I believe trump feels he’s beyond needing his MAGA base. They served to get him elected, but his eye is now on no longer needing elections. Like everything else he does, his courting of the great MAGA unwashed was simply transactional, to achieve his personal goals.
Never forget that the convicted felon fellow said, and I quote:
"In four years, You don't have to vote again. We'll have it fixed so good. You're not going to have to vote."
He said this in June 2024 before a group of so-called "christians". I say so-called because as an atheïst I'll never understand that "christians" would vote for a guy who always does what "Jesus would never do".
Have no fear. According to my Evangelical relatives the End Times are now here and very soon Jesus will reappear and swoop the believers up to Heaven in the Rapture. Buhbye. All those tRump voters gone in a flash. /s
They'll be pissed, because I already called first dibs on all of their worldly possessions, and I'm not letting a little detail like not getting raptured stopping me from collecting...
You might be a little late for that Ken. The maga leadership has been busy in the background changing laws, local, state, and national making it easier for themselves and masters to 'Hoover up' all that property and possessions.
They simply reset the clock if they are not successful in bringing about Armageddon and redouble their efforts. We need to identify and treat these mentally ill people, not make excuses for them and certainly get them the hell out of any position of civic responsibility.
The Minnesota alleged murderer of Democratic politicians was evidently both evangelical and charismatic, and convinced that the US was in the hands of evil powers and principalities. And he needed to wage war on them.
The so-called "justice department" is trying to get his case into Federal courts. My bet is that, if they do, they'll either figure a way to turn him loose or get a pardon from DonnyJon. Make it clear to the people that it's open season on Democrats.
The religious right was already insanely anticipating the rapture when the Republican Party decided to bring them into its fold in the 1970s. The Party paid lip service to their ideas for the next 40 years but finally got eaten by them in the last five.
Understand the important portion of what you didn't stated here Jeanne. "Have no fear." Those minority masses are utterly possessed by 'fears' and shabby interpretations of the book as explained to them by charlatans. Would I or you take snake oil to allay all our fears ? Is there some way to break the spell / hold of the passionately hopeful or is it hopeless ?
Good questions. Most anything is achievable, but at what cost? Deprogramming a cultist is extremely labor intensive and that’s why it’s rarely attempted.
Once Trump "won" in 2024, I started seeing "MAGA" on the electronic signs outside churches here in the Deep South of South Carolina.
Considering the devastation that white southern churches suffered under The Southern Strategy, this was sort of expected to come next.
And now, with Trump forgiving all white Americans of their sins against Black Americans (mostly violence and economic theft), I'd speculate that more white Americans feel they have been saved by Trump than by Jesus...
I particularly work about nursing homes. Families that need 2 income only now Mama is coming back because Medicaid is shrunk. House won't hold another person. How does that work out.
Trumpism and Christianity are both cults. It's just that one is local and one is historic and worldwide. Their adherents ascribe super-heroic qualities to Trump and supernatural powers to Jesus. Neither can be seen to fail. The only difference is, Trump is (purportedly) alive, and Jesus is dead. OR IS HE?
When I referenced the "devastation" of The Southern Strategy, I might have expressed it batter as a "manipulation".
If changing the focus of a system of churches representing millions, from the love of Jesus - to VOTING GOP (using hate, no less), was done with subtlety and finesse, it will be a GOP first.
When he said "fixed", he meant that literally. As in "rigged".
Those so-called "Christians" are more accurately described as "Christofascists". They usurp the name of Christ, but they don't actually believe in what he preached.
Yep. And there is still little attention paid to that statement, even here on Substack. What gives? Can’t believe their would be any death threats to ‘Stackers
As an atheist, you probably have formed an opinion regarding what Jesus would do by reading the words credited to him. That's certainly where my atheist opinion of "WWJD" comes from. Unfortunately, most of those who "believe" haven't done actually read the words and rely instead on what grifters tell them to believe - often to excite existing secular prejudices which have absolutely nothing to do with the contents of their so-called religion. Where they do know the actual words, they are cherry-picked and deliberately taken out of context. That's how at this point in history, if you ask people what "an eye for an eye" means, they will probably describe it as legitimizing violence and vengeance when in fact it was a call for justice and against excessive punishment. And just like politics, this situation with religion is self-reinforcing because it is precisely the individual grifters who most cynically exploit religious belief who are most successful in monetizing their grift. The answer to all this, is of course, ubiquitous public education coupled with a rigorous separation of church and state and a willingness to find and prosecute criminal grifters. It is now coincidence that the core objectives of the grifters is to undermine precisely these features.
I am Methodist and I agree with your assessment, but I am happy the new pope is really given' it to the christofascists. He will break through with some people.
Marc as a fellow atheist, the answer lies in a Christo Fascism variant where the End Times is a happy time for believers and where those who do not believe are to be put to the sword with the blessing of Christ.
The Democratic Party, from everything I can see, appears to be in on the grift. They're essential behavior amounts to "Stop, or I shall vigorously fund raise so that I can say stop again!"
Rob Brown...Liz Cheney never wrote that. You can look it up. Robert Reich was wrong to send that out the way he did. Now, that doesn't mean what was written was wrong. But, Cheney didn't write it.
while we’re watching fascism consolidate power in real time.
This administration is not simply “a different ideology.”
It is a coordinated, authoritarian machine — with the Supreme Court, the House, the Senate, and the executive pen all under its control.
And you?
You’re still asking for decorum and donations. WTF.
That won’t save us.
I don’t want to hear another polite floor speech.
I want strategy.
I want fire.
I want action so bold it shifts the damn news cycle — not fits inside one.
Every time I see something from the DNC, it’s asking me for funds.
Surprise.
Those of us who donate don’t want to keep sending money just to watch you stand frozen as the Constitution goes up in flames — shaking your heads and saying,
“Well, there’s not much we can do. He has the majority.”
I call bullshit.
If you don’t know how to think outside the box…
If you don’t know how to strategize…
If you don’t know how to fight fire with fire…
what the hell are we giving you money for?
Some of us have two or three advanced degrees.
Some of us have military training.
Some of us know what coordinated resistance looks like — and this ain’t it.
Yes, the tours around the country? Nice.
The speeches? Nice.
The clever congressional clapbacks? Nice.
That was great for giving hope.
Now we need action.
You have to stop acting like this is a normal presidency that will just time out in four years.
We’re not even at Day 90, and look at the chaos.
Look at the disappearances.
Look at the erosion of the judiciary, the press, and our rights.
If you do not stop this, we will not make it 1,460 days.
So here’s what I need from you — right now:
⸻
1. Form an independent, civilian-powered investigative coalition.
It seems to me he is just drunk with power, he’s enjoying raising tariffs, taking over the Kennedy center, blowing off the G 7, bombing Iran, and playing golf incessantly. Never interested in governing just power and greediness.
Studies show revenge is addictive, just like drugs or gambling. People who practice it get more and more hooked. The Revenge anecdote? If the "victims" and hate mongers can learn to forgive, that surge in the pleasure center in their brain isn't fed.
Rural southern Ohio is primarily red. Most family farms have lived there for generations. The average farmer is now over 65 years old. They are primarily Republicans due to family tradition. It hasn't occurred to them that their party has reverted back into Dixiecrats. They edged in during the focus on taxes during the surge of the Tea Party. The old order is gone.
The only statistic on the election diagram in my rural county is that the biggest majority of voters now are Independents, preceding Republicans, with only a small sliver of the pie chart going to Democrats. What this means is the biggest chunk of voters can't vote in the primaries, but they will show up for the presidential race. This is why presidential poll numbers are useless based on primaries.
2 out of 3 seats in the House of Representatives are non-competitive. The non-competitive seats are seats won by more than 20 points. All of the non-competitive "safe" seats are determined at the primary level where turn out can be greatly influenced by money and the money only needs to buy one party candidate. Big money gets to chose the candidates so the election becomes just a formality.
