Questions We Should All Be Asking

[Secretive_Victoria]

In 2016, Trump ran for president and he got 62,984, 828 votes.

Since then, Trump went back on his promise to quickly and completely defeat ISIS, instead he withdrew all of our forces from Syria, abandoning our Kurdish allies in the region, getting many of our Kurdish allies killed and handing ISIS a huge victory.

Trump also appointed Betsy DeVos to the department of Education, allowing DeVos to do a horrific amount of damage to America's public schools.

Trump has also weakened the NATO alliance, refusing to participate in joint military exercises in the Black Sea and other locations as he worries that such exercises would hurt the feelings of Russian dictator Vladimir Putin.

Indeed, Trump has repeatedly criticized NATO while repeatedly praising foreign dictators like Putin.

Trump has also engaged in reckless and irresponsible tariff wars with China, causing massive amounts of damage to our foreign trade, losing us foreign markets for agricultural products and destroying a number of American farms.

Trump has also attacked America's Constitution, America's freedom of speech, freedom of the press and freedom of assembly, while praising dictatorships like Russia, Saudi Arabia and North Korea and they shoot protesters and keep people from publicly expressing dissenting opinions.

He also had federal agents abduct little children and even infants from the parents and lock them in cages, where they've been living (and dying) in wretched conditions that would be illegal in any American prison.

And when Trump learned of the COVID-19 virus and how it could kills millions of Americans, Trump declared the virus was a "hoax" and he went golfing.

Trump later declared that governors like Andrew Cuomo were "hysterical" and said that it was the responsibility of the states to combat the pandemic and that the federal government would do NOTHING!

And as governors like Cuomo dealt with the killer virus with no federal help, Trump sent federal agents to confiscate ventilators and personal protective gear that state governments had bought for their hospitals. No reason has ever been given for why the feds stole medical gear that the states had paid for.

Trump has demanded that state governments end policies like mask mandates, school closings and social distancing that could save lives and instead incited people in a multitude of states to engage in violence and kidnapping attempts to punish governors and other state leaders for attempting to save lives.

Trump also fired the captain of a U.S. Navy ship for trying to protect the lives of his men who were in danger of becoming infected.

Indeed, Trump has done everything he could think of to make this pandemic worse and get as many Americans killed as possible. He fired the pandemic response team and cut the budgets for medical research. He also told everyone to NOT listen to medical experts who were giving advice on how to survive this pandemic.

Trump's reckless and irresponsible behavior have led to more than 270,000 Americans needlessly dying and those numbers are rising rapidly.

So, fast-forward to the year 2020. Trump gets 74,208,666 votes in the national election.

So, after all the damage Trump has done to this country, he gets approximately 12 MILLION MORE VOTES IN 2020 THAN HE DID IN 2016??

I'm sorry, but Trump praises dictators, takes an enormous shit on the United States Constitution, praises dictators, destroys American farms, sits on his ass while a killer virus kills Americans record numbers and he gets MORE votes in 2020 than in 2016?

In 2016, Trump hadn't done any of that horrible stuff! Am I supposed to believe that destroying our foreign alliances, destroying America's farms, destroying America's schools, firing America's scientists and waging a war against America's hospitals so the virus could kill Americans in greater numbers made Trump POPULAR and got him MORE VOTES than in 2016?

These are questions we should all be asking.

 

[BoyNextDoor]

Ah ... it is not much of a question. The US of A has 71 million assholes that voted for Tricky Trump. 12 million more assholes came out of the woodwork than did in 2016.

So the answer is "yes" the fact of the matter is that destroying our foreign alliances, destroying America's farms, destroying America's schools, firing America's scientists and waging a war against America's hospitals so the virus could kill Americans in greater numbers made Trump POPULAR and got him MORE VOTES than in 2016.

Why?

Because he tells the lies that those 71 million assholes want to hear. And the tells them every day over a network of media complicit with his lies because they like it when the lies are told.

 

[phrodeau]

It’s obvious that there was massive voter fraud. There’s no way Trump got that many votes.

 

[KeithD]

It's an indictment of a lot of Americans, yes. There's something rotten in the American mindset. But then those not American have been talking about the "ugly American" for some time.

 

[Dingobaby]

It’s obvious that there was massive voter fraud. There’s no way Trump got that many votes.

I agree with this. The guy is incompetent, didnt do what he said he would and he made the US the laughing stock of the planet.
There was a time when america was respected. That time has passed.

