Comments by "KGS" (@kgs2280) on "The Bulwark" channel.

To the Europeans asking, many, many of us Americans are asking the same questions. I have a few theories, but it would take too long to list them all, but the two most notable ones are: 1. Many Americans have a unique and intense fascination with “celebrity”. Akin to some English people’s fascination with the English royal family). Coupled with their ignorance (see #2, below), they tend to think that anyone very famous, especially actors, whose movies they liked a lot, would make a great leader. Which, of course, does not compute. For example, we had Ronald Reagan as Governor of California, then as President of the U.S., then Arnold Schwarzenegger as Governor of California, and Donald Trump as President of the U.S. That’s all it is, they are literal star struck movie goers, or, in Trump’s case, he’s a TV “celebrity”, and especially for the strong, masculine man they have portrayed, as that goes along with our Patriarchal “American Exceptionalism” trope. And, 2. You may have heard of the expression here: “The Dumbing Down of America”. It was (and will continue to be under Project 2025. [If you haven’t heard of that, please, for the love of all that is holy, look it up. There are many good You Tube videos about it, too]. The first program mentioned was launched by Ronald Reagan after some of his major donors, the billionaire Koch Brothers, who had ties (ownership?) with the organization that sends all text books to a place in Texas where they’re analyzed, generally (at least in the past) to pick the best books for the American schools, and those finalists are chosen for the schools. The Koch Brothers had a plan to only pick books with a lot of truthful history and other general information conveniently left out of them in order to, well, dumb down Americans. Because ignorant people are much more easily manipulated. (Do you remember trump telling his crowd once, “I love the poorly educated!”? This is why. They also cut out classes in civics, critical thinking, logic, and, I’m not sure, but they seem to have also left out debate in middle schools and up. It might seem odd, but they also decided to axe classes in music and art, and I think it’s because articles had been coming out around that time that stated that studying music and art improved the growth of young minds, made them smarter, and made them think more clearly and in more abstract ways, so it fits. And that’s when it all began. Now, the Heritage Foundation’s Mandate for government started up with the marriage of trump with the evangelical right to take advantage of the “dumbed down Americans and join them all together with their desire for a Christian Nationalism which rules every single aspect of governance as well as people’s personal lives, primarily women’s. Someone once described it as 1984 (the book by George Orwell) + Fahrenheit 451 (book by Ray Bradbury) + The Handmaid’s Tale (book by Margaret Atwood and TV series). I think that’s a fair description. I think I should add one more thing: so… 3. Trump sounds crazy to us rational people, but he’s a master manipulator, and he has managed to turn his followers into a real cult, just like Jim Jones did with his church. That’s why we always use the phrase “they drank the koolaid”, because, if you’re not familiar with Jim Jones, he took his people down to Guyana, and when he knew the U.S. Feds were coming for him, he forced all his congregants to drink arsenic or cyanide-laced koolaid, something like 900 of them, men, women and children, of whom almost all died immediately. I apologize for this being so long, but there were so many things to say about the background and history of this movement and our present situation. I hope it was clear, and that it helped you understand our current situation. Of course, it would be far easier to say - and read: “because they’re all idiots”, but since you’re in other countries, I felt you deserved a fuller explanation of all the nuances. But it is a bunch of idiots being taken advantage of by very rich and very greedy people in order to turn our country into a “Christofascist” (my new favorite term) dictatorship.
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Same as with Matt Gaetz.
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Excellent!
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@Cancionera40 Bingo!
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@robhughes645 Thank you for taking the time to read my too-long tirade, and for commenting. You’re right about social media, and yet it is social media like YouTube here that is supplying us with more honest news, as almost all our “mainstream media” has been either corrupted or gagged, so I almost feel like it is a self-correcting system, to an extent, and for now. But I figured that I went on well longer than most people would read, and many in these younger generations might have already figured this out (at least I hope). I’m far too aware that most people won’t take the time to read it, which is why I didn’t add even more to, but I always hope that at least one or two people will read it, and have a bit more understanding, and that they (or you) will share it with others. I can only share what I understand to be truth, and hope that others do so as well. Sorry to add one more thing, but I watched a new YT video yesterday (I’m sorry I don’t remember who it was by, likely Democracy Now!) about the Federalist Society. I highly recommend it. The Federalist Society is essentially a judicial version of the Heritage Foundation. It explains how we got our current Supreme Court.
