Why won't Donald Trump go away? Because Americans can't tell appearance from reality
Category: News & Politics
Via: john-russell • 3 years ago • 47 commentsBy: Brian Karem (Raw Story - Celebrating Years of Independent Journalism)
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Americans have a huge problem. It manifests itself in our politics and we see it in our daily lives. It is exacerbated by the commercials on television, the internet and our cell phones.
Many of us can no longer tell the difference between appearance and reality — if in fact we ever could.
This inability explains the appeal of Donald Trump, why some people believe professional wrestling is "real," why some of us won't take a COVID vaccine and why some of us will take a deworming drug meant for horses versus a vaccine designed by scientists for humans. It enables people to scream out "I don't trust the scientists," while at the same time checking themselves into the hospital if they get sick.
Flooded by a glut of misinformation that overwhelms actual facts, the American public seems to have reached a new level of mistrust and arrogant stupidity, further eroding our ability to take on problems and thus increasing our chances of a calamity heretofore unseen except in gothic horror stories or "Mad Max" movies.
It is why as recently as this week, scientists told NPR they needed to do better in communicating the problems of climate change. It's one of the reasons why a passenger on an American Airlines flight had to be restrained after he began screaming about Joe Biden. It's also why CNN published an opinion piece with the headline: "Let's be clear why the U.S. economy is weakening."
There are those who argue we've long been unable to tell the difference between appearance and reality, while others believe it is a recent phenomenon caused by misinformation. But rather than arguing which came first, we need to focus on those who don't recognize the problem at all.
In the case of Donald Trump, he has spent his life making bank on separating people from their cash by claiming to have answers he doesn't actually have. His ex-fixer, Michael Cohen, once told me that Trump is a master at stating the obvious. "He tells us we have a problem," Cohen explained, "that everyone will agree is a problem. But he has no answers."
For example: The wall. How simple. How stupid. Building a wall to stop the importation of illegal drugs and immigrants may sound appealing, but that assumes you've never heard of a ladder and can't build a tunnel. Since most drugs are smuggled into the country via ports of entry — that is, in aircraft, motor vehicles or boats and ships — the reality is that a wall does nothing to solve either problem.
Time and again, Trump has sold us the appearance of leadership, but the reality is best represented by what Trump told me on the South Lawn when I asked him whether he would take any responsibility for people ingesting Clorox and becoming sick trying to treat the coronavirus, because of something Trump had said recently in the White House briefing room.
"I take no responsibility," Trump reminded us.
He took no responsibility for the insurrection — while he provoked it. He took no responsibility for anything when pressed as president, though he and his surrogates drowned us with claims of his leadership prowess. His greatest sleight of hand came when he lost the election and refused to admit it — based on the "Big Lie" that tried to sell the appearance of a rigged election — when in reality he was the one trying to rig it. Thankfully, that failed.
But Trump's efforts have led to the rebirth of modern sadistic fascism, predominantly in the Bible Belt and specifically in Texas and Florida, where you have freedom to choose whether to wear a mask, but women are not free to choose whether or not to continue a pregnancy. As George Carlin once said, the reality is that governments in those states are simply anti-women. They also claim they want to preserve the sanctity of voting, but the laws they've enacted, in the realm of reality, do exactly the opposite. Trump may not be with us forever, but his actions have lit a nasty grease fire that threatens to burn down the kitchen. His acolytes and disciples come in a variety of packaging, but whether it is the Lauren Boebert brand, the Marjorie Taylor Greene brand or the Ron DeSantis brand, it's all merely appearance. The reality is, these people don't care about you.
By contrast, look at Joe Biden. He has been short on appearance, but long on reality. He claimed responsibility for removing troops from Afghanistan. The appearance was that of an unorganized withdrawal from a protracted war. The reality was we evacuated a population equal to that of Fort Lauderdale in less than a month.
The appearance is that we abandoned our military and caused consternation among veterans who questioned, "Was this all done in vain?" The reality is that it was done in vain and Presidents George Bush, Barack Obama and Donald Trump were responsible for that. Biden ended our participation that needlessly cost American lives and inflicted incalculable suffering on the Afghan people.
The appearance is that science bungled the pandemic response, or was responsible for it — or that scientists are inept, or that Lizard leaders are trying to kill us off. And it doesn't matter anyway because the vaccine doesn't work, or is filled with microchips that can track us. And horse dewormer is better anyway. In reality, the vaccine works, you can already be tracked through your cellphone and your life isn't all that interesting and no one wants to track you anyway — so get the vaccination.
