Stopping the Steal

Trump has had fostered hatred within our nation. By exploiting vulnerabilities in the minds of a significant portion of the population, he has convinced the more susceptible that their lack of happiness or success is a result of actions by those in the opposing party. He consistently portrays himself as a victim and consistently criticizes and intimidates anyone who opposes his quest for absolute power. Saw a great meme yesterday. Shows somebody interviewing Trump. The caption states "Let me get this straight. You got fired from your last job as a top executive? Then you refused to leave called all your friends to vandalize the workplace, and on the way out of the office took a lot of the company's confidential documents. When you got caught you refused to give many of them back. And now you're reapplying for the same position?" He talks like a child and thinks he knows everything. He's just a few of his highlights, "I know more about the military than anyone." "I know more about the economy than anyone." "I know more about health care than anyone." "I alone can fix it." He's going to to throw a tantrum when he loses again this November.

This is not a biased, Dem-Propaganda documentary. The people in this documentary are from people who were directly involved, and all Republicans. I highly recommend it and wish everyone would watch it. It does not have anyone from the Democratic Party, and does not have any Democrat voters. The people in this documentary are Trump Administration Staffers and Aides, and elected Republican Officials from states like Georgia and Arizona. It includes Republicans who were contacted in the weeks following the election, it includes Republicans who were on Trump's side.. but most importantly it shows the truth. It is absolutely a must watch documentary.

As "Stopping the Steal" (2024 release; 90 min) opens, we are in Arizona, a key swing state in the 2020 presidential election, and the Maricopa Board of Supervisors, controlled by Republicans, are facing increased pressure to declare Trump the winner, even though he lost. At this point we are 10 minutes into the documentary.

Couple of comments: most critical in this documentary is that it is entirely seen and assessed from the Republicans' perspective. Not a single Democrat or independent voice is heard. Indeed, the remarkable thing is that the open and blatant attempt by Trump and his crew to throw out the will of the voters is thwarted primarily by... elected Republicans. We hear them time and again lamenting "we're simply doing our job". The documentary captures all the classis moments from election day to January 6, and to see it laid out so clearly is both chilling and horrifying. Of course we all know that Trump never has been, or is, or will be, a Republican. He simply hijacked the GOP for his own purposes and interests, and the GOP just let him do it. The timing of this documentary, released less than 2 months before the 2024 presidential election, is no coincidence of course. Already we see Trump cast doubt, every single day, that the election is "rigged". The fact that there is no evidence of that is of course nothing but a minor inconvenience, just like in 2020. It remains to be seen if our Republic can survive another open and blatant attempt to overthrow the will of the people...

"Stopping the Steal" started streaming on Max 10 days ago, and I finally found the time to watch it the other night. If you have any interest in politics, I'd readily suggest you check this out, and draw your own conclusion.

Stopping the Steal is a gripping documentary that exposes the dangerous consequences of lies and manipulation in American politics. The film takes an unflinching look at the insidious "Stop the Steal" movement, spearheaded by none other than Donald Trump, a man who has shown a complete disregard for truth, democracy, and the American people.

What makes this film so compelling is how it meticulously unpacks the events that followed the 2020 presidential election. It showcases how Trump's baseless claims of a rigged election were not only detached from reality but also a cynical ploy to cling to power. Watching his supporters-misled, emboldened, and manipulated-unfolds like a slow-motion train wreck, but the real tragedy is the damage done to the nation's democratic fabric. Trump, a man whose ego apparently outweighs any concern for the country, comes off as nothing more than a sore loser who weaponized lies for personal gain. His rhetoric has inflicted irreparable harm on trust in American institutions, leaving a trail of division, chaos, and violence.

What elevates this film beyond mere documentation of events is its careful dissection of how Trump's narcissism fueled the entire movement. His refusal to accept responsibility is shocking but unsurprising. Stopping the Steal expertly captures his ability to exploit fear and stoke the flames of division-something he has been doing throughout his entire career.

While the subject matter is disturbing, the filmmakers deserve immense credit for their sharp narrative and focus on the facts, driving home how easily the fragile nature of democracy can be shaken when leaders like Trump act without integrity or accountability.

The only reason it's not a perfect 10 is that I wish they had gone even further in highlighting the ongoing repercussions of Trump's actions. The stain he's left on American politics, unfortunately, goes far beyond January 6th.

In short, this is a must-watch for anyone who values truth and democracy, and a sobering reminder of what can happen when a man like Trump is given power.

Anyone can make a film where they embolden confirmation bias by interviewing people and presenting evidence that only supports their own position. That is part of the disease of today's social media culture. The strength of this film is that it presents a hypothesis-that Donald Trump knew he lost the election, and there was no evidence to support it and proceeded anyway, from the position of pre-Trump supporters, State Officials, and Washington insiders. These people all wanted Trump to win, but they believed in truth more, The film shows how they were systemically targeted and vilified as they could not find any viable evidence to support the outrageous allegations made by the President's election team. It really is heart-wrenching to watch. Mike Pence, whom I was never a fan of, is a hero. He is a hero, for not only not overturning the election, but, as you will see, by not abandoning The Capitol while under siege, as he could have. This is a must watch.