I used to wonder whether or not Trump understands what he's doing. Like, if he knows there seems to be more than just undertones of Goebbels in his messaging tactics, if he consciously conducts his affairs like a mob boss, or if he genuinely believes that he knows better than anyone else what's "best for America", including entire teams of people.

But then I remember that this is a man who has an entire wikipedia article and a constantly updated subreddit documenting his hypocrisy. This is most probably a man of no convictions, a predatory political opportunist, attempting to ascend the ranks of power as quickly as possible. I wholeheartedly believe that a large majority of Trump supporters are good people, and they have simply been duped by a man who spent most of his lifetime attempting to manipulate public opinion instead of tending to the mechanics of business operations. And Fox, Sinclair, Facebook echo chambers, all that, continually enable him.

My $20 bet with wasoxygen, in which I said Trump wouldn't be re-elected, was probably a poor wager. Trump might win with a stagnant 45% approval rating if the electoral college vote tally can be engineered via targeted advertisements, gerrymandering, voter suppression, disinformation, etc. to give Trump the W. We'll almost know for sure if there's a larger deficit than 3 million voters between the popular vote and the electoral college in 2020 vs. 2016.

I don't know what to do. I can vote, but I've lost faith in both the sanctity of American elections and the ability of the American electorate to make informed decisions. Russia delights in my misery.

How much do I owe you for this therapy session, mk? demure gave me a Hubski sticker, so I guess I better put it someplace good.