TCinLA, I think you are overstating your case a bit. There must be a few Republicans who have - at times - been convinced that the Democratic party is run by Marxist/Leninists, or who hate having to pay taxes but who have not bought into all of Trump's foolishness, and maybe are not complete idiots and could even change their minds about…
TCinLA, I think you are overstating your case a bit. There must be a few Republicans who have - at times - been convinced that the Democratic party is run by Marxist/Leninists, or who hate having to pay taxes but who have not bought into all of Trump's foolishness, and maybe are not complete idiots and could even change their minds about what really happened in the last election. Maybe a few of them thought invading the US Capitol was a bit over the top and even know that calling Biden a commie is political hyperbole. Maybe they understand that the GOP has not been governing well lately (not since Ike, and even Tricky Dicky signed a couple of good bills when he wasn't being too tricky) and are ready for something new.
Of course, if you are right that we are in a moment somehow similar to the eve of WW2, even if Biden's speech were to fall on..... un-listening ears, well, no harm done. There would still be time for him to ram his legislation through, assuming he could pry Manchin and a few others off their ultra-moderate fence. Nothing wrong with trying a little persuasion first.
It seems to me that we are in our own unique moment. It’s not 1928-1932 when people were plunged into a depression the likes of which had never been seen before. They were thus desperate enough and so vulnerable as to look for a savior. Hitler provided that option. With his bold economic moves and calculated strikes at the Treaty of Versailles, he became in many people’s eyes the savior they craved.
We’ve been there and done that already. Without a world war and without the suicide of Trump, America has returned to an uneasy sort of nether world where democracy has barely prevailed and the remnants of a movement towards strong man government lie around us.
I agree with TCinLA that we cannot argue with those captivated by a cult. I agree with him too that there are many millions who hold to their beliefs blindly in order to preserve even a modicum of self respect (and the respect of their cloth-headed community).
However, this train won’t leave the station again. Trump has long since passed his high water mark. He is floundering, disgorging the same tired message over and over again. It has no relevance now and repeated iterations of it will resonate less and less with his followers who are trickling away of their accord.
The Republicans gave up on party when they bought into Trump. They are in for a spectacular fall, a fall so epic that to stave it off they are counting on the likes of Joe Manchin to preserve them. Imagine being that spectacularly impoverished.
The rotten timbers are already beginning to snap. Matt Gaetz this week. The January 6 plotters in the House are going to be exposed legally. There will be a wash of other revelations, now that the Trump NDA has been ruled unenforceable. More books. More fuel for the fire.
With time and distance those who hung on to their jobs in the face of the pandemic by submitting to the anti-science mantra of the Trump regime will be revealed as the grifters they were. The stench of Redfield, Birx, Azar et al will be firmly attached to the Republican Party. The verdict on the needless 400 000 deaths will be given long before historians amplify it and will similarly cling to the Republicans.
Voter suppression laws in state legislatures will not be tolerated. They are a desperate rearguard action which only serves to illustrate the paucity of ideas in this particular opposition. They are a party of schemers, not planners.
After the crash, the long term consequences are worrying to some degree. The Democrats may in time come to view themselves as the Natural Governing Party and if that happens, they will, bit by bit, fall prey to corruption. America needs a clean, hard-fighting party in opposition - one that is prepared to take the reins of government.
For now though, there will be carnage. The Republican collapse is going to be fearful. And deserved.
Eric, what an excellent comment. Bravo! I think I will save it and then compare your predictions with events as they happen. Yours is, however, a best-case scenario, and I still worry that the Democrats will somehow screw it up, squander their demographic advantage, overreach, under perform, or perhaps do things in the wrong order, seem incompetent and lose elections they really must win.
In the long run, until parents see fit to have their children schooled with children of different skin colors, ethnicities, religions and economic circumstances, our racism and xenophobia and class privilege will continue to plague us. It always astounds me that with all we humans have in common with one another, we continue to view the "other" as a threat, and there is nothing primitive about this; it is totally modern and exacerbated by the wonders of modern communication. As if global warming were not enough of a problem for human beings to solve....
Anyway, I hope you are right about the imminent demise of the GOP. Thanks for this food for thought.
I have a hard time picturing a clown 🤡 supporter seeing the truth of what we have experienced for the last four years, even belatedly, it’s been slapping them in the face for the entire time. In my opinion if you really believe that the election was stolen you have your head up your ass, it’s that simple, that there might be 75 million of them doesn’t change the truth of it as I see it.
Even the orange menace voters who held their noses and disliked the Jan.6 attacks, believe it was more or less caused by the racial justice protests in the summer, etc, etc - and will believe that until the people they are following tell them otherwise. Anyone capable of seeing that it's all a scam has figured it out by now.
I agree, invoking Neville Chamberlain is a bit premature. There may be a way to get from where we are to where we need to be without widespread violence.