 

[bodysong]

In 2016 Americans were asked to believe that Trump could be a real President.

After Trump had stolen the election, Americans were asked to believe that
Trump's supporting cabinet and staff could prevent Trump from going off
the deep end. Anyone of worth, honor, and trust, soon jumped out, or were
tossed out by Trump or Jared Kushner. Respectable people shamed themselves
and caved to Trump.

 

[Stephen_Coyle]

So, one possibility here is that there was massive electoral fraud, making it appear that Trump received millions more votes than he actually received. To date, no reputable source has made a claim of massive electoral fraud. So, for now, I'm not embracing the massive electoral fraud scenario.

Another possibility is that millions of Americans actually HATE America's schools, America's farms, America's scientists, America's hospitals, America's medical doctors, America's nurses and America's foreign allies and they've just been WAITING DECADES for someone like Trump to come along and piss all over everything they hate and that's why Trump got more votes in 2016 than in 2020.
Yeah, but that seems like a longshot.

A third possibility is that more than 70 Million Americans have a cult-like devotion to conspiracy theorists like Alex Jones, Donald Trump, Sean Hannity, Tucker Carlson, Tim Wildmon, Bryan Fischer and organizations like QAnon, and that they are violently opposed to listen to anything from investigative journalists, medical doctors, nurses, climate scientists or epidemiologists. People who glorify in such cult-like willful ignorance and conspiracy theories could very well believe that Trump has been doing a great job for the past four years.

The third possibility is quite disturbing, but the most likely of the three scenarios. America has long had a movement of people who embrace ignorance and are highly suspicious of those who are educated. Just take a look at the large number of Americans who believe that the Earth is flat, that the moon landing was faked, that America was founded as a Christian theocracy, that vaccines are bad and that the Earth is only 6,000 years old, that dinosaurs never existed and that that Noah's Ark is real.

I've met people who believe these bizarre things.

I'll bet you have too.

Could America have 74 Million people who believe things like this?

Sadly, I think it's not only possible, but damn likely.

 

[Funit]

A lot of people were spooked by what they perceived (rightly or wrongly) as Democrat driven/encouraged riots in Dem states/cities, and they didn't want that for their neighbourhood.

 

[phrodeau]

Apparently, Trump is trying to figure out how to issue 74,208,666 pardons.

 

[FGB]

So investigate him for something else.

Surely there is SOMETHING left.

 

[Adre]

Let’s just be happy about the 80,000,000+ of us who knew better.

 

[Adre]

So investigate him for something else.

Surely there is SOMETHING left.

Oh, don’t worry, the Manhattan DA has plenty of material to work with.

 

[LupusDei]

Another possibility is that millions of Americans actually HATE America's schools, America's farms, America's scientists, America's hospitals, America's medical doctors, America's nurses and America's foreign allies and they've just been WAITING DECADES for someone like Trump to come along and piss all over everything they hate and that's why Trump got more votes in 2016 than in 2020.
Yeah, but that seems like a longshot.

A third possibility is that more than 70 Million Americans have a cult-like devotion to conspiracy theorists like Alex Jones, Donald Trump, Sean Hannity, Tucker Carlson, Tim Wildmon, Bryan Fischer and organizations like QAnon, and that they are violently opposed to listen to anything from investigative journalists, medical doctors, nurses, climate scientists or epidemiologists. People who glorify in such cult-like willful ignorance and conspiracy theories could very well believe that Trump has been doing a great job for the past four years.

The third possibility is quite disturbing, but the most likely of the three scenarios. America has long had a movement of people who embrace ignorance and are highly suspicious of those who are educated. Just take a look at the large number of Americans who believe that the Earth is flat, that the moon landing was faked, that America was founded as a Christian theocracy, that vaccines are bad and that the Earth is only 6,000 years old, that dinosaurs never existed and that that Noah's Ark is real.

I've met people who believe these bizarre things.

I'll bet you have too.

Could America have 74 Million people who believe things like this?

Sadly, I think it's not only possible, but damn likely.

I think those two combine without contradiction and actually feed on each other.

Back in 2016 I could rationalize votes for trump as basically a joke, or a so called protest vote. I have no data (looking from a long way out) but still believe there must be that component, then, even if small. There's no excuse for that behavior in 2020 so it's actually likely Trump got not 12 million but more likely at least 15 million new voters who didn't vote for him the first time.

