It's almost as if they're psychic.
Not all of the occultist specialists of my childhood were charlatans, but most were. I recognize how techniques they used to make money have been used by pundits and politicians to make accurate political predictions by orchestrating the outcomes they "warned" about.
A good fake psychic, medium or prognosticator is a student of human nature. She has to have an eye for detail, a heart for risk, and an assistant or two to make her predictions appear true.
Picture a widow who comes to a medium to say she wants to connect with her late husband. There are requisite tools the psychic uses to conduct the reading:
- Observation: Is the widow grieving, or does she speak with anger or resentment? Does she have good cognition? What kind of car does she drive? The psychic will look at the quality of her shoes, handbag, jewelry (does she still wear her wedding ring?). She's troubled, or she wouldn't be here. She's likely to share details before the reading begins, like talking about her cat when spying the psychic's cat. She may not be aware she's doing this. The psychic pays close attention to everything in case she can use it later.
- Set up: If she appears to be grieving, the psychic will tell the widow how much her husband loved her. If she seems needy, she'll say her husband is proud of her. The widow's been fearful and alone. She now feels at ease and not alone. Transference will begin, and a little of the powerful bond the widow had with her husband is formed with the psychic, who suddenly becomes the source of good feelings that came with having a living husband. The psychic counts on this.
- Risk: She's familiar with common problems widows face and will say something like, "You're thinking about making a big decision." This will be met with a surprised "Yes" and maybe a little information about what that decision might be. Even if no info is given, the psychic will take a shot at a common one, and say, "You're thinking about the children." What if the widow doesn't have children? That leads to the next, possibly most crucial technique.
- The pivot: If the widow says, "We were never able to have children," the psychic pivots and says, "Yes, and your husband knows that's been on your mind since his passing." Sometimes the pivot is more hard won, but troubled people who seek psychics will twist themselves into knots to make what she says fit. She could have said, "Your husband says he's proud of how you've been caring for your daughter." If the widow says, "We don't have a daughter," (wait for it..) "But we have a niece, and she's like a daughter to us." The psychic doesn't even have to do the work.
This has been successful at large scale. William Miller, leader of the Millerites, became one of history's most famous false profits for his prolific use of risk and pivot. He gave a specific date to his flock for the second coming of Christ. They sold possessions, gathered at great sacrifice. When the date passed, no Jesus in sight, Miller said God told him it was a different day. They gathered again on that day. Miller did this several times without losing the faith of all of his followers. For this to work, sunk-cost fallacy (reluctance to abandon a course of action because of heavy investment) must be present. - A Little Help From Their Friends: In an old-school seance, the medium would say, "If her husband is with us, knock three times," a cue for her hidden assistant to knock on the wall. In a one-on-one reading, she might say, "If a man approaches you and asks for money, give him some. He's an angel, and your generousity will bless you." Cue the "beggar" who works for the psychic to approach the widow before she reaches her car. Or, if she lives in a city, a man will likely approach her for money at some time, even years later, becoming the unwitting assistant to the psychic. The widow thinks, "This psychic is amazing!"
- Proof: Many psychics have a phrase they say after every declaration, for example, "Your family is worried about you. Does that make sense?" If the answer is "yes," the psychic has been proven right. The widow's family is worried about her. If it's "no," she tells the widow that they are in fact worried about her, proving herself right. Pivots and the help of assistants also "prove" the psychic's "real powers" to the widow. Her niece is really like a daughter! A beggar came! There were three knocks! Everything the psychic said is true!
- Outright lies: The psychic will often make up things like, "Your husband is with you all the time." "In the spirit world, time is measured differently." Or, "Sometimes your husband's spirit embodies your cat so he can be near you." These are unprovable. She may also tell lies gambling that the widow won't fact check if she believes she's established transferrence, such as, "I've helped solve multiple murders." This is a staple in any con, but there's an art to it.