Thirty-six years ago, when Citizens United was formed (joined by the Koch Bros, who had always strived for Constitutional reform for the rich,) had/has laundered monies poured into creating conservative propaganda "documentaries" advertisements, and payoffs for their candidates. Between running for office and once in, being able to insider trade, it was the best get-rich-quick scheme in the land for wannabe politicians with no ethics, integrity, or self-respect. JD Vance comes to mind...
David Bossie was the deputy campaign manager for Donald Trump's first presidential campaign. Bossie is president and chairman of the conservative advocacy group Citizens United since 2000 after a temporary leave for the campaign.
The Supreme Court overturned the provision of McCain-Feingold barring corporations and unions from paying for political ads made independently of candidate campaigns. (It also coined the phrase "Corporations are people." ) A dissenting opinion by Justice Stevens, was joined by Justice Ginsburg, Justice Breyer, and Justice Sotomayor in 2010.
Big money is financing the campaigns. The revolving door. Lobbyist and Corporate insiders leave their private jobs to work for congress then return to work for lobbying firms or large corporations. Insider Stock Trading. There are investors who monitor trades made by members of congress so they can copy them. Members of congress use inside information to trade stocks. Trump is the next step to total oligarchy.
Yes. True. He isn’t the one making decisions in the WH . It’s miller who takes his direction from the tech bros. I mean already 4 of them have been made Lt colonels before the bombings . He gets his parades, the signing of god knows what EO’s , he certainly doesn’t know or care to know. He doesn’t read his intel briefings, he doesn’t need to , someone with reading comprehension probably does. Golfing and grifting , his main goals . With the bought and paid for VP waiting in the wings, he only needs to get the spending bill passed , which the Rethuglicans will certainly do with whatever other stuff they shove into it.
Once the mad king is gone, they will set up Vance as a savior from trump. They just wanted the bulk of the dirty work in place. They are succeeding. When Theil is in charge ( if he isn’t already) , things will be “ smoother “ , Vance will speak coherently. Somehow they will twist this so their poster boy will appear as a rescue from trump.
He may not need to after all the legislative actions are taken. Thats why the push for the billionaires bill is so important to that party . Once all this shit becomes “ law” . With voter suppression, intimidation with troops guarding the polls . That os my fear. He just may not need to have any charisma.
He may not need to after all the legislative actions are taken. Thats why the push for the billionaires bill is so important to that party . Once all this shit becomes “ law” . With voter suppression, intimidation with troops guarding the polls . That os my fear. He just may not need to have any charisma.
Quite possibly, Trump realizes he won't have a third term, so for him, it doesn't matter so much if his party loses in 2028, except for the prospect of an energized Department of Justice.
Apart from that, it's likely simple Republican folklore that "socialized medicine" and other programs that benefit rural areas are wicked and not necessary. The reality, like it or not, is that Medicaid has become a backbone of health care in poor states, with Kentucky as a prime example. Kentucky at least expanded Medicaid.
During World War II, the British government started funding most health care, apparently a practical matter. After the war, more permanent arrangements were made and national health care slipped in. The US experience was different, with the war leading to employer-provided health care. The current Medicaid situation suggests that upgrading the program may be in order, especially for children.
Sadly, the NAM along with the chamber of commerce crowd were and are vehemently against any notion of Nat'l Universal care. Biggest lobby opposed. How else would they retain workers they have value for.
"I believe trump feels he’s beyond needing his MAGA base."
He had the world's richest man dancing on the stage for him. He orders Republicans in Congress about and they stand at attention. Still, some of the MAGA base will always love him because he owns the libs, and that's all that matters to them.
So, pkidd you mean to to say that Trump is "no longer needing elections." I suppose this means you are more pessimistic about competituve 2026 than PK was in his recent post on upcoming elections. prospects. Indeed, it seems you are even less optimistic about fair 2026 elections that Frum has been in his March and June pieces on the topic in The Atlantic. I suppose that you see the chance that there'll be no 2026 election competitive enough for a Democratic recapture of Congress as near to 100%. I take such an opinion seriously. However, am I reading you accurately?
So you think Trump is "no longer needing elections." I guess this means you are more pessimistic about fair 2026 than PK was in his recent post on the Democrats' electoral prospects, are even more pessimistic about fair 2026 elections that Frum in his dhstinctly pessimistic March and June articles on the topic in The Atlantic. Indeed, I suppose that you see the chance that there'll be no 2026 election competitive enough for a Democratic recapture of the house as close to 100%. I take such a view seriously. But am I reading you correctly?
Don't you worry that the placement of the military in blue cities/states could be mobilized to discourage voting? And that the tech billionaires who've lined up behind trump might donate their expertise, in exchange for favorable legislation, to technologically mess with voting? I worry that a party that has put winning over the rule of law has lots of levers they might pull to steal the election, regardless of the strength of the other party's candidates.
Yes I DO share such worries. I'm surprised you don't "like" my comment and seem to think I'm voicing essential disagreement instead of a very similar, if slightly less assured, pessimism about forthcoming elections.
I’d be a little more optimistic if SCOTUS had any inclination to reign in the Executive Branch. Extremely concerned that ICE paramilitary raids, mobilization of National Guard, and even deployment of active duty Marines within CONUS is prelude to martial law & suspension of elections.
Trump has the technocrats aligned with him in such a way that there can never be an honest election ever again. Trump is not in the least worried about the midterms. He’s got the programmers programming the voting results so he can’t ever lose. Wake up everybody. Trump and the MAGAts own us now.
The ice cold and cynical exploitation of his base, relies on leveraging the tragic awareness of fervent believers who have been screwed who are going to have their hearts and minds crushed between the wheels and the curb of the “bus from heaven”
They thing Trump always knew is that these poor suffering bastards will literally rather die from health related chronic disease or fentynal overdose rather than admitt they have ben played.
This is all part of Trump’s “dog eat dog” worldview.
Let’s not forget the original culprits for this disaster, the NY media. Trump would have remained one of many local real estate agents if the NY Post and others hadn’t elevated him through its PR campaign, and NBC hadn’t used him for its cheap and fake “reality”program.
Ha! You are right! He gave away his plans to bomb Iran, so they moved 60% of their enriched uranium out of Tofor (or however it’s spelled) before we bombed it.
He didn't come up with that plan alone. He has the Heritage Foundation to thank for Project 2025. Along with the Silicon Valley Crew - MuskRat, Bozo Bezos, Zuck, Andreessen, Thiel (and his prodigy Couchboy Hillbilly) and most of all, Curtis Yarvin, AKA "Mencius Moldbug".
Will rural Trump voters ever recognize they're being screwed by Trump? Based on a conversation I had just last Friday with a rural Trump voter, the answer is an emphatic "NO!" Whatever troubles come down the road, they will ALWAYS be caused by liberals, Democrats, and the Deep State.
So when Medicaid cuts cause the local hospital to close, it won't be because of cuts to Medicaid. The hospital will close because those lazy other people refuse to pay their bills! Or maybe because the Deep State closed the hospital to embarrass Donald Trump. Or those liberals demanded the hospital hire unqualified Black doctors.
But the Big Beautiful Bill causing the closure? That's unpossible!
"They don't mind getting shot in the foot, as long as some total stranger from a demographic they hate gets shot in the knee."
As long as Trump continues to victimize "fill in the blank, but mostly Blacks", these people will NEVER have a word of complaint. After all, The Southern Strategy prepared them to make sacrifices in order to see their racism more fully expressed, and their worship of Trump simply makes them MORE willing to accept some pain.
Even during our Civil War, this "poor, white" demographic paid a greater price than the slave owners, who were generally exempted from fighting because their slaves were considered to be contributing to the southern war effort.
The movie “Free State of Jones” was about this exact dynamic in the South during the Civil War. If you had slaves, meaning if you were rich, you were exempted from the fighting.
Saw a quote from a Trump voter the other day that was along the lines of "Suffering is easier when you like the person making you suffer."
