{"id":25916,"date":"2025-10-07T17:36:45","date_gmt":"2025-10-08T00:36:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.markrkelly.com\/Blog\/?p=25916"},"modified":"2025-10-13T15:43:20","modified_gmt":"2025-10-13T22:43:20","slug":"how-tribal-loyalty-overrides-evidence-of-incompetence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.markrkelly.com\/Blog\/2025\/10\/07\/how-tribal-loyalty-overrides-evidence-of-incompetence\/","title":{"rendered":"How Tribal Loyalty Overrides Evidence of Incompetence"},"content":{"rendered":"<ul>\n<li>How MAGA will never accept &#8220;I told you so&#8221;:<\/li>\n<li>Robert Reich on why Trump keeps dismantling agencies;<\/li>\n<li>Short items about overthrowing the government, primitive morality, yet another prediction of the rapture, Biblical morality to justify the killing of black men, the idea of firing 500K federal workers, the scam of &#8220;ethical IVF&#8221;, and phony AI songs in tribute to Charlie Kirk.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div align=\"center\">&#8211; &#8211; &#8211;<\/div>\n<p>This first piece aligns with one of my core provisional conclusions: you can&#8217;t change people&#8217;s minds with evidence. Most people are driven by loyalty to their tribe.<\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ca-times.brightspotcdn.com\/dims4\/default\/7eb45a1\/2147483647\/strip\/true\/crop\/8192x5460+0+2\/resize\/2000x1333!\/format\/webp\/quality\/75\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F90%2F9d%2Fc4f8e1e24606b29a77bf532eccfd%2F2239485471.jpg\" width=\"400\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Caption: &#8220;President Trump\u2019s deployment of federal agents to Portland doesn\u2019t create its own reality. There is no crisis to justify this response. (Spencer Platt \/ Getty Images)&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><strong>LA Times, Robert Repino, 7 Oct 2025<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/opinion\/story\/2025-10-07\/trump-maga-i-told-you-so\">As Trump\u2019s reign implodes, tell MAGA \u2018I told you so\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>I once held what seemed to be a perfectly rational belief: that even the staunchest supporters of Donald Trump would change their minds once his incompetence and hatred directly affected them. That logic tracked with the dominant narrative of the last decade, going back to when pundits first claimed that Trump supporters were motivated not by hatred but by something called \u201c<a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.vox.com\/identities\/2017\/12\/15\/16781222\/trump-racism-economic-anxiety-study\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><u>economic anxiety<\/u><\/a>.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Whereas they express their hatred every day.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Trump\u2019s economy has now arrived, and it\u2019s as catastrophic as the experts predicted. Despite his promises not only to curb inflation but also to bring prices down, there is <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/business\/economy\/inflation-cpi-report-august-rcna230557\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><u>no relief in sight<\/u><\/a>, because Trump <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=XQXpL-6kjq0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><u>never<\/u><\/a> <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/atrupar\/status\/1836192099546374191?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1836192099546374191%7Ctwgr%5E9255bc9c3fec7666554969d00f823a39dae73b13%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fiframe.nbcnews.com%2F76IHqBs%3F_showcaption%3Dtrueapp%3D1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><u>had<\/u><\/a> <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=dqgxzdQikRE\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><u>a<\/u><\/a> <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=SGVW5wG4_y8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><u>plan<\/u><\/a> for dealing with any of that. Housing remains <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.census.gov\/newsroom\/press-releases\/2025\/acs-1-year-estimates.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><u>out of reach<\/u><\/a> for many, unemployment is <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/business\/us-unemployment-rate-near-4-year-high-labor-market-hits-stall-speed-2025-09-05\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><u>rising<\/u><\/a>, and, thanks to the Big Beautiful Bill Act, Medicaid is about to <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cbo.gov\/publication\/61510\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><u>eject millions of recipients<\/u><\/a> to help offset a <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxbusiness.com\/economy\/us-debt-tops-37-trillion-big-beautiful-bill-allows-rise-trillions-higher\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><u>budget-busting<\/u><\/a> tax cut for rich people.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>With examples of red states and red counties losing services due to Trump&#8217;s tariffs and budget cuts.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>But there should be good news too, right? We\u2019ll see that the Trump movement really was about economic anxiety all along, because supporters will surely renounce Trump now that his promise to fix the economy on <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/abcnews.go.com\/Politics\/trump-vowed-make-economy-day-1-now-us\/story?id=119674028\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><u>day one<\/u><\/a> (along with <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2025\/04\/25\/politics\/fact-check-trump-ukraine-war\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><u>Ukraine<\/u><\/a> and <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/09\/16\/world\/middleeast\/trump-netanyahu-gaza-escalation.