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Trump breeds Fear (Original Post) flying-skeleton Feb 2016 OP
hey he's destroying the GOP mgmaggiemg Feb 2016 #1
Id the GOP had not self destructed, Trump would not even be a candidate. olddad56 Feb 2016 #3
he is that...but he's just helping them mgmaggiemg Feb 2016 #5
Let's hope the ballot box confirms houston16revival Feb 2016 #15
I only wish hibbing Feb 2016 #19
not lbn nt msongs Feb 2016 #2
OOOH DeeBunker Feb 2016 #4
Yup. Most of conservative base is Authoritarian Follower, fearful, & seeks affirmation, not reality Bernardo de La Paz Feb 2016 #6
Bookmarked! Great post! I see the republican base as a group of "zero-sum", "US vs THEM" pampango Feb 2016 #12
^ THIS ^ mac56 Feb 2016 #16
One link nitpicker Feb 2016 #7
I don't think he BREEDS fear Skittles Feb 2016 #8
OK, DeeBunker Feb 2016 #9
Way to miss the point. xfundy Feb 2016 #10
nice repuke response Skittles Feb 2016 #11
WHOO HOO, DeeBunker Feb 2016 #20
I think he does both. He certainly attracts the already-fearful in droves. But pampango Feb 2016 #13
Or he harvests fear. n/t sarge43 Feb 2016 #14
I was just thinking of this quote yesterday and wondered where it might be placed. AllyCat Feb 2016 #17
Fear seems to work well with the GOP base pandr32 Feb 2016 #18
will Donald Trump choose Kanye West as his running mate? Just wondering. olddad56 Feb 2016 #21
For some reason I 1st read "Trump breast feeds" Bucky Feb 2016 #22

olddad56

(5,732 posts)
3. Id the GOP had not self destructed, Trump would not even be a candidate.
Fri Feb 19, 2016, 03:20 AM
Feb 2016

Bush, Cheney, Palin,Ryan, the Koch Bros, tea party, etc destroyed the GOP. Trump is just a fear mongering opportunistic creep.

mgmaggiemg

(869 posts)
5. he is that...but he's just helping them
Fri Feb 19, 2016, 03:32 AM
Feb 2016

be more destroyed than they already are...I say give him a medal for bulldozing christian terrorist ted...the major papers in texas won't endorse ted because of Trump

houston16revival

(953 posts)
15. Let's hope the ballot box confirms
Fri Feb 19, 2016, 07:38 AM
Feb 2016

before we celebrate by counting our chickens

We are preaching to the choir here

Local County Democratic Committees need help and volunteers

I urge all to get involved

If we can't deliver victory in November when the opposition is
so extreme, there really is no hope for us or the country

Make that call!

hibbing

(10,098 posts)
19. I only wish
Fri Feb 19, 2016, 02:11 PM
Feb 2016

They control Congress, governors, state legislatures, reaching into school boards and every other body that makes public policy. I would hardly call them destroyed.

Peace

Bernardo de La Paz

(49,013 posts)
6. Yup. Most of conservative base is Authoritarian Follower, fearful, & seeks affirmation, not reality
Fri Feb 19, 2016, 03:44 AM
Feb 2016

[font color="blue" size = "+1"]Does the future Threaten You, or does the future Thrill You?[/font]

If you are fearful of muslims, fearful of change, fearful of "losing", fearful of old white America disappearing, then you are likely a member of the Republican / Tea / Conservative base.

The authoritarian mindset includes the follower mind set, which may mouth stuff about the Constitution, but basically likes to follow a strong-man, and likes having one state religion (christian fundamentalist / evangelical) to follow. This is why you see Trump followers often expressing admiration for Putin, for example. Their base warps the Constitution so they believe it advocates christianity over everything else and thus they see a "war on christmas / christians" all around them.

The conservative mindset seeks simple solutions. It is more likely to indulge in binary thinking, boiling down complex issues to yes/no answers. Republicans are famous for saying "We don't do nuance". Hence the appeal of Trump's blustery over-the-top nonsense like building a wall and making the Mexicans pay for it. They think that simplistic stuff like putting "god" into the Pledge of Allegiance and (christian) prayer back in schools will solve lots of problems.

Both bases profess admiration for the truth, but the conservative base seeks evidence to shore up / buttress their world view / narrative and writes off conflicting evidence: witness the success the Kochs et al have had pushing the "man-made global warming is a hoax".

The progressive / scientific mindset takes the opposite approach and seeks evidence to destroy its theories so that any theories that survive are stronger. Thus, for example, in the US, non-christians and atheists often know more about the bible and christianity than christians. Progressives are more likely to read rightwing sites occasionally than RW are to read progressive sites occasionally.

The Republicans sell fear. Hence they heighten the sense of America surrounded by enemies (build a wall, see Russia from front porch, muslim invaders, etc.) and amp up war fever (even calling them crusades). They whip up fear of immigrants stealing jobs. They build on fear of change by harkening back to the past: TheRump's "Make America Great Again" (note the "again" which is all important to the base) and Rubio's "Morning in America Again" ad.

If you are thrilled by diversity, thrilled by new developments in tech / arts, optimistic about winning in new ways, thrilled by multiculturalism, then you are likely a member of the Democratic / Progressive / Liberal base.

The United States is basically, and always has been, forward looking and progressive. That's how Obama won big with Hope and Change.


pampango

(24,692 posts)
12. Bookmarked! Great post! I see the republican base as a group of "zero-sum", "US vs THEM"
Fri Feb 19, 2016, 07:02 AM
Feb 2016

who resist change and long for the by-gone era when white American males had ALL the good jobs and political power.

They pine for an era ("Make American Great Again&quot before civil rights when women and African Americans 'knew their place', the rest of the developed world was recovering from the destruction of WWII and the Third World, particularly China, was so poor and economically dysfunctional that it had little effect on the American economy.

 

DeeBunker

(29 posts)
9. OK,
Fri Feb 19, 2016, 05:12 AM
Feb 2016

So what now, Our Universal Soldier Heros in Iraq, Afganistan, etc; are afraid to use their guns?

 

DeeBunker

(29 posts)
20. WHOO HOO,
Fri Feb 19, 2016, 05:04 PM
Feb 2016

LOL, So typically weak & thin skinned, hope u didn't hurt urself lol; That the best u can puke-out? Lemmy guess, inferior complex if u can't b everyones big hero, huh?

Welfare case heros serving fake wars 4 elite 1%ers while real vets of life pay 4 ur gig over there to keep us safe, eh? Guess, like Randy Newman said; 'Go in Dumb, come out Dumb too'.. LOL,

dont bother writing bac hero; im full of u too!

pampango

(24,692 posts)
13. I think he does both. He certainly attracts the already-fearful in droves. But
Fri Feb 19, 2016, 07:15 AM
Feb 2016

his constant drumbeat of fear (of Mexicans, of Muslims, of foreigners) helps create an atmosphere of fear, as well.

AllyCat

(16,193 posts)
17. I was just thinking of this quote yesterday and wondered where it might be placed.
Fri Feb 19, 2016, 08:30 AM
Feb 2016

VP Biden captures it perfectly.

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