Trumpers on social media

[G-Man]

Trump supporters I’ve come across on social media:

TRUE BELIEVER
The type that agrees with Trump on everything. They’ll shout out loud that Trump will make America great again by building a wall around the world into which the US can shrink like a scared tortoise (albeit an uncharacteristically noisy one). They'll cover your screen with cyberspittle as they see liberal conspiracies behind every criticism levelled at their hero.

THE TRIBAL FAN
Their tribe has won, as if elections are the Superbowl of Politics. “Whahey, we’ve won the World Series,” and “Suck it up and shut up, liberals lefties. Sad!” Most Trumpers outside the US fall in this group. To them, it’s all about the rivalries with Team “The Liberals”. Policies and personalities? Who cares, eh? TRUMP2017!!!!!!!

THE WHATABOUTERERS
They’ll acknowledge that Trump has his faults, like everybody else. And follow any objection by, “But what about Hilary?”, as if Trump can be measured only against his challenger; as if Trump’s corruption and bigotry exists only in relation to Hilary Clinton. Even after Hilary no longer represents an opposition or challenge. Indeed, what about Hilary?

THE LENNONERS
These people will plead for patience. “All we are saying is give Trump a chance,” they’ll plead. They’ll echo Rodney King: “Can’t we just get along?” But they offer very little criticism of Trump. Maybe mildly so. “I wasn’t very fond of the way he spoke about women,” they’ll say. “We must keep illegal immigrants out, but maybe a wall is not a great idea.” And they’ll hope that there are good people who will keep Trump in check. Like the Easter Bunny.

THE RUSSIANS
Mostly lefties who seem to have adopted Putin as some kind of hero. And because Putin says Trump is good, and Obama was bad, they defend Trump not on his demerits, but on the basis that the CIA and the lying liberal press and whoever else fits into their conspiracy theory — their version of The Man — is opposing Trump for nefarious purposes. In their world, the sparsely-populated Trump inauguration is actually propaganda by the lying media. Or at least that’s how I understand the absurdist posts of these people. Maybe I just don’t understand Russia logic.

[Bizarre Löw Triangle]

Trumpers on social media

G-Man wrote:
THE RUSSIANS
Mostly lefties who seem to have adopted Putin as some kind of hero. And because Putin says Trump is good, and Obama was bad, they defend Trump not on his demerits, but on the basis that the CIA and the lying liberal press and whoever else fits into their conspiracy theory — their version of The Man — is opposing Trump for nefarious purposes. In their world, the sparsely-populated Trump inauguration is actually propaganda by the lying media. Or at least that’s how I understand the absurdist posts of these people. Maybe I just don’t understand Russia logic.

Can you give examples of these? I've just never seen it - it looks and sounds like a "Reds Under The Bed" liberal fantasy (c.f. the guy carrying a "We Need a New Joe McCarthy" at the women's march).

There are sections of the left that lean, probably out of habit, towards a pro-Russian worldview, and as such give Russian proxies like Assad and Novorossiya an unduly easy time of it. But I don't think I've seen any of those people actually expressing supporting for Trump.

What I have seen is liberals denouncing anyone who tries to take a nuanced attitude towards Trump/Putin (i.e. any view that is not "Putin/Russia is the devil and Trump is his puppet") or who refused to support Clinton being denounced as Russian apologists.

This is literally the only example I've seen of left support for Trump https://platypus1917.org/2016/09/06/why-not-trump/ and the PAS is deeply weird and shouldn't really be considered left in a meaningful sense.

[G-Man]

Trumpers on social media

Are you suggesting that I have "Reds Under The Bed" liberal fantasies, BLT? I'd say The Russians are Trump apologists by default rather than by ideological conviction or another expedient. I've had one of them, a highly intelligent lawyer, actually insist that the entry on the new White House website in which Melania's jewellery line was punted (since redacted) was placed there by mischievous Obama hackers.

It is through this friend, who is still on the moderate scale in these things, that I've come across some very bizarre individuals. I don't think pasting their posts here by way of examples would be very ethical (besides, finding old threads on Facebook is a bit of mission).

[Gerontophile]

Trumpers on social media

THE FUCKING IDIOTS

People who voted for/wanted Sanders to win in the primary, and when he lost, decided to vote for Trump, because 'that will give them "what for".'

[Bizarre Löw Triangle]

Trumpers on social media

G-Man wrote: Are you suggesting that I have "Reds Under The Bed" liberal fantasies, BLT? I'd say The Russians are Trump apologists by default rather than by ideological conviction or another expedient. I've had one of them, a highly intelligent lawyer, actually insist that the entry on the new White House website in which Melania's jewellery line was punted (since redacted) was placed there by mischievous Obama hackers.

It is through this friend, who is still on the moderate scale in these things, that I've come across some very bizarre individuals. I don't think pasting their posts here by way of examples would be very ethical (besides, finding old threads on Facebook is a bit of mission).

I don't know, but there's a lot of that about at the moment, and I've seen a lot of leftists who are neither apologists for Trump or Putin smeared as such recently.

What you're describing sounds like a distinct phenomenon, though.

[Incandenza]

Trumpers on social media

How many people have you seen like that, Gero?

