An observation on the GOP from deeep red America

[D_Master81]

Just as a backdrop, I live in a small town of around 6-7000 in rural Indiana. This is what you think of when you think “Trump country”. 15 churches in our town, trucks with flags on the back, etc.
Something interesting that I’ve noticed is that the GOP around here has become nothing but Trump worship. There are easily 100 Trump/Pence signs in yards and dozens of houses with trump flags in front. 1 house even has raised a trump flag on the poll where the American flag once waived. It’s starting to get where certain people seem to be in a contest of who loves Trump more. The house on the corner of my street has 4 signs and 2 flags in their front yard. Every Monday for the past several weeks a group of about 50 people meet uptown at the main intersection decked out in MAGA gear waiving flags at passing cars. I say this to then point out, there are almost zero signs for any other race and Trump will win this state by 10 points. We have a governor race and I have yet to see a single Holcomb (Republican governor) sign. It truly has become a cult that is nothing more than do you support trump? It’s scary because I don’t know that people will just move beyond him after the election. These people truly do worship him, he is devouring all the oxygen of the GOP.

[Statistical]

1. That is insane and scary.

[kimbutgar]

2. What will happen to them if MF45 passes from the hoax Covid-19 ?

They will probably lose their minds their Der Furher is gone.

[Whiskeytide]

19. Some of these people still don't ...

... believe Elvis is dead. A CT that Tя☭mp faked his death, is secretly alive and running the government, and is about to reward them all for their loyalty is an easy one.

[texasfiddler]

3. It is the same in my rural part of Texas. Who can out do the other with Flags. CULT!!!

Some have more flags than they have wheels on their house. Disgusting I tell Ya!

[TEB]

4. We could be neighbors

I live in country trump cuntry Mercia yup it’s a cult

[andym]

5. He may try to run again if he loses and is able

heatlhwise and legally. His ego is too big. Looks like his followers will be there for him based on your observations.

[Claustrum]

9. it might be ego, or it's just a sure way to fill his pocket with money

I tend to think the latter. I think Trump will hold onto the republicans as long as he can to milk money off them.

[No Vested Interest]

12. I understand it's not as easy for Trump to get the big money anymore.

Isn't the Trump campaign lagging behind Biden in fund-raising in the last month or two?

[Claustrum]

14. He might not be bringing in 400m a month, but the campaign sure can spend a few millions

here and there at his properties. At least it keeps their lifestyle up for longer.

[No Vested Interest]

16. That is true. Likely putting it on the tab.

[ProfessorGAC]

29. Covers Some Of The Interest, Right?

Staving off the inevitable late fees, and nobody to lend him any more money.
He's a dreadful financial risk to lenders.
Asset vales reassessed downward, twice in 3 years.
Additional, previously underreported organizational debt revealed.
Personal debt revealed.
Debt service is crushing so gotta rake in some coin to cover the interest payments!

[aeromanKC]

6. Good to hear for 2024

Looks like Lincoln project will have their hands full in 2024 with these whackadoodles that they will not be coming at us.

[Claustrum]

7. Are these 50 people meet uptown parade a new thing or it's always happened even before Trump?

[D_Master81]

20. New

Just started a couple weeks ago. I don’t recall seeing it before

[Claustrum]

22. Thank you. That's my impression because I've never heard of such of thing till the last year or 2

It reinforces the notion that they are a cult. Luckily, like cults, the passing of the personality leader usually leads to the disappearance or at least significant reduction in size of the cult when the leader is gone. Meanwhile, we have to wait till the day Trump is gone. It's seriously a strange time that we live in.

Stay safe and sane out there especially when you are living among them. Do know that there are other sane people that are with you and our numbers are larger than theirs (or so I hope).

[Chellee]

30. I don't know that much about cult dynamics.

Do you think that, in the event that Trump dies that they would coalesce around Don Jr. or Ivanka? If they were in a NY state prison would that dampen enthusiasm or solidify it?

[SergeStorms]

8. Good.

If he's devouring all the oxygen from the GOP then the GOP is pretty much dead. That means the entire government will be in Democratic control on January 20, 2021. To hell with all his brain-dead worshipers. They can crawl back under the rocks they emerged from in 2016.

[captain queeg]

10. Hard to think of how things will be post trump

Really is a cult and they wouldn’t support Pence is nearly the same way. I’d say most Trumpers have no knowledge of politics and a lot of them will just not vote after trump is gone.

