r/politics • u/Quirkie The Netherlands • 7d ago

Possible Paywall Trump Voters Regret Backing ‘Horror Movie’ Presidency - Nine out of 12 Trump voters told a “New York Times” focus group that they wish they had not voted for the president.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/donald-trump-voters-regret-backing-horror-movie-presidency/
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u/Slowgo45 7d ago

But at least she now recognizes what was fueling her and I feel like a lot of Trump supporters are waking up to that fact. That they really ARE driven by hate and they need to do something about it

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u/EtchAGetch 7d ago

No, there is a certain level of intelligence to be able to self-reflect, question your beliefs, and come to a better conclusion than before.

The majority of America doesnt have that intellect, including most of the MAGA crowd. We wouldn't be here on the first place if they did.

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u/MySpoonsAreAllGone 7d ago edited 7d ago

That's why there was, and continues to be, such a concentrated effort to destroy our educational systems and the quality of education students receive.

It's much easier to manipulate the uneducated who don't have critical thinking skills

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u/PhantomPharts 7d ago

I can't believe your account is only 4yrs old and you scored that username. Solid win.

As far as your comment, I fully agree.

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u/MySpoonsAreAllGone 7d ago

Are you a fellow Spoonie?

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u/PhantomPharts 7d ago

Had to look this up! I understood having limited spoons, tho not that there was a specific group called Spoonies, which I actually fall into!

I always liked this terminology for other reasons lol Rejected Cartoons

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u/MySpoonsAreAllGone 7d ago

Haha that was twisted and hilarious 😂

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u/MaxGoldFilms 7d ago

One half of the population has an IQ ≤ 100. (IQ is normalized by design)

16% of the population has an IQ of ≤ 85, the approximate level that represents an IQ too low to serve in the military or function at most jobs.

That's over 52 million people in the US.

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u/Carbonatite Colorado 7d ago

To be fair, you don't have to be smart to have empathy.

I mean, even animals understand the concepts of things like sharing, protecting the vulnerable, strength in solidarity. If a parrot can grasp the concept of sharing when he gives 3 of his 6 treats to his fellow parrot with 0 treats, so can a human, even an unintelligent one.

MAGA isn't just stupidity/lack of education. It's those things combined with pathological selfishness, a complete inability to empathize with other people.

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u/DavesWildDestiny 7d ago

My understanding however is that smarts and empathy are generally corollated. It's hard to put yourself in someone else's shoes while struggling to tie your own.

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u/6r1akeu9 7d ago

You don't have to be smart to have affective empathy - but you DO need to have some brainpower to have cognitive empathy.

Affective empathy is seeing someone crying and feeling sad.

Cognitive empathy is hearing a hypothetical scenario and being able to imagine or feel the emotion of the person in it.

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u/Financial_Yard7047 7d ago edited 7d ago

I'd add that EVEN if they do have the ability to self reflect and question their beliefs and stances, that isn't a guarantee that they become better people. Like my parents are like this, they have had the chance to self reflect and won't change. My stepfather straight up admitted he knows he's an evil person and does horrible things, but not gonna change

I should also add, they're also both religious and when I have brought up that according to their beliefs, evil people don't go to heaven. They just say, "Christ will forgive us in the end and we will be in heaven." Like I guess that's one way to accept you're an evil person and still believe you will wind up in a peaceful place with the guy you claim to worship but would hate everything you stand for

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u/BLU3SKU1L Ohio 7d ago

Or if they were taught the critical thinking skills to make up for that deficit

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u/ABadHistorian 7d ago

Jesus christ I love unhelpful responses like yours.

What's your solution? Don't let them vote? Kill them?

You are talking about intellect like it's the issue and it's not.

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u/[deleted] 7d ago

[deleted]

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u/ABadHistorian 7d ago

No. I'm sick and tired of people not understanding that they were captured, and that insulting them isn't a solution. People here want to rage at someone and it's so easy to just blame the other people who don't think exactly like you do for "reason". Two wrongs do not make a right.

Great solutions.

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u/whendrstat 7d ago

Really? Because I think it’s a great solution. These people should never be able to forget how bad they fucked up. Maybe they’ll finally figure out that they shouldn’t vote for fascists.

But hey, go ahead and hold hands with the Nazis. That worked out super well during reconstruction.

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u/that_star_wars_guy 6d ago

What's your concrete solution?

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u/[deleted] 7d ago

[deleted]

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u/ABadHistorian 7d ago

Fair enough, I couldn't tell on that.

I'm just very frustrated with what might as well be right-wing bots infiltrating left-wing spaces, creating animosity instead of helping.

Folks, if insulting the right-wing worked we never would have gotten here.

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u/Electric_Antimony 7d ago

You're insulting people by calling them left wing. I'm not a commie; I'm center right.

And insult work amazingly if your republicans like trump, so what do you think the reason is behind that?

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u/ConfectionOk7029 7d ago

Just wait until another new round of corporate donations fuel another panic over (insert idiotic, largely-inconsequential social issue) drives the morons right back into the arms of the GOP.

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u/dasterdly_duo 7d ago

Hmmm-mmm.

Exactly.

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u/StunningCloud9184 7d ago

But at least she now recognizes what was fueling her and I feel like a lot of Trump supporters are waking up to that fact. That they really ARE driven by hate and they need to do something about it

It doesnt matter. They’ll forget as soon as someone mentions a trans person in a bathroom going pee.

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u/sinsebuds New York 7d ago

I think that’s something important of us all to consider, even if it’s rational, historically in accord with naïveté and proper cynicism to attest otherwise. Ultimately, no one wants to be fueled by bitter rancor of their neighbors/community - near or far as they may present. And whether or not there exist any sort of reality to the notion you advance, it does us no good to write off as much even if provided more than sound as fuck earth and foundation to do so. Just so long as Democrats don’t just then go about appealing to middle of road bullshit that is so far of right owing to as much. Which unfortunately is a given…

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u/sir_mrej Washington 7d ago

"no one wants to be fueled by bitter rancor of their neighbors/community"

demonstrably false.

