This shambolic world.........

It's really frightening that Trump has planted several conspiracy theories like "fake media" and "deep state" in the heads of his followers. When media report about his

failures and offenses it's a risk that his followers don't believe the media. He calls the military "losers" and "suckers". He is caught lying on a daily basis. Russia is working to get him elected. And what happens? Pretty much nothing.

@Scott Peterson I don't know, the guy is a little bit funny. Not intentionally so, granted. But stuff like 'normally, you're fake news but today you're correct'.... how can you not laugh at that?

Not to split hairs, but the Aids crisis wasn't a 'Pandemic' at least it wasn't during the Reagan Presidency. It's quite true that the response to the crisis was very poor during his time, but the response was tepid by Governments all over the place. Not to mention that there wasn't a lot of significant media coverage during the early part of the outbreak. it took a few years and the numbers to start skyrocketing before people really started to pay attention to what was happening.

I watched. I'm having nightmares, definitely.

I'd like to think the world's not ending anytime soon, I'd also like to think the U.S. people will vote to minimise the possibility of that.

I read an article in the Guardian (I think) can't remember who wrote it or I'd post. Anyway this article was saying that people may have historically disagreed or disliked, even hated, certain political leaders and/or their policies, it was hard to think of one that did not think they were acting for the best.

Trump is, patently, acting wholly in self interest with no thought as to "doing good".

Psychologists could answer better than me, but I think within a narcissistic mind, the good of the self IS the only good that matters.

Anyway, its not that hard to envisage getting to a scenario where armageddon is seen as a viable option by Trump.........but let's hope not.

I don't really know how political parties are structured over in the States, I'd like t think a Trump style coup couldn't happen over here, but then I look at Boris Johnson..........

Having sad that, I'd be amazed if Johnson is Tory leader when the next election comes around.

He's already something of a liability and I'd reckon if it looks like he's leading them to defeat, the "men in gray suits" will quietly go about their business and he'll be gone.

You need to click Read More to unveil it--that's what happens when there's more than two (I think) replies.

https://www.greasylakeforus.com/forum/main/comment/5f542b9c6a2cc80017edbc15

I have lots of trump-hating friends down there, but there is definitely a subgroup which has unfortunately become a cult.

It is far easier to tear down than to build up, so sadly I'm sure you're entirely right. The damage does will be, in some cases, permanent. (Such as the families destroyed at the border.)

It's vital to remember that in 2016, the candidate—the target of a 30-year smear campaign,—*won the popular vote* and only lost the electoral college thanks to a perfect storm of James Comey behaving unethically, Russian ratfucking, GOP treason, voter purges, too cool for school indies, purity ponies and a mainstream media gleefully looking for a horserace and therefore ignoring all the above to go after buttery males? And even with all that, the traitor STILL only won by 80,000 votes in three states.

So. This military scandal will not lose him all his supporters. This will not lose him many supporters. But I refuse to believe it won't lose him ANY—it's clear that it's lost him at least some, and the earlier report about Biden being preferred by military members is a staggering contrast from four years ago.

And that's all we need from each of these stories: just a few people to switch. Just a few will make a big difference. It'd be great if we got them all. It would be ideal. It would make the world so much better. But all we really need is a few.

Look, 2016 proved that anything can happen. And pretty much nothing has changed since then except that he's gotten shellacked in virtually every election held since.

Something of which the mainstream media seems unaware--or at least has not even remotely reckoned with--is the fact that evangelicals not only believe in the unprovable, but the more ardently you believe in something intangible—refusing to be baffled by utterly contradictory facts—the more praise you get, the truer a believer you are. Meaning they've been primed for centuries for something like a QAnon.

@Daisey Jeep Because racism is a hell of a drug.

May i respectfully ask why you signal out people without college degrees ? Do you not think our life experience counts for something?

We do not have lesser minds because we didn't get a university education . It isnt always because it was academically beyond us - that we arnt as bright as college educated people.

My Gary left school at the end of the 5th forn (usually 2 more years to go after that) he is bright and clever enough to build a house up to code from the foundations to the roof. How is that of less value what he has learned than what a person with a BA has learned ?

I didnt get the opertunity to go to varsity because my parents thought only the very brightest kids should go. I might not be able to spell for shit but i am no dummy just because i didn't go to university, i know people who are as thick as pig shit who have degrees

And honestly Scott, im not having a go at you, but this topic akways3 touches a nerve

@Daisey Jeep I completely understand, Daisey. But it doesn't seem to have anything to do with intelligence or lack thereof. (After all, Ben Carson is one of the greatest brain surgeons in history, and yet he supports Trump.)

I'm merely referring to a matter of statistics: when doing a serious poll, they ask things like martial status, if the respondent has children, what their race is, what their gender is, what their age is. And one of the questions is whether or not they have a college degree. And whether or not a white person has a college degree or not is one of the strongest indicators as to whether or not they support Trump/the GOP or not. The same thing goes with whether or not they're an evangelical.

Note that having a college degree seems to be little to no factor when it comes to Trump support for people of color. So it's not just the college degree. It's the whiteness and, often, the evangelicalness.

And I don't feel like anyone could read your posts for years and think for a moment you're "a dummy," Daisey—reading your posts makes it quite obvious you're sharp and a deep thinker.