My father used to say, "Overconfidence will kill you in any game." A famous example is psychic Sylvia Browne, a staple of the 90s talk show circuit, who claimed 85 percent accuracy. Evidence is closer to zero percent. She was a prolific author and extremely successful. She faced backlash after she told two different parents of missing children that their children were dead. Their children were later found alive. Her believers didn't seem to care. Though this was very public (one of the "dead" children recounted in her memoir that she was watching "The Oprah Winfrey Show" from the basement prison where she was being held as Browne told her mother she was dead), Browne continued a successful career as a psychic until her death, which she also incorrectly predicted. - Compelled Action: The widow gives money to the beggar, and the psychic gets a cut of the beggar's money. The psychic will also rely heavily on proof of her "real powers" to compel action if she observes the widow is wealthy. The psychic is careful to tell the widow what she wants to hear. She wants her to walk out of the reading with confirmation that the biases and feelings she had when she walked in were right. Troubled people who are made to feel rightous are more likely to take action than those who are just sad.
- Desired Result: The psychic wants a reputation as "the real deal." More business equals more money. Not only has she compelled action from the widow (money for the beggar), the confirmation that she is a "real" psychic will likely result in more business for her, whether the widow comes back for more or sends her friends. She wants the widow to tell everyone about the amazing psychic she found.
- Seed Planting: The psychic tells the widow something vague about the future like, "You'll take bold action that you never thought you'd take. You are a powerful woman, but you don't know it yet." Because widows are often thrust into making decisions like moving, career, financial, or remarriage, the widow will remember the psychic's words. When she inevitably takes that bold action, she'll feel powerful.
These same techniques are being used by pundits and politicians right now. We're in the "compelled action" phase.
- Observation: Political prognosticators during the 2024 presidential election and beyond were keen observers. They listened to what Trump said and what his voters wanted. They listened to the GOP Presidential primary candidates who did well but weren't chosen and ran polls to find fissures in the Republican base. These are useful nuggets that'll come in handy. Trump said he'd deport as many illegal aliens as he could. He talked a lot about crime and how he'd clean it up in blue cities even if they didn't want help. They knew if Trump said he was going to do something, he'd really try to do it, and they could use that later.
- Set up: "If Trump is elected, he'll invade the cities and throw people into concentration camps." This was such a common mantra by the left that it became laughable to the right. They'd say, "We lived through one Trump administration, and none of that happened. Why would anyone believe this? Concentration camps? That's crazy." Trump already said he'd go into cities, so pundits and politicians began referring to ICE detention facilities as concentration camps. Leftist media influencers expressed fear to millions of followers that they'd be put in Trump's concentration camps if he was elected, establishing transference (they're just like me--I speak out against him too, I could be arrested).
- Risk: Familiar with problems faced in American cities, the left allows this to take it's natural course: a few crimes, even murders, perpetrated by career criminals or illegal aliens. This was needed to enrage the right. The risk was the leftist base could feel unsafe, become victims themselves, become upset by preventable crime and blame leftist policies. Another risk is taken by leaders who make public statements inciting violence that could be interpreted as insurrection.
- The Pivot: If the leftist base becomes upset about preventable crime, they pivot the discussion to how systemic racism, social justice, white nationalism, etc., are the real problems--problems Trump just exacerbates, particularly if high-profile perpetrators are people of color. They make sure MAGA is seen as the source of all of the world's problems, no matter how far fetched. People will twist themselves into knots to ensure that their biases are confirmed, their feelings supported. If leaders are prosecuted for insurrection, their base will now view it as fulfillment of the prediction that Trump would go after his political enemies. They won't even have to work for it.
The left uses pivot at mass scale. Homeland Security can show them the child rapists and murderers they arrest, and they just say, "They're our neighbors!" "No person is illegal!" They can get their followers to defend anyone as long as they can point to a characteristic that makes the person "oppressed" i.e., immigration status, race, gender identity. The leaders know they won't lose enough believers to hurt their cause and it can continue as long as their followers really want what they say to be true. For this to work, sunk-cost fallacy must be present. - A Little Help From Their Friends: Friends are the most important thing in the political prognosticator's tool kit. Democrats leading high-crime blue cities wouldn't cooperate with the administration and baited Trump, who, let's face it, is very baitable. They dared him to come to their cities. They promised resistance. In the case of deporting illegal aliens, sanctuary cities and states already thumbed their nose at federal law. Before Trump acted, Democrat leaders publically told him he'd better not come to their cities to deport people, knowing he would.
