(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . The neuroscience of why an open convention may be the surest way to lose [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.'] Date: 2024-06-28 I get it. After the debate last night, my first reactions were to slit my wrists, then hang myself and then stick a shotgun (which I don't own) in my mouth and then look at property in Canada. My better subsequent reactions are to recognize how profoundly that debate amplified the fight, flight or freeze response triggered in me and so many others by DJT. And that response, that amygdala hijack, plays havoc with careful thinking. That fight, flight or freeze response is precisely the reason why I believe that the worst idea possible right now is to opt for a replacement or a brokered convention. Such a decision is an explicit expression of weakness and chaos. People in this country are desperate to believe that things are going to be OK. It's a terrifying world out there and, as the great family therapist Virginia Satir said “People prefer the certainty of misery to the misery of uncertainty.” Our brains are prediction machines with the main function of increasing the chance of survival, and we hate chaos, the inability to make predictions. This is such a deep part of brain function that you see the same thing in mice and rats and dogs and cats as you do in humans. Look at what happens in the GOP when a “fatal” blow is delivered to DJT. They all rally around him and he behaves as though it was a win. That is good optics. It sends a message that “You are in safe hands,” which is the main message from DJT. Last night, for the first time, i felt that i truly understood why the German people chose Hitler. He did a great job with the optics, just as DJT did a great job with the optics last night. He played to the desire for certainty. So what do we do? These are hard choices, amplified by our fear and uncertainty. Any choice is an unknown, which can give strength to a known outcome of misery over uncertainty. Yes, there is uncertainty with Biden, and that needs to be addressed. To my mind, there is no question but that we have to rally around Biden. Personally, I would approach it from the point of view that even on a bad night it was clear that Biden gets things done and knows what he's talking about and has a record of accomplishment that is stellar and that he is a deeply decent person. On what was a good night for DJT, it was equally clear that he lies constantly, that he could not answer and would not answer the questions that he was asked. He lied about what was going on in his administration just as he lies about what is going on now. As the Stoic philosophers put it, every obstacle is an opportunity, and this is an opportunity to forcefully express that even on an off night Biden is infinitely better than the alternative. The alternative lies without a shred of remorse and that was on full display last night. Just some thoughts... P.S. And, by the way, Biden campaign people, where is the Biden response that says something like “I apologize. That was a lousy debate performance. I entered it with one of those miserable summer colds, and was hoarse as hell. I also don’t wear makeup – and when you see DJT without all the artificial makeup we look about the same age. But that stuff does not excuse that the key thing is that even on an off night, I answered questions, dealt with facts and stayed true to decency. And DJT did what he always does. He lies endlessly (as the fact checkers are pointing out), and he smiles while doing it. He’s the conman who will smile at you while picking your pocket and hitting on your wife (or daughter). That’s who he is. What matters is what we do, and we are going to create side-by-side comparisons for all Trump’s claims with reality, and that compare what he did with what we’ve accomplished.” [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2024/6/28/2249350/-The-neuroscience-of-why-an-open-convention-may-be-the-surest-way-to-lose?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=latest_community&pm_medium=web Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/