I too was horrified such an obvious con job could actually get through and win, but was hopeful it wouldn't be that bad, and the first round of cabinet picks promised probably weird but rather fun four years. Unfortunately it was like watching a friend (and not just any friend, but one of your strongest, richest and most respected, even if not actually the closest or nicest) to succumb to... something akin alcoholism.

And now that they have a chance to go in rehabilitation, they of course aren't going there lightly, but have to be dragged in kicking and screaming. In a way that's expected. Still it hard to wrap one's mind around delusion on that scale. However, if anything looking over history it's nothing new. People's gullibility doesn't stop to amaze.

 

[Dribble]

Fascist traitors support fascist traitors.

“Why, of course, the people don’t want war. Why would some poor slob on a farm want to risk his life in a war when the best that he can get out of it is to come back to his farm in one piece. Naturally, the common people don’t want war; neither in Russia nor in England nor in America, nor for that matter in Germany. That is understood. But, after all, it is the leaders of the country who determine the policy and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy or a fascist dictatorship or a Parliament or a Communist dictatorship…

Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same way in any country.”

– Hermann Goering (as told to Gustav Gilbert during the Nuremberg trials)

 

[Jesus_Ateo]

So, one possibility here is that there was massive electoral fraud, making it appear that Trump received millions more votes than he actually received. To date, no reputable source has made a claim of massive electoral fraud. So, for now, I'm not embracing the massive electoral fraud scenario.

Another possibility is that millions of Americans actually HATE America's schools, America's farms, America's scientists, America's hospitals, America's medical doctors, America's nurses and America's foreign allies and they've just been WAITING DECADES for someone like Trump to come along and piss all over everything they hate and that's why Trump got more votes in 2016 than in 2020.
Yeah, but that seems like a longshot.

A third possibility is that more than 70 Million Americans have a cult-like devotion to conspiracy theorists like Alex Jones, Donald Trump, Sean Hannity, Tucker Carlson, Tim Wildmon, Bryan Fischer and organizations like QAnon, and that they are violently opposed to listen to anything from investigative journalists, medical doctors, nurses, climate scientists or epidemiologists. People who glorify in such cult-like willful ignorance and conspiracy theories could very well believe that Trump has been doing a great job for the past four years.

The third possibility is quite disturbing, but the most likely of the three scenarios. America has long had a movement of people who embrace ignorance and are highly suspicious of those who are educated. Just take a look at the large number of Americans who believe that the Earth is flat, that the moon landing was faked, that America was founded as a Christian theocracy, that vaccines are bad and that the Earth is only 6,000 years old, that dinosaurs never existed and that that Noah's Ark is real.

I've met people who believe these bizarre things.

I'll bet you have too.

Could America have 74 Million people who believe things like this?

Sadly, I think it's not only possible, but damn likely.

In Florida we have a disturbing abundance of people who believe in things like that.

Hillary Clinton Conspiracy Theories seem to be about a dime a dozen down here. People down here still believe that Hillary Clinton killed Seth Rich, they still believe that Hillary Clinton sold all of our weapons grade uranium to the Russians and that she ran a child sex ring out of the basement of pizza parlor.

All of these crazy conspiracy theories have long since been debunked, but people down here still believe them.

They also believe Trump's propaganda that the COVID-19 virus is a "hoax" and that there's no reason o wear masks or social distance.

Some of them have even gone so far as to say that science is a "political tool" to take away their freedoms.

So, they believed the propaganda from President Trump and governor DeSantis over medical science. They ripped off their masks and blew snot in each other's faces and held COVID parties.


And now the hospitals in Florida are overflowing, and Republicans are dying in large numbers.

 

[butters]

A third possibility is that more than 70 Million Americans have a cult-like devotion to conspiracy theorists like Alex Jones, Donald Trump, Sean Hannity, Tucker Carlson, Tim Wildmon, Bryan Fischer and organizations like QAnon, and that they are violently opposed to listen to anything from investigative journalists, medical doctors, nurses, climate scientists or epidemiologists. People who glorify in such cult-like willful ignorance and conspiracy theories could very well believe that Trump has been doing a great job for the past four years.

The third possibility is quite disturbing, but the most likely of the three scenarios. America has long had a movement of people who embrace ignorance and are highly suspicious of those who are educated. Just take a look at the large number of Americans who believe that the Earth is flat, that the moon landing was faked, that America was founded as a Christian theocracy, that vaccines are bad and that the Earth is only 6,000 years old, that dinosaurs never existed and that that Noah's Ark is real.

