February 14, 2021

The followers of demagogues aren't following the demagogue; they are following an ethic. The demagogues can be replaced as long as the ethic stays the same. That's why Trump can't be extracted from the conservative cause. There isn't a replacement yet.

There is only one ethic at the foundation of corruption. It's making sin pay. A demagogue is the latest rendition of the person who has found the formula for making sin pay.

To meet that requirement requires a clear purpose in making sin pay. Going about it half-heartedly won't do. There are too many failures to accept just anyone who comes along as the true champion of the cause.

To make sure that the figurehead of the cause is really worth following, there has to be something real different visible in the imagery. A demagogue has to stand out. Otherwise, he is just another failure.

To stand out as a worthwhile demagogue, it's the sin that is evaluated. How sinful is he? Is he totally, 100% behind the cause or just another transient wannabe? Any of the conservatives running in the primaries would be promoting the cause, but they would just be another failure unless there is something more than the usual being promoted.

Trump stood out unmistakably in the crowd. Journalists locked onto him and greased the machine for him—the first requirement for the next demagogue.

How sinful was he? There has never been anything he has done which was not as sinful as he could be and proudly so. It's an ethic that he follows religiously.

Of course, the ultimate requirement is the question, is he a winner. Can he make sin pay or is he just an imposter? For persons who can't see past the gold paint, Trump was succeeding at making sin pay. That's entirely why he would not make his tax documents visible. He didn't want anyone to know how fraudulent his success was.

To anyone with half a brain, buying golf courses is not how to succeed in business. Golf courses are an expense, not an income. But Trump needed golf courses to create an image of being so successful that he could afford to throw money away frivolously.

Doesn't that say that Trump is another imposter instead of someone who has found the illusive formula for making sin pay? That analysis is looking at the total subject. Persons seeking the path for making sin pay don't evaluate at that depth.