DiscussMormonism.com

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/PsX-tVvbK78

This short video goes a long way towards explaining why hard right conservatives are so seemingly indifferent or even opposed to programs that are intended to help people and improve their lives. They are more concerned with making things worse for people they don't like than improving their own lives.

Quote by Lyndon B. Johnson:
"If you can convince the lowest white man he's better than the best colored man, he won't notice you're picking his pocket. Hell, give him somebody to look down on, and he'll empty his pockets

This video, also by Lucas Bean, is related to the above.

Some appropriate comments from the comment section:

As a leftie boomer I totally agree with you! I hate when people say everything wrong today is the result of the greed of the boomers. Wrong! It’s a result of right wing boomer ideology.! We lefties want to help others in spite of what might be better for us. We believe in community.

After Nixon was impeached, a bunch of right-wing John Burch disciples implemented a plan to elect Reagan and destroy the government and democracy.

There is also a racist element to these conservative boomers. You had Rush Limbaugh and Fox News, Christian nationalism. That spread this narcissistic/racist garbage for 30 years. When Obama won the presidency twice during this time, you had the rise of the tea party, which turned into Trump /MAGA.

My grandparents' generation fought the worst war in history to stop what their children would eventually help elect and inflict on us anyway.

The older I get, the more I believe that conservatism is rooted in fear. Another way of putting it is that conservatives are more motivated by fear than by love. I say this knowing my own history with thinking I was conservative. The older I get, the less I can relate to conservative sentiment, because I'm losing the fears and anxieties of my youth. I mean, I still hate waste, for instance, but I'm more accepting of it than I used to be.

We all should know that someone who succumbs to fear in any given situation is far less productive and rational than someone who doesn't.

Some Schmo wrote: ↑

Wed Jun 24, 2026 8:32 pm

The older I get, the more I believe that conservatism is rooted in fear. Another way of putting it is that conservatives are more motivated by fear than by love. I say this knowing my own history with thinking I was conservative. The older I get, the less I can relate to conservative sentiment, because I'm losing the fears and anxieties of my youth. I mean, I still hate waste, for instance, but I'm more accepting of it than I used to be.

We all should know that someone who succumbs to fear in any given situation is far less productive and rational than someone who doesn't.

I think this is obviously true and is on track to become even more obvious the longer people like Trump and his MAGA sycophants remain in power. Trump is obviously hellbent on trying to rig all future elections so that only hard right, conservatives, especially the most bigoted of them, will ever again be able to win them. I think many of them fear the prospect of finding out that they are not necessarily inherently superior to all who don't happen to share their own race, ethnicity or culture.

Gunnar wrote: ↑

Thu Jun 25, 2026 8:05 pm

Some Schmo wrote: ↑

Wed Jun 24, 2026 8:32 pm

The older I get, the more I believe that conservatism is rooted in fear. Another way of putting it is that conservatives are more motivated by fear than by love. I say this knowing my own history with thinking I was conservative. The older I get, the less I can relate to conservative sentiment, because I'm losing the fears and anxieties of my youth. I mean, I still hate waste, for instance, but I'm more accepting of it than I used to be.

We all should know that someone who succumbs to fear in any given situation is far less productive and rational than someone who doesn't.

I think this is obviously true and is on track to become even more obvious the longer people like Trump and his MAGA sycophants remain in power. Trump is obviously hellbent on trying to rig all future elections so that only hard right, conservatives, especially the most bigoted of them, will ever again be able to win them. I think many of them fear the prospect of finding out that they are not necessarily inherently superior to all who don't happen to share their own race, ethnicity or culture.

I finally found the Trump quote I've mentioned and have been looking for! This is Bob Woodward in a video short. I might have heard it in one of Woodward's tape recording but I know I heard it from Trump's own mouth.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/z3iftKVNlHM

Jersey Girl wrote: ↑

Thu Jun 25, 2026 9:32 pm

Gunnar wrote: ↑

Thu Jun 25, 2026 8:05 pm

I think this is obviously true and is on track to become even more obvious the longer people like Trump and his MAGA sycophants remain in power. Trump is obviously hellbent on trying to rig all future elections so that only hard right, conservatives, especially the most bigoted of them, will ever again be able to win them. I think many of them fear the prospect of finding out that they are not necessarily inherently superior to all who don't happen to share their own race, ethnicity or culture.