I've met people who believe these bizarre things.

I'll bet you have too.

Could America have 74 Million people who believe things like this?

Sadly, I think it's not only possible, but damn likely.

ding ding ding!

 

[WillJ8787]

So, one possibility here is that there was massive electoral fraud, making it appear that Trump received millions more votes than he actually received. To date, no reputable source has made a claim of massive electoral fraud. So, for now, I'm not embracing the massive electoral fraud scenario.

Another possibility is that millions of Americans actually HATE America's schools, America's farms, America's scientists, America's hospitals, America's medical doctors, America's nurses and America's foreign allies and they've just been WAITING DECADES for someone like Trump to come along and piss all over everything they hate and that's why Trump got more votes in 2016 than in 2020.
Yeah, but that seems like a longshot.

A third possibility is that more than 70 Million Americans have a cult-like devotion to conspiracy theorists like Alex Jones, Donald Trump, Sean Hannity, Tucker Carlson, Tim Wildmon, Bryan Fischer and organizations like QAnon, and that they are violently opposed to listen to anything from investigative journalists, medical doctors, nurses, climate scientists or epidemiologists. People who glorify in such cult-like willful ignorance and conspiracy theories could very well believe that Trump has been doing a great job for the past four years.

The third possibility is quite disturbing, but the most likely of the three scenarios. America has long had a movement of people who embrace ignorance and are highly suspicious of those who are educated. Just take a look at the large number of Americans who believe that the Earth is flat, that the moon landing was faked, that America was founded as a Christian theocracy, that vaccines are bad and that the Earth is only 6,000 years old, that dinosaurs never existed and that that Noah's Ark is real.

I've met people who believe these bizarre things.

I'll bet you have too.

Could America have 74 Million people who believe things like this?

Sadly, I think it's not only possible, but damn likely.

Very Cogent response...the answer here, I believe, is yes.

It is easy to live in a bubble, on either side of this coin.

I live in an almost entirely Democrat area right near Philadelphia.
Compared to a stones throw distance West of me, well, that's Trump(Republican) land. Go East of me into Philadelphia and they vote so heavily Democrat, it makes us look like Trump land comparitively.

It was easy for no one,.I mean no one, around my neighborhood to think Trump had any chance in 2016. My neighbors are in a bubble. They still are! The only was to see what was coming with Trump is to get out of ones bubble and sees what the other side is doing.
Thankfully, I'm a student of history so there are lots of books on this anti-intellectual mov't.

Fox and alt right media has been hammering away on the propaganda about Dems being evil socialists for years. With the recent addition of Twitter and Instagram along with social media like Facebook and even Youtube....sources of alt right information are being consumed by a very willing segment of the country...the Trump voters and even more seriously, the Trump base of about 40,000,000.

Make no mistake, they are the "product" in all this, his base and the larger number of voters for him...it just took a more savy user of social media, someone who uses simple messages and simple language to come along and create a very power movement and mobilize this "product".

In my opinion, nothing real is coming of this...it's all virtual like a lot of online stuff....that doesn't make it any more real for these folks. I do think it is a ticking time bomb and eventually something or someone(s) are going to get blown up.

I heard today the YouTube deleted some 8000 channels due to misinformation and violation of it's new policies....we shall see how this plays out.

For now there are two worlds at play, in play is probably.more correct.

 

[BoyNextDoor]

A lot of people were spooked by what they perceived (rightly or wrongly) as Democrat driven/encouraged riots in Dem states/cities, and they didn't want that for their neighbourhood.

That would be curtain #3 as described above.

 

[bodysong]

PBS aired The Ornament of the World and Cities of Light:
The Rise and Fall of Islamic Spain

Today, people are asking "how and why did Trump happen to America ?"

PBS persuades us to gaze at the accumulated events concerning the history
of Islamic Spain.

The artist Goya gazed long and hard, at his beloved Spain.

His life of studies caused him to produce "The Colossus."

Did he ask ", how and why did Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand happen to Spain ?"

The dominoes fell at Rome, they fell at Spain, they fall at America.

Young peole are taught the lesson of the death of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife.

Is there enough Democracy remaining in America, to help our Republic gain its feet, again ?
(After Trump and his cronies have done everything to harm it, besides cutting its throat.)