Why is this race even close?

[LilElf70]

His cognitive decline clearly noticeable? Even today, still thinks people are eating pets. This guy has been out of his mind since 2016, lost every election and case against him since entering the political arena, and yet the slanted media still posts that the race is extremely close, razor thin. A few say Harris in winning bigly. 4-6%?

How can this be? Does anyone listen to his words? Watch his actions? Is it just me, or do others think that the race, at this point, should be 80-20, for Harris?

WTF is going on with people in this country? Are lies the "in thing" now?

How can there be this many people brainwashed, to where they throw away all logic and intelligence to make a clear and rational decision? I've never seen anything like this.

And hopefully I won't see anything like this ever again, after November.

[elleng]

1. Propaganda

[Johonny]

11. FOX and other media outlets are Trump 24/7

Infomercials.

[Initech]

28. Yup, right wing bullshit rules the media.

[Codifer]

51. Yes.

Thirty years of rush limbaugh bad mouthing the government. Thirty years of lies.

[PhilosopherKing]

98. It's more than that

They WANT to believe the lies. They hate America as it really is (diverse) and want to believe in a place that is white dominant again.

[nature-lover]

103. Yes, but reporting a close race isn't a money maker for the media. They need heightened awareness to rake it in.

[Carlitos Brigante]

2. Apathy, ignorance and the fact that bet. 25-30% of the electorate appear to be psychotic. On Edit:

Add in what was said in the post above.

[Silent Type]

3. Grew up in South, so I'm familiar with ignorant white wingers. But, dang, there appear to be a lot more than I thought.

[allegorical oracle]

86. So true. They had so much fun tea partying against Obama, that they

were prime for TSF's picking. Most of them around me barely gave a hoot about politics until we had a *gasp* black POTUS.

[B.See]

93. Exactly.

[maxsolomon]

4. Ask my Dad.

Last edited Thu Sep 19, 2024, 04:49 PM - Edit history (1)

Democrats want Abortions. End of discussion.

[Freddie]

7. Republicans are totally fine with women dying from abortion laws

Try telling them those facts, and they don’t care.

[maxsolomon]

37. Stop with those gray areas!

Every issue is black or white. Binary thoughts only.

[allegorical oracle]

94. One drumpster told me that she "had to see for herself" before she

would believe anti-trumpers. Apparently, if they don't see a plane crash, it didn't. Doesn't matter whether the crash is reported on the news. Can't believe news unless it maligns their guy. No manner of patient explanation cracks through their devotion. It's almost a sociopathy.

All we can do is vote in huge numbers -- but they still won't believe he lost.

[LizBeth]

107. Not true. They saw Jan 6 and still says didnt happen. The saw the fridges and still said no

So even when they see they still deny

[Mad_Machine76]

27. Not only do want abortions

we want to outright kill babies AFTER they're born too!

[Buckeyeblue]

97. But state reproductive mandates are consistently winning by 8 to 12 percent

So it has to be something else. There is racism. Sexism. There are prochoice people who are racist and sexist and who believe immigrants are ruining the country.

A lot of people in this country have some fucked up views on the world, some of this is out of ignorance. Some just out of hate, the need to blame others for their hard lives.

[maxsolomon]

109. Not with my Dad. It's abortion and the steady drumbeat of FoxNews.

Which I cannot convince him or his late-life partner to tune out.

Is he ignorant and harbors racial prejudices? Sure; he's 88. But it's not motivating.

[rich7862]

5. Why is this race even close??????

The republicans put up a bill to fund the government only if they are allowed to keep the issue of women’s married names are illegal and women will be removed from the voting polls.

The dems will not pass this bill allowing women to be removed from the voting polls, based on their married name is not proof of citizenship.

The republicans cheat any and every way possible. This dictatorship of trumps, would never win, if the maggot nazis followed the rules of decency. Their Hate and greed is their only role.

[Freddie]

6. Totally disgusted with all the TFG signs around here

Philly burbs. Not Pennsyltucky. These are people I see all the time, probably see at church, parents of my grandkids’ friends. How could they all be so fucking ignorant?? Sorry for rant.

