Donald Trump is suffering from a severe case of political whiplash

[marmar]

Donald Trump is suffering from a severe case of political whiplash
Kamala Harris' early surge has short-circuited Trump's political instincts

By Chauncey DeVega
Senior Writer
Published August 13, 2024 6:36AM (EDT)


(Salon) Donald Trump’s increasingly unhinged attacks on Kamala Harris are an example of personal compulsion as a type of political “strategy.” Because he is a human wrecking ball against American democracy, the rule of law, and human decency, this approach has served Trump very well. His political and personal brand is based on disruption and chaos. His MAGA people see such behavior by Trump as a sign of his “authenticity” and “honesty” instead of as the behavior of a deeply troubled person. Public opinion polls and other research show that supporters of political strongmen and autocrats like Donald Trump are driven by voters who want leaders who will break the law to “get things done” for people like them.

....(snip)....

At this very early stage in the 2024 election, Trump’s personal compulsion as a political “strategy” appears to be encountering serious difficulties against Vice President Kamala Harris. Public opinion polls show a great change in momentum, and Harris is now tied with or leading Trump nationally. She is also tied with or leading him in the key battleground states. The crowds at Harris’ political rallies are growing and enthusiastic. Trump’s MAGA people appear to be increasingly bored. His rallies, while well-attended, are being dwarfed by Kamala Harris’ (and now her vice-presidential running mate Tim Walz’s) crowds.

Trump is increasingly triggered by Kamala Harris’ early success and how she refuses to be intimidated or cowed by him. In all, Trump’s sudden change of political fortunes has left him in a state of confusion, upset and rage. Trump is now saying that Kamala Harris’s crowds are faked, the result of manipulation by artificial intelligence (AI). Trump is lying. The crowds at Kamala Harris’ rallies and other gatherings have in fact dwarfed Donald Trump’s these last two or so weeks since she became the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee. Trump’s claims that he is a victim of a conspiracy by a pro-Harris AI is a sign of his egomania and how he is experiencing a narcissistic injury. It is also an attempt to manipulate his gullible MAGA cultists to further do his bidding.

....(snip)....

A generous reading of Trump’s conspiracy theory is that it is part of a larger strategy of projection, where he accuses the Democrats of staging some type of internal coup against Harris and that they are the real fascists and enemies of democracy. In reality, Trump is describing what he and his forces tried to do on Jan. 6 and their plans to end American democracy in the future when/if he and they take power. The more likely explanation for Trump’s conspiracism (and paranoia more generally) is that he is increasingly detached from reality because a Black South Asian woman is beating him in the polls—and if she wins the election he may find himself in prison for his many crimes. ...............(more)

https://www.salon.com/2024/08/13/donald-is-suffering-from-a-severe-case-of-political-whiplash/

[Blue Owl]

1. How's it feel, Golfcart von Clownstick?

[Danascot]

2. Trump's strategy for Biden

won't work for Kamala/Walz. The accusations he has tried to use on them: she's dumb, he's a flaming liberal, don't stick. Plus her crowds and improving poll numbers has him terrified that he'll lose and be sent to prison. So he's paralyzed.

[Hekate]

3. KnR

[Skittles]

4. America is suffering froma severe case of Donald Fucking Trump