Trump Support Among Blue-Collar Whites Dips

[_Maksutov]

“The quality of ideas seems to play a minor role in mass movement leadership. What counts is the arrogant gesture, the complete disregard of the opinion of others, the singlehanded defiance of the world.”

― Eric Hoffer, The True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements

[_subgenius]

“The quality of ideas seems to play a minor role in mass movement leadership. What counts is the arrogant gesture, the complete disregard of the opinion of others, the singlehanded defiance of the world.”

― Eric Hoffer, The True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements

Utne Reader, years ago, printed an article on the "Rules of Power". Tongue in cheek to an extent, but mostly reasonable...and being "the first to act" is a rule, because right/wrong people will rally behind you. If you're right then great, and if you're wrong they will help clean it up...either way you won the power by simply taking action.
Burns in to the lemming psyche.

[_Gunnar]

Which explains why the Trump administration, especially Betsy DeVos. is trying so hard to dismantle the dept of education and undermine public education. An ignorant and deeply misinformed and uncritical electorate is absolutely vital to insuring the continuing success and dominance of the hard right conservatives and oligarchs who now infest our government.

I've been thinking a lot about this very thing. The underlying tactic of the current GOP is preying on an under-educated/fully indoctrinated base. Everything they do stems from that: the BS, the hypocrisy, the bad faith arguments.

They can get away with all that, because they foster a culture where education = elites, and heaven forbid you should ever be considered elite. It creates an electorate wanting a president/leaders who are dumb... er, "down to earth" like them.

Yes! As I quoted in another thread, my favorite Author once said:

There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there has always been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that "my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge."

Isaac Asimov

I honestly don't see how any rational, honest and well informed person can avoid concluding that the current Republican leadership is desperately doing their level best to foster and enlarge this cult of ignorance to the max!

And yet, the founding fathers of our republic included such intellectual giants as Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, John Adams and Benjamin Franklin, all of whom would certainly have been dismayed and deeply disappointed by the likes of Donald J. Trump and his cohorts.

[_Gunnar]

99% amongst current FSB staff, too.

What is "FSB"?

[_canpakes]

99% amongst current FSB staff, too.

What is "FSB"?

Follow this link -

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal ... ty_Service

The Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation (FSB; Russian: Федеральная служба безопасности Российской Федерации (ФСБ), tr. Federal'naya sluzhba bezopasnosti Rossiyskoy Federatsii, IPA: [fʲɪdʲɪˈralʲnəjə ˈsluʐbə bʲɪzɐˈpasnəstʲɪ rɐˈsʲijskəj fʲɪdʲɪˈratsɨjɪ]) is the principal security agency of Russia and the main successor agency to the USSR's Committee of State Security (KGB). Its main responsibilities are within the country and include counter-intelligence, internal and border security, counter-terrorism, and surveillance as well as investigating some other types of grave crimes and federal law violations. It is headquartered in Lubyanka Square, Moscow's centre, in the main building of the former KGB. The Director of the FSB since 2008 is general of the army Alexander Bortnikov.

[_Gunnar]

Thanks, canpakes!