[grammiepammie]

78. Pennsatucky

I am from the area called Pennsatucky in Pennsylvania where in the county I lived Trump got 15000 votes to Biden's 4000. They really believe that immigrants are crossing the border to take their jobs. And, the democrats do not believe in God, and they will take away their guns. Total insanity.

i

[Freddie]

83. We're importing illegals so they can vote for Democrats!

Heard that years ago from a woman who previously had seemed rational and normal. Oh yeah, we want to eliminate the police, and Bob Casey is personally responsible for high grocery prices. It’s an alternate universe.

[JCMach1]

8. Tribalism stoked by Trump and RW Noise machine

[Cowpunk]

9. It's the economy, as always.

People who don't care much about politics, who don't align with one party or the other, blame the party of the president when they perceive the economy to be bad. There are a lot of them.
Housing prices are high. Retail prices are high. While unemployment is low, the jobs that are available do not pay well. They don't feel they are getting ahead and statistics won't change their minds.

[LAS14]

10. I wonder that all the time. I wish we knew more about Trump voters and their motivations.

A few things.

- He's like Cyrus in the Bible, an evil man who will do good for us (prohibit abortion, trans issues, etc.)

- I've always voted Republican.

- A lot of people are simply not paying attention to the news (yet). They don't know what Trump is saying and they are Republicans by identity.

- Overwhelmed by the rise in grocery prices and don't understand how the economy works.

Any other suggestions besides they're stupid, evil idiots? We can't have 50% of the country be stupid evil idiots??? Surely not.

[B.See]

92. But we could have 50% of the country

SUPPORTING an evil, stupid person (intellectually - but as an agent if deceit and chaos, truly a genius). Why?

Because he tells them what they WANT to hear.

Because they are full of resentment and a sense of victimhood, and Trump tells them, "It's not your fault" (which it isn't.. it's the fault of the very party they support, who steals from THEM to give to the rich)....

rather it's the fault of 'THOSE PEOPLE' - those (demon) others who are 'getting over' 'coming in' - who are 'poisoning the (undoubtedly pure) blood of those who THEY consider America (because, newsflash, to them, not all of us truly ARE ya know - why is why they question Obama's and Harris's legitimacy and tell American born citizens of colour to 'go back' to somewhere we've never BEEN).

So in a nutshell, it's an ideology founded upon and driven by HATE. All other phony, dredged up culture war issues being nothing more than supporting acts.

Think about it.

If it really were economics, or just politically based ideology, then why did Republican voters in 2016turn out in mass, in support of Trump, rejecting all other contenders?

Celebrity? An 'outsider'? Not hardly. It was that America had had a Black president (an illegitimate one by the bigot's reckoning), and Trump's message was that minorites were 'taking over,' and were coming across the border, and that they had to "take America back' (from whom? where had it gone??) and "Make America Great Again." As if it WEREN'T.

The inherent RACISM in that slogan alone, is undeniable... except to those who refuse to SEE it.

[LAS14]

95. Perhaps for some of them. But they can't all be the same. Any more than all Dems are the same. nt

[B.See]

108. Perhaps for some, many, if not most, BUT

if they support, vote for, endorse that kind of rhetoric, that kind of hate based Ideology, that existential threat to DEMOCRACY itself,

DOES IT REALLY MATTER?

[PhilosopherKing]

99. You hit the nail on the head

White resentment of the ‘other’ is their prime motivation.

[Skittles]

12. women have to be twice as good to be considered half as good

women of color - at least ten times as good

repukes are treated like white men, regardless of their behavior - Dems are ALWAYS held to MUCH higher standards

[Wiz Imp]

13. An inexplicably large portion of the population (the MAGA cult) has been brainwashed...

...to no longer believe in objective reality. They only believe what the MAGA cult leaders (which include Trump, FOX news, Newsmax, online right wing websites and podcasters, talk radio, etc.) tell them. We all knew that the Springfield Haitian pet eating story was false from the start (objective reality), but the MAGA Cult still believes it's true because that is what their leaders tell them. How to break the spell on those people is unclear, but until that happens, we'll remain a country with a large slice of people who have no connection to reality.

