The media’s worst lapse: Refusing to identify Trump as a cult leader

[CdnFox]

9 hours ago, Michael Hardner said:

Why do you care.... WAIT - is Robosmith one of the FIVE people you care about ?!?

He's Canadian, though... at least I think so...

Man what a paradox ! 😂

Robosmith? He's American i'm sure of it

[Hodad]

On 1/25/2024 at 11:50 AM, Michael Hardner said:

But maybe you see it differently.  I'm only summarizing my thinking on it, your mileage may differ.

I assumed you guys would say kilometerage...

[robosmith]

22 hours ago, taxme said:

Anybody living in communist California these days has to be two bricks short of a load to put it mildly. That governor Newsance has to be one of the worse governor's California has ever had. Even "I'll be back" was somewhat better than him. Just saying.  

Sure. That's why CA is the leading state in MOST areas of advanced technology in the US. Duh

 

[Michael Hardner]

1 hour ago, Hodad said:

I assumed you guys would say kilometerage...

Another American...

 

Kind of like you guys. We use metric for somethings and imperial for others

 

[robosmith]

A Strongman President? These Voters Crave It.

Quote

Trump’s vulgar language, his penchant for insults (“Don’t call him a fat pig,” he said about Chris Christie) and his rhetoric about political opponents (promising to “root out the communists, Marxists, fascists and the radical left thugs that live like vermin within the confines of our country”) are seen as signs of authenticity and strength by his supporters. All the politicians say things like that in private, countless Trump supporters asserted to me and argued that it’s just Trump who’s strong and honest enough to say it out loud — for them, a sign that he’s honest.

Projecting strength and being seen as authentic are common themes among other leaders whom political scientists would call “competitive authoritarians.” In their regimes, many of the basic tenets of liberal democracy are violated, but elections, largely free of widespread fraud, are regularly held. Many political scientists place Narendra Modi of India (his party recently won major victories in state elections, and a third term is possible), Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey (on his third term as president, after three stints as prime minister) and Viktor Orban of Hungary (in his fourth consecutive term) in this category.

Like many of these right-wing populists, Trump leans heavily on the message that he alone is strong enough to keep America peaceful and prosperous in a scary world. Right after his recent landslide re-election, Orban said his party had won despite everyone being against them, and now he would ensure that Hungary would be “strong, rich and green.” In Iowa, Trump praised Orban himself before telling a cheering crowd: “For four straight years, I kept America safe. I kept Israel safe. I kept Ukraine safe, and I kept the entire world safe.”

It’s easy to see why Trump’s political message can override concerns about the process of democracy for many. What’s a bit of due process overstepped here, a trampled emoluments clause there, when all politicians are believed to be corrupt and fractured information sources pump very different messages about reality?

Politicians projecting strength at the expense of the rules of liberal democracy isn’t a new phenomenon in the United States, or the world. Thomas Jefferson worried about it. So did Plato. Perhaps acknowledging that Trump’s appeal isn’t that mysterious can help people grapple with its power. 

Only in the MAGA CULT which is why Trump will LOSE
 

 

[taxme]

On 1/26/2024 at 2:12 PM, robosmith said:

Sure. That's why CA is the leading state in MOST areas of advanced technology in the US. Duh

 

Isn't California where all of the technology companies exist? Duh.  

[taxme]

On 1/26/2024 at 10:28 PM, robosmith said:

A Strongman President? These Voters Crave It.

Only in the MAGA CULT which is why Trump will LOSE
 

 

Long live the MAGA cult. 🦣🤣

[robosmith]

21 minutes ago, taxme said:

Isn't California where all of the technology companies exist? Duh.  

Nope. Perhaps all the LARGE ones have offices in CA.