• Subscriptions
    • Log in
    Ad-Free Login - Go Ad-Free & Join The Movement
    The fight for Democracy hasn’t ended. Join Raw Story Investigates for $1. Support honest journalism.
    The fight for Democracy hasn’t ended. Join Raw Story Investigates for $1. Support honest journalism.Click to enable push notifications.
    Listen Now: The New Raw Story PodcastUS NEWSOpinionvideoget the newsletter
    AD-FREE LOGIN
    Ad-Free Login - Go Ad-Free & Join The Movement
    The fight for Democracy hasn’t ended. Join Raw Story Investigates for $1. Support honest journalism.
    The fight for Democracy hasn’t ended. Join Raw Story Investigates for $1. Support honest journalism.Click to enable push notifications.
    • Home
    • New: Shop to Support Independent Journalism
    • We Have Issues
    • Trump
    • U.S. News
    • Video
    • Ad-Free Login
    Tired of ads? Want to support our progressive journalism? Click to learn more.
    JOIN FOR $1

    'Shared psychosis': Mental health expert dissects Trump voters' unwavering support that 'defies rationality'

    Bandy X. Lee, DC Report @Raw Story
    December 05, 2020

    Thanks for your support!

    This article was paid for by reader donations to Raw Story Investigates.

    Mellissa Carone (Screen Grab)

    This article was paid for by Raw Story subscribers. Not a subscriber? Try us and go ad-free for $1. Prefer to give a one-time tip? Click here.

    Bandy X. Lee, DC Report @Raw Story

    Yesterday, Donald Trump gave a 46-minute speech that alarmed many.  Here are some of the things he said: “We were leading in all swing states far greater than they ever thought possible.”  “Millions of votes were cast illegally[, and] I went from leading by a lot, to losing by a little.”


    Those who still have their rationality intact will not find anything compelling about his repetitive arguments and will rather find only his persistence puzzling.  But he is conditioning the minds of his followers to take up his cause as their own and going so far as to give implicit orders.  I have stated on a number of occasions that mental symptoms can be more persuasive than rational strategy because of their emotional drive.  They can recruit you into an alternative system of thinking that defies rationality.

    Donald Trump’s former national security adviser, Michael Flynn, and his former attorney have already suggested that he step outside the Constitution to force some sort of military-supervised re-vote.  In addition to their corruption, opportunism, and criminal disposition, a powerful emotional drive underlies this alignment.  This is an example of what is called “shared psychosis,” or “folie à plusieurs” (madness in several), which is a well-documented phenomenon whose power not be underestimated.

    Its impact and danger are huge, as it divides the whole nation into those who are living in reality and those who are not, as we confront two immediate crises: the election and a pandemic that is now killing Americans at the rate of one 9/11 per day.

    There is a reason why mental health, or capacity, is a prerequisite for all court proceedings, all major decision-making, and just about any job.  For what needs to be done next, please consult our “Prescription for Survival” at dangerouscase.org, or visit me at bandylee.com.

    This article was paid for by Raw Story subscribers. Not a subscriber? Try us and go ad-free for $1. Prefer to give a one-time tip? Click here.

    Enjoy good journalism?

    … then let us make a small request. The COVID crisis has slashed advertising rates, and we need your help. Like you, we here at Raw Story believe in the power of progressive journalism. Raw Story readers power David Cay Johnston’s DCReport, which we've expanded to keep watch in Washington. We’ve exposed billionaire tax evasion and uncovered White House efforts to poison our water. We’ve revealed financial scams that prey on veterans, and legal efforts to harm workers exploited by abusive bosses. And unlike other news outlets, we’ve decided to make our original content free. But we need your support to do what we do.

    Raw Story is independent. Unhinged from corporate overlords, we fight to ensure no one is forgotten.

    We need your support in this difficult time. Every reader contribution, whatever the amount, makes a tremendous difference. Invest with us. Make a one-time contribution to Raw Story Investigates, or click here to become a subscriber. Thank you. Click to donate by check.

    Value Raw Story?

    … then let us make a small request. The COVID crisis has slashed advertising rates, and we need your help. Like you, we believe in the power of progressive journalism — and we’re investing in investigative reporting as other publications give it the ax. Raw Story readers power David Cay Johnston’s DCReport, which we've expanded to keep watch in Washington. We’ve exposed billionaire tax evasion and uncovered White House efforts to poison our water. We’ve revealed financial scams that prey on veterans, and efforts to harm workers exploited by abusive bosses. We need your support to do what we do.