[vapor2]

14. Sister just stopped by to visit an old neighbor near Riverside CA

and they have a trump flag and a large trump sign on their front balcony. I cannot answer your questions. With his OBVIOUS cognitive decline and total ineptness who in the hell would vote for him and let him have access to our nuclear codes? Best answer I have is maybe it's something in the water????????

[usonian]

15. The GO-Fascists have comandeered racism, misogyny, and money/power-grubbing "religion" (I use that term very loosely).

Fascist playbook.
Ran out of space for anti-semitism.
People who fail in one of the strongest world economies need to blame someone.

And the power of nonstop propaganda machines, including right-wing oriented media and social sites (notably twitler and shitfacebook) is powerful stuff.

Many are in cult mode.
I found books by Steven Hassan that go into the how and why of cults and how to de-program people you care about. Have to care a lot, because it's damn tough work.

Cult of Trump.
Freedom of Mind - Helping Loved Ones Leave Controlling People, Cults, and Beliefs
Combatting Mind Control - Protection, Rescue, and Recovery from Destructive Cults

Not enough time to digest. Just enough time to beat them down at the polls.

[vapor2]

19. Great answer and direct

[Ping Tung]

16. Fear of monsters and non-conformists.

The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary.

H.L. Mencken

[Different Drummer]

44. When it comes to Democrats, this is what Trumpers think.

"It's just the beasts under your bed
In your closet, in your head." --Metallica Enter Sandman

[JHB]

17. Ingrained bigotry, cultivated greivance, and some 50 years of propaganda

[lees1975]

18. I will say this at the risk of angering the poll apologists.

I don't believe it's really this close.

[unblock]

24. Yeah I'm not sure how he could have corrupted all the polling,

But it would certainly fit his m.o. and it would certainly explain a lot.

If the country really was 60-40 or even 65-35 but the media and the polling was simply exaggerating his support, that would certainly make a whole lot of what we're seeing make sense. I know I'm in a blue state, but the trumpers are verrry very quiet this time round. It feels much "bluer" than 4 or 8 years ago.

I have no idea how they could have corrupted all the polling places so I assume they're not wildly off. But if we later find they were all paid... well it would explain a lot, wouldn't it...

[OldBaldy1701E]

45. It isn't manipulation, it is the pollsters. No one wants to read about runaway victories. (n/t)

[lees1975]

67. A little bit of money goes a long way in some of these polling firms, who are mostly marketing pollsters.

He did it in 2020 for months, and then, when he got caught, they thought they had to shift their factoring data to adjust for the influence it had, when it really didn't actually affect the way people felt. Now, the aggregates make note of who owns the poll and their political affiliation or leaning.

Siena publishes their methodology, which explains exactly why they are now an outlier among national polls, showing the race tied while virtually every other national poll shows Harris up between 5 and 7 points nationally--they are using previous voter registration numbers to determine "likely voters." And so, their data is based on what they gathered while Biden was still running. And, it's the only New York based poll, and it has had an affinity for Trump since 2016, because of their connection to the NYT.

[unblock]

69. If they wanted to skew things, it's super easy

Even if you ask the exact same question, the order of the questions or some previous "informative statement" can skew things.

"Do you approval of candidate x?"

"What do you think of the allegations about candidate x being involved in this major scandal?"


Ask these questions in the other order and it could easily change the results about several percentage points.

[Sky Jewels]

30. I tend to agree.

[onecaliberal]

80. Neither do I, I don't think it is close at all.

[Diamond_Dog]

20. I have heard quite a few of them say,

“He’s a little rough around the edges, but his policies are good for the country.”

[Sky Jewels]

32. Yeah, his "policies," which are pure fascist authoritarianism.

Soooo many dumbfucks in the Yew Ess Aye.

[LilElf70]

47. What policies?

DUH!!!

