Governing by Spite

You could, but you’d have a much harder time defending it.

Republicans can tell themselves whatever bullshit they want justifying what they vote for, but we all see the truth.

Its on them. Every Republican voter. They own it all.

I hope they all get ass cancer and die horrible deaths. Is there a GoFundMe for this?

I mean, I smile and relate, but keep in mind: The con game of that inner circle of Republicans is to turn all the other groups against each other, so that the have-nots can never unite and use their majority.

And sure, you can hold the Trump base accountable for falling for the con and voting out of spite and rage.

But it would be useful to remember that when we respond against the victims of that con rather than the perpetrators, we are falling for that con, as well. And our doing so is an essential piece of that con, and always has been.

I’m not a huge admirer of Bill Clinton, but his “It’s the economy, stupid” never meant quite what people thought it did. For Dems, the winning strategy is to run for election on economic planks that benefit the vast majority. Get distracted by disputes between have-not groups, and the Republicans gain an enormous advantage.

Democrats always improve the economy and then lose to Republicans immediately.

The reality is that a “good economy” doesn’t mean regular people see any of it beyond mostly not being unemployed or homeless.

I think you are missing my point.

It’s NOT that the current state of the economy is the only thing that matters.

Rather that campaigns centered around broadly appealing economic goals favor Dems. Campaigns that get distracted onto cultural issues that pit have-not versus have-nots favor Republicans.

(If I were a Republican speaking to fellow conservatives, I would be telling them the reverse: Don’t campaign on our economic plans – we will deal in those things after the election. Campaign on cultural issues and the like, which instigate bitter disputes between the rurals and the cosmopolitans, the religious versus the non-religious, whites versus minorities, etc.)

On the plus side, at least the GOP campaigns have to deal with a lot if grifters that they employ.

You are a nice person. I dont give any Republicans such credit. They know exactly what they are voting for and I judge them for it.

Go look at them, they are delighted with the harm being done right now. Its what they want.

If they are dupes (which I do not believe) then they are just all even more stupid than they appear. Which simply increases my contempt for them.

A big factor in Trump’s win was his campaign promises to not follow GOP economic orthodoxy as President. Of course, the Tax Cut was GOP orthodoxy (and will prove to be a massive mistake), but the Trade Wars/Protectionism defintely plays to both the cultural and economic issues, and were easily sold in soundbites (which were lies, but not easy ones to counter).

I thought this sort of thing went out of fashion around the War of the Roses, at least in Democracies.

(Checks Ivanka’s current occupation.)

Just “business as usual” in Brazil, unfortunately.