superrific
Master of the ZZLverse
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I agree with this. I will say that maybe we shouldn't caricature Johnny quite to that extent.It's absolute nonsense. Here's the best analogy I can think of to what Trump is doing right now.
Johnny works at ACME Co. By all economic measures, ACME is doing great. Profits are at an all-time high. It's hiring talented new employees. It has a significant competitive advantage over its peer companies. But Johnny is not happy. He's ticked off that the Snickers in the break room vending machine just went from $1 to $1.25. He's ticked off that the guy in the cubicle next to him was born in India and eats curry for lunch. And he's REALLY ticked off that ACME changed one of the mostly-unused men's restrooms into a restroom that could be used by either men or women. So Johnny decides things need to change, and the only way to bring about that change is to murder every single person who works for ACME and take control of the company himself. When the first responders arrive on the scene to find Johnny sitting behind the desk in the CEO's office, Johnny tells them, "I get that all those people I killed are suffering in the short term, but this needed to happen for the long term health of the company. You just have to trust me on that."
You and I have been both saying for years -- I have, at least -- that MAGA is really much more about race/gender than economic anxiety, which is mostly a cover. You've got the main threats identified, but Johnny's economic situation isn't that trivial, is it? It can be true that economic struggles are real and not the primary motivator (and certainly not exclusive motivator).
I guess I would like this analogy better if Johnny is not happy because his health insurance premiums went up by 25%. I think it doesn't change your point at all while adding a bit more empathy in the details.