[Diamond_Dog]

49. To me, they are saying

He’s a racist just like me and I like that. He’ll keep those brown people in their place.

[PhilosopherKing]

100. Yes

You are correct.

[Sky Jewels]

61. The Project 2025 nightmare "policies"

which were written for Puppet Donnie to carry out.

[still-prayin4rain]

112. His concepts of policies. nt

[unblock]

21. The media is bending over backwards to support the right wing

They've gotten really far away from any sort of principles.

Even while Donnie's offering no concrete proposals and make crap up and spouting nonsense, they cover him like we need to pay attention to his every word and they still present this demented criminal like he's a plausible conventional candidate.

They cry that people don't know enough about Kamala and then run more stories about Donnie. They mention his felony conviction, but usually as a scheduling issue just "something that doesn't seem to move the polls" . They mention his civil fines for rape and fraud but again, "no one cares".

They simply refuse to treat him like anyone else would be with all that going on -- mired in scandal, thoroughly despised, ethically reprehensible, completely lacking in credibility, etc.

But our media has backed his corrupt nazi crap from day one when they should have said "we won't cover this racist nonsense" when he lied about everything having to do with the birther debacle. They gifted him favorable and extensive coverage when he obviously lied about having any evidence or even any basis for suspicions.

And they've been acting like they're getting paid to promote him, or at the very least, barred from saying anything too damaging against him, ever since. No. Matter. What.

The media could destroy him overnight if they covered him in a remotely normal way. But they don't. Makes you wonder why they are so corrupted.

[questionseverything]

36. The media is owned by millionaires and billionaires

It does what it’s owners want

[unblock]

40. Yes. But that alone doesn't explain it.

Journalistic integrity used to be an important part of their business model.

At least, their bias wasn't always so blatant and so huge.

[ificandream]

85. It's not the media's fault some people are so blatantly stupid.

The media has been putting out the word about Trump for how many years now? You've got a lot of stupid people in this country who love his racism/cruelty. We need the media now more than ever. Get to the stupids and convince them.

[unblock]

88. Yes we need the media but we need them to do their job properly, not be an amplifier for

hate and cruelty and stupidity.

The media does get the facts out there. But they also get the hate out there and more important, they tend to dwell on the hate and stupidity and distractions.

How are they not making his criminality a massive story every day? It's ridiculous to treat his rap sheet as oh just another partisan political issue. You know they would bury a democrat, look how they covered Hillary and she was never even indicted.

[ificandream]

90. But they are ....

Not every media outlet reports the same thing. They cover the story in different ways. But generally (except for Fox and the lamebrain right-wing media) his criminality is being covered. What they can't do is editorialize in stories (like the RW media), but they can report facts. And they are when the stories call for it.

[Bayard]

22. Closed minds

Don't try to confuse them with facts. Their allegiance was determined long ago, and they can't take it back.

[hawkeye21]

23. This is what takes my breath away . . .

I literally have trouble breathing as I ponder this very question. I'm in excellent health, but how this election could be anything but the biggest landslide in history is baffling. You have the oldest candidate ever on one side, a truly insane maniac, a convicted felon . . . you know the rest . . . and on the other side a brilliant woman with a sterling reputation and resume to go with it.

I try to imagine what it must be like for Kamala and Tim to wake up every day and realize that, no matter they do or what Trump and Vance do, this "race" is, apparently, close. HOW?

Never in my wildest imagination could this happen. Instead, it's our reality. I hope we can all breathe easier soon. But I'll never forgive MAGA Republicans for putting me, and you, and this country through this torture. Never.

[LilElf70]

46. Sadly, because of Trump

I know many people that are on anxiety meds. It's helping them make it from day to day. I try my best to avoid the anxiety, and so far(knock on wood), I'm doing OK. I'm like you, in my wildest imagination......... It's like a permanent nightmare.

Every day, the extreme narcissist just has to out do himself with lies and bullshit, just to make headlines. He lives for that. Plus he's insane and senile. Nice combination right? How he could even qualify, still blows my mind.

