Trump Supporters

By Roland Temmerman, Masters in both Social Sciences & Political Science

Whether we want to or not, we must try to understand the Donald Trump phenomenon, as it has completely swept the nation and also fiercely divided it. What is most baffling about it all is Trump’s apparent political invincibility. As he himself said, even before he won the presidential election, “I could stand in the middle of 5th Avenue and shoot somebody and I wouldn’t lose voters.” Unfortunately for the American people, this wild-sounding claim appears to be truer than not. It should also motivate us to explore the science underlying such peculiar human behavior, so we can learn from it, and potentially inoculate against it.

In all fairness, we should recognize that lying is sadly not uncommon for politicians on both sides of the political aisle, but the frequency and magnitude of the current president’s lies should have us all wondering why they haven’t destroyed his political career, and instead perhaps strengthened it. Similarly, we should be asking why his inflammatory rhetoric and numerous scandals haven’t sunk him. We are talking about a man who was caught on tape saying, “When you’re a star, they let you do it. You can do anything. Grab them by the pussy.” Politically surviving that video is not normal, or anything close to it, and such a revelation would likely have been the end of Barack Obama or George Bush had it surfaced weeks before the election.

While dozens of psychologists have analyzed Trump, to explain the man’s political invincibility, it is more important to understand the minds of his staunch supporters. While various popular articles have illuminated a multitude of reasons for his unwavering support, there appears to be no comprehensive analysis that contains all of them.

It should be strongly emphasized that not all Trump supporters are racist, mentally vulnerable, or fundamentally bad people. It can be detrimental to society when those with degrees and platforms try to demonize their political opponents or paint them as mentally ill when they are not. That being said, it is just as harmful to pretend that there are not clear psychological and neural factors that underlie much of Trump supporters’ unbridled allegiance.

For some wealthy people, it’s simply a financial matter. Trump offers tax cuts for the rich and wants to do away with government regulation that gets in the way of businessmen making money, even when that regulation exists for the purpose of protecting the environment. Others, like blue-collared workers, like the fact that the president is trying to bring jobs back to America from places like China. Some people who genuinely are not racist simply want stronger immigration laws because they know that a country with open borders is not sustainable. These people have put their practical concerns above their moral ones. To them, it does not make a difference if he’s a vagina-grabber, or if his campaign team colluded with Russia to help him defeat his political opponent. It is unknown whether these people are eternally bound to Trump in the way others are.

It would be grossly unfair and inaccurate to say that every one of Trump’s supporters have prejudice against ethnic and religious minorities, but it would be equally inaccurate to say that few do. The Republican party, going at least as far back to Richard Nixon’s “southern strategy,” has historically used tactics that appealed to bigotry, such as lacing speeches with “dog whistles” — code words that signaled prejudice toward minorities that were designed to be heard by racists but no one else.

While the dog whistles of the past were subtler, Trump’s signaling is sometimes shockingly direct. There’s no denying that he routinely appeals to racist and bigoted supporters when he calls Muslims “dangerous” and Mexican immigrants “rapists” and “murderers,” often in a blanketed fashion. Perhaps unsurprisingly, a recent study has shown that support for Trump is correlated with a standard scale of modern racism.

To conclude; Most people talk badly about Trump supporters because they generally identify them with Trump as being horrible, racist individuals, which many are clearly not! At least not all of them, but they mainly voted for Trump and support him for various reasons, as described.

Another day of Trump BS

NAACP today said they support impeachment of Donald Trump. Then the White House Idiot comes out and says Blacks will support him in the next election. Only his idiot base will believe that BS.

Trump changes his food stamp policy and throws 5 million kids, Seniors and disabled Americans off food stamps. His idiot base lives killing and starving people to protect the upper 1% tax cuts that added $2.4 trillion to the national debt. Kill kids, seniors and the disabled but at all cost protect the wealthiest Americans. Another Trump policy playing to the idiot southern evangelicals. Can you imagine evangelicals supporting starvation. Is that in there bible.

FBI Director crushed Trump again trying to get the White House Idiot to understand that the Russian are still trying and succeeding in hacking into our elections. But the White House Idiot informed the FBI Director ohhhhhhh nooooooo Putin told him there were not hacking into our election. But his idiot base believes the White House buffoon.