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><u>Gaza<\/u><\/a>) is more than 200 days late.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Stages of denial:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>But no. We all know what\u2019s going to happen instead. Trump supporters will progress through the same stages of denial that we saw during the pandemic. First, they\u2019ll say that what\u2019s happening isn\u2019t really happening. Then they\u2019ll say it\u2019s not that bad. Then they\u2019ll accuse Democrats of politicizing the issue. All while their own lives are threatened. Or destroyed.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>And blame, some of this from the left:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>While that position evolves, we\u2019ll continue to hear the tired claim that left-leaning politicians and celebrities are to blame, because they pushed people away <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/james-carville-harris-loss-woke-politics-1982035\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><u>with<\/u><\/a> <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/opinion\/campaign\/4981585-america-rejects-woke-democrats\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><u>their<\/u><\/a> <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2025\/08\/22\/democrats-woke-language-blacklist-00519421\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><u>wokeness<\/u><\/a>. According to this interpretation, Trump supporters have been mostly concerned with kitchen-table issues, and charges of cultish behavior and xenophobia are overblown accusations from the left. If only the mean liberals would stop complaining about racism, then MAGA would be nicer!<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Nonsense, says I.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8230;for years now conservatives have been lecturing the country on how to respectfully talk to MAGA supporters and \u2014 surprise! \u2014 it turns out that they\u2019ve been acting in bad faith all along. Instead of encouraging better conversations, Trump apologists sought to control the discourse by invalidating <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2022\/07\/21\/opinion\/bret-stephens-trump-voters.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><u>any<\/u><\/a> <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/opinions\/progressives-shaming-of-trump-supporters-wont-work\/2019\/08\/09\/f502bdde-bae3-11e9-b3b4-2bb69e8c4e39_story.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><u>and<\/u><\/a> <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/opinion\/story\/2025-08-01\/democrats-alienating-men\"><u>all<\/u><\/a> <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/opinions\/2021\/07\/22\/stop-insulting-trump-voters-their-concerns-talk-them\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><u>criticism<\/u><\/a>, and by cultivating a sense of apathy so bottomless it could <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=TO7YXBtv6fU\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><u>excuse<\/u><\/a> <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2023\/mar\/11\/republicans-reframing-january-6-attack\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><u>anything<\/u><\/a>. In their world, Trump supporters can never be held responsible for what they\u2019ve done. In their world, calling out bigotry is the <i>real<\/i> bigotry. They see resisting cruelty as worse than actual cruelty.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>There&#8217;s more, but that&#8217;s a good note to end on.<\/p>\n<p>\\\\\\<\/p>\n<p>Trump and his people keep firing people and dismantling agencies. Why would that be?<\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/$s_!_FYc!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1ec96dab-a26b-4149-98ff-f59b59228543_3500x2642.jpeg\" width=\"300\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>Robert Reich, 7 Oct 2025<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/robertreich.substack.com\/p\/turning-out-the-lights-on-the-economy\">What Trump doesn\u2019t want us to know about ourselves<\/a>, subtitled &#8220;How Trump is systematically concealing America from Americans&#8221;<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Flying blind is dangerous, but it\u2019s what Trump and his lackeys are forcing America to do.<\/p>\n<p>For starters, the current government shutdown means that critical economic statistics \u2014 such as job numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics that normally would have appeared last Friday \u2014 are delayed. No one knows when they\u2019ll appear.<\/p>\n<p>The BLS also produces data on inflation and wages \u2014 also delayed.<\/p>\n<p>At a time when there\u2019s reason to worry that the American economy is weakening \u2014 when Trump\u2019s tariffs (import taxes) are pushing prices higher, his ICE dragnet is causing labor shortages, and he is asserting control over the Fed\u2019s interest-rate decisions \u2014 turning the lights off on the economy is a particularly bad idea.<\/p>\n<p>But even if the government <em>weren\u2019t<\/em> shuttered, Trump is still turning out the lights.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>And,<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Besides, Trump doesn\u2019t like data. He eschews facts. He wants investors and consumers \u2014 and everyone else \u2014 to be in the dark, because then he can lie without fear of factual contradiction. He can create even more of a fantasy world. He can pretend that he\u2019s been wildly successful even when he\u2019s been a terrible failure.