What motivates Trump man?

[DaShuckster]

In the wake of last week's attack on the Capitol, @Crazyhole has been opining that those of us who have been suffering from 'TDS' need to try and 'understand the anger' that motivates the widespread populism we're seeing in America today. I've tried in multiple threads to get any of our Usual Suspects to explain what's behind it -- only to hear the sound of crickets in response.

We do understand Trump's big lie that, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, last November's election was 'stolen' from him. The saddest and most pathetic part about it was that members of his party in Congress didn't have the courage to stand up for the truth -- which led us to last week's insurrection.

But what did Donald Trump 'tap into' back in 2015 when he first began experiencing the groundswell of political support that led to his successful run for the Presidency?

Why the reluctance to give voice to the wave of anger that Donald Trump surfed? Hmmmm...could it be the fact that Trump used the 'birther movement' as his springboard to a run for the Presidency? Is the fact that "Build the Wall" became his campaign's most popular battle cry have anything to do with it?

I've been told if the rest of us aren't willing to listen to 'the legit grievances' behind the Trump movement, we'll see them resurface again. So let's air them out here. What are they?

 

[Crazyhole]

They are tired of spending trillions of dollars on endless wars. Tired of illegal immigrants coming in and taking jobs or reducing demand for laborers, and receiving benefits like free Healthcare. Tired of seeing the US become a two class system. Tired of bureaucrats dictating parts of our lives. Tired of being called stupid, inbred, idiot, racists, and homophobes. Tired of attacks on their faith. Tired of paying taxes while others get tax breaks up the wazoo or collecting welfare.

The fact that you had to ask proves that you haven't been listening.

 

[DaShuckster]

The fact that you had to ask proves that you haven't been listening.

I asked because I wanted to know if you were interested in discussing it. You punted when you were asked in other threads.

I'm sure someone on the board -- or me later when I've got some time later -- will be happy to discuss them with you and others.

 

[DaShuckster]

Anybody who has been paying attention to the whining coming from our board's Usual Suspects knows that these posters view themselves as America's true victims. They see America becoming younger and more racially and sexually diverse and that has fueled their sense of aggrievement and resentment.

The populists we've seen posting on message boards openly lie and routinely distort the truth, whether we're talking about Trump's shameful shenanigans, Covid-19 health protocols, or basic SCIENCE for crying out loud! They claim that their 'heritage' is being stolen from them when confederate flags and monuments are removed from public places. They rail against diversity and calls for police reform, and label all of it under the “socialism" umbrella, which they associate with every single Democrat, be it AOC or President-Elect Biden.

It's all in response to their growing feeling of powerlessness. That's why they glommed onto Trump's bullshit despite the irony that, for most of them, it was against their own best interests. Frankly, the person who needs to 'listen' to their aggrievements is a psychotherapist.

 

[Crazyhole]

Anybody who has been paying attention to the whining coming from our board's Usual Suspects knows that these posters view themselves as America's true victims. They see America becoming younger and more racially and sexually diverse and that has fueled their sense of aggrievement and resentment.

The populists we've seen posting on message boards openly lie and routinely distort the truth, whether we're talking about Trump's shameful shenanigans, Covid-19 health protocols, or basic SCIENCE for crying out loud! They claim that their 'heritage' is being stolen from them when confederate flags and monuments are removed from public places. They rail against diversity and calls for police reform, and label all of it under the “socialism" umbrella, which they associate with every single Democrat, be it AOC or President-Elect Biden.

It's all in response to their growing feeling of powerlessness. That's why they glommed onto Trump's bullshit despite the irony that, for most of them, it was against their own best interests. Frankly, the person who needs to 'listen' to their aggrievements is a psychotherapist.

Why start a thread asking what the issues are if you're just going to ignore them and call people idiots if they don't agree with you? This is exactly why the country won't come together and the left is still committed to making it worse.

 

[DaShuckster]

Why start a thread asking what the issues are if you're just going to ignore them and call people idiots if they don't agree with you? This is exactly why the country won't come together and the left is still committed to making it worse.

I cut through the bullshit to address what's at the heart of every single issue you raised -- and many you didn't.

For example, I would agree that immigration is an important issue that responsible people from both political parties need to grapple with and come together to address. But did that happen when our populist President held the reins of power? What did happen?

