George Will has left the building
 

George Will leaves the GOP over Trump:

There is no way he didn't do that on purpose.






Side note... 7am this morning, I roll over and begin lazily browsing my phone, which I often do on weekends. The first words out of my mouth are, "Ha ha ha. It begins." Mr. Clod, still asleep and facing the other way, mumbles, "Oh, you mean George Will leaving the GOP over Trump?" Me: "How do you DO that?!"

Its probably no accident that NHK (Japan's broadcasting company) is featuring a documentary on Hitler's rise to power. He also used emotion to obtain supporters. So many who saw what he was, instead, choose to use feelings to make a conclusion. George Wills does something not seen on the extreme left or right. His conclusions are often based in reasoning. He always includes reasons why.

This week's (first) episode takes Hitler from 1933 through to the point where he became powerful by attacking minorities with emotional attacks. Ending with disparagement of Jews that fully entrenched his power. "Them verses Us" is a powerful tool to manipulate an emotional majority. Demonstrated again with Brexit. And with many who love assault weapons only because emotional gratification is sufficient to justify unlimited, unregulated, and immediate purchases.

How many remember Joseph McCarthy? So many remain so emotional as to support David Duke (often without publicly admitting it) or believe as Timothy McVeigh. These evil news reporters are trying to confuse us with facts. "I don't watch the news because it is so depressing". Another example of an anti-American. Someone who knows using emotion.

This is why he wins, you realize.

There is no conversation about anything else.

Advertising works because most cannot be bothered to grasp beyond a soundbyte. The emotional only hear a name. If advertising says nothing intelligent; that is irrelevant. Many cannot be bothered to notice.

Speedy alka seltzer. Snap, Crackle, and Pop. Communists in the State Department. LSMFT. Unfortunately many never hear any more beyond that sound byte. How many are so foolish as to plug their computer into a surge protector? Protector and protection sound alike. So it must be same? Only an expression (a soundbyte) is sufficient to prove knowledge for so many adults who are not officer material.

How many will use 'nationalism' to justify their feelings. How many American soldiers were sacrificed in Vietnam and Mission Accomplished due to that emotion? Vietnam. Communist. Must be evil. Sddam. WMDs. Must be evil.

How many in Britain could even name their EU representative? Somewhere close to none. What remains is an emotion from which most people decide. Then later they may google "What is the EU?" Or, as one immediately concluded, EU must be a dictatorship, based in evil globalization, from which Britain is liberated. Donald Trump agrees. So it must be true. Knowing anything beyond that was irrelevant - can be ignored - to adults who still think like children.

How many remembered many reasons provided by George Wills for his conclusion?

Unfortunately your observation is extremely accurate.

You feel anyone who doesn't agree with you could not have possibly looked at facts and come to a different conclusion and must have had their judgment clouded by emotion. Silly bunny. :crazy:

It will be interesting to see how the Brexit example affects turnout in the general election, on both sides. I think a lot of "it could never really happen" voters might be compelled to show up now that it's been proven things can really happen after all.

Anyone who gives a shit that hard, where they are not only aware of Brexit but took a side on it, is already all-in.

I'm all-out.

ETA by November this is so far in the rearview mirror that it won't be in the top 100 of US election issues. We are in an attention cycle that lasts about a week and a half.

I could understand how Brexit would cause major damage to the Tories. I understand the Liberal Democrats could face extinction. But I am totally confused as to why Brexit would also be so harmful to the Labor party? Why would they not prosper at the expense of other parties?

I did not relate pro and anti Brexit supporters with their party affiliations. So I am completely confused who would/could be winners and losers here. And why.

I am talking about how Brexit affects the American national election. Donald Trump has been loudly in favor of it, for all the same reasons as why he wants to build a wall, while all the Democrats (and most moderate Republicans) were against it. There is national shock in Britain from many who said they didn't think it could actually happen. Significant numbers of "Leave" voters have now admitted they were only trying to make a statement against immigration, and if they had a chance to do it again, they would vote Remain.

There are some in America who think that surely, surely the Donald Trump thing is still somehow a freak occurrence, that racism is not that deeply entrenched in our country and when push comes to shove Hillary will beat him handily. Brexit has perhaps demonstrated to them that they are wrong, that bullshit can win the day if the less reactionary voters don't show up (there was reportedly very bad weather in London on the day of the election, for example, a mostly Remain city, and many did not bother voting.)

Or it could make no difference, as UT suggests. But I think it's the kick in the pants a lot of smart but jaded "it's between two bad choices so who cares" voters might need to realize that actually, one choice is still a lot worse than the other, and they'd better vote.

This "shock", which comes only from the chattering classes, is a feature to the majority voters who are unhappy at the state of politics.

The Trump "shock" is loudly announced every day on all channels. It is the reason for his success.

Really, UT? You think that those who believed that the £350 million/month being spent in Brussells now and were told and believed that the same £ 350 million/month will be spent on the NHS, but who are now told that will be impossible, that those people are members of the chattering class?

Or perhaps your cynicism, your ennui, your logic leads your to say so because I, and likely Clodfobble has not spoken directly to those shocked voters and have only heard such reports from these chattering classes?

I think a Leave voter who was misled as the first scenario illustrates has a very real reason to be shocked, irrespective of their "class".

Yeah you know how I know?

Because when you open a post with your snarky "Really" I want you to go fuck yourself and your self-satisfied interpretation of facts. It makes me want to vote AGAINST whatever you vote FOR.

I don't vote, so it doesn't matter, but in any case.

You don't like my style, boo fucking hoo. I don't like yours, either. You make absolute statements

saying with straight-faced certainty that you know, *and speak for* whole classes . I challenged that, giving a realistic but contrary example. I disagree(d) with your claim. I'd hope you'd expand on you hypothesis, but no. Oh well.

And as for voting against my vote, I'm not worried. You made it clear long ago that you are beyond caring enough to vote. Maybe that's how you know the thoughts of the chattering classes, at least--you're one of them.

Absolutely. But really, it's a lot of "my heavens and stars!" swooning and fanning oneself. There's "can you believe this?!" ranting, and then there's real, jaw-dropping shock. The point is not why people supported Leave, it's that neither side really thought the Leave camp was going to win, not really. Even the petition demanding a second referendum was originally filed before the vote by a Leave supporter, because he was sure they wouldn't win, but thought they might get close enough to call for a do-over.

And then they won. And then the stock market plummeted, and the UK lost more money within an hour in trade value than they had ever paid to the EU since its inception. That's not "gracious me," that's real shock.

I'm not talking about whether Trump should win, or whether he will. I'm just talking about how real fear has perhaps finally entered into the chattering class's existence, and whether they will turn out to vote in record numbers this year. Actually though, I think your original point that June is ancient history by the time November rolls around is the most salient. No one will remember this by then.