What's odd is his delusion that we were respected in the world when he was president and now we are not. It's the exact opposite of reality. While his fellow dictators and would-be dictators may have liked him, the world breathed a collective sigh of relief when he lost. And now other countries are worried about what will happen should he come back.
You can't analyze politics with the assumption only your worldview is true. That's your lens. And you can't run for office- President especially- if you don't think your worldview is true. That's Trump's lens. Dictators behaved because they knew Trump would play hardball if they didn't. It was stabilizing force in the world. With Obama and Biden they sensed weakness and corruption and have taken full advantage. They were and are a destabilizing force. And Biden's "intentional negligence" on multiple issues is all the evidence Trump needs to get re-elected.
People are in a bad place because of the "intentional negligence" of the Biden Administration. When the NYC Mayor and NY Governor agree Biden is just literally killing cities and American citizens (and immigrants) with his policies. It's chaos. And the response is to label everyone domestic terrorists if they disagree.
I think you’re outrageously blind! “Intentional negligence” of the Biden admin?! Have you missed: the CHIPS Act; the Inflation Reduction Act; the PACT Act; the Infrastructure bill; etc.? Honestly, compare that to Trump: other than trillions in tax cuts for wealthy individuals and corporations, name me ONE piece of signature legislation! Sorry, but you couldn’t possibly be more wrong. Wow. Just wow.
This is what happens with 40 years of the Right Wing Noise Machine spewing lies in a torrent, creating an alternative reality for white people terrified they've lost the innate privileges that come with being born white.
I bet me like most Americans who voted him out in 2020 don't get depressed at all listening to Donald Trump because we DON'T BELIEVE anything that he says. And that's one of the reasons he will lose again in 2024
We might not believe everything he says, but we’re still highly dismayed when he refuses to disappear from our doom scrolls.
I used to debate politics on Facebook on a daily basis. By the time Trump’s term ended, I just consciously decided I didn’t want to do this any more. Just too tiring.
I agree about being upside down, but say still since 2015! We are very close to being again in inside out. The only saving grace in my mind is the multitutes of us want The Donald to not get elected..EVER! Once was too damn much.
I don't think Trump is the cause here. I think he -- and his rhetoric -- are more the effect. As in, he capitalized, politically, on the unrest and unhappiness directed toward politics and politicians.
I remember Bush 43 saying after Trumps inauguration “that was some shit”, or something along those lines. American carnage. We are a great country, the best country, we are the United States of America. Some of this may have been there prior to Trump, but Trump exacerbated these deep dark, distrust, of politics and America. I can not wrap my head around the fact that people believe Trump is their savior from the abyss. He sickens me. Trump is a disgrace not only to our country, but the world.
And here is a key phrase from Chris in the column: "People are in a bad mood. They feel increasingly lost and at sea. Change is happening more rapidly than they would like. Politics has failed them."
Change has been a constant throughout the history of the United States. I presume it has always been a bit scary. For example, in January 1956 -- I was not quite 13 years old -- Elvis Presley burst onto the scene. Adults were horrified. Teenagers, well, we were rebels with a cause. Preachers denounced the music from the pulpit. Politicians threatened to have the FCC strip licenses from stations that played the devil's music. But we teenagers were having a ball and, five years later, parents were dancing to R&R at the Peppermint Lounge and other clubs. Let's Twist again!
Yes, change is scary. But perhaps we should be asking why we have so many people so utterly incapable of coping with change. Did education fail them? Are they predisposed to hate others because, perhaps, they don't much like themselves? I don't know the answers but I have become convinced that the only thing we have to fear is Trump (and Trumpism), himself.
I get a, b, and c, but "Trump is different." just astounds me! He may be different, all right, but not in a good way. He is the epitome of a, b, and c. I don't understand this; it just drives me crazy!!!
Depressing, more so because I agree. But I keep thinking in what data based universe was Trump’s presidency a success? Even if you agree with his positions, why give him another chance to not build the wall? Mismanage a pandemic? Expand the deficit? And on and on and on?
