SEARCHING SOULS
How Can Anyone Vote For This Guy?
Who are our fellow Americans?
A friend asked, “How can anyone vote for this guy?” Though the original question was rhetorical, the literal interpretation is worth pondering.
At least half of the former president’s supporters have no idea what he stands for. (This statistic is provided by the same mechanism that their favored news outlets use. Don’t be concerned. In this case, the feces clinging after extraction have been disinfected.)
Many believe without question the pap they are fed by confirmational media. That which confirms their selected dogma is amplified while actions of their hero running contrary to their mythology go unreported. The fact many will vote for the former president is merely a verification of the old axiom that there is one born every minute.
But there is more here than media-fed sleight of hand.
Racist? What else is new?
A young black man stated that many of his compatriots would vote for the former president. When asked how they could vote for an avowed racist, he responded, “From our point of view, all the presidents except Obama are old white racists. It’s only a matter of degree.”
Remember those relief checks that were delayed because the Orange Menace wanted his name on them? That’s what they remember. And it’s not just the black folk. Many citizens are not influenced by aspirations, promises, or changes in the tax code. What is important is that the former president put money in their hands.
We laughed at the stupidity and egomania of his name on the checks at the time. Are we laughing now?
Never underestimate the stupidity of people in large groups — George Carlin (and others)
Enabler
The Stable Genius Conman is an enabler. “There are very fine people on both sides,” mocking a handicapped journalist and Biden’s stutter, and tales of grabbing pussy are appeals to our baser selves. For those who can’t or won’t rise above similar urges, it is incredibly enabling to have the former president act in the same manner. The message is that “You are OK just the way you are! You do not need to direct your behavior towards a higher ideal, and no one has the right to tell you otherwise.”
Following the rants of our former “leader,” one can conclude that those who indicate that we citizens should strive for higher ideals are hypocrites of the first degree. How comforting to know that those who “know better” are no better.
Praise the Lord!
The “Christian” Nationalists see the ex-president as a flawed prophet who will establish the theocracy they so dearly want. The “Christian” USA is something they want so dearly that they’ve made a pact with the devil.
As Ben Carson says, “God uses different people for different times.” For “Christian” Nationalists, God justifiably uses any means to reach the desired end.
It’s Just Big Business
There are business people who put profit above all else. Some believe they’ll do better under the dictator, free of regulations that handicap profitability for the sake of nebulous goals such as fair wages, environmental health, and employee safety.
And they are probably correct for the short term. The next quarter is always at the forefront of the mind of a CEO. Corporate greedheads who received a ridiculous tax cut in 2017 at the expense of all of us (via the deficit) favor him. While a cut may have been justified, the magnitude of the cut and increasing the deficit and the national debt were not. Big money is being directed to PACs that skirt campaign finance rules to ensure this gift is not called back.
And small business, too
Small businesspeople also often favor our presidential criminal. They see him as one who will reduce regulations that are a drag on their businesses. Those running farms, pizza shops, and window manufacturing businesses are rarely far from bankruptcy and justifiably resent any regulation making their continued existence more difficult.
If you feel President Obama never met a regulation he didn’t like, you are apt to vote for one who views money as the reason for existence.
Fear
And there is fear. Many fear that a brave new America will be worse in many ways than a flawed but known existence. The former president has great appeal to those who enjoy their traditional roles and are mystified by the unrest others feel.
Change is often scary, and the most fearful of us are poorly adapted to making the transition. If the status quo is comforting and feels “right,” change is threatening. Change is even more threatening if the status quo of days gone by has been mythologized as the ideal to which America should return.
Our former president is happy to paint the fictitious picture.