[Willto]

25. Because of Several Things

First, this electoral college bullshit keeps it close. In a straight up popular vote for president the Republicans wouldn't have won the presidency since Reagan.

Second, About 45% of the people in this country get their information from right wing sites like Fox or online maga bloggers that tend to be even worse. They are filled with propaganda which is worse than just being ignorant. An empty head can simply be shown the truth but a head filled with crap has no room for the truth. Obama once said, "If I watched Fox News all day every day I'd start to hate myself".

Finally, I am old enough to remember a time when people didn't even think about politics until a few months before an election. And networks barely covered politics until just before an election. Now we live in a world of 24 hour news services that cover politics 24/7 all year long. As a result the people of this country are pretty well permanently baked into place. And that place is this. 45% are rock solid Republican and about 47% are rock solid Democrat. In a straight up popular vote we would be fine but with the electoral college it means that every 4 years the fate of our nation is in the hands of that remaining 8% living in about 7 specific states who have made it to legal voting age somehow without knowing which side they support. I don't understand people who can look at the two parties for decades and not have a firm grasp on who they support. They are an enigma that can break either way and it's often baffling as to what sways them.

So about all we can do is make damn sure every vote we can count on actually votes. All we can really do is try to maximize our turn out and hope this ridiculous electoral college bullshit doesn't put yet another Republican in the White House that lost the popular vote by millions.

[LilElf70]

38. One thing for sure

If we lose this election, we ALL will pay, big time. By then, it will be too late. 1 year from now, all the idiots will say, what the hell happened?

Note to self: There's no fix for toopid.

[bif]

26. Because 50% of Americans are idiots.

[LilElf70]

35. That's a shitpot full of

idiots. I guess the next questions are, where do they work? What do they do? How can they NOT see this is a total con game, by a game show host? I'm not the brightest bulb in the box, but I knew day 1 this was a con. People were actually falling for the dog and pony show. 8 years later, they're still "all in". Unbelievable.

[Sibelius Fan]

29. Less close with each passing day. The trends are all in our favor and there

is not enough time left for tRump to turn things around.

As Simon Rosenberg says, we are winning but we haven’t won yet.

Give it a week and we’ll see what the media is saying.

[LeftInTX]

71. He got a boost from Sunday's shooter at the golf course

Everyone on DU said, "I don't care" and kinda made fun of it.

Well, it isn't funny. I knew it would help him. Now he's going to the Alabama-Georgia game...ugh...

[BeyondGeography]

31. Because Trump leads with white voters by 15+ points depending on the poll

Simple. And as a white voter who knows many white voters, I can say categorically they are as big a threat to democracy as Trump himself. They.don’t.care.

[jalan48]

33. Trump has some powerful billionaire backers who want him in office to do their bidding.

[rzemanfl]

53. At this point Drumpf couldn't tell bidding from a bidet.

[jalan48]

63. He just has to deregulate and deliver tax cuts. If he couldn't he would have been ditched by these rich donors.

Last edited Thu Sep 19, 2024, 10:05 PM - Edit history (1)

[Xavier Breath]

34. Decades of Faux and AM talk radio repeating that Democrats are evil incarnate.

[Shermann]

39. It's more absurd than Monty Python's Election Night Special! nt

[ok_cpu]

41. Decades of RW talk and TV

have conditioned a significant portion of the country that there is nothing worse than a Democrat.

[usonian]

42. I have a theory why elections often are wacky.

Election day comes within a few days of Halloween.

[Mysterian]

43. I stopped trying to figure that out

and just came to accept there are a lot of stupid and evil people in the world .

[rainin]

48. Corporations are screwing us and Republicans blame the government. Democrats want a strong functioning government.

Republicans CLAIM government is BAD and that they will get rid of it. OMG. The stupid hurts.

Democrats will never get credit for a booming economy because the public has been brainwashed that the high prices at the supermarket, the delays getting a doctor's appointment, the long lines at the DMV and the post office are all the fault of democrats.

