Hassagot השגות

The "Logic of Trumpism"

 My understanding of the 'Logic' of Trumpism.  I do not subscribe to the following assertions; it appears that many Americans do.

Meditation after the Siege of the Capitol of Wednesday, January 6, 2021

Emphases in quotations are from Hassagot.

 

"Truth"

• The true America is a white, Christian America where white, Christian men are in charge. 
• America faces dire threats; Trump is the solution
• Those who support Trump are the true Americans.  
• Trump's enemies are, by definition, the enemies of America
• Trump's legitimacy flows from his supporters, not from the populace as a whole.  Trump is the legitimate president now and in the future
• In the face of these grand truths, all of the lies, corruptions, and cruelty of Trump and his administration pale in comparison.  

"As this enormous crowd shows, we have truth and justice on our side." - Pres. Donald J. Trump, 6 January 2021, South Lawn of the White House, Washington, DC Save America Rally Speech 

 

"America faces dire threats; Trump is the solution"

• America is in danger; a state of 'carnage' and 'disgrace.'  Unless it is saved, it will be lost
• "We the People," the real Americans, are vulnerable to their enemies
• Trump will save America and will save "We the People"
• In order to be saved, America and "We the People" must grant their fealty to Trump

This American carnage stops right here and stops right now. - President Trump's Inaugural Address, 20 January 2017, Trump's Inaugural Address 

"Let's go back eight weeks, we want to go back, and we want to get this right, because we're going to have somebody in there that should not be in there, and our country will be destroyed, and we're not going to stand for that." - Pres. Donald J. Trump, 6 January 2021

 

"The True Americans"

• Americans who believe that America is and must continue to be a white and Christian land controlled by wealthy, powerful men  
• People who are not white, Christian, or male, can be Americans if they 'know their place' in a white, Christian America under male rule

"And you're the real people. You're the people that built this nation. You're not the people that tore down our nation." - Pres. Donald J. Trump, 6 January 2021, South Lawn of the White House, Washington, DC

"Ethnonationalist Trump supporters want to return to a past when white men saw themselves as the core of America and minorities and women “knew their place.”" - Bart Bonikowski, quoted by Thomas Edsall, White Riot, New York Times, Jan. 13, 2021

 

"Trump's enemies, who are America's enemies"

• personal enemies of Trump  - RINOs, Never Trumpers
• political enemies like Democrats who attack Trump with their 'hoaxes' and will impose godlessness, environmentalism, Socialism, and taxes on America
• ethnic enemies such as black people, illegal immigrants, refugees, Muslims, 
• foreign enemies such as the European Union, Iran, China
• religious enemies such as liberal religionists and atheists who would 'hurt God'
• social/cultural enemies such as coastal elites, 'Democrat'-controlled cities, mainstream ('lamestream', 'fake news') media
• intellectual enemies such as scientists and Academia in general

 

"The President's abiding legitimacy"

• Trump's legitimacy flows from the support shown to Trump by the Real Americans (Trump Patriots)
  • They are the only ones whose franchise counts.  Their support is, by definition, a landslide
  • In 2016, it was convenient that Trump won the Electoral College, but that was not the source of his legitimacy
  • Those states which Trump won in 2016 are the true states.  The other states are unredeemed
  • The states that Trump won in 2016 belong to him in perpetuity.  Those had went for Biden in 2020 had no right to switch sides.  They have been stolen from Trump.
• The election of 2020 was illegitimate, for it did not confirm Trump's abiding legitimacy

"If you don't do that [=change the number of votes in states like Pennsylvania], that means you will have a President of the United States for four years, with his wonderful son, you will have a President who lost all of these states, or you will have a President, to put it another way, who was voted on by a bunch of stupid people who lost all of these states. You will have an illegitimate President, that's what you'll have, and we can't let that happen." - Pres. Donald J. Trump, 6 January 2021, South Lawn of the White House, Washington, DC

"Make no mistake, this election was stolen from you, from me, and from the country, and not a single swing state has conducted a comprehensive audit to remove the illegal ballots." - Pres. Donald J. Trump, 6 January 2021

 

"What is expected of Trump Patriots now:  The fight must go on"

"We will never give up. We will never concede. It doesn’t happen. You don’t concede when there’s theft involved." - Pres. Donald J. Trump, 6 January 2021

"Throughout history, throughout eternity, they'll be ashamed, and you know what? If they do the wrong thing we should never ever forget that they did, never forget. We should never ever forget that with only three of the seven states in question we win the Presidency of the United States..." - Pres. Donald J. Trump, 6 January 2021, South Lawn of the White House, Washington, DC

 

The government shall no longer be upon his shoulder

בן ניתן לנו...ויקרא שמו פרא יחץ, אינו גיבור, ילד-עד, צר-שלום 

...Unto us an infant-like one had been given.   The government shall no longer be upon his shoulder: His name shall be called divisive savage; the unmighty one; the eternal child; the antagonist of peace.

A distortion of the promise of Isaiah.

כִּי־יֶ֣לֶד יֻלַּד־לָ֗נוּ בֵּ֚ן נִתַּן־לָ֔נוּ וַתְּהִ֥י הַמִּשְׂרָ֖ה עַל־שִׁכְמ֑וֹ וַיִּקְרָ֨א שְׁמ֜וֹ פֶּ֠לֶא יוֹעֵץ֙ אֵ֣ל גִּבּ֔וֹר אֲבִיעַ֖ד שַׂר־שָׁלֽוֹם׃

(Masoretic Text of Isaiah 9:5 (9:6)

For a child has been born to us, A son has been given us. And authority has settled on his shoulders. He has been named “The Mighty God is planning grace; The Eternal Father, a peaceable ruler”— (New Jewish Publication Society Translation) (Isaiah 9:5)

For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace" (NRSV)

Commentary of Marvin A. Sweeney (in the New Oxford Annotated Bible):  The birth or coronation of a new king, perhaps Hezekiah, the son and successor of Ahaz, signals a new period of peace, justice, and righteousness in which Davidic rule will be reestablished in Israel.

In America, we anticipate the reestablishment of peaceable, just, and righteous presidential administration.  

 

How we became fantasists

The Emperor's New Clothes, by Vilhelm Pedersen (1820 - 1859) - English Wikipedia (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/47/Emperor_Clothes_01.jpg ), Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4038625

"You want to know how we became fantasists.  We staked a claim.  As time went on, the claim became hard to maintain.  

"We had to make a choice: To admit that we were mistaken--which would have been embarrassing--or to stake a bigger claim.  We chose the second course.

"Our claim continued to grow and became harder and harder to maintain.  At the same time, it became more and more embarrassing to admit that we were mistaken.  

"We had no choice now but to conclude that those who did not join in our fantasy were enemies of the truth.

"But why, oh why, did we stake the claim in the first place?"

A Big Ego bows to the Bigger Ego

"I have a big ego and a weak character.  This renders me susceptible to bigger egos.

"So long as my ego is not confronted by a bigger ego, I espouse a value system.  In the presence of a bigger ego, I surrender my values.  

"For power is my deepest truth, and the bigger ego's power exceeds mine."

Loyal Servants

"I felt that God wants me to be a loyal servant.  Is it for me to be an active member of the polis, to be a citizen?  Does it matter what I know or understand?  Are my understanding and opinion of any moment?   Why even try to understand?   Surely, matters of rulers are above the heads of such as I."

Have your views on this matter changed?

"No."

Stories

Sometimes stories are the surest guide to truth.