The Republican Party must be pretty weak, if an obvious grifter like Trump can capture and hold it.

[Simeon Salus]

Think about how hard it would be for an incompetent "outsider" like Trump or Bush to get to the head of the Democratic Party ticket.

What kind of a human being can look at this malicious, lustful bankrupt and think: "give HIM the nuclear codes"?

For Republicans, outsider=no track record to run against. They're proud of that. They've stopped trying to find capacity.

Democrats seem to quickly realize: Outsider=unqualified. We like competence and experience.

If we can smash the midterms this time, Trump will have nothing to prevent all the investigations currently ongoing.

I'd like to win this one. Go vote.

[tanyev]

1. Yes. He should have been laughed off the stage in the 2016 GOP primary.

But they decided they liked the cut of his jib.

[Emile]

2. What amazes me is the lengths they go to defend a con man. After

four years of the traitorous con man, the last thing I want to hear is some right-wing fruitcake putting down President Biden!

[Simeon Salus]

3. I was about to reply to #1 with this

It's the denial. Like holding fingers in your ears and saying "la-la-la". They think acting like that is acceptable adult social behavior and useful response.

IMHO, this is all about enormously rich people in the very last stages of Oligarchy.

We will win. Not without pain, unfortunately.

[Midnight Writer]

4. yep. If someone rips me off, I get mad.

Rip off a Republican, and they say "Thank You, Sir! May I have another?"

[usonian]

5. People who care only for their narrow self-interest are easily duped by con-men.

Not to mention the LBJ quote.

https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/9150190-if-you-can-convince-the-lowest-white-man-he-s-better

“If you can convince the lowest white man he's better than the best colored man, he won't notice you're picking his pocket. Hell, give him somebody to look down on, and he'll empty his pockets for you.”

― Lyndon B. Johnson

Greed, racism ---- oh by the way, let me recount the virtues of the GOP credo:

"I believe in"
• Racism
• Homophobia
• Anti-Semitism
• The violent overthrow of elected government
• Misogyny, and
• A LIE AS BIG AS THE SUN

[Simeon Salus]

15. I grew up in a land of deniers. This is precisely how the world worked.

My father and I ended up working for the same great man.

And thanks to him, I grew up with a skeptical mind. Glad I found this place.

Smiling at the toon.

[usonian]

18. They behave just like a cult.

I used to post some of the attributes. Most came from "When Society is an Addict" and "The Addictive Organization" by Anne Wilson Schaef. Addiction and co-dependence share many behaviors with cults. They suck you in and keep you trapped. (I am not a psychologist. I just needed to understand things around me.) Keyword: PROJECTION. It's everywhere, so we don't even see it any more.


Mainly, words have no attachment to reality. They are used only for effect.
So, issues can flip, as long as they isolate and distance the "others"

Of course, the targeted groups I gave are "easy" for them. Disturbingly, even if members of those groups are part of the cult. "Well, you're black, but at least you aren't Jewish" kinds of crap --- that's played out right now. (and you know who I mean) And then it gets turned around. All very sick stuff.

My Mom used to say: "You're so skeptical, but dammit, you're usually right." (That's because so much of what is said (ahem, MSM) is SSB in my terminology. Not Single Sideband, but Self-Serving Bullshit. ) We all do it. It's wisdom to see it.

Finding trustworthy friends and colleagues is the key to real success and happiness in life. It's real simple. They believe in the golden rule. Simple, but not easy.

[Simeon Salus]

21. They have long been a corporate-driven cult, encouraging the worship of wrath and greed.

This is why Trump reeks so badly. He appears simultaneously an icon for each of the seven deadly sins.

He is the definition of anti-christ. And he's convinced the latter day faithful he's the second coming.

[raccoon]

6. Maybe because they're weak-minded. Nt

[bullimiami]

13. exactly. the weak minded have found a home there.

a home where their ignorance is useful and their basest instincts are welcomed.