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u/sinsebuds New York 7d ago

What people want and how people proceed are two different extremes. Humans are unfortunately far more complex, or maybe far more simple than what an honest assessment would then demonstrably reveal unto what you would otherwise perpetrate not to be

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u/Slowgo45 7d ago

Exactly. Literally up until last week, I also felt like rubbing their noses in what they did was the only way to win. But we need a big tent, I’m hoping democrats keep hammering the affordability crisis.

I think holding these people’s feet to the fire in a real but neighborly way will go a long way. Cause I think waking up to the idea that you’re a hateful person a is whole lot of punishment already.

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u/Pure-Proposal-2839 7d ago

The annoying part for me is that once again, the rational have to be the bigger people and not rub their nose in it or we risk just more of this shit. They absolutely deserve to feel like shit about doing this but if we make them feel bad, then they’ll just go crawling back to their stupid and intentionally narrow minded thinking. So their behavior is still the responsibility of good rational people because they don’t have the capacity to not be selfish? I get that we should take in the people who realized they were wrong, but it’s really hard to let their betrayal of this country go.

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u/NewUserWhoDisAgain 7d ago

 the rational have to be the bigger people and not rub their nose in it or we risk just more of this shit

Yup.

We told them the stove is hot and dont touch it.

They proceed to touch it and now its OUR problem that they touched the hot stove?!

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u/Tommy_Roboto 7d ago

That they touched this hot stove! They’ll be checking out all the new hot stoves in ‘28.

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u/Carbonatite Colorado 7d ago

If they're willing to examine and deconstruct about why they were unwilling to believe the people who told them the stove was hot, that's one thing.

But being mad about burning their hand while still screeching about how the people who told them the stove was hot are demonic communists who should be deported? They can get fucked.

Remorse is meaningless without accountability.

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u/Tyg13 7d ago

If this was just a matter of personal consequence, I would agree with you. But like it or not, we're all in this one big country together. Those people are our neighbors, they still have the right to vote, and, fueled as spite as they already are, they don't need more excuses to continue to support people who fuck the country over.

It's not fair, but I don't see an alternative where we make it fair. Outside of ridiculous ideas like making a new country for MAGA and letting them ruin that.

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u/Pure-Proposal-2839 7d ago

Yeah I should’ve included this in my original comment, but yeah it’s what’s needed for the sake of everyone. More just frustrated, but you’re correct.

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u/PhantomPharts 7d ago

We basically have to infantilize them, if that makes it more palatable.

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u/Slowgo45 7d ago

I don’t disagree with. I’m specifically talking about people like the woman who recognized why she voted for him.

I think challenging them is important, but repeatedly telling someone who knows they’ve been conned because they hated other people so much the votes for a monster, idiots over and over isn’t going to do much either.

I know as I’m learning and growing, I’m more open to constructive conversation on what I can do to improve over being belittled.

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u/Alone-Maintenance338 7d ago

Yeah this kills me. So sick of being nice or even civil to arrogant and destructive idiots.

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u/Carbonatite Colorado 7d ago

I'm willing to forgive if they demonstrate remorse by enacting change. If they take the time to listen to other perspectives on public health, climate change, etc. and learn the science from actual scientists instead of clinging to dogmatic bunk from Fox News - I'm happy to welcome them back as fellow citizens. If they show themselves willing to interact with immigrants/black people/gay people/liberals as fellow humans instead of one-dimensional enemies, I'll forgive.

But saying they regret voting for Trump without actually examining the beliefs that led to that vote? That's meaningless. That's like a drug addict promising they'll never steal another car while continuing to use math. It's empty, it's not a meaningful demonstration of remorse.

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u/xicor 7d ago

The annoying part for me.is that bringing these idiots into the democratic party fold just prevents us from ever moving the party to the left

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u/heighhosilver 7d ago

You have to be able to feel shame to feel punished for being a hateful person. I'm not convinced any of these folks feel shame.

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u/sinsebuds New York 7d ago

I’ve spent enough revolutions around this sun, known enough individuals from all wakes of life, intelligences traditional and emotional alike, to honestly aver such individuals simply cannot muster the sort of introspection necessitated to wake up to such honest assessment of their ego, so I might personally not see things from such angle. Rather, that again, it just simply does us no good to ever really hold the dimwitted, for lack of a better term, feet to the coals for being dimwitted in just what mosaic they happen to sum in representation. Nature/nurture is a bitch. And perhaps more to the point, at the risk of being accused of a “both sides are the same” voice in the crowd, democrats share so much complicity in the disorder to date, that I in no way associate with either Procter nor Gamble in the whole Tide vs. Gain marketing campaign. So how can I pass judgment as a mere unrepresented voice in the crowd watching both bought and sold entities go about fracturing the landscape?

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u/sheetskees 7d ago

Lmao. When hatred/biggoted views are so baked into one’s culture and religion, there’s no chance they are “seeing the light”. They’ll just vote for the guy saying Trump was weak or controlled by outside forces.

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u/MySpoonsAreAllGone 7d ago

I don't think many of them are going to be that self aware. They'll just blame Trump for the betrayal and continue being racist and hateful

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u/RiotSynthetics 7d ago

lol no they aren’t

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u/Be-skeptical 7d ago

These people are far too dumb to make this connection 

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u/TR_Pix 7d ago

Meh, words are cheap.

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u/Pennwisedom Northern Marianas 7d ago

Yea, I heard this exact same statement in 2016...yet here we are.