Trump-1989- Three casino execs set to testify against him, killed in plane crash

[The Magistrate]

36. Nobody Has To Be Convinced, Sir, Conviction Is Not The Point

Some people will find their distaste and hatred for the cheap thug deepened by the idea he actually could be a murderous mobster. They will not necessarily believe it, but will enjoy thinking it, even saying it. Such reinforcement of existing conviction may contribute to the critical mass behind a decision to act, to volunteer for a campaign, to register, to vote.

Some supporters of the cheap thug will be enraged by the charge, and devote social media effort to 'debunking it', effort that won't be spent spreading their own smears, and there is research showing that 'debunking' often cements a preexisting belief rather than dispelling it. The very character of the people reacting with outrage to the claim will tend more than usually to reinforce its maybe being true, because many denouncing it will like the idea of Trump having killed these people, and in their heart of hearts will want the charge to be true. Surely the bigger than life Trump they worship, who looms with Rambo's muscles and Schwarzenegger's gatling mini-gun in dozens of internet graphics, would have some rats killed before they could do him any dirt.

Marketing depends on repetition, in the crudest analysis. What people hear, often, that sticks in their minds, and even if they disagree with something, even if they don't like it, it still may be something comes to their mind when a purchasing decision is made. People who don't pay a lot of attention may well recall having read somewhere Trump had some witnesses against him killed, if it is repeated often enough, and it will not go much against the predispositions of many regarding the cheap thug. It certainly could be some small portion of their final decision he is an unsavory and unfit person.

If people ever were swayed in their political behavior by reasoned argument, they are not so swayed now. The business of politics today is one of emotional manipulation, of burrowing in to the deeper layers of the mind like a tick beneath the skin.