Now Trump is telling Muellar what he can say and what he can’t say at his congressional hearing tomorrow another great move by Trump. Just like Kavanaugh when Trump opened the vetting process at the FBI. But his idiot base who love that drunk gang rapist on the SCOTUS ignore that Trump told his FBI Director who he could interview and who the FBI could not interviews. Imagine that and his base claims there not ignorant.

The White House Idiot announced that the new National Intelligence Director will be a dairy farmer Devin Nunes. Imagine that a dairy farmer in charge of our national intelligence. Now the Trump idiot base are ecstatic with joy. Trump made the comment that Devin Nunes is a great American deserve the Medal of Honor. What’s next with this White House Idiot nominating David Duke for a Nobel Peace prize. Now that would be orgasmatic for the Trump base.

This is just one day in the day of our White House Idiot.

Democrats want to declare "Climate Change" a national emergency

Democrats Want to Declare “Climate Change” a National Emergency

Democratic presidential candidates, along with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and her ilk, want to declare climate change a national emergency should they win the presidential election in 2020.

The declaration would give a Democratic president immense power to trample on the rights of ordinary citizens. These include freezing bank accounts, shutting down communications facilities, cell phone service and the internet, and appropriating federal money for other projects. It’s not hard to see how a Democratic president could use any one of these powers to make drastic, inalterable changes.

Far-left Democrats are convinced that man-made climate change will end the world within their lifetime. What is more, these same individuals know that the Green New Deal and other progressive bits of legislation won’t make it past the Senate. Sixty Senate votes are needed to advance legislation that requires federal funding and there is no way the Democrats will get sixty seats in the Senate in the foreseeable future.

However, a Democrat president could use the declaration of a national emergency to get around Congress. With national emergency powers, the president could simply implement parts or even all of the Green New Deal if desired. Measures in that deal would immediately begin to affect ordinary families and businesses. Insane tax rates on fossil fuels will drive prices up, making it impossible for drivers to commute long distances. The airline industry would be shut down, resulting in the loss of tens of thousands of good jobs. New housing laws would require that millions of homeowners in the United States remodel their houses at their own expense.
Recommended
Trump Video Banned by CNN (Watch it here)

Unfortunately, the devastation that could be caused by a climate change national emergency is lost on those who are intent on promoting conspiracy theories for political gain. Democratic presidential candidates Sen. Bernie Sanders and Sen. Elizabeth Warren, both of whom are considered to be among the top five candidates, are both in favor of the idea.

The mainstream media isn’t telling the American public of the harm that would be done in this scenario. Instead, journalists are making it a point to tell everyone that Democrats need to take drastic action, because Democrats will never get enough votes in the Senate to pass legislation the right way. Outlets are also proclaiming that there is a global push to “address man-made climate change” to make it sound as if the United States is falling behind. The truth is that the U.S. is leading the world in cutting carbon emissions under the Trump Administration.

The idea of declaring a national emergency to combat climate change is a terrifying one. As many have already realized, the Green New Deal isn’t just about dealing with severe, inclement weather and natural disasters. It’s a plan to create a socialized nation under the guise of advancing “equality” and “justice”.

Even Rep. Ocasio-Cortez’s Chief of Staff admitted as much to journalists just a few days ago. Democratic candidates hope to use the climate change hysteria to enact legislation that could not be enacted any other way. In short, progressives hope that, with national emergency powers, the candidate of their choice could become a dictator.

What is the definition of Racism?

My friends and fellow colleagues from all sides of the political realm we have a very serious problem in America.

The problem is Racism, and in retrospect reverse Racism.

First let's establish a few rules for this debate.

1. Do not attack anyone personally. In this topic, and the reason I brought it up, is because I am disturbed at the way my fellow Americans are approaching this sensitive subject. You are free to attack the principles and thesis. But please do not attack anyone personally. Keep the status quo, and decorum of the OPP. I will also ask the administrator of this site to observe comments placed here and discipline members if their rhetoric becomes personal and take disciplinary action should the comments here be used against a member personally.

2. In keeping decorum, you are free to use as evidence to support your point as anything on the web. If needed use links to websites to show sources.