So, if Biden is better on reality, while Trump relied heavily on appearance — then why is Trump still on anyone's radar? His personal appearances at multiple rallies, and the constant harping on his stale talking points from his fawning minions, while Biden has quietly emphasized the reality he's trying to build is the answer. Trump screams louder, and has more people parroting his talking points.
That makes some people fearful and others numb as they contemplate the question: Is Trumpism winning? It may seem so, but that is also an appearance. The reality is that Donald Trump is merely better at communicating than most Democrats — including the current president. What he communicates is the pure, unadulterated byproduct of what occurs after ingesting horse dewormer, but no one can deny that Trump was and is masterful at getting a great deal of media attention.
Biden's White House communication staff is smaller. He doesn't take as much time on the airwaves as Trump, and he's willing to let his actions speak for themselves. That leaves a lot of airtime unaccounted for and thus Trump, his minions and the media criticisms fill in the void.
Nature abhors a vacuum, but the airwaves cannot exist in one. The reality is that Trump is an idiot, Biden doesn't understand how to communicate and the United States is still divided because no one is shouting from the rafters about bringing us together the way that Trump did — and still does — about tearing us apart.
The Democrats' greatest single failure lies in failing to grasp the reality that for many American voters appearances are reality. While the Democrats, so far, have been much better at dealing with reality, Trumplicans have been better at selling their blue smoke and mirrors. James Carville once said that while he did not like what the GOP stood for, he admired their work ethic because they keep pushing what they're selling and never give up.
That's why we are still fighting for a woman's right to choose, fighting against racism and voter suppression. Too many Democrats believed that one victory was enough. There are people working in the White House today who believe that Trump and his allies are irrelevant because Biden won in 2020.
That's the appearance.
The reality is much darker — and we'd better come to grips with it before the midterm elections.
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Hard to disagree with any of that.
Because he's living in the minds of the left rent free.
Of course they can't tell reality. Look at what they voted into the WH. And 9 months later we are far worse off than ever before.
He's always in the media AND he's planning on running again in 2024...hence the media spot lights and his super spreader rallies
And then there's those of you who continue to wish for the "good ol' days". Miss the mean tweets complete with misspellings, do you?
THANKS for bringing that up. And they say we have Trumpturd Delusional Disorder.
Yeah, and whatshisname is 'cleaning up'/'re-making' his appearance and allegedly has lost weight for his 'presidential' 2024 run. He'll always be an disgusting ugly turd and a pig regardless.
Like I said before, you can't polish turd or a steaming pile of shit.
But you can spray Potty Poo or whatever that stuff is to try and make it smell better
I don't think there's enough Potty Poo in the world to eliminate that stench/make it smell better.
Potty Poo - you silly goose.
Funny. I just had to take a trump a few minutes ago.
Seriously! There's this stuff you spray in the bowl before you do a number 2 and it's supposed to cut down on the odor. I just couldn't remember the name so I made one up
I've seen the commercials. I think it's Poo-pourri!
You're still a silly goose though.
Poo Pourri! That's it! Thanks!
As long as I made somebody laugh today I did my job
I like my gooses silly.
And he's still in your head 100% rent free.
It must scald your ass to think that after the travesty that is the biden administration, that he stands a good chance of being elected.
many of us wish for the "good ol' days" when the government did things for the people not themselves or out of hatred. You know, like we are seeing now.
Nope. The only thing I miss about those is how infuriated they made you all. He could tweet the sky was blue, you would have a cornary and call him a liar.
A good chance of being elected????????????????????????
In what Bizarro world would that be?
Also trumpturd does nothing for anyone but trumpturd
phhfffttttt................
The same one he got elected in the first time. Seriously! It's as if you guys simply can't learn from the past. Go back and watch all the news media claiming Trump had zero chance of winning the first time and come election night, they're all gobsmacked.
Personally, I find it disappointing that so many want Trump back and that, so far, there doesn't seem to be a clear alternative, like even a brown paper bag, but hey. That's the world we live in. One where even Biden can be president.
Over the weekend Donald Trump gave a sit down interview to a known fake news site.
Does this disturb you? I only ask because nothing about Trump seems to disturb you.
