That focus group on Morning Joe is the scariest shit I have seen in politics.

[kelliekat44]

"He's one of us." "He worked hard for his money." "I want to be a billionaire too."
WTF?!!!

These are the people who will be voting for the leader of the free world? That focus group video ought to be the clarion call ad for Dems of all stripes to get out and vote!

Just for clarity, he is not "one of us," he is a billionaire.
He didn't work hard for his money, he inherited it.

Most of those in the focus group will never inherit his wealth and consequently will not be able grow wealth to be a billionaire.

What they don't realize is how much Trump has contributed to the economic demise of America. Time for the opposition to begin to educate them.

[DetlefK]

1. Who are they talking about? It cannot possibly be Trump: He inherited his fortune from daddy.

[valerief]

2. Facts, schmacts. Their opinions come from the gut, not the brain.

That's why their opinions are so full of shit.

[AngryAmish]

3. Everyone's opinions come from the gut

Democracy is dangerous. Ever read The Pelopenesian War?

[WinkyDink]

4. "Everyone's opinions come from the gut." Emotions might, but opinions are SUPPOSED to be fact-

based, even if people disagree on the interpretation, importance, or use of said facts.

[hatrack]

5. That's not how it works in America any more . . .

Does it make you feel good, deep down inside?

Does it fill you with a vaguely justifiable sense of righteous anger?

Does it validate tribal identity, or reassure you that you are going to live forever?

Does it tell you how wonderfully special you are?

If so, it's suitable for deployment as an "opinion". If none of the above are true, it's just another "fact" - y'know, the kind used by "elitists" - and you are free to disregard or discard it at will.

[AngryAmish]

6. Unfortunately, our brains don't work like that.

Inconvenient facts ignored, we bend truths to fit our preconceived ideas.

The best way to think about our minds is to realize we do not seek facts, we seek to win arguments. As social creatures winning arguments enhance our social standing. And our brains really like social status. And social status does not mean all of society, just the circles of friends, coworkers etc that we are close to. Unpopular opinions reduce social status, conformity generally does.

It explains corporate groupthink, religious groups and even extreme such as street gangs and the red guards.

[whathehell]

12. They may start in the gut, but they're supposed to be filtered through a brain..

Not sure if any in that group have one.

[pocoloco]

15. LOL opinions are like assholes

everyone has them
and they all stink!!

Now you won't be fooled anymore!

[CTyankee]

16. I used that war to illustrate how democracy can lose and a rigid, highly regulated and

undemocratic society could win.

Have you ever read "Sailing the Wine Dark Sea: Why the Greeks Matter" by Thomas Cahill? It's one of my favorite history books, written so vividly it hold you from beginning to end.

http://www.amazon.com/Sailing-Wine-Dark-Sea-Greeks-History/dp/0385495544

None of his other books in this series was as good and I read them all.

[hifiguy]

35. Reading that now. Excellent book!

[CTyankee]

38. I read it during the early days of the Iraq War and was thoroughly depressed...

Kerry had just lost to Bush and my hopes were dashed to the ground and lying there in rubble. thank god for Stephanie miller and the mooks...

[Roland99]

43. And accumulated more wealth in the process of bankrupting FOUR businesses!

[CTyankee]

7. I used to think that republicans like these are just wannabes. That they think if they vote

for a rich republican then they themselves will BE rich republicans.

Now I am not so sure. I've seen that clip now 3 times on MJ and even tho one guy says he wants to be a billionaire, I don't think he believes that a vote for Trump will make him a billionaire. My guess is that these folks feel stuck and in their hearts they know the deck is stacked against them but their souls are rock bottom racist and there is a hatred of the poor and that is all that matters.

These focus group folks are so concerned with the "border" and yet they live in New Hampshire. It's all symbolic to them. They hate the new immigrant yet I am sure some of them are maybe only 2nd generation or maybe even first generation born on American soil.

There was also to me a degree of self hatred in these focus group members. Here they are Republicans but they didn't "make it" and they know deep down their kids won't make it either. But they can't live with that self hatred so it has to get projected onto the "other."

