I just had a heated argument with my brother about illegal immigration. He believes they're all asylum seekers, not illegals. By the end of the conversation, he was defending Democrats and blaming Republicans, which confirmed something I’ve been thinking: Trump’s biggest mistake was treating politics like a business.
Trump essentially executed a "hostile takeover" of the Republican party, rebranding it into something new. But the issue is, many people still associate him with the old Republican establishment figures like Mitch McConnell.
My brother, for example, doesn't see MAGA as distinct from Bush-era Republicans simply because they share the same "R" label. To him, it's all the same. And that’s the real problem—many "normies" can’t differentiate between Trump and figures like Lindsey Graham, especially when Trump publicly aligns with them from time to time.
This is a branding issue. A lot of people don't see MAGA as different from George H.W. Bush. So, whenever Trump speaks, they immediately fall back into the "Democrat vs. Republican" tribal mentality.
"Trump’s biggest mistake was treating politics like a business."
Your brother is currently functionally retarded.
I don't think anything should change just because his mind isn't ready to break out of the matrix.
Trump did just fine. Let your retarded brother be, sheeesh.
He'll come around in time.
I think most of the Normies can only wake up after the authority figures within their own social group have switched over to our side, then they all follow en masse, and soon fall asleep again.
Sorry, the time for heated arguments with family was 2020, 2021. We’re at the end - if after the past 8 years he still thinks Trump Bad, then he’s too retarded to bother wasting your energy on.
Tell him simply that when his brainwashing clears up, you’ll be there to help him understand what has happened, and leave him be. I know it sucks, I too have a really lost and retarded brother, but any “proof” you provide will just be ignored until the brainwashing is removed.
I just sent a heated response and told them all.
NEVER come at me with that BLUE vs RED bullshit again!
I told them that if you do not understand the concept of the UNITPARTY! Then we are on two different planets.
No, its because they are morons. When my 87yo dad who was a union steward caught on in 2020 but my 80yo mom refuses to this day to see the truth. She is in assisted living and watches TV all day. She's very shy and doesn't participate in any activities. Mom will literally tell you she hates Trump because, "He grabs them by the pu__y."
There is nothing that gets past her resentment of her life was not having a career. I've never heard her even say she wanted a career but know frkm the insistance of my having one.
She worked as a telephone operator as a teen, a hairdresser for about a year and my dad made her work in final assembly at a car manufactor (where she parked cars) until she had enough credits to get her soc soc.
And yes, in back in the day you had to earn it. If I remember correctly, you received one credit every three months of working and you needed 42 credits to receive a check.
What most people don't realize is that many Republicans vote with Democrats and secretly want Trump to lose. Why? Because of personal enrichment. Money is surpreme to them over the Constitution or Rule of Law and thus they are one with all the other criminals in government. We call them the Uniparty. Keeping Trump out of office means their gravy train keeps on rolling. That is until the Communist Chinese take over. Then their services won't be needed anymore and probably their reward is a bullet in the head.
Ask your BIL if the dems are the same as when jfk was president.
My uncle complains about woke shit while acting oblivious that it's part of his parties official policies.
Your brother should have been swallowed by your mother
Most normies don't even know who Mitch McConnel and Lindsey Graham are, they only know the most recent Presidents and maybe their state governor. I bet you half of Chicago doesn't even know the name of their current mayor who ran on open borders and wokeness while they complain about the illegals stealing their jobs and welfare.
The media has labored so hard to create this two-team tribal dynamic.
I thought Bush, Romney, Liz Cheyne, No Name and such railing against Trump would open people's eyes to the reality of the uniparty more than it did.
A lot of resources went into programming people to think this way.
I wonder if it is slightly harder for Democrat voters to open their eyes to the reality of the uniparty because in the fake, two team system, Democrats are portrayed very positively and given social status.
I think you are on to something,
Sorry you had to have the heated discussion, I read than and was feeling what it's like because I've been there. It is so frustrating.
Here is an article https://vigilantnews.com/post/200-bush-neocons-endorse-kamala-for-president-slam-trump/ (edit inc link!) (might not be good enough source, might have to find different sources for your audience) but you can try to point out how the Bushites etc are more for Kamala than Trump, shows he is not aligned at least.
It's tough though, because sometimes information doesn't matter. Sometimes I even mention that, but every situation is different, sometimes gotchas don't work, etc.. they need a shoulder squeeze first, if you know what I mean.
I’ll grant that the term MAGA is somewhat nebulous (which is A-Okay for me) but some normies have a hard time understanding what it means. I have found that RFK Jr.’s description has been quite effective in helping me communicate what MAGA means and I haven’t found anyone who disagrees with the premise: https://x.com/RobertKennedyJr/status/1827707809141518835
They tried to corner Trump into running third-party, that way RINOs and Dems could both beat him up. He chose to try and clean out the Republican party instead. MAGA has zero in common with the RINO Republicans.
I agree.
The problem is that Republicans are have over a Century of branding. In my view.
This is why Harris has any supporters. They see Democrat and Republican.
Vote blue.
Normies are boxes of rocks. They will learn when their heroes swing and the evidence is out. Nothing else will work, and even that will work on only a few. Some people are hopelessly stupid and there's no cure.
I see the same phenomenon, but mostly amongst the over-65 crowd. They have long memories, and hold opinions they formed decades ago, oblivious to new information that circumstances have changed.