The Cult of Trump

[Bob Ross]

I've read quite a few books with the intent of trying to comprehend the MAGA.

This one is the best even though it was written in 2019, before COVID, the election, and Jan 6th.

Just in case anyone is interested.

www.amazon.com/Cult-Trump-Leading-Explains-President/dp/1982127333

[djAdvocate]

let's not forget this one:

www.asc.upenn.edu/news-events/news/fear-losing-status-not-economic-hardship-drove-voters-2016-presidential-election

[Tennesseer]

Oct 6, 2021 13:26:21 GMT -5 Bob Ross said:

I've read quite a few books with the intent of trying to comprehend the MAGA.

This one is the best even though it was written in 2019, before COVID, the election, and Jan 6th.

Just in case anyone is interested.

www.amazon.com/Cult-Trump-Leading-Explains-President/dp/1982127333

It's now MAGAA; "Make America Great Again, Again!"


Trump Super PAC rebrands: 'Make America Great Again, Again!'
link

[Opti]

Were you able to read it without getting corrupted by reading it? I've read too many books on Trump and his administration. I ended up returning Landslide without reading most of it because it was too similar to the other one I had out. 

[billisonboard]

Cult indeed:

A 63% majority of Republicans say their party should be not too (32%) or not at all (30%) accepting of elected officials who openly criticize Trump, according to the new survey. Just 36% of Republicans say the GOP should be very (11%) or somewhat (26%) accepting of officials who do so.

By contrast, about six-in-ten Democrats say the Democratic Party should be very (17%) or somewhat accepting (40%) of Democratic elected officials who openly criticize President Joe Biden.

link

[Opti]

Oct 6, 2021 20:12:11 GMT -5 billisonboard said:

Cult indeed:

A 63% majority of Republicans say their party should be not too (32%) or not at all (30%) accepting of elected officials who openly criticize Trump, according to the new survey. Just 36% of Republicans say the GOP should be very (11%) or somewhat (26%) accepting of officials who do so.

By contrast, about six-in-ten Democrats say the Democratic Party should be very (17%) or somewhat accepting (40%) of Democratic elected officials who openly criticize President Joe Biden.

link

The headline of your link is even worse for me. Its the stuff of nightmares.

Two-thirds of Republicans want Trump to retain major political role; 44% want him to run again in 2024.

[djAdvocate]

those numbers are lower than I expected.
wonder what they will be after he is arrested?

[happyhoix]

Oct 6, 2021 21:36:04 GMT -5 djAdvocate said:

those numbers are lower than I expected.
wonder what they will be after he is arrested?

Unfortunately for quite a few of them, it would just increase their adoration of him.

They bought the Big Lie and also the Presidential Harassment lie.

[thyme4change]

Oct 6, 2021 20:12:11 GMT -5 billisonboard said:

Cult indeed:

A 63% majority of Republicans say their party should be not too (32%) or not at all (30%) accepting of elected officials who openly criticize Trump, according to the new survey. Just 36% of Republicans say the GOP should be very (11%) or somewhat (26%) accepting of officials who do so.

By contrast, about six-in-ten Democrats say the Democratic Party should be very (17%) or somewhat accepting (40%) of Democratic elected officials who openly criticize President Joe Biden.

link

These numbers are one reason I am afraid the Lincoln project won't be successful. They have to convert way more people in the GOP away from Trump. I know they could pull independents and maybe even some democrats who don't want the party to go full AOC/Bernie. But the numbers they can pull from those pools are not enough to gain traction. They still have so very much work to do inside their own party. Without shutting down the disinformation pipeline, it won't happen.

[Tennesseer]

Bob Ross - you hurt Value Buy 's feelings with your thread.  VB felt the need to mimic your thread.  Rather pathetic.

[tallguy]

Oct 7, 2021 9:58:09 GMT -5 Tennesseer said:

Bob Ross - you hurt Value Buy 's feelings with your thread.  VB felt the need to mimic your thread.  Rather pathetic.

