How can 42 percent of Americans still support the worst president in our history?

[BlueWavePsych]

A Pew Research Center survey makes clear the extent of the problem. Among those who get their election news primarily from Fox “News,” 86 percent say Trump is delivering the “completely right” or “mostly right” message about the pandemic, 78 percent that “the U.S. has controlled the outbreak as much as it could have” and 61 percent that Trump and his administration get the facts right about the coronavirus “almost all” or “most of the time.” Perhaps the most disturbing finding of all: 39 percent of Fox News viewers say that QAnon — an insane conspiracy theory that posits that Trump’s opponents are satanic child-molesters — is “somewhat good” or “very good” for the country.

Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan (D-N.Y.) used to say: “Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not to his own facts.” That’s no longer true.

While irrationality and conspiratorial thinking exist on both the left and the right, the right in recent decades has been much more afflicted by an epidemic of “alternative facts.” This is not a new development: Conspiracy theories about fluoridation, Whitewater, Vince Foster’s death, John F. Kerry’s Swift boat service, Bill Clinton’s 1969 trip to Moscow and Barack Obama’s birth certificate predate the Trump presidency. But the rise of Fox News and Facebook allows “fake news” to spread much more readily — and Trump gives it the imprimatur of the Oval Office. It’s bad enough that the president lies so much; what’s worse is that so many think he is telling the truth.

Unfortunately, even if Trump is defeated, a large portion of the country will continue to believe a lot of things that simply are not so — and a small but significant number could be led into violence by their lunatic beliefs. The disturbing plot by members of a right-wing militia to kidnap the governor of Michigan may be a taste of what is to come. As Francisco Goya warned, “the sleep of reason produces monsters.”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/10/13/how-can-42-percent-americans-still-support-worst-president-our-history/

[unblock]

1. Fox News is a hell of a drug....

[MustLoveBeagles]

2. It could be anything

1. Too much Fox and hate radio
2. They were dropped on their heads once too often
3. They're butt blind and stupid
4. All the above

[BlueWavePsych]

7. 4. All of the above

[MustLoveBeagles]

11. Welcome to DU

[zipplewrath]

14. Narrow mindedness

That's what the catchall phrase used to be.

[SheltieLover]

3. International disgrace!

[Poiuyt]

4. There was a research study a few years ago that found that people who

get their news from Fox were less informed than people who watch no news whatsoever.

[OAITW r.2.0]

5. Because they are stupid? And they willing to fucking torch this reality?

For something they can't begin to realize?

[Thekaspervote]

6. Remember that those numbers from fux snooz come from repukes, not dems

Repukes make up about 30% of the populous. So the actual numbers ..smaller than they seem

[BigmanPigman]

8. I read the OP title and said "Fux Ruse and Fakebook"

Then I went on to read further.....no surprises anymore. We all know that Fuckerberg is a GOP enabler and a greedy bastard who needs to be stopped. If Biden wins I hope Warren goes after that smug ass, Fuckerberg, big time. Don't know what to do about Fux since the Fairness Doctrine doesn't apply to them, shit!

[Hoyt]

9. Fact is there are a lot of deplorable/vile people here. They have a right to vote

for trump, no matter how revolting that is. Fortunately, I don’t have to like them.

[Midnight Writer]

10. It reminds me of Robert Anton Wilson's mental Reality Tunnels.

If you live in a place where everyone thinks shit is a delicacy, chances are you think it is, too.

If your parents teach you that, if your friends, family all agree on it, your co-workers rave about it every day at work, your preacher won't shut up about it, it's all you see on the TV, all you hear on the radio, and damn if every thing you click on the internet doesn't reinforce that same truth.

And I'm not blaming the people so much as I am the powers that target them.

[JanMichael]

12. Because at least 20% are evil. Another 20% are milquetoast evil.

They are big "R" racists and little "r" racists; they hate taxes; they want women put back in their "place"; gay people scare them; they hate abortion; they love guns; add that all up and 42 is not only the answer to the universe life and poptarts but also the percentage of dimwitted fascists in the USA.

[Jeebo]

13. That's what I always think when I see one of these polls.

How can so many people in this country be so incredibly STUPID?

I worked for 45 years (retired now) for a newspaper. I was a paginator, page designer, copy editor, headline writer, paste-up person, typesetter, proofreader, lots of other things, just generally a newspaper production person. We had strict fact-checking and accuracy-checking rules and procedures to make sure that what we put into print was the truth.

But nowadays, there's Fox news, right-wing talk radio, social media, lots of electronic media where ANYBODY can post ANYTHING making all kinds of preposterous claims, without any kind of accuracy-checking backing up their claims. Professionalism and responsibility are disappearing from the communications industry. That's the problem. Stupidity is running rampant because there's nothing in place to stop it.

-- Ron

[JI7]

15. There are a lot of shitty bigoted people in this country. Just look at other Republicans

like McConnell who keep getting elected.

[ecstatic]

16. It's really upsetting and depressing

After the smoke clears and the emergencies are handled, we need to figure out how to educate everyone because this country cannot survive with the level of ignorance we have right now.

[BlueWavePsych]

17. Yes, refunding education and updating curriculum will be a key part of the solution.

[My Pet Orangutan]

18. 40% voted for Hoover in 1932.

Americans are tribal.