My view on why Trump did so well

[Benjamin Frank]

This is definitely true.  I have some absolute nuts in my family who were never involved in politics before Trump.  Now they have someone who puts a voice to their inane Facebook-meme conspiracy theories.

One of them texted me a month ago saying she thought Dr. Fauci should be executed for what he's done to this country.  Just two days ago, Steve Bannon was cancelled from social media for saying the same thing.  People were shocked, but I wasn't.

They like Tucker Carlson, and they like Ted Cruz.  They don't trust any other Republican politicians.  And they hate the Republican Party.  They don't actually know anything about politics and they don't understand how the government works.  All they know is that they read stuff on Facebook that's absolutely terrifying, and they adopt their opposition to that stuff as part of their personality.  Since "all politicians lie and do nothing and both sides are equally bad, full of liars and crooks" they weren't involved in politics and paid no attention.  But Trump/Cruz/Carlson embody their opposition to that terrifying nonsense they saw on Facebook.

And this isn't the typical MAGA or even QAnon nonsense that you may be thinking of.  This is crazy stuff you're probably not familiar with unless you live and breathe these circles.  Did you know that Dr. Klaus Schwab and the World Economic Forum give secret presentations about creating a global government where they mind-control everyone with secret computer programs hidden in vaccines?  This is the kind of stuff they actually believe.  Trump dog-whistles to them, so they love him.

This is the guest who was on Coast to Coast AM on Wednesday Night, using the write up from the Coast website:

Matthew Landman holds an MBA and was entrenched in the financial world when he decided to take a break to work on an organic farm in Humboldt County, where he became aware of geoengineering (chemtrails). In the first half, he discussed his ongoing efforts to raise awareness about toxins and damage from chemtrails, electromagnetic fields (EMF), vaccines, and 5G. He believes that a rogue group of elitists is behind the skies' spraying, as part of a "New World Order" agenda, and their efforts may cause a food shortage this winter. NASA and the government also run different programs that experiment with the stratosphere and the climate. These agencies think that geoengineering is the solution to climate warming, but Landman considers their efforts to be the culprit behind recent droughts and extreme weather events.

Regarding the potential COVID vaccine, he warned that the aluminum in the formula will create a toxic chemical reaction in the body. Coupled "with the increased EMF radiation from the launch of 5G," people will become psychologically malleable or zombified from the vaccine, leaving them easily controlled, he asserted. 5G, the next generation of mobile network technology, will make humans more susceptible to EMF radiation, he contended (he has founded the Spero Protective Clothing line to block or mitigate exposure). Landman also cautioned about the "blue light" emitted from all of our LED screens, which can disorient the body's natural circadian rhythms, particularly when we use these devices at night.

[GeneralMacArthur]

This is definitely true.  I have some absolute nuts in my family who were never involved in politics before Trump.  Now they have someone who puts a voice to their inane Facebook-meme conspiracy theories.

One of them texted me a month ago saying she thought Dr. Fauci should be executed for what he's done to this country.  Just two days ago, Steve Bannon was cancelled from social media for saying the same thing.  People were shocked, but I wasn't.

They like Tucker Carlson, and they like Ted Cruz.  They don't trust any other Republican politicians.  And they hate the Republican Party.  They don't actually know anything about politics and they don't understand how the government works.  All they know is that they read stuff on Facebook that's absolutely terrifying, and they adopt their opposition to that stuff as part of their personality.  Since "all politicians lie and do nothing and both sides are equally bad, full of liars and crooks" they weren't involved in politics and paid no attention.  But Trump/Cruz/Carlson embody their opposition to that terrifying nonsense they saw on Facebook.

And this isn't the typical MAGA or even QAnon nonsense that you may be thinking of.  This is crazy stuff you're probably not familiar with unless you live and breathe these circles.  Did you know that Dr. Klaus Schwab and the World Economic Forum give secret presentations about creating a global government where they mind-control everyone with secret computer programs hidden in vaccines?  This is the kind of stuff they actually believe.  Trump dog-whistles to them, so they love him.

