I don't like him. I don't think he is in any way a Democrat, or a progressive, or liberal. He's a self serving money grubbing right winger that would fall over backwards for any other Republican President.
But I respect his opinion. I will always remember his appearances on both Bill Maher's show and Stephen Colbert's, these last years. He was laughed at by Maher and the whole panel for saying about Trump's machinations, "It's working though". Much the same for Colbert. Personally, I don't know how one could not agree with the Mooch. Sure Trump is criticized daily on CNN and MSNBC, as well as the NYT and Washington Post, but they are being slowly but surely made obsolete to his supporters, and to all Republicans, and even Independents. Drip drip drip.
Even though lately his approval has dipped, he had being holding steady at about 44%. Republicans support him something like a whopping 90%. His slow drip dismantling of our institutions, seeding doubt in our law enforcement and intelligence agencies and major news media, seeding CT about secret Deep State (Democratic) control over those institutions.
He's filling each day with multiple lies, so much it's too much to counter back. So much that it fills his supporters, who are more like cult worshippers, with an overflow of disinformation to stoke their anger. Anger at a false threat of immigrants, gays, Muslims, brown people, Democratic socialism defined as dictatorial Communism. A threat so great that it makes what they see as Trump's flaws in manners and protocol, pale in comparison.
Trump has been very successful.
He has garnered the backing of the White Supremacist movement and those that never would have skirted with those notions before, but with a President that says "Good people both sides" It gives them a sense of courage and it stirs up any latent racist thoughts,
The Christian evangelicals who see a "King Percy" - a ruler who does not bow to God but is sent by God to appoint anti-choice judges across the land. And Christianity has a lot of power in America, despite the made up "war on Christianity". Every major event has some kind of tip of the hat to the Christian version of God. The military are brought up in it.
The billionaire class who are happy with scooping up even more from the treasury through tax breaks, and environmental regulations being dismantled. There may not be many of them but they have a lot of money to help him out with.
And last but not least, the "news" media. Not just Fox News, or even traditional RW radio, but the Trumpists have a huge presence on social media, on YouTube, Facebook. Add to that the trend now for us to go to sites and watch shows that we rely on to back up our own beliefs (One reason I go to DU every day). There is a whole swath of voters that simply do not believe ANYTHING traditional news sources say (other than Fox)
People are kidding themselves if they don't think Trump can win again. What he is doing IS working. Working not for us obviously, but for dumbing down of the American people, of scaring them. To his supporters he has "proved" he can govern. He has survived the Mueller "witch hunt". He is not cowed at all. He is more brash and bold than ever. Conservatives more than liberals idealize authoritarians, they love a "strong leader" even if he makes a "mistake" once in awhile. He has successfully "normalized" the idea of Trump as President to them.
People from our side underestimate the psychological erosion by the slow drip of doubt he is creating, and the sense that only himself, a strong leader who is the best at everything, can solve all their problems. Which is why it is imperative to start impeachment NOW. Who knows what more damage to the psychology of the nation he will have done in another year and a half. As a former reality TV star, he knows all he has to do is "outwit, outplay, outlast" until the November 2020 election is over. Scaramucci's warnings should not be dismissed so lightly.
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