ch 13 - lightning in a jar

The October 2020 Republican Caravan and the Concept of \"Lightning in a Jar\"

• Caravan Scale and Scope: In October 2020, Roger Ford posted a triumphant update on the East Kentucky Patriots Facebook page regarding a massive pro-Trump vehicle parade.     - The caravan included over $5,500$ vehicles.     - Total participants were estimated at approximately $13,000$ people.     - An estimated $2,700$ supporters lined intersections, overpasses, and roadsides.     - Participation spanned all $30$ counties in East Kentucky, plus Kentucky counties as far as Bowling Green and Louisville.     - Out-of-state participants came from bordering states (Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia) and distant states (Alabama, California, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, New York, and Texas).     - At one point, the caravan stretched for $20+$ miles.

• Symbolism and Atmosphere: The event featured American flags and honking horns. Complementary events included a pro-Trump boat parade on the Ohio River supported by a helicopter and skydivers.

• Roger Ford's Leadership: Ford led the caravan out of a Coal Run parking lot (located between Sam's Hot Dogs and Kentucky Fried Chicken) in his MAGA cap. He described Donald Trump’s influence as \"lightning in a jar.\"

Profile of Roger Ford: The \"Elite of the Left-Behind\"

• Personal Background: A $53$-year-old entrepreneur with a white shirt, thinning blond hair, and a master's degree in national security studies from the American Military University. He describes himself as \"Kentuckian by birth, Southern by the grace of God, Freemason and Shriner.\"

• Political Stance: Pro-life, pro-gun, pro-police, anti-tax, anti-public schools, pro-wall, anti-affirmative action, and anti-regulation.

• Perspective on Safety and Modernity: On a trip through the hollers, he argued that one is more likely to be injured wearing required seatbelts than not wearing them. He views being \"behind the times\" as potentially positive if modern culture is heading in a negative direction.

• Genealogy and Local Heritage: Ford can trace his ancestry to a great-great-great-great-grandfather who received a land grant for service in the American Revolutionary War. His great-grandmother's father fought in the Kentucky $45^{th}$ Infantry (Union side). His grandfather was a coal miner and minister, and his father was a Pike County sheriff and math teacher.

• Regional Identity: Unlike those at the very bottom, Ford represents the \"elite of the left-behind,\" focused on making Pike County a place that residents (including his own brother and cousins who left for Lexington/Ohio) don't feel forced to abandon.

Religious Interpretations of Donald Trump

• The \"Flawed Messenger\" Doctrine: Ford and other local pastors use biblical precedents to justify Trump’s personal flaws (narcissism, vengeance, etc.).     - Noah was described as a drunk.     - Abraham was described as a drunk.     - King David murdered a husband to marry his wife.     - Conclusion: God chooses flawed people for His purpose; therefore, Trump's flaws are God's instruments.

• Reverend D. R. Harrison: A large, bald man with dark glasses who left Elkhorn City Baptist Church for tent ministry. He assists Greg Locke.     - He believes the $2020$ election was stolen and that state/national revivals are the means to \"take our nation back.\"     - He acknowledges Trump does not act like a Christian but has \"helped the church a lot.\"

• Greg Locke and the Black Robe Regiment: Harrison describes Locke as the \"pope of the Independent Baptist movement.\" Locke is part of the Black Robe Regiment, a group of Christian nationalist clergy committed to defending Trump with arms if necessary. Locke stood with Trump on January 6 to lead a prayer.     - Harrison performs the music for Locke's appearances.     - Locke's ministry provides material aid, such as shoes (Jordans) for children and $150$ boots for farmers, though Harrison noted they sometimes remove tags from items so parents don't sell them for drugs.

• Reverend Dan Fraley: A $40$-year-old former Democrat, son of a coal miner, and retired Green Beret (Army Special Forces) with three deployments. He leads a Church of Christ congregation that grew from $4$ to $60$ worshippers.     - Fraley consumes news via Breitbart, Telegram, and QAnon.     - He believes the $2020$ election was stolen, January 6 protesters were actors, Hollywood is controlled by China, and the \"deep state\" (CIA, NSA, Navy SEALs) is evil.     - He follows the conspiracy theory that Democrats drink the blood of children but stops at \"lizard people,\" finding that concept nonsensical.

The \"Deep Story\": Good Bully vs. Bad Bully

• The Original Deep Story: Arlie Hochschild's original metaphor of a man waiting in a line for the American Dream on a hill. He feels the line is stagnant while \"line-cutters\" (women, minorities, immigrants) are propelled forward by affirmative action and a waving Democratic president.

• The \"Good Bully\" Amendment: Mayor Andrew Scott and Roger Ford added a layer to this story.     - The Bad Bully: The Democratic Party, CNN, the federal government, and urban elites. This group is seen as roughing up the line-waiters and letting friends cut in.     - The Good Bully: Donald Trump. Though he has flaws and is \"full of himself,\" he is perceived as the only one strong enough to push back against the \"Bad Bully.\"     - Digital Manifestation: The Trump organization sold NFT digital trading cards for $99$ illustrating him as a red-caped superman with laser eyes, a baseball hero, or a cowboy.

\"Stolen\": The Master Narrative of Collective Loss

• The Alchemy of Loss: Through constant repetition, Trump transformed feelings of \"loss\" into a narrative of being \"stolen.\" This shifts the emotional state from shame/grief to blame/rage.

