, by whatever means. They don't want Trump to go away 'cause where would all that lovely ad revenue come from? Normalcy doesn't sell. If you despise Trump but tune in to every anti-Trump piece you see, that translates to dollars for them. I think this is why so many turn to channels, such as Steve's. I don't need to know about every time djt disembarks from a plane and the 100th time he refers to Hannibal Lecter as though they are first name basis. I want to know what's happening and how it affects the election and our future.
One of the reasons I became a subscriber to "The Warning" is the passion and eloquence with which Mr. Schmidt expresses his ideas. This relatively brief and punchy essay is a clear example. Winners today include:
The "adjudicated rapist and convicted felon possesses a deformed character of heretofore undiscovered hideousness. He lacks judgement, wisdom, grace, integrity, empathy, decency and patriotism. Trump is, was and always will be an abomination..."
"The American media is about to have an eruption of self-regard and entitlement that is positively Trumpian. They will be enticed through institutional egos and cliquish access operators to start demanding interviews with the vice president in the name of “journalism” and the public interest."
"She should have responded with something like, “As soon as you count to 787 million out loud.”
and "Summer is ending with a MAGA whine. It is a cry of weakness and moral turpitude."
I also like the term "performative idiocy." It makes me wonder at what point the deliberate, repetitive performance of such idiocy by otherwise intelligent people erodes their judgement.
I think VP Harris should have responded to Mr. Doocy's question with "when Fox becomes a news organization."
And in the aftermath of the DNC, we see the emergence of the media meme "Why (fill in unrelated news item) is bad for Harris." This is just a retread of the four-year phenomenon that the Biden administration has faced, with one name change. Like the nobility of Restoration France, our media "have forgotten nothing and learned nothing." Why? It can't be just the money. The Revolution is happening before their MSM eyes and they just don't seem to be able to deal with it.
Lawrence O’Donnell on MSNBC said it best, “Donald Trump is the stupidest and laziest president in history.”
Trump put this on display in every speech/interview. Trump can give two statements without one being a lie and the other nonsense.
Trumps cult is not making this election close. It is the American oligarchs and our international enemies that prop his campaign up. They know how corrupt and easily manipulated Trump is. They will exploit Trump to do their bidding and Trump’s good with that as long as there is something in it for him.
Trump mental disease makes him incapable of caring about anyone but himself.
There were whispers when he was in office about how little he actually did. On days when he was in the WH, he would not come down from the residential floor until mid morning, after having spent several hours watching Fox and tweeting. Then he would adjourn in midafternoon to more of the same. And we know about how much time (and taxpayer money) he spent at his golf clubs. Definitely the stupidest and in all likelihood the laziest
Yes, Lisa! This single sentence nails the root cause of this bizarre period in American history. We're all scratching our heads at how so many citizens have become so brainwashed, but it will only become apparent in hindsight. It's no coincidence that social media arrived in all its glory n tandem with the biggest threat to our democracy since the Republic began. There has always been the radical right, but it was social media that gave it a megaphone and a direct line into every American home. It will be studied for decades.
Hello :-) Have you seen the Netflix documentary 'The Social Dilemma'? People who designed these algorithms come clean about the dangers we face. One person, in the trailer linked below, said "this is checkmate for humanity". How scary and true!
I don't think people understand how dire this amplified propaganda is, used domestically by those who want power...and internationally....Russia, China, etc.
The way teenagers are targeted, based on primitive tribal needs for acceptance, is sickening and infuriating - Exploitation even of children. Great documentary.
The irony of this propaganda is that the base that have been gaslit are the very people that will suffer the most once Trump feels they are not useful to him.
