re: #94 The Ghost of a Flea

My guess is what we’re looking at is a political variation of what Trump does in business: his investors (the voters, the GOP) are going to get soaked. The plan was always that they’d get soaked…even if (narcissist, grifter) Trump got all the support and full backing.

Cui bono? The other narcissists who see no contradiction in peddling internally-contradictory ideology and bilking their followers. That’s Bannon, definitely—but it’s also Alex Jones and all the various “prophets,” and the Tea Party-esque types who sell fear.

To fall back on two themes that are basically my mantras on this board:

1. The polar distinction of genuine belief versus grift can be resolved if the people involved have no “truth” except their own rectitude.

2. The wingnut culture has become a covered market in which vendors compete to sell “wares” that make their consumer base feel special.

I stand by my theory that Trump is re-branding himself as a demagogue intentionally. It’s new, faster con than his building schemes, and the current state of play means that it’s far easier to move cash around in ways that avoid scrutiny.

And if done right, it’s also extremely lucrative. I have little doubt that Trump is keenly aware of this.