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You are absolutely correct. I’m old enough that I still remember growing up watching lots of films about Hitler, and I can see so many similarities and a recurrence of the patterns and policies that put him in power. I guess the younger generations never got to see those films, or were even taught about that time, but I feel like I’m re-living one of the worst periods in human history. I would recommend that everyone read George Orwell’s book 1984. It wasn’t specifically about Hitler, but it really rings familiar with what’s going on in the U.S. right now. Thank you for your comment. I’ve often thought of moving to another country if trump gets back in office, and I’ve heard great things about Portugal, so that might be the one I choose. It’s between that and Mexico, and Mexico just elected its first woman president. She takes office October first! We shall see. Either way, I will NOT live under a dictatorship.
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@pammajamma9907 Thank you so much. I could have added so much more, but, as I said, I doubted that many, if any, people would read more than a “witty quip”. That seems to be more than most people now want to take the time for. I appreciate that you took the time. My first love, it seems, is spreading information.
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@Don-md6wn Exactly. He thinks he knows more than anybody else so he really doesn’t even bother listening to them. And that will be his downfall.
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@carmenopera Thank you. And, me too.
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@annabelle68-z2h Many people. Sadly. I lived in Florida for 20 years, and I was always shocked at how they clung to that. So glad I left when I could, and now live in California.
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@adougherty8869 I became very aware of that not long after moving here (I’m well below Los Angeles) and I admit I was shocked at how red so many people here are, but at least there are pockets of very blue areas as well, so that’s what saves me. Perhaps, if I had checked it out a little more thoroughly I would have decided on Northern California, but I like the weather down here in SoCal. I remember learning that the “Grand Dragon Poobah” (or whatever they call him) of the KKK retired and lives about 40 miles north of me. As long as he stays up there, I’ll be OK. I’ve been here about 43 years, so I’ve acclimated. And Orange County (just below and slightly east of L.A. is VERY red, so that gives you an idea what Katie Porter is up against, bless her heart, and I mean that sincerely, not the old Southern way! I really wish her the best, as she’s very good and we, especially that area, need(s) her).
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@Luzarioth The best defense against the lies spread by cult, while still honoring freedom of speech, is telling the truth, often and everywhere.
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@VidarLund-k5q And a pretty terrible President, though I’m sure many would disagree with me. He was open to manipulation by the big corporate guys, and the mega-wealthy who love to give presidents “advice”.
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@kathleenm3443 74yr. old California woman here, and I have NEVER voted for anyone but Democrats, and never will. Go Kamala!
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@terrancemitchell3420 Won’t that be lovely? And Mexico (yes, Mexico!) just voted in a woman President! She’ll take office in October. And she’s on the left. I think we’ll have very good relations between her and Kamala.
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@DarrellWinns Not until he leaves this Earth.
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Same here. And to actually have a chance to elect a woman President! Mexico just elected their first woman President, who will take office in October, and she’s on the left, so maybe the stars (or whatever) are lining up, and it’s a good sign. Kamala has exactly what it takes to get us there.
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@isitnotnifty My father was also a vet, USAF pilot, but he wasn’t directly in the fight because he went in at the end of the war, but he dropped food and goods to the Germans in the Berlin Air Lift, and was stationed there just after the war, helping to rebuild. I’m starting to think it was only us military families who saw those newsreels at the base theaters, and the civilians must not have gotten those as no one seems to know what I’m talking about. But every single movie we saw (and they were 25 cents at the time!) started with those, and news about Queen Elizabeth’s coronation and the story of Amelia Earhart’s flight and her disappearance. And there were a lot of war movies, too. At least we learned some history! Good times back then.
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@jm1657 Thank you. I appreciate your comment.
