A Lesson for Trump losers - Projection; An unconscious self-defence mechanism characterised by a person unconsciously attributing their own issues onto someone or something else as a form of delusion and denial.

Just to give you an idea of how authoritarian Trump Republicans are now, this little exchange caught my eye on Vicki McKenna's Facebook page. I'm seeing the same kind of stuff from my Trumpian idol worshiper in Milwaukee as well. What could be wrong with uniformed adults pulling immigrant children out of school in front of classmates?

Trumpian Projection, the biggest its ever been: 

WSJ: Even before President Trump’s election, hatred had begun to emerge on the American left—counterintuitively, as an assertion of guilelessness and moral superiority ... a hateful anti-Americanism has become a self-congratulatory lifestyle. “America was never that great,” New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo recently said.

Of course, if "America was never that great," wouldn't you have to MAGA? This drives me nuts. You'll also notice the tone of this article is flat out ruthless while creating a myth around a non-existent hatred that can only be best described as, wait for it...criticism? Yup, can't have criticism hurting adoring Trump sycophants, pushing a white nationalist agenda:

It began in the 1960s, when America finally accepted that slavery and segregation were profound moral failings. Thus the labor of redeeming the nation from its immoral past would fall on the left ... led to the greatest array of government-sponsored social programs in history—at an expense of more than $22 trillion. 

But for the left to wield this power, there had to be a great menace to fight against If racism was necessarily at the top of the list, it was quickly followed by a litany of bigotries ending in “ism” and “phobia.” The Achilles’ heel of the left has been its dependence on menace for power. 

With white nationalism on the GOP's front burner, isn't it convenient to now pretend racism isn't really a problem? Can't criticize the dumbest, most unqualified narcist lunatic of a president...

Today the left looks to be slowly dying from lack of racial menace. It is driven to find a replacement for racism,  Failing this, only hatred is left. The left has used hate to transform President Trump into a symbol of the new racism, not a flawed president but a systemic evil. And he must be opposed as one opposes racism, with a scorched-earth absolutism. The voices that speak for the left have never been less convincing. It is hard for people to see the menace that drives millionaire football players to kneel before the flag. And then there is the failure of virtually every program the left has ever espoused—welfare, public housing, school busing, affirmative action, diversity programs, and so on.For the American left today, the indulgence in hate is a death rattle.

Yea sure, it's liberals: Who can forget this "happy" idea from the Newt Gingrich 90's:

This document, a working paper from GOPAC, Newt Gingrich's political action committee, was circulated to freshman Republican members of the 104th Congress in 1995. It functions as a rudimentary rhetorical handbook ... with a lexicon of terms that drive a wedge of distinctions between themselves and members of the opposing party. 

Here's a list of "respectful" words to describe Democrats, that have nothing to do with hatred or division...

The Rabid Hate Obama Crowd wins elections.

I've mentioned by conservative friend in Milwaukee often because he's given me an insight into the conservative mindset. Hating Obama is one of those insights.

Remember when Republicans would accuse Democrats of "hating Bush," a bizarre retort which ended any reasonable debate about policy? What we're finding out now is that it was "projection," an attempt to defend their own "hate" impulse by attributing it to Democrats.

The Hate Obama Crowd: By chance, two situations came up that basically make this point. The breathless nonstop culmination of Obama attacks resulted in one common message; hate Obama. My conservative friend has been saying this for years, to the point where he doesn't even care about Scott Walker, jobs or the consequences of his parties tax cut policies. He's focused on Obama, and just how much he should hates him.

Here's one of many examples that add to that irrational perception. You'll notice how it's okay to attack Obama, but not okay to attack Bush:

Yahoo: “The View's” self-proclaimed Republican co-host Nicole Wallace came out swinging against President Barack Obama Tuesday morning, saying that she doesn't think he “loves people.” Citing an assertion made by political columnist and former psychiatrist Charles Krauthammer that Obama is clearly a narcissist, Wallace insisted such a diagnosis would explain why the President has an “inability to get things done.”

