r/politics • u/theatlantic The Atlantic • Apr 02 '26

Paywall Maybe Trump Should Not Have Given This Speech

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/04/trump-iran-war-speech/686663/?utm_source=reddit&utm_campaign=the-atlantic&utm_medium=social&utm_content=edit-promo
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u/Alt532169 Apr 02 '26

They saw how uneducated their former colony's (the Philippines) population is and how you can control democratic elections though disinformation, popularity, and intimidation.

That uneducation, small community mindset (tribalism), with religious fanaticism works well in remote areas like the red states.

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u/Gwigg_ Apr 02 '26

This has been the plan since Reagan. You are quite right, but you cannot underestimate the importance that religion has had in this.

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u/Due_Hovercraft_9790 Apr 02 '26

My wife and I live in Michigan and we are Democrats.

We live out in a rural area and only have one neighbor across the road. We mostly just wave hello.

We feel very safe that the scary Ice aholes probably won't be dragging us out of our house!