Yes the country is a buzz, one side of the aisle is gearing up for a political battle and the other side is complaining about crowd size. The whining and complaining has gotten louder since Kamala stepped on the stage in Philadelphia and it continues to resonate with a hollowness of the man on top of the Republican ticket. Donald is is trying his best to distance himself from Trump. I guess that is why he always refers to himself in the 3rd person. Sorry Donald, we have all seen your mugshot and know it is you. The same person who is the smartest person in the room and suggests to doctors about injecting bleach as a cure for COVID. The same person who referred to veterans who were disabled or killed as losers and suckers. The very same person who thinks a Presidential Medal of Freedom given to a high money donor is equal to the Medal of Honor. Keep talking Donald, the whole country needs a reminder of who you truly are. Stand up in a court of law and say the things you say and maybe they too will find you incompetent to stand trial.
I think most normal people will remember Trump’s outlandish declarations and actions. One that stands out in my mind in addition to what you have outlined is child Trump viewing the eclipse without the proper protective eye glasses and the brilliant one where he is attempting to show a sharpie-altered hurricane map. These and other outrageous comments clearly demonstrate that he thinks and acts on a level equivalent to a 7-yr old. How 35-40% of the American population can’t see or understand his unpreparedness for the presidency of the largest and richest nation in the world is in itself a catastrophe. Steve, thank you for hitting the nail on the head once again in this important debate.
“These and other outrageous comments clearly demonstrate that he thinks and acts on a level equivalent to a 7-yr old.”
Have you considered that perhaps his supporters think and act the way of a petulant five year old? After all, in America, over 50 million adults believe in “Flat Earth Theory”; so there’s that….:)
I know what you are trying to say to me and I appreciate it. It still boggles my mind that there are such huge numbers of voters who don’t recognize the serious lacunae that this guy demonstrates. Lack of education is a likely source for this conundrum, and will only get worse if he’s elected, and Project 2025 will have a worse impact on education,if as planned, they abolish the Department of Education.
This is the only thing TFG has in common with his base: utter stupidity. I personally can't comprehend how ANYONE could ever get sucked into TFG's maelstrom of idiotcy. I have been aware of this moron since the early 80's and I have always despised him from the very first git go. I smelled grifter from the beginning. Gold toilets my dying a$$!
There are all these fools who feel a kinship with him and think he is "one of them". Fuck me... TFG has never mowed a lawn or pitched pig $hit out a barn door. He has never changed a tire or painted his house. He has never worked out a trigonometry problem or even read a book. Comic books don't count. He has not cooked a meal or washed any dishes. He hasn't done ANYTHING ordinary folks do all day every day. And yet these folks still think he is "one of them". Wake up Americans.
Michael, please look into cult-indoctrination information. I was raised, from ages 3 to 13, in an extremest (violent) religious cult. My parents, both gone now, were extremely good, honest, hard-working people who had significant obstacles and disadvantages to navigate. Still, I cannot believe, either, there is such a huge MAGA following. The cult aspect in ONE thing and the disinformation spread by social media algorithms is another huge factor, as is a lack of proper education in civics, history, and critical thinking skills (the ability to discern fact from fiction!) I taught creative and critical thinking skills as a priority through more than one discipline and age group for many years. Lastly, when I saw Trump descending the escalator I yelled out loud to a friend "This is cult stuff, this is terrible, this guy is going to take millions of people over a cliff with him!" I knew it from my upbringing. I could go on with this. The level of ignorance and willfulness -grievance- is staggering. I lost my family in Montana over extremist talk radio and TFG/MAGA. These are people I loved all my life. I became their 'enemy'' The billionaires and media polarized our country. Most MAGA followers have no idea that their brains were taken over by those who ONLY used them for their own wealth and power. The consequences for so many of us are nearly unspeakable. Sadly, I foresee that the damages will go on for generations. Best, Lisa
Lisa, I can somewhat understand what you're saying about cults and MAGA even though I was raised in a NW Iowa farm family as a Presbyterian; which is about as far from a cult as you can get. We were all Republicans then, but this is a whole different animal now. I think my conservative parents must be spinning in their graves.
