4 ms·

If Trump died, and in the aftermath it was revealed he had ties to a Chinese cult, his only remaining supporters would probably be the cult-like reality deniers

If Trump died, and in the aftermath it was revealed he had ties to a Chinese cult, his only remaining supporters would probably be the cult-like reality deniers.

chihuahua 3y ago
That Chinese cult would suddenly be immensely popular among tens of millions of Americans. Those people would dedicate their lives to the cult.
macintux 3y ago
> ...his only remaining supporters would probably be the cult-like reality deniers. He built a huge base largely on people who prefer to believe him over reality.
- GartzenDeHaes 3y ago
  "These people (the Trump voters) are sick and tired of being lied to by fake politicians and they just want to burn the whole system down -- Trump is their fire bomb." -- Michael Moore, prior to the 2016 election.
  - Aloha 3y ago
    That's not wrong, we have an issue with politicians promising things that are impossible or at a minimum highly implausible - because the structure of our political system means they won't be thrown out on their ear for making promises they can't keep.
    - darkerside 3y ago
      I actually think it's that politicians have been unwilling to promise things that they feel are politically infeasible, and arguably make no sense, like building a wall to Mexico
      - Aloha 3y ago
        Once Trump and his ilk came in, Those people lost elections.
    - Gud 3y ago
      It's not that they promise things that they can't deliver. It's that they pretend to be fighters for good, while instead using the system for cynical self gain.
      - Aloha 3y ago
        But they do promise lots of things they can't deliver as well.
    - kergonath 3y ago
      It kind of makes sense on an intellectual level, but I don’t think it is very plausible. Trump promised a lot of things when he was elected, most of which are practically impossible. I think he just promised the right things for his audience, whereas most politicians are so far up their arses that they don’t know what actual people want or care about.
      - Aloha 3y ago
        How is that different than anyone else? Republicans and Democrats alike say whatever they need to win a primary and general election, democrats do that in smaller quantities - but it's still the same bullshit. And before anyone says I'm "both sidesing" the green new deal (which was little more than a messaging bill with lots of words and little substance) was no more passable than building a southern border wall was, or repealing Obamacare (though this got close) for that matter.
      - chmod775 3y ago
        I don't think that's what GP meant: Voters just wanted to set the whole circus on fire. That the person they chose for the job also made impossible promises didn't matter. This happens a lot on a smaller scale in other democracies that aren't a two party system - people vote for some nonsense radicals or weirdo upstart party to signal the establishment it needs to change. Sometimes this has quite funny outcomes: Pirate party, the Greens in Germany in 1983, etc. Other times it's scary nutjobs. Rarely the parties stick around for longer, slowly becoming the establishment.
    - rayiner 3y ago
      > we have an issue with politicians promising things that are impossible or at a minimum highly implausible That's every democracy. The issue we have is that we're in a period where trust in elites is at rock bottom. (Both sides' elites--Mitch McConnell isn't much more popular among Trump voters than Biden.) The normal function of elites keeping the unwashed masses grounded in reality isn't working.
  - eastbound 3y ago
    Isn’t Michael Moore a Democrat?
    - GartzenDeHaes 3y ago
      Yes. This was part of an MSNBC discussion about Clinton's problem with union and working class white voters. The panel was having a hard time understanding why union members would vote Republican.
- edgyquant 3y ago
  Easier pill to swallow than admitting you live in a bubble
midasuni 3y ago
The ones that almost triggered an insurrection and civil war a couple of years ago?
- idontpost 3y ago
  [dead]
- DontchaKnowit 3y ago
  Civil war? Really? That. Ever almost happened. Dont be dramatic
  - midasuni 3y ago
    Was certainly the goal of some of the cults, at least according to the evidence in the indictment.
SilasX 3y ago
Wouldn’t a better analogy be a Mexican cult, to better approximate a country with the same relationship as China to Japan?

If Trump died, and in the aftermath it was revealed he had ties to a Chinese cult, his only remaining supporters would probably be the cult-like reality deniers.

chihuahua 3y ago

That Chinese cult would suddenly be immensely popular among tens of millions of Americans. Those people would dedicate their lives to the cult.

macintux 3y ago

> ...his only remaining supporters would probably be the cult-like reality deniers. He built a huge base largely on people who prefer to believe him over reality.

GartzenDeHaes 3y ago
"These people (the Trump voters) are sick and tired of being lied to by fake politicians and they just want to burn the whole system down -- Trump is their fire bomb." -- Michael Moore, prior to the 2016 election.
- Aloha 3y ago
  That's not wrong, we have an issue with politicians promising things that are impossible or at a minimum highly implausible - because the structure of our political system means they won't be thrown out on their ear for making promises they can't keep.
  - darkerside 3y ago
    I actually think it's that politicians have been unwilling to promise things that they feel are politically infeasible, and arguably make no sense, like building a wall to Mexico
    - Aloha 3y ago
      Once Trump and his ilk came in, Those people lost elections.
  - Gud 3y ago
    It's not that they promise things that they can't deliver. It's that they pretend to be fighters for good, while instead using the system for cynical self gain.
    - Aloha 3y ago
      But they do promise lots of things they can't deliver as well.
  - kergonath 3y ago
    It kind of makes sense on an intellectual level, but I don’t think it is very plausible. Trump promised a lot of things when he was elected, most of which are practically impossible. I think he just promised the right things for his audience, whereas most politicians are so far up their arses that they don’t know what actual people want or care about.
    - Aloha 3y ago
      How is that different than anyone else? Republicans and Democrats alike say whatever they need to win a primary and general election, democrats do that in smaller quantities - but it's still the same bullshit. And before anyone says I'm "both sidesing" the green new deal (which was little more than a messaging bill with lots of words and little substance) was no more passable than building a southern border wall was, or repealing Obamacare (though this got close) for that matter.
    - chmod775 3y ago
      I don't think that's what GP meant: Voters just wanted to set the whole circus on fire. That the person they chose for the job also made impossible promises didn't matter. This happens a lot on a smaller scale in other democracies that aren't a two party system - people vote for some nonsense radicals or weirdo upstart party to signal the establishment it needs to change. Sometimes this has quite funny outcomes: Pirate party, the Greens in Germany in 1983, etc. Other times it's scary nutjobs. Rarely the parties stick around for longer, slowly becoming the establishment.
  - rayiner 3y ago
    > we have an issue with politicians promising things that are impossible or at a minimum highly implausible That's every democracy. The issue we have is that we're in a period where trust in elites is at rock bottom. (Both sides' elites--Mitch McConnell isn't much more popular among Trump voters than Biden.) The normal function of elites keeping the unwashed masses grounded in reality isn't working.
- eastbound 3y ago
  Isn’t Michael Moore a Democrat?
  - GartzenDeHaes 3y ago
    Yes. This was part of an MSNBC discussion about Clinton's problem with union and working class white voters. The panel was having a hard time understanding why union members would vote Republican.
edgyquant 3y ago
Easier pill to swallow than admitting you live in a bubble

midasuni 3y ago

The ones that almost triggered an insurrection and civil war a couple of years ago?

idontpost 3y ago
[dead]
DontchaKnowit 3y ago
Civil war? Really? That. Ever almost happened. Dont be dramatic
- midasuni 3y ago
  Was certainly the goal of some of the cults, at least according to the evidence in the indictment.

SilasX 3y ago

Wouldn’t a better analogy be a Mexican cult, to better approximate a country with the same relationship as China to Japan?