It resembles an abusive relationship, reinforced by religious belief in unquestioning obedience. I grew up in rural Oklahoma singing hymns like Trust and Obey ("For there's no other way, To be happy in Jesus, Than to trust and obey.")
Oh jeez. I forgot about that song- grew up in southern VA, southern Baptist. Agnostic since I left home at 18. Reading your words I could hear that song in my head again. Weird how stuff like that sticks with you
I know, right? I am a recovering Southern Baptist myself. I think they may have excised some of the more inflammatory (and unforgettable) hymns like There Is a Fountain Flowing Blood.
The hospital within 30 minutes of where I live closed its obstetrics unit. Women giving birth must travel for over an hour. In addition to the decline in rural healthcare, the hospital was also having trouble recruiting obstetricians in Indiana, which enshrined opposition to abortion in almost every case, leaving doctors with state government second guessing any medical decisions doctors might make. And the supermajority Republican legislature and MAGA governor wonder why there is a horrifying predicted income shortfall, which they are conveniently blaming on the previous Republican governor who was less extreme, relatively speaking. Perchance, corporations are not choosing to move to Indiana?
I read that IN is planning to toll all the Interstate highways there. Which I don't think is legal under the Interstate Highways Act, but that doesn't stop Republicans these days.
It's always been legal. The New Jersey Turnpike is Interstate 95 and is a toll road. What's illegal is accepting Federal funds for maintaining a toll road.
The Democratic candidate for governor in 2024, Jennifer McCormick, pulled in 41.1% of the vote. MAGA Mike Braun had 54.4%. The Libertarian, Donald Rainwater, who runs EVERY single time, received 4.5%, and an independent received 52 write-in votes.
Most of the problem is that the political right leans a little paranoid and is heavily hypnotized and propagandized by their MAGA preachers and Faux Snooze. They are political Zombies.
I don't know if you can apply this to all of the political right. The MAGA base, sure, but there are plenty of Republicans who haven't bought into the paranoia.
Substack is filled with Reagan-era Republicans who are vocal about their distrust of Dump. The Lincoln Project (lincolnproject.us), Republican Voters Against Trump (rvat.org).
I don't know the exact membership numbers of these organizations, but I do know that not every Republican who opposes Dump is a member, just as I know that not every Progressive is a member of the ACLU; odds are that there is a sizeable amount of Republicans opposed to this administration.
Not in any sizeable numbers, no. There has been reporting in the last several weeks that some members of Congress have been quietly wringing their hands over this OBBB because they know it will hurt their constituents, but they're very hush on any public criticism.
I’ve been waiting to see an analysis of some sort that seeks to get at attitudes and information sources, ideally by region and demographic, to determine what percentages of people are being reached by what media and how stuck versus movable they are. We can’t seek to address our current problems unless we at least have some idea of where to put our efforts.
Dems, and other groups that have an interest in a return to sanity, could craft a strategy to flood certain media spaces with certain personalities to create doubt in a big enough segment of Trump land. But where to go, who to send, and whether it has any chance of success depends on factors I haven’t seen discussed in any rigorous way.
Exactly! There will be endless social media posts, TikTok videos and YouTube conspiracy podcasts that will “explain”how it’s still our fault. Joe Rogan will interview “experts” that explain it to him and his audience.
Spent 20 years in a deeply red rural place. They are told by their electeds all their problems are from the Dems who give all their taxpayer money to the cities and black and brown people. And these the electeds make sure no POC can live there, so the folks have no experience with POC and they can continue to divide and conquer. It works like a charm. 65/35 wins for R’s at every level of government in a deeply red NJ rural place. It doesn’t matter if Trump devastates them. They will blame it on the POC, Dems and liberals.
During his first term he and the GOP Congress larded extra money on farmers, by one estimate double their actual losses. They'll do it again.
The South also has a habit of differential enforcement, in which they make it easier for white people to overcome bureaucratic barriers to claiming benefits compared to black people. They'll do it again with Medicaid to soften the blow on poor whites.
I have friends who grow walnuts and almonds on a family farm in Northern California. They said the first Trump tariffs decimated their predominant export markets, and that the relief money was too little, too late. They had to sell off part of the farm. Now, maybe the largesse that went to the big ag corporations was sweeter, but such backfilling is still a poor substitute for free markets.
While it's clear that the regime's policies will further impoverish rural Americans disproportionately, if recent history is any indicator, Trump will simply have to tell those who are hurt that "It's the lying Democrats' fault. It's Biden's fault. It's Barack Hussein Obama's fault. It's the left's fault, It's wokeism and DEI and trans-whatever" and they will get out their pitchforks anew.
The worst part is the people living there watch Fox News and believe it. They’ll blame foreigners and “liberals” and everyone except Trump. After all, all those fake films of empty shelves taken from other countries and presented by Fox as being in America just not where you are, wherever you are, were all for the purpose of scaring people into thinking bad stuff is happening in other parts of the country and it’s only a matter of time until it happens where you live.
So people in rural places won’t be surprised by the bad stuff and will think it was inevitable and the solution is more MAGA…what can you do?
Yeah, the media environment is really bad, and possibly the single biggest factor keeping this country from un-fucking itself. And not even just in rural states.
Isn’t it obvious that once the rural areas are devastated by every part of the awful terrible bill those areas then will then be available to be bought up by huge corporations. And it won’t just be rural areas that will be devastated by these policies. We will not have food. Let that sink in. The farmers, as we speak, are being stripped of their workforces in the immigrant roundups. We will not have food on the shelves and what may make it will be much more expensive. So the combination of economic policies and immigration policies under Trump spell huge problems for us all. It doesn’t matter what are party we belong to. Except for the very richest, we are all going to be a lot worse off very soon.
Thank you for your apt observation! My fear is that the morbidly rich will acquire vast amounts of bankrupt farmland, water resources, and a starving population that will work for crumbs.
This won't happen. Yes, the small farmers will be put out of business and the mega-corps will take what they want, but those mega-corps are plenty capable of providing food - it will just be the food they want to provide and not necessarily the food that people want to eat. They are simply eliminating any kind of competition so they can run the show how they want to maximize profit. Rest assured, the wealthy will still have access to whatever they want. Everybody else will eat gruel and like it.
I have cousins in rural areas. FOX propaganda has filled them with fear and hate of immigrants. Churches of various denominations leaned Republicans or are all in on MAGA. When talking with the it is almost an alternate universe. I am going to read Dr. Hassan's book on the Cult of Trump. I don't think much will sway deep Trump voters.
Hassan's "The Cult of Trump" is well worth reading, as well as his steps toward recovery from a cult, or helping someone else in recovery, (the BITE model; control of Behavior, Information, Thought, and Emotion, explained on his website. Google Steven Hassan. He founded the "Freedom of Mind Resource Center", Massachusetts, 1999.
I cannot afford to buy books. I borrow digital audiobooks and eBooks from local and state public libraries. Libraries are an essential lifeline to me.
Use/share this spreadsheet as a resource to call/email/write members of Congress, the Cabinet and news organizations. Reach out to those in your own state, as well as those in others. Use your voice and make some “good trouble” ❤️🩹🤍💙
There are parts of this bill that haven't been reported on (please don't overlook them) that concern the student loan market. AEI, and AEI's spokesman Preston Cooper, have spoken out in the Washington Post about the changes the OBBB will usher into the student loan marketplace, but what was hyperlinked in the opinion piece in the Washington Post was an article in AEI written by Preston Cooper. Odd? The OBBB changes daily, but what (still) seems to be in front of the Senate, concerning the federal student marketplace, seems to be a horrific attempt to usher in a private student loans tsunami of nightmare proportion. Burying a future generation of physicians dentists in private student loans dosen't seem to me how we make America anything other than beholden to its shareholders.
"It remains to be seen if rural Trump supporters will awaken from their naivete." Remains to be seen? I don't think so. Most people don't easily acknowledge the fact that they were wrong. And when your psyche depends on your belief that the Other caused your problems?