However, I've been involved with AA for 44 years now and some people think THAT'S a cult. YMMV. I don't think it is but I have seen and known about certain meetings and groups within that sure do represent that aspect of sobriety.
Yes! And I'm so embarrassed that all the other countries witnessed what we had put in our highest office! I was so ashamed, I was like "Mom! Please don't make me go outside today! All the other countries laugh and make fun of me!" How To Medical= Sarah Cooper https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l6f3TOwv0NA
He definitely has caused us to become a laughingstock. His persona, ignorance, and ineptitude has caused not just mirth but consternation around the world. His inciting the insurrection cast our country as an unstable "banana republic," which we used to apply as a pejorative to our neighbors to the south that had frequent political upheaval. He mispronounced "Nambia," not a real place in front of the UN. He mispronounced Tanzania. He dissed NATO and invited Putin to invade Europe. He is a disaster.
Yes and in addition, the extent and impact of the States interventions being planned to misrepresent and lie about the # of votes cast for each party in certain states, the gerrymandering that has been instituted in some States and the worse offense of all, Trump’s refusal to acknowledge that he lost the election as he did and continues to do since the outcome of the 2020 one. All these taken together do not instill confidence in a free and fair election.
The new Trumpy Trout animatronic plaque with its certificate of authenticity sounds more serious and sincere than the candidate. Why doesn't the press demand scrupulous policy data from it?
I keep hearing the Trump campaign, as a political strategic effort, is the most inept, poorest messaging, worst VP pick, worst and creepiest convention, most chaotic, most toxic, most depressing, cruelest, most negative, worst executed campaign ever.
Meanwhile, the Harris campaign has been 95% flawless in execution. AND YET this is a 2-point race nationally and with even a lower polling error than 2016 or 2020, Trump wins.
SO my question is whether the MAGA message, regardless of campaign strategy, is so powerful and popular that it can only be defeated because it is run by the most inept, chaotic, dumbest bad conventioning people, and is being opposed by flawless campaigning. And what does that say about us, and when you say it's all just going to fade away, how that is possible? How is that possible when they could well win today, given they are the weirdest, creepiest, and least effective campaign?
Short version: when the ultra rich met in Davos, Switzerland, there was reportedly much talk about Trump. They finally decided they could use him for four more years. We are fighting blindfolded, fire ants of truth. We have nom, nom, nomikers crawled right up his ass and into his brain. That gurgling you hear is first sign of death throes.
So Where is LIz Cheney? As I recall she said we must do everythimg we can to prevent Trump from becommiing The President of the United States of America. The othe day I recieved an email from Ms. Cheney asking for money for an Anti - Trump Pac.. Still I've not seen anything from Cheney regarding the comming election. What is she waiting for?
Common traits of a malignant narcissist include:3,6
Being extremely arrogant and self-centered
Disregarding the feelings and needs of other people
Manipulating, using, or exploiting others for personal gain or pleasure
Having an extreme need for power
Acts of revenge against those who criticize them
Fantasizing about ways to obtain more power or dominance over others
Lacking conscience, regret, or remorse for their actions
Being cruel and taking pleasure in the pain of others
High levels of aggression towards other people
Paranoia or mistrust of others
This describes Trump to a tee. He is absolutely mentally ill. The press needs to wake up and make this very clear to the public but hey won’t.
In the movie Pulp Fiction there is a line, “I like people with character not people who are characters.”
Trump’s lack of character is on display every day. Steve you said it distinctly and show be as much as issue as policy.
I wish Main Street media stops with their double reporting standards. They allow, with little pushback when Trump says violent or just stupid things or even lies.
Trump should have been in prison for his university, charity and hopefully business fraud. Trumps whining go to the malignancy of his mental illness.
"The issue at hand character. Period." True as that is, it doesn't matter at all to MAGA. And 10s of millions will vote. And along with all - and I mean ALL - of the voter suppression efforts by MAGA means this will be very hard to win in November.
