Urgent matters
What’s on Trump’s mind today:
I must admit that Lyin’ Brian Williams is, while dumber than hell, quite a bit smarter than Fake News @CNN “anchorman” Don Lemon, the “dumbest man on television”. Then you have Psycho Joe “What Ever Happened To Your Girlfriend?” Scarborough, another of the low I.Q. individuals!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 30, 2020
Aww Donnie, I’m sure they all think you’re a fucking genius.
Because you said you are of course, being such a good judge of intelligence and all.
Unbelievable.
“I must admit that Lyin’ Brian Williams is, while dumber than hell, quite a bit smarter than Fake News @CNN “anchorman” Don Lemon, the “dumbest man on television”. Then you have Psycho Joe “What Ever Happened To Your Girlfriend?” Scarborough, another of the low I.Q. individuals!”
Trump supporters. Here’s the thing; read this, ignore the source and answer the following questions:
1) What would your initial gut impression be of a stranger who posted this?
2) How would you feel to learn that this stranger held a position of authority?
3) Would you want the author to be your boss?
4) What would you think of this stranger in a position of authority if you found out he or she posted this in the midst of the worst crisis their organization had ever faced?
5) Would this type of post make you more or less interested in buying what they were selling!
6) Would this be the kind of person you’d want deciding your kid’s future?
If your answers are generally unfavorable, then look up ‘sunk costs fallacy’ on Wikipedia.
The problem, Pliny, is that I suspect they would not answer those questions the same way you would. I know quite a few Trump supporters, and many of them would see nothing wrong with this. They would only see it as a problem if it were turned around – a liberal posting something like this about a conservative.
Yeah, those questions are not the stumpers or revealing rhetorical questions you think they are. Here’s my best guess at an honest, not-exaggerated-for-comedy response of (a) a hard-core Trump supporter; and (b) a Trump apologist:
1) What would your initial gut impression be of a stranger who posted this?
(a) Very positive! It’s funny, and bold, and it’s about time these lying liberal media people were called out on their bullshit
(b) Unlike you, I don’t judge people based on a couple of tweets, especially hyperbole. I guess I take politics more seriously than you do.
2) How would you feel to learn that this stranger held a position of authority?
(a) Great! It’s about time we had someone in charge who tells it like it is and puts lying liberal media figures in their place!
(b) If he was a successful businessman who cut my taxes, appointed conservative judges, and cut down on immigration, I’d be thrilled!
3) Would you want the author to be your boss?
(a) Sure, why not! You’d always know where you stand. And I’m not a lying liberal media shill, so I’d have nothing to worry about.
(b) I don’t know, maybe. These media people aren’t his employees, so it doesn’t seem like a fair comparison to me.
4) What would you think of this stranger in a position of authority if you found out he or she posted this in the midst of the worst crisis their organization had ever faced?
(a) lol, nice hysteria there. You liberals complain when he holds two-hour press conferences about coronavirus every day, then you complain when he doesn’t. He can fire off a tweet here and there without interfering with his work. Why, he’s working so hard for us that Politico just reported that his chief of staff has to remind him to eat lunch! But you liberals just ignore that and say he eats Big Macs all day in bed.
(b) actually, I like (a)’s answer just fine.
5) Would this type of post make you more or less interested in buying what they were selling!
(a) Sure. I’d rather buy from someone who tells it like it is rather than a liar like Hilary.
(b) If what he’s “selling” is good conservative government, then sure, I’m buying.
6) Would this be the kind of person you’d want deciding your kid’s future?
(a) Hey, *I* decide my kid’s future, especially what my daughter gets to do with her body. But if I wasn’t around, they could do worse than to be guided by a rich successful businessman with a young beautiful wife.
(b) Who cares? I’m not voting for a substitute parent, I’m voting for a president. You really want Creepy Rapist Joe Biden in charge of your kids?
Sadly true.
Everything he says is either a lie or projection.
Hey, I don’t think they are revealing either. I’m pretty much convinced that the Visigoths will sack Washington any day now and put this sad husk of a failed state out of its misery.
Answers for Pliny’s #2:
1) Support, because I have been trained to hate those people being abused. MAGA!
2) Fine, assuming they were a Republican (which seems likely given they are abusing a common target of Republicans). MAGA!
3) See #2. MAGA!
4) See #2. MAGA!
5) Yes, I would patronise the hell out of a business that signalled their R bona fides so boldly. MAGA!
6) See #2. MAGA!
Of course they won’t state it in those terms, but that will be what their response boils down to. For the Trump cult, it is tribalism all the way down.
Meant to add:
All you need to do to see the naked tribalism at work is tell them that Obama, Clinton, Biden or Sanders was the author of the tweet, then ask them for their thoughts on it. They will instantly condemn the tweet.
And shout “Lock her up!”