There's a core of Trump's supporter that won't care if evidence shows Trump is a fraud and cheat. They like what he stands for. They like what he's trying to do.
But given the state of the race, evidence that Trump is a cheat and a fraud nonetheless hurts him.
At some point, the strongman facade will crumble, but the tax story is unlikely to do as long as his base thinks he can win.
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That's why Don Jr. is out there talking nonsense and making stuff up. As long as the Trump's are lying, his supporters know that he's still in the fight, so they're cheering.
New followers: This is my 2018 article about how his base knows he lies: slate.com/news-and-polit……
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Of course, the GOP knows Trump can't turn this around. That's why cheating and voter suppression are their only options.
Trump has to keep his base excited, which means he has to appeal to white supremacists.
He can't do that AND appeal to the majority of Americans.
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The "again" in MAGA signifies reactionist politics.
MAGA means take America back to the time white men could cheat and grab.
🎶Those were the days🎶
(I'm hearing Archie and Edith, not Mary Hopkins)
For years I was perplexed by what I was seeing on left-leaning Twitter, political blogs, and partisan reporting.
I had the feeling that, in its way, what I was seeing was comparable to Fox: Lots of bad information and even unhinged conspiracy theories.
2terikanefield.com/invented-narra…
Of course, if I suggested that, I was blasted for "both-sidesing."
Then I discovered an area of scholarship: Communications and the overlap between communications and political science.
Another contradiction: when people demanded indictments RIGHT NOW (in 2021 and early 2022) the reason was, "Everyone knows he's guilty! Look at all the evidence!"
We saw the J6 committee findings.
Trump isn't saying "I didn't do it." He's saying, "I had the right to do it."
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We all know what he did. The question is, "Do people want a president who acts like Trump?"
A lot of people do.
People show me polls that a guilty finding would change minds.
I say rubbish. Use common sense. He lost in 2020 and he lost the popular vote in 2016. . .
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. . . because it is designed to keep people hooked. People need to stay glued to the screen for hour after hour.
But to hook people, you need to scare them. The Facebook whistleblower testified that content that produces strong emotions like anger gets more engagement.
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Fox does the same thing. There is a few minutes of news, but the facts get lost as commentators and TV personalities speculate and scare their audiences.
Before you yell at me for comparing MSNBC to FOX, read all of this:
If I write another blog post addressing the outrage cycle here on Twitter and in the MSNBC ecosystem, it will be to explore why so many people who believe they are liberal or progressive actually want a police state.
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Today alone, a handful of people who consider themselves liberal or progressive told me that the "traitors need to be arrested and prosecuted."
In 2019, back when I wore myself out tamping down misinformation, I explained the legal meaning of treason.
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Back then, I now realize, people asked politely: "Can Trump be prosecuted for treason (over the Russia election stuff).
I explained that wouldn't happen.
Now it's different. It's more like fascist chants.
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