Professor Krugman: i hate to be the one to say this, but i'm going to say it: no one cares. MAGA burned their house to the ground because they want to harm their neighbours down the street. it didn't happen and it's not gonna happen. the hateful MAGA are reaping what they sewed -- ten-fold.
Don’t give up. Sure most rural voters will repeat FoxNewsisms and refuse to blame Trump. But 4m rural voters live in NC, where Trump won by 200,000 votes. 3m rurals in PA where Trump won by 120k votes. 2.5m in WI where Trump won by 30k votes.
It only takes 1 in 10 to realize they got screwed and who did the screwing to change the next election.
It will certainly be an interesting election - by then I hope we will all demand forensic audits - based on what we have been learning about irregularities in the last one.
Just like there are a lot of people who voted for Dump, and for Harris, there are also a lot of people who just didn't vote. And there will surely be a significant number of these non-voters who will be hurt by the OBBB, just as there will be Democrats who are hurt by it, as well as Republicans. This insistence that everyone is either a Democrat or a MAGA diehard is completely counterproductive.
Some people need to actually get they what they keep voting for.
Note, though, that the Republican administration and congress keep trying to mitigate the effects of their own policies on red states (and only red states). Trump is pointing ICE at cities and away from farms, the Senate is talking about a "rural hospital fund", etc.
The cuts will be devastating to West Virginia. Some independent news outlets in WV have been covering the cuts and what it means for the state: 28% of West Virginians receive Medicaid, and 16% receive SNAP. 45% of children receive coverage under Medicaid. Not to mention all of the other programs that have lost funding, like small farms, food banks, workplace safety . . . just devastating. But the entire congressional delegation will almost certainly back OBBBA.
They won't. Those states are the poorest, sickest and uneducated and yet year after year they vote for the same thing. Why would they change now. MAGA will easily convince them the dems are responsible and they will all suffer for MAGA
I believe trump feels he’s beyond needing his MAGA base. They served to get him elected, but his eye is now on no longer needing elections. Like everything else he does, his courting of the great MAGA unwashed was simply transactional, to achieve his personal goals.
Never forget that the convicted felon fellow said, and I quote:
"In four years, You don't have to vote again. We'll have it fixed so good. You're not going to have to vote."
He said this in June 2024 before a group of so-called "christians". I say so-called because as an atheïst I'll never understand that "christians" would vote for a guy who always does what "Jesus would never do".
Have no fear. According to my Evangelical relatives the End Times are now here and very soon Jesus will reappear and swoop the believers up to Heaven in the Rapture. Buhbye. All those tRump voters gone in a flash. /s
I would love to see their faces when none of the above happens. I’m sure they’ll rationalize it out somehow. Don’t they always.
They'll blame it on Biden.
Or Teh Gays.
Well, they never got over Obama's poor response to the 9/11 attacks.
They'll be pissed, because I already called first dibs on all of their worldly possessions, and I'm not letting a little detail like not getting raptured stopping me from collecting...
😂
You might be a little late for that Ken. The maga leadership has been busy in the background changing laws, local, state, and national making it easier for themselves and masters to 'Hoover up' all that property and possessions.
It's the radical liberal right who are actively preventing the Rapture!
They simply reset the clock if they are not successful in bringing about Armageddon and redouble their efforts. We need to identify and treat these mentally ill people, not make excuses for them and certainly get them the hell out of any position of civic responsibility.
I second that....
blame biden probably
The Minnesota alleged murderer of Democratic politicians was evidently both evangelical and charismatic, and convinced that the US was in the hands of evil powers and principalities. And he needed to wage war on them.
The so-called "justice department" is trying to get his case into Federal courts. My bet is that, if they do, they'll either figure a way to turn him loose or get a pardon from DonnyJon. Make it clear to the people that it's open season on Democrats.
You’ll appreciate my latest substack (totally free).
It’s just the best way I can address the reality you seem to be “woke” to.
https://open.substack.com/pub/olflawriduhcracker/p/american-fascism-why-lies-feel-right?r=38b45&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true
The religious right was already insanely anticipating the rapture when the Republican Party decided to bring them into its fold in the 1970s. The Party paid lip service to their ideas for the next 40 years but finally got eaten by them in the last five.
Again, I am heartened by the number of comments who really get what the Christo Fascist agenda is delivering in synch with the tech bro billionaires
https://open.substack.com/pub/olflawriduhcracker/p/american-fascism-why-lies-feel-right?r=38b45&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true
Ah yes, the End Times. Like Iran's nuclear bomb, they're just a few months away... and have been for as long as anyone can remember.
This is why they are so opposed to efforts to fight global warming. Global warming is God's way of ending the world.
Will he throw the moneychangers out of the temple first?
Understand the important portion of what you didn't stated here Jeanne. "Have no fear." Those minority masses are utterly possessed by 'fears' and shabby interpretations of the book as explained to them by charlatans. Would I or you take snake oil to allay all our fears ? Is there some way to break the spell / hold of the passionately hopeful or is it hopeless ?
Good questions. Most anything is achievable, but at what cost? Deprogramming a cultist is extremely labor intensive and that’s why it’s rarely attempted.
Well let us pray it’s soon, ok.
I can't wait.
See, there it is Marc.
Just as in Jonestown. Can you imagine the hordes of flies that will be drawn to the carcasses after their souls depart.
Marc,
Once Trump "won" in 2024, I started seeing "MAGA" on the electronic signs outside churches here in the Deep South of South Carolina.
Considering the devastation that white southern churches suffered under The Southern Strategy, this was sort of expected to come next.
And now, with Trump forgiving all white Americans of their sins against Black Americans (mostly violence and economic theft), I'd speculate that more white Americans feel they have been saved by Trump than by Jesus...
Sadly.
until they lose their medicaid, food stamps and thrown out of nursing homes
It's not impossible...
I particularly work about nursing homes. Families that need 2 income only now Mama is coming back because Medicaid is shrunk. House won't hold another person. How does that work out.
Trumpism and Christianity are both cults. It's just that one is local and one is historic and worldwide. Their adherents ascribe super-heroic qualities to Trump and supernatural powers to Jesus. Neither can be seen to fail. The only difference is, Trump is (purportedly) alive, and Jesus is dead. OR IS HE?
I wonder what a Trump fingernail clipping will go for in 100 years.
Or, dare we wish, I single strand of hair?
EEeeeww
When I referenced the "devastation" of The Southern Strategy, I might have expressed it batter as a "manipulation".
If changing the focus of a system of churches representing millions, from the love of Jesus - to VOTING GOP (using hate, no less), was done with subtlety and finesse, it will be a GOP first.
When he said "fixed", he meant that literally. As in "rigged".
Those so-called "Christians" are more accurately described as "Christofascists". They usurp the name of Christ, but they don't actually believe in what he preached.
“I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.” Mahatma Gandhi
Gandhi was on to something there.
I think KKKristians works better.
It's certainly accurate 😂
Lamestream media at it's lame best.
Yep. And there is still little attention paid to that statement, even here on Substack. What gives? Can’t believe their would be any death threats to ‘Stackers
As an atheist, you probably have formed an opinion regarding what Jesus would do by reading the words credited to him. That's certainly where my atheist opinion of "WWJD" comes from. Unfortunately, most of those who "believe" haven't done actually read the words and rely instead on what grifters tell them to believe - often to excite existing secular prejudices which have absolutely nothing to do with the contents of their so-called religion. Where they do know the actual words, they are cherry-picked and deliberately taken out of context. That's how at this point in history, if you ask people what "an eye for an eye" means, they will probably describe it as legitimizing violence and vengeance when in fact it was a call for justice and against excessive punishment. And just like politics, this situation with religion is self-reinforcing because it is precisely the individual grifters who most cynically exploit religious belief who are most successful in monetizing their grift. The answer to all this, is of course, ubiquitous public education coupled with a rigorous separation of church and state and a willingness to find and prosecute criminal grifters. It is now coincidence that the core objectives of the grifters is to undermine precisely these features.
