The 40%
This image perfectly encapsulates the modern Republican Party. Whiny. Petulant. Demanding. Ignorant of history. Vicious. Vile. And, of course, unable to hold the American flag they claim to cherish right-side up.
In 2016, we were told they didn't vote against Hillary Clinton because she was a woman. We were told that they weren't voting against Barack Obama, who was a successful Black man. We were told they weren't voting against a browning America. We were told they weren't voting for a more LGBTQIA-accepting country. We were told they weren't voting against new immigrants. We were told, simply, that they were simply suffering from a case of economic anxiety.
Bullshit.
It was never about economic anxiety then and it isn't about the end of their so-called "freedom" now. It's all about control; control over women's bodies, control over what skin tone the immigrant has when he enters the country, control over which sexual orientation can serve in our military, control over how low-income people are paid and the ensuing dignity associated with that paycheck, and control over how (and if) those people can vote. Republicans in 2016 were not voting for Donald Trump because they were anxious about their own economic situation but rather for the improving economic situation for people not like them. If their gay, immigrant, female neighbor could make as much or even more (gasp!) money than them, that wasn't a reflection of this amazing person's own worth and value but instead was a reflection of their own inadequacy. Rather than facing this harsh reality, it was much easier to blame someone else.
And this has been the Republican mantra for the last 50 years. Not making a living wage? Just wait, that money will trickle down from the glorious job creators! Worried about climate change? You should be more worried about the poor men and women working in the coal mine! Unable to afford healthcare? Find a real job that provides it for you! Burdened by crushing student loan debt? You shouldn't have gone to such a wimpy liberal arts college! Struggling to overcome addiction and in need of services? Well, you should have never got hooked on the pot in the first place!
This is the modern conservative mindset that makes up 40% of the country. It is a percentage that sees themselves as perpetual victims. They have a persecution complex because it makes them feel better about their own lives. Rather than admit they part of systemic injustice that is designed to keep them from attaining power, these mindless ghouls find it much easier to blame others. They believe in a mythical "bootstraps America" where anyone can come out on top if they work hard enough. The only reason they aren't already there is because of those damn (insert any misogynistic/xenophobic/homophobic/racist term) people down the street are stealing their jobs and suckling from their government's teet! It would never be that they aren't working hard enough or that Republican policies have kept them down for 50 years. Never! But blaming those people? Why that makes perfect sense to them!
To quote Blazing Saddles, these people are "simple, common, and, you know morons." They are ignorant by choice. They proudly attach their Trump/Pence 2020 bumper stickers to their beat-up pickup truck and listen to Rush Limbaugh on their way to the construction site each and every day. Once there, they belittle their Latino coworkers and call them names. They ridicule them and threaten to call immigration on them. It doesn't matter that these coworkers work harder than them, they still see them as lazy and ignorant. They come home to a wife and expect her to have a four-course meal all laid out. They yell at their kids to sit down and shut up, which is the extent of their parenting prowess. They end the day watching Sean Hannity with a Budweiser and hoot and holler and those dumb libtards. They go to bed angry at the world, a deep-rooted anger that their life would be so much better if it weren't for those crummy Mexykins down the block. Thankfully, they fall asleep shortly after tucking their shotgun back into its premium hiding place under the bed.
These people are unreachable. As we're seeing in Michigan, they love playing the victim. They are the true snowflakes they always claim liberals to be. If Donald Trump did shoot somebody on 5th Avenue, they'd cheer him on and claim the poor sap deserved to be shot. After all, Donald Trump has already killed 30,000 Americans (and counting) and they see no problem in that because it's people in those states. They value a mythical freedom that exists only in their minds and they will take to the streets what that freedom is threatened. They would gladly risk their health and the health of their family members to assemble in front of the state capitol building during a pandemic to demand that the governor open up the state once again. Medical experts and scientists be damned, Tommy in construction knows what's best for the people!
When history looks back on how we ended up with Donald Trump, much will be written about his appeal. But the truth is that Trump's appeal is based on the fact that 40% of the country doesn't know any better. They see a man talk tough and they are immediately drawn to him. He is their alpha male. He speaks like they do (they don't realize that's not a good thing). He blames the same people they do for their misfortunes. He lusts after women like they do. He surrounds himself with an entourage of sycophants, something they all wish they could do. These 40% of Americans never wanted somebody smart and articulate to become president, they wanted somebody like them. To this day, they still are too dense to realize that Trump is insulting them when he says, "I love the uneducated." They would much rather feel loved and respected by a conniving conman than learn the harsh truth about their situation from a truthful Democratic politician. By embracing the lie, they can at least feel good about themselves and they never have to worry what others think.
Which is good, because 60% of us think they're fucking insane.