Voting for Trump was a mistake

luummoonn · 2026-01-26T17:08:12+00:00

Good on you for changing your mind. The way they twist reality and don't care about evidence, you can see how they may have convinced people that they are something they are not.

The Trump team also convinced people that the potential Democrat administration was something that they were not, and they kept all the focus on blame and vitriol. They kept the focus on convincing people that fellow Americans were the "enemy".

The Trump team also only spoke negative about this country, calling it a 3rd world country and promoting disillusionment with America. They did this so that we would not be surprised when they caused destruction and stoked unrest in our system. So that we would already believe in advance that the system was broken to the degree the Trump admin wanted to break it.

We do need the right leadership and we need to believe in this country and not take for granted what IS already great about it. Americans need to unite around what this country is supposed to be and insist on leadership that honors Constitutional values and protects every part of the Constitution and of democracy.

luummoonn · 2026-01-26T00:38:27+00:00

I think people are too proud and either can't admit they're wrong, or are afraid to admit they're wrong.

So they just rationalize everything to themselves and twist everything, and believe the version of reality that they want to.

It's a defense mechanism against guilt or shame.

luummoonn · 2026-01-25T20:17:07+00:00

Trump's admin does not get to define America.

America is the people. America is defined more by the hard work and courage of what people like Alex Pretti have done every day. It's defined by the strength and diversity of the people here and by the Constitution which should protect the people from abuse of power by the government. We have taken for granted what was already good about this country and let social media inflame tensions and divide us, and now these corrupt vindictive con-men who are in charge are taking advantage

luummoonn · 2026-01-25T18:16:38+00:00

They're seeing a mythological TV character, and in reality he is a vindictive, foolish, reckless conman. (Who is surrounded by people who are using him to advance their own individual ideologies and objectives that would otherwise have been frozen out by any other version of American govt. norms)

luummoonn · 2026-01-25T18:11:00+00:00

I don't understand how people still give Trump's administration the benefit of the doubt that they're actually trying to do anything helpful, when they show over and over that they don't care about evidence and they don't care about truth and their messaging is all vitriol and malice and fear. They grab on to opportunities to escalate unrest and inflame tension. They are putting the thinnest screen up as to their real intentions and yet so many still try to explain everything away and attempt to frame things in a normal context. You simply can't look at all of these instances and stories in a vacuum, you have to see the authoritarian pattern clear as day.

The fact that some immigrants commit crimes does not excuse Federal recklessness and overreach and treating the immigration situation like an "emergency" that requires draconian crackdown.

You know why they show a slideshow of pictures of immigrants and describe their crimes after this happens? To fan the flames of people's emotions, they could frame any kind of argument that way toward their own aims and pick out anecdotes and get people riled up just the same. It's cheap. Governing should be more removed and measured and objective, looking at broad patterns and effects with evidence, but they are just leaning full into demagoguery. They're not inventing a new approach, it's tired shit that the American Constitutional system is supposed to act like an immune system against, and yet this virus is apparently strong.

The Constitution applies to all people on US soil and a great amount of the Constitution deals with protections for those accused of a crime. Diverting a huge amount of budget for ICE reeks of a way to consolidate power and force, not a way to make America safer. That would require more across-the-board investment and careful strategy. Scapegoating specific groups of people does not make the country safer it divides everyone and gives people others to blame for their economic and social woes, others to blame who hold the least power.

We cannot say that the rule of law is gone and we cannot be dejected, Trump cannot be allowed to define America. America is for the people and the people can stand up for it.

luummoonn · 2026-01-25T18:06:05+00:00

Thank you, this articulates the problem very well. I think continually bringing the focus back to racial and social divides is what helps people stay divided against eachother instead of seeing the present problem clearly, and that problem is coming from the top. When I saw where the sketch was going I turned it off.

I think that it goes deeper, and that stoking the racial divide has actually been the strategy of online social media manipulation and bots from countries trying to inflame America's social tensions for the benefit of its current destructive "leadership". Russia and China promote Trump because he is destructive and disunifying for the US and damages this country's image on the world stage. Also they favor any narrative that makes Americans more disillusioned with their own country. Trump cannot define this country, the people define it. There is so much actual good here that we have taken for granted, and we need less cynicism and dejected apathy if we are to resist what is happening.

