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I understand that there’s truth in what he’s saying. On the other hand, most of us know we’re human and we make mistakes. We even make fun of ourselves, telling some of the cockamamie things we used to believe. Apparently, this is the exception?

Sunken cost fallacy

THIS!

Describes MAGA

in the US, they're called republicans

Their cult leader is mask off. Their political project is an abject failure. Their beliefs only bring about misery and suffering. They weren't duped. They're know-nothings who've been proven incorrect. They're vilifying empathy for fuck's sake. Completely deplorable people.

Cognitive dissonance is very painful for some, so they resolve it in different ways other than accepting the opposing evidence. Maybe being part of the MAGA cohort means more than the truth - protecting identity. Maybe they’ve invested a lot of time, money and effort in believing Trump - sunken cost

🎯

Here's my much more concise explanation: They are miserable Fs.

Or,they're just stupid.

Yes for some (many?) of them, it allowed them to adopt an identity that (they feel) dignifies them. For some 47 held out a hope that prosperity was in reach, that they couldn't see under neo-liberal or liberal govts. For some, blind racist or anti-social rage.

While generally true of all indoctrinated ppl, understand there is a large pre existing contingent on the right that doesn't measure success of a right wing g'ment in terms of US prosperity. As their ideals don't rule out destruction as a goal in remaking the US. For them it's Trump or bust.

They can say they were lied to, so they have an excuse. They won't admit that they like the racism and misogyny.

The active concealment of white supremacy is real, because nobody wants to believe it exists where it was born—right here in this hemisphere. They will never separate from Trump. It doesn't matter what he does, including shooting somebody on Fifth Avenue.

Also they are assholes

I used to be against gay marriage when i was young and being raised Catholic I was also against abortion. my positions have changed. i always thought both should be state's rights issues but have come to be pro instead of anti. as to gay marriage we have full faith/credit clause of Constitution

These people are only looking at their paycheck, which could finally bring Trump down. But I’m not betting on it.

It only happens if you vote, dear friends. Great to march with like-minded people but it is all for naught unless YOU VOTE like our Democracy depends upon it because It DOES! 💙 Vote early! Verify your status, make a plan, take off work if you have to but YOU MUST VOTE!

omg

Vote the Red out! #VOTE_EARLY #believe_the_victims #pedo_rapist_felon_trump #idaho_gop_are_pedo_supporters #vote_early @achillesid.bsky.social www.terriforidaho.com @kayleeforcongress.bsky.social www.SteveJohnsonForSenate.com www.lori4idaho.com

Yes, you’re right, but I was thinking more of those with guns who could start a kinetic assault on dissenting citizens..

I dont buy it. White people are too complacent with white supremacy.

Yep. People who have been used & abused often keep making rationalizations about and for the perpetrator. But the cycle can be broken.

Trump hates the same people they hate.

Racism is the foundation of the Five Pillars of Jim Crow: economic oppression, Political, social, legal and of course personel oppression. They built a fence too high and too far to cross.

Wrong! It’s because they are Racist Bigots and Will Never Turn Their Back on Their Racist Champion.

It requires humility, decency, and self-awareness to admit you were wrong, and what you find in a Republican is arrogance, a need to constantly feel superior, and a determination to blame others for things that are their own fault.

Every year I teach my 7ths graders about Plato’s Allegory Of The Cave during our unit on Ancient Greece. It’s one of my favorite lessons.

Don't forget the child rape, ex-wife and "best friend " Epstein murders, Putin lap dog, etc etc

Right, I agree 100%! Admitting you’ve been a stupid, gullible IDIOT for years isn’t an easy thing for anyone to do . . . it’s easier on the ego to double down . . . to pretend that you haven’t been tricked & gaslit by one of the most prolific lying conmen in history . . . 🤷‍♀️

The sunk cost fallacy, but make it a personality trait. At a certain point, the ego treats a political pivot not as a correction, but as a bankruptcy filing.

Not forgetting that all the friends and family they lost along the way were totally right. 😓😓

There's a psychological term for this i heard recently, I can't remember! It was something collusion . Also see below

They've gone all in.... They're pot committed... They KNOW they fucked up... But they've spent so much time defending him... They have no option

It’s a cult. That’s how people in cults behave.

You’re describing cult behavior. MAGA is a cult.

Look at how long people stay in bad marriages or bad relationships!

