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Catherine ( Cate) Raphael's avatar

wow! 2 for 2 today for unexpected, yet profound information! Thank you Katie! You are the best!

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Cindy Wiggins's avatar

Katie, brilliant as always. Fully agree with Jason. Even if you are not in a cult, it's difficult to say the words 'I was wrong.' Imagine how hard it would be to admit you made a mistake when you invested your whole self, your faith, your trust, your total commitment, and your deep admiration for someone who later is proven to be a liar.

You are admitting to your family, friends, your community, to all of America, indeed to the world that you were taken in by a con artist, by a villain in fact. No one can take pride in admitting they were suckered because they know that others will think they were just dumb. Especially when you believed you had found a home, a circle of friends and like minded people who validated you and appreciated your thoughts. This is why it is so difficult to break the hold a cult has over its followers.

I'm not an expert in deprogramming cult victims. I do think that those Trump cult members who feel they were ignored, left behind by economic and social policy that didn't alleviate their need, worry, hunger, poverty, homelessness, that didn't offer them hope for a better life for them and their children need to hear that their concerns were and are legitimate. They need to hear that Trump took advantage of them to build a following that would feed his greed, wealth, thirst for power, and his opportunity to unleash cruelty. Ultimately, and this will be the hard part, they need to be supported and welcomed back by us.

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Cindy Wiggins's avatar

Forgot to say that our expectation for the next government we elect is to reduce the shameful economic and social disparity that exists today that ultimately led to someone like Trump even having a sniff of ever being elected. This must be our promise. This promise is sacred. It is not to be broken.

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Darryl Thomas's avatar

Katie! Thank you! This entire ordeal is why I am a Democrat and very political. Prior to the Civil Rights act passing, this was EXACTLY how a lot of people are radicalized e.g. KKK. Nazi's, etc. The big word is COMMUNITY. The take away from this presentation is that if you make them feel like their in a community, you can say Anything and they will believe it. you are allowing them to empty their bucket because it's the feeling you are giving not the facts. Then to top it off, it sounds like Fox news is not their primary news source. I have heard this from some ex-white supremist. They tap into news sources that none of us have ever heard. Again, reinforcing the message. But what we maybe ignoring or not accepting is that THEY HAD THIS IDEOLOGY FOR A LONG TIME, A TRUMP FIGURE FINALLY GOT A PLATFORM TO ELEVATE THEIR IDEOLOGY.

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David A Pitock's avatar

Didn't happen overnight that is forsure. tRump was great at reading some people.

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Greg's avatar
Jul 9Edited

Katie I love you and these two dudes So great together

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JOHN SMITH's avatar

It all a story of what about misdirection. His truths are even more dangerous than his lies. Is it a cult or is it a crime in waiting.

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Arizona_RN's avatar

Welcome to Substack! love you guys & am so grateful that “the good liars” are out there reporting!

Keep up the good work and welcome!

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Merri Ann Gonzalez's avatar

Group thinking??? Or those 2 brain cells that they all have to share.

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Candy Cuthbert's avatar

This is so good! Kudos to these two guys for putting themselves out there and attending these rallies to be able to talk about them. It’s absolutely batshit crazy what these people allow themselves to believe! Thanks to all three of you!!

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nobody's avatar

I really believe that the way to reach people is through humor, satire, theater, etc. Most of the people delivering truth look and sound "proper," as in highly educated and stuffy. Usually older, white, and male. Part of trump's appeal is that he speaks and acts in an informal manner. Authentically awful. Checked-out people could be awakened with humorous, creative messaging!

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Sandra Wallace's avatar

Funny? The fake stunt assassination attempt, complete with theatrical blood capsule slapped to the head, then "alleged victim" Immediately rising up with fists clenched, shouting, "Fight, fight, fight!", when none of which would or could have happened in reality.

Later, we witness the perfect right ear, which was supposedly nicked by an assault rifle. Funny suspicious? Yes, the square bandage was also weirdly amusing. It truly would have been funny, if it wasn't so horrendous, because people sitting behind the "alleged victim" were actually killed. I wonder if during the stunt rehearsals, if all the ignoramuses involved took inevitable real deaths of supporters and cult followers into account. Oh yes, the real funny thing is that they don't give a damn. Funny that the perpetrator was immediately killed and, as expected, slipped into forgotten oblivion.

Where are the rabid investigations into this fiasco? Never gonna make a mark during the "Wham, bam, thank you, mam!" onslaught of season 2, episode # (lifetime of infinity airings) of "Make America a Joke Again".

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David A Pitock's avatar

Faux news is still talking about it saw a clip this morning with the firemans widow , can't recall his name if it was a stunt it had real world consequences.

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Bill Hartman II's avatar

Thank you Katie

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Karen's avatar

Please remember Virginia Giuffre who died recently.

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Dottie Stone's avatar

Trump is on the flight records seven times to the Island. That came out in the Maxwell trial. Also there was a civil suit against trump from a victim. The victim that just took her life in Australia was first groomed when she was a teen and worked at Mara Largo! She was given to Prince Andrew. Trump and Epstein partied together. They were neighbors too. After he and Marla Maples divorced he dated an 18 year old named Anouska De Georgiou. She was groomed by Epstein from the time she was 15 and was a British model. Maxwell flew her to Mara Largo for a weekend with trump. He then put her in a New York apartment. Sickening. His own daughter was only two years younger at the time. Ivanka was a teen.

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WJB Motown's avatar

Say you want a revolution

We better get on right away

Well you get on your feet

And into the street

Singing power to the people

Power to the people

Power to the people

Power to the people, right on

John Lennon

March 1971

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nobody's avatar

The locals: Some of them are just like the Grateful Dead guy. Lots of them will hand you Ivermectin and pray for you if you mention covid. All of them would come to my rescue if needed. A truly bizarre twilight zone.

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Cathy Delia's avatar

It's sad that you feel like you have to join a cult and act and sound like an idiot just to feel like you belong.

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cclark's avatar

Lets go king taco.

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Bonita's avatar

RE: Trump Contagion Cult. Many of his Mega followers yearn for an intimate connection, a purpose, an identity to "fill a void" & "feel fulfilled" in their lives. Some come from broken dysfunctional homes where parents were not loving, attentive or emotionally available. Others align comfortably with Narcissistic people (trump) like themselves. "Birds of a feather stick together."

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