Tell her that Trump was aberration - a representation of the worst of our country, which was brought to the forefront because another country wanted to tear us down to their level.
What? An aberration? Republicans LOVE Trump right now. He has some of the highest approval ratings among Republicans of any recent president. Nearly half the country supporting this guy is not an "aberration."
That good-intentioned people who thought they were smart were manipulated by the bad-faith, hostile acts of a foreign government perpetrated by online disinformation campaigns scientifically developed to trigger certain emotional responses in certain segments of our population.
Russia didn't change Republican's opinions about things during the election, it Amplified Republican's opinions. It wasn't manipulation, it was secret encouragement. Those voters were happy to hear what Russia wanted them to hear. They weren't manipulated, they were enabled.
The next nominee is going to support almost the exact same policies Trump does.
Putting aside for a moment the amount of love (or hate) he's getting, Trump can be objectively judged as a presidential aberration. Consider the number of conventions and norms of governance he's usurped. To quote this article from Dallas News (there's more after the paragraph. Read the whole thing if you're interested):
He refused to set aside business interests, questioned the legitimacy of judges whose rulings he disagreed with and railed at a free press. He’s warned of conspiracies in his own government. He’s turned a friendly face toward Russia while pressuring NATO allies, and demanded jail for his main political rival while urging an open mind toward white supremacists.
That's just one of many sources detailing how Trump, depending who you ask, attempts to "stick it to the establishment" (supporters) or "blow up political norms" (detractors). Either way, he's an oddity of a president, thus to say he's an aberration is technically correct. Which is what the guy you're responding to was driving at, imho.
Agreed. I had to reassess what I posted earlier after reading this article (also in the course of reading source materials to underpin said post), which your comment closely hews to: Norms and Cliffs in Trump’s America by Adam Gopnik.
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u/thatnameagain Jan 09 '19
What? An aberration? Republicans LOVE Trump right now. He has some of the highest approval ratings among Republicans of any recent president. Nearly half the country supporting this guy is not an "aberration."
Russia didn't change Republican's opinions about things during the election, it Amplified Republican's opinions. It wasn't manipulation, it was secret encouragement. Those voters were happy to hear what Russia wanted them to hear. They weren't manipulated, they were enabled.
The next nominee is going to support almost the exact same policies Trump does.