[haikugal]

29. Very thoughtful post. nt

[CTyankee]

32. thanks. it's really all I can figure out about these people...

the other thing that occurred to me is that perhaps when these focus groups have media figures like Heileman come do their session, they've learned to be a bit sensational so they get attention. Maybe this is largely a sham, just playing to the audience. Maybe. What do you think?

[haikugal]

41. I think we've all been reduced to consumers who are 'sold'...it's all propaganda all the time.

We aren't considered citizens in a participatory government. We don't teach our children how to be citizens. It's Wall Street all day every day milking their cash cow, us! The program's appear to be for our benefit, to educate, to inform but it's all just a way to sell us something.

Religion is the same thing...a sales job.

I want it to stop.

I don't watch anymore but I read and listen to what people say, I do the same here.

[bulloney]

42. They didn't "make it" and they'll blame it on liberal policies

such as high taxes and regulations. If you call them out and make them prove their arguments, they can't, but they'll stick to their high-taxes/excess-regulation argument and continue to listen to RW radio/Faux Snooze to reinforce their beliefs.

[jwirr]

47. In the 60s many farmers in Iowa thought they were THE rich. Not even realizing that they were

land rich but not economically rich. Most were struggling to keep their operations going. So when it was suggested that taxes should be raised on the rich they all thought they were the ones we were talking about.

I think one of the problems is the perception of rich.

[C_U_L8R]

8. "I want to be a billionaire too"

That's the GOP's crack cocaine right there.
They been selling that golden promise to poor dumbfcks for decades.
Little do they realize that they're getting fleeced.

[CTyankee]

9. I hope the seniors in that group understand that Mr. Trump would make short shrift

of their Medicare and Social Security. Pffft, gone...

[whathehell]

10. OMG...Yes!

not to mention embarrassing. My husband and I CRINGED this morning watching them.

One of those who organized the group had the balls to say that these people

reflected "working class, middle class and upper middle class" Americans -- Is he effinc kidding us,

or what? I'd bet there wasn't a single college degree in the group, and in case anyone thinks

I'm a snob, I'm absolutely NOT. Both my husband and I are from blue collar families who were pro-union, yellow dog

democrats. As children of the Depression, they appreciated money, but never mistook it for 'class' or the highest

aspiration in life and wouldn't vote for a Repuke minus a gun to their heads.

[BeyondGeography]

11. That's how the Republicans get to 47 percent without even trying

And why we're nuts to take any election for granted. There are armies of these people.

[MH1]

20. ^^^^ THIS.

And these unthinking drones have been convinced it is their patriotic duty to vote. So they do.

Liberals, on the other hand, capable of more nuanced thought, are more troubled by their options and don't feel so compelled to just show up. Even though their failure to take a side at general election time is essentially a vote for the worst of the evils.

[fredamae]

13. Well, since politicians

and MSM are all about Scripts/Bullet Points/BS...perhaps This focus group was like a "jury"...the ones that can read the best and look/sound authentic...got a $50.00 bill?
Surely Trump can't be the Only one with "hired help"?

[madokie]

14. I rec this but I don't watch cable tv

this is an example of why that is so.

[CTyankee]

18. well, that's the thing. You have to know your enemy and MJ often shows them to us.

If we don't listen and understand our enemy, it's a problem for us. We've got to know what we're up against to help us prepare for the fight ahead...

[madokie]

19. I appreciate that you that do, do

and come back to let us know. That way I don't have to keep buying tvs to replace the one I throw a shoe or a coffee cup though

[CTyankee]

21. I got over that long ago. What I love now is how flummoxed Joe Scar is over this

republican field of candidates. They keep getting weirder. It's hard for him to keep up. I like watching him squirm.

[madokie]

24. I'm cool with that

As I've aged my tolerance for bullshit has diminished tremendously.
Years ago I had several of my emails to Jack Cafferty aired on his show on CNN. Then dr Kupta did a hit piece on MM's Sicko and I turned them off. Shortly afterwards I turned off M$NBC too.