100% agreed David.
And in my atheist reading of the book considered "holy" "an eye for an eye" is a call for measured response, balanced reaction.
As in: "No it is not OK to burn your neighbors house to the floor because some leaves fell on your lawn last autumn."
I am Methodist and I agree with your assessment, but I am happy the new pope is really given' it to the christofascists. He will break through with some people.
We can hope
Conveniently, the grifters leave out the more important details and meanings.
Marc as a fellow atheist, the answer lies in a Christo Fascism variant where the End Times is a happy time for believers and where those who do not believe are to be put to the sword with the blessing of Christ.
The Democratic Party, from everything I can see, appears to be in on the grift. They're essential behavior amounts to "Stop, or I shall vigorously fund raise so that I can say stop again!"
Rob Brown...Liz Cheney never wrote that. You can look it up. Robert Reich was wrong to send that out the way he did. Now, that doesn't mean what was written was wrong. But, Cheney didn't write it.
Thanks very much MK. I've deleted the post.
Here's PoliticiFact debunking Reich's claim that Cheney wrote it.
https://api.politifact.com/factchecks/2025/apr/18/facebook-posts/liz-cheney-didnt-pen-a-viral-open-letter-to-democr/
But - whoever wrote it made some really good points. So here it is (with the Cheney reference deleted)-
________________________________________________________
Dear Democratic Party,
I need more from you.
You keep sending emails begging for $15,
while we’re watching fascism consolidate power in real time.
This administration is not simply “a different ideology.”
It is a coordinated, authoritarian machine — with the Supreme Court, the House, the Senate, and the executive pen all under its control.
And you?
You’re still asking for decorum and donations. WTF.
That won’t save us.
I don’t want to hear another polite floor speech.
I want strategy.
I want fire.
I want action so bold it shifts the damn news cycle — not fits inside one.
Every time I see something from the DNC, it’s asking me for funds.
Surprise.
Those of us who donate don’t want to keep sending money just to watch you stand frozen as the Constitution goes up in flames — shaking your heads and saying,
“Well, there’s not much we can do. He has the majority.”
I call bullshit.
If you don’t know how to think outside the box…
If you don’t know how to strategize…
If you don’t know how to fight fire with fire…
what the hell are we giving you money for?
Some of us have two or three advanced degrees.
Some of us have military training.
Some of us know what coordinated resistance looks like — and this ain’t it.
Yes, the tours around the country? Nice.
The speeches? Nice.
The clever congressional clapbacks? Nice.
That was great for giving hope.
Now we need action.
You have to stop acting like this is a normal presidency that will just time out in four years.
We’re not even at Day 90, and look at the chaos.
Look at the disappearances.
Look at the erosion of the judiciary, the press, and our rights.
If you do not stop this, we will not make it 1,460 days.
So here’s what I need from you — right now:
⸻
1. Form an independent, civilian-powered investigative coalition.
I’m talking experts. Veterans. Whistleblowers. Journalists. Watchdog orgs.
Deputize the resistance. Build a real-time archive of corruption, overreach, and executive abuse.
Make it public. Make it unshakable.
Let the people drag the rot into the light.
If you can’t hold formal hearings, hold public ones.
If Congress won’t act, let the country act.
This isn’t about optics — it’s about receipts.
Because at some point, these people will be held accountable.
And when that day comes, we’ll need every name, every signature, every illegal order, every act of silence—documented.
You’re not just preserving truth — you’re preparing evidence for prosecution.
The more they vanish people and weaponize data, the more we need truth in the sunlight.
⸻
2. Join the International Criminal Court.
Yes, I said it. Call their bluff.
You cannot control what the other side does.
But you can control your own integrity.
So prove it. Prove that your party is still grounded in law, human rights, and ethical leadership.
Join.
If you’ve got nothing to hide — join.
Show the world who’s hiding bodies, bribes, and buried bank accounts.
Force the GOP to explain why they’d rather protect a war criminal than sign a treaty.
And while you’re at it, publicly invite ICC observers into U.S. borders.
Make this administration explain — on camera — why they’re terrified of international oversight.
⸻
3. Fund state-level resistance infrastructure.
Don’t just send postcards. Send resources.
Channel DNC funds into rapid-response teams, legal defense coalitions, sanctuary networks, and digital security training.
If the federal government is hijacked, build power underneath it.
If the laws become tools of oppression, help people resist them legally, locally, and boldly.
This is not campaign season — this is an authoritarian purge.
Stop campaigning.
Act like this is the end of democracy, because it is.
We WILL REMEMBER the warriors come primaries.
Fighting this regime should be your marketing strategy.
And let’s be clear:
The reason the other side always seems three steps ahead is because they ARE.
They prepared for this.
They infiltrated school boards, courts, local legislatures, and police unions.
They built a machine while you wrote press releases.
We’re reacting — they’ve been executing a plan for years.
It’s time to shift from panic to blueprint.
You should already be working with strategists and military minds on PROJECT 2029,
a coordinated, long-term plan to rebuild this country when the smoke clears.
You should be publicly laying out:
• The laws and amendments you’ll pass to ensure this never happens again
• The systems you’ll tear down and the safeguards you’ll enshrine
• The plan to hold perpetrators of human atrocities accountable
• The urgent commitment to immediately bring home those sold into slavery in El Salvador
You say you’re the party of the people?
Then show the people the plan.
⸻
4. Use your platform to educate the public on rights and resistance tactics.
If they’re going to strip us of rights and lie about it — arm the people with truth.
Text campaigns. Mass trainings. Downloadable “Know Your Rights” kits. Multilingual legal guides. Encrypted phone trees.
Give people tools, not soundbites.
We don’t need more slogans.
We need survival manuals.
⸻
5. Leverage international media and watchdogs.
Stop hoping U.S. cable news will wake up.
They’re too busy playing both sides of fascism.
Feed the real stories to BBC, Al Jazeera, The Guardian, Reuters, Der Spiegel — hell, leak them to anonymous dropboxes if you have to.
Make what’s happening in America a global scandal.
And stop relying on platforms that are actively suppressing truth.
Start leveraging Substack. Use Bluesky.
That’s where the resistance is migrating. That’s where censorship hasn’t caught up.
If the mainstream won’t carry the truth — outflank them.
Get creative. Go underground. Go global.
If our democracy is being dismantled in broad daylight, make sure the whole world sees it — and make sure we’re still able to say it.
⸻
6. Create a digital safe haven for whistleblowers and defectors.
Not everyone inside this regime is loyal.
Some are scared. Some want out.
Build the channels.
Encrypted. Anonymous. Protected.
Make it easy for the cracks in the system to become gaping holes.
And while you’re at it?
Stop ostracizing MAGA defectors.
Everyone makes mistakes — even glaring, critical ones.
We are not the bullies.
We are not the ones filled with hate.
And it is not your job to shame people who finally saw the fire and chose to step out of it.
They will have to deal with that internal struggle — the guilt of putting a very dangerous and callous regime in power.
But they’re already outnumbered. Don’t push them back into the crowd.
We don’t need purity.
We need numbers.
We need people willing to burn their red hats and testify against the machine they helped build.
⸻
7. Study the collapse—and the comeback.
You should be learning from South Korea and how they managed their brief rule under dictatorship.
They didn’t waste time chasing the one man with absolute immunity.
They went after the structure.
The aides. The enforcers. The loyalists. The architects.
They knocked out the foundation one pillar at a time —
until the “strongman” had no one left to stand on.
And his power crumbled beneath him.
You should be independently investigating every author of Project 2025,
every aide who defies court orders,
every communications director repeating lies,
every policy writer enabling cruelty,
every water boy who keeps this engine running.
You can’t stop a regime by asking the king to sit down.
You dismantle the throne he’s standing on — one coward at a time.
⸻
Stop being scared to fight dirty when the other side is fighting to erase the damn Constitution.
