How conservatives groomed the perfect suckers for Trump

[Underseer]

https://newrepublic.com/article/134667/conservatives-groomed-perfect-suckers-trumps-epic-scam

Lots of people (including me) have pointed out that Republican rhetoric made the rise of Trump inevitable. For example they conditioned people to be simultaneously racist while denying their own racism, making them vulnerable to Trump who is more open about his racism.

The author of this piece takes a different angle. The nature of Republican rhetoric makes conservative voters more vulnerable to huxters in general ("Buy our generator or ISIS will get you!"), and several small-time Republican politicians have made an industry out of using presidential campaigns largely as a means of keeping their names in the papers for off-season scams (e.g. Newt Gingrich, Herman Cain). Trump is merely better off at scamming Republican voters than the likes of Gingrich.

Worse, a lot of the anti-science and anti-intellectual rhetoric of Republican propaganda removes from Republican voters the very intellectual tools they need to be able to spot charlatans, whether it's the guy selling anti-ISIS power generators, Gingrich, or Trump.

The Republican elites have spent decades cultivating the perfect idiot in order to get them to vote against their own interests out of fear, and in doing so they kind of made something like Trump inevitable. I suspect that the number of scam artists sending "fund raising" emails to Republican voters or running various other scams will rise dramatically now that it's perfectly plain that Republican voters will pretty much fall for anything.

Oh, and for the liberals reading this, let this be a warning. The anti-science and anti-intellectualism on the left may not be as bad as it is on the right, but it's very much there: anti-GMO, alternative medicine, organic food health claims, "Big pharma" conspiracy theories, etc. If we don't work to clamp down on this anti-science idiocy soon, we could end up making Democratic voters as vulnerable as Republican voters are now. You have been warned.

 

[Treedbear]

...
Oh, and for the liberals reading this, let this be a warning. ... If we don't work to clamp down on this anti-science idiocy soon, we could end up making Democratic voters as vulnerable as Republican voters are now. You have been warned.

What are you suggesting we do with regard to "clamp down"? Eugenics is so out of fashion these days.

 

[Shadowy Man]

Oh, and for the liberals reading this, let this be a warning. The anti-science and anti-intellectualism on the left may not be as bad as it is on the right, but it's very much there: anti-GMO, alternative medicine, organic food health claims, "Big pharma" conspiracy theories, etc. If we don't work to clamp down on this anti-science idiocy soon, we could end up making Democratic voters as vulnerable as Republican voters are now. You have been warned.

I think the difference is that the anti-intellectual leftists don't have a major TV news network spewing their lies/misinformation 24/7.

 

[Nice Squirrel]

We have the interwebs. DO YOUR RESEARCH!!!! POLIO IS HEALTHY IF YOU GET IT AS A BABY!!!!!

 

[Jaecp]

Oh, and for the liberals reading this, let this be a warning. The anti-science and anti-intellectualism on the left may not be as bad as it is on the right, but it's very much there: anti-GMO, alternative medicine, organic food health claims, "Big pharma" conspiracy theories, etc. If we don't work to clamp down on this anti-science idiocy soon, we could end up making Democratic voters as vulnerable as Republican voters are now. You have been warned.

Luckily, we don't elect our anti-science nutjobs and what passes for anti-science on the left is largely spread out, no one anti-science belief necessitates or implies another, but with the republicans its pretty much all or nothing. The die hard GMO labeling activist is still going to be giggling at how much of an idiot anti-vaxxers are, you know?

 

[ksen]

The nature of Republican rhetoric makes conservative voters more vulnerable to huxters in general ("Buy our generator or ISIS will get you!")

Speaking of that I just heard a conservative radio talker hawking Patriot Mobile as a way to get away from those other evil cell phone companies that support teh ghey agendas. Of course Patriot Mobile leases tower space from Sprint so . . . yeah.

