New York Times
The mystery of 2024: How is it possible that Donald Trump has a reasonable chance of winning the presidency despite all that voters now know about him? Why hasn’t a decisive majority risen to deny a second term to a man in line to be judged the worst president in American history?
The litany of Trump’s liabilities is well known to the American electorate. His mendacity, duplicity, depravity, hypocrisy and venality are irrevocably imprinted on the psyches of American voters.
Trump has made it clear that in a second term he would undermine the administration of justice, empower America’s adversaries, endanger the nation’s allies and exacerbate the nation’s racial and cultural rifts.
John Podhoretz in a 2017 Commentary article, "Explaining Trump's Charlottesville Behavior," offered one piece of the puzzle, addressing the question, “Whose early support for Trump itself played a key role in leading others to take him seriously and help propel him into the nomination?”
Podhoretz’s prescient answer: a conspiracy-oriented constituency with little regard for truth:
If there’s one thing politicians can feel in their marrow, even a non-pol pol like Trump, it’s who is in their base and what it is that binds the base to them. Only in this case, I’m not talking about a base as it’s commonly understood — the wellspring of a politician’s mass support. I’m talking about a nucleus — the very heart of a base, the root of the root of support. Trump found himself with 14 percent support in a month. Those early supporters had been primed to rally to him for a long time.”
I’m talking about Alex Jones and Infowars, the conspiracy-theory radio show/website on which Trump has appeared for years; the radio show has two million listeners a week, and Jones was said in 2011 to have a larger online presence than Rush Limbaugh or Glenn Beck.
I’m talking about the WWE, which televises wrestling and which, in 2014, could claim a weekly audience of 15 million and on whose programs Trump intermittently served as a kind of special guest villain in the manner of a villain on the 1960s “Batman” show.
I’m talking about American Media, the company that owns The National Enquirer, The Star, The Sun and The Weekly World News, run by Trump’s close friend David Pecker; the combined weekly circulation of its publications is well in excess of two million.
Trump, from the start, was operating in a universe separate from the traditional politics of the Republican and Democratic Parties; he was operating in a world rooted in his 25 years in pro wrestling, in which people put up good money to watch fake fights they know in their hearts were fixed.
The pervasive denial of truth has, in turn, been crucial to Trump’s continued viability.
In "Popular Reactions to Donald Trump's Indictments and Trials ad the Implications for the 2024 Elections," Gary C. Jacobson, a political scientist at the University of California, San Diego, argued that this denial — “motivated ignorance reinforced by right-wing pundits and social media entrepreneurs” — helps explain “the tenacious loyalty of Trump’s MAGA followers.”
After an analysis of hundreds of surveys, Jacobson concluded:
*Republicans and Trump voters downplay the importance of the crimes charged, and large majorities refuse to admit that Trump committed such crimes anyway.
*In the abstract and before the fact, a conviction on any of the felony charges would be projected to devastate Trump’s support. But after Trump was convicted in that case, the share of Republicans and prospective Trump voters who said they would not vote for a felon fell sharply.
*Not only do a substantial majority of Republicans deny that Trump ever committed a serious crime as president, but an even larger majority of them also believe he should be immune from prosecution if he did.
Jacobson describes the logic of truth denial among MAGA supporters of Trump:
"Motivated ignorance differs from the more familiar concept of rational ignorance in that ignorance is motivated by the anticipated costs of possessing knowledge, not acquiring it. That is, it is not simply that the benefits of accurate political knowledge may be less than the cost of attaining it and thus not worth pursuing but that the costs of having accurate information exceed the benefits.
"When expressed opinions and beliefs signal identification with a group, it is rational to stay ignorant of contradictory facts that, if acknowledged, would threaten to impose personal and social identity costs for the uncertain benefits of accurate knowledge.
"Only by remaining ignorant of such facts as those can Trump supporters avoid facing the painful possibility that they might have been wrong about him and their despised enemies, right?"
The litany of Trump’s liabilities is well known to the American electorate. His mendacity, duplicity, depravity, hypocrisy and venality are irrevocably imprinted on the psyches of American voters.
Trump has made it clear that in a second term he would undermine the administration of justice, empower America’s adversaries, endanger the nation’s allies and exacerbate the nation’s racial and cultural rifts.
