She has a deep understanding of the thought processes among America’s dumbest spite voters:
The electoral strategy of Trump supporters has always been more coherent if you imagine him running for dictator.
— (((Megan McArdle))) (@asymmetricinfo) October 9, 2016
Trump supporters now saying “Unite with us to defeat Clinton, or we’ll take away these symbolic lower offices only insiders care about"
— (((Megan McArdle))) (@asymmetricinfo) October 9, 2016
2) Supporting Trump at this point will cost them swing seats, which will only make Clinton’s victory bigger and enhance her power
— (((Megan McArdle))) (@asymmetricinfo) October 9, 2016
…or that the congressional seats matter, apart from something you can use as a bargaining chip to punish “Washington”.
— (((Megan McArdle))) (@asymmetricinfo) October 9, 2016
Because they’re only looking at the Oval Office. So they’re demanding a very, very costly show of loyalty from the GOP leadership.
— (((Megan McArdle))) (@asymmetricinfo) October 9, 2016
GOP elites have sold them out so many times they won't accept iou's https://t.co/l6o8D4AuYL
— Dana Houle (@DanaHoule) October 9, 2016
sigaba
This doesn’t explain anything. Her deep intuition is that Trump voters are kinda dumb, or if they’re smart, kinda evil.
If your theory of someone’s action requires that they are persistently stupid, evil or lazy, you have a bad theory.
ETA. Or maybe, hmm. She thinks Trumpers want a demonstration of loyalty, over and above any policy. How do we account for the inverted priorities? Emotion? Cultural values centered on shame and pride?
RaflW
Oh FFS.
Just say NO to McArglebargle threads.
sigaba
Do Trumpers really not care about senate and house seats? Do they really think they’re symbolic? I haven’t seen anything to substantiate that.
I dipped into some Breitbart comment threads yesterday and those dudes don’t think the legislature is symbolic, they think it’s infested with RINOs. Trump`s antics, and the denunciations that have followed, are good, because they expose RINOs, so the thinking goes. These people seem to basically take for granted that Republicans will control the government and all that matters is putting Real Republicans in the chairs.
Prescott Cactus
7 tweets before the shrooms take full effect.
ETA: LIghtweight, no stamina.
amk
AL, you are losing it.
Lit3Bolt
It’s not a stretch when you consider than authoritarians consider the President a deity. That’s why they were so angry with Obama…a False God…
So now Ooga-booga scary Hillary Clinton Demon-Witch-Lady-Queen is going to be President. But GOP voters want Wall, White Police to be superheroes who can kill with impunity, death to scary brown people everywhere, and economic goodies to shower just on them but no one else because that would be socialism, and repeals of Roe, Oberfell, and ACA. GOP establishment promised the moon over and over again, and didn’t/couldn’t deliver. Now their voters are juiced up on codeine and demanding their moon. They are demanding HRC to be in jail, NOW, or they will leave the most blistering AOL.com comments on a forum EVER.
White America wants its pound of flesh. It doesn’t matter who it comes from at this point.
sukabi
I can remember a time when the only time McBargle was talked about here was to point and laugh… lots and lots of laughing.
jl
The Trump supporter I met today was an old drunk who filched small items from a convenience store and felt like he was a big shot. Bragged he knew how to work the system, just like Trump. So, some of them are just a sad mess.
piratedan
@sukabi: me as well, but in this case, perhaps there is some validity to her thoughts…
the Tea Party seem to believe that those seats are theirs by right, never mind how the districts were drawn, to hell with the demographics. They don’t appear to have a clue as far as civics are actually concerned, much less lawmaking. Plus, a lot of Trump’s apparent appeal is that he’s the “big daddy” that will fix things. Which will allow them to watch NASCAR, Football and drink beer knowing that those blacks won’t dare to get uppity and that their gubment check will show up on time.
James E Powell
Deep understanding? Or a firm grasp of the obvious?
jl
@piratedan: I wonder how much the Trumpers have been tutored in the voting thing. I remember interviews with them at Trump rallies during the primary, and reporters would ask them if they planned on voting. And for about half of them, it is like they hadn’t thought it through. I remember one guy said something like ‘Vote? Naw, I just came to show support!” and he wandered off.
Trump won because the other candidates were such losers, Trump could absorb the lower than predicted support at the polls.
I’m hoping the GOP hasn’t really gotten it through the Trumpers’ heads that, you know, you gotta vote. If not, a very bad situation could turn into a wipe out. And I would be fine with that.
RaflW
@sukabi: That mocking is still all she has ever earned.
RaflW
@jl: Their GOTV efforts are reported to be fractured between the Trump incompe-temps and the the RNC, which doesn’t have the ground game of Clinton or the coordinated Dems. There is hope on that front.
jl
@RaflW:I’ve read that Trump consistently underperformed his pre-election polling by several points during the primaries. It was just his lead was so big in most of them, it didn’t make any difference.