    Raw Story is independent. You won’t find mainstream media bias here. Every reader contribution, whatever the amount, makes a tremendous difference. Invest with us in the future. Make a one-time contribution to Raw Story Investigates, or click here to become a subscriber. Thank you.

    Report typos and corrections to: corrections@rawstory.com.
    READ COMMENTS - JOIN THE DISCUSSION

    Do you approve of Biden's presidency so far?

    Thanks to Trump Republican Darrell Issa might lose the seat in Congress that he just won back: columnist

    Sarah K. Burris
    March 02, 2021

    After being on the wrong side of President Donald Trump, Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) lost his seat to a Democrat in 2016, but he was able to get it back in 2020. One San Diego columnist thinks that it's probably a short-lived victory, thanks, in part, to Trump.

    Writing Tuesday for the Times of San Diego, Raoul Lowery Contreras explained that Issa is the only Republican member of Congress south of Anaheim. Given that the Census triggers redistricting Issa out of his seat.

    "Instead it is in reapportionment, the every-decade requirement per the Constitution to draw legislative lines for congressional seats," wrote Contreras. "The problem this time for Issa is that the Trump administration royally screwed up the decennial U.S. Census. The official numbers for the new decade were due Dec. 31. But the report isn't ready yet because Trump nativists like Stephen Miller demanded the Census count the number of undocumented immigrants so they could be excluded from the final total."

    That was obviously unconstitutional, he said, but the fact that Trump demanded it, his administration ultimately messed up the population counts for the states.

    "Then there is the exodus of people from California that has shrunk the traditional annual growth rate to the lowest since 1900. States like Arizona and Texas have grown relative to California and will likely be allocated more congressional seats. That means that unless Congress enlarges the 435-member House, California will probably lose at least one congressional seat," wrote Contreras.

    Even with a non-partisan commission for redistricting, he doesn't have the seniority he once had, nor does he enjoy the benefits of being a pro-Trump party player after supporting Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) in 2016, Contreras said.

    Read his full column at the Times of San Diego.

    'It’s a racket': Failed GOP candidate rages after vendors pocketed millions off sketchy fundraising video

    Matthew Chapman
    March 02, 2021

    On Tuesday, The Washington Post published a damning analysis of how a GOP consulting firm pocketed millions from the campaign of Kim Klacik, a heavily-touted GOP candidate who ran an unsuccessful long-shot bid in a heavily blue district of Baltimore, Maryland last year.

    Klacik received national attention and a prime speaking slot at the Republican National Convention after a viral online ad featuring her walking through run-down neighborhoods of Baltimore and claiming that Democrats had abandoned the city's Black residents. The ad was even touted by former President Donald Trump.

    But according to the report, Klacik only learned after the fact that the vendors who helped her create and promote the spot would be taking most of the money she raised off it.

    "The company that produced the video, Arsenal Media Group, would take a cut. And a firm hired to promote the video, Olympic Media, would keep up to 70 percent of the money it generated, some of which was not disclosed in Klacik's initial campaign finance filings," reported Meagan Flynn and Michael Scherer. "Her campaign is an example of how some consulting firms are profiting handsomely from Republican candidates who have robust appeal in today's politically charged environment — even when they are running in deep-blue districts where it is virtually impossible for them to win. The more viral the candidate goes, the more money the companies make — a model possible only through the online outrage machine of hyperpartisan politics."

    Klacik herself was reportedly outraged and felt ripped off. "When I saw it, I almost passed out," she said. "I actually lost sleep over this. These companies — it's a racket. Unfortunately, this is why we ask people to send us checks directly to our P.O. box." Some of her GOP donors are also enraged, with Bruce Dale of Michigan — whose $800 check to her may have gone entirely to vendors — saying, "It sounds like part of the swamp that needs to be drained."

    It is highly unlikely Klacik would have won even if she had been able to keep all the money for campaigning, as the district, represented by Rep. Kweisi Mfume, votes about 26 points more Democratic than the nation as a whole.

    Former Republican official blasts Ted Cruz with profanity in new autobiography

    Sarah K. Burris
    March 02, 2021

    Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) once joked that someone could kill Sen. Ted Cruz (R-X) on the Senate floor and they wouldn't be found guilty even if they were tried by the U.S. Senate, CNN reported at the time.