3. Keep this debate as a debate. We are learning from each other and trying, or at least I am trying to learn and mature even more to establish what racism is, and what racism is not. Please share your ideas do not attack anyone. Attack only the subject matter.

If we are agreed on the above then post, if you do not agree with the above please refrain from posting. In your first post please include, "I agree with these rules" or reply to this message.


Last Sunday Donald Trump tweeted this statement:

So interesting to see the "Progressive" Democrat Congresswomen, who originally came from countries whose governments are a complete and total catastrophe, the worst most corrupt and inept anywhere in the world (if they even have a functioning government at all), now loudly and viciously telling the people of the United States, the greatest and most powerful Nation on earth, how our government is to be run. Why don't they go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came. Then come back and show us how it is done. These places need your help badly, you can't leave fast enough. I'm sure that Nancy Pelosi would be very happy to quickly work out free travel arrangements! Tweeted by Donald Trump, 7/12/2019

If that wasn't enough, Donald tweeted this later,

So sad to see the Democrats sticking up for people who speak so badly of our Country and who, in addition, hate Israel with a true and unbridled passion. Whenever confronted, they call their adversaries, including Nancy Pelosi, "RACIST". Their disgusting language and many terrible things they say about the United States must not be allowed to go unchallenged. If the Democrat Party wants to continue to condone such disgraceful behavior, then we look even more forward to seeing you at the ballot box in 2020!

The following day he tweeted:
When will the Radical Left Congresswomen apologize to our Country, the people of Israel and even to the Office of the President for the foul language they have used, and the terrible things they have said. So many people are angry at them & their horrible & disgusting actions.

If Democrats want to unite around the foul language & racist hatred spewed from the mouths and actions of these very unpopular & unrepresentatives Congresswomen it will be interesting to see how it plays out. I can tell you that they have made Israel feel abandoned by the U.S.

Congress under the Democrat majority fought back. Nancy Pelosi also spoke for Resolution 489 condemning Donald Trump for Racist comments in the above tweets. The Republican minority fought back. Infact after Nancy's speech, the Republicans sought to "take down" Nancy's words because these words violated a long standing rule of the House of Representatives. The Democrats voted to keep Nancy's words and they were not taken down. Also they voted for the resolution and the resolution passed.

Now let's examine the question, "What is racism?"

According to merriam-webster's dictionary, the definition of racism is:
1 : a belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race
2a : a doctrine or political program based on the assumption of racism and designed to execute its principles
b : a political or social system founded on racism
3 : racial prejudice or discrimination

I assume the backlash on the reaction of the tweets appear to satisfy the 3rd, definition of the term. However, where in the above tweets does Donald Trump tell the members that based upon thier race, "Go back to your country..."

I ask this question because honestly, I am confused.

The party of JFK is DEAD!

Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country?

GoFundme page to raise money to get Trump Youth uniforms

Trump’s speech on Tuesday, which was part of the conservative group Turning Point USA’s Teen Student Action Summit, lasted more than 80 minutes. Many of the young people in the crowd wore Trump’s trademark red “Make America Great Again” hats and pins that said “I Love Capitalism.” Some waved signs distributed by Turning Point that said, “THEY HATE U.S. CUZ THEY AIN’T U.S.” There no armbands present, for now.

The president was introduced with a biographical video that said Trump was “socially popular with men and women” as a youth. It went on to recount his 2016 presidential campaign with footage of highlights including Trump mocking Republican candidate Jeb Bush and Clinton. The crowd roared even as the footage showed Trump making promises that weren’t kept, including having Mexico pay for a wall on the southern border and appointing a special prosecutor to put Clinton in “jail.” As Trump spoke, the cheers continued with periodic shouts of “I love you!” punctuating the president’s lengthy speech.

But of course Trump had to lie to make his point because without the lies he had no point. All he is left with without deception is his narcissism and hate.

He started with Ocasio-Cortez. “She called our country and our people ‘garbage,’” Trump said. “She said ‘garbage.’” Ocasio-Cortez has never described the country with that term.

Trump then presented his rationale for “calling out” the four congresswomen, claiming they had talked about “evil Jews,” though none have done so.

Trump’s attacks on the four congresswomen have sparked some observers to speculate he is trying to goad Democrats into calling him a racist in order to galvanize his supporters. However, it’s unclear whether his attacks are indeed part of a strategy, or simply Trump saying what is on his mind.

again, from that sewing club of the married woman who lives in my house..