We need to do better helping people to understand which party is genuinely committed to addressing issues Americans care about.

[allegorical oracle]

105. Strong government is at the heart of the issue. The two parties have

different definitions about what constitutes government. For eons, Dems have been branded as the party of big gov't., while Repugs are for small gov't. Dems expect government to protect them and provide services -- infrastructure, health care, clean air/water, fair elections, unbiased courts. Dems also include protections that provide privacy, consumer protection, and equal rights under the law.

Republicans seem to believe all of the above means Big Brother or socialism. But those basic rights benefit them, too.

Repugs seem to believe that TSF will provide small government, when it's the opposite: government that examines every aspect of their and our lives from the womb to the tomb.

It makes no logical sense.

[Different Drummer]

50. IMO, the cable news outlets want Trump to win because they think, from past experience...

he'll give them something to do. There was no question of Biden's competence, just as there is no question of Harris'. Competence is boring, so the media doesn't feel a need to follow them.

In contrast, when Trump was in office, I can imagine the following being said about him on an almost daily basis in newsrooms:

"He said what?!"
"He did what?!"
"Get someone on that right away!"

I suspect the media outlets are eagerly anticipating a day when they can do that again.

[JohnSJ]

52. You are right it should not be. I am hoping it is because women and young people are being under polled

[JT45242]

54. Racism is strong...sexism is strong

The former confederate states would mostly prefer to literally have everyone die than let an uppity black woman be the president.

Period.

That's what it is.

Racism... sexism.

Propaganda may have led to this bug the underlying cause is sexism and racism

[Botany]

55. 1 word

Racism

[displacedvermoter]

101. Longer word

Stupidity

[Botany]

106. Some of Trump's supporters also enjoy that he acts like a nasty asshole too.

N/t

[DinahMoeHum]

56. Patience. Wait until the last half of October. . .

. . .because Stuart Stevens, co-founder of The Lincoln Project and old (former) GOP campaign hand, does NOT believe the election will be close.

He thinks the bottom will collapse for Trump and the GOP starting around October 20, which is when early voting begins in earnest for many states:

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/stuart-stevens-trump-crash-prediction_n_66d684cde4b0f968d26d82c2

“I think the more likely scenario is that this race is gonna be close until maybe Oct. 20th, 25th, and then I just think the bottom’s gonna start to drop out for Trump because he’s not acquiring new voters,” he said. “This is what happened to Carter in ’80, and I think there’s a lot of similarities here.”

Stevens said Trump has no new vision, promise or policy that brings new voters, which is why he is “stuck” at about 46% in polls, which is what he had in his losing 2020 campaign.

“Even when it was versus Biden after that bad debate, he still had trouble moving north of 47%,” he said.

[LilElf70]

58. I'm wondering if

his cancellation of his recent rally is a sign of things to come. I personally feel the house of cards is about to collapse, and his ass is going to jail in November.

I have a dream........

[LeftInTX]

72. It was a religious event and they told him "no campaigning". So, he cancelled.

The president of Poland is attending mass at a shrine in PA. Trump decided to show up to campaign, but the higher ups in the Catholic church said that Trump could not hold a rally at a church.

[Polybius]

66. Yeah, he's wrong

It'll be closer than 2020, bookmark it.

[onecaliberal]

57. Th American media is awash in propaganda.

[Ferrets are Cool]

59. He has said 20 or more different things that would, without question, disqualify a Democrat.

I cannot answer your question. I, too, have the same thoughts.

[Xolodno]

60. Lack of critical thinking.

..and of course tribalism.

Two friends of ours in a solid red area won't even consider what Democrats have to say. And just call them "Commie's" or "Marxists"...despite Karl Marx never actually left a blue print, outline, etc. of what Socialism or Communism would look like, Just some vague philosophical ideas in the Communist Manifesto which you can finish reading in a couple of sittings on the toilet. Bonus, if you run out of toilet paper, you got something to wipe your ass with. His real work is "The Capital" and is considered quite valid of criticism of the Capitalist system. I guarantee you, Trump supporters probably don't even know of it. Lot of one dimensional thinking.