This is the guest who was on Coast to Coast AM on Wednesday Night, using the write up from the Coast website:

Matthew Landman holds an MBA and was entrenched in the financial world when he decided to take a break to work on an organic farm in Humboldt County, where he became aware of geoengineering (chemtrails). In the first half, he discussed his ongoing efforts to raise awareness about toxins and damage from chemtrails, electromagnetic fields (EMF), vaccines, and 5G. He believes that a rogue group of elitists is behind the skies' spraying, as part of a "New World Order" agenda, and their efforts may cause a food shortage this winter. NASA and the government also run different programs that experiment with the stratosphere and the climate. These agencies think that geoengineering is the solution to climate warming, but Landman considers their efforts to be the culprit behind recent droughts and extreme weather events.

Regarding the potential COVID vaccine, he warned that the aluminum in the formula will create a toxic chemical reaction in the body. Coupled "with the increased EMF radiation from the launch of 5G," people will become psychologically malleable or zombified from the vaccine, leaving them easily controlled, he asserted. 5G, the next generation of mobile network technology, will make humans more susceptible to EMF radiation, he contended (he has founded the Spero Protective Clothing line to block or mitigate exposure). Landman also cautioned about the "blue light" emitted from all of our LED screens, which can disorient the body's natural circadian rhythms, particularly when we use these devices at night.

This is exactly the kind of s--t my family members believe.

And they send it to me.  They still send it to me.  I don't know what they expect me to say.

I've tried in the past to hold them to some predictions.  I say "you think we'll have a food shortage this winter?  OK, let's put that in writing and then this winter we'll see if there's actually a food shortage."  They never want to do it, and then accuse me of being patronizing.  Maybe I am being patronizing.  But I feel like our relationship is literally like parent-child when it comes to reality, the truth, and responsible consumption of media.  Like it's my responsibility to hold their hand and teach them how to not believe everything they read on the internet.

[Obama-Biden Democrat]

There is definitely something to this theory. Trump brought out nutcases who’d never ordinarily vote.

Yea like Hitler and Nazism, the MAGA cult without Trump is DOA. Even if Tom Cotton runs in 2024 he is going to struggle with the MAGA cult, as he lacks the dark energy and charisma to get the cultists enraged.

[Progressive Pessimist]

I am a 100% believer of this theory. Swings from 2016 to 2018 to 2020 sure do look like Dems have a high propensity base and the GOP has a lower propensity one.

The Democrats look to have the higher propensity base now. They didn't during Obama's presidency. Let's hope we can hold on to it.

Bush having the higher propensity base didn't stop 2006. It will ameliorate Democratic losses, but they're still losing the House unless Biden actually gets serious about executive orders (in a way I think he never intended to even with a trifecta) and the public buys what he sells.

The only way I can see Biden and the Democrats spinning s*** into gold with the midterms is if Biden oversees the pandemic's end and a massive economic recovery and be able to boast about them to an effect that he becomes popular like Bush in 2002. It could happen, but I am not holding my breath for it, we might be too polarized still by that point.

It would require threading the needle, but it's possible. As in my signature - if the Republicans keep the Senate, the optimal strategy would be to campaign against the Senate itself. Very intensely, aggressively. Turnout is how you win elections under polarization. Overwhelm the other side (see: Georgia).

I also think that perhaps Biden and Democrats can make McConnell the new Trump (though he should have already been perceived as Trump's equal, or even worse, in terms of villainy) . If there's one thing that the 2020 election proved is that Democrats unite better when they have something or someone to oppose.

[Benjamin Frank]

This is definitely true.  I have some absolute nuts in my family who were never involved in politics before Trump.  Now they have someone who puts a voice to their inane Facebook-meme conspiracy theories.

One of them texted me a month ago saying she thought Dr. Fauci should be executed for what he's done to this country.  Just two days ago, Steve Bannon was cancelled from social media for saying the same thing.  People were shocked, but I wasn't.

They like Tucker Carlson, and they like Ted Cruz.  They don't trust any other Republican politicians.  And they hate the Republican Party.  They don't actually know anything about politics and they don't understand how the government works.  All they know is that they read stuff on Facebook that's absolutely terrifying, and they adopt their opposition to that stuff as part of their personality.  Since "all politicians lie and do nothing and both sides are equally bad, full of liars and crooks" they weren't involved in politics and paid no attention.  But Trump/Cruz/Carlson embody their opposition to that terrifying nonsense they saw on Facebook.

