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America: Land of the Gullible and Boeotian [1]

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Date: 2023-08-21  

Based on their indelible belief in Donald J. Trump with his specious and inflammatory commentary, there is no doubt that tens of millions of American voters fall into those categories. While living in an alternate reality, impervious to facts, they macerate the very essence of democracy they so ardently profess to embrace. The process is potentiated by the current Republican National Committee (RNC), and the feckless GOP Congressional leadership, that have descended so far from Ronald Reagan’s polity as to be unrecognizable.

Watching interviews with Iowa Republican voters is both mind-blowing and emblematic of the improbability that American democracy can survive. Demonstrating the gullibility factor, a member of the business-oriented Mudd family claimed that the reason the U.S. was continuing to support Ukraine was that Volodymyr Zelenskyy was blackmailing President Biden.

There is only one place that level of ignorance could come from; right-wing media. Attributed to Mark Twain, there is an appropriate quote, “God created war so that Americans would learn geography.” Here, the lack of understanding of the complexity of the Russian illegal invasion of Ukraine is extremely dangerous, as the continued public support for the war slowly erodes. Supporting Putin’s recurring anticipation that Trump may be reelected, these millions of vacuous drones fail to comprehend that a Russian victory poses an existential threat to America. Yes, Putin almost certainly would encroach on some NATO country thus activating Article Five. Then every NATO member country, including the U.S., is all-in. Supporting Ukraine is cheap by comparison. Long-forgotten by most Americans were the calls for appeasement that emanated in Great Britain, and this country, as Hitler claimed he just wanted “Lebensraum” (living space). How well did that work out?

In interview-after-interview, the Republican Iowa voters repeat the fictitious mantra that Trump is being persecuted based on political ideology, not for crimes he committed. They seem to believe the nonsense that Trump is the only shield protecting them from some chimerical boogeyman. They seem oblivious to his involvement of the coup attempt of 6 January 2021, while many of them still hold that he actually did win the election. In fact, a recent poll showed that 52% of those GOP voters say they think there’s “solid evidence” the election was stolen. To them it matters not that no evidence ever has been produced even by the most ardent Trump-supporting investigators.

Day after day, Republican leaders promise “bombshell” evidence that is going to blow the lid off “the Biden crime family;” a term that constantly reverberates on Fox News. Possibly worse is that their leaders distort testimony that has been given and claim it is damning. Case in point is that of Devon Archer, business associate of Hunter Biden who was called to testify before the House Oversight Committee on 31 July 2023. Immediately following the closed-door session, Committee Leader, James Comer, told the media that Archer had provided evidence that supported their suspicion of wrong-doing by the President. However, when the transcripts were released a few days later we learned Archer actually stated, “he has no knowledge that then-Vice President Joe Biden changed U.S. foreign policy to help his son and that he's not aware of any wrongdoing by the elder Biden.”

The Fox News information from Comer was, “President Biden lied to the American people when he said he had no knowledge about his son’s business dealings and was not involved.” While Comer has been beating that drum for weeks, the meeting was so important that he did not even bother to attend. In fact, as the Washington Examiner reported, “On this occasion, Reps. Jim Jordan (R-OH), Andy Biggs (R-AZ), and Dan Goldman (D-NY) were the only members in attendance.” However, assuming their rather dense constituents would believe anything they say, with factchecking irrelevant, these Trump sycophants from the House Daily regurgitate false talking points. They do know under Murdoch’s shoddy and contemptable guidance Fox News will air even the most unsubstantiated items, as long as it denigrates the Bidens. They too understanded the general lack of mental acuity that permeates their audience.

Then too, some in Iowa had the audacity to call former vice president Mike Pence a traitor for not overturning the election. That is partially a failure of the American educational system that gave little attention to civics lesson and an understanding of the U.S. Constitution. But gullible Trump supporters won’t even believe the ultra-conservative Pence, who for the entire term had been nothing but obsequious.

Understanding the limited educational and mental capacity of many in the current Republican base, (those members of the Trump cult), several of the declared Republican candidates engaged in extreme contortion to osculate Trump’s prodigious posterior. We know that in reality, many of them are simply auditioning for a vice presidential position and cannot afford to alienate the Pied Piper or his nimiety of claqueurs.

