Trump basically won his nomination by gas-lighting the Republican Party...

[MrScorpio]

Last edited Thu Jul 21, 2016, 12:04 PM - Edit history (2)

If you're not familiar with that term, here's a quick definition:

Gaslighting
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


Gaslighting or gas-lighting is a form of mental abuse in which a victim is manipulated into doubting their own memory, perception, and sanity. Instances may range from the denial by an abuser that previous abusive incidents ever occurred, up to the staging of bizarre events by the abuser with the intention of disorienting the victim.

The term owes its origin to the 1938 play Gas Light and its film adaptations. The term has been used in clinical and research literature

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaslighting

All of the name calling, insults, and abuse of those around him from his own perceived position of authority induced feelings of doubt and fear in an electorate that was already primed to feel that way. Trump's never-ending haranguing, put downs and lies forced voters and some of his primary opponents to doubt themselves and depend him for validation. Trump deftly exploited what was handed to him on a silver plater all the way to the bank. Chris Christie's completely servile attention to Trump was one of the biggest demonstrations of exploitation.

Donald Trump is an egotistical and uncaring abuser, pure and simple and he cares very little for the people whom he abuses. You can pretty much figure out how that forebodes for the country, in the unlikely and unfortunate chance that he'd get elected.

What was remarkable about Ted Cruz unwillingness to endorse Trump's nomination, however, was that his own tremendous ego refused to allow Trump the victory of his abuse. Cruz obviously never forgot the insults against himself and his family by Trump on the campaign trail and he chose to NOT allow Trump the satisfaction of benefiting from his months of abuse. He pretty much recognized that Trump was attempting to gaslight him.

Say what you will about Ted Cruz, he wasn't willing to compromise his own ego to someone that he doesn't respect for political expediency. A double sided sword, I guess you can say.

All in all, this says two things about the Republican electorate and Ted Cruz: Were Trump elected, the right wing and the GOP would excuse and allow all forms of negligence and malfeasance by a Trump Administration, without question and if Ted Cruz were elected to high office, he himself would be equally dangerous in inflicting his own brand of hegemony in government and would do so without reflecting at all on the propriety of his own policies.

A clash of egos. Two bad guys going head to head. One, an abusive con man who exploits the fears, doubts, greed and weaknesses of others and another, who's a pious, egotistical snake-oil salesman, one step above juggling snakes, after being raised to believe that he was anointed by his own deity. The best thing going own here is the fact that the most off-putting guy for the rest of decent society won. But not only that, Cruz's intransigence has seemed to irreparably damage his political career options for higher office for the time being.

GOP groupthink will surely remember his transgression last night.

Will Trump be able to gas light the entire country as well as he gas-lit the Republican Electorate? Well, not if the rest of society is susceptible to the bigotry, anger, hatred and fears that seem to haunt so many lily-white people on the right. There's plenty of indication that it is not a viable path to the Oval Office for Trump, as he is completely unable to distance himself from all of his own negative aspects. The Republican Party will pay dearly for getting into bed with the utterly detestable Donald Trump.

How the GOP considers itself to be a functional and valid political entity, capable of properly administrating government policy if it was ever allowed to do so is a mystery to any thinking person, that's for sure.

[LakeVermilion]

1. The Republicans have been "gas-lit" since Reagan...

They didn't just suddenly get to this point. I think that the Tea Party is a "gas-light" situation.

[Cosmocat]

5. Exactly

These people have been lost since the 90s.

Trump is just the balls out manifestation.

I keep saying, he did not happen to that party, he IS that party.

[MFM008]

2. A great movie

....

[Jeffersons Ghost]

3. K&R. the first term, Gaslighting and other copy me makes me think of Auschwitz

Last edited Thu Jul 21, 2016, 07:38 PM - Edit history (1)

Singling out an entire religious group to falsely blame, as Trump does, brings some sordid history to mind. His Twitter also reveals that he enjoys reading and publicizing Antisemitic websites.

[msanthrope]

4. Cruz did what Christie and Rubio lacked the courage to do. nt

[bucolic_frolic]

6. A thread for a newspaper editorial

This is a VERY important take on the process that has played out

Wish that all Americans could read it

[alcibiades_mystery]

7. Trump called the man's wife ugly

Endorsing him for anything would have been far below the dignity of the average person. It doesn't require a massive ego to give the old fuck you to somebody publically micking the appearance of your spouse. Trump is a hateful asshole, and got some measure of comeuppance last night.

[rurallib]

8. Amazing that all these supposedly strong men with big egos - except Cruz -

have been broken by Trump and have bowed, kissed his ring and now do his humiliating bidding.

