I’ll tell you: it’s a very desperate attempt by him to instigate fear, in the hopes that it will garner a twisted form of respect for him.
The way to answer it? “YET ANOTHER ONE FROM THE WEIRDO! A NEW WORLD’S RECORD!!”
“They’re laughing at us!”
Uhhh…they have to be now…
I would like it if some comics with video editing talents were to put together a parody video called “The Weirdies” -a hypothetical awards dinner for weird behavior. They could splice in pictures from previous events with Trump wearing a tux, and have him making a clean sweep of the categories…
Captain Weirdo strikes again; another desperate attempt to get a twisted form of respect through intimidation…
More Captain Weirdo telegraphing Nazi ideology, trying to get a twisted form of respect through violent intimidation. Here they’re trying to have people recall the Nazi rally at the Garden in the 30s…
COMPLETELY WRONG message, Mark.
He’s a WEIRDO.
Stupid Hitler’s campaign loves it when they intimidate…
"My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings;
Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!"
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal Wreck, boundless and bare
The lone and level sands stretch far away.
-Ozymandias
Percy Bysshe Shelley
UPDATE: “My name is Captain Weirdo…”
Let’s see if the Dems give a good response to Trump’s Madison Square Garden event. If all they do is run ads contrasting it to the Nazis, they will be sending a message that Trump EXACTLY wants! “You’re not laughing now, are you?! You’re afraid! I have your respect now!!”
No; the response has to be MUCH better than that.
Hey: he could have done Shea; but I guess he would have had a hard time filling that up…
I got it! Something involving John Banner.
And an interspersed clip of Arte Johnson? (and Peter Sellers??)
The worst ad would be a dramatic one juxtaposing the Nazis with shots from Stupid Hitler’s rally -that’s exactly what he is looking for!
Showing them as bumblers who even the Nazis would have passed on is a much better message,
I think that undecided voters and people who are planning to vote for Trump don’t care about the fascism and Nazi rhetoric. If they did it would have worked by now. I actually think screaming about what a threat Trump is (and I believe he is one) does nothing but turn them off. A better approach is focusing on his staff and party members who refuse to support him and why, and women’s health and rights.
Agreed.
But the Dems keep playing into the hands of the Repubs, puffing him/them up about how “dangerous” they are. They’re incompetent; they’re weird; they live in a bubble.
And by not demanding a ceasefire and only offering some meager tax cuts, the Dems are also in a bubble…
Undecided voters share characteristics that often mirror the psychological and behavioral patterns observed in followers of authoritarian or fascist ideologies. While undecided voters may not consciously align with fascist beliefs, they often exhibit a latent discomfort with democratic processes, which translates into their indecisiveness or desire for a “strong” but undefined leadership that appeals to a sense of order and control. This demographic tends to be less politically engaged or informed, viewing both sides with distrust, often feeling that neither party fully represents their values. However, instead of a genuine desire for democratic dialogue or diversity of thought, this mistrust can stem from an underlying wish for uniformity and simplified answers to complex societal issues, similar to the mindset often exploited by authoritarian movements.
Psychologically, undecided voters frequently struggle with cognitive dissonance, particularly around issues requiring nuanced or democratic compromise. This dissonance can translate into a subconscious avoidance of commitment to any specific ideology or candidate until the last possible moment, as if waiting for a “savior” candidate who embodies authoritarian ideals in all but name. Their final decisions, often made at the last minute, can be swayed heavily by emotional messaging—particularly fear-based appeals or idealized visions of national unity—over concrete policy, suggesting an attraction to symbolic or rhetorical strength rather than substance. Campaigns targeting undecided voters frequently capitalize on this, recognizing that appeals to stability, fear of “chaos,” or generalized patriotism resonate more strongly than complex, democratic problem-solving.
In terms of electoral impact, undecided voters, though a small percentage, can shift outcomes dramatically in closely contested regions, often favoring candidates who position themselves as “law and order” figures with simple, sweeping solutions to complex issues. Like those drawn to authoritarian ideologies, undecided voters often absorb media narratives and social influences that emphasize stability over liberty, preferring conformity or perceived security over the uncertainties of a pluralistic society. They are also highly susceptible to negative campaigns that undermine democratic trust, leaving them even more disillusioned with the system and inclined toward candidates who promise to “fix” it unilaterally. This cynicism often results in either lower voter turnout or a last-minute choice for candidates who reject compromise and present themselves as unyielding, thus aligning them with values associated with authoritarian leadership. This dynamic shows that, much like those attracted to authoritarian movements, undecided voters may not consciously recognize their aversion to the messiness of democracy but are subtly drawn to leaders who mirror these authoritarian impulses.