Once again, Lisa, I share your thoughts today. I often have the fantasy of a massive win for Kamala, ultimately delivered by maga women who privately will decide that no man is going to dictate their reproductive rights. If they didn't want to wear a mask during COVID, I believe many will tell Trump and his ilk to go screw themselves in November, yet they'll SAY they voted for him. I actually wonder how this could NOT happen.
Hi Mary Ann :-) Yes, when it comes to actually voting for or against bodily autonomy how many women, privately, are going to actually vote against it and for 'forced birth', monitored and enforced by the government?! We're potentially in for exactly what you've described. The more we educate about Project 2025 the better! We got this!
“Does anyone else remember the bleach injection policy from the Trump years? The Greenland purchase? The Great Wall of Trump paid for by Mexico?…..The issue at hand is character. Period.”
Steve, do you really need to remind us? The Trump show is nothing more than a “Carnival Barker of Horrors.” Don’t forget to visit the “Hall of Smoke and Mirrors” and the Theater of Projection and Deflection. One must literally suspend disbelief.
That said, Trump is having a complete meltdown. More than 500k people watched Harris’s speech, than Trumps. The DNC destroyed the RNC in ratings. And when the new polls are released, I have no doubt Harris will be leading in every swing state by at least four to five points and about ten nationally. This will blow Trump’s mind and send him over the deep end of a cliff.
He literally knows he’s be outmaneuvered by Harris and defeated. And as far as character goes, he has none, unless you include being inhabited by the ghost of Hannibal Lector. Not to mention, he’s losing the war of attrition; his age. He’s just a shell of the misogynistic, narcissistic pathetic parasite he used to be, and devoid of all energy and any original thought; if he ever had an original thought to begin with.
So I agree, ignore the MSM until necessary, and let Trump do the talking. Just like all delusional sociopaths; he just can’t help himself. IMHO!….:)
He is just a shell of what he used to be but a cornered shell and capable of almost anything. Ignore him at our peril!
I’m not ignoring him, I just said, that he will be the death of himself. As Charlie Sykes has said, “a clown with a flamethrower, is still a clown with a FLAMETHROWER!”
I get he’s dangerous, but in my opinion, his schtick is stale and old, and he’s definitely not attracting any new fans. Kamala needs to continue doing what’s she’s doing. Ignore the noise, and let the Trump campaign continue to derail itself.
If you thought the Trump campaign couldn’t get any weirder, he now has the endorsement of a guy who left a dead bear in Central Park for shits and giggles, hasn’t denied he sexually molested his baby sitter, as well has having a worm infect his brain; which frankly is starting to make a lot of sense.
That said, I think the Trump campaign has reached the tipping point of “weird.” It’s now DERANGED!…:)
BTW, Greg Palast posted an interesting piece about Bobby. It is sad though. (Not "sad" the way Trump uses the word as a rhetorical tool. Truly sad).
https://www.gregpalast.com/i-was-on-the-phone-with-rfk-jr-when-he-lost-his-mind/
Good article, thanks..:)
Yup, stark raving mad! Batshit Crazy!
In contrast to TFG, Kamala has a great deal of "judgement, wisdom, grace, integrity, empathy, decency and patriotism." TFG has minus 100 in any of these qualities. TFG banked on using 'Biden's age' to win. Now it is backfiring on him. We're all see the LOSER he has always been.
Wholeheartedly agree…:)
Well put!
I have burst out laughing a few times over the last couple of days. His comment that he will protect women and read another this morning that Republicans are leading on IVF. I wish every person voting would say no to him, but there will be those who will yes. Sad.