A stunned Rosie O'Donnell  asked Wallace if she was implying that Barack Obama doesn't love people. Wallace simply answered, “yeah.” Wallace defended her former boss while accusing O'Donnell of attacking  President Bush.

Love ObamaCare, Hate Obama: In the short NY Times clip below, you'll notice how Kentuckians who love ObamaCare will still vote Republican. They just hate Obama. Never mind that their traditional vote for Republicans will end their health care. It's scary stuff, and a reality check. There really is no way to appeal to conservatives:

Krauthammer: Left Dare’s to describe Right Wing Accurately, Mucking up Bubble World Reality.

Did you notice, bigotry, racism, and the war on women doesn’t exist on the right, it’s all a liberal creation to silence and crush conservatives. Everything opposed by Republicans is really not debatable. 

From Cheesburger.com

No matter what liberal Americans do or say, they are dismissed as “the left.” You know, the “other.”

Charles Krauthammer just provided us with a bright shining example of dismissiveness, projection and a not so subtle reinforcement of just who the master-Americans really are. Ripping into a ridiculous petition to ban all anti-global warming commentary from the NY Times, Krauthammer envisions the roll out of the progressive totalitarian state.

Be amazed at the incredible projection, where conservatives continue to defend themselves against their own “unpleasant impulses, by denying their existence in themselves, while attributing them to others." This is one of the most under-reported of Republicans characteristics , and an important revealing insight into how they think and what they want:

It perfectly illustrated my argument that the Left is entering a new phase of ideological agitation — no longer trying to win the debate but stopping debate altogether, banishing from public discourse any and all opposition. The proper word for that attitude is totalitarian. It declares certain controversies over and visits serious consequences — from social ostracism to vocational defenestration — upon those who refuse to be silenced.

Oh, you mean like climate change doesn't exist? Or that the war on poverty is a failure? Or that supply side economics works? Those controversies are over, right? Krauthammer then suggests that the “herding cats party” mindlessly follows their leader, “King” Obama:

Sometimes the word comes from on high, as when the president of the United States declares the science of global warming to be “settled.” Anyone who disagrees is then branded “anti-science.” And better still, a “denier” — a brilliantly chosen calumny meant to impute to the climate skeptic the opprobrium normally reserved for the hatemongers and crackpots who deny the Holocaust.

If the name fits…? And yet when faced with the choice of perhaps hedging their bets on climate change, they chose to gamble with everyone lives. Playing it safe is for wimps.

You’ll notice Krauthammer’s attempt to rationalize his own insecurities and bigotry, by denouncing those who choose to call a rose, a rose:

Then last week, another outbreak. The newest closing of the leftist mind is on gay marriage. To oppose it is nothing but bigotry, akin to racism. Opponents are to be similarly marginalized and shunned, destroyed personally and professionally.

There’s also a major constitutional question, but that’s not Krauthammer’s point; rights should be decided by the tyranny of the majority.

Did you notice, bigotry, racism, and the war on women doesn't exist on the right, it’s all a liberal creation to silence and crush conservatives. Everything opposed by Republicans is really not debatable. Other unsettling laughable quotes:

Similarly, to question ObamaCare’s mandate of free contraception for all. Or try objecting to the new so-called Paycheck Fairness Act for women, which is little more than a full-employment act for trial lawyers. To bring suit, they need only to show that women make less in that workplace.

But the following really pissed me off, because it flies in the face of what we're hearing from Scott Walker, who dismissed the massive protest and recall election here. Reminds me of the message in the movie, "Captain America: The Winter Soldier:"

But the trend is growing. Oppose the current consensus and you’re a denier, a bigot, a homophobe, a sexist, an enemy of the people. Long a staple of academia, the totalitarian impulse is spreading. What to do? Defend the dissenters, even if — perhaps, especially if — you disagree with their policy. It is — it was? — the American way.