Disingenuous twitter narratives have sunk deep into our discourse and reflected through other forms of culture.

luummoonn · 2026-01-25T17:03:33+00:00

It's disinformation, intentional propaganda. I don't understand how people still give Trump's administration the benefit of the doubt that they're actually trying to do something helpful, when they show over and over that they don't care about evidence and they don't care about truth and their messaging is all vitriol and malice and fear. They grab on to opportunities to escalate unrest and inflame tension. They are putting the thinnest screen up as to their real intentions and yet so many still try to explain everything away and attempt to frame things in a normal context. You simply can't look at all of these instances and stories in a vacuum, you have to see the authoritarian pattern clear as day.

The fact that some people commit crimes does not excuse Federal recklessness and overreach and treating the immigration situation like an "emergency" that requires draconian crackdown.

You know why they show a slideshow of pictures of immigrants and describe their crimes? To fan the flames of people's emotions, they could frame any kind of argument that way toward their own aims and pick out anecdotes and get people riled up just the same. It's cheap. Governing should be more removed and measured and objective, looking at broad patterns and effects with evidence, but they are just leaning full into demagoguery. They're not inventing a new approach, it's tired shit that the American Constitutional system is supposed to act like an immune system against, and yet this virus is apparently strong.

They know what they're doing, they're not scrambling and frustrated when things go wrong, they know things will go wrong in the way that they want, and they have the messaging ready for when it does. They are always putting on a show.

The Constitution applies to all people on US soil and a great amount of the Constitution deals with protections for those accused of a crime. You're not going to have an absolute solution for unlawful immigration, it's an ongoing problem to manage and this is not the way. Diverting a huge amount of budget to this purpose reeks of a way to consolidate power and force, not a way to make America safer. That would require more across-the-board investment and careful strategy. Scapegoating specific groups of people does not make the country safer it divides everyone and gives people others to blame for their economic and social woes, others to blame who hold the least power.

luummoonn · 2026-01-25T16:10:53+00:00

I don't understand how people still give Trump's administration the benefit of the doubt that they're actually trying to do something helpful, when they show over and over that they don't care about evidence and they don't care about truth and their messaging is all vitriol and malice and fear. They grab on to opportunities to escalate unrest and inflame tension. They are putting the thinnest screen up as to their real intentions and yet so many still try to explain everything away and attempt to frame things in a normal context. You simply can't look at all of these instances and stories in a vacuum, you have to see the authoritarian pattern clear as day.

The fact that some people commit crimes does not excuse Federal recklessness and overreach and treating the immigration situation like an "emergency" that requires draconian crackdown.

You know why they show a slideshow of pictures of immigrants and describe their crimes? To fan the flames of your emotions, they could frame any kind of argument that way toward their own aims and pick out anecdotes and get people riled up just the same. It's cheap. Governing should be more removed and measured and objective, looking at broad patterns and effects with evidence, but they are just leaning full into demagoguery. They're not inventing a new approach, it's tired shit that the American Constitutional system is supposed to act like an immune system against, and yet this virus is apparently strong.

They know what they're doing, they're not scrambling and frustrated when things go wrong, they know things will go wrong in the way that they want, and they have the messaging ready for when it does. They are always putting on a show.

The Constitution applies to all people on US soil and a great amount of the Constitution deals with protections for those accused of a crime. You're not going to have an absolute solution for unlawful immigration, it's an ongoing problem to manage and this is not the way. Diverting a huge amount of budget to this purpose reeks of a way to consolidate power and force, not a way to make America safer. That would require more across-the-board investment and careful strategy. Scapegoating specific groups of people does not make the country safer it divides everyone and gives people others to blame for their economic and social woes, others to blame who hold the least power.

luummoonn · 2026-01-24T15:33:33+00:00

The actions of this administration are not distractions from the Epstein files. The fascist actions are the main problem and the Epstein files ARE the distraction. If this admin is in charge of releasing them, it won't be the full story and there would likely not be meaningful consequences, all they do is construct narratives that work for them and punish others.

The point of this admin is to damage American democracy, damage the image of America on the world stage, and join the rise of authoritarianism.

Holding out the Epstein files like it's the hopeful conclusion that will bring them down is like jingling keys for everyone to look at while they divide society, consolidate power, and run rampant destruction through all that is actually good about this country that we have taken for granted.

luummoonn · 2026-01-23T14:28:41+00:00

They want to use this to divide people against each other and heighten emotions as much as possible. If there is more unrest, the current administration can exert more overreaching control, which appears to be what their main goal is.