Daily contradicting their own statements is on brand for the orange anus face and his lemmings. The media, journalists and interviewers make the same stupid error over and over again by not questioning the logic and hypocrisy of what is being presented - it’s deliberate at this point. The other asinine thing that continues to happen is that when the Forced Birth MAGATs talk about ‘abortion at birth’ NO ONE responds “THAT’S NOT A THING” and/or “YOU SHOULD QUIT MAKING BIZARRE STATEMENTS THAT ARE FALSE.” The media has completely lost credibility and doesn’t seem to care if they’ll exist or not after the election.
The MSM is desperate for views and they'll take any they can get, by whatever means. They don't want Trump to go away 'cause where would all that lovely ad revenue come from? Normalcy doesn't sell. If you despise Trump but tune in to every anti-Trump piece you see, that translates to dollars for them. I think this is why so many turn to channels, such as Steve's. I don't need to know about every time djt disembarks from a plane and the 100th time he refers to Hannibal Lecter as though they are first name basis. I want to know what's happening and how it affects the election and our future.
Here , here- Sarah!
One of the reasons I became a subscriber to "The Warning" is the passion and eloquence with which Mr. Schmidt expresses his ideas. This relatively brief and punchy essay is a clear example. Winners today include:
The "adjudicated rapist and convicted felon possesses a deformed character of heretofore undiscovered hideousness. He lacks judgement, wisdom, grace, integrity, empathy, decency and patriotism. Trump is, was and always will be an abomination..."
"The American media is about to have an eruption of self-regard and entitlement that is positively Trumpian. They will be enticed through institutional egos and cliquish access operators to start demanding interviews with the vice president in the name of “journalism” and the public interest."
"She should have responded with something like, “As soon as you count to 787 million out loud.”
and "Summer is ending with a MAGA whine. It is a cry of weakness and moral turpitude."
I also like the term "performative idiocy." It makes me wonder at what point the deliberate, repetitive performance of such idiocy by otherwise intelligent people erodes their judgement.
I think VP Harris should have responded to Mr. Doocy's question with "when Fox becomes a news organization."
And in the aftermath of the DNC, we see the emergence of the media meme "Why (fill in unrelated news item) is bad for Harris." This is just a retread of the four-year phenomenon that the Biden administration has faced, with one name change. Like the nobility of Restoration France, our media "have forgotten nothing and learned nothing." Why? It can't be just the money. The Revolution is happening before their MSM eyes and they just don't seem to be able to deal with it.
You’re right — that would have been a perfect response to Doocy!
Lawrence O’Donnell on MSNBC said it best, “Donald Trump is the stupidest and laziest president in history.”
Trump put this on display in every speech/interview. Trump can give two statements without one being a lie and the other nonsense.
Trumps cult is not making this election close. It is the American oligarchs and our international enemies that prop his campaign up. They know how corrupt and easily manipulated Trump is. They will exploit Trump to do their bidding and Trump’s good with that as long as there is something in it for him.
Trump mental disease makes him incapable of caring about anyone but himself.
There were whispers when he was in office about how little he actually did. On days when he was in the WH, he would not come down from the residential floor until mid morning, after having spent several hours watching Fox and tweeting. Then he would adjourn in midafternoon to more of the same. And we know about how much time (and taxpayer money) he spent at his golf clubs. Definitely the stupidest and in all likelihood the laziest
We need to better understand how social media algorithms are being used for brainwashing.
Yes, Lisa! This single sentence nails the root cause of this bizarre period in American history. We're all scratching our heads at how so many citizens have become so brainwashed, but it will only become apparent in hindsight. It's no coincidence that social media arrived in all its glory n tandem with the biggest threat to our democracy since the Republic began. There has always been the radical right, but it was social media that gave it a megaphone and a direct line into every American home. It will be studied for decades.
Hello :-) Have you seen the Netflix documentary 'The Social Dilemma'? People who designed these algorithms come clean about the dangers we face. One person, in the trailer linked below, said "this is checkmate for humanity". How scary and true!
I don't think people understand how dire this amplified propaganda is, used domestically by those who want power...and internationally....Russia, China, etc.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uaaC57tcci0 I hope people get on to this soon!