They are threatening to disappear AMERICANS.
A M E R I C A N S.
And your biggest move can’t be another strongly worded email.
We don’t want your urgently fundraising subject lines.
We want backbone.
We want action.
We want to know you’ll stand up before we’re all ordered to sit down — permanently.
We are watching.
And I don’t just mean your base.
I mean millions of us who see exactly what’s happening.
I’ve only got 6,000 followers — but the groups I’m in? The networks I touch? Over a quarter million.
Often when I speak, it echoes.
But when we ALL
speak, it ROARS with pressure that will cause change.
We need to be deafening.
You still have a chance to do something historic.
To be remembered for courage, not caution.
To go down as the party that didn’t just watch the fall — but fought the hell back with everything they had.
But the clock is ticking.
And the deportation buses are idling.
It seems to me he is just drunk with power, he’s enjoying raising tariffs, taking over the Kennedy center, blowing off the G 7, bombing Iran, and playing golf incessantly. Never interested in governing just power and greediness.
Studies show revenge is addictive, just like drugs or gambling. People who practice it get more and more hooked. The Revenge anecdote? If the "victims" and hate mongers can learn to forgive, that surge in the pleasure center in their brain isn't fed.
Rural southern Ohio is primarily red. Most family farms have lived there for generations. The average farmer is now over 65 years old. They are primarily Republicans due to family tradition. It hasn't occurred to them that their party has reverted back into Dixiecrats. They edged in during the focus on taxes during the surge of the Tea Party. The old order is gone.
The only statistic on the election diagram in my rural county is that the biggest majority of voters now are Independents, preceding Republicans, with only a small sliver of the pie chart going to Democrats. What this means is the biggest chunk of voters can't vote in the primaries, but they will show up for the presidential race. This is why presidential poll numbers are useless based on primaries.
2 out of 3 seats in the House of Representatives are non-competitive. The non-competitive seats are seats won by more than 20 points. All of the non-competitive "safe" seats are determined at the primary level where turn out can be greatly influenced by money and the money only needs to buy one party candidate. Big money gets to chose the candidates so the election becomes just a formality.
Thirty-six years ago, when Citizens United was formed (joined by the Koch Bros, who had always strived for Constitutional reform for the rich,) had/has laundered monies poured into creating conservative propaganda "documentaries" advertisements, and payoffs for their candidates. Between running for office and once in, being able to insider trade, it was the best get-rich-quick scheme in the land for wannabe politicians with no ethics, integrity, or self-respect. JD Vance comes to mind...
David Bossie was the deputy campaign manager for Donald Trump's first presidential campaign. Bossie is president and chairman of the conservative advocacy group Citizens United since 2000 after a temporary leave for the campaign.
The Supreme Court overturned the provision of McCain-Feingold barring corporations and unions from paying for political ads made independently of candidate campaigns. (It also coined the phrase "Corporations are people." ) A dissenting opinion by Justice Stevens, was joined by Justice Ginsburg, Justice Breyer, and Justice Sotomayor in 2010.
Big money is financing the campaigns. The revolving door. Lobbyist and Corporate insiders leave their private jobs to work for congress then return to work for lobbying firms or large corporations. Insider Stock Trading. There are investors who monitor trades made by members of congress so they can copy them. Members of congress use inside information to trade stocks. Trump is the next step to total oligarchy.
"Follow the money"
"Follow the money"
In the decade after the civil rights laws passed, most of the Dixiecrats became Republicans to be able to survive politically.
Nixon courted them, and thereafter the party of Lincoln became the party of Jim Crow.
Addictive like there is no tomorrow, yes! Until you are … just … fucking dead. Lol
Yes. True. He isn’t the one making decisions in the WH . It’s miller who takes his direction from the tech bros. I mean already 4 of them have been made Lt colonels before the bombings . He gets his parades, the signing of god knows what EO’s , he certainly doesn’t know or care to know. He doesn’t read his intel briefings, he doesn’t need to , someone with reading comprehension probably does. Golfing and grifting , his main goals . With the bought and paid for VP waiting in the wings, he only needs to get the spending bill passed , which the Rethuglicans will certainly do with whatever other stuff they shove into it.
Once the mad king is gone, they will set up Vance as a savior from trump. They just wanted the bulk of the dirty work in place. They are succeeding. When Theil is in charge ( if he isn’t already) , things will be “ smoother “ , Vance will speak coherently. Somehow they will twist this so their poster boy will appear as a rescue from trump.
Vance doesn't have enough charisma to carry the party.
He may not need to after all the legislative actions are taken. Thats why the push for the billionaires bill is so important to that party . Once all this shit becomes “ law” . With voter suppression, intimidation with troops guarding the polls . That os my fear. He just may not need to have any charisma.
He may not need to after all the legislative actions are taken. Thats why the push for the billionaires bill is so important to that party . Once all this shit becomes “ law” . With voter suppression, intimidation with troops guarding the polls . That os my fear. He just may not need to have any charisma.
Trump Golfs
More Than
He Thinks
Yes, that’s our fearful leaderless.
Quite possibly, Trump realizes he won't have a third term, so for him, it doesn't matter so much if his party loses in 2028, except for the prospect of an energized Department of Justice.
Apart from that, it's likely simple Republican folklore that "socialized medicine" and other programs that benefit rural areas are wicked and not necessary. The reality, like it or not, is that Medicaid has become a backbone of health care in poor states, with Kentucky as a prime example. Kentucky at least expanded Medicaid.
During World War II, the British government started funding most health care, apparently a practical matter. After the war, more permanent arrangements were made and national health care slipped in. The US experience was different, with the war leading to employer-provided health care. The current Medicaid situation suggests that upgrading the program may be in order, especially for children.
Sadly, the NAM along with the chamber of commerce crowd were and are vehemently against any notion of Nat'l Universal care. Biggest lobby opposed. How else would they retain workers they have value for.
enshitification
"I believe trump feels he’s beyond needing his MAGA base."
He had the world's richest man dancing on the stage for him. He orders Republicans in Congress about and they stand at attention. Still, some of the MAGA base will always love him because he owns the libs, and that's all that matters to them.
So, pkidd you mean to to say that Trump is "no longer needing elections." I suppose this means you are more pessimistic about competituve 2026 than PK was in his recent post on upcoming elections. prospects. Indeed, it seems you are even less optimistic about fair 2026 elections that Frum has been in his March and June pieces on the topic in The Atlantic. I suppose that you see the chance that there'll be no 2026 election competitive enough for a Democratic recapture of Congress as near to 100%. I take such an opinion seriously. However, am I reading you accurately?
So you think Trump is "no longer needing elections." I guess this means you are more pessimistic about fair 2026 than PK was in his recent post on the Democrats' electoral prospects, are even more pessimistic about fair 2026 elections that Frum in his dhstinctly pessimistic March and June articles on the topic in The Atlantic. Indeed, I suppose that you see the chance that there'll be no 2026 election competitive enough for a Democratic recapture of the house as close to 100%. I take such a view seriously. But am I reading you correctly?
Don't you worry that the placement of the military in blue cities/states could be mobilized to discourage voting? And that the tech billionaires who've lined up behind trump might donate their expertise, in exchange for favorable legislation, to technologically mess with voting? I worry that a party that has put winning over the rule of law has lots of levers they might pull to steal the election, regardless of the strength of the other party's candidates.
Yes I DO share such worries. I'm surprised you don't "like" my comment and seem to think I'm voicing essential disagreement instead of a very similar, if slightly less assured, pessimism about forthcoming elections.
I’d be a little more optimistic if SCOTUS had any inclination to reign in the Executive Branch. Extremely concerned that ICE paramilitary raids, mobilization of National Guard, and even deployment of active duty Marines within CONUS is prelude to martial law & suspension of elections.
Trump has the technocrats aligned with him in such a way that there can never be an honest election ever again. Trump is not in the least worried about the midterms. He’s got the programmers programming the voting results so he can’t ever lose. Wake up everybody. Trump and the MAGAts own us now.