Walker Criticism over Emails coming from Naysayers who want things bad to happen in Wisconsin?

Hypocrites on the right have another big problem; projection.

While Republicans keep waiting and waiting, hoping for Obama failures, they've resorted to manufacturing them instead. They're hoping ObamaCare will fail, they want the minimum wage to fail, they wanted the auto bailout to fail, hoped the stimulus would fail, hoped foreign policy failed, know instinctively Common Core will fail...you get the idea, right?

Well here's Mr. Projection himself, Scott Walker, claiming the "naysayers" on the left are always hoping for failure, especially when they're just pointing out his record. The Authority is above all that. Nice try but...

Walker's glaring example of projection is almost laughable. From WKOW raw footage:

Radio's yabbering Cancer Stick Vicki McKenna, on Drunken Democratic Power and Vanquished Terrorists!

Having shared the microphone with WIBA's smoke saturated voice of "reason" Vicki McKenna, I know  her weaknesses. What you hear each day is a combination of disjointed ideas tied together with pure fabrications that make her sound in touch with her listeners, when in fact, she's struggling to fill her time slot with something...anything.

Her Facebook page is an insight into her stupidity. Yes, she's really stupid. For example, this false premise:

She would have nothing to say if she didn't make "vanquishing al Qaeda" up for her listeners. 

But the biggest lump of nonsense is crazy enough to make Ripley's Believe it or Not! With super majorities of Republicans in the legislature bulldozing their policies through in the dark of night, and a radical Governor who's first directive was to "divide and conquer" Wisconsinites, McKenna still sees the Democrats as the party drunk with power. Believe it or Not!

John Peterson: "Anyone know where we put the duct tape...?"

Pure BS and pure projection.

Sen. McConnell's speech of Projection. Conservatives really don't get it.

A theme here Democurmudgeon has always been about conservative projection. Their own villainous schemes and cons are always projected onto Democrats, even though we're nothing, absolutely nothing like them. I've tried and failed to make my case with my conservative friend in Milwaukee.

Conservatives seem to hate America for everything that it has become. They long for time that not one of them has ever lived through...no one has ever lived through in this country.

It maybe crazy to think anyone would bother watching this shortened video example of McConnell projecting, blaming liberals for everything and vilifying essentially half the country, but it's here just in case.

He starts with "I don't care what the polls say..." and projects none-stop with his often repeated silly line "Don't tell me," like we could ever tell them anything. McConnell's misogynistic "Golden Girls" remark is just the kind of condescending clap trap women have had enough of in this country.

The thing is, McConnell is a wrinkled old man who has fed off taxpayer benefits all his life. He's also responsible for borrowing and spending that racked up huge deficits under Bush. McConnell now thinks it's time to pay those bills with cuts to senior safety nets and the working poor. Good one.

Noonan on Obama: "He likes Cliffs...maybe it makes him feel his mastery..."

The two items I focus on most here at Democurmudgeon is the over-the-top authoritarian nature of the Republicans Party, and the psychological defense mechanism, projection.

So imagine my glee when I ran across this article by Paul Waldman, a contributing editor for the American Prospect, titled "Conservative Projection Takes a New Angle."

A special thank you goes out to Peggy Noonan, who's sleep inducing dramatic pouting is the very definition of projection:

Noonan asks: 

“Here's my conjecture: In part it's because he seems to like the tension. He likes cliffs, which is why it's always a cliff with him and never a deal. He likes the high-stakes, tottering air of crisis. Maybe it makes him feel his mastery and reminds him how cool he is, unrattled while he rattles others.

He is a uniquely polarizing figure. A moderate U.S. senator said the other day: "One thing not said enough is he is the most divisive president in modern history. He doesn't just divide the Congress, he divides the country." 