[CTyankee]

30. I still like Howard Dean and Jonathan Capehart. They are regulars.

And sometimes I tune into Kornacki's show on the weekend, if I like the lineup of topics and guests, but that is hit or miss. Honestly, I don't watch entire shows of anything any more, not even local news (esp. not local news) and never watch GMA and its ilk. I prefer to read the papers and go online for differently sourced information...like Paul Krugman's blog in the NYT (which I pay extra for).

[madokie]

55. I found this place chasing after Dean

I still like Howard. It would be a whole different world if he hadn't been Roved when he was. In fact we're here with Obama because of Dr. Dean and his 50 state strategy. I'll always consider myself as a Deaniac

[Laser102]

17. I stopped watching a year ago. Bad way to start the day.

One of his guests called Obama a dick. That was the last time.

[Thespian2]

22. Search diligently in such a focus group...

see if a working brain cell can be found...People like Trump will always be part of the problem...never part of a solution...

[Kablooie]

23. Makes me think Plato was right. Democracies are a terrible way to run a country.

[Fred Sanders]

28. Just the twisted America version of democracy, others have got it much closer to right.

[Grammy23]

25. I was only half paying attention to this focus group but

When I heard one of the women claim he is "one of us", I almost gagged! One of us? Puh-leeze! If that is the case we are in way more trouble than I thought. The more these people answered questions and gave their opinions, the more outraged I became.

When one person commented that a Trump presidency would be "classy" I looked up at the TV and said that the toilet paper in my bathroom is more classy than he is. These poor, deluded people have confused the glitz and gaudiness of Trump's properties with classiness. The fact that he is rich (which he constantly reminds us about) is all the evidence they need to conclude he is smart, savvy and, indeed, a classy person. Sadly...these folks wouldn't know class if it walked up and slapped 'em! Do they not realize that one hallmark of a LACK of class is to constantly talk about how rich and smart you are?

[CTyankee]

27. but this is just a tiny slice of the voting public.

There will always be "true believers" but we, when we pull together, easily outnumber their little band. I agree with Lawrence O'Donnell and can't see repukes winning the office of President...not the way things are looking...

[Grammy23]

34. I agree that this group was only a tiny sliver of the population...

For all we know that group could have been selected from The True Believers Trump for President Fan Club! It's just that when the lack of critical thinking skills is presented in such a straightforward way...it just alarms me. Even if it IS a small segment of our population. I know that there are....thankfully....more people who can think and reason than there are of folks who think and believe like that sad little focus group. And I do believe when it comes time to elect a president that Donald Trump has NO real chance at winning. But what is going on now is disheartening.....

[CTyankee]

36. I don't see Trump winning in the General but he's doing well in the republican

polls, so who knows?

[ann---]

54. I'm surprised that they were from

New Hampshire. I thought only the bible belt
evangelicals and southern racists were the crazies
who support Drumpf.

[Kablooie]

46. But the tiny slice can decide primaries.

[Fred Sanders]

26. Most of the media is also fascist, and so is pumping oxygen to any front running fascist, just

like they did for all the temporary front-running fascists in 2012.

Nothing more....and if the media can sell Americans on Ebola ushering in the End Times, there is little limit to what else they can sell Americans.

Gullible and Amnesiactic America is the liberal's worst enemy.

[NCjack]

31. Those fools are so malleable. They voted for GWB because he was one

of us, a "regular" guy, who would sit with you and have a beer. Now, Trump is "one of us. He worked hard for his money." The truth is Trump is not a "regular" guy. There is no chance that the unwashed masses will ever sit with Trump for a beer. He would be totally repulsed by the company of them (including me). The only "regular" people who get with 100 feet of Trump are servants. As for work, to my knowledge, he never work any job as a regular guy. Why should he? He has SERVANTS.

[CTyankee]

33. I don't think they care. They admire rich people. They think they must be smart.

[Grammy23]

37. And if they doubt that The Donald is smart

He will repeatedly tell them that he most definitely is SMART, RICH AND Knows waaayyyy more than they do. And the fact that he is rich is all the proof they need...you can take that to the bank.