But he sure likes the affirmation he gets from their rallies.
So true
The ice cold and cynical exploitation of his base, relies on leveraging the tragic awareness of fervent believers who have been screwed who are going to have their hearts and minds crushed between the wheels and the curb of the “bus from heaven”
They thing Trump always knew is that these poor suffering bastards will literally rather die from health related chronic disease or fentynal overdose rather than admitt they have ben played.
This is all part of Trump’s “dog eat dog” worldview.
That certainly fits the facts and makes sense.
"And when you're a star, they let you do it. You can do anything." - the maniacal mindset that guides him.
He is destroying with distraction. I could not ever come up with a plan to destroy USA better than him.
With Putin as his secret advisor? Maybe.
Putin and Bibi have been fighting over who gets Trump as their puppet. Currently Bibi is winning.
But either way he is their puppet, subject to his insecurities and those voices inside his head. Of course if his mouth moves, he is lying bigly!
Let’s not forget the original culprits for this disaster, the NY media. Trump would have remained one of many local real estate agents if the NY Post and others hadn’t elevated him through its PR campaign, and NBC hadn’t used him for its cheap and fake “reality”program.
Advisor...DEFINITELY!
Secret? Trump can't keep a secret any better than a three-year-old would be able to.
And Mueller proved it. (As did Trump, simply by his denial.)
Ha! You are right! He gave away his plans to bomb Iran, so they moved 60% of their enriched uranium out of Tofor (or however it’s spelled) before we bombed it.
I guess that's what happens when one bases EVERYTHING on the opinions of others:
"Trump’s Decision To Bomb Iran Was Influenced By Fox News: Report"
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/trump-decision-bomb-iran-influenced-by-fox-news_n_685a78b8e4b0c75437067cd5
He didn't come up with that plan alone. He has the Heritage Foundation to thank for Project 2025. Along with the Silicon Valley Crew - MuskRat, Bozo Bezos, Zuck, Andreessen, Thiel (and his prodigy Couchboy Hillbilly) and most of all, Curtis Yarvin, AKA "Mencius Moldbug".
Precisely right Winston. He alone is not that bright, no where near that bright.
True.
I, on the other hand, figured out much of this crap 3 years back. (And I'm sure I'm not alone):
“Thou Shall Give Birth, and God Shall Raise Up a Righteous Army!”
https://medium.com/@foofaraw/ye-shall-give-birth-and-god-shall-raise-up-a-righteous-army-f9f2ff1ea78d
It's as if he is actively working for someone else.
Putin, Curtis Yarvin, The Heritage Foundation. Not necessarily in that order.
Exactly.
BINGO
Thomas, maybe that’s because you aren’t a dumb, heartless excuse for a human being…?that’s what it takes to make a plan like his.
Is this the same Krugman that advocated alien invasions? Just so I know where to file this: the Marx brothers circus or the asylum?
Chaos is Trump's greatest talent, after creating trumpkins, of course.
Will rural Trump voters ever recognize they're being screwed by Trump? Based on a conversation I had just last Friday with a rural Trump voter, the answer is an emphatic "NO!" Whatever troubles come down the road, they will ALWAYS be caused by liberals, Democrats, and the Deep State.
So when Medicaid cuts cause the local hospital to close, it won't be because of cuts to Medicaid. The hospital will close because those lazy other people refuse to pay their bills! Or maybe because the Deep State closed the hospital to embarrass Donald Trump. Or those liberals demanded the hospital hire unqualified Black doctors.
But the Big Beautiful Bill causing the closure? That's unpossible!
A friend put the "southern attitude" best...
"They don't mind getting shot in the foot, as long as some total stranger from a demographic they hate gets shot in the knee."
As long as Trump continues to victimize "fill in the blank, but mostly Blacks", these people will NEVER have a word of complaint. After all, The Southern Strategy prepared them to make sacrifices in order to see their racism more fully expressed, and their worship of Trump simply makes them MORE willing to accept some pain.
Even during our Civil War, this "poor, white" demographic paid a greater price than the slave owners, who were generally exempted from fighting because their slaves were considered to be contributing to the southern war effort.
They’ll gladly eat a shit sandwich if a librul has to smell their breath
Just....WOW!
You beat me at my own metaphor!
Thanks, Stonejackballer.
The movie “Free State of Jones” was about this exact dynamic in the South during the Civil War. If you had slaves, meaning if you were rich, you were exempted from the fighting.
This seems a good time for that film to have the greater popularity it should have had all along.
But it would get all 1s from MAGAts, so few would know to see it.
Saw a quote from a Trump voter the other day that was along the lines of "Suffering is easier when you like the person making you suffer."
It resembles an abusive relationship, reinforced by religious belief in unquestioning obedience. I grew up in rural Oklahoma singing hymns like Trust and Obey ("For there's no other way, To be happy in Jesus, Than to trust and obey.")
Oh jeez. I forgot about that song- grew up in southern VA, southern Baptist. Agnostic since I left home at 18. Reading your words I could hear that song in my head again. Weird how stuff like that sticks with you
I know, right? I am a recovering Southern Baptist myself. I think they may have excised some of the more inflammatory (and unforgettable) hymns like There Is a Fountain Flowing Blood.
I remember that strange song, it seems something out of a cult.
The hospital within 30 minutes of where I live closed its obstetrics unit. Women giving birth must travel for over an hour. In addition to the decline in rural healthcare, the hospital was also having trouble recruiting obstetricians in Indiana, which enshrined opposition to abortion in almost every case, leaving doctors with state government second guessing any medical decisions doctors might make. And the supermajority Republican legislature and MAGA governor wonder why there is a horrifying predicted income shortfall, which they are conveniently blaming on the previous Republican governor who was less extreme, relatively speaking. Perchance, corporations are not choosing to move to Indiana?
I read that IN is planning to toll all the Interstate highways there. Which I don't think is legal under the Interstate Highways Act, but that doesn't stop Republicans these days.
Yes, that plan is under discussion with the idea that there is a loophole that can be exploited.
It's always been legal. The New Jersey Turnpike is Interstate 95 and is a toll road. What's illegal is accepting Federal funds for maintaining a toll road.
There are tolls on interstate highways all over. I live near 90 in Illinois, and it has tolls. The Indiana stretch does too.
Sensible people in Indiana were glad when he left the governorship for the vice presidency.
The Democratic candidate for governor in 2024, Jennifer McCormick, pulled in 41.1% of the vote. MAGA Mike Braun had 54.4%. The Libertarian, Donald Rainwater, who runs EVERY single time, received 4.5%, and an independent received 52 write-in votes.
Most of the problem is that the political right leans a little paranoid and is heavily hypnotized and propagandized by their MAGA preachers and Faux Snooze. They are political Zombies.
I don't know if you can apply this to all of the political right. The MAGA base, sure, but there are plenty of Republicans who haven't bought into the paranoia.
Damned few here in GA.
Eric you are dreaming sir! Sane Repubs are almost extinct, a dying breed. Show us some statistics if you really believe this!
Substack is filled with Reagan-era Republicans who are vocal about their distrust of Dump. The Lincoln Project (lincolnproject.us), Republican Voters Against Trump (rvat.org).
I don't know the exact membership numbers of these organizations, but I do know that not every Republican who opposes Dump is a member, just as I know that not every Progressive is a member of the ACLU; odds are that there is a sizeable amount of Republicans opposed to this administration.
Maybe. But none of those Republicans are in the Senate or the House.
Not in any sizeable numbers, no. There has been reporting in the last several weeks that some members of Congress have been quietly wringing their hands over this OBBB because they know it will hurt their constituents, but they're very hush on any public criticism.
I’ve been waiting to see an analysis of some sort that seeks to get at attitudes and information sources, ideally by region and demographic, to determine what percentages of people are being reached by what media and how stuck versus movable they are. We can’t seek to address our current problems unless we at least have some idea of where to put our efforts.
