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The assassination attempt

Matt Taibi has some useful thoughts. I'll add some.

Scott Adams (who in addition to being a great cartoonist, is a student of persuasion) wrote about the rhetoric (in its real term, persuasive communication) of the Trump v. Hillary campaign. On Hillary's side, it initially tried to make fun of Trump, or portray him as a bumbling character. That didn't succeed. Usually, it was low-grade to boot.

Then, he suspects, one of the true experts in persuasion joined her campaign. He'd been with Bernie Sanders, but when Sanders dropped out he became a free agent.

And suddenly, her campaign's persuasion became weapons-grade. It acquired a theme -- Donald Trump is a dark force. The word "dark" was constantly used, and everything was related to that. He's a buddy of Putin, he's a future dictator, he's a xenophobe and a racist and misogynist. He can hardly wait to impose a right-wing tyranny on this country and become president for life. In this campaign, it continues (notwithstanding the fact that Trump hardly got tyrannical during his first term).

Adams also foresaw the effect of his winning. Half the country becomes convinced we just elected a Hitler. Well, if Hitler is making a second run at power....

If you look at the current persuasion: the Republican pitch is (or will be once Biden is officially nominated), Biden is a bumbling fellow going into senile dementia, and Harris is a cackling fool, and both are serving whoever can rub two brain cells together. Result of this belief is laughter and perhaps pity. The Demo pitch is Trump is a tyrant, an incipient Hitler, who will oppress everyone we agree with. Result of this belief is...