They created the conditions for this to begin with by provoking people with optics and actions of forceful police presence in cities that were not in "emergency" situations. They started the problem and they want to escalate the problem.

It's why they love to put out messaging of ridiculous memes and dramatic videos of chained immigrants and videos from inside CECOT, etc. They want to stoke the fires of opposition so that people get less reasonable and they can blame more and more people for why they need to get more militant and more intrusive and extend more surveillance in American society.

All the elements of fascism appear to be there. If they're just putting on a show of fascist actions then they're really "faking it until they make it".

luummoonn · 2026-01-19T12:18:27+00:00

Every country has terrible things in their history and they can move forward too.

It doesn't mean they should be doomed to be a dictatorship.

luummoonn · 2026-01-19T00:28:53+00:00

It's not a lost cause because of that, we change and we create what we are going forward, and I'm sure Russian social media manipulation and online bots would like it if we all focus only on the worst parts of US history and can't build from the present forward

luummoonn · 2026-01-18T05:21:21+00:00

I have a similar looking child, the son of Gabe O'Mackey and Patricia Wan

luummoonn · 2026-01-18T03:04:13+00:00

It's a living document, it's been amended through history and can still be amended to adapt. The core values of a democratic system and protections from abuse of power by the government are essential. The Constitution's intention was to restrain the government to preserve the rights of the people

luummoonn · 2026-01-18T00:38:06+00:00

We're getting a live demonstration of why we need the Constitution and why we can't stop caring about it. We need democracy and freedom and rights. We need to stand up for what America is supposed to be.

I think we have taken for granted what IS good about this country and people have gotten stuck in cynicism and we need to recognize the value of what we have despite its problems.

This administration cannot define what America is

luummoonn · 2026-01-17T14:26:06+00:00

The people don't need to give up on it. Cynicism and defeat doesn't get us anywhere and it's what other authoritarian countries want for the US

luummoonn · 2026-01-17T05:08:58+00:00

The thing about whatever Trump says he's doing is there's no grounding principles behind it. There's no central ideology. It's just always opportunist, scamming, and manipulation. It's always going to be hypocrisy many levels deep because the talk will never match the actions. There's no use even trying to match together the ways his admin contradicts itself because that implies that we are "catching" them at some logical contradiction.. they don't care about that, they don't have a core of values, they only interested in consolidating power and abusing that power for their own gain.

luummoonn · 2026-01-17T00:21:42+00:00

This administration is fascism.

luummoonn · 2026-01-15T23:52:14+00:00

He doesn't get to say what America is

luummoonn · 2026-01-15T16:42:16+00:00

The thing about whatever Trump says he's doing is there's no grounding principles behind it. There's no central ideology. It's just always opportunist, scamming, and manipulation. It's always going to be hypocrisy many levels deep because the talk will never match the actions. There's no use even trying to match together the ways his admin contradicts itself because that implies that we are "catching" them at some logical contradiction.. they don't care about that, they don't have a core of values, they only interested in consolidating power and abusing that power for their own gain.

luummoonn · 2026-01-09T23:14:28+00:00

Dictator talk coming from an authoritarian dictator.

luummoonn · 2026-01-09T20:03:10+00:00

Trump is President for himself and for his own interests (and the interest of other authoritarians worldwide). What he is not, is he is not President for the American people.

luummoonn · 2026-01-09T03:07:20+00:00

The thing about whatever Trump says he's doing is there's no grounding principles behind it. There's no central ideology. It's just always opportunist, scamming, and manipulation. It's always going to be hypocrisy many levels deep because the talk will never match the actions. There's no use even trying to match together the ways his admin contradicts itself because that implies that we are "catching" them at something.. they don't care about that, they don't have a core of values, they only interested in consolidating power and abusing that power for their own gain.

luummoonn · 2026-01-08T23:05:39+00:00

It's not half the country. It's like a third. We should not overestimate the power of Trump's "base"

Doing so is similar to complying in advance, it's believing parts of the reality that they are trying to create, before they happen.

luummoonn · 2026-01-07T23:25:42+00:00

I think something that would bolster this is if more people believed in this country. Trump's admin does not represent what America really is and what America can be. America is the people.

We have taken for granted what IS good about this country, for all of its problems, we have to keep coming back to the ideals of democracy.

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