Another couple of friends in a solid red area, used to be hard core partiers when they were younger. I wouldn't be surprised if an abortion occurred. But now they are staunchly against, talk about hypocrisy.

Ultimately, from what I've observed, it isn't one issue but several and it involves "group think". Once I mentioned to a relative that Obama was most likely to win the election, she responded by saying I don't know of anyone who is voting for him. I responded by saying, "And you live where?". She nodded and realized that in her red area things were a bit biased. So on one hand, we can't fathom why they would vote R, on the other, they can't fathom why we vote D.

I've also noticed a "want" for the "good old days", problem is, they weren't that good. People fear change and want to keep things the way they are, without realizing it can't stay that way. One of the companies I used to work for made it required reading for every employee, can't remember the book, but the message was clear "who moved my cheese". Things change and you have to adapt or starve.

[magicarpet]

62. The Apprentice, Fucx Snuz, Rush Limbaugh,...

,... fed propaganda into the heads of racists, Khristo-Fascists, and Nazi White Supremacists meatheads 24 hours a day for five decades.

Now we are living with the hate, vitriol, venom, mental instabilities of these Fascist constructs.

Fascism has become fashionable and normalized thanks to djt. It has almost become a requirement to prove your toxic alpha male bona fides.

[D23MIURG23]

64. I think a lot of people hate "the system" and see trump as an alternative to "the system" as a whole.

So trump gets a completely different standard than everyone else in politics with these people, because they see his abuses and crimes as being in the service of fighting the conspiracy in DC that they not only believe in, but also think is screwing everyone over. "trump derangement syndrome" to these people is the failure to apply this double standard, because you are "deranged" by the belief that trump is like all the other politicians.

It's a religious belief for people who don't follow politics very closely, or just blatantly hate the government, and want an easy answer.

I think this accounts for a lot of the Obama voters who switched to trump. They don't follow politics, so they expected massively more from Obama than he was able to deliver, and they either can't understand why or don't want to. They view Obama's change rhetoric as a lie.

...And they get even more confirmation that trump is their champion, because all the "normal politicians" hate trump and say he's dangerous, so clearly he has them on the ropes.

[betsuni]

65. People have all sorts of ways of deluding themselves and avoiding reality.

Small children and household pets can take a look at Trump and know.

[valleyrogue]

68. I never bought the narrative this election would ever be close, no matter who the Democrat running was.

The main issue has always been about Trump, and people have been increasingly sick of him for years.

He long overstayed his welcome. In fact, but for the media like CNN under Jeff Zucker, he wouldn't have been welcomed at all but regarded as the Pat Paulsen joke candidate he always was.

[LeftInTX]

73. That's not true. He's got adoring fans. I'm also on another type of message board.

It's supposed to be non political, but things slip out. Discussing Sunday's event: They say things like, "Trump has been through so much", "He should be allowed to play golf with his friends", "I don't want our money going to Ukraine, I want it go to protect Trump", "He needs all the protection in money can buy".

[Martin Eden]

74. "still thinks people are eating pets"

That statement implies Trump's rhetoric is based on what he thinks is true.

No. He says whatever he thinks will serve his interests in the moment. This con man is a pathological liar. What he **thinks** about any given issue is how it fits into the self serving narrative that triggers his target audience.

[LilElf70]

75. The way I see him

in addition to your comments, is "If his hands are moving side to side, HE'S LYING".

I still back my original comments. In all honesty, it should be 80-20..... and I'm being generous with the 20.

[Martin Eden]

84. Yes, it's distressing that TFG polls above the 20% you cited

Doesn't instill confidence that our fellow citizens are capable of critical thought or voting in their own best intetests.

[NoMoreRepugs]

76. There a tremendous number of ignorant voters in the US for starters.

[Vinca]

77. A big problem is the media. Most of them are treating Trump as a normal candidate when, in fact,

he's nuttier than a fruitcake. The media covered Biden 24/7 for a few moments of forgetfulness but ignore Trump's daily ramblings that sound like they should be coming from a patient in a psychiatric facility.