 

[prideandfall]

The author of this piece takes a different angle. The nature of Republican rhetoric makes conservative voters more vulnerable to huxters in general ("Buy our generator or ISIS will get you!"), and several small-time Republican politicians have made an industry out of using presidential campaigns largely as a means of keeping their names in the papers for off-season scams (e.g. Newt Gingrich, Herman Cain). Trump is merely better off at scamming Republican voters than the likes of Gingrich.

i have to strenuously disagree with this assertion, while also positing that it's an extremely politically and culturally dangerous position to adopt.

republican politicians didn't 'make' republican voters out of the ether, and their BS doesn't secretly target conservatives and only effect their brain waves... republican politicians are the evolutionary result of republican voters, who are simply literally physically retarded.
voters make the politicians, not the other way around.

Worse, a lot of the anti-science and anti-intellectual rhetoric of Republican propaganda removes from Republican voters the very intellectual tools they need to be able to spot charlatans, whether it's the guy selling anti-ISIS power generators, Gingrich, or Trump.

disagree, i think religious nutbag lunatic neocon douchebaggery of the voters is what forces republican politicians to be anti-intellectual and anti-science.

The Republican elites have spent decades cultivating the perfect idiot in order to get them to vote against their own interests out of fear, and in doing so they kind of made something like Trump inevitable.

the republican elites are simply the whey that rose to the top of the cesspool of conservative voting, i don't think they did jack shit to the electorate aside from molding themselves into being exactly what the people want them to be.

 

[Sea of red]

https://newrepublic.com/article/134667/conservatives-groomed-perfect-suckers-trumps-epic-scam

Lots of people (including me) have pointed out that Republican rhetoric made the rise of Trump inevitable. For example they conditioned people to be simultaneously racist while denying their own racism, making them vulnerable to Trump who is more open about his racism.

The author of this piece takes a different angle. The nature of Republican rhetoric makes conservative voters more vulnerable to huxters in general ("Buy our generator or ISIS will get you!"), and several small-time Republican politicians have made an industry out of using presidential campaigns largely as a means of keeping their names in the papers for off-season scams (e.g. Newt Gingrich, Herman Cain). Trump is merely better off at scamming Republican voters than the likes of Gingrich.

Worse, a lot of the anti-science and anti-intellectual rhetoric of Republican propaganda removes from Republican voters the very intellectual tools they need to be able to spot charlatans, whether it's the guy selling anti-ISIS power generators, Gingrich, or Trump.

The Republican elites have spent decades cultivating the perfect idiot in order to get them to vote against their own interests out of fear, and in doing so they kind of made something like Trump inevitable. I suspect that the number of scam artists sending "fund raising" emails to Republican voters or running various other scams will rise dramatically now that it's perfectly plain that Republican voters will pretty much fall for anything.

Oh, and for the liberals reading this, let this be a warning. The anti-science and anti-intellectualism on the left may not be as bad as it is on the right, but it's very much there: anti-GMO, alternative medicine, organic food health claims, "Big pharma" conspiracy theories, etc. If we don't work to clamp down on this anti-science idiocy soon, we could end up making Democratic voters as vulnerable as Republican voters are now. You have been warned.

All good points, but I don't think the rise of Trump can't be summarized within just these observations.

Racism might be a real thing within the Republican party but it's the least of their issues. For one thing, ever since the Bush regimes young people, minorities of all varieties, women, irreligious, and the like have been unable to identify with the GOP. Many of these conservatives try to frame this as a 'coolness' issue - as many books would have you believe. But it comes down to Republicanism simply being behind the times. It used to be that this country was against equal rights for gays, hearing secular viewpoints, and educating children on the origins of our universe from a perspective that didn't require religion. Now, everybody has gone the other way, and to make matters worse for the right-wing, minorities, women, and millennials are now the true deciders of current general elections.

Unfortunately, instead of getting with the times Republicans have gotten arrogant. They insult the demographics they need to win elections, and show they are completely out of touch on where the country is headed: legalizing vice crimes, getting the military out of the worlds business, keeping religion out of public policy, holding judges and police more accountable, and making our social programs more effective.

Whether they like it or not, that's where the country is headed in the big picture. Until they do that and get their heads out of their fat asses, they'll continue to lose election after election, and people will just see them as part of the problem - rather than solutions to them.

 

[ksen]

The thing is, other than the presidency the republicans really aren't losing election after election.

 

[Sea of red]

True. But it's like being a football team that never gets to the Super Bowl.

