The evolution of the Republican Party into a cartoonishly surreal caricature of incompetent corruption makes complete sense if you understand how long and intensely Putin has resented the old Republican Party and so targeted its cultural base with propaganda specifically.
Just IMO. In my nerd brain space this morning because of *waves*
Whoa π³ Of course, it helps when the GOP spend actively cheer on their hostile takeover. Ugh
They didn't evolve into anything, they've always been like this.
Why do they *fall for it* tho?!
It tells them what they want to hear. Also they're dumb as fucking rocks. (was raised in the cliche wealthy southern Fox news, pro-cop, pro-military family, trust me on this)
And yet you aren't like them.
It took a while, believe me, moving from Louisiana to California was the main catalyst
Well - thank you for the work you did. We need you.
You're very kind, thank you
Trump presents simple solutions to complex problems rooted in existing biases and insecurities. It's much harder to sell an uneducated populace on policy and nuance than simply blaming everything on outgroups - literally an extension of the Southern Strategy from Nixon et al
Yes this. We are biologically programmed to respond to appeals to emotion, particularly negative ones like fear, much more strongly than to appeals to reason.
And their lizard brains were already primed for the moronic misinformation by decades of exposure to Fox (and their friends). It is a crazy arc from the Cold War to aligning with Putin against Ukraine (and our own government!)
Right on plan...
So much of this wouldn't have been possible without cryptocurrency. It's such a black hole that gives the Russian apparatus all the cover it needs & the opportunity to pull the strings within the Republican party. thinkbigpicture.substack.com/p/gop-russia...
We're going to be entering a dangerous period in American politics, & if the war in Ukraine ends with Russia getting what it wants, it's going to use it's influence in America to target our own allies globally. Putin had this all played out, decades in the making & it's chilling to think about.
Wise words, and in turn, the GOP has hijacked christianity.
Seeds of the American Taliban
elon was ranting once about an 80s Russian "psy op" to attack Americans, and saying this is why the left is the way we are. reminder that since the 80s the left has gone from hating Russia to hating Russia, while the right has gone from hating Russia to saying theyd elect Putin if they could.
Why do lefties get all the fun, glittery psyops? Are we just bald crows craving the shinies?