I didn’t get a chance to watch any of the January 6 committee hearings. I saw clips of the testimony. It would seem President Trump was responsible for January 6. I don’t know if the hearings will make any difference to those who support him. I live in a rural area that firmly endorses Trump and believes that the election was stolen.
Why? To most of them, the government does nothing that helps them and, in fact, interferes with their lives. Farmers have regulations about how they can plant and where they can plant, thanks to environmental laws that are meant to help. Your car must be regularly inspected again for environmental reasons. They see the mass killings, and they know they are just crazy people doing it. After all, they grew up hunting. They will generally have a deer rifle, a shotgun, and a 22 rifle. The reason for the deer rifle is obvious. Venison is good meat. The shotgun is an excellent way to hunt upland game birds and waterfowl. Again these are good for the table and with the grocery bill. The 22 is good for taking care of varmints. It might be a groundhog destroying your garden and living under one of your outbuildings.
Even good programs like Social Security and Medicare and Medicaid don’t seem much good to country folk. Social Security is minimal because they have been doing subsistence farming which means little income but good food. The medical programs don’t pay anywhere near all of their medical bills. The cost of drugs they might need are too high for their limited Social Security income.
I could go on showing you why they’re unhappy with the government, but that won’t help them or change their support for President Trump. He skillfully used their grievances against his opponents. I believe President Trump has a personality problem. The technical name is narcissistic personality. That kind of personality is created in childhood by his caregivers. I remember watching his TV shows and his joy when he said, “You’re fired!” He cannot say that he lost the election because he cares about himself and is sure a whole world does too. Why would they vote against him?
What has happened is the result of people’s grievances with the government and President Trump’s skillful use of those grievances. Until the politicians are ready to do something about those grievances, Pro-Trump people will continue to exist and grow in numbers. It’s something we cannot afford to let happen if we wish to keep our democracy.