For a while, right after Labor Day, I was hoping that pattern would hold and keep him from being elected. Now, thankfully, I am hoping that the pattern holds and sinks the GOP this election. An incentive for me to schedule some more GOTV work for the Dems.
amk
@RaflW: Guess it’s up to their nutty pastors to gotv as usual.
Ian
As a member of the Jewish faith, it really fucking offends me McBarglesauce uses the ((())) thing on twitter. We want no part of her fucking stupidity, congratulate her on rejecting racism, and tell her slightly reformed ass to shut the fuck up.
Tissue Thin Pseudonym
From Owen Ellickson:
amk
nyt ed board
hellslittlestangel
Give Jane Galt all the credit you want, it won’t offset all her debits, no matter how broken the calculator you use. Besides, only complete clinical morons at this point take Little Gloves seriously.
jl
@Ian: I forgot what the whole ((())) stuff means. It was started with antisemitic () code from the cuck cuckoos, and then people started adding (())’s in response? Sorry, I can’t keep track of all the racist and anti-racist codes going around.
Latest I heard, I have to be careful about the world ‘Skype’. That company should sue somebody.
But, the sickening old-school antisemitism from the Trumper white nationalists is hard to believe. It puzzles me that the media hasn’t really asked Trump to address it. It is definitely a very real thing. And one of the Trump sons seems to be into it. What a messed up bunch. But why not even mentioned, it seems?
opiejeanne
@Tissue Thin Pseudonym: I love Owen’s little vignettes.
Mai.naem.mobile
I had listened to a good part of the debate on radio. I watched some of it now. Trump looks like he’s seething with anger. Jared Kushner looks like a major league asshole. Hes got those ughh eyes. He also seems closer to Trump than the sons. I watched the C-SPAN coverage and noticed that Tiffany left in a different vehicle. The rest seemed like they went with daddy. Also the body language of Tiffany’s boyfriend spoke volumes.i don’t think he wants to be associated with the rest of the family.
BillinGlendaleCA
@jl:
They might, they’re owned by a little company out of Redmond, WA…Microsomething.
opiejeanne
@Mai.naem.mobile: I missed all of that Tiffany business but got to see some of it on Twitter.
BillinGlendaleCA
@opiejeanne: I usually don’t care much for them, but that one was pretty funny.
Ian
@jl:
I was typing in a bit of anger. Notice the royal ‘oui’. I don’t claim to speak for others than myself.
NotMax
@BillinGlendaleCA
Yeah, I don’t find them amusing or informative but instead strained and tiresome.
Terry chay
@sukabi: did that time end and nobody told me?
amk
The Hispanics have chosen their winner of tonight’s #debate. 92 to 8 for her.
Terry chay
@BillinGlendaleCA: no. they are owned be eBay. Half a million write off two years later.
Villago Delenda Est
Dana Houle has it right. The GOP establishment has been stringing on the base for 36 years now. Experiencing the utter indignity of a blah man in the White House has driven them batshit. No more code words. No more being civil.
NotMax
@amk
What in the name of the hoary hosts of Hoggoth is a #debate?
Villago Delenda Est
@amk: When Donald talked about Hillary having “hate in her heart” it was the purest projection possible.
He is a monster.
Villago Delenda Est
@NotMax: Dormammu’s hashtag for the live twitter feed of the debate.
TriassicSands
@amk:
Yeah, but they’re biased. Not fair to Donald. Poor Donald. Everybody is picking on Donald.
This just out:
NBC has suspended Billy Bush because of the Trump sex video.
Also from the NY Times:
Pence just sinks lower and lower. Pretty soon people may realize where he’s been all along.
NotMax
@Villago Delenda Est
Ambulatory id.
NotMax
@Villago Delenda Est
Marvel once put out a parody of Dr. Strange which featured Yormamma.
BillinGlendaleCA
@Terry chay: Nope, Skype’s Wikipedia entry.
sukabi
@Terry chay: maybe, McBargle was a regular “feature” at one point, 3 or 4 a week.
TriassicSands
America, do we really want a president who sniffs between every sentence?
I guess they gave Trump the same microphone he had in the first debate. How else to explain the constant sniffing?
The Ancient Randonneur
I have been offline for most of the weekend so this may have been covered in a previous thread, If anybody deserves credit for a least expected piece of journalism it’s Chuck Todd:
That is what the kids used to refer to as PWNED!
sukabi
@TriassicSands: re Billy Bush suspension…if you get a chance take a look at tonights episode of Last Week Tonight, John Oliver takes a verbal chainsaw to drumpf, his sex assualt bragging, and in a follow up spot on Billy Bush. Think Billy’s going to have a very long vacation…might last years.