Ah yes, we keep having these fiscal crises because Obama "likes cliffs." Don't you remember when he convinced conservative Republicans to hold the national economy hostage over the debt ceiling in 2011? And you do know that he's forcing them to do the same thing in a couple of months, right? They don't want to, but he's making them. Those congressional Republicans are desperate to compromise with him, but he just won't accept all their generous offers! And he sure is "polarizing." After all, if a majority of Republicans have consistently believed that Obama is lying about being born in Hawaii and is a foreigner, and if his opponents regularly charge that when he adopts Republican ideas on things like health care it's because he is a socialist motivated by a hatred of America, then there's really only one person to blame. And when a member of the Republican Senate leadership writes, "It may be necessary to partially shut down the government in order to secure the long-term fiscal well being of our country," that just shows how much Obama loves creating these crises! And what do you know, in that op-ed, Senator John Cornyn makes the same argument, that in all of the crises of the last couple of years, "the White House has purposefully slow-walked the process in a shameless attempt to score cheap political points."

Mark my words, over the next couple of months we're going to be hearing this a lot: Republicans will argue that these crises are all Obama's fault not so much because his ideas are substantively wrong (they'll mention that too, of course), but because he just wants it that way. And because he's so mean.

Conservative Projection!

The victims and bullies on the right don't just have a problem with authoritarianism, they also have a runaway problem with projection. In fact, conservatives are perfecting and making this psychological defense mechanism all their own.

Thanks to Glenn Greenwald for noticing:

The book shown above was described this most ironic and incredible way...can you say projection?

From the editor-at-large of Breitbart.com comes a galvanizing and alarming look at the strategy and tactics of leftist thuggery.

While President Obama and the left like to pretend that they oppose bullying with all their hearts and souls, the truth is far darker: the left is the greatest purveyor of bullying in modern American history. Bullying has morphed into the left’s go-to tactic, as they attempt to quash their opponents through fear, threat of force, violence, and rhetorical intimidation on every major issue facing America today.

Ben Shapiro uncovers the simple strategy used by liberals and their friends in the media: bully the living hell out of conservatives. Play the race card, the class card, the sexism card. Use any and every means at your disposal to demonize your opposition—to shut them up. Then pretend that such bullying is justified, because, after all, conservatives are the true bullies, and need to be taught a lesson for their intolerance. Hidden beneath the left’s supposed hatred of bullying lies a passionate love of its vulgar tactics.

Oh, did I forget to provide a link to the book above....?

Rabid Radio Rancor!

I just had to post this 2 minute rant...

It's the best of the best; radio talker Vicki McKenna and co-host, after the Walker recall, chest pounding and projecting. Like the following on the Walker protesters:

McKenna: "They don't want to take any ownership of the fact that they created the most hostile environment in the city of Madison proper, that thousands and thousands of people have vowed never to return again."  

How does she know that? McKenna does her best to get Mike Tate and Graeme Zielinski fired too. Why?  Because they were effective leaders of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin. Her guest co-host chimed in with the funniest list of falsehoods and projection I've heard in a long time. It's all right here:



Speaking of Graeme Zielinski, a lot has made of the most boring piece of video I've had to post in years, where he threw out a right wing "intern" that works for the conservative Wisconsin Reporter. Here's the offending video, and a taste of liberal commentary from a blog which will remain anonymous. I like the blog, but the blogger is a "can we all work together" liberal. That's so yesterday. Graeme's the best messenger the Democrats have seen in decades. That's why McKenna would like to see him and Mike Tate go:

Nameless Liberal Blog: Once again the moronic actions of Graeme Zielinski made the news. For some reason the Wisconsin Democratic Party has allowed Zielinski to remain the party spokesperson.  After his tortured reasoning and statements during the recall election I was hoping that someone would pay this guy’s bar tab and tell him to shove off.  Instead the political lightweight continues making scenes, such as that which took place at last weekend’s party convention. The problem with Zielinski is that he makes the Democratic Party look silly.  By tossing an intern that works for a state news website out of the convention only confirms that the spokesperson is not able to make points and further the debate on equal terms.