[CTyankee]

39. well, as I said, just wait til they hear him talk about Medicare and SS...

he's gonna balance the budget on their backs and maybe some of them will wake up and smell the coffee...

[SheilaT]

40. This is indistinguishable

from the saying in 2000 that W would be great to have a beer with. The exact same ignorant perception that this person they see so often on the used-to-be-little-but-now-is-huge screen that most people spend far too much time watching, is a lot like them.

You have someone in your living room day after day, -- maybe even in every room in your house -- and after a while you think you know that person and that you're friends. Wrong, of course, but watching that screen is so ingrained in most people that they simply cannot distinguish what they see there from reality. Keep in mind, that people who watched the show "24" honestly believe that torture is a good way to get accurate information in a timely manner.

And so on.

[rurallib]

44. John Steinbeck nailed it so many years ago

“Socialism never took root in America because the poor see themselves not as an exploited proletariat but as temporarily embarrassed millionaires.”

[raouldukelives]

45. Corporate news loves money. Corporate investors love money.

A match made in heaven, or somewhere. Thanks to them we have the best "infotainment" they can subsidize for us all to consume.

[JCMach1]

48. holy crap, they actually said, 'Trump is one of us'

[winter is coming]

49. Serious question: are we sure it was really a focus group and not

just some actors, hungry for a gig? 'Cause there's really nothing I'd put past MJ.

[ann---]

51. Who is MJ?

never mind

[Gothmog]

50. Some of the members of this focus group are scary

[onecaliberal]

52. First he was born into money.

If that's what you call class, my suggestion is for you to seek help immediately. The stupid is breathtakingly strong.

This was a perfect demonstration of the danger of corporate media.

[ann---]

53. How many of "us"

are billionaires by birth, been married three times, had our own
reality show and have our own plane? McCain was absolutely
right. These people are CRAZY - there is NO way a greedy,
selfish man like Drumpf will care (or even understand) what the
ordinary American needs or wants.

These crazies think because he has (allegedly) created jobs, he's
somehow "one of us?" He is an arrogant blowhard and the
morons who support him are even worse.

[Thinkingabout]

56. If the problem is the fact he "inherited" his money (he has made lots if the money himself) then it

is not a problem if one makes the money themselves. For example, Bill and Linda Gates, Steve Jobs, Warren Buffett, Magic Johnson and Bill and Hillary Clinton. These are examples of people who have amassed a sizeable net worth on their own. Warren Buffett started his wealth with a newspaper route and went on to invest in pin ball machines and then into the stock market. He worked hard and played by the rules and today is very successful. I do not understand the complaining about Trump and others who has amassed a large net worth. Is it jealously?

[bulloney]

57. It's the old Ann Richards line, "He was born on third base and he acts like he hit a triple."

It's pretty easy making a shitload of money when you start out with a shitload, especially with the tools the wealthy have access to today with tax shelters, tax codes, lax market regulations, unlimited campaign spending, etc.

In cases of people like Trump, Koch Bros, Waltons, and others - If you're wealthy, fine. But don't act like it's all because of you. Your inheritance gave you a leg-up on 99.9% of the population. Inheritance is not a life skill.

[Thinkingabout]

58. What about Bill and Linda Gates, Warren Buffett, Magic Johnson, Steve Jobs, and Bill and Hillary

Clinton, they did not start our with a shitload. Ann Richards did well also, she worked hard in getting people elected. The Marvin Forbes kids received $10,000 from their father, he said never give you kids enough money to prevent them from making money on their own.

[bulloney]

59. As I said about the Waltons, Kochs and Trumps of the world - Don't act like it's all because of you.

I don't begrudge anyone of being wealthy. But, if you inherited millions and use it to increase your wealth at the demise of others, as the families mentioned above, then I have a problem with you.

If you started with little or nothing and became wealthy due to hard work and good decisions, I salute you.

[Thinkingabout]

61. Sam Walton made Walmart, his children inherited but he worked really hard to get it going.

[Erose999]

60. Scarier than dead interns? Because it IS Joe "dead intern" Sacrbrough, after all.