[sop]

7. It's apparent MAGA voters are intentionally selecting the worst candidates possible, mostly

to throw a wrench into our democratic system. Things aren't going their way, so they want to burn it all down. What they can't control, they want to destroy.

[Model35mech]

8. Or, perhaps, the Republican party provides a platform, anti-gov't radicals like

And what we see isn't weakness of the Republicans, but an invitation to come forward with radical views aimed at destroying the Federal Gov't.


I have an awful feeling that when R's talk about "originalism" they aren't talking about the what the folks who wrote the Constitution were thinking. I fear their originalism refers to that time period in American history when there was NO constitution, when the Federal government was too weak to meaningfully fulfill the functions of a sovereign government.

They really seem to want to return to the days of The Whiskey Rebellion, when the government's capacity to tax was put in doubt.

[Johonny]

9. Citizen united destroyed the GOP party apparatus completely

the party has no structure and is unable to control money flow, candidates, or policy. It's much more a name tag or brand than a thing.

[Goodheart]

10. The typical republican voter KNOWS he's a grifter and doesn't care.

In fact, the typical republican voter applauds it, because he feels that trump is grifting THE OTHER GUY and that somehow secures his own station above that victim. It's mostly about racism, and not being perceived as being on the bottom rung of the ladder.

[Initech]

11. They've been fed nothing but lies and bullshit 24/7 for 50 years.

All it takes is for someone to repeat it and believe it and they can ascend to the upper ranks.

[Caliman73]

12. It isn't weakness. It is stupidity and corruption.

By Stupidity I mean it in the sense of Bonhoeffer's Theory of Stupidity. Conservatives believe in hierarchy and power. Politicians and "outsiders" are merely vehicles to push forward the ideology. You hear it all the time when a politician fails, they will never admit that their ideology is wrong, even though it is the same ideology behind Monarchy. They will say, "he wasn't really a Conservative" or "He wasn't conservative enough".

I have also argued that only in the Conservative movement/Republican Party could someone like Trump gain power. They are open to it, even with his vulgarity and lack of academic intelligence, he fit in with their core ideology. He doesn't believe in any of the Republican platitudes about "small government" and "fiscal responsibility" but then again, neither do they. They want power, and they want themselves to be in power, then they will do whatever they need to do to remain in power. They will shed democracy, civil rights, and even Capitalism if it interferes with their power.

Democrats have principles. We are typically tied to the ideas of the scientific method and base our policies on general goals mixed with evidence. Trial and error can be messy, but it is the best method we have of figuring out if things actually work. We are typically not afraid to tweak things if they aren't working, or are causing negative effects that outweigh the initial benefit. That is partially the reason we are not as good at messaging. Life is complex and answers are not usually simple.

What we tend to realize in Democratic circles that Republicans/Conservatives do not or do, but don't care, is that a good leader typically has to be a good servant. They do not have to be "perfect" or "without sin", but they cannot be morally bankrupt. Certainly, we will take money from Bloomberg, but he will never be a leader within the Democratic Party. He is a "frenemy". He can help us, but he is too much like Trump to actually have any chance of being elected.

We do need to get out and vote. Our ideas are better. More people like the policies that we put out. We just have to find a way to cut through all the lies and cheating that Republicans do to retain power.

[ProfessorGAC]

17. Good Post! (nt)

[liberalmediaaddict]

14. The Republican Party has been dumbing itself down since Dan Quayle

The fact Trump became their leader isn't surprising considering who came before him.
Republicans liked George W Bush because he was someone they could "sit and have a beer with."
They thought Sarah Palin was a genius.

They couldn't stand Obama and Hillary because they were elites who "talked down to them." Meaning, used a lot of big words and long sentences.

The only question now is can the Republican party find anyone even dumber than Trump to nominate?
I'm thinking Hershel Walker is their next logical choice for President.

[FakeNoose]

16. You forgot the dumbest of all - Ronald Reagan

[usonian]

19. I could never support Walker.

I'm not an athletic supporter.

[leftyladyfrommo]

20. Maybe because they are all grifters. Trump just gives

them free reign.