U.S. politics
America’s long national nightmare continues
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/mar/25/trump-news-scandals-lawsuit-cases-coverage?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
#Trump #USPolitics #ChristianNationalism #GOP #Populism #RightWing
U.S. politics
I wonder if it's possible that, once Trump is indicted and tried for his myriad crimes, he will cease to be a force in our psyches. As an American, I loathe him and only care about him to the extent that I wish to see justice done and this criminal in jail.
U.S. politics
No, all of the legal drama has only given him more attention and a larger place in our psyches.
His star was fading as people wanted to focus on the election of someone who wasn't such a loser, but now the legal stuff has put him back in the center of the story, where he likes to be.
IMO it would have been better to drop the legal mess and let him slink into irrelevancy. That people would ignore and write him off would probably have been the harsher punishment for someone like him anyway.
He'd *enjoy* being the martyr in the jail cell. He'd think of himself as so damn important that he had to be locked up. And that would keep him as a force in the psyche.
U.S. politics
I get your point. This situation is hard to call. My personal feeling about this is that (like in Russia) Trumpism is an attempt to corrupt the entire government, let the criminals take charge completely. If we walk away now from prosecuting criminals in high places we have given them control over our entire country. P.S. Trump would NOT enjoy being in jail. At heart I feel he is a total wuss.
U.S. politics
From my experience watching conservatives, reading academic studies, and knowing Trump supporters myself, I would offer a different perspective from what so many have: Trump as the effect, not the cause.
Trumpism isn't an attempt to corrupt the government. He barely knows what the government *is* which is why so many of his efforts failed laughably. From his employees ignoring his orders through legal efforts that went to the wrong departments, he really didn't know how to get done the things he tried to get done.
Meanwhile, Trump's governing philosophy--both in words and in action--were utterly spineless, twisting to the caprices of the audience of the day.
Trumpism was an attempt to win a popularity contest, to become high school class president.
They were his voters, not Trump, who set up this situation, and the problem is that prosecution of Trump is giving renewed energy to those voters, who will still vote regardless of whether Trump is in jail.
To go after Trump like this makes it MORE likely that criminals will be in control, since the people putting them there will be energized to do it again.
U.S. politics
@volkris @daveunderwood
I agree with so much of what you say. Trump is mostly an idiot. And he did tap into and help weaponize uneducated, bigoted citizenry. But, but...think about Russia and all his contacts with Putin and other Russians. I think he made a deal with Putin, and that Putin has to a great extent used him to try to turn our government into something resembling Russia. Putin did it in Ukraine, and I suppose he thought he might be able do it here.