BAMBOOZLED

To be bamboozled means to be completely deceived, tricked, or thoroughly confused. It often describes a situation where someone has been misled into believing or doing something through trickery, leaving them bewildered or outsmarted.

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Back in 2016, during Donald Trump's presidential bid and win, the one word that came to mind regarding his approach to winning  the presidency was bamboozler, for some unknown reason.  It is not a term that I used all that much throughout my life, but there it is was because there was something about Mr. Trump that reminded me of the old western T.V. shows that depicted "snake oil' salesmen and other tricksters as bamboozlers.     In fact, my term for President Trump has been and remains, "The Great Bamboozler."  If there is one thing Donald Trump is really good at, it is bamboozling his MAGA base.  

In researching the origin of this term, the Merriam Webster Dictionary said that the it was first used in the early 18th century.  The Irish author, Jonathan Swift, did not like the term because it originated with criminal types who referred to their criminal deceit as bamboozling their victims.  Nobody then and nobody today likes to be bamboozled.  Today, the term most frequently used to describe such activity is being scammed.  Bamboozled strikes me as a fitting term for those who have been deceived and misled into believing something that has left them bewildered or outsmarted by someone who is not all that smart and that, in itself, has to smart a bit.   

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Yesterday on a local South Dakota television news station, they showed a billboard sign of an organization that was offering help to people who wanted to leave MAGA by a group of people who were MAGA Republicans but have come to realize that they have been bamboozled by President Trump.  The last place I expected such a sign would be South Dakota, much less to see ex-MAGA South Dakotans form a help-line and organization to help people leave MAGA.   The fact such a group exists in a deeply red state like South Dakota indicates how deeply enthralled by the Great Bamboozler people in this state are.  A good example of this was the fact that we had four MAGA Republican's running for Governor in this state, all claiming to do be Trump loyalists.  Two are now in a run-off election for the Republican nominee.  Normally, this would be a great opportunity for a Democrat or an Independent to have a chance at winning the gubernatorial race but South Dakota, being such a deep red state at the moment, is likely to stick to their MAGA guns. Nevertheless, one lives in hope for what would be an election miracle.

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Nobody likes to admit being bamboozled, but most of us have had some experience with it.  I believe this is the reason so many MAGA Republicans stay with Trump.  Once someone believes something to be absolutely true,  no matter what proof exists to disabuse them of such beliefs they will stick to them as a matter of faith because the pain of being so easily deceived is too much to bear.      For the absolute true believer, economic suffering for one's faith in President Trump is a matter of religious devotion.  The biggest deception is that many in President Trump's base believe him to be God's chosen.   Among the faithful it is believed good things will emerge for those who keep their faith in him.     

On the other hand, there is a growing sense of people loosing faith in President Trump.  Trump flags are no longer being displayed as they were during President Trump's first term.  It is becoming obvious to all that some promises made during his second campaign are not promises being kept.  His promise to close the border and deport illegal immigrants has become a cruel fiasco in which people of color, whether citizen or legal immigrants have been targeted, placed in detention centers or deported.  Families are being separated needlessly.  Some have been killed by ICE and Border Patrol agents and others, including children, have died in detention.    

Tariffs have caused food prices and a host of other commodities to rise unnecessarily while the money he promised to raise from tariffs is being offset by his personal building projects.  His promise to not engage in foreign wars is a farce with the "military action" in Iran.  His personal vendetta against those he considers his foes is an abuse of the justice department.  Intelligence agencies are being gutted, etc.  All of these items and others are and posses the potential of causing his even his loyal followers to  question his agenda and slowly lose faith in the President.  

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The question becomes what happens to a person's loyalty who awakens to the fact that they have been bamboozled?   I suspect there may be several responses to such a situation.  An individual who begins to feel bamboozled may choose to keep the facade of loyalty as long as family and friends are still "drinking the "Kool-Aid" of the Trump Regime.  What an individual can do in this case is to privately vote against MAGA candidates.  There are probably enough disenchanted Republicans and Independents that could dramatically ensure that the MAGA candidates lose their elections to the House and Senate in the forthcoming Midterm election.   

As conversations amongst the base turn to the topic of being deceived sinks in and as soon as someone in the group says, "We've been bamboozled," embarrassment will set in which can eventually turn into collective guilt or shame, unleashing anger or unfettered hatred.   None of these outcomes are good for the bamboozled.  The only thing that can alleviate one's sense of guilt or shame safely is to admit being deceived and then form or join a political recovery support group, and work towards correcting the course of this nation. 

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For those of us who have not been bamboozled, it is important not to let our anger and disappointment  prevent those who want out of the MAGA cult from leaving by shaming them for voting for President Trump. There is too much inclination towards vengeance in this country already.  Generally speaking  converts are the strongest opponents to what they have converted from and are likely to be the strongest proponents for a return to constitutional order.   

We all must work towards restoring the constitutional order and saving the Republic from bamboozlement.   Going forward let our motto be:

BAMBOOZLED NO MORE!

Norm