[Baked Potato]

11. They believe when Jesus has had enough, he will

reach down and tear open the sky with one hand and use the other hand to scoop up all the true believers. They think the bigger the Trump regalia, the bigger chance Jesus will scoop them up on the first pass.

[hlthe2b]

13. I think that's why "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" had so much impact--the fear of being locked up

with the insane is truly disconcerting.

Sounds like your tiny town is just that. Stay sane. Get out and visit more blue areas for "sanity" breaks if you can.

[NRaleighLiberal]

15. cult

[jaysunb]

17. Herd mentally ? Nt

[SWBTATTReg]

18. I guarantee you that in the Cities, it's totally the reverse. trump is reviled and hated by the ...

hundreds of thousands, easily outweighing the trump numbers. That's why the republican party is desperately trying to suppress the vote, play little tricks to screw w/ our voting etc.

When you have 50 people live on a 5 mile stretch of rural road who have at least 45 signs up for trump, versus 1000 feet of city road, with 100-200 people with Biden signs up, there is no comparison. Or, it's at lopsided for Biden. And believe me, the number of trump signs is definitely down vs. last time.

[Hortensis]

23. No, it's not the reverse because Democrats just aren't

nearly as good at hating as they are. Nor are we anywhere near as thuggish and disrespectful of people's right to put up yard signs for their candidates. Republicans tear Democratic signs down righteously and vandalize cars with bumper stickers. Democrats for the most part don't.

A consideration to add to your demographics picture is WASTED VOTES. A passionate minority is winning elections not just because of the electoral college but because Democrats are winning elections in larger population centers by millions of extra, wasted votes; we need just one more to win and instead get hundreds of thousands. Republicans are far more spread out all over the nation and win more towns and districts by smaller, efficient margins with fewer wasted votes.

What can we do? Liberals tend to love the stimulating vitality, range of opportunities, and diversity of people and experiences that cities offer. Conservatives feel happiest where the people are "like me." And the nation's been separating out that way for some while.

[mcar]

21. It is disturbing

We have the same in our rural red FL county. I actually saw a property that had 3 very tall flagpoles with the Trump flag in the middle, higher than the American flag.

It is a cult.

[durablend]

24. Same here in central PA

And this:

"It’s starting to get where certain people seem to be in a contest of who loves Trump more"

I was thinking that yesterday. Just like who has the bigger truck, who has the biggest flag, sign or banner.

[RazzleCat]

25. Different view from another Red state person

2016, Trump everywhere in my area, yard signs on houses in my subdivision, exit the subdivision, Trump flags, huge wooden ( 4 x 6 and larger) Trump signs along the access roads. Couple of Trump trucks, they were pick up with 6 Trump flags, Trump bumper stickers, Trump magnetic signs.

2020, only one house still flying the Trump flag (fyi, its looking faded and frayed), have not seen the trucks for a few months, no Trump yard signs, no huge Trump signs along access roads, zero Trump yard signs in the subdivision, almost no Trump bumper stickers round the area. Now I still don’t think that means that they are voting for Biden, but they no longer seem to love Trump.

[Crunchy Frog]

26. You have my deepest sympathies. I have some Indiana connections, and know what a shithole

that place is. And that's from being in the nice parts.

I was absolutely gobsmacked when Obama won there in '08.

[get the red out]

27. I don't see how they do just move on

Outside Lexington and Louisville (which certainly have plenty of MAGAs, but they are outnumbered), your border state to the south is the same.

I fully believe that the Astro-turf “Tea Party” was the future MAGAs on training wheels. The media was breathless about covering this “grass roots” movement. Just prior to that Sara Palin. I really felt something hideous was coming that didn’t have a damn thing to do with taxes and Gov spending.

[Midnight Writer]

28. Sounds like home. (Downstate Illinois)

[customerserviceguy]

31. Biden signs

just started showing up in my area this last week. They're only on the main highway through town, not in any of the neighborhoods. I'm sure many of the HOAs have restrictions against yard signs, but the same is true for the predominantly African-American neighborhoods that were here long before housing tracts were built here in the last 25 years or so.

I'd feel a bit more comfortable if such a thing that you described were happening someplace for Joe Biden.

[Martin Eden]

32. Rural Indiana has always loved rich New Yorkers

Not.

What makes this one so special?

Is he a devout Christian and a dedicated family man who treats people with respect and would never cheat on his wife?

If not, then what qualities make him so special?

[LiberalFighter]

33. Maybe Holcomb will lose?