Leftist media worked hand in glove with the Democrat party. They reported on whatever made Trump look worst and didn't report positive news. People had to actively seek sources of alternative viewpoints. Journalists didn't ask simple follow-up questions of politicians they aligned with. Disgraced leftist media personalities made themselves the story, appeared to commit crimes, and escaped prosecution by a justice system stacked in their favor. - Proof: As planned, outrage ensues on the right, and Trump's base expects that he'll ratchet up action to quell crime and deport illegals. He sends the National Guard to blue cities with high crime and ICE to santuary cities, "proving" the left's prediction. On the left, their leaders are "proven" right because "Trump is invading our cities" and "throwing people into concentration camps," just as they said they would. Most won't see the relative order with which ICE operations are carried out in red states. When's the last time you saw a news report on how well something is going? If criminals go free due to a stacked legal system, it "proves" that they committed no crime and are victims of political prosecution. The left says, "See, everything they said would happen is happening!"
- Outright Lies: Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey: "ICE used a five-year-old as bait!" This isn't true, but that doesn't keep them from repeating it. Minnesota Lt. Governor Peggy Flannagan, Senator Amy Klobuchar, and former Vice President Kamala Harris are just some of the many who told the same lie without correction after it was debunked.
Governor Tim Walz said in a press conference after yesterday's shooting in Minneapolis, "Minnesota's justice system will have the last word on this. It must have the last word. As I told the White House in no uncertain terms this morning, the federal government cannot be trusted to lead this investigation. The state'll handle it, period." Legal scholars say this is just not true, Minnesota doesn't have jurisdiction to take over an investigation involving a federal officer. He keeps telling this lie to make it appear like Minnesota is the victim of a federal government takeover, not the truth that this is simply how the law works, gambling that the left won't fact check him, and the confidence that if they do, his followers simply won't care. - Compelled Action: Because people believe the lies (are kept from knowing the truth), and because Trump's America has turned out exactly as the left predicted, they feel they must rise up and fight. Minneapolis, as we found in 2020, was a very effective groud zero for riots that led to leftist idiologies (defund the police) being adopted across the country and Trump's 2020 election loss. So Minneapolis Riots 2.0 begin.
Despite the fact that three people have been shot on the streets of Mineapolis, Governor Walz continues to tell citizens to resist, record and document ICE's actions for future prosecution. "I understand the risk in that. I understand the courage that it takes..." he said. The suggestion is made, the troubled person feels justified to take to the streets, impede federal law enforcement operations. They feel couragous. A troubled person who feels justified and courageous is more likely to take action. - Desired Result: People get hurt. People get killed. Outrage grows. The left is so pumped up that they will vote in the midterms, which usually rely on a turnout of low-propensity voters. They'll vote against "fascist takeovers" of their cities. They'll vote against anything Trump. The non MAGA right sees chaos and disorder and stays home.* More outrage on the left equals more power for the left. Because of all the strife across the country, the midterms will be a landslide for Democrats.
- Seed Planting: If passions begin to cool, they'll orchestrate more strife closer to the midterms. They'll keep making predictions. "If J.D. Vance is elected, it'll be a continuation of the chaos and disorder of the Trump Administration." If they need to cause more chaos and disorder before 2028, they will. Remember, they're telling their base that resisting federal law is justified, courageous. They'll tar and feather J.D. Vance with all of it in 2028.
Everything they predicted about Trump's second presidency came true. It dosn't matter that they made it so. The base doesn't need to know that. The left predicted Trump's presidency with psychic accuracy because, like any good psychic, they observed troubled people, lied, planted seeds, and with a little help from their friends, made it all happen.
*Remember those useful nuggets collected during the GOP Presidential primary? The left knows there's a portion of the Republican base who voted for Trump because the idea of President Harris was just a bridge too far. They're establisment Republicans who like Trump's policies but argue about execution. What's happening in Minneapolis is just too much for them. It's gotten out of hand. Now these voices on the right will begin calling for Trump to retreat from Minneapolis, some calling to halt ICE operations in cities altogether. Some who were first-time Republican voters in 2024 will turn on the party forever. This is also not accidental. The orchestrators of chaos asked, "What will it take to turn people away from the GOP if the economy is much better under Trump?" This was predicted and planned.
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