The GOP can play hardball in Congress for now but with more time, they'll get kicked to the curb.

 

[Underseer]

...
Oh, and for the liberals reading this, let this be a warning. ... If we don't work to clamp down on this anti-science idiocy soon, we could end up making Democratic voters as vulnerable as Republican voters are now. You have been warned.

What are you suggesting we do with regard to "clamp down"? Eugenics is so out of fashion these days.

If you think eugenics is a liberal position, then you are not among the group I was speaking to when I said that.

 

[Underseer]

Oh, and for the liberals reading this, let this be a warning. The anti-science and anti-intellectualism on the left may not be as bad as it is on the right, but it's very much there: anti-GMO, alternative medicine, organic food health claims, "Big pharma" conspiracy theories, etc. If we don't work to clamp down on this anti-science idiocy soon, we could end up making Democratic voters as vulnerable as Republican voters are now. You have been warned.

Luckily, we don't elect our anti-science nutjobs and what passes for anti-science on the left is largely spread out, no one anti-science belief necessitates or implies another, but with the republicans its pretty much all or nothing. The die hard GMO labeling activist is still going to be giggling at how much of an idiot anti-vaxxers are, you know?

Bernie is anti-GMO. Would you agree that Bernie is elected?

 

[Underseer]

i have to strenuously disagree with this assertion, while also positing that it's an extremely politically and culturally dangerous position to adopt.

republican politicians didn't 'make' republican voters out of the ether, and their BS doesn't secretly target conservatives and only effect their brain waves... republican politicians are the evolutionary result of republican voters, who are simply literally physically retarded.
voters make the politicians, not the other way around.

Worse, a lot of the anti-science and anti-intellectual rhetoric of Republican propaganda removes from Republican voters the very intellectual tools they need to be able to spot charlatans, whether it's the guy selling anti-ISIS power generators, Gingrich, or Trump.

disagree, i think religious nutbag lunatic neocon douchebaggery of the voters is what forces republican politicians to be anti-intellectual and anti-science.

The Republican elites have spent decades cultivating the perfect idiot in order to get them to vote against their own interests out of fear, and in doing so they kind of made something like Trump inevitable.

the republican elites are simply the whey that rose to the top of the cesspool of conservative voting, i don't think they did jack shit to the electorate aside from molding themselves into being exactly what the people want them to be.

The Republican establishment and the rich people who fund them have spent billions and decades creating a giant propaganda system. If you can't see the difference between modern Republicans and conservatives from before the creation of that propaganda distribution system, I would ask you to read the Republican party platform from the Eisenhower era.

 

[SimpleDon]

Conservatives are perfect suckers for Trump


Not to mention that conservatives, by definition, have to have lies told to them and have to believe the lies in order to be a conservative.

By definition conservatives want to maintain the status quo. The problems that we see in society and the problems that we discuss and argue about in the public sphere are almost all problems where the status quo has failed. In order to deny this, in order to believe in the status quo's ability to correct any problem, in short, in order to be a conservative, requires a not only a source of lies but the gullibility to believe them.

Conservatives are correct that the vast majority of the status quo is golden and it doesn't cause problems. Conservative are wrong that the status quo doesn't cause or at the very least, doesn't deal well with, the problems that we have.

Why don't conservatives themselves realize this? Because they have been told a truth that has been stretched into a lie. The truth is that there is evil in the world. The stretch is that anyone who isn't a conservative is part of the evil.

Therefore liberals, a code word for everyone who is not a conservative, don't just want to reduce the ability of criminals and the mentally ill to buy guns, the evil liberals really want to take away everyone's guns.

The liberals don't just want to improve minority access to education, the evil liberals want to deny whites their access to education.

The liberals don't just want to give gays the rights that we all have, the evil liberals want to carve out special rights for homosexuals.

Liberals don't want the police to stop killing black suspects at three times the rate at which their participation in criminality would justify, the evil liberals want to punish the police and handcuff them to allow crime run unchecked.

The liberals don't just want to stabilize the status of the undocumented in the country to stop the damage that their presence is doing to wages, the evil liberals want to open our borders to rapists, murders and terrorists.

