General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsHow does Trump manipulate and control people so effectively?
Congressmen and Senators bowing before him, as Joy Reid says, like he is the Sun King. Getting a never Trumper like Lindsey Graham to turn into a sycophant. And now this morning, a pathetic and groveling apology from Steve Bannon.
Trump is a mentally incompetent and disturbed failure of a president. What hold does he have? Does he threaten people with damaging information? I believe they are afraid of him. I conclude that the Trump family are like a real life Corleaone family. The country is in the grip of a gangster family.
spanone
(135,950 posts)the russians probably hacked the rnc too
highplainsdem
(49,124 posts)Vlads all around.
meadowlark5
(2,795 posts)If Russia is good at anything, it's espionage. They probably can dig up dirt on anyone at any time. As soon as Trump's boyfriend in Russia see the news that a particular congressman or senator is not falling in line, they go to their files and find some compromising if not illegal information and send a postit note over the said congressman or senator.
This must be absolute fun for Russia and Putin. Control they probably thought they never would have.
CatWoman
(79,302 posts)but we can play too. We just haven't tipped our hand yet. So the republicans are fearing the known, but it's the unknown that is driving them nuts.
PoliticAverse
(26,366 posts)handmade34
(22,759 posts)the Republicans agenda could be attained with a Pence president as well... there is something else very mysterious going on
PoliticAverse
(26,366 posts)(it would cost them greatly with their base in the next elections). There's no magic blackmail conspiracy theory
needed to understand what's going on, it's just politics. You've often see politicians who demonized primary
opponents later sing their praises after the opponents won. Trump has a big ego and likes it being stroked,
it's not surprising to see lots of people stroking it to try to get what they want.
handmade34
(22,759 posts)...yes, politics it is, but Republicans can read the polling as well as we can... the base would absorb Pence or Ryan into the fold if need be and shouldn't cause that much disruption... but we can disagree
PoliticAverse
(26,366 posts)if the Republicans moved to get rid of Trump. They would make them pay a price for that.
The best outcome for Republicans would be for Trump to quit and get Pence but be able to
have Democrats to blame for it.
salin
(48,955 posts)The Koch/teaparty FoxNews/Limbaugh propoganda project created a monster-mob - who vote in force in GOP primaries.
Siwsan
(26,333 posts)Admittedly, that's probably a stretch.
KPN
(15,679 posts)666 in all of this.
bluestarone
(17,128 posts)scary for sure
EarlG
(21,998 posts)The sycophants surrounding him all know he's a dotard -- they think that by sucking up to him they can use him for their own ends.
madaboutharry
(40,247 posts)Trump isn't going to be president forever. There will be a time when history books are written. And history is going to be cruel to these people. I think it is more than just getting an agenda through.
Igel
(35,390 posts)We'll be dead. I'm not going to have my feelings hurt.
You do what you must. Worrying about how awesome you'll look as a corpse is pointless vanity. Worrying about how you'll look after your corpse is long gone is less.
2naSalit
(86,963 posts)How do WE move on from this?
ProfessorGAC
(65,427 posts)The whole crowd are shameless opportunists. It's all about what's in it for them. They don't care about "it".
C_U_L8R
(45,040 posts)Power and money
gopiscrap
(23,768 posts)and those around him manipulating him to get what they want
shockey80
(4,379 posts)He has done this his entire life. Trump has proven there is and always has been a lot of weak minded people in the world. They are easily controlled by people like Trump.
Response to madaboutharry (Original post)
Name removed Message auto-removed
bluestarone
(17,128 posts)the power of CONGRESS ( THE ONES RUSSIA OWNS) are behind this 100%
dalton99a
(81,708 posts)RKP5637
(67,112 posts)RKP5637
(67,112 posts)authoritarians and fall for his lies.
unblock
(52,503 posts)Foxnews and hate radio are well-organized and established to effectively keep republicans in line behind whoever is the designated leader.
All Donnie did was become that person. With a lot of help.
He didnt get anyone to vote for a tax cut, republicans were always going to vote for that.
Obamacare repeal was a huge fail.
All he has done is get people to kiss his butt, big deal, thats what people in an authoritarian organization do.
If foxnews decided he needed to go, hed be gone in s heartbeat and no one would have a kind word to say about him ever aside from a few lunatic nobodies.
Phoenix61
(17,027 posts)vrguy
(236 posts)Freethinker65
(10,116 posts)Incompetents are hired and in place to destroy social agencies. Competent corporatists are in charge of cabinets where public resources can be privatized and regulations decimated, before leaving the Departments shells of their former selves. Individuals in the GOP are raking in the $$$ with investments and big $$$ donors.
oberliner
(58,724 posts)They realize they can get what they want as long as they flatter him and stay in his good graces.
Lint Head
(15,064 posts)And their status.
kentuck
(111,111 posts)And a "big lie" cannot be resisted.
You see, he's a "genius". He is very, very smart.
The bigger the lie, the more inclined a supporter is likely to believe it. Because they are inclined to support their Party and their President from the beginning.
The people will have to decide: Is Donald Trump "fit" to be President?
Kimchijeon
(1,606 posts)His malignant and petty narcissism back in the day served him fairly well, but I think he just inherited enough money to use for his bullying at the time. The family does act like a boorish bunch of nasty, criminal brutes and continue to do so.
At this point he's just been used by those truly profiting from the dismantling and profit-grab in the government, so his continued antics are helpful as a distraction. Corporations and the super-rich love it. Even the manipulation and treasonous shit with Russia is more distraction than anything. (Think about it, if the corporations wanted to crush and oust this admin, the media propaganda storm would be merciless and impossible to ignore- he'd never have been allowed to be elected in the first place.)
Not to say he can't or doesn't make nasty revenge threats to those who hurt his narcissist fee-fees- of course he does. He is a useful means to an end, so he shall remain entrenched.
Jake Stern
(3,145 posts)His rabble rousing "shoot from the hip and pull no punches" persona sets their hearts aflutter in a way that straight laced and quiet Mike Pence never could.
Russia could sit this out and the effect would be exactly the same.
Party poohbahs also know these are the people who will make damn sure they get out and VOTE. That hardcore base is what helped make Doug Jones' victory a razor thin one so keeping them happy is paramount.
dawg day
(7,947 posts)The modern human has few resources against absolute arrogance. That's why we have all sorts of laws and rules against Trump's sort of constant narcissistic power-grabbing.
We're all trying to be polite, thinking before we speak, saying "excuse me" when we accidentally bump into someone, staying in our own lane- being civilized.
Someone like Trump coming in like Tyrannosaurus Rex, we really don't know how to deal with that. And he was born rich and has had people protecting him all his life, allowing him to be a huge jerk. if he weren't rich, he would never have managed to grow up and stay out of jail and stay this way. But no matter how many laws he broke, no matter how many people he broke, he got away with it because he has so much money.
We don't need to become monsters like him. We just need to use the protections of civilization-- the laws-- against him as we would with some mafia thug, instead of granting him continued privilege because he has money.
Adrahil
(13,340 posts)They want to be told what they want to hear. And once they committed to believing a con man, they are willing to ignore any stack of facts to justify their decisions and avoid re-thinking their world view. See: just about any evangelical christian.
rock
(13,218 posts)It's easy. It has to be if Trump does it!