Trump and post reality-based politics

Written By: - Date published: 2:03 pm, January 25th, 2016 - 20 comments
Categories: accountability, us politics - Tags: , , ,

Donald Trump thinks that he is politically untouchable:

Donald Trump Says He ‘Could Shoot Somebody’ and Not Lose Voters

At a campaign stop in Iowa on Saturday, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said he could shoot someone in public and still not lose any voters.

“They say I have the most loyal people — did you ever see that? Where I could stand in the middle of 5th Avenue and shoot somebody, and I wouldn’t lose any voters.” he said. “It’s like incredible.” …

Yes, it is incredible. And given the crap that Trump has put out there – all the while increasing his lead – it doesn’t even seem impossible. Looks like even the Republican establishment is bowing to the inevitable and rallying around Trump.

Trump knows that he has gone beyond an old fashioned reality-based politics of consequences and accountability, and that his supporters are so “loyal” that they will lap up anything. I think that John Key is another herald of this brave new world. We live in interesting times.

20 comments on “Trump and post reality-based politics ”

  1. ianmac 1

    That is sort of what Key indicates. He sees himself as untouchable. He can say/do anything and keep his vote intact. Trump/Key weird.

  2. weka 2

    “Looks like even the Republican establishment is bowing to the inevitable and rallying around Trump.”

    That looks like out and out spin and manipulation to me from a faction within the GOP, and the more the meme gets repeated the more likely it is to come true. Just saying.

  3. Draco T Bastard 3

    Trump knows that he has gone beyond an old fashioned reality-based politics of consequences and accountability, and that his supporters are so “loyal” that they will lap up anything. I think that John Key is another herald of this brave new world.

    The Authoritarians

    Authoritarian followers will actually support their leader no matter what and when it’s pointed out that that leader has done immoral and unethical things they will come out with all sorts of BS defending those actions. We see it here all the time especially from Fisiani when he defends John Key.

    If either of John Key or Trump shot somebody a lot of their supporters would defend him and say that the victim deserved it in some way no matter what the facts showed.

    • Tautuhi 3.1

      Bang on the button especially when you have a compliant media, the Governor General Jerry Mataparere should be keeping an eye on things here in NZ as he is appointed to protect NZ citizens?

      However it is the Year of the Red Monkey so things could change very quickly?

  4. Macro 4

    We live in interesting times.

    We live in the Age of Stupid

    FIFY

  5. Paaparakauta 5

    ‘We live in interesting times’ is often meant as ironically but it does translate well online.

    • Macro 5.1

      Yes I know the phrase was being used in an ironical manner. However the comment by the Chump is just plain stupid. One would hope – that even in the land of idiots and guns – shooting someone in the middle of 5th Avenue would lead to an immediate arrest.

  6. TheBlackKitten 6

    Trump has this dog like loyalty because he’s the only one talking about China stealing jobs due to their slave labour laws.
    Who else has raised the issues of China and jobs? People are getting desperate so will bypass the fact that he does not give any details on how he will make Mexico pay for the wall or what he will do with China to address the issues of jobs disappearing to their slave labour country and how they walk all over the west with their lack of respect to Paton laws. West manufacturers don’t have a hope in hell in competing with a country that pays its workers pittance and can copy and produce West products with no fear of Paton laws. The only companies that benefit from this in the west are the rich corporates who import it all. Small business and middle business get squared because of it.
    China’s middle class is growing whilst the Wests is disappearing and these are the reasons why. Trump talks about China, no one else mentions it, not even Sanders and Americans that are hurting are ignoring his other obvious faults because of this. As I said, what other candidate is addressing the issues with China?

  7. Sorry squared should read squashed.

  8. Macro 8

    he’s the only one talking about China stealing jobs due to their slave labour laws.

    Ummm NO!

  9. NZSage 9

    … and on the flip side we can see the US MSM swinging into action against Bernie Saunders.

    This piece eloquently explains the process by comparison to the British media assassination of Corbyn.

    https://theintercept.com/2016/01/21/the-seven-stages-of-establishment-backlash-corbynsanders-edition/

  10. Andre 10

    Trump’s outrageous public behaviour tends to obscure something pretty important about the rest of the Republicans – that the rest are even further out into la-la land.

    So yes, Trump would likely be a total loose cannon as Prez. But that does mean that occasionally he would go off in a neutral or even positive direction. Whereas any of the other Republicans became Prez, every single step would be in a backwards direction.

    • Colonial Viper 10.1

      Trump’s outrageous public behaviour tends to obscure something pretty important about the rest of the Republicans – that the rest are even further out into la-la land.

      This.

      Plus it was a clever line which makes Trump sound like the tough, unbeatable candidate in front of his only audience of importance at this point: Republican state electors.

      Very smart politics.

      By the way, Bill Clinton destroyed the US working class by signing NAFTA, and opened the door to banker rule and the GFC by repealing Glass Steagal. Obama broke all his promises to close Guantanamo Bay and doubled down on NSA mass surveillance of citizens. Hilary Clinton cheered at the US execution of a crippled, old half blind man (Bin Laden) and ran foreign policy destabilising major areas of the Middle East and the Ukraine.

      But go go go the Democrats because they aren’t quite as shite as the Republicans.

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