It doesn't disturb me any more than any other interview by a politician by the majority of news sites because they're all mostly fake. They aren't doing a news interview, they are conducting politics. They are doing propaganda. They are either trying to torpedo someone or promote someone in support of a political narrative. I see no need to find Trump's interview to be any more egregious in this regard than, say, the same sort of interview of Nancy Pelosi.
Take, for instance, the Justice for J6 rally held today. It was exactly what I expected it to be. I didn't need to be some government expert on threat assessment, either. I think most people knew it was going to be a nothing burger as well. Even so, the news cycle fell all over itself to do it's best to hype up the "potential threat." The same sort of thing they did after the actual January 6th riot. Endless speculation about supposed imminent attacks, pointless keeping of the National Guard as visible as possible for as long as possible in order to give the illusion something was likely to occur when, anyone with an ounce of sense knows no anti government types would have gone anywhere near DC after the 6th. They would have been there on the 6th, instead. As idiotic as you may think them to be, even they can understand that you don't poke the wasps nest with a long stick and then approach it after it's all riled up to take it out.
So, no, it doesn't disturb me that it's Trump. It disturbs me that both sides do exactly the same thing but each side accepts it from their own side and excoriates the other side for doing the same thing.
I can't make up my mind about you JR. Either you've got tunnel vision concerning Trump so badly you can't see what's obvious or you understand perfectly well that the left is simply using Trump as a focus so their lemming followers will be less likely to wake up and see what's going on. That is, they rile up hate against Trump to the point where the lemmings don't care about anything else but taking him down, freeing the Dems to do what they want in other areas. That's the Dem playbook in a nutshell. You create an enemy and make that the issue so you don't have to explain the policies your pushing.
Take taxing the rich and large corporations. The Dems cast them as greedy capitalists that aren't paying their fair share, and by God, we're going to do something about it. We're going to tax them rather than the poor or middle class. And the lemmings just eat it up, never realizing the rich and the large companies are just going to pass those taxes onto us through the goods and services we purchase. They are going to inflate the prices of everything. But the lemmings don't care because, on the surface, it feels like the big guy is getting his comeuppance.
The truth is, the Dems ARE taxing the little guy, but doing it indirectly. That's good for Dems. It's exactly what the Dems want. Because things will get even tougher for the little guy, which is also what the Dems want. That way, they can claim the government needs to help the poor, poor little guy who's still being kept down by the big guy all over again in order to push more of those policies through to "solve" problems they themselves created, until we're so dependent on the government they own us.
So, again. I can't make up my mind about you. Either you've got tunnel vision so bad you can't see any of this or you actually support this effort by the left. Either way, you're wasting your time trying to convince me of the righteousness of your cause. You're cause leads away from freedom, whether you realize it or not. It only leads to control.
Oh, and some of the people you call Trumpsters (because not nearly as many as the left likes to claim are Trumpsters) are just as much lemmings as I consider many of the left to be. They may have different goals, some of which I don't desire any more than I desire to be a ward of the government. They have taken the idea of freedom to ridiculous extremes, where they are essentially in Sovereign Citizen territory, a political position I despise. Further, although they claim they are about freedom, they want to impose their beliefs on everyone else, ironically. In fact, the people on the left that I've been talking about are identical to the people on the right that I'm talking about. They do the same things. The only thing that's different is their politics and that the crazies on the left far outnumber those on the right.
Just because Trump would be a little covfefe'd while wearing his smocking jacket with the bigly sash while yelling "Where is my African American?!", is no reason to think the man is straight-up stupid and unfit for office. After all, this is the United Shaaze of Durrrrrr.
Saying that crap over and over doesn't make it true.
You're right. I'm starting to sound like you all. My TBI must be acting up.
You need to come up with a new line of crap!
What's wrong. Don't you like your tactics being used against you?
Like Bill Clinton has for the last 25 years in the minds of right wing conservatives?
It's true, right wing conservatives live in their own fantasy and don't even recognize reality anymore.
Rational Americans didn't vote for the dipshit Donald because they saw through his attempted projection of strength and saw him as the useless vile piece of shit sexual predator and low IQ moron he is.
Ah yes, the whining of losers proclaiming everything is worse than when they were in power when the facts are completely the opposite. Sure, they'll nitpick at everything, even the new President following through with their Tangerine Mussolini's negotiated plan with the Taliban is now considered being "worse off" since their loser wasn't re-elected. Of course if he had dishonest Donald would have been faced with the same choice, follow trough with the negotiated withdrawal or re-engage and keep tens of thousands of troops in Afghanistan indefinitely. The "worse off" is really a 20 year war which obviously went on far too long coming to an end. Does anyone really believe there was a painless way to rip off a crusty band-aid that's been festering for 20 years? If they do they're monumental fucking morons.
