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The members of a personality cult are victims of its leader. The problem is Trump.
No. They are susceptible to be influenced and manipulated by populist ideas. If it isn't Trump someone else will do the same with them.
By that argument, a con man's victims are to blame for having been fooled.
true, but i think the comment aims more at "it doesn't have to be this specific con man, they'd fall for other con men too just the same way"
I think the counterpoint is that it seems not that common for one and only one con man to milk this voting base. Trump seems to be special in that he has nearly a monopoly, where as others would probably be in stronger competition and stuck splitting the populace.
My point is that anyone can be conned by the right con man. Our status as Trump opposers does not render us immune to malicious deceit.
I don't mean to excuse the trumpists entirely. I'm just pointing out that without Trump to focus them, they don't become radicalized, and never become a problem.
Trump voters are the victim of a con, but the con is bigger than Trump. Conservatism in general is a con that needs misinformation networks like talk radio, fox news, facebook groups, etc. Without having been steeped in that bullshit for 40+ years, Trump would never have succeeded. It's the whole ecosystem that's doing the radicalization, not just Trump.