65 Comments
founding

Melania loves Dr. Oz too. I’d bet a dollar she had a hand in convincing TFG to endorse him. Although TFG loves television above all else, especially if he’s on it himself.

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Apr 12, 2022·edited Apr 12, 2022

I think people are turning to authoritarian leaders because they don't want or can't think and reason from point A to B to C. All they know is there are too many ideas to many life choices and too many things they hate because they don't understand and they feel threatened. If someone comes along and says I can fix the country, Everything that is wrong is because of those people. I will take care of everything, You're right to hate those people. Don't think, just follow. The more educated people who aim for authoritarianism is because they believe they will be in charge, they can control the country and make sure only people like them will be heard.

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Required reading for all who support the Bulwark's mission:

https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2022/05/social-media-democracy-trust-babel/629369/

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I love the Bulwark. I really do. I love the writing, topic choice, etc. I know we're looking at the writing and philosophy of right-centrists tired of the radicalization of their party. What bothers me about it, though, and the national conversation in general, is that centrism doesn't really excite voters, especially Democrat voters, who want the government to move in a different direction. Centrists are commonly thought to be more "electable," but that strikes me as ten-year-old thinking.

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Today's column is worth it for Gen. Hertling's essay alone. Everything else is gravy.

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That Ethan Schmidt video gives me the chills. And reminds me of my friend telling me that in the late phase of the Khmer Rouge, even wearing glasses was enough of a sign to mark a person as an elitist who should be killed. The Ethan Schmidts of the world who believe they are smarter than the Dr. Faucis and are angry that the world does not see it that way, if given enough rope & encouragement, eventually want to do something about it. So thanks for that, TFG, GOP, and Fox.

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Apr 11, 2022·edited Apr 11, 2022

Isn't Connor Lamb the guy who on 1/6 was advising his colleagues that they should prepare to defend themselves with pens and pencils? Badass.

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Are Trump's staff now Deep State too? Pretty soon one half of his brain will be accusing the other half of being Deep State and RINO.

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founding

Great piece by Gen. Mark Hertler. We must support the Ukrainian army--they are us.

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founding

We often see the Trump voter is a poor, red-neck hick who can't find his ass from a hole in the ground. We take education level as a proxy for income level and assume the less education you have the poorer you must be and since Clinton and Biden support went up as education went up then that means Trump was killing it with the poors.

However, Hillary and Biden both won the majority of those making less than $50k a year. Biden actually improved on Hillary's numbers with poor voters.

Here's the beef:

Hillary Clinton: https://www.statista.com/statistics/631244/voter-turnout-of-the-exit-polls-of-the-2016-elections-by-income/

Joe Biden: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1184428/presidential-election-exit-polls-share-votes-income-us/

So the Trump phenomenon is not driven by some sort of worker revolution of poor people having had enough of the Demorat's crap and pushing to take their country back. It is a backlash from middle to upper income whites. And you know them as soon as you see them. The loudmouth small business owner with overly red cheeks who is perpetually pissed off about anything those minority and foreign folk are getting up to.

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As you should have two armies there already two navies. At least when it comes to the USA. You have your surface Navy shlubs, as we affectionately called "targets", and then you have your submarine fleet. Those sailors with such pluck that they do the impossible with less. 36 hour work days the norm. And the elite of the elite are our nuclear trained submarine enlistedmen. Never has so much been done by so few. I had the privilege to serve in this capacity early in my adult life and it made me an industry leader in my 38 year civilian career. Because the Navy educated me that with teamwork the impossible is possible. Rule 1? Never give up! Icing on the cake? Instead of being saddled with student loans I was able bank funds while I served matched by the Navy for my post service education. Double win. More importantly every job I had it didn't take more than a month or two for management to figure out I was the guy they wanted in charge of things. Spent a long career in civil engineering and surveying. Nothing prepares you better for participating in large projects like being part of a submarine shipyard overhaul.

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founding

Fetterman is at plus 18 over at RCP. Lamb is not winning this primary no matter how much you wishcast.

Fetterman will be the next senator from PA.

Fetterman will then have a good chance to be the face of Anti-Trumpism. And it is one we need if you are worried about Democrats being too soft.

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Theodore Johnson's article today is well worth reading.

Again, it all circles back to narrative and identity--even to the extent of exactly what words mean (though this often falls more into the realm of connotation rather than denotation).

People, particularly people who do not really pay attention the the nuances of language), see a variety of people using the same words and make the assumption that this word means the same thing to all involved, that it has the same connotation to all those involved.

Thus they wonder why the people that are using this word in (what is to the listener) an obviously wrong way do not suffer from some sort of cognitive dissonance.

This plasticity in language has always existed--but it is largely invisible to most people. The expansion of media that provides "outsiders" access to particular narratives through the internet has increased awareness of this (but not enough).

The story (narrative) informs the meaning, which turns around and reinforces the narrative. This results in something that LOOKS like dialog or communication, but isn't... as anyone who has been awake and semi-aware for the last decade or so should no doubt be aware of by now.

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Elliot Rodger recorded a series of videos before he shot and killed a number of people in Santa Barbara 8 years ago. They are very similar in tone & style to Ethan's. Not saying this guy will go the same route, but it's not a laughing matter when narcissists get feedback from the real world that they're actually losers. Resolving that cognitive dissonance can end very badly.

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I will say it again….. far too many people are not capable of critically thinking. Understanding a Trump supporter (not the grifting sycophants, they are a class above the drooling fools that go to rallies) is quite easy. Just strip away all the reason, logic, and scientific method you were ever exposed to and simply go with “Yay, something shiny that makes me feel better about myself.”

When people on the left were warning of the danger they were called alarmists. When Schiff said at the first impeachment trial that Trump would do it again he was vilified by the right. What the majority of Republican voters did not want to admit (until maybe now, and probably too late) was that they were conned by a WELL KNOWN con artist and it was visible to anyone with a brain that functioned above the 4th grade level.

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Sykes, you'll be no closer to the true Q-MAGA opinions on Dr. Oz unless and until you get a quote from Ginny Thomas. These washed-up rightwing opinionists you quote aren't active duty like Ginny is

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