Sociopathic Conservatives; Projection on Steroids, or a bad case of MSDS*

Thank god for acronyms. It’s been painfully obvious for years that Republicans believe very strongly in MSDS (my shit don’t stink). And MSDS makes conservative projection so much easier. Projection:

A psychological defense mechanism where a person subconsciously denies his or her own attributes, thoughts, and emotions, which are then ascribed to other people … projection is an especially commonly used defense mechanism in people with certain personality disorders: Patients with paranoid personalities for example, use projection as a primary defense because it allows them to disavow unpleasant feelings and attribute them to others.'

I found this article by Doug Casey, who brags how he “literally wrote the book on profiting from periods of economic turmoil,” that offered the best example of both projection and MSDS. Keep in mind, he thinks he’s describing liberal sociopathic behavior, but he's really projecting:

In this article, I'm going to argue that the US government, in particular, is being overrun by the wrong kind of person. It's a trend that's been in motion for many years but has now reached a point of no return. The reason is that a certain class of people – sociopaths – are now fully in control of major American institutions. All the institutions that made America exceptional – including a belief in capitalism, individualism, self-reliance and the restraints of the Constitution – are now only historical artifacts. On the other hand, the distribution of sociopaths is completely uniform across both space and time. Conditions for them in the US are becoming quite favorable.

He’s right of course, but it's upside down. Check out this surreal example:

Have you ever wondered where the 50,000 people employed by the TSA to inspect and degrade you came from? Most of them are middle-aged. Did they have jobs before they started doing something that any normal person would consider demeaning? … but they were attracted to – not repelled by – a job where they wear a costume and abuse their fellow citizens all day … the most effective solution would be to hold each airline responsible for its own security and for the harm done if it fails to protect passengers and third parties.

That’s a little after the fact, maybe? Doug Casey blames Bush for egging liberals on, and then projects his paranoia:

As I see it, 80% of people are basically decent; 20% of people, however, are what you might call potential trouble sources, inclined toward doing the wrong thing when the opportunity presents itself. They might now be shoe clerks, mailmen or waitresses – they seem perfectly benign in normal times. However, given the chance, they will sign up for the Gestapo, the Stasi, the KGB, the TSA, Homeland Security or whatever. 20% of that 20% are really bad actors. They are drawn to government and other positions where they can work their will on other people. They remake the culture of the organizations they run in their own image. Gradually, non-sociopaths can no longer stand being there. They leave. Soon the whole barrel is full of bad apples. That's what's happening today in the US. It's a pity that Bush lacked the awareness to see he was fertilizing it by turning the US into a national security state after 9/11. Now, I believe, it's out of control. 

Doug Casey then spells out the very definition of disaster capitalism:

The US is already in a truly major depression and on the edge of financial chaos and a currency meltdown. The sociopaths in government will react by redoubling the pace toward a police state domestically and starting a major war abroad. To me, this is completely predictable. It's what sociopaths do. Sociopaths completely lack a conscience or any capacity for real regret about hurting people. Although they pretend the opposite. Sociopaths put their own desires and wants on a totally different level from those of other people. They truly believe their ends justify their means. Although they pretend the opposite. Sociopaths consider themselves superior to everyone else, because they aren't burdened by the emotions and ethics others have – they're above all that. They're arrogant. Although they pretend the opposite.

The fact that they're chronic, extremely convincing and even enthusiastic liars, who often believe their own lies, means they aren't easy to spot, because normal people naturally assume another person is telling the truth. Political elites are primarily, and sometimes exclusively, composed of sociopaths. Sociopaths sense this, start coming out of the woodwork and are drawn to the State and its bureaucracies and regulatory agencies, where they can get licensed and paid to do what they've always wanted to do. The majority of Americans are, of course, where the rot originates. Once a country buys into the idea that an above-average, privileged lifestyle is everyone's minimum due, when the fortunate few can lobby for special deals to rake something off the table as they squeeze wealth out of others by force, that country is on the decline. Lobbying and taxation rather than production and innovation have never been able to sustain prosperity. 