Chris - I sense a small part is Trump was able to tap into these feelings, recognizing people have felt this way, or at least joked about such things, for years and years. Almost any time someone described a story, since the 1960's at least, about having to resolve something with a government agency, it was always described as a terrible ordeal, which did not have to be terrible except for the incompetence, red tape, low skills, pointless bureaucracy. No one ever told a story about what a great experience they had contacting Social Security, the IRS, Department of the Interior, the EPA, etc., etc. A lot of people always claim they got "shafted" by the government somehow, did not get what others got, and cannot believe they have to work with people who have no training. It was more considered fringe historically, however, Trump moved it into mainstream. Here was a person who was considered successful (falsely) and who understood what it was like to get screwed by the government, just like many people feel they have been.
I sense the other thing at play is so many political campaigns for the last several decades had to be based upon attack politics to be successful. For most candidates, to be noticed and successful, you had to attack your opponent, point out why they were bad, why their policies were bad, and why their job performance was bad. Trump escalated this, showing complete disrespect for any opponent, willing to tear them down in any and every way possible. So for the last 50 years, most people only remember the negative campaigning, and project that onto politics as a whole. In fact, I believe all 7 of the ads you shared earlier in the week all had a negative connotation or overall message.
The question is, can we change this attitude and/or perception?
A bit of that is parroting of the media - the terms: divisive, corrupt, and polarized. This can be almost fully attributed to the Republican Party. It is them who got me to wake up - as in, no, what is happening with them is not normal. We are feeling unmoored because our lives have been built around this two-party system. The truth is that one party is, and has for many years been, truly corrupt. Yes, there are plenty of corrupt Democrats, but this is not a contest. I mean the type of corruption best met with... RICO charges. I believe the party has adopted the ethos of Cosa Nostra simultaneously with prosecuting the practice. Gangsters, enforcers, and thugs, where the government is solely about power and money, and never about people. Ask Mitt Romney.
The piece does not delve into why some - perhaps even most - Americans are disgusted with our politics. I maintain that there are two reasons, among others, that should not be overlooked: first, the mass media's tendency to equate the behavior of the two parties, and the politicians in them, and to focus on "who's up and who's down" in politics instead of the merits of policy responses and, second, the constant drumbeat of reporting about polls.
As to the second, I think the evidence indicates that polls are not particularly reliable. I also think that reporting so much on them discourages people by causing them to believe that, if their views don't square with the poll's results, they are in the wrong. And, of course, reporters often misrepresent the poll results or the poll creator skews the poll in one way or another.
The both-sides disease is particularly onerous. Under the guise of avoiding "bias," it misleads information consumers about the actual conduct of political leaders, patterns in our politics, and who should be accountable for ethical failures and poor policymaking in government.
And, of course, there's the well-documented equity problems in our society - unaffordable health care, tax cuts given to the wealthiest among us while middle class families struggle, the subsidized hollowing out of our economy, the opioid epidemic to which our government has not effectively responded, the expenditure of trillions to prosecute the unnecessary and/or ineffective wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the outrageous gouging by higher education, etc., etc.
Those policy failures are reflective of our politicians' failure even to seriously try to govern effectively. But when we get reasonable and maybe even useful policy responses, that mass media addiction to pretend neutrality translates into amnesia about what came before and knee-jerk reactive criticism of those policy responses without historical context and often with a strong helping of right-wing propaganda fed by, if nothing else, the drive for clicks and ratings.
The polls on which you report here, however accurate they are, don't mean much without scrutiny of why people feel the way they do. They aren't the cause of Trumpism. If they're anything, they're only a foggy window into it.
Another interesting read, Chris. I need to veer off on an extreme tangent.
Who decided these bubble charts are a useful way to look at data? Granted they do provide a view from 100,000 feet, but I can't tell is we're more "Not Good" than "Poor". More "Chaos", "Messy", "Joke" or "Bad". Give me a bar chart or line chart any day.
What's odd is his delusion that we were respected in the world when he was president and now we are not. It's the exact opposite of reality. While his fellow dictators and would-be dictators may have liked him, the world breathed a collective sigh of relief when he lost. And now other countries are worried about what will happen should he come back.
Trumpism --- 5 Easy Steps:
1. Create your own "reality"
2. Be a "bee-yooo-ti-ful" orator/marketer of that "reality"
3. Hype the audience to that "reality" as them being victims
4. Become angry/baffled when the audience doesn't realize how unAmerican it is for the audience not to be incensed by not accepting that "reality".
