US Election Week 2020

[Eddie Teach]

Trumpism will die off with Donald J Trump.

[grumbler]

Interesting polling that the majority of voters (and a majority of Republicans) think Trump lost the election.

It feels like all of this rigamarole is just public therapy for Trump to eventual say "I don't accept that I lost, but I concede".

I've seen people saying they think in part it is also to gee-up the base ahead of the Georgia run-offs, but I'm not sure if that works. It feels to me like: "your votes don't count because the Democrats will, inevitably, cheat their way to victory" is not necssarily a message that would boost base turnout

I think that is correct.   But I think it demonstrates how much Republicans still fear him and his base even after he lost. 

Grumbler, I am interested on your assessment about whether you still think Trumpism will die off after a couple of election cycles after seeing this.

I'd say it reinforces my argument.  Trumpism is also, in large part, a cult of personality built around the story of an ultra-successful businessman (and start of a TV show built around his own story of his own genius).  That story is going to take some major hits over the next year or so.  Remember him bragging on the campaign trail that he made $164 million (or some such number) in 2015, when in fact his tax records show he claimed a loss?  All that kind of stuff is going to come out now that he no longer has a captive Treasury and Justice Department to nix all investigations into his financial and tax scams.  Once that L gets branded onto his forehead, his losses will start to come to light.  The truth is that Donald Trump is a schmuck, and the truth will come out when he can no longer use the US government to hide it.

[Josquius]

Isn't part of his being worshipped as a winner by losers that despite his incompetence and repeated failures he still makes it?

[The Brain]

The Deep State took his money from him, the poor little genius strongman victim. There, narrative.

[grumbler]

Isn't part of his being worshipped as a winner by losers that despite his incompetence and repeated failures he still makes it?

I think that those who worship his genius blow off the repeated asshattery, divorces, child porn, and bankruptcies as 5-D chess that just further proves his genius.

[crazy canuck]

Interesting polling that the majority of voters (and a majority of Republicans) think Trump lost the election.

It feels like all of this rigamarole is just public therapy for Trump to eventual say "I don't accept that I lost, but I concede".

I've seen people saying they think in part it is also to gee-up the base ahead of the Georgia run-offs, but I'm not sure if that works. It feels to me like: "your votes don't count because the Democrats will, inevitably, cheat their way to victory" is not necssarily a message that would boost base turnout

I think that is correct.   But I think it demonstrates how much Republicans still fear him and his base even after he lost. 

Grumbler, I am interested on your assessment about whether you still think Trumpism will die off after a couple of election cycles after seeing this.

I'd say it reinforces my argument.  Trumpism is also, in large part, a cult of personality built around the story of an ultra-successful businessman (and start of a TV show built around his own story of his own genius).  That story is going to take some major hits over the next year or so.  Remember him bragging on the campaign trail that he made $164 million (or some such number) in 2015, when in fact his tax records show he claimed a loss?  All that kind of stuff is going to come out now that he no longer has a captive Treasury and Justice Department to nix all investigations into his financial and tax scams.  Once that L gets branded onto his forehead, his losses will start to come to light.  The truth is that Donald Trump is a schmuck, and the truth will come out when he can no longer use the US government to hide it.

That is reassuring.  Thanks.

[Admiral Yi]

Isn't part of his being worshipped as a winner by losers that despite his incompetence and repeated failures he still makes it?

I don't see a single bit of evidence that Trumpists see him as incompetent in any way.

[Malthus]

Interesting polling that the majority of voters (and a majority of Republicans) think Trump lost the election.

It feels like all of this rigamarole is just public therapy for Trump to eventual say "I don't accept that I lost, but I concede".

I've seen people saying they think in part it is also to gee-up the base ahead of the Georgia run-offs, but I'm not sure if that works. It feels to me like: "your votes don't count because the Democrats will, inevitably, cheat their way to victory" is not necssarily a message that would boost base turnout

I think that is correct.   But I think it demonstrates how much Republicans still fear him and his base even after he lost. 

Grumbler, I am interested on your assessment about whether you still think Trumpism will die off after a couple of election cycles after seeing this.

I'd say it reinforces my argument.  Trumpism is also, in large part, a cult of personality built around the story of an ultra-successful businessman (and start of a TV show built around his own story of his own genius).  That story is going to take some major hits over the next year or so.  Remember him bragging on the campaign trail that he made $164 million (or some such number) in 2015, when in fact his tax records show he claimed a loss?  All that kind of stuff is going to come out now that he no longer has a captive Treasury and Justice Department to nix all investigations into his financial and tax scams.  Once that L gets branded onto his forehead, his losses will start to come to light.  The truth is that Donald Trump is a schmuck, and the truth will come out when he can no longer use the US government to hide it.

I hope this is true, but I worry that those who are in the Trump cult may simply be impervious to unpleasant facts about their leader. They are used to writing off all such as "fake news" created by the "deep state".

[Admiral Yi]

I think we have to be careful not to overcook the incompetent businessman narrative.  He got something like 100 mill from his pop and turned it into something like 2 and a half billion.  Sleazy, tacky, unscrupulous, dishonest, etc., etc., but not completely incompetent.

[The Brain]

I think we have to be careful not to overcook the incompetent businessman narrative.  He got something like 100 mill from his pop and turned it into something like 2 and a half billion.  Sleazy, tacky, unscrupulous, dishonest, etc., etc., but not completely incompetent.

His handlers made more money by taking a cut when managing his money than by simply taking all his lunch money immediately. The guy doesn't understand how an umbrella works. He's denser than plutonium.

[The Brain]

I think we have to be careful not to overcook the incompetent businessman narrative.  He got something like 100 mill from his pop and turned it into something like 2 and a half billion.  Sleazy, tacky, unscrupulous, dishonest, etc., etc., but not completely incompetent.

His handlers made more money by taking a cut when managing his money than by simply taking all his lunch money immediately. The guy doesn't understand how an umbrella works. He's denser than plutonium.

And yes messerschmitts, his handlers are prettty stupid too apparently...

[PDH]

I think we have to be careful not to overcook the incompetent businessman narrative.  He got something like 100 mill from his pop and turned it into something like 2 and a half billion.  Sleazy, tacky, unscrupulous, dishonest, etc., etc., but not completely incompetent.

NYT said he got over 400 million from dad.  A lot less impressive given that he has had 40 years to make that into 2 billion.

[Admiral Yi]

NYT said he got over 400 million from dad.  A lot less impressive given that he has had 40 years to make that into 2 billion.

Agree, that's a lot less impressive.  Getting into unimpressive territory.

[Barrister]

I think we have to be careful not to overcook the incompetent businessman narrative.  He got something like 100 mill from his pop and turned it into something like 2 and a half billion.  Sleazy, tacky, unscrupulous, dishonest, etc., etc., but not completely incompetent.

Pretty sure he got way more than $100 mil from 'ole Fred Trump...

[Syt]

I think we have to be careful not to overcook the incompetent businessman narrative.  He got something like 100 mill from his pop and turned it into something like 2 and a half billion.  Sleazy, tacky, unscrupulous, dishonest, etc., etc., but not completely incompetent.

Pretty sure he got way more than $100 mil from 'ole Fred Trump...

A crippled, deeply disturbed personality?