The Twisted Logic of The Enemy of My Enemy is My Friend
Recent news and memes circulating moved me to research the old phrase The Enemy of My Enemy is My Friend (TEOMEIMF). From the Wiki: The enemy of my enemy is my friend is an ancient proverb which suggests that two opposing parties can or should work together against a common enemy. The earliest known expression of this concept is found in a Sanskrit treatise on statecraft, the Arthashastra, which dates to around the 4th century BC, while the first recorded use of the current English version came in 1884.
Trump supporters seem to have taken this old proverb to heart. Here is the logic. Hillary Clinton is an enemy of Trump. Hillary is an enemy of Putin. Trump is my friend. Putin is my friend. We will not go into the why, but suffice to say most Trump supporters see Hillary as their despised enemy.
In this alternate reality fueled by so much hate that logic does not apply, Putin is now the friend of most Trump supporters. It is amazing how fear and hate can drive people to completely illogical conclusions.
Russia and Putin do not want the best for the United States. We are their most formidable enemy. Without a doubt, Russia disrupted the last election. The only questions are to what extent and whether the Trump election team was involved in any way. The old proverb does not apply in this case.
Hillary does not matter anymore. She is done for. Yet, thousands will chant "lock her up" at rallies today. Their hate is so intense, they cannot see the faulty logic of looking at Putin as some kind of ally. And, since Trump is her enemy, he can also do anything even when not in his supporters best interest and they will overlook, defend, or rationalize the policy or law because, hey - Trump and they have Hillary as a common enemy.
And, in this "bizarro" reality, that is enough.
Trump supporters seem to have taken this old proverb to heart. Here is the logic. Hillary Clinton is an enemy of Trump. Hillary is an enemy of Putin. Trump is my friend. Putin is my friend. We will not go into the why, but suffice to say most Trump supporters see Hillary as their despised enemy.
In this alternate reality fueled by so much hate that logic does not apply, Putin is now the friend of most Trump supporters. It is amazing how fear and hate can drive people to completely illogical conclusions.
Russia and Putin do not want the best for the United States. We are their most formidable enemy. Without a doubt, Russia disrupted the last election. The only questions are to what extent and whether the Trump election team was involved in any way. The old proverb does not apply in this case.
Hillary does not matter anymore. She is done for. Yet, thousands will chant "lock her up" at rallies today. Their hate is so intense, they cannot see the faulty logic of looking at Putin as some kind of ally. And, since Trump is her enemy, he can also do anything even when not in his supporters best interest and they will overlook, defend, or rationalize the policy or law because, hey - Trump and they have Hillary as a common enemy.
And, in this "bizarro" reality, that is enough.
And, in the latest poll 40% of Republican's either think its OK or don't care if Russia meddles in our elections for Trump's benefit.
"That’s okay with some Republicans, according to a Yahoo Finance/SurveyMonkey poll of 2,509 Americans conducted July 25-27 [2018]. In the survey, 11% of people who identify as Republican or lean Republican say it’s “appropriate” for Russia to help Republicans keep control of Congress in the upcoming elections. Another 29% say it’s “not appropriate, but wouldn’t be a big deal” for the Russians to help. So combined, 40% of Republicans either approve of Russian interference, or don’t strongly object to it."
Update (8.16.18) The POTUS removed former CIA Director John Brennan's security clearance yesterday in what only can be seen as an attempt to shut him up. Unfortunately for Mr Trump that action has seemed to embolden Mr Brennan to speak out more. This quote from Mr Brennan in today's news from an op-ed piece is eerily similar to the fourth paragraph above I wrote a month ago.
"The only questions that remain are whether the collusion that took place constituted criminally liable conspiracy, whether obstruction of justice occurred to cover up any collusion or conspiracy, and how many members of “Trump Incorporated” attempted to defraud the government by laundering and concealing the movement of money into their pockets. A jury is about to deliberate bank and tax fraud charges against one of those people, Paul Manafort, Mr. Trump’s former campaign chairman. And the campaign’s former deputy chairman, Rick Gates, has pleaded guilty to financial fraud and lying to investigators."
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