3 ms·

I simply don’t understand how American voters are fine with being robbed blind. Many countries have far more corrupt administrations than the current U.S. one,

I simply don’t understand how American voters are fine with being robbed blind. Many countries have far more corrupt administrations than the current U.S. one, but even in the most degenerate ones none of them are as open about it. And it’s not just a political thing. Consider how the Chinese owned Smithfield’s is polluting lakes and land all over the Midwest with their highly intensive (and incredibly cruel) pig farming that is causing high cancer and mortality rates for the people living there, and yet the locals tend to support whatever Smithfield wants.

superloika 4mo ago
It's because the massess are cattle themselves.
- swed420 4mo ago
  'The Century of the Self' really drives this point. https://thoughtmaybe.com/the-century-of-the-self https://thoughtmaybe.com/the-century-of-the-self Then corporate social media took things to the next level.
hedora 4mo ago
I don’t get it either. I think it is a combination of the two party system, and short attention span / tribalism. Look at the California primaries. In every race I can name, the right wing (like funded by the same people as Trump levels of right wing) and the republican token candidate are advancing to the general election. We have open primaries, so, in theory, there could be a corporate democrat vs. a populist/progressive democrat in the general elections. I say “token” republicans because they are clearly sending the B team. One ran on “too many dogs get to vote” and another (who advanced) on a transphobic platform. Typical breakdowns of California primaries in Silicon Valley, translated to European norms: 5% left, 15-25% center left, 30-35 moderate to hard right, 35-40 right wing nationalist. In the general, the first three categories will collapse, and the moderate to hard right democrat that gets elected will claim they have a mandate from the voters. Edit: The narrative dominating the news cycle is Trump’s claim the elections are rigged because the results were so far to the left. I guess he wants two republicans facing off in every general election race, despite the state being overwhelmingly blue. Also, on ballot initiatives, the state overwhelmingly votes left, not moderate right, so, when presented with an actual policy decision, they vote completely differently than they do when given a choice of candidates.
- stevenwoo 4mo ago
  There’s one bright spot, the Los Angeles mayoral race eliminated the MAGA candidate so it’s a corporate Dem versus more left Dem.
unharmed474 4mo ago
[flagged]
- yacin 4mo ago
  Are you suggesting that immigrants are to blame for electing the current administration that's robbing them blind?
  - hedora 4mo ago
    Most people in my social circles that do not feel the US is in an existential crisis are first generation immigrants. They see the checks and balances that we used to have, and assumed those structures would constrain the administration to mostly tow the line. On the one hand, it’s true they came from places with weaker institutions. On the other hand, they’re used to leaders that face real threats of coup, asset seizure, assassination, etc. The current US administration has publicly stated it is permanently above the law, and it has also dismantled most checks and balances.
    - yacin 4mo ago
      I basically have the opposite reaction from my first gen immigrant social circle ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. Also, unless they're ignoring/ignorant of the checks & balances falling apart, I'm not sure this bolsters OPs implied point.
  - deleted 4mo ago
    [deleted]
- cosmicgadget 4mo ago
  Weird to equate "American culture" and being able to understand democracy.
2OEH8eoCRo0 4mo ago
Most voters aren't fine with it. https://www.economist.com/interactive/trump-approval-tracker https://www.economist.com/interactive/trump-approval-tracker
- philistine 4mo ago
  Donald Trump was re-elected because too many voters who voted against him the last two times stayed home. That they don't approve, yet did not go vote, is the textbook definition of fine with it. America does not have a wellspring of anti-Trump voters just waiting to be awakened. America is Trump.
skybrian 4mo ago
Americans aren’t “fine with it.” Trump’s approval ratings are very low. https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/trump-approval-stays-near-record-low-most-americans-expect-higher-gas-prices-2026-06-08/ https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/trump-approval-stays...
- cosmicgadget 4mo ago
  Which is weird because this is pretty much what they voted/abstained for. I think we have to trust the ballot box more than opinion polls.
  - datsci_est_2015 4mo ago
    > I think we have to trust the ballot box more than opinion polls. I think voting trends are a pretty poor signal of voter values, but a much stronger signal of voter “alignment”, especially in first-past-the-post systems.
    - cosmicgadget 4mo ago
      Certainly there is very little granularity in both election outcomes and yea/nay approval rating. That said, if people voted based on values or alignment for a candidate that said he would overturn civil service reform and conduct the bigliest deportation campaign in history, it'd be silly to think they'd reject the outcomes they voted for.
      - datsci_est_2015 4mo ago
        I think one of Trump’s greatest sleight-of-hands was convincing nearly every red triber that he represented their interests specifically, which is the ultimate goal of a populist. He was simultaneously a free market hero, while also highly protectionist. He was fair and sophisticated, while also highly retributive and humble. He became representative of their values, no matter what they were. I even still see it when talking to people who lean red - they’ll forgive Trump for nearly everything except what they view as being the important thing, which is a reflection of their own politics rather than Trump’s. I mean, up until the election he was denying that he even knew what Project 2025 was, and now he’s bragging about how much from the document he’s accomplished. Trump’s win was not a policy win, it was a culture war win.
insane_dreamer 4mo ago
> Many countries have far more corrupt administrations than the current U.S. one not sure that "many" applies anymore; we're almost up there with DRC and Zimbabwe at this point

superloika 4mo ago

It's because the massess are cattle themselves.

