When reasonably intelligent people say ridiculous things like that, it is obvious they are not coming from an even-handed place. He was making something up on the spot based on nothing to appear intellectually consistent. But what was really happening is that he wanted to remain emotionally consistent. As in, consistently avoiding unpleasant emotions.
This happens for a lot of people. Trump is a macho guy. A lot of people have been hurt by macho guys. The hurts from past macho guys may set up a trigger that Trump sets off for some people. They may think they are upset at Trump, when more likely it is unresolved pain from the past resurfacing. This is not a rational reaction. It’s personal issues skewing current perceptions to protect old emotional wounds.
But projecting past pains onto Trump is not the way to resolve the trauma. It is like a
pathological coping mechanism.Maybe they have pathological disease. (What Trump said about Carson in one of the debates)
But something about the possibility of people losing money snaps them out of this escape mode real quick. Money is a stronger motivator for most people than avoiding emotional pain.Challenge your #NeverTrump friends in this same way, see what happens. (Or if you are considering NeverTrump, challenge yourself). Make the bet specific to the first judge nomination, to stay away from subjective evaluations. The bet is whether or not Trump will nominate a judge more conservative than Kagen, Sotomeyer and Ginsberg.
“I do think Trump will nominate a conservative judge” – Then they should vote for him.
“I don’t know if Trump will nominate a conservative judge or not” – Then they should still vote for him. A positive possibility is better than a negative certainty.
“No, Trump will nominate a liberal judge” – Then they must make the bet to remain consistent.
If they aren’t willing to bet, they are proving that their anti-Trump position is phony posturing. Likely to avoid unpleasant emotions because of their own personal issues.