I finally found the Trump quote I've mentioned and have been looking for! This is Bob Woodward in a video short. I might have heard it in one of Woodward's tape recording but I know I heard it from Trump's own mouth.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/z3iftKVNlHM

Thanks. This adds to the enormous body of confirming evidence I have already seen that he relies very much on intimidation and bullying to get his way. he has a long history of doing that all through his life. He will never apologize for that. If anything, he actually seems boastful about how big a bully he is.

Gunnar wrote: ↑

Fri Jun 26, 2026 4:26 am

Jersey Girl wrote: ↑

Thu Jun 25, 2026 9:32 pm

I finally found the Trump quote I've mentioned and have been looking for! This is Bob Woodward in a video short. I might have heard it in one of Woodward's tape recording but I know I heard it from Trump's own mouth.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/z3iftKVNlHM

Thanks. This adds to the enormous body of confirming evidence I have already seen that he relies very much on intimidation and bullying to get his way. he has a long history of doing that all through his life. He will never apologize for that. If anything, he actually seems boastful about how big a bully he is.

The main thing I take away from this is that he thinks fear is the great motivator because nothing but fear motivates him.

He's a frightened child in every sense except physical age.

Some Schmo wrote: ↑

Fri Jun 26, 2026 7:50 am

The main thing I take away from this is that he thinks fear is the great motivator because nothing but fear motivates him.

He's a frightened child in every sense except physical age.

And by the way, I am convinced that the main reason he's popular with as many people as he is is because they too are as immature and fundamentally broken as he is.

If you're a Trump fan, you should get clinical help, because you're a screwup. There's no reasonable excuse for liking a damned criminal rapist, bully and moron, unless you're one too (which I think explains most of them).

There's nothing worse than an insecure idiot who revels in good people's pain. Screw you asshole Trump voting people. If I believed there was a hell, it would be where you morons congregate.

Some Schmo wrote: ↑

Fri Jun 26, 2026 7:50 am

Gunnar wrote: ↑

Fri Jun 26, 2026 4:26 am

Thanks. This adds to the enormous body of confirming evidence I have already seen that he relies very much on intimidation and bullying to get his way. he has a long history of doing that all through his life. He will never apologize for that. If anything, he actually seems boastful about how big a bully he is.

The main thing I take away from this is that he thinks fear is the great motivator because nothing but fear motivates him.

He's a frightened child in every sense except physical age.

Of course he's frightened! He knows he is a convicted felon who would almost certainly already be in prison now, had he not managed to get himself elected again. That's the sole reason why he insists that getting his "Save America Act" passed and signed into law is an such an urgent emergency that he is determined to hold any and all other legislation hostage by refusing to sign into law any other legislation, no matter how popular and urgent, unless and until congress passes that specific bill and sends it to his desk. He knows that he is so unpopular now that there is very little probability of the coming mid-term election going in his favor unless he can somehow manage to unfairly rig it and all future elections in his and ultra right conservatives' favor.

Sometimes I wonder if Trump is even tending towards celebrating even when he, himself, is suffering. I think he may be calculating that the more he is drawing criticism and anger for his unwanted and hated actions and policies, the more he can present himself as a martyr and thereby prevail on people's tendency to sympathize with martyrs and underdogs. This may at least partially explain why he seems to double down on policies that he must know are unpopular and will generate opposition that he can spin as martyrdom.

Gunnar wrote: ↑

Fri Jun 26, 2026 1:28 pm

Sometimes I wonder if Trump is even tending towards celebrating even when he, himself, is suffering. I think he may be calculating that the more he is drawing criticism and anger for his unwanted and hated actions and policies, the more he can present himself as a martyr and thereby prevail on people's tendency to sympathize with martyrs and underdogs. This may at least partially explain why he seems to double down on policies that he must know are unpopular and will generate opposition that he can spin as martyrdom.

He's not this smart. Not even close.

I read an article yesterday that made the case that he likes to cheat. That's the motivation behind rigging the election. He doesn't want to have to do the job of gaining people's approval; he likes having one over on everyone else. He's a conman who likes conning.

I think that nails it. He's not interested in being a good President; he just wants people to believe he is without him having to earn it. It's similar to the way he thinks people should love him despite all his crimes and asshole behavior, like his idiotic fans do.