Dems, and other groups that have an interest in a return to sanity, could craft a strategy to flood certain media spaces with certain personalities to create doubt in a big enough segment of Trump land. But where to go, who to send, and whether it has any chance of success depends on factors I haven’t seen discussed in any rigorous way.
Exactly! There will be endless social media posts, TikTok videos and YouTube conspiracy podcasts that will “explain”how it’s still our fault. Joe Rogan will interview “experts” that explain it to him and his audience.
Sad but so true.
Spent 20 years in a deeply red rural place. They are told by their electeds all their problems are from the Dems who give all their taxpayer money to the cities and black and brown people. And these the electeds make sure no POC can live there, so the folks have no experience with POC and they can continue to divide and conquer. It works like a charm. 65/35 wins for R’s at every level of government in a deeply red NJ rural place. It doesn’t matter if Trump devastates them. They will blame it on the POC, Dems and liberals.
What is POC?
people of color
During his first term he and the GOP Congress larded extra money on farmers, by one estimate double their actual losses. They'll do it again.
The South also has a habit of differential enforcement, in which they make it easier for white people to overcome bureaucratic barriers to claiming benefits compared to black people. They'll do it again with Medicaid to soften the blow on poor whites.
Don't underestimate the perfidy of these people.
I have friends who grow walnuts and almonds on a family farm in Northern California. They said the first Trump tariffs decimated their predominant export markets, and that the relief money was too little, too late. They had to sell off part of the farm. Now, maybe the largesse that went to the big ag corporations was sweeter, but such backfilling is still a poor substitute for free markets.
While it's clear that the regime's policies will further impoverish rural Americans disproportionately, if recent history is any indicator, Trump will simply have to tell those who are hurt that "It's the lying Democrats' fault. It's Biden's fault. It's Barack Hussein Obama's fault. It's the left's fault, It's wokeism and DEI and trans-whatever" and they will get out their pitchforks anew.
The worst part is the people living there watch Fox News and believe it. They’ll blame foreigners and “liberals” and everyone except Trump. After all, all those fake films of empty shelves taken from other countries and presented by Fox as being in America just not where you are, wherever you are, were all for the purpose of scaring people into thinking bad stuff is happening in other parts of the country and it’s only a matter of time until it happens where you live.
So people in rural places won’t be surprised by the bad stuff and will think it was inevitable and the solution is more MAGA…what can you do?
Yeah, the media environment is really bad, and possibly the single biggest factor keeping this country from un-fucking itself. And not even just in rural states.
Consider what happens when you take "Fox News" out of the equation ! 🤗
Isn’t it obvious that once the rural areas are devastated by every part of the awful terrible bill those areas then will then be available to be bought up by huge corporations. And it won’t just be rural areas that will be devastated by these policies. We will not have food. Let that sink in. The farmers, as we speak, are being stripped of their workforces in the immigrant roundups. We will not have food on the shelves and what may make it will be much more expensive. So the combination of economic policies and immigration policies under Trump spell huge problems for us all. It doesn’t matter what are party we belong to. Except for the very richest, we are all going to be a lot worse off very soon.
Thank you for your apt observation! My fear is that the morbidly rich will acquire vast amounts of bankrupt farmland, water resources, and a starving population that will work for crumbs.
This won't happen. Yes, the small farmers will be put out of business and the mega-corps will take what they want, but those mega-corps are plenty capable of providing food - it will just be the food they want to provide and not necessarily the food that people want to eat. They are simply eliminating any kind of competition so they can run the show how they want to maximize profit. Rest assured, the wealthy will still have access to whatever they want. Everybody else will eat gruel and like it.
I have cousins in rural areas. FOX propaganda has filled them with fear and hate of immigrants. Churches of various denominations leaned Republicans or are all in on MAGA. When talking with the it is almost an alternate universe. I am going to read Dr. Hassan's book on the Cult of Trump. I don't think much will sway deep Trump voters.
Hassan's "The Cult of Trump" is well worth reading, as well as his steps toward recovery from a cult, or helping someone else in recovery, (the BITE model; control of Behavior, Information, Thought, and Emotion, explained on his website. Google Steven Hassan. He founded the "Freedom of Mind Resource Center", Massachusetts, 1999.
I cannot afford to buy books. I borrow digital audiobooks and eBooks from local and state public libraries. Libraries are an essential lifeline to me.
Call. Write. Email. Protest. Unrelentingly.
Use/share this spreadsheet as a resource to call/email/write members of Congress, the Cabinet and news organizations. Reach out to those in your own state, as well as those in others. Use your voice and make some “good trouble” ❤️🩹🤍💙
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/13lYafj0P-6owAJcH-5_xcpcRvMUZI7rkBPW-Ma9e7hw/edit?usp=drivesdk
WOW!!! Megan Rothery, thank you so much for sharing this!
You’re welcome! Thanks for speaking up right now!
There are parts of this bill that haven't been reported on (please don't overlook them) that concern the student loan market. AEI, and AEI's spokesman Preston Cooper, have spoken out in the Washington Post about the changes the OBBB will usher into the student loan marketplace, but what was hyperlinked in the opinion piece in the Washington Post was an article in AEI written by Preston Cooper. Odd? The OBBB changes daily, but what (still) seems to be in front of the Senate, concerning the federal student marketplace, seems to be a horrific attempt to usher in a private student loans tsunami of nightmare proportion. Burying a future generation of physicians dentists in private student loans dosen't seem to me how we make America anything other than beholden to its shareholders.
"It remains to be seen if rural Trump supporters will awaken from their naivete." Remains to be seen? I don't think so. Most people don't easily acknowledge the fact that they were wrong. And when your psyche depends on your belief that the Other caused your problems?
Professor Krugman: i hate to be the one to say this, but i'm going to say it: no one cares. MAGA burned their house to the ground because they want to harm their neighbours down the street. it didn't happen and it's not gonna happen. the hateful MAGA are reaping what they sewed -- ten-fold.
Don’t give up. Sure most rural voters will repeat FoxNewsisms and refuse to blame Trump. But 4m rural voters live in NC, where Trump won by 200,000 votes. 3m rurals in PA where Trump won by 120k votes. 2.5m in WI where Trump won by 30k votes.
It only takes 1 in 10 to realize they got screwed and who did the screwing to change the next election.
If there is a next election run fairly and reported honestly.
You're confused. Trump WINS the elections that are run fairly and reported honestly.
It will certainly be an interesting election - by then I hope we will all demand forensic audits - based on what we have been learning about irregularities in the last one.
Just like there are a lot of people who voted for Dump, and for Harris, there are also a lot of people who just didn't vote. And there will surely be a significant number of these non-voters who will be hurt by the OBBB, just as there will be Democrats who are hurt by it, as well as Republicans. This insistence that everyone is either a Democrat or a MAGA diehard is completely counterproductive.
Some people need to actually get they what they keep voting for.
Note, though, that the Republican administration and congress keep trying to mitigate the effects of their own policies on red states (and only red states). Trump is pointing ICE at cities and away from farms, the Senate is talking about a "rural hospital fund", etc.
Dump is pointing ICE at cities as a way to tarnish their reputation because he views all cities as liberal bastions.
The cuts will be devastating to West Virginia. Some independent news outlets in WV have been covering the cuts and what it means for the state: 28% of West Virginians receive Medicaid, and 16% receive SNAP. 45% of children receive coverage under Medicaid. Not to mention all of the other programs that have lost funding, like small farms, food banks, workplace safety . . . just devastating. But the entire congressional delegation will almost certainly back OBBBA.
https://mountainstatespotlight.org/2025/05/19/congress-budget-bill-medicaid-snap/
They won't. Those states are the poorest, sickest and uneducated and yet year after year they vote for the same thing. Why would they change now. MAGA will easily convince them the dems are responsible and they will all suffer for MAGA
How else could mitch continue to be elected.
Glad he is done.