Republicans; how do you make peace with the volume of lies?

[Anonymous]

I think fear (of new things and other people) and self-loathing (it's easier to focus on hate to avoid the hurt that is behind it) is what drives it.

Hurt people hate people, and it's often the pain, loneliness or trauma in one's own life that gets channeled outwardly to scapegoats. It's ironic because sometimes that pain and hurt was often inflicted by their own families and communities.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As an independent who has voted both dem and republican (but never for trump) and a former journalist, I don’t understand the republican base ability to tolerate the level of untruths from the trump campaign.
In my years as a journalist I worked for ABC/ CBS/ CNN/ AP and Reuters. I’ve fact checked both sides but nothing I ever saw in the years before trump compared to his ability to flat out lie and that has only gotten worse in recent months. To me this makes him completely unfit to govern and I’m confused why others don’t feel the sam. What makes this excusable in folks minds I am intrigued?

I will never, ever vote for Trump but if the past six years or so has taught me anything, it’s that the Democrats lie as profusely and freely as the Republicans, and that the media (both mainstream and left/right) is utterly untrustworthy.

Yeah. Right. Whatever, you MAGA.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think fear (of new things and other people) and self-loathing (it's easier to focus on hate to avoid the hurt that is behind it) is what drives it.

Hurt people hate people, and it's often the pain, loneliness or trauma in one's own life that gets channeled outwardly to scapegoats. It's ironic because sometimes that pain and hurt was often inflicted by their own families and communities.

This is profound. Reminds me of this James Baldwin quote:

“I imagine one of the reasons people cling to their hates so stubbornly is because they sense, once hate is gone, they will be forced to deal with pain.” James Baldwin

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You're not confused and you're not intrigued. Spare me

+1

Democratic politicians all tell the truth; republican politicians are the only politicians that tell lies. It’s the POV of a child.

[Anonymous]

There’s not one answer to your question, OP. Different people have different motivations and circumstances.

Some people are single issue voters and Trump’s position is most like theirs on that one issue. Other people don’t agree with him on every issue, but they agree with him on more issues than they do with Harris.

Some people find Trump odious, but believe their wealth will increase under another Trump presidency, and that their wealth will shield them from his disastrous policies, so they’ll hold their nose and vote for him.

Other people know very little about the impact the federal government and the president have directly in their lives, they are unfamiliar with policy differences between the candidates, and they only pay attention to politics during major events like primaries, conventions, and debates. They’re low information and very easily swayed by the media sources they encounter and the people they talk to.

Finally, there are the people who are so far down the RW rabbit hole, they have been brainwashed. They can’t distinguish between the truth and lies, but their confirmation bias determines what feels true.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As an independent who has voted both dem and republican (but never for trump) and a former journalist, I don’t understand the republican base ability to tolerate the level of untruths from the trump campaign.
In my years as a journalist I worked for ABC/ CBS/ CNN/ AP and Reuters. I’ve fact checked both sides but nothing I ever saw in the years before trump compared to his ability to flat out lie and that has only gotten worse in recent months. To me this makes him completely unfit to govern and I’m confused why others don’t feel the sam. What makes this excusable in folks minds I am intrigued?

Lies and aggressively misleading your voters has been a long undercurrent in the GOP. It started when the GOP courted the religious right and the Catholics and Evangelicals started focusing on political activism to create a religious state. These were groups that would fill buses and deliver votes. However, their positions were wildly unpopular with the rest of the country and very contradictory to GOP principles of small government. So the GOP spoke from both sides of their mouth, appeasing the religious right with federal judges. Karl Rove discovered that fear was the most powerful motivator for boomer voters and showed that misleading and often flat out lies as long as they stoked fear and anger produced results.

The GOP set the stage for its own death by brokering in sowing division. It was the easiest and ripest for social media amplification and disinformation. Trump’s dystopian populism launched from this exponentially driving wedges and stoking fear by tapping into racism, misogyny, and xenophobia. It’s a dark emotional appeal so truth and facts do not matter.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You're not confused and you're not intrigued. Spare me

IDK. I’m intrigued. If their kid tells a lie, why should a Trump voter care? Honestly. It’s okay for the President and VP to tell blatant lies, but not your family and friends? Either you value honesty or you don’t.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My aunt doesn't agree with the lies but says it doesn't matter because she is against immigration

Too bad for your Aunt that Trump won't deliver on that either.

+1 Trump has 4 years and barely made a dent in reducing the number of undocumented immigrants in the US. He did take breastfeeding babies from their mothers, but maybe it's just me, I actually didn't think that was a good thing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think fear (of new things and other people) and self-loathing (it's easier to focus on hate to avoid the hurt that is behind it) is what drives it.

Hurt people hate people, and it's often the pain, loneliness or trauma in one's own life that gets channeled outwardly to scapegoats. It's ironic because sometimes that pain and hurt was often inflicted by their own families and communities.

Armchair shrink joins the chat

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You're not confused and you're not intrigued. Spare me

+1

Democratic politicians all tell the truth; republican politicians are the only politicians that tell lies. It’s the POV of a child.

Of course politicians of both parties lie, but one party can only win the presidency by lying and very rarely ever holds any politician in their party accountable for their misdeeds. There are Democrats who lie, but the rest of the party doesn’t circle the wagons and refuse to acknowledge batshi! crazy, easily disprovable lies or turn them into talking points.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You're not confused and you're not intrigued. Spare me

+1

Democratic politicians all tell the truth; republican politicians are the only politicians that tell lies. It’s the POV of a child.

Of course politicians of both parties lie, but one party can only win the presidency by lying and very rarely ever holds any politician in their party accountable for their misdeeds. There are Democrats who lie, but the rest of the party doesn’t circle the wagons and refuse to acknowledge batshi! crazy, easily disprovable lies or turn them into talking points.

…and Dems don’t skirt the law when one of their own breaks laws.

[Anonymous]

My family says they all lie (politicians) so who cares

[Anonymous]

I voted for Obama in 2008, Romney 12, Hilary 16, Trump 20, and more motivated than ever to vote Trump 24. What I find fascinating is that Trump haters think we are somehow brainwashed and under a spell. Lol. He’s a jackass most of the time. Everyone knows this. But I will take him over the modern left in a heartbeat.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I voted for Obama in 2008, Romney 12, Hilary 16, Trump 20, and more motivated than ever to vote Trump 24. What I find fascinating is that Trump haters think we are somehow brainwashed and under a spell. Lol. He’s a jackass most of the time. Everyone knows this. But I will take him over the modern left in a heartbeat.

I’m not following this whiplash. How is the modern left different than Hillary and Obama? What made you vote for Romney? (Assuming you’re not a troll…)

[Anonymous]

Well if you're actually confused and intrigued, I suggest you ask one of your conservative family members or friends in person because anonymous internet forums dissolve too quickly into ad hominem attacks.
I can write a 5 paragraph essay on here explaining my view on something and get a response of "So you're a hateful trans phobe, got it!"