 

[Crazyhole]

I cut through the bullshit to address what's at the heart of every single issue you raised -- and many you didn't.

For example, I would agree that immigration is an important issue that responsible people from both political parties need to grapple with and come together to address. But did that happen when our populist President held the reins of power? What did happen?

No, you created a strawman and used it to call everyone against illegal immigration a racist.

Do you know how hard it is for a drywall or roofing company to compete with one that uses solely illegal workers? Its starting to spill over into my industry as well. They break the rules, then break them again, and make it almost impossible for people to compete against them and make a living. Is that racism?

 

[DaShuckster]

No, you created a strawman and used it to call everyone against illegal immigration a racist.

Do you know how hard it is for a drywall or roofing company to compete with one that uses solely illegal workers? Its starting to spill over into my industry as well. They break the rules, then break them again, and make it almost impossible for people to compete against them and make a living. Is that racism?

If you read my previous post, you are aware that I said illegal immigration IS a concern, one that RESPONSIBLE people on both sides of the aisle need to sit down and address. Given Trump's campaign rhetoric, immigration was arguably the number one issue four years ago.

So how did the Trump Administration address it? Is the honest owner of that roofing company in better shape to compete against his competitor who hires illegal workers today than was the case four years ago?

 

[Crazyhole]

If you read my previous post, you are aware that I said illegal immigration IS a concern, one that RESPONSIBLE people on both sides of the aisle need to sit down and address. Given Trump's campaign rhetoric, immigration was arguably the number one issue four years ago.

So how did the Trump Administration address it? Is the honest owner of that roofing company in better shape to compete against his competitor who hires illegal workers today than was the case four years ago?

You say its a concern, but immediately reverted to the racism card. As for whether those companies are in better shape, I can't speak for roofing companies because I haven't dealt with any recently but for drywallers, yes 100%. Labor has gone up around 40% in the last couple of years, which is good for their employees.

 

[DaShuckster]

You say its a concern, but immediately reverted to the racism card.

Throughout American history, racism has always played a major role in our immigration politics. The backgrounds of the immigrants we've been concerned about have changed over the years, but the hatred hasn't.

As for whether those companies are in better shape, I can't speak for roofing companies because I haven't dealt with any recently but for drywallers, yes 100%. Labor has gone up around 40% in the last couple of years, which is good for their employees.

Good to hear.

 

[Crazyhole]

Throughout American history, racism has always played a major role in our immigration politics. The backgrounds of the immigrants we've been concerned about have changed over the years, but the hatred hasn't.
Good to hear.

But racism has nothing to do with illegal immigration. I dont dislike Mexicans at all, but it does kind of piss me off that now I can barely get a commercial build out contract because there are companies that are skirting the rules by using illegal labor that they don't pay near what I do. Unsurprisingly, I can still get contracts with the state that have Davis-Bacon regulations because those companies can't get through the paperwork without exposing the fact that they are using illegal labor. Its not right.

 

[DaShuckster]

But racism has nothing to do with illegal immigration.

It shouldn't -- what's illegal is illegal.

But you'd have to be pretty naive to believe racism didn't play a role in the way the Trump Administration handled its immigration policy. It unveiled a 'zero tolerance' approach intended to deter illegal immigration, separating parents and their children at the border with no thought given to how they would reunite them. Asylum seekers were illegally turned away and a Muslim ban was implemented, then later amended.

There's a right way -- and a wrong way -- to deal with our immigration issues. I would argue the Trump Administration's approach, with policies like the ones I outlined, was the wrong way.

 

[Crazyhole]

It shouldn't -- what's illegal is illegal.

But you'd have to be pretty naive to believe racism didn't play a role in the way the Trump Administration handled its immigration policy. It unveiled a 'zero tolerance' approach intended to deter illegal immigration, separating parents and their children at the border with no thought given to how they would reunite them. Asylum seekers were illegally turned away and a Muslim ban was implemented, then later amended.

There's a right way -- and a wrong way -- to deal with our immigration issues. I would argue the Trump Administration's approach, with policies like the ones I outlined, was the wrong way.

There was never a Muslim ban, thats just how the media portrayed it. It was a ban on travel from countries that didn't have adequate identity verification protocols to satisfy our national security concerns. It didn't matter what religion you were in those countries, you couldn't come here. Conversely, there was never a ban on most Muslim majority countries so its pretty obvious that it had nothing to do with religion.