5. Never yield to actual reality confronting that "reality"
You can't analyze politics with the assumption only your worldview is true. That's your lens. And you can't run for office- President especially- if you don't think your worldview is true. That's Trump's lens. Dictators behaved because they knew Trump would play hardball if they didn't. It was stabilizing force in the world. With Obama and Biden they sensed weakness and corruption and have taken full advantage. They were and are a destabilizing force. And Biden's "intentional negligence" on multiple issues is all the evidence Trump needs to get re-elected.
Well, that was a depressing read. It explains a lot, though.
Sorry to depress you, Dan. I just think people are in a very bad place. And Trump appeals to people in a very bad place.
Well, I think your piece was spot on. It just confirmed a lot of my suspicions.
People are in a bad place because of the "intentional negligence" of the Biden Administration. When the NYC Mayor and NY Governor agree Biden is just literally killing cities and American citizens (and immigrants) with his policies. It's chaos. And the response is to label everyone domestic terrorists if they disagree.
I think you’re outrageously blind! “Intentional negligence” of the Biden admin?! Have you missed: the CHIPS Act; the Inflation Reduction Act; the PACT Act; the Infrastructure bill; etc.? Honestly, compare that to Trump: other than trillions in tax cuts for wealthy individuals and corporations, name me ONE piece of signature legislation! Sorry, but you couldn’t possibly be more wrong. Wow. Just wow.
This is what happens with 40 years of the Right Wing Noise Machine spewing lies in a torrent, creating an alternative reality for white people terrified they've lost the innate privileges that come with being born white.
That machine is, without question, one of the leading causes for the effects we are all feeling.
I bet me like most Americans who voted him out in 2020 don't get depressed at all listening to Donald Trump because we DON'T BELIEVE anything that he says. And that's one of the reasons he will lose again in 2024
We might not believe everything he says, but we’re still highly dismayed when he refuses to disappear from our doom scrolls.
I used to debate politics on Facebook on a daily basis. By the time Trump’s term ended, I just consciously decided I didn’t want to do this any more. Just too tiring.
Christopher,
I saw one of the bubbles offers: "convoluted".
I'd love to see the percentage of Americans who could define that word.
I agree about being upside down, but say still since 2015! We are very close to being again in inside out. The only saving grace in my mind is the multitutes of us want The Donald to not get elected..EVER! Once was too damn much.
I don't think Trump is the cause here. I think he -- and his rhetoric -- are more the effect. As in, he capitalized, politically, on the unrest and unhappiness directed toward politics and politicians.
Jim Jones wasn’t the cause but he convinced them to drink the Kool-Aid.
Trump may not be the cause but he certainly made it worse. Remember January 6th for example.
True!
The electioneering campaign will certainly remind people of his( Trump) corrupt, Divisive ,chaotic and depressing tenure.
I remember Bush 43 saying after Trumps inauguration “that was some shit”, or something along those lines. American carnage. We are a great country, the best country, we are the United States of America. Some of this may have been there prior to Trump, but Trump exacerbated these deep dark, distrust, of politics and America. I can not wrap my head around the fact that people believe Trump is their savior from the abyss. He sickens me. Trump is a disgrace not only to our country, but the world.
It's a selffulfilling prophecy since Trump caused most of the negativity and is corruption incarnatie.
We have a BINGO!
And here is a key phrase from Chris in the column: "People are in a bad mood. They feel increasingly lost and at sea. Change is happening more rapidly than they would like. Politics has failed them."
Change has been a constant throughout the history of the United States. I presume it has always been a bit scary. For example, in January 1956 -- I was not quite 13 years old -- Elvis Presley burst onto the scene. Adults were horrified. Teenagers, well, we were rebels with a cause. Preachers denounced the music from the pulpit. Politicians threatened to have the FCC strip licenses from stations that played the devil's music. But we teenagers were having a ball and, five years later, parents were dancing to R&R at the Peppermint Lounge and other clubs. Let's Twist again!
Yes, change is scary. But perhaps we should be asking why we have so many people so utterly incapable of coping with change. Did education fail them? Are they predisposed to hate others because, perhaps, they don't much like themselves? I don't know the answers but I have become convinced that the only thing we have to fear is Trump (and Trumpism), himself.
I get a, b, and c, but "Trump is different." just astounds me! He may be different, all right, but not in a good way. He is the epitome of a, b, and c. I don't understand this; it just drives me crazy!!!
