Herd Mentality: Humanity's Achilles Heel

Herd Mentality: a psychological phenomenon that describes the tendency of people to conform to the beliefs or behaviors of a group they are part of. It can be seen in many aspects of life. (AI Overview)

It Is Difficult To Determine Causation Regarding The Economy

Click on the links below for several articles about whether Trump or Biden was better for the economy. It is important to consider all influences. One cannot just look at their effects presently:

The Trump and Biden Economies by the Numbers

Biden versus Trump's Economies

Biden versus Trump's Economy, in Eight Charts

How The Economy Really Fared Under Biden/Harris And Trump

Believe Trump, He is NOT Joking!!

"Brian interviews historian and star Substack writer Heather Cox Richardson to discuss the dangers of Trump’s agenda and how history shows us how that agenda will lead us into autocracy."

Click on the link below for a shocking expose of Trump and what he WILL do if elected:

Star Historian Issues Stunning Warning about Trump

Trump Only Helped The Elite In His First Term

 Click on the links below for a clear understanding of what you will get under another Trump administration. If you are not in the 1% and vote for MAGA, you are gaslighted and gullible:

100 Ways, in 100 Days, that Trump Has Hurt Americans

The 2017 Trump Tax Law Was Skewed to the Rich, Expensive, and Failed to Deliver on Its Promises

The middle class needs a tax cut: Trump didn’t give it to them 

Trump’s Economy: 7 Broken Promises to Working Americans

A look at Trump's economic legacy

How Trump and Congress further rigged the economy in favor of the wealthy

How Trump Took the Middle Class to the Cleaners

Can You Be Christian & Vote For Donald Trump?

Click on the link below for a short video attempting to answer this question:

Why are Christians voting for a convicted felon like Donald Trump? 

Be Aware Of This Media Conglomerate

Besides Fox News and Talk Radio, there is - - -

Sinclair Broadcast Group

"A 2019 study in the American Political Science Review found that 'stations bought by Sinclair reduce coverage of local politics, increase national coverage and move the ideological tone of coverage in a direction relative to other stations operating in the same market'.[4][5] The company has been criticized by journalists and media analysts for requiring its stations to broadcast packaged video segments and its news anchors to read prepared scripts that contain pro-Trump editorial content, including warnings about purported 'fake news' in mainstream media, while Trump has tweeted support for watching Sinclair over CNN and NBC.[6][7][8][9][10] (Wikipedia)

Paul Manafort: Poster Child For The Harm Of MAGA

"Manafort was convicted of a slew of criminal charges for his work with Ukraine and obstruction of the investigation into the connections between the Trump campaign and Russian operatives, and was serving a seven-year sentence when Trump pardoned him in December 2020. Now he is back at the center of Trump’s MAGA Party."

Click on this link for an expose of an important cog in the evil of the present Republican Party: 

Why Can't The Majority Accept Expert Opinion?

Fact: Biden is ranked 14th in scholars' presidential rankings; Trump is last (link)

Fact: Trump is ahead in most of the latest polls (link)

Fact: Republican and MAGA voters vote against themselves, especially in the south (link)

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Thus, there is a need for universal education in Critical Thinking! (link)

Biden 14th in scholars' presidential rankings, Trump lastBiden 14th in scholars' presidential rankings, Trump lastBiden 14th in scholars' presidential rankings, Trump lastBiden 14th in scholars' presidential rankings, Trump lastBiden 14th in scholars' presidential rankings, Trump last

Reflections On Important Matters Now

Click on the link below for a bonus Best of the Left sample podcast looking at the following:

- How we're feeling
- The philosophy of liberal patriotism
- The positive policies Democrats should be running on to inspire voters
- The reckoning the current Democratic Party desperately needs

REFERENCES:

Liberal Patriotism Is About More Than Flag-Waving

How to Beat Trump in a World of Unreason

Democrats don’t just need a new candidate. They need a reckoning.