• The List of \"Stolen\" Items:     - The $2020$ Election.     - Appalachian land and good jobs.     - The story of a heroic America.     - Traditional concepts of human sexuality.     - Visibility and recognition of struggle.     - White power and pride.

• Trump as a Victim Symbol: Despite his wealth, Trump is viewed as a victim of the press, the Democrats, and the legal system ($4$ indictments and $91$ felony charges). Supporters feel their own shame is being carried by Trump; when he wins, they recover their pride.

The Pride Paradox and the Four-Moment Anti-Shame Ritual

• The Pride Paradox: The strict ethic of individualism (\"I am responsible for my success or failure\") leads to intense personal shame when regional economies collapse. Trump acts as an \"anti-shame warrior\" to break this cycle.

• The Ritual Mechanics:     - Moment 1: Trump makes a provocative statement that defies political decorum (e.g., the 2015 remark about Mexican immigrants being \"rapists\").     - Moment 2: The punditry and media shame Trump (e.g., NBC and Macy's severing ties; Bill de Blasio calling remarks \"disgusting\").     - Moment 3: Trump poses as the victim of shaming, telling followers, \"This could happen to you.\"     - Moment 4: Trump roars back at the shamers (e.g., suing Univision for $500$ million). This provides a cathartic release for followers who feel shamed.

• Trump's Avoidance of Shame: He refuses to attend the White House Correspondents' Dinner because it involves self-shaming. When asked by the Family Leadership Summit if he asks for God's forgiveness, Trump replied: \"Why do I have to repent or ask for forgiveness if I am not making mistakes?\"

\"The Hunger Games\" Metaphor for Appalachia

• District 12 Comparison: Roger Ford explicitly compares rural Kentucky's $120$ counties to District 12 in The Hunger Games. They are the \"sacrificed interest\" for the $10$ urban counties (Panem/The Capitol).

• The \"Golden Triangle\": A term for the prosperous region of Lexington, Louisville, and Northern Kentucky. Ford claims these urbanites \"pillaged\" coal severance taxes ($50$ percent goes to the state General Fund, while local counties receive only $7.6$ cents on the dollar) to build urban roads and arenas.

• The Face of the Problems: To Ford, Barack Obama represents the \"Capitol\" due to $2014$ legislation targeting carbon emissions, which he says \"killed coal.\"

Economic Realities and the \"War on Coal\"

• Coal vs. Renewables: While supporters blame a \"War on Coal,\" energy data suggests a market shift.     - Marginal cost of running a coal plant: $36\,per\,megawatt-hour$.     - Marginal cost of solar energy: $24\,per\,megawatt-hour$.

• Federal Reliance: Despite the \"taker vs. maker\" rhetoric, Kentucky is heavily dependent on the federal government.     - $40$ percent of Kentucky’s state budget comes from federal funds.     - $22$ percent of Pike County residents receive SNAP benefits.     - Nearly half of Pike County is on Medicaid.     - The U.S. government provides $20$ billion annually in fossil fuel subsidies ($16$ billion to oil/gas, $4$ billion to coal).

• Population Decline: Pike County population dropped from $59,000$ to a projected $48,000$ by $2040$. The working-age population in non-metro counties declined by $4.9$ percent from $2010$-$2020$, while the $65+$ population grew by $22$ percent.

Media and Cultural Representations

• Evolution of Rural Portrayals in Film/TV:     - Early 20th Century: Heroic (Hopalong Cassidy) or nostalgic pastoral images.     - Post-WWII: Comic and ridiculous (The Beverly Hillbillies).     - 1970s: Dark and violent (Deliverance).     - 1990s-Present: Rural monsters (Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Cujo) and negative reality TV (Duck Dynasty, Here Comes Honey Boo Boo, Swamp People).

• Perception Gap: Less than $25$ percent of rural residents feel they are accurately portrayed on screen, compared to $50$ percent of urban residents.

Disputed Election and the \"Stolen\" Narrative Evidence

• Evidence Against \"Stolen\":     - $62$ lawsuits filed; $61$ dismissed.     - AP review of millions of votes found only $475$ cases of illegal voting.     - Trump’s own Attorney General (William Barr), VP (Mike Pence), and daughter (Ivanka Trump) stated the election was not stolen.

• Demographics of \"Stolen\" Believers: NYT study found residents in districts that voted \"stolen\" had $10$ percent lower annual incomes, fewer degrees, higher rates of \"deaths of despair\" (suicide, overdose), and were more likely to be evangelical Protestants.

• Pike County Stats: In the $2020$ election, $80$ percent of Pike County voters chose Donald Trump. By May 2023, $63$ percent of Republicans nationwide believed the election was stolen.

Questions & Discussion

• The Pro-Choice Sticker: At the Mountain Freedom Fest in Pikeville (2022), a table sold stickers saying \"I'M PRO-CHOICE. PICK ONE\" over images of different gun types.

• The Immigrant Dilemma: Roger Ford secretly supports an undocumented Mexican waiter named José (pseudonym) who works $80$-hour weeks. Ford told José that only \"the criminals\" needed to leave after Trump's election and gave him a Trump bumper sticker. José now has a \"2020 TRUMP\" sign in his lawn.

• Perspective on January 6: When asked about the Capitol riot, many Pikeville residents dismissed it as a \"staged stunt\" or a \"top-of-the-holler [rich people's] issue,\" prioritizing the cost of gas and inflation instead. The only resident who expressed grave concern was a Lebanese-born pharmacist who associated the violence with a political coup she survived in Beirut.