The Confidence Man -- A Tale as Old as Time

[artemisia1]

Last edited Sun May 25, 2025, 06:39 AM - Edit history (1)

How do unprincipled people like Trump flourish while principled men such as the late President Jimmy Carter are considered "failures" by many?

CONfidence men such as Trump have the advantage. They project absolute certainty while exploiting people's weaknesses, desires, and fears and telling them what they want to hear. Ethical considerations are not concerns to such men. President Reagan told everyone how special they were to be Americans, Jimmy Carter told them the truth -- things were hard and sacrifice was needed. Reagan won.

A confidence man counts on and uses the selfishness and greed of his marks. Something for nothing, a quick pay off. This can be a desire for "a chicken in every pot" or a brown person on every gallows.

An unprincipled assertion of CERTAINTY and CONfidence -- with no ethical concerns -- are the hallmark of a confidence man.

But they are only HALF of the equation. The other half are those who follow them for narcissistic reasons and who abdicate their own ethical responsibilities to get what they want or, at least, be told they are going to get it.

To us, Trump is an unethical buffoon: to them he is SUGAR DADDY who tells them how special they are and how he's going to get them what they want.

[no_hypocrisy]

1. A good read -- The Big Con: The Story of the Confidence Man

Explains just about everything for a confidence game to endure.

https://www.amazon.com/Big-Story-Confidence-Man/dp/0385495382

[2naSalit]

2. Also see...

[bucolic_frolic]

3. Con men lie and distort logic and reality

They create myths, hopes, and belief with repetition of things that make no sense. Their words seem to promise but on close examination are inconclusive. They are whipped into anger at things they never thought about before.

Conmen bait, abuse, and provoke. The followers are sheep who have little idea they are being played. Most don't understand narcissism enough to identify their leader.

[no_hypocrisy]

4. Here's the thing:

Con men need a mark.

The mark is motivated by greed and gullibility and thus, suspends doubt and buys the con.

[rampartd]

12. "you can't cheat an honest man" barnum

[OldBaldy1701E]

5. Because...

How do unprincipled people like Trump flourish while principled men such as the late President Jimmy Carter are considered "failures" by many?

Because the programming worked. And, we still won't accept that fact. Once we do, we can start to change it all.

But...

[sop]

6. Trump's bullshit was spread by corporate media, a true watchdog press would have exposed the con.

[OldBaldy1701E]

9. Yep.

But, they are in the same greed-driven society that we are in, so they have to play the game or close.

This started long before that orange gibbon decided to play dictator. He is just the culmination. I hope.

[artemisia1]

13. Or the first Emperor.

[OldBaldy1701E]

14. I think that is their wish. It would legitimize the idea of monarchy/dictatorship in the public eye.

Then, they can dismantle the rest of our democracy and instill something more to their liking.... you know, authoritarian crap and all that.

[GiqueCee]

7. A flawless...

... and succinct explanation of what should be obvious to anyone whose intellectual capacity exceeds that of a potted plant. Until that limited intellectual capacity is perverted by an insatiable obsession with transferring blame for their own shortcomings and inchoate resentments to someone they disparagingly consider "different".
Stir vigorously and – VOILA! – Instant MAGAt.

[Blue Full Moon]

8. The Ballad of the Flim Flam Man

It's all trumpery and snake oil.

[malaise]

10. Don the CONvict

That is all

[DAngelo136]

11. Here's what summarizes why we are where we are.

You don't need brains to be a Boss.

When the body was first created, all the parts wanted to be Boss. The brain said, "I should be Boss because I control all of the body's responses and functions."

The feet said, "We should be Boss since we carry the brain about and get him to where he wants to go."

The hands said, "We should be the Boss because we do all the work and earn all the money."

Finally, the asshole spoke up. All the parts laughed at the idea of the asshole being the Boss. So, the asshole went on strike, blocked itself up and refused to work.

Within a short time, the eyes became crossed, the hands clenched, the feet twitched, the heart and lungs began to panic, and the brain fevered. Eventually, they all decided that the asshole should be the Boss, so the motion was passed. All the other parts did all the work while the Boss just sat and passed out the shit!

Moral Of The Story: You don't need a brain to be a Boss----any asshole will do.

Donald Trump is an asshole. Always has been and always will be. His followers are assholes, too and they should be treated accordingly. Now the problem to be solved is how do we get these assholes out of positions of power?