FTFY

[djAdvocate]

Oct 7, 2021 9:58:09 GMT -5 Tennesseer said:

Bob Ross - you hurt Value Buy 's feelings with your thread.  VB felt the need to mimic your thread.  Rather pathetic.

I was wondering which came first.

[Bob Ross]

Oct 7, 2021 12:54:59 GMT -5 djAdvocate said:

Oct 7, 2021 9:58:09 GMT -5 Tennesseer said:

Bob Ross - you hurt Value Buy 's feelings with your thread.  VB felt the need to mimic your thread.  Rather pathetic.

I was wondering which came first.

Based on the timestamps, mine predated his by about 18 hours.

Anyways, I'm not just throwing the term "cult" around.  Here's a few reviews of the book, taken from Amazon:

"This book is a fascinating tour through the ways people are recruited and retained by cults, the characteristics of cult leadership and the dimensions of undue influence. Point by point, Hassan shows how Trump and his followers meet each of the criteria that define a cult and how Trump's childhood and rise to the presidency shaped his imperious, narcissistic style and why his followers, both in the voting public and the congress, cannot make a rational evaluation of his words and actions. This book is a must for anyone who wants to understand the current political climate." –Judith Stevens-Long, Ph.D and author of Living Well, Dying Well

“Drawing on both his experiences as cult expert and ex-cult member, Hassan opens a wide-ranging, thoughtful and well-researched analysis of some of the most puzzling aspects of the current presidency, including the remarkable passivity of fellow Republicans, the gross pandering of many members of the press, the curious avoidance of clear labels that could and should be applied by the media. Quibbles and speculations about diagnosis do not play central roles. Instead, the current administration is best understood through cult analogies, including factors such as total authoritarianism and intolerance of any questioning or deviation from the “playbook.” This is both a clarifying and a terrifying book. Highly recommended.” –Thomas G. Gutheil, MD and professor of psychiatry, Harvard Medical School.

“The Cult of Trump, in step-by-step detail, examines the inner-workings of our current Presidential administration. Hassan masterfully parallels the psychological manipulation employed by cults over its members with the current administration’s distortion of reality by its twisting narratives and use of systematic techniques to influence our view of the country. The picture is much darker than mere buffoonery.” –Robin Boyle Laisure, J.D., advisory council member of International Cultic Studies Association, and author of “Employing Trafficking Laws to Capture Elusive Leaders of Destructive Cults”

And an "About the Author":

"Steven Hassan is a mental health professional who specializes in helping people to recover from mind control as well as helping loved ones to exit without coercion. He has been helping people leave destructive relationships and organizations since 1976 after he was rescued from the infamous cult, the Moonies. Hassan directs the Freedom of Mind Resource Center, a counseling and publishing organization outside of Boston, teaches at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital, and is pursuing a doctorate from Fielding University. He is the author of Combating Cult Mind Control and Releasing the Bonds and Freedom of Mind: Helping Loved Ones Leave Controlling People, Cults and Beliefs."

BTW...Projection is a favorite tactic of Cult Leaders and their followers. 

[djAdvocate]

their Kool Aid is a blend of HCQ and dewormer.

[Opti]

Oct 6, 2021 14:10:25 GMT -5 djAdvocate said:

let's not forget this one:

www.asc.upenn.edu/news-events/news/fear-losing-status-not-economic-hardship-drove-voters-2016-presidential-election

This is a good article.

Mutz found that Americans feel increasingly threatened by the interdependence of the United States with other countries. Their sense that America is no longer the dominant superpower it once was influenced their vote in 2016.


But those who felt besieged by globalization and the rise of a majority-minority America were quite likely to vote for Trump. For example, those who thought whites were discriminated against more than blacks, Christians more than Muslims, and men more than women were most likely to support Trump.

