America has always rejected fanaticism, especially since WWII. We are supposed to be E pluribus unum – out of many, ONE. Now, the right wants America to be E unum pluribus – out of ONE, many.
Because they are servile imbeciles by their very nature. They are unwilling to think, synthesize, and confront their own limitations.
Buddy sent me this link. I’m a professional social scientist who works in this area. There’s a lot, but I’m gonna focus on two things.
- Donald Trump, 2) Slanted elections
- Donald Trump. He has been the de-facto party leader since his nomination for the presidency in 2016. He has repeatedly endorsed and encouraged violence among his supporters, culminating with the January 6 Capitol Attack. And he hasn’t stopped. (The opinions and beliefs of leadership trickle down to shape the beliefs of their supporters–see an example here. Despite many of their misgivings, one of three things happened to Trump’s GOP opponents: -A) They voluntarily left elected office (Bob Corker) -B) They were punished for criticizing him (Liz Cheney), or -C) They fell in-line (Ted Cruz). Those who left the GOP or were forced out have been replaced by more extreme leaders yet–folks like Marjorie Taylor Greene. Few left in the GOP openly challenge Trump because they’ve seen what happens to those who do. So there’s no one of much influence within the GOP capable of leading a credible anti-Trump charge.
- The GOP is better shielded from the electoral consequences of extremism than Democrats. Owing to aggressive partisan gerrymandering after Republicans swept statehouses in 2010, MANY state and U.S. House districts were drawn to maximize the number of uncompetitive elections that would all but ensure Republican majorities. You see this in many states that are very competitive at the state level like North Carolina and Wisconsin, but Republicans have locked up enough statehouse seats to retain control of legislatures, even when most of the state’s vote went to Democrats. Uncompetitive elections mean that incompetent, corrupt, and extreme candidates who alienate most voters can still defeat moderate consensus-builders. What happens is Democrats have to run candidates with exceptional cross-appeal (i.e., moderate consensus-builders) if they want even slim electoral wins. Meanwhile, Republicans can hold onto those majorities without having to moderate.
This answers the question of why republican politicians are behaving the way they are, but not the republican voters.
Presumably none of these people would have any power were they not voted in, even with gerrymandering.
Can you give another answer focusing on the average republican voter as well?
first-past-the-post voting artificially limits the number of viable political parties. This reduces the competition in the electoral system, reducing the quality of the representation across the political spectrum.
Much of the world is moving in that direction. The many crises of recent years and an uncertain future outlook for humanity are fertile ground for extremists promising easy solutions and “going back to the good old days”.
Create the problem, sell the solution.
The why is kind of hard to pin point and I would probably say someone with a higher degree in poli sci could answer better.
However, I just wanted to point out that they don’t see it as fanatical. They truly believe the left to be evil and doing demonic rituals. I’m almost willing to say they have delusional disorder or symptoms of light psychosis. Shits wack
Here I think it’s best to delineate the GOP base and the GOP elite.
What you say is most likely (though not always) true for the base. While not likely (though sometimes) true for the elite.
And it’s not a delusional disorder. But the effects of propaganda by the elite. (Still technically delusion but I think it’s nice to point at the source, as it helps us not fall into the trap of blaming people for being manipulated).
The reason we see more of this recently in broad daylight is because propaganda works. The oligarchs and political elite care about the same things they did during WW2, money and power. And up until Pearl Harbor, their was support for Germany in the U.S.
https://time.com/5414055/american-nazi-sympathy-book/
And don’t forget, the GOP has a history of shitting on minorities that goes back many generations. This isn’t new. It’s just masks off. Because their base drank the kool aid.
Fanatics don’t see themselves as fanatical.
We have never rejected fanaticism.
The revolution was built on fanatical ideas and ideals of American exceptionalism and where was propaganda to support that.
The civil was started primarily because the wealthy didn’t want to give up free labor (slaves) but a lot of individuals supported it because they felt the big scary northern government was attacking their homes and they had to defend them and their way of life (still, slavery,).
Pretty much every war is sold based on fanaticism. The Spanish American war was wholesale created by yellow journalism. The world wars were a bit different because America was very isolationist then and it needed a push.
Overall America isn’t an exception here. Most humans need to be fanatical to really do big things like war or revolution.
It’s helps them ignore actually doing good things for their constituents. Identity politics is what fascists use to work voters into a frenzy to manipulate them into voting for them in order to sneak extreme corporatism into office.
America has always rejected fanaticism
The John Birch Society says hi.
They really started going insane in the 90s with the whole “Hillary Clinton murdered Vince Foster” thing, and it accelerated with the completely ignorant “Tea Party” movement in the 2010s.
What we’re seeing now is just the logical conclusion of that insanity.
They figured out that egalitarian secular Democracy wasn’t meeting their racist ends, and couldn’t ever be forced to through the power of argument, so instead of changing what they want, they’re out to destroy the entire construct
Because Conservativism is not an ideology. It’s narcissism dressed in a stoic costume. Conservatives believe themselves to be righteous, so they support policies and legislation that benefit themselves. They gain followers by promoting a sense of belonging so they can defend the self and attack the other. There is no lie to brazen, no hypocrisy too obvious, no depth too low for a conservative seeking power, because they are justified by their identity. If the conservative is good, then anything the conservative does or says is good while they are doing it or saying it.
When they can no longer hold power through politics, they always fall back on fascism and bigotry.
The fringe has been growing with online organizing since the 1990s. You happened to have a strongman politician who sensed that there was a large disenfranchised group of radicals/conspiracy people, who was able to capitalize on them before anyone else.
It’s also worth mentioning that Russia and China have been caught manipulating online conversations, spreading misinformation, etc. The USA does it too, and probably a lot of countries. One of the most effective ways to gain geopolitical ground is to spread political division within your rival.
Internet makes that easy, especially when profits line up. Creating information bubbles and ragebait pays the bills.
American values aren’t important to them. They want different things. A strong leader, be heard, simple truths and/or some people below them to hate and pick on.
No. The United States government was designed to be ruled by white land owning men. An aristocracy. The only difference from an outright monarchy is that the “King” is to be elected by white land owning men, the “King” or any of his barons or earls can’t have you outright killed on a whim (at least, legally,) and there is no state religion that can have you killed on a whim for a being a “heretic.”
The current aristocracy is tired of these limitations interfering with their greed and need for control, so they want to set up a Russian style oligarchy with a puppet “King” that they control. And it appears they’ve already won. The fascists control SCOTUS, both The House and The Senate. Trump will never be prosecuted for insurrection, and what we know as “American Democracy” will be dismantled. Expect to see the return of debt slavery, introduction of pro religious discrimination laws, imprisonment of gays/transpeople, reintroduction of racial miscegenation laws, abolisment of Social Security and Medicare in favor of some 401k invesment scam, and every other hateful form of fuckery for a profit you can imagine.
Leave now, if you can.
If every person that desperately wanted change for a better world fled for hills the world would be worse for it.
Tell that to the descendants of the survivors of the Nazi concentration camps.
Because it’s the only path left they have to attain power. They cannot win on merit, debate, ideas, track record, etc… it’s been like that for a while but now they are getting more and more desperate