? Martin
@sigaba:
The argument is that the Trump core is not what we might consider the GOP core. There’s some overlap, but the Trump core really does want a dictator and to burn the rest of the place down. They’re willing to trade a strongman for getting their Christian nation, their suppression of minorities, and so on. Trump isn’t interested in GOP policy because his goal is to dominate Congress, and Trump supporters are cool with that.
So Trump’s gambit here to the rest of the GOP is ‘get on board or I will burn you down before the election’ and he’s trusting that he has enough voter base that at least those in tight races will say ‘yes sir’. Now, I don’t think Trump has that kind of command but it looks like a lot of people running are unwilling to risk it. He’s played the same game with the RNC this whole time – the RNC is funding him, they’re running the ground game what there is of it. Trump barely has a campaign at all.
Consider that the Tea Party dragged the GOP into the ditch by primarying anyone who could get anything sensible accomplished. It’s obvious to any half-sensible Republican having watched Trump get elected, that they need to back the most idiotic, red meat, jerk-off positions or get knocked out of the race. They’re terrified that these jackasses are now firmly in control and the 2020 primaries are going to just be more of this. They were fed 8 years of repeal Obamacare, and it never happened. Now they want it done, and they’ll take someone who’s willing to do it unconstitutionally if need be. Jail your political opponent? Hell, yes. Fire the generals? Sure thing.
? Martin
@Mai.naem.mobile: Marla has thrown some serious accusations at Donald. I suspect that Tiffany is on mom’s side here.
Brachiator
That’s the whole point of electing a tyrant. McArdle needs to brush up on ancient Athens.
@? Martin:
True dat. The crazy thing is, the Republican leadership is still convinced that they can control or contain Trump.
TriassicSands
@sukabi:
Trump is toxic. Everyone who gets near him gets slimed one way or another.
I guess Billy shouldn’t have gone in the “locker room” with D-bag.
TriassicSands
@sukabi:
Billy says he’s sorry, but it was eleven years ago and he was young and immature. Thirty-four years old. Barely out of high school. Sheesh. Is adulthood after forty now? Or is it after 59?
BillinGlendaleCA
@TriassicSands:
This song might explain it.
Russ
Trump’s “ick” factor is just to high. Putting a sexual predator in the White House is…
Brachiator
@TriassicSands:
When Congressman Henry Hyde had to fess up to his adultery, he blamed it on “youthful indiscretion” even though he was 41 when he started cheating on his wife.
I feel a little sympathy for Bush. There should be some statute of limitation on stupidity. But he’s on the Today Show, right? And it’s understandable that an NBC flagship show wants to avoid controversy.
Pest Bog Mummy, Frakensteinbeck
@sigaba:
I’ve known no shortage of people who were persistently stupid, evil, or lazy. Haven’t you? Is it a stretch to imagine a whole political movement of them? Sure it’s not an accusation you should be quick to hand out, but Trump supporters have been heaping on the evidence that this is what defines them. At best you get into an argument about what defines ‘evil’, with a significant percentage going for ‘I will act in favor of what I know to be unspeakably horrible because I hate to lose.’ That being the less evil contingent.
sukabi
@TriassicSands: pretty sure he’s established a pattern of sexual harrassment of his very own, as illustrated by the montage of Billy being a classic sexual harrasser in his work place, on the red carpet, and on the sets of other shows…
trnc
There is a great disturbance in the force.
https://twitter.com/mike_pence/status/785310165327151104?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2016/10/mike_pence_cancels_ocean_county_fundraiser_for_tru.html
TriassicSands
@Brachiator:
I have some sympathy for Bush for a somewhat different reason. He was in the presence of Trump — the great Donald — and he was probably going along to get along — he wouldn’t want to insult Trump by calling him out for his crude comments. People in Bush’s line of work are expected to pamper and please, not annoy or anger. We’ve seen that Trump isn’t forgiving of people who disagree with him, so I wouldn’t be surprised if Bush was just playing along. His mistake? Getting too close to Trump. When you hang around garbage, you’re likely to end up smelling like garbage.
Addendum:
After just reading comment 52, I may have completely misplaced my sympathy. Until the Trump affair hit the headlines, I had no idea who Billy Bush was. Maybe he was just being himself with Trump.
rikyrah
Nope. Have to give her no credit
oldster
Between the tapes of DJT stalking Hillary all night, and the tapes of his own daughter flinching away from him, I think every woman in the world is going to recognize this guy for what he is.
trnc
https://twitter.com/BayoumiMoustafa/status/785293447141924865?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
amk
@The Ancient Randonneur: Surprised that chuck toady had enough IQ to have that kinda logical reasoning. I bet someone in his team came up with that.
raven
“He was epic”, it’s 6am, do you know where Mika is?
The Pale Scot
@TriassicSands: IIRC, Henry Hyde was having affairs that he waved of as “youthful indiscretions”..