The interesting thing with the cult of Trump is we actually lost ground faster as our superpower's go under Trump, but since flags and rallies lull some of the masses, I don't think many of them noticed. The last three pairs are harder. 

[djAdvocate]

yeah, what Trump supporters fear is not economic loss. that is what most Democrats assumed, wrongly. what they fear is LOSS OF STATUS. they don't want some "negro" bossing them around. this is WHY Obama catalyzed this movement. because it is a reversal of established order in the US.

I don't even think most Trump supporters are CONSCIOUS of any of this stuff, which makes it even more frustrating. it is a very primitive sense of things, and it can't be reasoned with. so don't try.

[thyme4change]

I don't think Biden gets anywhere near cult status. If we were talking Bernie or AOC, I could see the link - but does anyone really **love** Biden. The prevailing attitude seems to be: He is better than Trump, and not doing anything crazy so he is alright, I guess. Or He sucks because he is not Bernie/AOC. I don't see anyone going into a worship status with him. Maybe just my people?

[Tennesseer]

As our current president, Biden doesn't feel the need to be in the news day and night.

As a former two-times impeached president, trump feels the need to be in the news day and night.

[NastyWoman]

Oct 6, 2021 14:10:25 GMT -5 djAdvocate said:

let's not forget this one:

www.asc.upenn.edu/news-events/news/fear-losing-status-not-economic-hardship-drove-voters-2016-presidential-election

That was then and this is now (there are the mandatory "taken out of context claims of course):


 www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/white-children-suffer-when-e2-80-98kids-of-color-e2-80-99-are-taught-that-they-e2-80-98belong-e2-80-99-connecticut-republican-says/ar-AAPdIjn?ocid=uxbndlbing

[tbop77]

Sens. John Barrasso of Wyoming, Roy Blunt of Missouri, Shelley Moore-Capito of West Virginia, Susan Collins of Maine, John Cornyn of Texas, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Rob Portman of Ohio, Mike Rounds of South Dakota, Richard Shelby of Alabama, and John Thune of South Dakota helped Democrats break the filibuster. The cloture vote was 61-38; the final vote on the bill was 50-48 along party lines.




www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/trump-urged-gop-senators-to-vote-no-on-raising-the-debt-ceiling-11-senators-including-mitch-mcconnell-ignored-him-and-voted-to-pave-the-way-for-passage/ar-AAPg133?ocid=uxbndlbing

Good luck to you guys, the cult of Trump will give it all they got to destroy you!  

[chiver78]

Collins and Murkowski have been targets for awhile already, this definitely just sealed it. 

[Bob Ross]

Trump issued a statement not to vote for McConnell's debt ceiling proposal.  They did anyways.

His power and influence are waning.

Don't believe the media scare tactics done to keep you afraid and thus, boosting their ratings.

Trump is going to prison. 

[Opti]

Oct 8, 2021 7:39:34 GMT -5 Bob Ross said:

Trump issued a statement not to vote for McConnell's debt ceiling proposal.  They did anyways.

His power and influence are waning.

Don't believe the media scare tactics done to keep you afraid and thus, boosting their ratings.

Trump is going to prison. 

Both McConnell and Trump are acting in their own interests. Trump wanted to disallow the vote entirely, and McConnell wanted to make sure he gets this scored as a pure Democrat thing. McConnell's whole identity and power is tied up in wielding the GOP senators as his personal puppets so he can keep his position.

From a power standpoint, McConnell is the power right now. Especially if you are a senator. McConnell was telegraphing earlier, he did not want to even allow the vote.

This is not proof Trump lost power. Trump is not employed by the US government now, but McConnell is. 

[happyhoix]

The Senate committee came out with their investigation of how Trump tried to stage a coup in the DOJ to steal the election.

There was a three hour meeting where multiple DOJ members had to threaten to quit if Trump appointed a puppet to head the DOJ who would declare the election corrupt. Trump finally agreed not to make the appointment.

