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| Putin's useful idiot |
Unlike Vladimir Putin, whose belligerent aims are bound up with his dream of a formidable Holy Russian Empire, Donald Trump isn't driven by any ideology. For Donald Trump, for whom the word "narcissist" often recurs in society's commentaries about him, the only ideology he is over the moon about is himself. Trump reminds me of a spoilt child who thinks that when he shuts is eyes, we all go away. He's full of his own importance, thinks he's the best in the world and screams & stamps when he's crossed. In order to curry support, he tells people what they want to hear whether they be QAnon supporters or Christain fundamentalists.
Republican and conservative leaning voters will often say they like Trump's policies. Well, whether they are good policies or not is actually beside the point because Trump is simply reflecting back at them what they want to hear in order to get their vote. The other thing Trump is good at is finding the scapegoats the conservatives love to hate and pin the blame on for all that they perceive to be rotten in society. This "polarize and accuse" strategy can be a real vote winner; it's the first stage along the road to conspiracy theorism.
But whatever your politics, whether conservative or not, if Trump perceives you as a threat in some way you become the target of his insults, lies and conspiracy theories. Take for example Republican right-winger Ron Desantis. You might at first expect Ronald and Donald to get on well because of a common conservative vision. But no, Donald's vision is all about his own path to glory: Therefore, because Ronald appears to be a rival presidential candidate, Donald regards Ronald as a threat worthy of insult and sleight. If you don't support Trump in the way that he wants he may even invent a conspiracy theory about you.
Trump finds useful idiots to support his cause, like Mike Pence, although thankfully brave Mike Pence defected in favour of American democracy at the price of becoming a traitor in the eyes of Trump and his potentially violent supporters. Another useful idiot was fundamentalist & Christian influencer Michael Brown, who boasts voting for the Trump presidency twice. But underneath it Brown, like Pence, is actually a reasonable man and can probably see through Trump; he now advises his followers that someone else needs to take up the conservative cause other than Trump. That won't go down well with either Trump or his supporters. But really, Brown should come out much more strongly against Trump than he has and condemn Trump for his immorality and above all his attack on American democracy. But no, Brown continues to pussy foot about because he knows that his influencer base has many Trump supporters and therefore he can't risk offending them. Consequently, Brown has to mince his words when he tells his constituency as nicely as possible that they should think of voting for someone else. The upshot is that Brown never makes it clear just how close America came to letting in a Wanna-Be-Dictator. (See here for more on Pence and Brown).
Pence and Brown might at one time have been useful idiots for Trump, but it seems that Trump himself remains a useful idiot for Vlad Putin. In this connection it was no surprise to hear recent reports coming in about Trump loudly proclaiming that he trusts Putin more than he does the American security services simply because they haven't stroked Trump's planet sized ego, unlike Putin who knows a useful idiot when he sees one. See below for links to some of those reports
I also hear a rumour that cranky Christian conspiracy theorist Marjorie Taylor-Green is aspiring to be Trump's running mate for the next Presidental campaign. That may actually be a good thing: Taylor-Green is such a clown that surely the American voting public will see that Trump can't be a serious presidential candidate.....They will see that won't they? ....Won't they? On the other hand, worst luck, perhaps Trump, who knows what best serves his interests will also see this and refuse her help!
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| Trump's presidential campaign running mate? |
Summing up I would say this: World-wide we are seeing a miscellany of nationalist and Christain traditionalists who feel they are losing the culture war and aspire to turn back the clock, perhaps by force, perhaps even by syndicating with the "devil" in order to promote their cause. Ironically the culture war has its origins in the Protestant revolution whose culture of individual choice has led to the rich liberal democracies of the West. And in a further irony: As Protestantism encouraged its people (like the Bereans of Acts 17:11-1), to turn to the scriptures and come to their own conclusions, many have come out of that long drawn-out blue pill vs. red pill process as unbelievers. But it would be wrong to say they are unaffected by Christianity. Much Christain morality still pervades Western culture at least in terms of lip-service. Therefore, in the West the conflict can almost be caricatured as a conflict between authoritarian Christian traditionalists and liberal Christain secularists.