For the record: Russia invaded in Feb 2022. Diesel peaked that summer. Ukraine’s ‘Refinery Bingo’ began in Jan 2024, before Donald Trump's second term. Today’s prices are mainly down to Trump's war causing Iran to stymie the Hormuz, not Kyiv, whatever Benedict Arnold Trump claims. Timelines matter.

He has convinced his supporters that the above people are "evil" and are "destroying America." And that only he and Republicans care about them. He has convinced them that mainstream media is all lies, so they only watch Fox News and never hear the truth: he cares about himself and rich friends.

youtu.be/sIntekEVqmI?...

It is hard to tell people what they feel is wrong. And Trump certainly has targeted MAGA emotions.

bsky.app/profile/prob...

It’s a CULT. They’d rather watch America burn than admit they were conned. Their MAGA EGOs matter more than truth, decency, or country. 🤬🔥🤬🤦🇨🇦

Agree.

MAGA built their entire world view on the belief Trump was the good guy - their saviour. That presumption was based on zero evidence. Nothing from Trump's last Presidency or his record before, suggested he was good, and he has never helped anyone but himself. I have no sympathy for MAGA

Or just admitting that they are Stupid. It’s not hard or complicated.

Yeah, there may be some of those. But the majority are scum bags who would jump to vote the next trump in. Time the US stops being delusional and face the fact that 1/3 of the country are racists, misogynists, hateful, cruel, and stupid. They don't want anyone different than themselves. Hitlers all.

What these people are more afraid of is having no one to talk to on the other side. MAGA cult members are lonely AF - that's a big reason they stay.

Admitting that support for Trump was a mistake requires integrity and moral character, things that no Trump supporter has to any degree, as evidenced by their support of Trump after J6.

So in other words, they're all fragile sissies that can't admit their own faults.

Leavingmaga.org

Pride, the ultimate defense mechanism, which always comes before the inevitable fall.

Well, that will be good for her, because her other career is dead. Will be funny how long she would last since she’s POC.

Well, I am sure she needs the money after she trashed her music career by supporting this clownshow. They might as well add another clown to the show, but I doubt she'll get the job judging by the past Press Secretaries.

She is blonde…

It's like a scene from "What's Up, Tigerlily?"

All she needs is a crucifix round her neck and to catch the attention of a decrepid paedophile. Although I suspect she may be too intelligent for the post.

…or admitting to this…

Similar to the other bad life choices they have made, like marrying their high school sweetheart, choosing to work at the local factory instead of going to college, voting republican because their parents did, and so many other mistakes they have made.

Yes. For some. I LOVED Bill Clinton. But, I was fully prepared for him to be in the Epstein Files. Some folks you can't leave your kids with, but some folks tamp down their demons and inspire some REALLY great things. Trump can't do either.

Exactly.

If you are a one-issue voter, and that overriding issue is abortion, you vote red regardless. That’s about 30% of the electorate that automatically goes in the red column.

There are people that still defend Nixon, Reagan, and Bush Jr. some of the worst Presidents of my lifetime. These people treat Politics as if it is a sports team instead of Life and Death Reality of Making a More Perfect Union.

As she eagerly tries to hand her babe into the hands of a pedophile.

The damage this man has done to families and their relationships is horrible. I hope one day they can reunite with their loved ones again though it may take his death to make that even a possibility. So sad.

Eh, I’m not buying it. I’m related to a lot of republicans who aren’t maga and they are genuinely fine with all that’s happened. To them, it’s still better than “a lib”. They’re bigots who drank the trickle down economics koolaid and while they don’t love trump, they’re perfectly content right now.

Same reason every cult in history had people die for their leaders.

This is exactly why I think my 90 yr old FIL will NEVER abandon trump. A 90 yr old white man admitting he’s been wrong is like watching a river change its flow direction; it can happen but WOW does it take a lot He’s not rabid maga but definitely loves his jesse watters etc fox peeps.

For those of them willing to admit they were wrong, there's this. leavingmaga.org

From the “he tells it like it is” crowd? That’s rich.

Leavingmaga.org

Nahhh... They are all just racist bigots.

Trump supporters can EASILY and SILENTLY abandon Trump. Don't have to tell ANYONE, just vote AGAINST everything he promotes. Once he is GONE, just STAY SILENT and internally FORGIVE YOURSELF for having supported him in the first place. No one will demean or praise your efforts. Your Choice.

sunk cost fallacy is an integral part of the strategy make your followers support conduct that is so reprehensible that it becomes that much more difficult for them to ever admit they did it for nothing

And some people are just too stupid and or bigoted - there is no other excuse

Nobody who's been scammed likes to admit it , but holy rollers are use to getting scammed

Simply they are stubborn or bullheaded and racism is hard to let go of.

