I have been watching the hearings on the January 6 insurrection with great interest. I find it amazing how so many people in high places just stepped aside and let what appears to be insanity reign. It appears that our government has so many “traditions” about relationships and power that it is practically impossible to step in when things are obviously going off the rails. It is astounding how much a person can get away with just by doing it.

When I heard about the small donations ($250,000,000 and still growing) going to a non-existent organization to stop a non-existent fraud that is not stealing an election I immediately thought about the old grifters (sometimes referred to as swindlers or snake-oil salesmen) that used to ply the wild west in the late 1800’s. Many stories (and movies) talk about these folks (usually men, but not always) that would ride or roll into town, set up a stage or business front and go to work bilking the population of the town our of their money and their land. These swindles usually required four parties to be successful. The first of course is the grifter (swindler)- telling tall tales, spinning all manner of lies, and working up the emotions of the audience. As part of the scam, there were usually shills within the audience that looked and acted like the rest of the audience (line “normal” or “important” people), who were in on the deal. They were important accomplices to the grifter because without their insistence that the lies were “facts” nobody would believe the lies and the shady deal would not go forward.

The shills do this because of shared profits from the scam, and possible future profits once the grifter has moved on. They know the grifter is telling lies, they know what will happen to those that buy into the scam, but they don’t care because they are getting easy money and fame. They share in the spoils but don’t have to look like the bad guy when the scam is over and the town is poorer.

There were also the “marks” – those that believed the story and put their hard earned cash on the barrel head, purchasing the bogus product. The marks buy in because of their greed, or fear. They see a deal that is “too good to be true” that will solve their problems, even though the deep down recognize the high risks involved. They usually know that it really is too good to be true, but what if it is true? They don’t want to miss such an opportunity. They are giddy and excited that they are filling going to get what they want, they are finally going to “get away” with something. Once they bought into the lie, they then picked up the role of informal (unpaid) shill because they can’t admit that they had been duped. At that point their honor (or helping their family, friends and neighbors) becomes more important than truth because don’t want to “lose face”.

And then, of course, there is the rest of the population of the town that saw through the scam, but didn’t take action to stop it. They were innocent bystanders standing by, the wives and mothers and little children, gossiping about how obviously the big lies are, laughing at the stupidity of the marks, but standing by – even when the marks were their spouses and were spending family money.

All four of these players are required for the success of the grifter. We seem to have this playing out on a very big stage in America (and much of the world). The swindler of the moment is obviously Donald Trump. He is standing up in front of the crowds, working their emotions, working their fears, working their greed – telling them anything whatsoever to further the goal of bilking the marks out of their livelihoods and more. There seems to be no lie big enough, no story false enough or harmful enough to prevent the telling. The shills are obvious and vocal. They are excited because they are heading for fame and fortune that they didn’t work for, don’t deserve and wouldn’t get without the presence of the grifter. All they have to do is echo the lies for money and power to come their way. The shills are in the form of senators and congressmen, supreme court lawyers, lower court lawyers, newscasters, ministers, policemen and teachers. They wear the trappings of “important” people, but are shills nevertheless. They know recognize the scam, but are in on it for their own greed.

The marks are obvious. They have felt downtrodden, ignored, oppressed by society. The swindler is telling them that it can all change, they can get back to a “Great America” (the point of MAGA) (as if there was ever a time like their fantasies). It isn’t that America will be great again, it is that THEY will be great – not AGAIN (because it and they were never great like in their imaginations), but they think they will FINALLY be great. They will have money, power, no taxes, no giving to anyone, high paying jobs, free gasoline, free roads and services, respect from everyone, their women will think of them as macho-men, they will be strong, and smart and successful – and all the rest will finally be squashed under their shoe. The marks are hoping to get what they never could dream of having, all for little or nothing – as the grifter takes their money and runs.