Ann Coulter Projects BIG TIME with new book, "Demonic" and the Liberal Mob!!

In the alternate universe where history tells an entirely different story of Paul Revere or Martin Luther King Jr., Ann Coulter projects the ugliest conservative qualities to the party of kumbya, liberal Democrats. We're the ones, the herding cats party, being accused of group think. Has she noticed the Senate Republican vote on Ryan's plan, or their record number of filibuster's over the last two years? ABC News:

Conservative Talk Host Charlie Sykes Lists the Ultimate in Conservative Projection on Democrats. Line by line reveals Republican Tactical Plan...Ooops!

Here are the Republican issues we hear so much about, ad nauseam: God, guns and gays. Shut it down! George Soros! Socialism! Voter Fraud! Now, check out this amazing piece of conservative projection, defined as; a psychological defense mechanism where a person unconsciously denies his or her own attributes, thoughts, and emotions, which are then ascribed to the outside world, such as to other people. Thus, projection involves imagining or projecting the belief that others have those feelings.

Sound familiar? I’ve been writing about this for years, but I never would have imagined a more blatant example of projection than the following list. Partisan spin meister and radio host Charlie Sykes misses the irony of this jaw dropping list of conservative projection that borders on the insane. Sykes calls it- Rules for WI Radicals (cute, liberals/Democrats are radicals). 

1. Never acknowledge conservative victories as legitimate.
2. Never concede defeat in legislative votes. There is always a cloud.
3. Litigate everything.
4. Rely on Dane County judges whenever possible.
5. Elections only matter if liberals win.
6. Shut down schools, bring legislative process to a halt, tie up the courts, extort  businesses, try to overturn elections … and then say “this is what democracy looks like.”
7. Private businesses, families, personal lives are all fair game. Get the Mainstream media to say that “both sides’ are equally guilty.
8. Create appearance of scandal and misconduct wherever and whenever possible.
9. Chant “shame, shame, shame,” a lot.
10. Break laws, ignore rules, commit fraud, flee the state, change standards at will – but hold conservatives to a standard of absolute compliance. (For example, using the open meetings law to tie up the union bill.)
11. If we can’t defeat conservatives  at the ballot box, we can discredit them and demoralize them. If we get inside their heads, we win.
12. Encourage conspiracy theories. Use the phrase “Koch Brothers,” as often as possible.
13. Create chaos whenever possible.
14. Demand investigations, even if there is nothing to investigate.  It adds to appearance of chaos and misconduct. Media will always bite.
15. Bully, intimidate, and threaten, unleash union thugs… but repeatedly accuse Scott Walker and the GOP of being bullies.
16. Hold many rallies.
17. Remember: there is no voter fraud, except when the charge works for our benefit.
18. Invoke ‘civility,’ when it is in our interest (to get conservatives to shut up), but otherwise feel free to use the vilest language possible.
19. It doesn’t matter if an accusation against a conservative is true or false; the only question is: can we use it to win (or discredit and demoralize conservatives).
20. Don't respond to talk radio or other conservative media: discredit them. Remember they are never to be considered a legitimate alternative viewpoint: they are liars." (Politifact will be helpful.)
21. Rely on the conservative base to hold their own to a higher standard than we do. We don’t care about the private lives of Bill Clinton, Jesse Jackson, or Chris Abele, but they will turn on their own in cases where we would just look the other way. (The MSM accepts and embraces the double standard so use it.)
22. Accuse conservatives of hypocrisy a lot. Obviously we are immune to the charge, since we don’t have any standards… except getting our way.
23. Use every controversy to stoke leftist anger and paranoia and raise money.
24. Never, ever stop.

Here's WTDY's Sly in the Morning's take on Sykes' projection problem: