What happens to the Republican Party now? (8 Viewers)

[MT15]

This election nonsense by Trump may end up splitting up the Republican Party. I just don’t see how the one third (?) who are principled conservatives can stay in the same party with Trump sycophants who are willing to sign onto the TX Supreme Court case.

We also saw the alt right types chanting “destroy the GOP” in Washington today because they didn’t keep Trump in power. I think the Q types will also hold the same ill will toward the traditional Republican Party. In fact its quite possible that all the voters who are really in a Trump personality cult will also blame the GOP for his loss. It’s only a matter of time IMO before Trump himself gets around to blaming the GOP.

There is some discussion of this on Twitter. What do you all think?

 

[Optimus Prime]

Another older article on same topic

Remember when Trump had only told 9K lies? Wasn’t it over 30K by the time he left office?
==================================

As of mid-February, the Washington Post's fact-checking staff had tallied 8,718 false or misleading public statements by President Donald Trump since he assumed office. Yet his popularity, while low overall, remains very high among his base—a demographic dominated by evangelical Christians, who are taught lying is a sin.

Why are they so willing to discard the core principle of not bearing false witness? New research suggests the Ninth Commandment is subject to amendment when you hold an authoritarian mindset.

The research, published in the journal Personality and Individual Differences, finds Republicans are more likely than Democrats or independents to consider overt lying on the part of a politician morally acceptable behavior. This difference is largely driven by Trump supporters' endorsement of authoritarianism.

While relatively few Americans find it acceptable, "these results suggest that right-wing individuals are more tolerant to the spreading of misinformation by politicians," write Jonas De keersmaecker and Arne Roets of Ghent University in Belgium.

The researchers describe two studies that support that thesis. The first featured 254 Americans recruited online who began by completing surveys measuring their level of right-wing authoritarianism and social dominance orientation.

People who score high on the first scale support socially conservative values, respect for authority figures, and punitive punishments. Those who score high on the second favor a hierarchy-based social structure, with their group on top. Both tendencies have been linked to support for Trump in 2016.

Participants were then given three vignettes in which a politician lied about an upcoming increase in the unemployment rate. Depending upon the specific scenario, the lie was either overt, by omission, or a matter of "paltering"—using a truthful statement to mislead. They rated each statement on three scales: ethical to unethical, dishonest to honest, and immoral to moral. Finally, they indicated their political party affiliation.

The result: People who had high scores on right-wing authoritarianism and social-dominance orientation were more tolerant of all three varieties of lying. "These associations can be considered moderate to large," the researchers note……….

Why So Many Trump Supporters Are OK With the President's Lies

Authoritarianism has long been linked to support for Donald Trump. New research finds people with that mindset are less likely to care that a political leader is lying.

psmag.com

 

[bird]

Good article From a couple years ago
===================
One of the important lessons Americans learned from Donald Trump’s election in 2016—and one still difficult for some of us to process almost four years later—is just how many of our fellow citizens are predisposed to authoritarianism.

In high school civics we were taught that “American authoritarianism” was an oxymoron. Authoritarianism was a relic of the past. America was a country founded on freedom, steeped in equality and justice, and uniquely immune to it……

What I found is thatapproximately 18 percent of Americans are highly disposed to authoritarianism, according to their answers to four simple survey questions used by social scientists to estimate this disposition.

A further 23 percent or so are just one step below them on the authoritarian scale.

This roughly 40 percent of Americans tend to favor authority, obedience and uniformity over freedom, independence and diversity.

This group isn’t a monolith, and these findings don’t mean that 4 in 10 Americans prefer dictatorship to democracy.

Authoritarianism is best understood not as a policy preference, the way we talk about lower taxes or strong defense, but rather as a worldview that can be “activated” in the right historical moment by anyone with a big enough megaphone who is willing to play on voters’ fears and insecurities.

When activated by fear, authoritarian-leaning Americans are predisposed to trade civil liberties for strongman solutions to secure law and order; and they are ready to strip civil liberties from those defined as the “other”—a far cry from the image of America as a country built on a shared commitment to liberty and democratic governance.

So what do authoritarians in the US believe? In surveys I found that American authoritarians, compared with non-authoritarians, are more likely to agree that our country should be governed by a strong leader who doesn’t have to bother with Congress or elections.

They are more likely to support limiting the freedom of the press and agree that the media is the enemy of the people rather than a valuable independent institution.

They are also more likely to think the president should have the power to limit the voice and vote of opposition parties, while believing that those who disagree with them are a threat to our country—a concerning trend as we head to the polls this year.

American authoritarians fear diversity. They are more likely to agree that increasing racial, religious and ethnic diversity is a clear and present threat to national security.

They are more fearful of people of other races, and agree with the statement that “sometimes other groups must be kept in their place.”……..

Trump Is an Authoritarian. So Are Millions of Americans

It’s not how we think of our fellow-citizens, but no matter who wins in November, the impulse will be very much alive in the country. What do they want?

www.politico.com

I agree with a very small caveat. I think that it is not law and order that they would crave but simply order putting “those people” back “in their place”.

 

[zztop]

since DeSantis has been talked about recently:

The Republican Party of Florida excluded numerous journalists from covering a fundraising dinner starring Gov. Ron DeSantis: 'This is not normal'

DeSantis frequently casts himself as an attack dog against the media at a time when public trust in the press is low.

www.businessinsider.com

 

[MT15]

How do unpopular people get elected? It’s a good question, one I don’t have an answer for.

 

[Optimus Prime]

I agree with a very small caveat. I think that it is not law and order that they would crave but simply order putting “those people” back “in their place”.

I agree with your caveat

To some the are one and the same thing

That’s why so many minorities cringe when they hear “law and order”

 

[MT15]

I agree with you caveat

To some the are one and the same thing

That’s why do many minorities cringe when they hear “law and order”

I heard someone say that the R version of law and order means they get to ignore the law when they want to, but “others” have to toe the line.

 

[MT15]

For example:

New warrant issued for election-denying Colorado clerk

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (AP) — A new arrest warrant was issued Thursday for Colorado’s election-denying clerk, less than a week after the embattled official convinced a judge not to send her back to jail for improperly traveling out of state while awaiting trial on felony charges.

apnews.com

For those who don’t want to read the article - this lady broke her bail conditions by traveling out of state without permission and was hauled back before the judge and had to convince him that she could be trusted and didn’t have to go into custody, upon her release she again broke her bail conditions by contacting workers in the election office where she used to work. A whole lot of Trumpers just think that laws don’t apply to them. It’s amazing.

 

[BullSheetBuddha]

.............................snip.............................................
Re. DeSantis. DeSantis is his own person.
Harvard...Yale....Bronze Star....Successful (in MY eyes...not yours)...successful governor.
He does NOT NEED Trump.
He is better off withOUT Trump.
Leave our classroom teachers alone!
Don't imagine negative things about them.

I don't think anyone questions DeSantis' IQ? I think many of us do question what he does with it though. Lets not forget that Cruz is also very bright and look at what he is.

BTW, DeSantis' Bronze Star was for meritorious service, not valor. Let's make it clear that he wasn't some kind of hero under fire. I point that out because many don't realize there are Bronze Stars and there are Bronze Stars with a V device.

 

[Optimus Prime]

How do unpopular people get elected? It’s a good question, one I don’t have an answer for.

I think the same could be said of Ted Cruz

 

[SystemShock]

How do unpopular people get elected? It’s a good question, one I don’t have an answer for.

"My party right or wrong" mixed with "the most liberal tears I can taste".

 

[Optimus Prime]

How do unpopular people get elected? It’s a good question, one I don’t have an answer for.

“The worst Republican is better than the best Democrat”

 

[MT15]

This is so on-brand, lol

 

[SteveSBrickNJ]

This is so on-brand, lol

I read an online article yesterday that Trump was booed by a crowd he thought would be favorable to him. He spoke to the crowd and said he was endorsing ___________ for office and then the folks booed him. The author of the article said that Trump's candidate is a Qanon person.
I was in a hurry at the time and I did not electronically copy that. Sorry.

 

[SteveSBrickNJ]

I read an online article yesterday that Trump was booed by a crowd he thought would be favorable to him. He spoke to the crowd and said he was endorsing ___________ for office and then the folks booed him. The author of the article said that Trumps candidate is a Qanon person.
I was in a hurry at the time and I did not electronically copy that. Sorry.

O wait..... I remember more. When it happened the article's author said "Trump looked stunned. He then asked the crowd: "But you like me , don't you?"
It's all about him and his ego.

 

[BullSheetBuddha]

O wait..... I remember more. When it happened the article's author said "Trump looked stunned. He then asked the crowd: "But you like me , don't you?"
It's all about him and his ego.

I think I remember that. That was a while ago.

 

[MT15]

This is a stellar example of gaslighting. Republicans are actually banning books in schools in many states.

 

[zztop]

at least she is being honest... although I wonder if she knows what those words mean

 

[SaulGoodmanEsq]

I’m holding out hope that the average democrat in Utah is certainly capable of seeing the crucial difference between Lee and McMullin, and will vote accordingly. I don’t think democrats are as mindlessly tribal as Republicans and I also don’t think there is a democrat in the race, is there?

Part of the Democrats endorsing McMullin at their convention is that they wouldn't run their own candidate. That said, Democratic voters have to actually want to go to affirmatively vote for a guy who is for all practical purposes a conservative Republican, just not Mike Lee. That Utah has mail-in voting probably helps. If all you have to do is mark a ballot and stick it in the mail then that's a lot easier to do then make time to go to the polls.