This is not “lashing out.” It’s explaining. The guy seriously has the attention span of a 2 year old, and perhaps the understanding as well. I do not try to convince Republicans of that because they do not listen, they will not listen, and in any event it’s almost impossible to reach them anymore anyway. They are siloed up in the Fox News, NewsMax, Facebook algorithms, church friends, and there is no breaking through.
You cannot “predict” someone into believing you. FDR knew war was coming, but the American public would not be convinced, so he worked around the edges as best he could. He started re-arming, he got “Lend-Lease” approved, and so on, but until Pearl Harbor the US public was 90% against going to war.
Churchill had the identical problem in England, and railed against the appeasement of Prime Minister Chamberlain, even as Hitler began sweeping across Europe, taking country after country.
Though it pains me to admit it, James Carville is somewhat right: it has to all fall down before the MAGAts will believe anything bad about their Dear Leader.
I agree that the Democratic crying doesn’t convince them, but then “not crying” won’t convince them either; it will only be when they see the actual effects of the policies (assuming those turn out to be bad) that they may possibly open their eyes.
And I remind you, most never will. Herbert Hoover, I have pointed out before, had a total economic collapse just 6 months into his term, and for 3 1/2 years the economy got worse and worse and worse. Homeless encampments in city parks. People selling pencils in the street. Workers walked around with empty pockets turned inside out and called them “Hoover Flags.” Unemployment hit 25% (in an era when there were very few “second incomes” in a family.)
And in 1932, Hoover still got 40% of the vote. Imagine, voting for the guy whose policies had not changed a thing, and when many you knew were out of work - with no safety net besides.
No, Democrats will howl and Republicans will scoff, and what will be will be. It is only if they get it “good and hard” to repeat a phrase, that something will change.
Personally, I think the Dems moved a little too far left (“defund the police” and “trans rights” the most obvious), but I also believe that the Republicans have managed the most brilliant positioning/marketing campaign ever (“Low taxes” and “patriotism”), even as those things are transparently false to anyone following below the slogans. “Make America Great Again” is one for the most effective phrases I’ve heard in my lifetime, right up there with “Morning in America” and “Thousand Points of Light.” Curiously, all three came from the Republican side of the aisle. Frankly, I can’t think of a single Democratic trope as motivating, except for “We’re not them”, but that only works after a catastrophe (see: Iraq2, Katrina, housing meltdown, etc.)