Bonus Sample: In a Dinghy of Hope

A Historian's Reflections After The Assassination Attempt

"This morning, after a day of Republicans insisting that it is political polarization to suggest that Trump is a danger to our democracy, U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, who was appointed by Trump in the last days of his presidency, dismissed the classified documents case against the former president. She wrote that 'Special Counsel Smith’s appointment violates the Appointments Clause of the United States Constitution.'

"Other federal courts have tested this argument and dismissed it, but Supreme Court justice Clarence Thomas, whose wife Ginni was part of the attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election, suggested earlier this month that it could be the basis for getting rid of Jack Smith. Cannon cited Thomas repeatedly in her decision."

(continue in article, link at end of post)
 

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"Trump responded to the news exactly as yesterday’s Republican demands that Trump’s opponents stop calling out his lawlessness suggested he would. He posted:

* “As we move forward in Uniting our Nation after the horrific events on Saturday, this dismissal of the Lawless Indictment in Florida should be just the first step, followed quickly by the dismissal of ALL the Witch Hunts—the January 6th Hoax in Washington, D.C., the Manhattan D.A.’s Zombie Case, the New York A.G. Scam, Fake Claims about a woman I never met (a decades old photo in a line with her then husband does not count), and the Georgia “Perfect” Phone Call charges. The Democrat Justice Department coordinated ALL of these Political Attacks, which are an Election Interference conspiracy against Joe Biden’s Political Opponent, ME. Let us come together to END all Weaponization of our Justice System, and Make America Great Again!”

* He, and MAGA, are incorrigible.

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"While Trump has been the presumptive nominee for years, that anointment was contested. Around 20% of Republican primary voters, who tend to be the most loyal and fervent partisans, consistently voted for former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley rather than Trump. Those voters seemed to be concentrated in the suburbs, thus making up a constituency Trump needs to win.

"On the other end of the party’s spectrum, * the fringe right has been saying that Trump is too soft for them. Antisemitic white nationalist Nick Fuentes has told his followers that he and his 'groypers' are fed up with Trump because they are sick of 'battling the Jews in the White House, battling the neocons, battling the Israel-firsters.' (* could this be the shooter's motivation?)

"Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones and right-wing provocateur Ivan Raiklin have speculated for months that removing Trump from the running—they speculated about assassination—would open the way for Trump’s far-right former national security advisor Michael Flynn, and appeared to be putting pressure on Trump to name Flynn as vice president. Yesterday, Raiklin posted on social media a 'Trump/Flynn 2024' graphic with the legend 'FAFO,' under the words “Assassination-Proof.”

"This afternoon, perhaps in hopes of avoiding an embarrassing floor fight, Trump dashed the hopes of both ends of the Republican spectrum by naming Ohio senator J.D. Vance as his vice presidential pick. Vance is 39 and was elected to the Senate in 2022 with the help of $10 million from right-wing billionaire Peter Thiel. In the short time he has been in office, he has echoed Trump’s Big Lie that the 2020 presidential race was stolen, has said that he does not believe in rape or incest exceptions for abortion bans, and that people should stay in violent marriages, and has praised Project 2025. He is pro-Russia and against the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

It 'will be interesting to see how the RNC attempts to spin Vance as a candidate of Unity,' journalist Anne Applebaum wrote. The Fox News Channel helpfully reminded viewers that Vance has, in the past, said that Trump “might be America’s Hitler,” “might be a cynical a**hole,” and is “cultural heroin,” “noxious,” and “reprehensible.”

Still, factional differences might not matter in today’s Republican Party. This afternoon, in the hall of the RNC convention, attendees chanted, “Fight, fight, fight,” as they punched an arm in the air, in an eerie echo of Germany in the 1930s.

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From Heather Cox Richardson's daily article: 

https://open.substack.com/pub/heathercoxrichardson/p/july-15-2024

MAGA Lies & Evil Exposed

Click on this link for an expose of the lies of Trump/MAGA from the 2016 election through to the present. This effectively destroys the false equivalency claims of conservatives regarding election denial.

A Concise 100 Years-Plus History Of US Fascism Leading To Trump

"In a live conversation recorded at the Provincetown, MA Town Hall on May 26, Rachel and Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright and screenwriter Tony Kushner discuss “Ultra,” her book “Prequel,” and the rise of fascism both throughout history and in our current political moment."

