Trump's Multiple Ideological Personality Syndrome (or MIPS)

[skip fox]

Last edited Tue Apr 14, 2020, 10:00 AM - Edit history (1)

There are at least two directly conflicting impulses in Trump that are at war every day:

1. Anti-Federal Government: One is Federalism/State Rights/Limited Federal Government due to ideological "beliefs" reinforced by Stephen Miller, Steve Bannon, Fox News, etc.

2. Authoritarianism: The second concerns his desire for "total authority."

With that basic conflict laying out, there are also hundred of competing interests which are pulling multiple ways: The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, haters of the Post Office, anti-taxers, vote suppressors, racists, medical and religious quacks, the insurance industry, etc., etc.

We needn't wonder why each day is filled with mixed messages out of the administration. Conflict, discord, and confusion are baked into the cake, as they say.

[Girard442]

1. "State's Rights" is important when it sticks it to the Libs.

"Absolute Presidential Authority" is important when it sticks it to the Libs.

Trump and his supporters become vegan nudist Druids if they thought it would stick it to the Libs.

[unblock]

2. republicans are only inconsistent if you don't recognize their actual goals.

they're only interested in
1) doing whatever the ultra-rich want;
2) accumulating power for themselves in order to further goal #1; and
3) taking a cut for themselves.

that's really it.

so they're all for law and order when it comes to keeping non-rich and non-republican politicians in line, but all for lax or no enforcement when it comes to the ultra-rich or themselves. it sounds inconsistent, but it's not. they are consistently good for the people they care about and bad for the people they don't.

authoritarianism furthers all their goals, though you notice they don't ever care to boss around the ultra-rich.

anti-federal government is mostly about preventing the federal government *when not in republican control* from interfering with their goals. we all know damn well they would love to prevent abortion nationwide if they could. but they can't, so they settle for the next best thing, which is restricting it in every state they can. no conflict there. they'd toss aside states' rights in a second for a national ban.