What world do you live in? There aren't multiple seeds here fixating on Bill Clinton on a daily basis.
It's true, right wing conservatives live in their own fantasy and don't even recognize reality anymore.
See you comment above and get back to us.
aw him as the useless vile piece of shit sexual predator and low IQ moron he is.
So they voted for a different piece shit liar, sexual predator and low IQ moron.
Sure, they'll nitpick at everything,
[deleted]
Utter nonsense.
Bill who? I personally did not vote for Trump and do not like him much at all. That being said, I did not vote for Biden and don't like him much either. Niether of those two clowns will get my vote in 2024. I'll vote 3rd party. I pray that both the the Republicans and the Democrats can come up with somebody new and much better but I'm not holding my breath either way.
You really need to spend more time paying attention to what's going on around you and less time with your head in your 4th point of contact.
Do you know what our mission was?
I'm pretty sure abandoning US Citizens in a hostile country wasn't a method. It's kind of telling that this is the SECOND administration that Biden was part of that abandoned US Citizens.
Fitting too how that ugly pig mouth of his looks like an anus.
Click on Dev's profile and you will see the best photo of trmp
It is the best! A little hard to look at though, because it is quite accurate.
There is no hue and cry for a return of Trumpism!
Tell us how you really feel, JBB
Is it that obvious?
No...nuh-uh...not at all....
ROFL!!!!!!!
Former President Donald Trump says he’ll be back in Iowa to hold rally
That statement would be more true if it said:
It's obvious that the majority of Americans were not fooled by this fool, they overwhelmingly kicked his fat ass to the curb last November.
Perhaps I'm less effected because I've never used Facebook and haven't had a cell phone since 1999.
I believe it has been a long road of right wing Christian conservatives undermining scientific research starting as far back as the Scopes trial. They have long been claiming, without a shred of proof, that the earth is only 6,000-9,000 years old, that there was a global flood even though the actual scientific evidence was contrary to their ridiculous beliefs. That sentiment was accelerated with the climate change deniers and has now been hyper-accelerated by the anti-vaccers.
These morons imagine their reality in a completely different way, through the warped lens of some fantasy religious universe that puts them at the center where an all powerful being who created all things is on their side so no matter what they believe, it's got to be the truth because they believe their omniscient God wouldn't let them, the supposed center of the fucking universe, suffer the indignity of being wrong. Why else would a once rational human take a deworming drug for horses but won't get an actual Covid vaccine approved for humans.
Of course it's just an appearance. In reality that little engine would never have made it over the mountain, but we have a few generations of religious bigots who keep chanting to themselves "I think I can, I think I can..." or "Satan planted fossils, the earth is only 9,000 years old" or "Climatologists are wrong, humans have no effect on climate change" or "Donald Trump won the 2020 election" or "Democrats eat babies and run child sex rings in Pizza parlor basements" or "Some mysterious alien Lizard beings and the 'Deep State' are controlling America". They're obviously fucking mental to any rational human, but because right wing conservative media keeps empowering their fantasies these fucking morons actually believe it. Why else would a right wing conservative Qanon believing father murder his young daughters with a spear gun claiming they were actually Lizard people. These fucking right wing conservative psychos are dangerous and the sooner the rest of America wakes up and takes this threat seriously the better.
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Don't know what you said and don't care. But-------I'd like to see spawned MAGGOT testify under oath for 11 hours like a certain woman did. He would implode into orange slush within an hour. There is no bet to hedge on this. I guarantee it.
Not going to happen! We are going to MAGA again! Trump 2024…
Trump go away? He can't. There's nowhere to go. He's stuck with himself. A liar, grifter and a fraud. As far as the MAGA's---------------they too have nowhere to go and all day to get there----so for them, it's a wash.
The only reason that Trump won't go away is that the Democrats need him. If it weren't for Trump getting all of the focus from the MSM and Democrat TDS driven lemmings; then they might actually have to concentrate of the current fuck up machine that occupies the White House. So the media and Democrats harp on Trump's every action, move, and message.
The Democrats and left desperately need Trump; because w/o him everyone would realize what a turd blossom was occupying the White House.
Exactly right! 👍👏😈🇺🇸