The liberals don't want to clean up the environment or to raise the wages of minimum wage workers or to correct the easily correctable economic problem of poverty or provide healthcare to all, the evil liberals want to destroy the economy, and capitalism itself.

Ad infinitum. I am sure that all of you can provide more examples of conservative self-induced hysteria. We read them every day here and in our newspapers and websites.

 

[SimpleDon]

Oh, and for the liberals reading this, let this be a warning. The anti-science and anti-intellectualism on the left may not be as bad as it is on the right, but it's very much there: anti-GMO, alternative medicine, organic food health claims, "Big pharma" conspiracy theories, etc. If we don't work to clamp down on this anti-science idiocy soon, we could end up making Democratic voters as vulnerable as Republican voters are now. You have been warned.

Luckily, we don't elect our anti-science nutjobs and what passes for anti-science on the left is largely spread out, no one anti-science belief necessitates or implies another, but with the republicans its pretty much all or nothing. The die hard GMO labeling activist is still going to be giggling at how much of an idiot anti-vaxxers are, you know?

I think that a small minority of liberals are anti-vaxxers, but anti-GMOs are pretty widespread among liberals and it is hard to be a liberal if you are not anti-corporation and anti-nuclear power, the former being guilt by association, we have gained much good from well regulated corporations, and the latter being anti-science.

Yes, with the Republicans it is all or nothing. If you are Catholic and anti-abortion you are welcome but you can't bring in any social justice whining about the poor, because the poor are responsible for their poverty.

 

[SimpleDon]

The current conservative agenda is largely reactionary and hollow, and carefully cultivated to provide support neoliberalism.

 

[SimpleDon]

i have to strenuously disagree with this assertion, while also positing that it's an extremely politically and culturally dangerous position to adopt.

republican politicians didn't 'make' republican voters out of the ether, and their BS doesn't secretly target conservatives and only effect their brain waves... republican politicians are the evolutionary result of republican voters, who are simply literally physically retarded.
voters make the politicians, not the other way around.

Worse, a lot of the anti-science and anti-intellectual rhetoric of Republican propaganda removes from Republican voters the very intellectual tools they need to be able to spot charlatans, whether it's the guy selling anti-ISIS power generators, Gingrich, or Trump.

disagree, i think religious nutbag lunatic neocon douchebaggery of the voters is what forces republican politicians to be anti-intellectual and anti-science.

The Republican elites have spent decades cultivating the perfect idiot in order to get them to vote against their own interests out of fear, and in doing so they kind of made something like Trump inevitable.

the republican elites are simply the whey that rose to the top of the cesspool of conservative voting, i don't think they did jack shit to the electorate aside from molding themselves into being exactly what the people want them to be.

You are correct in saying that the voters make the politicians what they are. But what you fail to acknowledge is that the conservative voters are being manipulated into supporting neoliberalism, the feed the rich agenda. Not by the conservative politicians, but by the rich through their virtual lock of owning the media. Not to mention the absurdities of "money is free speech" and "corporations are people."

People are constantly conflating cause and effect. The conservative politicians are an end effect of the feed the rich agenda and the propaganda that promotes it. And that isn't destructive of anything but that agenda to point it out.

 

[braces_for_impact]

Also, add the NRA to this bag. They scream and peddle fear that someone will take their guns away in order to increase gun sales. How many times have they had a gun scare since Obama took office and had a run on guns and ammo? Yet these people fall for it. Every. Single. Time.

 

[braces_for_impact]

The nature of Republican rhetoric makes conservative voters more vulnerable to huxters in general ("Buy our generator or ISIS will get you!")

Speaking of that I just heard a conservative radio talker hawking Patriot Mobile as a way to get away from those other evil cell phone companies that support teh ghey agendas. Of course Patriot Mobile leases tower space from Sprint so . . . yeah.

Yes, but we have CREDO mobile.

 

[KeepTalking]

Speaking of that I just heard a conservative radio talker hawking Patriot Mobile as a way to get away from those other evil cell phone companies that support teh ghey agendas. Of course Patriot Mobile leases tower space from Sprint so . . . yeah.

Yes, but we have CREDO mobile.

Which also leases tower space from Sprint.

If only the Patriot Mobile customers knew that they were sharing those towers with evil liberals...