swed420 4mo ago
'The Century of the Self' really drives this point. https://thoughtmaybe.com/the-century-of-the-self https://thoughtmaybe.com/the-century-of-the-self Then corporate social media took things to the next level.

hedora 4mo ago

I don’t get it either. I think it is a combination of the two party system, and short attention span / tribalism. Look at the California primaries. In every race I can name, the right wing (like funded by the same people as Trump levels of right wing) and the republican token candidate are advancing to the general election. We have open primaries, so, in theory, there could be a corporate democrat vs. a populist/progressive democrat in the general elections. I say “token” republicans because they are clearly sending the B team. One ran on “too many dogs get to vote” and another (who advanced) on a transphobic platform. Typical breakdowns of California primaries in Silicon Valley, translated to European norms: 5% left, 15-25% center left, 30-35 moderate to hard right, 35-40 right wing nationalist. In the general, the first three categories will collapse, and the moderate to hard right democrat that gets elected will claim they have a mandate from the voters. Edit: The narrative dominating the news cycle is Trump’s claim the elections are rigged because the results were so far to the left. I guess he wants two republicans facing off in every general election race, despite the state being overwhelmingly blue. Also, on ballot initiatives, the state overwhelmingly votes left, not moderate right, so, when presented with an actual policy decision, they vote completely differently than they do when given a choice of candidates.

stevenwoo 4mo ago
There’s one bright spot, the Los Angeles mayoral race eliminated the MAGA candidate so it’s a corporate Dem versus more left Dem.

unharmed474 4mo ago

[flagged]

yacin 4mo ago
Are you suggesting that immigrants are to blame for electing the current administration that's robbing them blind?
- hedora 4mo ago
  Most people in my social circles that do not feel the US is in an existential crisis are first generation immigrants. They see the checks and balances that we used to have, and assumed those structures would constrain the administration to mostly tow the line. On the one hand, it’s true they came from places with weaker institutions. On the other hand, they’re used to leaders that face real threats of coup, asset seizure, assassination, etc. The current US administration has publicly stated it is permanently above the law, and it has also dismantled most checks and balances.
  - yacin 4mo ago
    I basically have the opposite reaction from my first gen immigrant social circle ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. Also, unless they're ignoring/ignorant of the checks & balances falling apart, I'm not sure this bolsters OPs implied point.
- deleted 4mo ago
  [deleted]
cosmicgadget 4mo ago
Weird to equate "American culture" and being able to understand democracy.

2OEH8eoCRo0 4mo ago

Most voters aren't fine with it. https://www.economist.com/interactive/trump-approval-tracker https://www.economist.com/interactive/trump-approval-tracker

philistine 4mo ago
Donald Trump was re-elected because too many voters who voted against him the last two times stayed home. That they don't approve, yet did not go vote, is the textbook definition of fine with it. America does not have a wellspring of anti-Trump voters just waiting to be awakened. America is Trump.

skybrian 4mo ago

Americans aren’t “fine with it.” Trump’s approval ratings are very low. https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/trump-approval-stays-near-record-low-most-americans-expect-higher-gas-prices-2026-06-08/ https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/trump-approval-stays...

cosmicgadget 4mo ago
Which is weird because this is pretty much what they voted/abstained for. I think we have to trust the ballot box more than opinion polls.
- datsci_est_2015 4mo ago
  > I think we have to trust the ballot box more than opinion polls. I think voting trends are a pretty poor signal of voter values, but a much stronger signal of voter “alignment”, especially in first-past-the-post systems.
  - cosmicgadget 4mo ago
    Certainly there is very little granularity in both election outcomes and yea/nay approval rating. That said, if people voted based on values or alignment for a candidate that said he would overturn civil service reform and conduct the bigliest deportation campaign in history, it'd be silly to think they'd reject the outcomes they voted for.
    - datsci_est_2015 4mo ago
      I think one of Trump’s greatest sleight-of-hands was convincing nearly every red triber that he represented their interests specifically, which is the ultimate goal of a populist. He was simultaneously a free market hero, while also highly protectionist. He was fair and sophisticated, while also highly retributive and humble. He became representative of their values, no matter what they were. I even still see it when talking to people who lean red - they’ll forgive Trump for nearly everything except what they view as being the important thing, which is a reflection of their own politics rather than Trump’s. I mean, up until the election he was denying that he even knew what Project 2025 was, and now he’s bragging about how much from the document he’s accomplished. Trump’s win was not a policy win, it was a culture war win.

insane_dreamer 4mo ago

> Many countries have far more corrupt administrations than the current U.S. one not sure that "many" applies anymore; we're almost up there with DRC and Zimbabwe at this point