Burn it down. Burn it down.

Republicans are unabashedly pro-business, wealth and exploitation of resources including labor. They have support from powerful well-heeled financial interests. For that support they willingly provide the quid pro quo of lax oversight, freedom from regulations and the safety net of socializing the losses incurred when businesses fail and leave massive amounts of debt.

Republican politicians must win office by any means at their disposal in order to cater to their backers and the expectations of a return on investment (ROI). To accomplish those ends, Republicans must develop and maintain a Brand Loyalty which does not get questioned. They must berate and belittle the opposition so as to diminish voting for them. They must compose their constituency so as to maximize the influence of the few over the numbers of the many. To accomplish such outcomes, they Gerrymander districts to obtain Congressional election wins in both the State houses and the Federal House. They must discourage voting by people who would vote against them by making queues long and onerous, by reducing the number of days voting takes place, and by requiring Identification which is either difficult or impossible to obtain. They unilaterally purge voting rolls in districts where there is significant oppositional voting likely.

In order for many Republican candidates to win or retain their legislative seats, some level of manipulation must be exercised to minimize votes for their opposition.

In recent election cycles, the split between Republican and Democrat has been very close. Many times the statistics leading up to an election shows a 48% to 48% support. The winner is the one who turns out the greater number of previously non-voters. Election campaign tactics have turned away from "why vote for me" to "why you should not vote for the other guy."  Don't look too closely at me, concentrate of how bad I say the other guy is. It is all an Arithmetic game. Shave a few points here or there and you can tip an election.

The introduction of "third party" candidates (actually one or more additional candidates claiming Party affiliation or a great new political philosophy can dilute vote totals that otherwise would serve to defeat the primary opposition.

We have seen the actions of the Republican majority State Houses to marginalize and disenfranchise voter population which can be identified as minority groups because such demographics typically vote Democrat. We have heard Evangelical leaders fear monger the "browning of America", the replacement of whites in government, and the multiculturalism of incoming populations (who BTW will probably vote Democratic.) We have heard Senators and House Representatives claim civil unrest if the Republican in the Oval Office is removed or fails to be re-elected. We have heard Himself claim the collapse of the economy is he doesn't get re-elected. We have even heard allegedly responsible elected officials suggest a Civil War is coming if Republicans lose their control of the government.

Republicans and the GOP as a party hold no love for democracy in their hearth. Democratic rule of law is merely a hurdle for them to overcome, sidestep and ignore. They would rather burn it all down than to lose control of the economy and the rule making ability of the government. Like Saddam Hussein of Iraqi fame, he executed a "scorched earth" program as his troops retreaded from Kuwait back in the 1990s. Or as a strategy in billiards, if you can't make the shot at least don't leave one for the opponent.

Look for the telling signs of imminent defeat of the Republican Party in the 202o elections. America will be set on the path of a global military conflagration during which "it would be unwise to change leaders." We have already seen such claims come and go with respect to caravans of immigrants storming the southern border. Look for claims of voter irregularities by the GOP wherein unqualified people are allegedly casting ballots. On the other side look for DEM claims of voting machine and tally hacking that allegedly tip elections.  Watch for the emergence of minor candidates who are touted as superior to the Democrat.

Corporate entities have no real nationality other than their address of record and who holds the majority of the stock. They have the most to lose if Republicans do not prevail in 2020. They have the most to lose if socially beneficial policies are voted in and the detrimental ones voted out. For them a disrupted government is the same as little or no government. In the absence of oversight and judicial penalty, they are able to do what they want to do. Therefore, for them it is best either with a GOP government or none at all.

Three Word Messages

It is fortunate that the American public has a short attention span. If you want an idea to persist it must be reiterated over and over lest a thousand competing messages displaces it. Propagandists know this nature very well. Message mavens know to that three magic words are all that can be successfully conveyed at any one time. “Where’ the beef?” became a viral catch phrase long before things going viral was even a thing. Millions of people still recall Carl Sagen saying “billions and billions” even if they don’t remember or ever knew who Sagen was. Google capitalized on “Don’t be Evil” in their earliest days of existence. “Just do it.”

The problem is… actually the saving grace as I am going to explore… is multiple messages cannot exist in the same time and space. This is why “lock her up” was displaced by “send her back.” The message of Make America Great is alternated with Make America Safe by the orator at his bi-weekly rallies. He cannot afford to pause or stop his rhetoric lest the heat dies down and the momentum be lost.

Social media has become a boon to such propaganda first because it is free. Second, eager listeners can parrot the message to an even wider audience. And Third you can pay someone to create auto response bots to make the message look more widely spread than it really is. The repetition of the simple message echoes for days or even weeks as the bot and the faithful followers retweet the messages. At some point the radius of that social media network reaches its limit and the message is only bounced back and forth within that radius. The impact of this phenomenon is not to be dismissed, but echoes do die out. In Pentecostal services, the minister makes The Call and the congregation makes the Response in what is referred to as Call and Response. Imagine that. The minister quotes a Scripture and asks “can I get a witness?” a half dozen or so eager parishioners stands up with arm up stretched and shouts Hallelujah and/or Amen. And the cycle repeats like the instruction on a bottle of shampoo: Wash Rinse Repeat. Again, the three words. However enthused is the congregation, as soon as the minister stops the calls, the responses cease too. Until the next service.

Donald Trump employs such a protocol in his regular rally gatherings. He doesn’t need to initiate the first “Send her back” chant. He has already primed that pump with tweet for the few days leading up to the rally. There is always a few zealous people in the audience who are more than willing to show their leader that he has a loyal following. The whole process is an exercise in Stochastic manipulation. He never has to start the chant, thereby being able to show it was spontaneous. His reactions are certain proof that he approves and is pleased with the behavior.

He has the ability to schedule as many rallies as he wants to further his agenda and attempt to be reelected for a second 4 years. Even though no other President in US history has ever used his office in this manner, he is not above doing anything he wants to without regard to the consequences. It is as I often write, a Tuna! Scheme, one where the buying and selling of everything in paramount and without concern for the consequences.

Donald Trump acts like the CEO of a large corporation (actually he is one) where everything outside the core enterprise is an “externality” to be ignored. Mining corporations consider injured miners and retired miners as external to their purpose of mining. They are to be discarded when their usefulness is depleted. Trump’s political base will be likewise jettisoned at the moment they do not serve his goal of attention seeking and aggrandizement. He loves himself more than any other thing. This probably stems from not being loved by anyone before.

His adoring base are the useful idiots referred to by economist Ludwig von Mises and put to practical purpose by Vladimir Lenin. The Useful Idiots have their place but are completely expendable in the end.

At some point, either on January 21, 2021 or 2025 the natural processes of the succession of power will wipe Donald Trump from the Oval Office, if not before due to infirmity or impeachment. Very quickly his base will return to football and beer. Many of them will have died of their own decay. The short attention spans will be following other irresistible mantras. They will hold no sway in America much longer.

What will persist is the Federal Court appointments. They will have the longest lasting influence on American society. Even all Wrecking Crew appointment to cabinet positions and to heads of Federal agencies will soon be turned over to people who will act consistent with the purposes of their agencies and that of the President.

While the political landscape appears to be quite bleak right now, the human behaviors which have allowed this perversion the great ideals of America will also be the ones that swing the pendulum back the other way.