How Stupidity Proliferates
Yesterday I talked about how Trumpists flocked to their latest article of faith that Trump isn’t really impeached because the House hasn’t transmitted the articles of impeachment to the Senate. There is no basis in law or fact for that belief, but it’s there anyway, virally spreading throughout Trumpland. During our Trumpist infestation we experienced yesterday that was the recurring theme. These trends often start as a joke or a hoax, sometimes on satire sites, but quickly morph into viral proliferation by those who desperately cling to anything that supports their predisposed beliefs. Here’s the Google trend line for searches this week on “Trump not impeached”:
And, as you would imagine, the regions that have the most searches are the red states. There’s new viral rumor now growing in Trumpland and that is, now that Trump is impeached, he’s automatically eligible to run 2 more times. That is REALLY stupid, and is completely unsupported both in the Constitution including the 22nd Amendment. It started as a “joke” in October, but really took off this week, spreading across right wing pages by Trumpists. Here’s the Google trend line for “Trump can run for third time”:
This kind of proliferation is what makes brainwashing so nefarious. Many of the Trumpists’ comments during our infestation yesterday were repeating absolute nonsense, Russian propaganda, boasting, taunting, and personal insults. None of the dozens of comments we received were based in any kind of fact; all taunted; none were even reasonable.
With rampant propaganda proliferated over social media facts or truth no longer matter. Worse, Trump’s Twitter account amplifies these lies. Every time he tweets one of his insults, childish taunts, threats, or lies, it goes out to millions or users, retweeted thousands of times. In the hands of an immoral politician like Trump, social media is weaponized for the dark side. You can see it, but can also measure it. Here’s the search terms “Burisma” and “Hunter Biden”:
These trends follow Trump’s twitter feed and those who support him. Nobody ever even heard of Burisma, and few were even aware of Hunter Biden until Trump, Giuliani, and the Noise Machine started repeating it. And, they almost got away with it; were it not for the whistleblower, Ukraine would have announced an investigation of the fabricated Russian story that Ukraine was the bad actor in 2016, and Biden’s chance to become the Democratic presidential nominee would have been destroyed.
Integrity matters, but evil can easily run over integrity because brainwashing works really well. And THAT threatens our republic more than any outside force.
Check out the story on Salon. “Trump must remain in power to stay out of prison. Whatch what he does when Senate acquits him.”
1Trumpanzees not impressed by the two current articles of impeachment? Not a problem. Speaker Pelosi can make a list and check it twice for crimes committed by IQ4.5. No doubt Congresswomen Waters and Wilson can muster up some capable legal elves to assist in the effort.
“Trump can run for third time” … as much as many of us whole heartedly wish impeachment could erase the memory and the damage done by this maladministration, nothing will ever clean that slate. It sure as hell does not mean that Donnie gets a do-over.
Listen up Trumpanzees. Listen carefully. 22nd. That is not, repeat not, 2 repeated, the 2nd. It’s twenty-two, as in the 22nd Amendment. Remember your favorite President, Franklin D. Roosevelt? Yeah him, the man who still gives you night terrors and causes you to wet your beds. He was elected to a third term. That was changed in 1951: “No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice, and no person who has held the office of President, or acted as President, for more than two years of a term to which some other person was elected President shall be elected to the office of the President more than once.”
While we might agree with you that Donnie was not freely elected the first time, he has occupied the office. In other words he has been there more than two years of the term to which Sec/Sen Hillary R. Clinton was elected. He sat, he squatted, therefore it qualifies as one term.
Third term? Oh hell to the no. It is our greatest hope that there will be no second term due to Russian interference, Republicon gerrymandering and other dirty tricks, and that more sane Americans exist to vote than you crazy ***king morons.
FDR. Read about him, morons. Especially next time a Social Security check is deposited into your account. It’s a good read. Who knows? Maybe sufficient to stop you from voting against your own interests.
2The fact is, ALL humans are susceptible to brainwashing — particularly if the lies concern something they want or, if it’s not something they wish for, are inclined to believe.
I remember being terrified that W. Bush would refuse to step down at the end of his tenure. Now, I think, it’s safe to say we look back on W’s term as halcyon days but, at the time, it seemed to be the lowest point to which the nation could sink. Gee, those were the days, huh?
That said, bank on it — Trump has already heard the “Impeachment grants the right to run for a third term,” story and gloommed onto it. Then, when he discovers that it’s not true, he will declare that it proves that 1] he is the most mistreated human being in the history of the world and 2] his opponents are engaging in treason and shredding the Constitution.
What’s more, Lindsay, Gym Jordan and Moscow Mitch will back him up.
3 . . . 2 . . . 1 . . . .
3Saw 2 film clips this AM on TV of Trumpists who don’t care if Trump drops his trousers in the White House or whatever as long as he keeps on keeping on. Well, those guys impressed me as chronic trouser droppers. No wonder they see him as one of their own. Good luck, Republicans, trying to get your party back. Its been washed out to sea by now.
4Jane & PKM @ #2: exactly right.
two crows @ #3: yes, trump will latch onto anything he perceives helps him whether or not it’s true. Look at his ridiculous ‘article 2 says I can do whatever I want’ bit that he repeats ad infinitum. He and his enablers must go!
5Hannah@5, that article 2 that IQ4.5 often cites is probably page 2 of Pravda. Or, was it the devil wears Prada? Na. That was Old Scratch himself, Moscow Mitch.
Then there’s that schtick Billy Bob Barr is trying to sell from that memo “a sitting president cannot be indicted” beats the US Constitution.
6Ignorance is curable, but stupid is forever. I’ve long since quit wondering which one is more common.
7The take this journalism prof has on the NYT’s coverage also explains a great deal. This is why the stupidity can take over: mainstream media provides excuses for people to simply give up on politics, since Both Sides Do It. It’s false equivalence all the way down the tubes:
https://twitter.com/jayrosen_nyu/status/1205865866291810309
And look at James Fallows’ three other examples further down that stream.
Jane & PKM: nitpicking, but FDR was also re-elected to a 4-th term. Although he only made it about 3 months into it, and should not have made the run because it was clear to everyone he was a dying man. But your point stands: the Tea-hadis that waived copies of the Constitution around like it was a Bible, now seem to have decided it’s not all that important after all.
8I ran across that “Trump can run for 2 more terms” meme on FB today. I quickly quote Article !, Sec. 3, Clause 7 of the Constitution that states that any impeached official is disqualified from ever holding federal office again.
9Remember: half of all Americans are of below average intelligence.
10Just gotta say . . . I agree with that half of Americans who are mentally challenged even when it owes to spelling C.A.T. Went to the Post Office this AM and got into the drive up to the drop off boxes. Some woman ahead of me was working up a sweat stuffing PACKAGES into the boxes through the letter drop openings. Then she turns around to me and say that obviously all the drop off boxes are full and drives away. I roll up to the drop offs and have no trouble dropping my letters inside. Yeah. She could’t figure out that it was her packages that were too big for the drop off boxes and they resisted her attempts to mistreat them. As much as I would like to do something with a bit of finality because of this situation, I will remember that it is the Christmas season. 1 …2 … 3 …
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