John Podhoretz in a 2017 Commentary article, "Explaining Trump's Charlottesville Behavior," offered one piece of the puzzle, addressing the question, “Whose early support for Trump itself played a key role in leading others to take him seriously and help propel him into the nomination?”
Podhoretz’s prescient answer: a conspiracy-oriented constituency with little regard for truth:
If there’s one thing politicians can feel in their marrow, even a non-pol pol like Trump, it’s who is in their base and what it is that binds the base to them. Only in this case, I’m not talking about a base as it’s commonly understood — the wellspring of a politician’s mass support. I’m talking about a nucleus — the very heart of a base, the root of the root of support. Trump found himself with 14 percent support in a month. Those early supporters had been primed to rally to him for a long time.”
I’m talking about Alex Jones and Infowars, the conspiracy-theory radio show/website on which Trump has appeared for years; the radio show has two million listeners a week, and Jones was said in 2011 to have a larger online presence than Rush Limbaugh or Glenn Beck.
I’m talking about the WWE, which televises wrestling and which, in 2014, could claim a weekly audience of 15 million and on whose programs Trump intermittently served as a kind of special guest villain in the manner of a villain on the 1960s “Batman” show.
I’m talking about American Media, the company that owns The National Enquirer, The Star, The Sun and The Weekly World News, run by Trump’s close friend David Pecker; the combined weekly circulation of its publications is well in excess of two million.
Trump, from the start, was operating in a universe separate from the traditional politics of the Republican and Democratic Parties; he was operating in a world rooted in his 25 years in pro wrestling, in which people put up good money to watch fake fights they know in their hearts were fixed.
The pervasive denial of truth has, in turn, been crucial to Trump’s continued viability.
In "Popular Reactions to Donald Trump's Indictments and Trials ad the Implications for the 2024 Elections," Gary C. Jacobson, a political scientist at the University of California, San Diego, argued that this denial — “motivated ignorance reinforced by right-wing pundits and social media entrepreneurs” — helps explain “the tenacious loyalty of Trump’s MAGA followers.”
After an analysis of hundreds of surveys, Jacobson concluded:
*Republicans and Trump voters downplay the importance of the crimes charged, and large majorities refuse to admit that Trump committed such crimes anyway.
*In the abstract and before the fact, a conviction on any of the felony charges would be projected to devastate Trump’s support. But after Trump was convicted in that case, the share of Republicans and prospective Trump voters who said they would not vote for a felon fell sharply.
*Not only do a substantial majority of Republicans deny that Trump ever committed a serious crime as president, but an even larger majority of them also believe he should be immune from prosecution if he did.
Jacobson describes the logic of truth denial among MAGA supporters of Trump:
"Motivated ignorance differs from the more familiar concept of rational ignorance in that ignorance is motivated by the anticipated costs of possessing knowledge, not acquiring it. That is, it is not simply that the benefits of accurate political knowledge may be less than the cost of attaining it and thus not worth pursuing but that the costs of having accurate information exceed the benefits.
"Only by remaining ignorant of such facts as those can Trump supporters avoid facing the painful possibility that they might have been wrong about him and their despised enemies, right?"
Such a realization could unsettle their self and social identities, estranging them from family and friends who remain within the MAGA fold. As Michael Patrick Lynch, a philosopher who studies political beliefs put it, “To be blunt, Trump supporters aren’t changing their minds because that change would require changing who they are, and they want to be that person.” Staying ignorant, deliberately or unconsciously, is thus rational.
In fact, there appears to be a self-reinforcing feedback loop that rewards Trump for his incessant distortions of the truth.
Michael Bang Petersen, a political; scientist at Denmark’s Aarhus University, responded by email to my inquiries, suggesting that “the paradox is that people who are fed up with the political system don’t support Trump despite Trump’s behavior and the charges against him but, to some extent, because of his behavior and the charges against him.”
“According to our research,” Petersen added, “people who feel anger and feel threatened reach out to dominant politicians who are willing to act in aggressive and transgressive ways. Such a personality is seen as attractive because people expect them to be able to prevail in conflicts against opponents, including, in this case, the overarching political system.”
In fact, there appears to be a self-reinforcing feedback loop that rewards Trump for his incessant distortions of the truth.