Trump makes me think of a conquering medieval warlord

[Ford_Prefect]

9. Imagine that...........

[Brainstormy]

10. Regarding the gaslighting

Very true. But Republicans have been whipping the base into a Hillary-hating frenzy since the day she said she wasn't staying home to bake cookies. She worked on health care. She was the first First Lady with a post-graduate degree. She brought it on herself, right?

[maddiemom]

14. Good summation of the "problem" with Hillary in the eyes of the GOP.

[longship]

11. That's a very appropriate narrative. R&K nt

[uponit7771]

12. +1, "These are not the droids you're looking for" works on the weak minded

[Bluenorthwest]

13. The victim of 'gaslighting' has to start the process in good mental health and lose that

health. With the GOP that was not the case. Trump won by dosing a bunch of psychotics is a better analogy.

[yuiyoshida]

15. K&R Mr.Scorpio!

K&R and tweeted.

[Loge23]

16. How pervasive in American society is this disease?

The big question I see this election cycle is how many people in this country actually subscribe to the garbage that the republican party espouses.
Granted, I live in a state run by and infested with lunatics - Florida, but the question remains. How many people will be closet (or booth) trump voters when the curtain is closed?
Regardless of the ultimate result, we should all agree that this country has become a hateful, fearful place; unmanageable under our current broken system and the prospects only seem to be getting worse. Yes, there are plenty of good people but many of these people are, like me, talking of leaving. The prospect of leaving the U.S. was unimaginable for most of my life but now it seems not only doable, but sensible as well. We'll see.

[pampango]

17. True but he also understood where the republican base is and went there.

Since he has few political beliefs of his own, he could comfortably adopt 'tea party' issues as his own.

Combine that with the gas-lighting described in the OP and you get a successful republican candidate. Other GOP candidates ran on tea party positions. Some used gas-lighting. Trump did both well.

[Wednesdays]

18. I was looking around for a link to an article

If this is a MrScorpio original, this is professional-grade writing.

[cbdo2007]

19. Yep and Hillary needs to be careful she doesn't fall into fighting with him as well.

She would be best to not even mention him...just pretend he doesn't exist, and his ego will probably force him to self destruct in his need for attention. He will ramp up the attacks more and more and more trying to get her to take the bait, but if she just ignores him she will look better and he will always look worse.

[Hekate]

20. Nice. KnR

[benld74]

21. This is akin to lighting their farts aflame

[WiffenPoof]

22. From A Great Band

Steely Dan - Gaslighting Abby

[rocktivity]

23. McCain and Romney were the runts of their litters.

Duh Donald™ was the runt of a litter of runts.


rocktivity

[eppur_se_muova]

24. Well, um. I think you accidentally reversed the sense of this statement:

Will Trump be able to gas light the entire country as well as he gas-lit the Republican Electorate? Well, not if the rest of society is susceptible to the bigotry, anger, hatred and fears that seem to haunt so many lily-white people on the right.

Try this edit:

Will Trump be able to gas light the entire country as well as he gas-lit the Republican Electorate? Well, not if the rest of society is less susceptible to the bigotry, anger, hatred and fears that seem to haunt so many lily-white people on the right.

[MrScorpio]

25. How about...

Will Trump be able to gas light the entire country as well as he gas-lit the Republican Electorate? Well, not if the rest of society is AS susceptible to the same amount of bigotry, anger, hatred and fears that seem to haunt so many lily-white people on the right.

Thanks for pointing that out though

[eppur_se_muova]

28. Well no ... that's back to the reversed sense. How about ...

Will Trump be able to gas light the entire country as well as he gas-lit the Republican Electorate? Well, only if the rest of society is AS susceptible to the same amount of bigotry, anger, hatred and fears that seem to haunt so many lily-white people on the right.

[MrScorpio]

29. I like that

Sweet!

[Warpy]

26. He also scammed the media

conning them into giving him 24/7 coverage on all the news channels by saying something outrageous every single day. They followed him around salivating, giving him the kind of free advertising everybody in showbiz or politics usually only dreams about.

If he gets in, that's who needs to be blamed. The Republicans didn't want him. The media pushed him out there and the rabble took the bait.

[muriel_volestrangler]

27. That's what he did to the party hierarchy; for the base, he's just released their id

When he says he speaks for them, that's pretty accurate; he is the bully and bigot they want to be, but have sometimes been held back from expressing in public. He's taking the 'blame and shame' mentality that they may follow in their own lives, and making it national policy.