    According to Rolling Stone, Cruz's former college roommate Craig Mazin joked, "One thing Ted Cruz is really good at: uniting people who otherwise disagree about everything else in a total hatred of Ted Cruz."

    The latest in a long line of attacks against Cruz from his colleagues comes from former Speaker John Boehner (R-OH). His upcoming autobiography even put the attack in a prominent position at the top of the book jacket.

    "There is nothing more dangerous than a reckless assh*le who thinks he is smarter than everyone else," Boehner said of Cruz, according to Punchbowl's Jake Sherman.

    The back cover of @SpeakerBoehner’s book — from @PunchbowlNews Midday. https://t.co/fZGQ3mCQU6
    — Jake Sherman (@Jake Sherman)1614711895.0

    After Cruz abandoned his own freezing state to vacation in Cancún, his approval rating dropped to 43 percent with 48 percent disapproval, a Morning Consult poll said. Those numbers are even amid 71 percent approval from Republicans.

     
    Trending
    Latest
    Videos

    WATCH: Jen Psaki comes prepared for Fox News reporter's Dr. Seuss question

    'Truly disgusting': Fox News suffers an internal revolt after hiring Kayleigh McEnany

    Top staffers for newly-elected GOP House member leave three weeks after former aide dies by suicide: report

    DeJoy strikes again as $4.5 billion order for new mail trucks misses several important opportunities

    20-year-old MAGA lawmaker's anti-Antifa bill went down in flames after he got 'out of control' during meeting

    Republicans are dangerously close to killing something the American public loves – and desperately needs

    A major part of Trump’s agenda was an utter failure – according to this brutal analysis by two GOP stalwarts

    LISTEN: RNC lawyer makes  admission to Supreme Court Justices that GOP needs voter suppression laws to win

    Biden might be on the verge of inadvertently dealing a massive blow to Trumpism: op-ed

    Thanks to Trump Republican Darrell Issa might lose the seat in Congress that he just won back: columnist

    'It’s a racket': Failed GOP candidate rages after vendors pocketed millions off sketchy fundraising video

    Former Republican official blasts Ted Cruz with profanity in new autobiography

    COVID-19: Biden says US will have enough supply for all adults by end of May

    New York lawmakers plan to strip Andrew Cuomo of emergency pandemic powers: report

    It's been 25 years since the Oklahoma City bombing and 'I think we may be in a worse position': ex-FBI official

    ‘Don’t ever let a Republican tell you they’re pro-life again’: Internet stunned as Texas removes all COVID restrictions

    Nicolle Wallace hits 'RonAnon' Johnson after his conspiracies get destroyed at Jan. 6 hearing with FBI

    Expert explains the fundamental error behind Texas’s decision to completely reopen

    Marjorie Taylor Greene: Metal detectors are the 'real voter suppression'

    Josh Hawley slammed for ‘deeply misleading’ questions suggesting Capitol riot investigators are abusing powers

    Fox News announces hiring Kayleigh McEnany after first denying it: 'We will be seeing much more of her'

    'First, they outlaw Dr. Seuss': Kevin McCarthy lies about Democrats on House floor

    Ted Cruz slammed for 'lie' Dems have 'abandoned the working class': He 'abandoned his state and dog to go to Cancun'

    Senate hearing exposes white supremacy on Jan. 6: Trump supporters 'might as well have' been wearing hoods

    WATCH LIVE: FBI director Chris Wray testifies before Congress for first time since the Capitol riot

    Josh Hawley and his 'smug face' torn apart by GOP's Adam Kinzinger during CNN interview

    'They look like clowns': Morning Joe buries GOPers trying to re-package themselves as 'mini-Trumps'

     
     

    Copyright © 2021 Raw Story Media, Inc. PO Box 21050, Washington, D.C. 20009 | Masthead | Privacy Policy | For corrections or concerns, please email corrections@rawstory.com.

    Manage Preferences

    Thanks for your support!

    Did you enjoy Raw Story this year? Join us! We're offering RawStory ad-free for 15% off - just $2 per week. From now until March 15th.

    Loser Republican wants voter suppression to correct ‘Democratic-leaning imbalance’ in the electorate

    ‘Don’t ever let a Republican tell you they’re pro-life again’: Internet stunned as Texas removes all COVID restrictions

    Uber spins off robot delivery unit of Postmates

    Close
    Copy link