Rachel Maddow presents a detailed history of fascism in the USA through her podcast series, "Ultra." Click on the link below for a brief summary of the issue affecting our democracy:

The rise of fascism both throughout history and in our current political moment

The Radical Right: The Disease Is Spreading Throughout The Democratic World

"The European elections could have been worse but they weren't great. Shifting politics among mainstream parties is legitimizing far-right policies at the same time as people's concerns over immigration are being reflected in a willingness to vote for far-right parties."

Click on this link for a lengthy podcast presenting the shocking reality that democracy is losing, not only in the USA, but also in Western Europe, Israel, and other free societies.

The Republican Party Wants Another Confederacy

"Democrats — and Americans more generally — must finally realize that Trump’s MAGA GOP is no longer interested in policy or politics but solely wants to seize absolute political and economic power to end our democracy and reinvent the confederacy."

Click on the link below for the full picture of just how bad and dangerous the Republican Party has become:

Did The GOP Resurrect America’s Greatest Enemy?

Cult History And Thinking: How To Penetrate It

"In an age of cultish in-group/out-group politics and media, we seek to find messaging for progressive partisans to achieve electoral success."

Click on the link below for how cults are formed historically, and presently, and how the USA can marginalize them to save freedom and our democracy:

Messaging left-wing politics amid cultish politics

Trump Is A Classic Narcissist (Mic-Drop)

The following is a comment made on one of my Facebook posts by a friend:

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I find it interesting that Cons Repubs didn't see in 2015 (coming down the elevator) that Trump was a showman, a conman, and a compulsive serial LIAR. Whatever he says, think the opposite is the truth.

The fact is both are older men, the difference is Biden is sane (with a few verbal gaffs) and Trump is insane. The problem on the right is that Trump supporters have no clue that he is dangerous and why.

Trump was born missing brain matter. Trump's parents knew he was abnormal and because they were not equipped to handle him, off to a military-style school he went. Of course, nothing could help him unless he had a brain transplant which was not possible 77 years ago. Trump admitted to one of his biographers that he is the same as when he was 6 years old. Great, a 6-year-old who can push the "red button" or sell our secrets to the highest bidder!

https://theweek.com/.../donald-trump-tells-biographer-hes...

"For patients with narcissism, this region of the cerebral cortex was markedly reduced in thickness compared to the control group."

"Our data shows that the amount of empathy is directly correlated to the volume of gray brain matter of the corresponding cortical representation in the insular region, and that the patients with narcissism exhibit a structural deficit in exactly this area," states Dr. Röpke, commenting on the findings."

https://www.sciencedaily.com/rel.../2013/06/130619101434.htm

"Pathological narcissism associated with reduced frontal cortex thickness in the brain."

https://www.psypost.org/pathological-narcissism.../

Trump is an arrogant, ignorant, pathetic paranoid psychopath, a malignant narcissist, a pathological serial LIAR, (which he cannot help due to his tiny unevolved brain), a conman, a bigot, a misogynist, a cheater, a thief, and more. He is considered a Dark Triad, the most despised of the personality disorders

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/dark-triad

If he hadn't inherited his family's fortune, which he squandered because he is NOT a good business man...

https://www.latimes.com/.../trump-business-partners...

Many narcissists know they are ignorant and unable to learn. They are reactors. All they do is yell, threaten, and sue others. If Trump didn't come from a wealthy family, he would live under a bridge somewhere. Because of his brain problem, he has never had a job with a boss/supervisor over him because he doesn't like anyone telling him what to do. After all, when you believe you can be the God of the Planet, you are perfect. Perfectly nuts! Hitler crazy!

Narcissists cannot ever accept any losses in life as it is a monumental blow to their already weak ego, hence, the Big Lie that the election was rigged/stolen from him. He blames everyone for whatever goes wrong, it's never him at fault and he never apologizes as when you believe you are perfect, why would there be a need to do so?! He does not need repentance. And, he is a Christian in family name only. He is an "actor" who mimics//mirrors others. You are being played! He needed support to run for office and the Evangelical Christian leaders have been coaching him all along. If they stopped, Trump would melt away like the Wicked Witch did. Trump appears as he does because of those who need to put fear into others, like religion does with help from other LIARS like FOX, OAN, NewsMax, etc.

