After nearly a decade of being forced to take Trump seriously, Democrats increasingly call BS on the whole charade.

After nearly a decade of being forced to take Trump seriously, Democrats increasingly call BS on the whole charade

Sure, Donald Trump is a threat to democracy — a would-be dictator on day one who has called for terminating the U.S. Constitution so he can hold onto power even after losing a free and fair election. But while draped in the rhetoric of populism, Trump and his MAGA movement are not actually popular; the man himself has never won more votes than the person he ran against, a majority of Americans twice rejecting him and his off-putting cult of personality. That he was ever president is more or less because a few thousand swing voters in Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania thought it would be fun.

President Joe Biden won in 2020 largely by promising to a return to normalcy and baseline competency. In 2024, Democrats are making a similar argument but more forcibly: They’re pointing, laughing and dismissing Trump and his circus as a total freak show to which we can’t return.

  • NineMileTower@lemmy.world
    164·
    3 months ago

    The reason it works is because there is no refuting it other than, “Nah uh!” It’s almost the equivalent to repeating someone’s argument back to them in a tone to sound stupid. HOWEVER, this tactic works when arguing with a kindergartner, so it works here too.

    • Timii@biglemmowski.winEnglish
      90·
      3 months ago

      It’s also a primal fear for narcissistic men to be called ‘weird’ or ‘creepy’ by attractive women.

    • CosmicTurtle0@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
      63·
      3 months ago

      Get out of my brain.

      I was literally just wondering why it’s so effective and I think it’s this.

      Most liberal “insults” are draped in facts and figures, to the point that Republicans just close their ears and say AlTeRnAtIvE fAcTs.

      I think the simplicity, and it’s fact-less insult cuts through their reasoning brains (which there wasn’t much of) and hits them in the emotional centers.

      I mean…it took Democrats 6 years to figure this out?

      Better late than never but happy we’re finally hitting below the belt.

    • Zak@lemmy.world
      11·
      3 months ago

      That might be part of it, but the Republicans tried a similar attack against Biden and it mostly didn’t land. It only works when it’s true in the sense that the average person genuinely finds the position or behavior in question disturbing.