Dems are claiming something like 9 special instances where Trump attempted to overthrow the election results.

GOP members of the committee say that Trump was merely consulting the DOJ.

Definitely a fucking cult.

Also- Chuck Grassley said Trump talked about creating a coup but didn’t actually do it so what’s the big deal.

I’m trying to imagine what would have happened if Obama tried to strong arm the DOJ into overthrowing the 2016 election for Hillary and got caught doing it.

[Tennesseer]

donald trump was again overlooked for the Nobel Peace Prize. It was awarded to two journalists and their fight against corruption and for freedom of the press. The exact opposite of what trump stands for.

I wonder if trump was considered for the Nobel Prize for Medicine. After all trump thought injecting bleach and Lysol in the bodies of those who contracted the Covid virus would cure them.

Journalists who took on Putin and Duterte win 2021 Nobel Peace Prize

OSLO/MOSCOW/MANILA, Oct 8 (Reuters) - Journalists Maria Ressa and Dmitry Muratov, who braved the wrath of the leaders of the Philippines and Russia to expose corruption and misrule, won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday, in an endorsement of free speech under fire worldwide.

The two were awarded "for their courageous fight for freedom of expression" in their countries, Chairwoman Berit Reiss-Andersen of the Norwegian Nobel Committee told a news conference.

"At the same time, they are representatives of all journalists who stand up for this ideal in a world in which democracy and freedom of the press face increasingly adverse conditions," she added. "Free, independent and fact-based journalism serves to protect against abuse of power, lies and war propaganda."

Link to story here: link

[azucena]

But Trump became Putin's best friend, shouldn't that count?

[Icelandic Woman]

Oct 8, 2021 7:39:34 GMT -5 Bob Ross said:

Trump issued a statement not to vote for McConnell's debt ceiling proposal.  They did anyways.

His power and influence are waning.

Don't believe the media scare tactics done to keep you afraid and thus, boosting their ratings.

Trump is going to prison. 

We can only hope but WHEN? All his legal crap is taking way to long!

In the mean time he is able to continue inflicting his Blizzard of Bullshit on us and driving this country to the brink of a democracy disaster with the help of all the cowardly cohort Repugnants in his Cult of Personality.

[djAdvocate]

Oct 8, 2021 7:39:34 GMT -5 Bob Ross said:

Trump issued a statement not to vote for McConnell's debt ceiling proposal.  They did anyways.

His power and influence are waning.

Don't believe the media scare tactics done to keep you afraid and thus, boosting their ratings.

Trump is going to prison. 

in my sunniest moments, this is how I think.

you don't want to hear about my darkest ones.

[Bob Ross]

Oct 8, 2021 15:04:15 GMT -5 djAdvocate said:

Oct 8, 2021 7:39:34 GMT -5 Bob Ross said:

Trump issued a statement not to vote for McConnell's debt ceiling proposal.  They did anyways.

His power and influence are waning.

Don't believe the media scare tactics done to keep you afraid and thus, boosting their ratings.

Trump is going to prison. 

in my sunniest moments, this is how I think.

you don't want to hear about my darkest ones.

Always remember, everything Trump touches dies.

So will this. 

[Bob Ross]

Oct 8, 2021 14:10:08 GMT -5 Icelandic Woman said:

Oct 8, 2021 7:39:34 GMT -5 Bob Ross said:

Trump issued a statement not to vote for McConnell's debt ceiling proposal.  They did anyways.

His power and influence are waning.

Don't believe the media scare tactics done to keep you afraid and thus, boosting their ratings.

Trump is going to prison. 

We can only hope but WHEN? All his legal crap is taking way to long!

In the mean time he is able to continue inflicting his Blizzard of Bullshit on us and driving this country to the brink of a democracy disaster with the help of all the cowardly cohort Repugnants in his Cult of Personality.

Define "way too long".

IMHO, the legal crap is on pace, given the sheer magnitude and the monumental stakes of it all.