Trolls haven't been mentioned yet. I think for a lot of the 4chan/Reddit/Twitter loudest supporters, the racism has appeal, but they like Trump because he offends a lot of people.

[San Bernardhinault]

Trumpers on social media

I've certainly seen a version of the Russians/Lumpers. They aren't exactly pro-Trump, but there's a lot of "Yes, but..." stuff, where Trump is given something of a free pass on the racism and the appointing of billionaires because he's ending TPP and because he's talked about less US engagement abroad. It's people who hear just the 10% that they can choose to agree with and blocking out all the actual actions and the 90% that's terrible.

[Hot Pepsi]

Trumpers on social media

That's right, I think. The way people project whatever they want to believe on Trump (or Clinton, I think) is remarkable.

[anton pulisov]

Trumpers on social media

Yeah, Michael Moore in Trumpland was expecting Clinton to be the second coming of Ghandi.

[Hot Pepsi]

Trumpers on social media

Trump wants to be cosy with Russia but more antagonistic with China.

In what universe does that make sense? Which American businessperson thinks that's a remotely smart idea? It's certainly not a conservative idea unless we're talking about racist conservatives in the 1800s.

China is our second-largest trading partner* and will soon be the biggest economy in the world. Russia doesn't even make an extended list of our top trading partners and has an economy smaller than the State of New York and just a bit bigger than Australia's, despite having over six times as many people as either of those.

As has been mentioned before, China is not a democracy, but they haven't been "communist" in a while and are, for better and worse - not to downplay the worse - all about the Benjamins. They're investing in innovation. Everyone I talk to in medtech wants to make deals to sell shit in China and that process is even further along in many other sectors. They also talk about India and, to a lesser extent, South America, and the parts of Asia that aren't China, India, or Japan (the hype on Brazil seems to have faded a bit).

Russia is a gangster state beholden to one natural resource. I'm not sure what it invests in other than dick-swinging displays of national pride like the winter Olympics. Nobody, as far as I can tell, thinks Russia is an especially attractive market for much.

* Number one is still Canada and number 3 is Mexico, both of which Trump is intent on pissing off and pissing on.

[Amor de Cosmos]

Trumpers on social media

Trump wants to be cosy with Russia but more antagonistic with China.

In what universe does that make sense? Which American businessperson thinks that's a remotely smart idea?

Donald Trump does.

He apparently has a lot of investments in Russia. Does he have many/any in China? Whatever he does, or attempts to do, you can count on it being good for Donald before it's good for America, or anyone else.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Trumpers on social media

It makes no sense. If you're worried about Chinese power, you don't chuck away all or most of the TPP.

[Hot Pepsi]

Trumpers on social media

Yes, I should have clarified that he's one of the few exceptions.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Trumpers on social media

Reed, in the "debate" over here, when our Government/Kippers talk about China, it's as the sort of place we really want to do more business with, and we will when we get out of the "protectionist EU".

That's nationalism for you. All over the place.

[The Awesome Berbaslug!!!]

Trumpers on social media

As far as I know, The US's biggest trade relationship is with the European union, which counts as a single unit for these purposes and he seems intent on breaking that up.

There is literally no part of his plan that makes any sense whatsoever on any grounds.

[Hot Pepsi]

Trumpers on social media

I think that's right if you count them all as one entity, which makes sense.

But in terms of actual trade volume by country, all the lists I could find still have the top three as Canada, China, Mexico.

[G-Man]

Trumpers on social media

Bizarre Löw Triangle wrote:

Are you suggesting that I have "Reds Under The Bed" liberal fantasies, BLT? I'd say The Russians are Trump apologists by default rather than by ideological conviction or another expedient. I've had one of them, a highly intelligent lawyer, actually insist that the entry on the new White House website in which Melania's jewellery line was punted (since redacted) was placed there by mischievous Obama hackers.

It is through this friend, who is still on the moderate scale in these things, that I've come across some very bizarre individuals. I don't think pasting their posts here by way of examples would be very ethical (besides, finding old threads on Facebook is a bit of mission).

I don't know, but there's a lot of that about at the moment, and I've seen a lot of leftists who are neither apologists for Trump or Putin smeared as such recently.

What you're describing sounds like a distinct phenomenon, though.

I wonder if you read the first words of my entry on "THE RUSSIANS" as "Most lefties..."

I am of the left, and quite prepared to exercise nuance on Trump, so I'd have no interest in smearing fellow lefties who do likewise. So, yes, what I was describing is a distinct phenomenon. If I was not friends with one of "THE RUSSIANS", I'd likely be oblivious to their existence.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Trumpers on social media

Hillary Clinton is, in all likelihood, an awful human being. She's a creature of the Nineties, a relic of neoliberal politics.

Relic of civil rights politics, that seemed to be the problem.

[Vulgarian Visigoth]

Trumpers on social media

Typical regressive Killary shill.

[Satchmo Distel]

Trumpers on social media

The typical Facebooker is:

ANY REPUBLICAN PRESIDENT IS PREFERABLE TO ANY DEMOCRAT PRESIDENT

Which is how Trump is able to play Congress like a fiddle. You could have FDR, JFK and LBJ on the Dem ticket and they'd still think Trump is a better President.