Michael Bang Petersen, a political; scientist at Denmark’s Aarhus University, responded by email to my inquiries, suggesting that “the paradox is that people who are fed up with the political system don’t support Trump despite Trump’s behavior and the charges against him but, to some extent, because of his behavior and the charges against him.”
“According to our research,” Petersen added, “people who feel anger and feel threatened reach out to dominant politicians who are willing to act in aggressive and transgressive ways. Such a personality is seen as attractive because people expect them to be able to prevail in conflicts against opponents, including, in this case, the overarching political system.”
To read rest of article, click on link: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/25/opinion/trump-maga-sources-support.html?unlocked_article_code=1.OE4.-tJX.4hpDcc1dkzAk&smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare&sgrp=c-cb
14 comments:
Trump Va a ganar Juan. Ya párale tu pedo. Yo se que te gusta pistear con los venezolanos borrachos y asesinos. Va a ganar el Trompitas. No me digas que tú también te vas a ir de el país como los mensos de Hollywood:.. pa donde te vas a ir tu Juan… para Chiapas? 😂😂😂
Why hasn't either Biden or Kamal fixed the economy, illegal immigration, high crime, high interest rates etc. Lastly, let's not forget the two on going wars that can drag our country into a third world war? The answer is because they are both incompetent. Why would anyone vote for incompetence? Ignorance!
Trump sucks!
This is exactly how Trumps strategy/formula has been successful all his miserable life. He lies and is deceitful over and over to the point where people doubt the truth and start believing his lies. Its a psychological phenomenon. And Trump , the malignant narcissist that he is , is the master at brainwashing the weak minded. Trump lies about a certain subject then his army of asskissers will repeat that lie and disseminate it so much that people will believe it true. Its dangerous propaganda , but it has propelled this idiotic pendejo to a cult status. Unfortunate but true !!!
Someone believes everything Trump says Yada, yada,yada. Many of the issues facing our country have been ongoing for the past decade and some longer!! What doesn’t help is an orange lunatic flaming the fires of racism, bigotry, division, lies and conspiracy theories on a daily basis to ONLY advance his and his family’s agenda. Keep drinking the koolaid and being subservient to this dictator wannabe, but one of these days your gonna wake up and wonder what happened to America— the land of the free. Careful what you wish for!!! Just saying
9:15
Ditto. Well played. I would add that the incoherent policy of continuing to arm Israel has made the US global pariahs. Administrations have been complicit in
the oppression of Palestinians. Saddam Hussein was provided chemical
weapons when he was on our side. Khadaffi was eliminated because he was
threatening to replace the dollar with gold currency. These facts make for
interesting reading. ✌️
Trump is ready to win. He needs to help his family, his friends, and himself. First is him.
Unfortunately, some people want to have peace and live their lives. This means that if you have lots of things to lose, you think twice before engaging in a war. Think about it: your town destroyed, dead people everywhere, hate etc
The economy fluctuates: up and down that is why we have to be wise in how we spend our money. Illegal immigration: it will always happen but there are rules. The asylum was established by Reagan and Bush: Republicans. Nobody thought that people were going to ask for asylum in the USA when they approved the measure. High crime: you do not want to work, you do not want to learn a skill....so you do crimes. High interest rates: most people do not use credit cards, and few people ask for a loan to pay a house that they can not afford. You know all this but you just wanted to see if someone got angry and had a heart attack.
Trump has enough money he doesn't need to steal like democrats.
Biden is in great health, the economy is better than ever, gas prices are low, the Russian collusion the border is secure etc. But only Republicans lie?
racist republicans they hate all ethnics and will be sent back to where they came from a promise or where they belong, so you cocos go vote yourself out of your country BOLA DE PENDEJOS!!!
That is not true. Trump has no money. He owes money, his assets are in properties, land but he has no real money. To have money he has to sell properties.
Biden is in good health for his age. The economy is always up and down, gas prices are also the same: high, low, high, The Russians love Russia and Putin, the border is secure but the Republicans refuse to set limits etc Republicans are trying to get all the power they can get...so they exaggerate....that is lie...
October 1, 2024 at 5:23 AM
PINCHE MOJADO estas en el gringo pais ESTUPIDO INNGGLISH PURRFUDOR PENDEJO
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