I'm a liberal, but that doesn't mean what a lot of you apparently think it does. Let's break it down, shall we? Because quite frankly, I'm getting a little tired of being told what I believe and what I stand for. Spoiler alert: Not every liberal is the same, though the majority of liberals I know think along roughly these same lines:

1. I believe a country should take care of its weakest members. A country cannot call itself civilized when its children, disabled, sick, and elderly are neglected. Period.

2. I believe healthcare is a right, not a privilege. Somehow that's interpreted as "I believe Obamacare is the end-all, be-all." This is not the case. I'm fully aware that the ACA has problems, that a national healthcare system would require everyone to chip in, and that it's impossible to create one that is devoid of flaws, but I have yet to hear an argument against it that makes "let people die because they can't afford healthcare" a better alternative. I believe healthcare should be far cheaper than it is, and that everyone should have access to it. And no, I'm not opposed to paying higher taxes in the name of making that happen.

3. I believe education should be affordable. It doesn't necessarily have to be free (though it works in other countries so I'm mystified as to why it can't work in the US), but at the end of the day, there is no excuse for students graduating college saddled with five- or six-figure debt.

4. I don't believe your money should be taken from you and given to people who don't want to work. I have literally never encountered anyone who believes this. Ever. I just have a massive moral problem with a society where a handful of people can possess the majority of the wealth while there are people literally starving to death, freezing to death, or dying because they can't afford to go to the doctor. Fair wages, lower housing costs, universal healthcare, affordable education, and the wealthy actually paying their share would go a long way toward alleviating this. Somehow believing that makes me a communist.

5. I don't throw around "I'm willing to pay higher taxes" lightly. If I'm suggesting something that involves paying more, well, it's because I'm fine with paying my share as long as it's actually going to something besides lining corporate pockets or bombing other countries while Americans die without healthcare.

6. I believe companies should be required to pay their employees a decent, livable wage. Somehow this is always interpreted as me wanting burger flippers to be able to afford a penthouse apartment and a Mercedes. What it actually means is that no one should have to work three full-time jobs just to keep their head above water. Restaurant servers should not have to rely on tips, multibillion-dollar companies should not have employees on food stamps, workers shouldn't have to work themselves into the ground just to barely make ends meet, and minimum wage should be enough for someone to work 40 hours and live.

7. I am not anti-Christian. I have no desire to stop Christians from being Christians, to close churches, to ban the Bible, to forbid prayer in school, etc. (BTW, prayer in school is NOT illegal; *compulsory* prayer in school is - and should be - illegal). All I ask is that Christians recognize *my* right to live according to *my* beliefs. When I get pissed off that a politician is trying to legislate Scripture into law, I'm not "offended by Christianity" -- I'm offended that you're trying to force me to live by your religion's rules. You know how you get really upset at the thought of Muslims imposing Sharia law on you? That's how I feel about Christians trying to impose biblical law on me. Be a Christian. Do your thing. Just don't force it on me or mine.

8. I don't believe LGBT people should have more rights than you. I just believe they should have the *same* rights as you.

9. I don't believe illegal immigrants should come to America and have the world at their feet, especially since THIS ISN'T WHAT THEY DO (spoiler: undocumented immigrants are ineligible for all those programs they're supposed to be abusing, and if they're "stealing" your job it's because your employer is hiring illegally). I believe there are far more humane ways to handle undocumented immigration than our current practices (i.e., detaining children, splitting up families, ending DACA, etc).

10. I don't believe the government should regulate everything, but since greed is such a driving force in our country, we NEED regulations to prevent cut corners, environmental destruction, tainted food/water, unsafe materials in consumable goods or medical equipment, etc. It's not that I want the government's hands in everything -- I just don't trust people trying to make money to ensure that their products/practices/etc. are actually SAFE. Is the government devoid of shadiness? Of course not. But with those regulations in place, consumers have recourse if they're harmed and companies are liable for medical bills, environmental cleanup, etc. Just kind of seems like common sense when the alternative to government regulation is letting companies bring their bottom line into the equation.