Relevant Link:
Trump trusts Putin more than America's security services.
Trump
makes shocking comments about trusting Putin over US ‘intelligence lowlifes’
(yahoo.com)
Trump
makes shocking comments about trusting Putin over US ‘intelligence lowlifes’ |
The Independent
Trump
Suggests, Yet Again, He Trusts Putin Over U.S. Intelligence 'Lowlifes'
(yahoo.com)
Donald
Trump Says He Trusts Putin More Than U.S. Intelligence 'Lowlifes'
(newsweek.com)
Below I've copied in one of the web articles.
Trump shocks nation with
claim about trusting Putin over US intelligence
Trump
shocks nation with claim about trusting Putin over US intelligence (msn.com)
Is the former president just a fool or is he playing a bigger game?
Since Donald Trump hit the political scene there has been a debate over whether he’s in the pocket of Russian President Vladimir Putin or if he’s just a fool, an argument that has only intensified after the former president’s shocking Truth Social comments on Monday
Americans should trust Putin over their intelligence services
In a move that seemed wholly ill-thought-out, Trump suggested that Americans would be better served trusting Putin over their own intelligence services.
"Remember when I was asked who I trusted?"
“Remember in Helsinki when a 3rd rate reporter asked me, essentially, who I trusted more, President Putin of Russia, or our ‘Intelligence’ lowlifes,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post on Monday.
Trump derides America's intelligence services
“My instinct at the time was that we had really bad people in the form of James Comey, McCabe (whose wife was being helped out by Crooked Hillary while Crooked was under investigation!),” Trump continued.
"Do you trust Putin or these misfits?
“Brennan, Peter Strzok (whose wife is at the SEC) & his lover, Lisa Page. Now add McGonigal & other slime to the list. Who would you choose, Putin or these Misfits?” Trump added.
Who would you choose?
While the question “Who would you choose?” might have enraged political moderates and left-wingers alike, the question does make sense for the audience Trump is speaking to according to The Independent’s Washinton correspondent John Bowden.
John Bowden's comments
"It’s an example of the kind of comment that will gin up excitement and agreement from Mr. Trump’s hardcore base of supporters,” Bowden wrote.
The fastest way to alienate allies
Bowden added, however, that Trump's comment would also “alienate potential allies in Washington as he pursues a third bid for the presidency.”
Facing a crowded primary
The former president is likely to face a host of new faces on the
campaign trail this year, one of which could be the former CIA director Mike
Pompeo according to Bowden.
An explanation for Trump’s comments
Trump may not be as dim-witted as we think then, if he’s already casting suspicion on his potential GOP primary rivals. But how will he fare in the general election with comments that seemingly praise America’s current number-one enemy?
We can expect a lot more of this from Trump
Phillip Elliot of Time Magazine believes we’re likely to see more toxicity from Trump this time around after analyzing the former president's 2024 primary campaign kickoff keynote speech in New Hampshire.
Things might be more toxic than in the past
“The event’s tone and substance suggested the looming two-year campaign is going to match—if not surpass—the toxic tone of his past attempts,” Elliot wrote.
Marinating in hate
“He has been marinating in exile for the last two years, imagining his revenge comeback and stewing in his grievances,” Elliot added.
The intelligence agency's are a primary target
It would seem then, that Trump has made the American intelligence
community one of his prime targets for his rage and toxicity this year,
regardless of how it might affect the future of the American people or the war
in Ukraine.
Trump's recent comments about ending the war in Ukraine
The former president has never been a fan of how Joe Biden has handled the war in Ukraine, and he also believes he can do a better job—recently stating that he would end the conflict "within 24 hours" through negotiation with Putin.
Not the first time Trump has backed Putin
Trump's Monday Truth Social post wasn't the first time he's backed Putin over the interests of the American people.
Maybe he is a fool after all...
In 2021, the former president wrote in a June 10th statement that "it should be obvious" who he trusts more when choosing between Russia and America's intelligence agencies. So maybe he is just a fool after all.
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