Depressing, more so because I agree. But I keep thinking in what data based universe was Trump’s presidency a success? Even if you agree with his positions, why give him another chance to not build the wall? Mismanage a pandemic? Expand the deficit? And on and on and on?
Chris - I sense a small part is Trump was able to tap into these feelings, recognizing people have felt this way, or at least joked about such things, for years and years. Almost any time someone described a story, since the 1960's at least, about having to resolve something with a government agency, it was always described as a terrible ordeal, which did not have to be terrible except for the incompetence, red tape, low skills, pointless bureaucracy. No one ever told a story about what a great experience they had contacting Social Security, the IRS, Department of the Interior, the EPA, etc., etc. A lot of people always claim they got "shafted" by the government somehow, did not get what others got, and cannot believe they have to work with people who have no training. It was more considered fringe historically, however, Trump moved it into mainstream. Here was a person who was considered successful (falsely) and who understood what it was like to get screwed by the government, just like many people feel they have been.
I sense the other thing at play is so many political campaigns for the last several decades had to be based upon attack politics to be successful. For most candidates, to be noticed and successful, you had to attack your opponent, point out why they were bad, why their policies were bad, and why their job performance was bad. Trump escalated this, showing complete disrespect for any opponent, willing to tear them down in any and every way possible. So for the last 50 years, most people only remember the negative campaigning, and project that onto politics as a whole. In fact, I believe all 7 of the ads you shared earlier in the week all had a negative connotation or overall message.
The question is, can we change this attitude and/or perception?
A bit of that is parroting of the media - the terms: divisive, corrupt, and polarized. This can be almost fully attributed to the Republican Party. It is them who got me to wake up - as in, no, what is happening with them is not normal. We are feeling unmoored because our lives have been built around this two-party system. The truth is that one party is, and has for many years been, truly corrupt. Yes, there are plenty of corrupt Democrats, but this is not a contest. I mean the type of corruption best met with... RICO charges. I believe the party has adopted the ethos of Cosa Nostra simultaneously with prosecuting the practice. Gangsters, enforcers, and thugs, where the government is solely about power and money, and never about people. Ask Mitt Romney.
The piece does not delve into why some - perhaps even most - Americans are disgusted with our politics. I maintain that there are two reasons, among others, that should not be overlooked: first, the mass media's tendency to equate the behavior of the two parties, and the politicians in them, and to focus on "who's up and who's down" in politics instead of the merits of policy responses and, second, the constant drumbeat of reporting about polls.
As to the second, I think the evidence indicates that polls are not particularly reliable. I also think that reporting so much on them discourages people by causing them to believe that, if their views don't square with the poll's results, they are in the wrong. And, of course, reporters often misrepresent the poll results or the poll creator skews the poll in one way or another.
The both-sides disease is particularly onerous. Under the guise of avoiding "bias," it misleads information consumers about the actual conduct of political leaders, patterns in our politics, and who should be accountable for ethical failures and poor policymaking in government.
And, of course, there's the well-documented equity problems in our society - unaffordable health care, tax cuts given to the wealthiest among us while middle class families struggle, the subsidized hollowing out of our economy, the opioid epidemic to which our government has not effectively responded, the expenditure of trillions to prosecute the unnecessary and/or ineffective wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the outrageous gouging by higher education, etc., etc.
Those policy failures are reflective of our politicians' failure even to seriously try to govern effectively. But when we get reasonable and maybe even useful policy responses, that mass media addiction to pretend neutrality translates into amnesia about what came before and knee-jerk reactive criticism of those policy responses without historical context and often with a strong helping of right-wing propaganda fed by, if nothing else, the drive for clicks and ratings.
The polls on which you report here, however accurate they are, don't mean much without scrutiny of why people feel the way they do. They aren't the cause of Trumpism. If they're anything, they're only a foggy window into it.
Another interesting read, Chris. I need to veer off on an extreme tangent.
Who decided these bubble charts are a useful way to look at data? Granted they do provide a view from 100,000 feet, but I can't tell is we're more "Not Good" than "Poor". More "Chaos", "Messy", "Joke" or "Bad". Give me a bar chart or line chart any day.
Or even better, a data table.
Yeah, a lot of negative words.
But one person said good. Just below divisive.
It's not a lot but it's something.