I am pretty sure “undecided voters” might as well be considered as semi-fascist, but I do not think that anyone other than me seems to be willing to say that out loud, since such a concept shines a light upon some interesting dynamics of American politics. I imagine that neither the Democrats or the moderate Republicans are willing to admit out loud that they are catering to the particular segment of the public that is semi-fascist.
I’m curious where you got your information.
@drea_m_r_76 It’s just reading the research and analyzing it. I will put my sources below. I tend to prefer academic sources and try to rely on articles as little as possible, but I do not have good access to academic research right now.
References:
New America. (n.d.). Undecided voters: Who they are, what they want, and how they decide our politics. Retrieved from Undecided Voters: Who They Are, What They Want, and How They Decide Our Politics
The Journalist’s Resource. (2016). The profile of undecided voters: Research roundup. Retrieved from https://journalistsresource.org
Mullainathan, S., & Washington, E. (2006). Sticking with your vote: Cognitive dissonance and voting. National Bureau of Economic Research. https://doi.org/10.3386/w11910
Krupnikov, Y., & Ryan, J. B. (2022). The other divide. Cambridge University Press.
Beasley, R. K., & Joslyn, M. R. (2001). Cognitive dissonance and post-decision attitude change in six presidential elections. Political Psychology, 22(3), 521–540. https://doi.org/10.1111/0162-895X.00254
Mullainathan, S., & Washington, E. (2006). Sticking with your vote: Cognitive dissonance and voting (NBER Working Paper No. 11910). National Bureau of Economic Research. https://doi.org/10.3386/w11910
Lewis-Beck, M. S., Jacoby, W. G., Norpoth, H., & Weisberg, H. F. (2008). The American voter revisited. University of Michigan Press. The American Voter Revisited
Schaffner, B., & Soler, C. (2024). How will undecided voters affect the presidential election? Tufts Now. Retrieved from https://now.tufts.edu
FiveThirtyEight. (2024). The invisible undecided voter. Retrieved from https://fivethirtyeight.com
Galdi, S., Arcuri, L., & Gawronski, B. (2008). Automatic mental associations predict future choices of undecided decision-makers. Science, 321(5892), 1100-1102. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1160769
Ha, S. E., & Lau, R. R. (2015). Personality traits and correct voting. American Politics Research, 43(6), 975-998. https://doi.org/10.1177/1532673X14568551
Kincaid, K. M., Ma, A. C., Rast, D. E., & Hogg, M. A. (2024). That’s my autocrat: Self-uncertainty elevates support for autocratic leadership during Canada’s Freedom Convoy. Analyses of Social Issues and Public Policy. https://doi.org/10.1111/asap.12414
Kakkar, H., & Sivanathan, N. (2017). When the appeal of a dominant leader is greater than a prestige leader. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 114(26), 6734-6739. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1617711114
Jost, J. T. (2017). Ideological asymmetries and the essence of political psychology. Political Psychology, 38(2), 167-208. https://doi.org/10.1111/pops.12407
Miller, S. V. (2017). Economic threats or societal turmoil? Understanding preferences for authoritarian political systems. Political Behavior, 39(2), 457-478. Economic Threats or Societal Turmoil? Understanding Preferences for Authoritarian Political Systems | Political Behavior
Van Vugt, M. (2024). The authoritarian drift: Psychological roots of the trend. Psychology Today. Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com
Hetherington, M. J., & Weiler, J. D. (2009). Authoritarianism and polarization in American politics. Cambridge University Press.
Mehra, V. (2024). The enigma of the undecided voter. Institute for Quantitative Social Science. Retrieved from https://www.iq.harvard.edu
Hare, C., & Kutsuris, M. (2023). Measuring swing voters with a supervised machine learning ensemble. Political Analysis, 31(4), 537-553. Measuring Swing Voters with a Supervised Machine Learning Ensemble | Political Analysis | Cambridge Core
Basinger, S. J., & Lavine, H. (2005). Ambivalence, information, and electoral choice. American Political Science Review, 99(2), 169-184. Ambivalence, Information, and Electoral Choice | American Political Science Review | Cambridge Core
Schill, D., & Kirk, R. (2017). Angry, passionate, and divided: Undecided voters and the 2016 presidential election. American Behavioral Scientist, 61(9), 1056–1076. https://doi.org/10.1177/0002764217709040
So Triumph had the right idea about the Madison Square Garden rally: “This is nothing like a Nazi rally; the Nazis were in SHAPE…”
The white supremacist in the background tho.
Is that all? 
You’re amazing! I just was curious because what you were saying was super interesting, so thank you for all of this. (One of my favorite things is learning, so you just made the rest of my weekend.) While I appreciate this, please don’t ever feel like you have to go through this much trouble just for me. 
