If you are able to understand what makes someone like Trump so appealing to his supporters then you _might_ be able to formulate arguments that may get them to see the danger he represents.

We do not have much time… I suspect Trump, or someone that wants to claim the fascist mantle, will be on the ballot in 2024- and will very likely have a slew of voter suppression laws to aid them.

Fascism won the first battle in 2016, and lost the latest battle in 2020- …the most dangerous thing we could do is think the war is over.

It won’t be over for a LONG time… and I suspect fascism will eventually win globally in the coming decades- but it is imperative to delay that day as long as possible.

I hope there are more like you Rob, who experienced an epiphany on that sad day. Because that’s the only thing that breaks the spell. We can warn about a hot stove ’till we are blue in the face but the burned hand teaches best.

If you’ve been burned by a narcissist you never forget. And sadly, you can become a bit jumpy about them. Cautious. Cynical even. You learn to listen to others’ warnings even if you don’t see it yourself. And tire of screaming into the void.

It’s hard when you see someone is a dangerous person and you can’t get others to see it. I know this from personal experience. Years later, they get burned and are shocked (despite the warnings) and embarrassed (because of the warnings.) We tend to tolerate narcissist’s behavior because we must, a family member perhaps, or because we are getting something out of it: friendship, community, an association with a charismatic personality and their network. But it often comes to an unpleasant, bitter end.

I admire you posting this here. Bravo. Good luck with telling your friends about the hot stove.

And 500 children are still separated from their parents because the previous administration intentionally made identifying the families they tore apart nearly impossible.

There is no satisfaction in ‘I told you so’ when the devastation is this horrible… and there is no absolution for those that are only now recognizing the facts that were obvious 6 years ago.

I am going to take you at your word, and believe that you have belatedly left the cult, and so I will try not to be as harsh in my words as I am tempted to be, in return I hope you will READ and THINK about the following…

Recognizing that you made a mistake is worthless UNLESS you try to learn WHY you made that mistake. What made it so easy for you to become devoted to an obvious con-man?
Search yourself for the parts of your psyche were pleased by the cruel lies he told, the vile things he did, and work on them. What made you crave an authoritarian ‘strongman’, what made you see that orange embodiment of weakness as a strong man?

You need to figure that out as soon as possible, you don’t have a lot of time to deal with those demons, because perhaps the worst damage the election of Trump inflicted was to curse America with the certainty that we will be facing many more wannabe fascists in the coming years. The barbarians that elected Trump opened the floodgates, and every election in the coming decade will be another chance for a fascist to take power… and you can be certain they will be smarter and more palatable than Trump.

What will you do next time? There WILL be a next time, now. When the next guy comes along and makes you feel good about blaming undocumented immigrants for all your woes, will you cheer him on, or will it set off alarm bells?
When the neo-nazis and white supremacists are all supporting one candidate over the other, which side will you choose?

The best defense against fascism is to determine what lines you will not allow yourself to cross NOW, and stick to those lines no matter what happens.
If ANY wannabe leader tries to get you to cross those lines, reject them and work towards their destruction.

Authoritarians can arise in the Democratic party as well as the Republican… but so far, only the republicans unconditionally worship their monsters.

Just look what is happening to Cuomo now. He was a hero for the way he handled the pandemic in NY initially, but as his authoritarian nature reared its head, it was his fellow democrats that were the first to attack.

In contrast, republicans made a LITERAL golden idol of Trump to worship at CPAC.

The republican party is now truing to pass 100′s of laws to suppress the vote- because when more people vote, they lose. People that are pro-democracy don’t do that- fascists do.

We now have 2 parties, one that is flawed but adhering to the principles of democracy, and another that is lost in a fever swamp of conspiracy theory and racism at war with facts and science.

Rob, work on your defenses, because in the next few years the NEXT fascist will come along, and he WILL be FAR more skilled at wooing you than Trump.

Look at all the lines Trump got you to cross, how many times you lowered the bar- analyze the hell out of that- figure out how and why you let that happen, and figure out how you can recognize it the next time.

I imagine your admission above was a painful one for you, but understand this- had your side won the election the pain would have been immeasurably worse… for you, and for those you would have victimized further.

Fascism destroys the soul of a nation, and those that enable it, in the cruelest ways possible. We only just barely averted that fate this time… but we must prepare for the next time.

Unlike ER, my pessimism isn’t impermeable, and it’s heartening to hear of your epiphany. He’s describing the state of play today, but as you prove, there’s reason to hope that that 3/4 of the GOP is the high water mark, and it’ll continue to decline. This week CPAC is giving a big bump, and the nuttery about March 4th has people riled, but I’ll bet after that T**** has a hard time keeping the spotlight on him.

You’re the first, but you know, where we go one, we go…er, no, never mind, not funny. But keep pissing off your conservative friends, and maybe you’ll kickstart an avalanche.

But this movie ain’t over yet. 3/4 of the GOP is still signed up for the Big Lie, and there are plenty more Lies where that came from. I don’t think they will see the light any time soon.

The Governor of Florida wanted to fly the Stars and Stipes at half-mast at all State buildings to mourn the death of Rush Limbaugh. No, he didn’t get away with it, but the fact he even tried fills me with despair.