"Despite being on the member rolls, Trump never showed. Not to Bible study ― and not even to a service, according to (Pastor) Lewicki.

“I assure you, he had the ‘option’ to come to Bible study. He never ‘opted’ in,” Lewicki wrote. “Nor did he ever actually enter the church doors. Not one time.”

https://www.huffpost.com/.../former-marble-collegiate...

Nationalism teaches people to hate those they never even met. America First was a spinoff of Hitler's Germany First. The borders of any country are man-made or by tectonic plate movement.
If it comes to the point that Biden can't do the job, we have a VP at the ready. So is it that some Americans don't like the possibility of a woman of color leading a nation, hmm.

People who laugh at this post demonstrate their ignorance of psychological problems (brain/mind) and that they are unable to debunk the science. Instead, what they do is post ad hominem attacks, but that doesn't bother me as I understand where it comes from.

Trump supporters are in the Cult of Evangelical Christianity and Trump.

P.S. Pence lost his honesty and integrity as he went along with Trump while in office! Once MAGAs sought to hang him he said he didn't agree with Trump, a complete wuss. The GOP has been taken over by the whacko Evangelical Christians like MTG. Her ignorance is embarrassing.

Most members of the Trump family are shameless grifters, con-artists. If you are unable or unwilling to see the truth about what a malignant narcissist is, Congratulations, you're the mark!!!

Understand What Is The Greater Negative Influence In The USA

"Everyone knows the rule about not meeting your heroes because they'll so often disappoint you, today we look at the most disappointing yet most idolized false heroes of our day, the twits of tech and the zany hijinks they've been getting up to recently."

Click on the link below for an expose of the dangerous influence of for-profit corporations, especially in technology fields:

The False Promises, Enshittification Economics, and Misguided Adventures of the Twits of Tech

(Please understand that I support REGULATED capitalism,
BUT, that is not what is happening in the USA)

Roy Cohn: From McCarthy To Trump

"There is a direct line from McCarthy to Trump in the person of Roy Cohn, who became a New York power broker after his years with McCarthy, helped the Trump Organization when the federal government sued it for racial discrimination, and mentored Trump as he rose to fame in New York. That relationship is chronicled in the new biopic about Trump, The Apprentice, now debuting at the Cannes Film Festival."

The difference between today's Republican Party and the McCarthy period Republican Party is that the latter was not totally corrupted. Click on this link for a history lesson that every USA voter needs to understand.

The Battle Between Democracy & Autocracy Is Not New, But - - -

"This week, we’re sharing a recording of an event hosted at the Center for Brooklyn History where Chris interviewed author Ari Berman. Berman is the national voting rights correspondent for Mother Jones and has written numerous books including his latest, “Minority Rule: The Right-Wing Attack on the Will of the People—and the Fight to Resist It,” which is the subject of this conversation. They discuss parallels between founding fathers’ ideologies and contemporary figures, threats to our democracy, and the movement to counter regressive efforts."

Click on the link below for a podcast comparing the historical struggle against autocracy in the USA with the state of politics presently:

The Right-Wing Attack on Democracy 

The "Cowboy Myth" Of Rugged Individualism Destroyed

"I write a lot about how the Biden-Harris administration is working to restore the principles of the period between 1933 and 1981, when members of both political parties widely shared the belief that the government should regulate business, provide a basic social safety net, promote infrastructure, and protect civil rights. And I write about how that so-called liberal consensus broke down as extremists used the Reconstruction-era image of the American cowboy—who, according to myth, wanted nothing from the government but to be left alone—to stand against what they insisted was creeping socialism that stole tax dollars from hardworking white men in order to give handouts to lazy minorities and women.

"But five major stories over the past several days made me realize that I’ve never written about how Trump and his loyalists have distorted the cowboy image until it has become a poisonous caricature of the values its recent defenders have claimed to champion."

Click on the link below for more:

Conservative Economics Debunked