The GOP leadership has initiated attack strategies analogous to the organized crime smash-and-grab robberies that recently have plagued California high-end shopping centers. Even before the indictments were delivered, many senior Republicans began denouncing the prosecutors. Vociferously they regurgitate fact-free renunciations of the crimes, just like the organized bandits uncaringly grab anything of value in sight. While adjudication has yet to occur, it is not as if many of Trump’s crimes were hidden from view. Republicans know they are defending the indefensible, but are terrified of the gullible, fact-denying Trump base. Integrity has no place in the RNC, nor are they primarily concerned about the destiny of American democracy.

Following Trump’s fourth indictment, Senator Tim Scott called the politicalization of the justice system as “un-American and unacceptable.” Willfully oblivious to what Trump had done to the Justice Department, Scott now supports crime and criminals as American virtues. Of course, he was one of those Senators who failed to convict Trump during the impeachments.

Following the latest indictment of Trump and many of his close associates, The Hill stated, “Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) called the indictment against former President Trump in Georgia an example of a ‘criminalization of politics.’” DeSantis is wrong. What much of the Republican leadership have done is politicalization and normalization of crime. While decrying rising crime rate in some cities they ardently support crime and their criminal leadership.

Another, bomb-throwing candidate, the educated but unthinking Ramaswamy, told USA TODAY, “I think the FBI as an institution should not exist,” “I think that that is far more practical than it sounds…I do not believe that an institution that entrenched in its culture and way of operating can be reformed." This is yet another blatant GOP attack on the institutions that are fundamental to upholding American democracy. Far from alone in such thinking, when in office Trump also sought to undermine several of the pillars of governance.

Trump has turned on those closest to him and who have even gone to jail for him. Guiliani, Cohen and Barr are examples, but the list is legion. Yet the base voters are dense enough think they are special and above the fray. Beside the big guns, Trump has betrayed thousands of “little folks” just like them. Consider the thousands of lawsuits and tens of thousands of contractors who have been stiffed by him. Yet the gillibleTrump supporters believe him.

Somehow tens of millions of Republican voters have come to the conclusion that they are special people and Trump supports them. The real special people, included Rudy Guiliani who knowingly, widely spread Trump’s lies about the election. When he was charged with various crimes, Trump refused to support Rudy’s legal bills and expenses which total over half a million dollars. Even when he went to Mar-a-Lago to plead his case, Trump rebuffed him. Yet, Trump supporters believe in him. Foolishly, these dispensable pawns, who have no direct relationship to him, think they are special and invulnerable to his chastisement.

Then there was Michael Cohen, Trump’s long-time consigliore and fixer who stated “he would take a bullet for Trump.” Cohen stated he thought Trump was the “apex predator” and that he would never be betrayed. His reward was being dumped by Trump and sent to jail for several years. Like with Guiliani, Trump refused to pay Cohen’s legal fees that totaled over one million dollars. Filing suit against the Trump company, it was only after jury selection had begun this July, that they came around and Cohen finally settled the case. As has been known for decades, Trump is notorious for not paying legitimate bills. Naively, Trump supporters find that behavior admirable.

There are many other examples I cited in RNC: Beyond Corruption, including Barr, Marris, Tillerson, Mulvaney, Milley, McEnany and others. All worked closely with Trump, supported his efforts, and were betrayed by him. We can throw in Ivana, Marla and Melania as well. Yet, gullible Trump supporters who have had no direct relationship with him, believe they can trust him.

When attending the Army Organizational Effectiveness School, we had a saying; “Behavior is Believable.” It is pertinent here as the decades of Trump’s atrocious behavior is far more believable than any of his words. Bad behavior would be an understatement. From his family to business and sexual predation, the examples of behavioral impropriety are near boundless. There are not enough negative adjectives to adequately describe the damage Trump has inflicted on his family members, confederates, business associates, the former Republican Party, and the American people. Yet, Trump’s base exudes blind, albeit contemptable, adoration for a demonstrable criminal. Their gullibility is boundless.

In closing I want to apologize to the people of Greece in general, and the Boeotian region in particular. In antiquity that name, Boeotian, became synonymous with being “dull; obtuse; without cultural refinement.” The term “Boeotian” should now be replaced with “Trumpian,” as they have more than demonstrated the characteristics of extreme gullibility, and are prepared to believe the voluminous and dangerous lies that spew forth from Trump and his acolytes. Unfortunately, the sheer number and gullibility of his base do not bode well for the survivability of American Democracy.

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[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/8/21/2188728/-America-Land-of-the-Gullible-and-Boeotian

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