The way teenagers are targeted, based on primitive tribal needs for acceptance, is sickening and infuriating - Exploitation even of children. Great documentary.
I will seek this out asap! Did you and I speak of "Bad Faith" by Alex Gibney? That's another fantastic doc.
Hello, we haven't spoken about "Bad Faith" documentary, but I know about it and I'll watch it soon. The more we know and understand...the better!
The irony of this propaganda is that the base that have been gaslit are the very people that will suffer the most once Trump feels they are not useful to him.
Yes the country is a buzz, one side of the aisle is gearing up for a political battle and the other side is complaining about crowd size. The whining and complaining has gotten louder since Kamala stepped on the stage in Philadelphia and it continues to resonate with a hollowness of the man on top of the Republican ticket. Donald is is trying his best to distance himself from Trump. I guess that is why he always refers to himself in the 3rd person. Sorry Donald, we have all seen your mugshot and know it is you. The same person who is the smartest person in the room and suggests to doctors about injecting bleach as a cure for COVID. The same person who referred to veterans who were disabled or killed as losers and suckers. The very same person who thinks a Presidential Medal of Freedom given to a high money donor is equal to the Medal of Honor. Keep talking Donald, the whole country needs a reminder of who you truly are. Stand up in a court of law and say the things you say and maybe they too will find you incompetent to stand trial.
"Donald is is trying his best to distance himself from Trump." Well put, Patrick!
I think most normal people will remember Trump’s outlandish declarations and actions. One that stands out in my mind in addition to what you have outlined is child Trump viewing the eclipse without the proper protective eye glasses and the brilliant one where he is attempting to show a sharpie-altered hurricane map. These and other outrageous comments clearly demonstrate that he thinks and acts on a level equivalent to a 7-yr old. How 35-40% of the American population can’t see or understand his unpreparedness for the presidency of the largest and richest nation in the world is in itself a catastrophe. Steve, thank you for hitting the nail on the head once again in this important debate.
“These and other outrageous comments clearly demonstrate that he thinks and acts on a level equivalent to a 7-yr old.”
Have you considered that perhaps his supporters think and act the way of a petulant five year old? After all, in America, over 50 million adults believe in “Flat Earth Theory”; so there’s that….:)
I know what you are trying to say to me and I appreciate it. It still boggles my mind that there are such huge numbers of voters who don’t recognize the serious lacunae that this guy demonstrates. Lack of education is a likely source for this conundrum, and will only get worse if he’s elected, and Project 2025 will have a worse impact on education,if as planned, they abolish the Department of Education.
Not a mistake that TFG has stated: "I love the poorly educated." He knows his base, even if he has complete disdain for them.
This is the only thing TFG has in common with his base: utter stupidity. I personally can't comprehend how ANYONE could ever get sucked into TFG's maelstrom of idiotcy. I have been aware of this moron since the early 80's and I have always despised him from the very first git go. I smelled grifter from the beginning. Gold toilets my dying a$$!
There are all these fools who feel a kinship with him and think he is "one of them". Fuck me... TFG has never mowed a lawn or pitched pig $hit out a barn door. He has never changed a tire or painted his house. He has never worked out a trigonometry problem or even read a book. Comic books don't count. He has not cooked a meal or washed any dishes. He hasn't done ANYTHING ordinary folks do all day every day. And yet these folks still think he is "one of them". Wake up Americans.