I suspect that a good deal of it is also because they've dug their heels in too deep. To abandon him is to lose $/support and to admit that they were wrong. I'm privy to a little inside info. Many mock him behind his back. Remember this...When he goes down they'll all go with him.

Yes, many must be racked by cognitive dissonance right now…

Plus, those fools have tied him permanently to their brand of christianity and firmly believe he’s their savior. Morons. They’ll starve to death with their red hats on, clutching their ‘autographed’ bibles.

They don't see facts.

How can they defend DEWs on the southern border being used against non-combatant civilians (including CHILDREN)!!!!! Hegseth is gung-ho on frying the skin of immigrants' bodies with his WEAPON OF WAR that was so illegal they weren't allowed to use it in Iraq because IT IS A WAR CRIME!

And them people that bring up the Iran-Epstein Speed Bump. And the annoying fact Stinking Diaperload has always been a pedophile. Haters. They just HATE TRUMP!!!! (24/7, it's true AF LOL)

The left-right political paradigm is long dead and has, for many yrs now, been a false dichotomy. Watch what politicians DO rather than listening to what they SAY…

You might add that it takes courage to admit to yourself as well as to others that you were wrong. Ergo, if you lack that courage you’re a coward.

Jesus told them to vote for Trump and Jesus is never wrong.

So just keep on keepin’ on

sunk cost fallacy

Why do children of alcoholics end up with alcoholics or victims of child abuse end up with abusers? Psychology is a mindfuck.

I grew up as a conservative GOP Christian. I have had to re-organize my political views 3 to 4 times over my lifetime. It’s tough. But that’s part of growing up. 

Yep. I have family in that predicament.

It’s called growing up or staying an out of control raging two year old egged on by their daddy

In other words, it’s a cult.

Correct. The likelihood is that their belief and faith in the cult leader will be reinforced and they will double down on the cult

Is there something he will say or do that will open their eyes and choose their self-interest over their racism? Anthony Davis to some extent answers this question.

Narcissism is the root of all evil. And narcs that are as sick as him can't admit they were ever wrong or at fault. Which is a very fucking serious problem in human society.

Or they’re bigots getting exactly what they want from their president. Liberals need to stop seeing MAGA as conned rubes.

Saving face! Adults are NOT redeemable. Germany 1945 they still thought Hitler was right.

Yep. Admitting mistakes, even privately, is one of the toughest things we do as human beings.

People who lost everything bc their cult leader convinced them that the world was ending (e.g., quit their jobs, sold their homes) were the most likely to stay in the cult and double down when the leader's predictions failed. Apparently, if they rejected him, their foolishness would feel worse.

They only hate who trump hates Thsts all . No logic around it Just hate

100%. Cult member behavior.

Yes yes yes this! So frustrating. I’ve seen family members who won’t just admit they made a mistake and will dig in instead. It’s destructive!

Because it's a cult.

Bigotry and hate are the threads that hold their support together. I'd say the baseline for bigotry in this country is about 30-35%. If you live in a blue state, that number is shocking. If you live in a red state, that number seems low.

Liberals make it harder for Trump supporters th change their minds by criticizing and rejecting those who do, instead of accepting them.

Trump supporters can't face how stupid they've been. The shame will destroy them.

People have sacrificed relationships, careers, and whatever personal integrity they held to maintain this fiction. The shame and inability to save face is too great to overcome, so they hold on.

...and they jettisoned important people/relatives/jobs/money/benefits for NOTHING.

And the DOJ did it's real job to prosecute. Richard Dean had the conscience to testify. We'll never see Todd Blanche do that

And at the end of the day, they are children. An adult can admit when they were wrong. I've never dug myself in as deeply as they have, but that's only because I listen to other people and test my own ideas until they stop holding up.

Trump's entire existence and support is largely based on this prepubescent need to "own the libs" that is how he got away from proving anything - refuse to testify - refuse documents etc because it will piss off the libs His supporters would have to admit libs were right that is too much

Absolutely, not to mention fractured families. They’d rather say “thank you, mr. trump than say fck you, asshole” admitting they were wrong.

Nah, they are just morons ...

Also, they've been brainwashed by talk radio, Fox News and Facebook

You're saying they are stubborn.

Stupid people love stupid people