Trump still has the MAGA touch: Republican women remain captivated

[marmar]

Trump still has the MAGA touch: Republican women remain captivated
Trump's support among his followers and other Republican voters endures despite, if not because of, his criminality

By CHAUNCEY DEVEGA
Senior Writer
PUBLISHED MAY 26, 2023 5:46AM (EDT)


(Salon) The American people are lost in the Trumpocene – and soon DeSantis World – largely against their own will. But their own bad habits, obsolete thinking, denial and hard-headedness got them there.

These failures include a belief in the myth of American exceptionalism and that America's democracy and society are somehow immune from fascism, authoritarianism and other forms of illiberalism. Americans have also made the error of convincing themselves, contrary to the evidence, that "the institutions" and "the system" are strong, the country's leaders will save us, and that the Age of Trump is just a deviation from the norm – as opposed to a crisis that will last long past that moment when Donald Trump, the man, recedes from public life.

In a particularly gross error, too many Americans still believe, contrary to the empirical evidence, that the many tens of millions of their fellow countrymen and countrywomen who are committed to Trumpism, and support the Republican fascist party and "conservative" movement more generally, are fundamentally good and decent people who will abandon such values if "we just listen to them", and "find common ground" and "educate them" about "the facts." Such an outcome will not happen. Such attempts are wasted energy.

....(snip)....

Here is the "riddle": Trump's MAGA women still remain in thrall to him.

In a new essay at the Bulwark+, Sarah Longwell explains:

Yet most of the women voters who backed Trump in 2016 and 2020 aren't walking away. In many cases, his behavior—and Democrats' and the courts' attempts to hold him accountable—only strengthens their support for him. Even those who condemn his misogyny often say it's not a dealbreaker. At this point, eight years into the Trump era, the sexism is internalized by his supporters. And even shared by some of them.

Over the course of hundreds of focus groups, I've seen female GOP voters rationalize, compartmentalize, and defend Trump's treatment of women. They say they "[don't] like his lifestyle and the things he did personally," but "believed that he could do the things he was saying because of his professional background."

When it comes to Trump's conduct, these voters tend to give a lot of leeway. "Does he respect women? No. But can he run the country? Better than Biden," said Judith, a Michigan retiree who voted for Trump in 2016 and Biden in 2020. "If that's all we have to choose from [in 2024]—Biden or Trump—I'm not going to choose Biden."

After Trump's indictment, Autumn—a Republican stay-at-home mom from Pennsylvania—dismissed the former president's actions, saying of Stormy Daniels: "She was a fan. She was a groupie. She followed him everywhere. So she was asking for anything that she got."

Was Trump at fault? What about Alvin Bragg's indictment on 34 felony counts? "That just talks about him personally as a man, not as what he's going to do for our country."

"I'm sure he's not an innocent person by any means," Sandy, a mother of three from North Dakota, said about the indictment. "He's done things. But I feel like it was just like a witch hunt."

On the Carroll verdict, the opinions were similar. In a recent focus group prior to Trump's conviction, just one out of seven had even heard of the case. (Her reaction: "It's kind of stupid." ) Those who do closely follow Trump's lawsuits usually take them as a sign of his strength.

"They're making a huge deal of it because they're afraid of him," said Kim, a mother of five from Massachusetts. "They're trying to get him the hell out because they can't control him." These women echo Sen. Tommy Tuberville's line about the verdict: "It makes me want to vote for him twice."

Longwell's findings echo other data which has consistently shown that Trump's support among his followers and other Republican voters endures despite, if not because of, his criminality, racism, white supremacy, law-breaking, treason, corruption, violence, and other examples of antisocial and antihuman behavior. ...........(more)

https://www.salon.com/2023/05/26/still-has-the-maga-touch-women-remain-captivated/

[Walleye]

1. First question for every woman should be, "do you want Trump to grab your pussy?"

Also if they are pro life, ask them when their last period was. These fucking MAGAs get much more courtesy than they give anybody else

[MutantAndProud]

2. MAGA Martha's aplenty out there

You’d think fewer would go along with it but for comparison’s sake think of how long it took for the original women’s lib movement to take off. Some interpret the Handmaid’s Tale as a guide not a warning.

[Walleye]

7. I just didn't think after all those hard won battles we could slide backwards so quickly

[MutantAndProud]

9. Gerrymandering

Simple as that. They aren’t more popular they just ignore what’s popular and use cutthroat strategy to circumvent it and draw/bribe attention of the opposition away from it

[Walleye]

10. I think that's the difference, they used to at least try to convince people they are right.

Now the attitude toward women is “you’ll eat it and you’ll like it or else”

[MutantAndProud]

11. Women and anyone not Trump-MAGA

[Walleye]

14. Yes you are correct, anybody they don't like which is a lot of people

[MutantAndProud]

15. Reminds me of Gilbert and Sullivan's The Mikado

“I’ve got a little list…”

[Diamond_Dog]

5. They would probably fight over who gets to have their pussy grabbed by Trump.

They are that mentally “gone”.

[Walleye]

6. Probably, but still it would be revealing

[underpants]

3. Sounds like they are just mimicking his talking points.

As far as I know the Stormy thing was a one time thing. She (and others I’m sure) was hired to be at the celebrity golf tournament to make sure there was eye candy for the attendees. She didn’t follow him around.

[dalton99a]

4. Kick

[kimbutgar]

12. She's not his type I doubt he'd grab hers

And a little bit old for him also!

[tanyev]

16. Newsflash, sweetie, you're not his type.

Plus, I’m sure grabbing without consent excites him a lot more than something freely offered.

Now I need some brain bleach. *shudder*

[Paladin]

8. Republican women remain brain-dead.

Least surprising news of the day.

[Scrivener7]

13. Good God. What disgusting hypocrites.

[GenThePerservering]

17. There are always going to be women like this

I grew up in a series of little redneck towns - it hasn't changed, Trump is just their latest fetish.