When he was in his late forties.
TriassicSands
@amk:
I can’t stand Maureen Dowd and rarely, very rarely read her Times column. Tonight, I was reading through the Times piece called “What We Saw in the Second Debate” and Dowd had her own contribution. It was about her conservative sister and her struggle with whether or not she could support Trump. Her conclusion after the second debate: “I could see him as president.” Unbelievable. Reading Dowd’s description of her sister’s vacillation over the course of the campaign is truly disheartening…if you want to believe in the inherent intelligence and goodness of human beings. The woman is incredible; she rationalizes almost everything Trump does and puts a positive spin on even Trump’s worst actions and statements. It makes me depressed for the future of this country. Peggy Dowd represents millions of other Americans who will use any excuse to vote for Trump.
The Pale Scot
@Brachiator: OOPs, I see you covered that. The problem with aging is if that I read to end before making a comment I’ll forget what I wanted to say. Ten years ago that wasn’t the case.
Man, I’ve been here ten years, that’s the longest I’ve ever done anything.
The Pale Scot
@raven: “do you know where Mika is?”
I’ll wait until they start posting videos to the website, usually it’s a half hour behind.
The Pale Scot
OT Hey Betty, hows the weather by you? Here it’s 69° and feels like 69°!
Yesterday at this time it was 78° feeling like it’s 84°..
Time to start going outside again.
TriassicSands
Note about comment 58 — it may not be Peggy Dowd. I don’t know what her last name is.
The most amazing thing about this campaign is the number of epic failures on the part of Trump — any one of which might well have ended another candidate’s campaign. The roll out of Trump Tower like widgets off an assembly line and with no more impact on Trump supporters than a widget would have on Jupiter. Thank you, sir, may I have another, they cry as the news of Trump’s latest disaster hits the media.
Billy Bush’s lesser role (more cheerleader than Trump’s star QB) in the most recent Trump sexual abuse recording earned him a suspension at NBC. It could cost him his job, though that remains to be seen. But Trump’s base is still unshakeable.
Trump’s frequent promise: “I will never let you down” is one of the easiest promises to keep that any candidate ever to run for office has made. After all, nothing he does, as long as it’s vile, disgusting, revolting, dishonest, and sexist/racist/or/xenophobic will ever disappoint a Trump supporter. The only way he could let them down would be if he suddenly became a decent human being, admitted he has no business running for president, and quit the race.
raven
@The Pale Scot: 47 in Athens!
VOR
The sniffling in the first debate sounded like Trump had a cold or allergies. The loudly sucking in air through his nose in the second debate makes me think he needs to see an ear/nose/threat specialist. Something is wrong with his ability to breathe through his nose.
The Pale Scot
@VOR: I’m gonna say brain tumor, it would explain a lot.
Joel
@TriassicSands: If you ever happen to visit Tienanmen Square, you will see the Mao mausoleum at the southern end of the square. There’s usually a line that stretches around the block to get into it. Typically populated by older Chinese folks. The teabaggers of their country, so to speak. This stuff is universal. That’s why we have to be so damned vigilant.
JR in WV
@jl:
Trump’s daughter and son-in-law are orthodox Jews, which is why they disappear from twitter each Friday evening until Saturday evening. Trump’s antisemitism is especially baffling when this is considered, his grandchildren will be Jews.
WTF?
JR in WV
@raven:
34.7 F this morning here in the WV hills. Nice!
sdhays
@TriassicSands: You should also have another look at the Access Hollywood tape (if you can stomach it). He not only goes along and gets along, he’s an enabler – pay attention to how he handles the situation with his female colleague when she greets him and Donald towards the end. I didn’t know who Billy Bush was either, but everything you need to know is in that tape.
sdhays
@JR in WV: I think this was well described by Josh Marshall the other day when he told the tale of the former mayor of Vienna, Karl Leuger, who “brought anti-Semitism from being part of the fabric of European culture and the outlet for the episodic violence of illiterate peasants to making it a force in a modern political context”. This is the key point:
People in Trump’s orbit aren’t “Jews” or “gay” or “Muslim” or “black” or whatever. They’re friends of Trump. And to him, that’s the way the world should be – whatever he says it is.
It’s chilling, but it fits.
Brachiator
@TriassicSands:
Why would anyone believe such a thing? Wait. I guess I understand what you mean, but we can also abuse or ignore our potential to be intelligent or good.
Also, debates are never about “who won.” They are very much about looking at candidates and asking whether they seem or act presidential.
Trump satisfies the needs and fears of some people. And needs and fears are as much a part of who we are as our potential for intelligence and goodness.
Uncle Cosmo
@sdhays: FTR both Josh & you misspelled Karl Lueger’s name. Mayor of Vienna from 1897 till his death in 1910. An inspiration for Hitler, who lived in Vienna 1907-13.