Michael, please look into cult-indoctrination information. I was raised, from ages 3 to 13, in an extremest (violent) religious cult. My parents, both gone now, were extremely good, honest, hard-working people who had significant obstacles and disadvantages to navigate. Still, I cannot believe, either, there is such a huge MAGA following. The cult aspect in ONE thing and the disinformation spread by social media algorithms is another huge factor, as is a lack of proper education in civics, history, and critical thinking skills (the ability to discern fact from fiction!) I taught creative and critical thinking skills as a priority through more than one discipline and age group for many years. Lastly, when I saw Trump descending the escalator I yelled out loud to a friend "This is cult stuff, this is terrible, this guy is going to take millions of people over a cliff with him!" I knew it from my upbringing. I could go on with this. The level of ignorance and willfulness -grievance- is staggering. I lost my family in Montana over extremist talk radio and TFG/MAGA. These are people I loved all my life. I became their 'enemy'' The billionaires and media polarized our country. Most MAGA followers have no idea that their brains were taken over by those who ONLY used them for their own wealth and power. The consequences for so many of us are nearly unspeakable. Sadly, I foresee that the damages will go on for generations. Best, Lisa
Lisa, I can somewhat understand what you're saying about cults and MAGA even though I was raised in a NW Iowa farm family as a Presbyterian; which is about as far from a cult as you can get. We were all Republicans then, but this is a whole different animal now. I think my conservative parents must be spinning in their graves.
However, I've been involved with AA for 44 years now and some people think THAT'S a cult. YMMV. I don't think it is but I have seen and known about certain meetings and groups within that sure do represent that aspect of sobriety.
I like Dr. Steven Hassan's work. He speaks with personal authority on the matter like you do. https://www.youtube.com/@drstevenhassan
I learned about him from Anthony Davis on Meidas Touch and Denver Riggleman on his Coalition of the Sane YouTube channel.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SUcA3zONnvU&t=16s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8efLSsfDFB4
Wishing you all the best and keep bringing your experience and insight to this subject. Thank you.
Totally agree, this is why education is impossible and imperative….:)
Meant important and imperative…:)
Yes, and public education must be prioritized in our country.
Without proper education in history, civics, and critical thinking skills, we're doomed.
Yes! And I'm so embarrassed that all the other countries witnessed what we had put in our highest office! I was so ashamed, I was like "Mom! Please don't make me go outside today! All the other countries laugh and make fun of me!" How To Medical= Sarah Cooper https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l6f3TOwv0NA
He definitely has caused us to become a laughingstock. His persona, ignorance, and ineptitude has caused not just mirth but consternation around the world. His inciting the insurrection cast our country as an unstable "banana republic," which we used to apply as a pejorative to our neighbors to the south that had frequent political upheaval. He mispronounced "Nambia," not a real place in front of the UN. He mispronounced Tanzania. He dissed NATO and invited Putin to invade Europe. He is a disaster.
We need to better understand how social media algorithms are being used for brainwashing.
Yes and in addition, the extent and impact of the States interventions being planned to misrepresent and lie about the # of votes cast for each party in certain states, the gerrymandering that has been instituted in some States and the worse offense of all, Trump’s refusal to acknowledge that he lost the election as he did and continues to do since the outcome of the 2020 one. All these taken together do not instill confidence in a free and fair election.
Yes, and very dark and powerful foreign influences are involved too!
We must stay vigilant, active, and this MAGA-Coup must be stopped.
The new Trumpy Trout animatronic plaque with its certificate of authenticity sounds more serious and sincere than the candidate. Why doesn't the press demand scrupulous policy data from it?
Let me ask this:
I keep hearing the Trump campaign, as a political strategic effort, is the most inept, poorest messaging, worst VP pick, worst and creepiest convention, most chaotic, most toxic, most depressing, cruelest, most negative, worst executed campaign ever.
Meanwhile, the Harris campaign has been 95% flawless in execution. AND YET this is a 2-point race nationally and with even a lower polling error than 2016 or 2020, Trump wins.
SO my question is whether the MAGA message, regardless of campaign strategy, is so powerful and popular that it can only be defeated because it is run by the most inept, chaotic, dumbest bad conventioning people, and is being opposed by flawless campaigning. And what does that say about us, and when you say it's all just going to fade away, how that is possible? How is that possible when they could well win today, given they are the weirdest, creepiest, and least effective campaign?