And this isn't the typical MAGA or even QAnon nonsense that you may be thinking of.  This is crazy stuff you're probably not familiar with unless you live and breathe these circles.  Did you know that Dr. Klaus Schwab and the World Economic Forum give secret presentations about creating a global government where they mind-control everyone with secret computer programs hidden in vaccines?  This is the kind of stuff they actually believe.  Trump dog-whistles to them, so they love him.

This is the guest who was on Coast to Coast AM on Wednesday Night, using the write up from the Coast website:

Matthew Landman holds an MBA and was entrenched in the financial world when he decided to take a break to work on an organic farm in Humboldt County, where he became aware of geoengineering (chemtrails). In the first half, he discussed his ongoing efforts to raise awareness about toxins and damage from chemtrails, electromagnetic fields (EMF), vaccines, and 5G. He believes that a rogue group of elitists is behind the skies' spraying, as part of a "New World Order" agenda, and their efforts may cause a food shortage this winter. NASA and the government also run different programs that experiment with the stratosphere and the climate. These agencies think that geoengineering is the solution to climate warming, but Landman considers their efforts to be the culprit behind recent droughts and extreme weather events.

Regarding the potential COVID vaccine, he warned that the aluminum in the formula will create a toxic chemical reaction in the body. Coupled "with the increased EMF radiation from the launch of 5G," people will become psychologically malleable or zombified from the vaccine, leaving them easily controlled, he asserted. 5G, the next generation of mobile network technology, will make humans more susceptible to EMF radiation, he contended (he has founded the Spero Protective Clothing line to block or mitigate exposure). Landman also cautioned about the "blue light" emitted from all of our LED screens, which can disorient the body's natural circadian rhythms, particularly when we use these devices at night.

I hadn't noticed this until now, but this write up actually got one thing wrong, maybe its author was also taken about by the insanity of the guest.

I believe the guest did argue that the COVID vaccine (which doesn't presently exist) will cause a toxic reaction in the body to zombify the public, however, this leaves out that the guest also argued that some of the inputs in the masks sold to the public are already doing this.  The guest confused the N-95 masks worn by medical people with the non-medical masks sold to the public, so he seemed to be confused himself, but when you're a nutter, I don't believe that's unexpected.

Interesting also is the host of Coast to Coast, George Noory, is also changing his tune in these areas in an even more negative way now that his hero Trump has lost.  At the start of the whole Covid situation back in March, Noory said on a number of occasions, presumably to calm his listeners, "there could be a vaccine in a couple months, you just never know.'  (Noory is a genuinely ignorant person.  Given all the testing requiring, there could never have been a vaccine in March in just a couple months.)

However, Noory has been pushing for the economy to be completely reopened and for people to 'boost their immune system' to fight the Coronavirus.  Now that his hero Trump has been defeated, he no longer needs to not contradict Trump on the timing of a vaccine, so he said yesterday "there may never be a vaccine.  It may not even be possible.  Covid is a Coronavirus like the common cold and there has never been a vaccine for that."

(That is also ignorant in that the Covid seems to be a lot more stable than the common cold.)

However, part of the interesting thing here is that I can understand why these extremist loony conspiracy theorists confuse(d) Democratic strategists and why they would not have appreciated how Trump could appeal to them (this wasn't just Democratic strategists either.)  

During the open line segment of last night's show, Noory was asked in a segment of "Noory answers your tweets" 'what law would he like to see enacted.'  He responded to the question with a reply regarding what law he'd like to see removed, and he mentioned drug laws.  He argued, as I do, that all drugs should be legalized, and, if necessary, that there should be treatment provided for people who want to get off drugs.  He argued, as I do, that drug laws are antithetical to basic notions of freedom, and that the destruction of lives by drugs being illegal is far greater than the destruction of lives by the drugs themselves.

In the case of this loony guest, he is an organic farmer who dislikes multinational corporations.  On the surface, he sounds like somebody who the Democrats could easily persuade to vote for them.