Why Trump's Supporters Want The Long Con

[Nevilledog]

https://resolutesquare.com/articles/3dToCVr6mxbxEseL0SFbQ0/trumps-supporters-want-the-long-con

A “Trump or death” banner unfurls in Yankee Stadium. A Proud Boy convicted of participating in the January 6th insurrection shouts, “Trump won!” as he heads off for ten years in prison. Millions of supporters send Trump’s campaign donations after each of his criminal indictments. Though 63% of Americans have an “unfavorable” view of Donald Trump, and 51% of Americans believe that his actions to retain the presidency were likely “criminal,” many Americans have refused to accept reality.

America has a con man problem, and these Americans are his victims.

“Although the confidence man is sometimes classed with professional thieves, pickpockets, and gamblers,” wrote David Maurer in his classic 1940 study of American con men, “he is really not a thief at all because he does no actual stealing. The trusting victim literally thrusts a fat bankroll into his hands.” The con man’s victim is their “mark,” a person who wants what the con man promises them so badly that they’ll give him all their money (repeatedly) and refuse to let the con end—even after the con man has revealed that he cheated them. Trump’s supporters are his marks; he has conned them out of their money and their democracy.

A typical con game works by relying on the mark’s lack of integrity. The con man earns the confidence of their mark by convincing the mark that the two of them are a team and together, they will cheat their way to success. According to Maurer, the mark has “what grifters term ‘larceny in his veins’—in other words, he must want something for nothing or be willing to participate in an unscrupulous deal.” Con men only succeed in fleecing their marks because the mark is willing to cheat to win: “In the frenzy of cheating someone else,” the mark “is unaware of the fact that he is the real victim, carefully selected and fatted for the kill.”

The con man profits by promising his marks a sure thing—typically, that’s easy money, but in politics, the parallel case is the con man promises an easy victory over the hated opposition, passing favored policies or things like vengeance, protection, or restoring status. The political con man understands how basic human psychology—cynicism, fear, motivated reasoning, and desire for status—can be used against their victims.

*snip*

[slightlv]

1. What do you expect from people who never admitted to losing

the Civil War? As soon as the first "The South Will Rise Again" yell was raised, we should have shut it down in no uncertain terms right at that point.

They want to shut down the government. I say, cut all financial funding for any and all Red states supporting the shut down. If they don't want the funding, let's not force it on them! And if they want to cut loose, I say cut them loose. Lincoln tried his best, but some people are just too dumb and uncivilized to belong to a first world, civilized country. I'm still mad about Hunter's private info being blasted out into the public. I'll go cook supper and cool down now... (gryn)