I disagree. Having a platform in right wing echo chambers helps them considerably, but having reasonable, unhappy constituents publicly ask questions and get unsatisfying answers is disastrous for them. Right now, even lifelong conservative voters are asking how firing veterans and taking away any hope of retiring is helping them, and there’s really no believable answer to that. They’re starting to wake up because of these town halls. Anybody else there looking for answers hears that question and thinks “hey, yeah. I want to know that too” and then sees their cowardly rep offer panicked platitudes at best or abruptly end the town hall and run away at worst. They’re seeing the mask fracture and they’re getting a glimpse of the devil underneath.
It’s important to help these people understand that they’re not dumb; it’s just that their trust was violated. They believed conmen who actively sought to trick them. They were betrayed, and their betrayers got so comfortable and lazy that they pushed things that hurt so egregiously that it became obvious that there’s no real explanation beyond having knowingly lied to them for personal gain. I would love to say “we told you so” but they’re looking to be welcomed into a group, and smugness will just chase them toward the next predatory grift.
I’ve yet to see that level of intelligence from them at all. The more rowdy things get, the more yelling matches people get into, the more empowered they feel.
They will notice when they get ignored and when the constant feed of bullshit gets throttled.
I’m of two minds on that… On one hand, yes, this is closing one of the final relief valves
On the other hand, this is a powerful way to manufacture consent… They get to control what people get to talk and what they hear. They can put their plants to ask questions, and a lot of people will buy that the majority supports Trump and Musk, which was never really true and will only become less true
I disagree. Having a platform in right wing echo chambers helps them considerably, but having reasonable, unhappy constituents publicly ask questions and get unsatisfying answers is disastrous for them. Right now, even lifelong conservative voters are asking how firing veterans and taking away any hope of retiring is helping them, and there’s really no believable answer to that. They’re starting to wake up because of these town halls. Anybody else there looking for answers hears that question and thinks “hey, yeah. I want to know that too” and then sees their cowardly rep offer panicked platitudes at best or abruptly end the town hall and run away at worst. They’re seeing the mask fracture and they’re getting a glimpse of the devil underneath.
It’s important to help these people understand that they’re not dumb; it’s just that their trust was violated. They believed conmen who actively sought to trick them. They were betrayed, and their betrayers got so comfortable and lazy that they pushed things that hurt so egregiously that it became obvious that there’s no real explanation beyond having knowingly lied to them for personal gain. I would love to say “we told you so” but they’re looking to be welcomed into a group, and smugness will just chase them toward the next predatory grift.
I’ve yet to see that level of intelligence from them at all. The more rowdy things get, the more yelling matches people get into, the more empowered they feel.
They will notice when they get ignored and when the constant feed of bullshit gets throttled.
I’m of two minds on that… On one hand, yes, this is closing one of the final relief valves
On the other hand, this is a powerful way to manufacture consent… They get to control what people get to talk and what they hear. They can put their plants to ask questions, and a lot of people will buy that the majority supports Trump and Musk, which was never really true and will only become less true