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@angelwingz892 Yes, and we have Ronald Reagan to thank for that, via advice he received from the Koch brothers.
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@MishasMom Thank you. I would also recommend you watch a very recent video about the Federalist Society (I can’t remember the title, but it was likely put out by Democracy Now!), but it should be easy to find, they are essentially the judicial version of The Heritage Foundation (they select a list of judges to hand to the President to choose for appointment). And it’s now becoming clear that they’re working alongside The Heritage Foundation, some of the same donors, etc.
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@ingridclothier2300 Fortunately, it’s actually only about a third, although that still causes a lot of problems. Thanks for your comment.
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@GianniDN I might be one of those Americans moving to Italy, or somewhere else, if trump becomes President again. I will NOT live under a dictatorship. Period.
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@mmonsal5359 🤣
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@daughterofbob-d5r If any of his brain is left that has not already rotted yet.
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I guess they ignored the prophecy about the Antichrist. Trump pretty well, and very obviously, fits that bill.
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@tab5470 Bingo!
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And MTG even made a poster of Hunter Biden’s “d” picks to Congress, which, of course, made it to the internet in a big way (no pun intended, but…).
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I agree completely. I might not be on any trump “hit list” (although I might be as I’m a childless cat lady, and feminist, who frequently makes anti-trump comments on YT), but I have said for a long time that if trump gets re-elected I will move to another country. This will no longer be the America I’ve always known, even with all its foibles, and I will NOT live under a dictatorship. And Romney (among others in that party) needs to grow a spine. But, then again he’s not my favorite person in Congress because (besides his party affiliation) he was the first to lead the charge in Congress to NOT put the Equal Rights Amendment into the Constitution after Virginia became the 38th state to ratify it in 2020.
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I also find it ironic that he repeated Joe Rogan’s claim about how many of those convicted were rapists, when Trump himself is an adjudicated rapist.
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@sheilagoos645 Bat Boy!
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Excellent report! Thank you for laying out the facts. How can that guy actually be allowed to be President again? There’s something so very wrong with a system that allows that to happen.
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@sandyjohnson5111 You are 100% correct!
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Funny, but my first thought for “lizard person” (or other species) would be Mark Zuckerberg. I’ve always thought he’d be the top choice for alien.
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@elewis-pb1kc I hope you’re right on that last line. That would be great. Sometimes I think they’re in too deep, though, and falling for the B.S. just in order to keep up with it. Like Method Acting, if you go so far into your character you have trouble getting back out and into reality again.
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@bohoinmexico3491 I’m so happy for Mexico! What a surprising and wonderful turn of events.
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@adamarket Do you think England/UK will accept Americans on an asylum basis if trump wins the ‘24 election? Because this American is definitely going to leave the country if he does because I won’t live in a fascist state.
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@Ash.Crow.Goddess I’m planning to leave if for some reason (cheating) he gets re-elected. I just hope a number of countries will be willing to take us as refugees or asylum seekers. My biggest concern is that I’m mostly living on Social Security, which isn’t enough to qualify for acceptance by most countries, and if the Republicans (and trump and Heritage) get rid of SS, which they have repeatedly said they will, I’m totally screwed from acceptance by another country, and won’t even be able to afford to live here, in my birth country, except for on the streets. But, I refuse to live under a fascist dictatorship, especially (as a woman) under a Christian Nationalist one. At least I’m an old woman well past reproductive years. Maybe I could petition the new WOMAN President of Mexico for refugee status. (Yes! Mexico recently elected a woman President, and she’ll take office in October. Can you imagine her and Kamala working together? What a dream!)
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@jorunn62 Thank you for that.
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@barbararobinson-smith9607 Thanks for that.
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@robertpostlethwaite8141 Thanks for that.
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@DaMuse1000 Thank you.
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@jaybee2051 Thankfully, only about a third of them actually want to see it destroyed. The rest of us can see we’ve got a great foundation and only want to fix the mess that some of them have made of it. The rest of those who literally want it destroyed are the leaders of other countries, like Putin.
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