11. I believe our current administration is fascist. Not because I dislike them or because I can’t get over an election, but because I've spent too many years reading and learning about the Third Reich to miss the similarities. Not because any administration I dislike must be Nazis, but because things are actually mirroring authoritarian and fascist regimes of the past.

12. I believe the systemic racism and misogyny in our society is much worse than many people think, and desperately needs to be addressed. Which means those with privilege -- white, straight, male, economic, etc. -- need to start listening, even if you don't like what you're hearing, so we can start dismantling everything that's causing people to be marginalized.

13. I am not interested in coming after your blessed guns, nor is anyone serving in government. What I am interested in is the enforcement of present laws and enacting new, common-sense gun regulations. Got another opinion? Put it on your page, not mine.

14. I believe in so-called political correctness. I prefer to think it’s social politeness. If I call you Chuck and you say you prefer to be called Charles I’ll call you Charles. It’s the polite thing to do. Not because everyone is a delicate snowflake, but because as Maya Angelou put it, when we know better, we do better. When someone tells you that a term or phrase is more accurate/less hurtful than the one you're using, you now know better. So why not do better? How does it hurt you to NOT hurt another person?

15. I believe in funding sustainable energy, including offering education to people currently working in coal or oil so they can change jobs. There are too many sustainable options available for us to continue with coal and oil. Sorry, billionaires. Maybe try investing in something else.

16. I believe that women should not be treated as a separate class of human. They should be paid the same as men who do the same work, should have the same rights as men and should be free from abuse. Why on earth shouldn’t they be?

I think that about covers it. Bottom line is that I'm a liberal because I think we should take care of each other. That doesn't mean you should work 80 hours a week so your lazy neighbor can get all your money. It just means I don't believe there is any scenario in which preventable suffering is an acceptable outcome as long as money is saved.

Copy & paste if you want. I did.

These are not my words, but they may as well be. The only thing I would add is that more attention needs to be put on our environment. Without a planet, we have nothing.

Cop Who Posted That AOC Deserved "A Round" Gets Fired

In Gretna Louisiana the cop who posted a stupid fake story and then said AOC deserved a round got fired, along with the cop who liked the comment.

This was 100% appropriate, and sends the correct message that people in positions of public trust can't spew racist crap.

People are finding themselves losing good jobs over issues the right sees and defends as freedom of speech. Even participating in marches with proud boys and other nazi groups has resulted in people getting fired.

It's a zero tolerance situation.

I beg the Right to open their eyes to the vile consequences, and un-American proposal, to make "Show me your papers" a national law.

Those very words chilled to the bone every Jew in Europe and the entire populace. Making a brown person "other" in our society, a profiled suspect, through such an autocratic mandate is not just a disgrace to the ideals and values of our Republic, but a path to destruction of that Republic. Please, please wake up! Drop your hate of immigrants to perceive the greater threat to our country by such a measure. This policy will not resolve the immigration crisis but desolve democracy. It becomes a precedent, and it is that serious. You need to ask whose next if we allow such actions to be taken. As in this statement by Martin Niemöller, a Lutheran pastor:

First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a socialist.

Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out— because I was not a trade unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.

Trump is coming hot and heavy after the "socialist," look at his lies and vicious attacks against the Squad who he claims are socialists. The Trade Unions have been under siege by the GOP for years. It can happen here. It is happening.

President Donald Trump is taking Arizona’s infamous "show me your papers" law nationwide.

The Trump administration began Tuesday an expanded crackdown on undocumented immigrants who cannot prove they’ve been in the country continuously for more than two years. Under this new rule that also applies to asylum seekers, immigration agents can arrest and deport immigrants without appearing before a judge. This will violate both the laws of this nation and International Law.

Until now, the law applied to migrants who were within 100 miles from the U.S.-Mexico border.

Why is this a big deal? For starters, it might be unconstitutional, and that’s why the American Civil Liberties Union has vowed to challenge it in court.

Let’s hope the ACLU blocks it. Otherwise “brown” people across the nation could find themselves the targets just like Arizona Latinos did under the state’s SB 1070, the “show me your papers” law.

The new effort could have the same impact it did in Arizona. The 2010 Arizona law required local police to ask for the immigration status of anyone suspected of being in the country illegally. For some officers, particularly Maricopa County Sheriff’s deputies, that meant “brown” people.

It’s called racial profiling.