Short version: when the ultra rich met in Davos, Switzerland, there was reportedly much talk about Trump. They finally decided they could use him for four more years. We are fighting blindfolded, fire ants of truth. We have nom, nom, nomikers crawled right up his ass and into his brain. That gurgling you hear is first sign of death throes.
We need to better understand how social media algorithms are being used for brainwashing.
My thoughts exactly.
So Where is LIz Cheney? As I recall she said we must do everythimg we can to prevent Trump from becommiing The President of the United States of America. The othe day I recieved an email from Ms. Cheney asking for money for an Anti - Trump Pac.. Still I've not seen anything from Cheney regarding the comming election. What is she waiting for?
Common traits of a malignant narcissist include:3,6
Being extremely arrogant and self-centered
Disregarding the feelings and needs of other people
Manipulating, using, or exploiting others for personal gain or pleasure
Having an extreme need for power
Acts of revenge against those who criticize them
Fantasizing about ways to obtain more power or dominance over others
Lacking conscience, regret, or remorse for their actions
Being cruel and taking pleasure in the pain of others
High levels of aggression towards other people
Paranoia or mistrust of others
This describes Trump to a tee. He is absolutely mentally ill. The press needs to wake up and make this very clear to the public but hey won’t.
In the movie Pulp Fiction there is a line, “I like people with character not people who are characters.”
Trump’s lack of character is on display every day. Steve you said it distinctly and show be as much as issue as policy.
I wish Main Street media stops with their double reporting standards. They allow, with little pushback when Trump says violent or just stupid things or even lies.
Trump should have been in prison for his university, charity and hopefully business fraud. Trumps whining go to the malignancy of his mental illness.
Yes, we need to be hearing and sharing much more about TFG's mental illnesses!
Thank you again for an excellent piece. I hope someone in the campaign is listening to your sage advice regarding interviews.
"The issue at hand character. Period." True as that is, it doesn't matter at all to MAGA. And 10s of millions will vote. And along with all - and I mean ALL - of the voter suppression efforts by MAGA means this will be very hard to win in November.
I agree with your observation and share your fear. The Blue vote has to be absolutely overwhelming to offset these multifaceted suppression efforts.
Hi Mike, we may win on the pro-choice issue. Rachel Maddow said, "The dog caught the car."
Once again, Lisa, I share your thoughts today. I often have the fantasy of a massive win for Kamala, ultimately delivered by maga women who privately will decide that no man is going to dictate their reproductive rights. If they didn't want to wear a mask during COVID, I believe many will tell Trump and his ilk to go screw themselves in November, yet they'll SAY they voted for him. I actually wonder how this could NOT happen.
Hi Mary Ann :-) Yes, when it comes to actually voting for or against bodily autonomy how many women, privately, are going to actually vote against it and for 'forced birth', monitored and enforced by the government?! We're potentially in for exactly what you've described. The more we educate about Project 2025 the better! We got this!
Character? Every voter in the country can say this about Trump’s character: “He wouldn’t make a good pimple on my ass!”
How I pine for the ‘no-drama’ Obama-nation rather than the cult of the hyper-histrionic and shared psychotic Trump abomination!
“Summer is ending with a MAGA whine. It is a cry of weakness and moral turpitude.”
Naturally, the last lines of poet T.S. Eliot’s ‘The Hollow Men’ came to mind, replacing ‘the world’ with ‘the MAGA world’:
.”...This is the way the MAGA world ends
This is the way the MAGA world ends
This is the way the MAGA world ends
Not with a bang but a whimper.”
Perfect! Here is a link to T.S. Eliot reading 'The Hollow Men': https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEg0vnhr3-k&t=2s
Just going to carry on and do my best. I for one do not intend to sleep one night under MAGA rulers.
“Never waste a moment thinking about people you do not like.”
— President Dwight D. Eisenhower
These time require vigilance and action. Great quote -thanks.