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Concluding:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>The lights are going out across America.<\/p>\n<p>The problems that we as a nation have sought to illuminate, so that we can remedy them, are disappearing \u2014 not because the problems are disappearing or have been remedied, but because we will no longer know about them.<\/p>\n<p>It is impossible to protect American consumers, workers, investors, families, and children without adequate data. Trump and his lackeys have little or no interest in protecting them \u2014 and even less in allowing Americans to know how little they care.<\/p>\n<p>When this Trump daymare is over, one of our first priorities must be to restore all the ways of knowing what\u2019s happening to Americans \u2014 and dedicate ourselves and the nation to sharing the truth.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Thought here: yes, we might be in the end times, for America, but not because of any religious prophecy, but because the very people who believe in religious prophecies are dismantling the American system.<\/p>\n<p>\\\\\\<\/p>\n<p>Short items.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>JMG, 7 Oct 2025<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.joemygod.com\/2025\/10\/fox-host-democrats-seek-to-overthrow-the-republic\/\">Fox Host: Democrats \u201cSeek To Overthrow The Republic\u201d<\/a> (Really? Which party is dismantling the government right now?)<\/li>\n<li><strong>JMG, 7 Oct 2025<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.joemygod.com\/2025\/10\/trump-theres-no-reason-to-be-good-except-to-prove-to-god-that-you-want-to-go-to-heaven-video\/\">Trump: \u201cThere\u2019s No Reason To Be Good\u201d Except To Prove To God That You Want To Go To Heaven [VIDEO]<\/a> (This is the most primitive, even childish, morality &#8212; see <a href=\"https:\/\/www.markrkelly.com\/Blog\/2020\/06\/26\/notes-for-the-book-hierarchy-of-morality\/\">Hierarchy of Morality<\/a>)<\/li>\n<li><strong>JMG, 7 Oct 2025<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.joemygod.com\/2025\/10\/its-rapture-day-again-and-you-heathens-are-still-here\/\">It\u2019s Rapture Day Again And You Heathens Are Still Here<\/a> (More primitive morality; more conservative inability to learn; more evidence of the old saw about insanity: doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.)<\/li>\n<li><strong>Right Wing Watch, 6 Oct 2025:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.peoplefor.org\/rightwingwatch\/brian-sauve-calls-rebellious-young-black-men-be-killed-state\">Brian Sauv\u00e9 Calls For Rebellious Young Black Men To Be Killed By The State<\/a> (Can we ever get past Biblical morality??)<\/li>\n<li><strong>JMG, 7 Oct 2025<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.joemygod.com\/2025\/10\/fox-host-calls-on-trump-to-fire-500k-federal-workers\/\">Fox Host Calls On Trump To Fire 500K Federal Workers<\/a> (This is insane. Either he is a foreign agent bent on taking down the US, or he is simpleton who has no idea what those *five hundred thousand* federal workers do, and how they support our economy and government.)<\/li>\n<li><strong>Slate, Mary Ziegler, 7 Oct 2025<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/slate.com\/news-and-politics\/2025\/10\/republicans-selling-ethical-ivf-scam.html\">Republicans Are Selling \u201cEthical IVF.\u201d It\u2019s a Scam.<\/a> (Conservatives have a pattern of claiming to do one thing while covertly doing the opposite.)<\/li>\n<li><strong>Politifact, 1 Oct 2025<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politifact.com\/article\/2025\/oct\/01\/AI-music-charlie-kirk\/\">Charlie Kirk tributes sounded like Adele and Bieber, but were AI. How to spot synthetic music <\/a> (Isn&#8217;t this just another example of how conservatives lie?)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Or perhaps conservatives have&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>How MAGA will never accept &#8220;I told you so&#8221;: Robert Reich on why Trump keeps dismantling agencies; Short items about overthrowing the government, primitive morality, yet another prediction of the rapture, Biblical morality to justify the killing of black men, &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.markrkelly.com\/Blog\/2025\/10\/07\/how-tribal-loyalty-overrides-evidence-of-incompetence\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[48,90,54,20],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-25916","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-conservative-resistance","category-conservatives","category-politics","category-psychology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.markrkelly.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25916","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.markrkelly.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.markrkelly.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.markrkelly.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.markrkelly.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25916"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.markrkelly.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25916\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25956,"href":"https:\/\/www.markrkelly.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25916\/revisions\/25956"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.markrkelly.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25916"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.markrkelly.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25916"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.markrkelly.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25916"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}