[Picaro]

79. Just watch Fox/Newsmax etc.

Number 1 they’re mainlining Fox all day long. They have a different set of facts.

But it’s not just Fox.

It’s the newspapers like Dallas Morning News.

The feature article about the debate read like it was a normal debate. The article the next day did normal fact checking and the score was pretty equal.

Don’t remember whether they even mentioned the contention that Haitians in Springfield Ohio are eating peoples pets. I do know that they really haven’t featured any of what’s been going on in the past couple weeks.

If I didn’t get my news from a bunch of sources and just relied on the newspaper here I wouldn’t know what the hell was going on.

Then add Fox. Where all day they simply lie. Or they just don’t report on what’s going on.

Then you have CNN and even in MSNBC that essentially translate (sanewash) What Trump says into semi coherency. Most of the time when something happens that they can’t spin they just report it once and then move on

For example, Trump made a speech in California where he created a giant faucet that’s taking all the water from Canada and pouring it into the pacific ocean. That’s why Southern California is dry according to him. He also confused Catalina Island which is a visible from where he was with Hawaii.

And on and on and on. He’s doing the Gish galop with the entire nation.

That’s why it’s close.

[BlueTsunami2018]

81. There are some people who are just turned off by our message of inclusion.

The social issues mean so much more to them than anything. Of course, all that bullshit is amplified by social media.

And the rest of them are just deplorables, idiots and Nazis.

[CrispyQ]

82. Because our media is only in it for profit & our electoral process has been turned into a huge profit making industry.

We could fix a host of ills if we would just go to publicly funded elections, but it's too late, now. The money train during a presidential election is staggering & everyone is in on the action. It's obscene.

[NNadir]

87. I'm not sure it really is close. The Harris campaign, which texts me frequently asking for additional...

...donations after each donation, always says the election is close - even implying we're behind - but that may be marketing.

I give what I can, and I support the VP expecting her to be a great President, but I believe it is in the interest of the "...but her emails..." media to say it's close to sell access, and of course, the campaign wants to raise funds (I don't object) but I'm not sure it's really close.

What tells me that it isn't close is the large number of prominent Republicans who have either endorsed VP Harris, or declined to endorse the crazy assed, racist/rapist felon, which is mirrored I think by a lot of less prominent Republicans.

I keep waiting to see the morons who had Trump signs on my ride to work in 2016 and 2020 to repost their signs, but they haven't.

I believe the VP will be the beneficiary of a blow out because the Project 2025 crowd has overshot the bounds of decency at an unprecedented level. The nationalization of women's internal organs by the corrupt highly politicized thugs on the Supreme Court which has suddenly found it impossible to understand section 1 of the 14th amendment because of Taliban like religious hackery, will have a lot to do with that outcome.

[Paladin]

89. Massive numbers of willfully stupid people. (nt)

[alarimer]

91. Because half the people in this country are worthless bigots.

No other reason than grievances about people different from them.

[Kid Berwyn]

96. Two big things jump out.

1. Corrupt News Media working and spinning for the Ownership Level

2. Cult of Poisonality where the NAZIs appeal to white supremacy

[Klarkashton]

102. Republicans ignore the fact that trump is a cheap

Ass con man crook. Trump is a dangerous fraud the country was left in total shambles after he was kicked out last time he will do again.

[CanonRay]

104. Masses of voters are ignorant, or lazy, or brainwashed.

[TheFarseer]

110. Because over half the country believes

Harris= inflation and Trump = no inflation with no explanation what Trump would do to bring down inflation. Even the so called liberal media reinforces this.

[LilElf70]

111. They're barking up the wrong tree

What does Harris and Trump have to do with inflation? They don't control this.

It's quite obvious where inflation is coming from. It's time to look to corporate America. They like their profits and aren't backing down.

Everyone knows it and no one wants to talk about it. Gee, do you think corporate America is controlling the news too? BINGO!!!