The truth is often more ugly than the pretty lie...

The mainstream media has been pretty unhelpful about being upfront on why Trump got elected, and why the majority of Republicans continue to act like spoiled brats. So I found some articles that piece things together pretty well.

This is why Republicans are ok with their hypocrisy: The Message of the Republican Party: Don’t Tread on Me. I Tread on You.

Aka, only a certain group gets to exert control over others. If you're not part of the group, then you don't get the right to control others. Which leads to: White Supremacy is why Donald Trump was elected President

Of course, now it makes sense. I think a part of me hoped that this wouldn't be true, but this article (Want to understand American fascism? Read about lynching.) makes it very clear that the US has not fully gotten over white supremacy. It really hasn't been that long since lynching was commonplace.

“I’ll tell you what’s at the bottom of it,” he said. “If you can convince the lowest white man he’s better than the best colored man, he won’t notice you’re picking his pocket. Hell, give him somebody to look down on, and he’ll empty his pockets for you.” -Lyndon Johnson

This is exactly what happened when Trump got elected after Obama finished his 2nd term. People who voted for Trump for other reasons got duped into thinking he wasn't going to do anything bad to the country. The full damage can't be quantified until years after. (Assuming the US still remains a democratic republic for the next century.) We're already seeing the damage happening.

It's important to realize that humans are flawed. No one is perfect. And while people make mistakes or have character flaws, it's important to see what actions they take to address them. Example: Lyndon Johnson was a civil rights hero. But also a racist.

So you can't expect a politician to have a squeaky clean record. That's just not going to happen. You have to look at their actions, and see if they're trying to do the hard work of fixing things consistently. Democracy is always hard work.

Anyway, I started reading this book, "American Fascism: How the GOP Is Subverting Democracy" by Brynn Tannehill. The immediate future looks pretty grim right now.