They just aren't members of the Republican party any more. You can find the people you're talking about in the Never Trump movement and over at places like the Bulwark. Adam Kinzinger is making a fight out of staying in the party, and given his district in Illinois, he might pull it off, but the odds are very much against him, as he acknowledges. Look at what the party does to dissenters like the ten congresscritters who voted for impeachment or the senators who voted to convict. That's what the Republican Party is. If President Truman wasn't 100% correct back in 1948, he certainly is now: "The only 'good Republicans' are pushing up daisies.
As to "trying a little persuasion first," that's been done. Look at McConnell's statement yesterday to see how much good it did - he's proud to oppose everything and plans to continue, with all the R's in the Senate.
This isn't Hitler reclaiming the Rhineland in 1936 - this is Hitler taking the rest of Czechoslovakia in March 1939 and starting to make comments about Poland.
Well, the nice part of the COVID-19 shutdown was that the LA freeways went back about 40 years in terms of congestion. With things getting better pandemic-wise, they're getting back to awful freeway-wise; I'd say the freeways are back to about 15 years ago, congestion-wise. Unfortunately I live near the 101/405 intersection, officially The Worst Freeway Intersection On The Planet. And LA has finally gotten its act together with the mass innoculation program, which is good news, except the freeways are going to soon return to "normal," i.e., godawful.
I remember years ago driving from San Francisco to San Diego and hitting LA at the start of the afternoon rush. Oh my God, it took for ever to get across LA and out the other side. And I remember once flying into LA and having the sensation that it stretched from one horizon to the other. I imagine lots of folks just get attached to their little part of LA and avoid the freeways that way. Great Mexican food, however, and dim sum to die for.
I'm jealous! Where in Italy do you live? One set of my grandparents was from Naples and the other was from Sicily. I've often thought of moving there but I'm afraid I am too old now. (sad face).
Hi Annette. I live out in the countryside near several charming, walled hill towns in the eastern foothills of the Apennines. The region is Le Marche, the province is Macerata. I'm a prisoner in Paradise, I guess, as we have been in a pretty severe COVID 19 lockdown for the past month or so. I expect to get vaccinated in late April. Things should be improving pretty soon.
I thought Land O Lakes was in Minnesota. Do they produce butter in your town?
The butter producing Land O Lakes is indeed in Minnesota. We don't produce butter here. The name derives from the many lakes in this area, which unfortunately produces sinkholes!!!
I see you are north of Tampa. I have never been south of Gainesville, though I have visited 47 of the 50 states. Maybe I'll do Florida one of these years.
Yes, sometimes they do! In fact a few years ago, one totally swallowed a house and seriously damaged another that belonged to a friend from church. Luckily my house has been fine.....so far!
Yes. But most wouldn't belive it until Fox "News" said it. So Fox "News" needs to be made to say it. Would be nice if that was part of their settlement with Dominion and Smartmatic. Actually THAT would be brilliant!
Yep. We had an Amendment to create an open primary in 2020 and it did not pass. The parties really pushed back against it. Not just Republicans have flipped, many Dems too.
TCinLA, I think you are overstating your case a bit. There must be a few Republicans who have - at times - been convinced that the Democratic party is run by Marxist/Leninists, or who hate having to pay taxes but who have not bought into all of Trump's foolishness, and maybe are not complete idiots and could even change their minds about what really happened in the last election. Maybe a few of them thought invading the US Capitol was a bit over the top and even know that calling Biden a commie is political hyperbole. Maybe they understand that the GOP has not been governing well lately (not since Ike, and even Tricky Dicky signed a couple of good bills when he wasn't being too tricky) and are ready for something new.
Of course, if you are right that we are in a moment somehow similar to the eve of WW2, even if Biden's speech were to fall on..... un-listening ears, well, no harm done. There would still be time for him to ram his legislation through, assuming he could pry Manchin and a few others off their ultra-moderate fence. Nothing wrong with trying a little persuasion first.
It seems to me that we are in our own unique moment. It’s not 1928-1932 when people were plunged into a depression the likes of which had never been seen before. They were thus desperate enough and so vulnerable as to look for a savior. Hitler provided that option. With his bold economic moves and calculated strikes at the Treaty of Versailles, he became in many people’s eyes the savior they craved.
We’ve been there and done that already. Without a world war and without the suicide of Trump, America has returned to an uneasy sort of nether world where democracy has barely prevailed and the remnants of a movement towards strong man government lie around us.
I agree with TCinLA that we cannot argue with those captivated by a cult. I agree with him too that there are many millions who hold to their beliefs blindly in order to preserve even a modicum of self respect (and the respect of their cloth-headed community).
However, this train won’t leave the station again. Trump has long since passed his high water mark. He is floundering, disgorging the same tired message over and over again. It has no relevance now and repeated iterations of it will resonate less and less with his followers who are trickling away of their accord.
The Republicans gave up on party when they bought into Trump. They are in for a spectacular fall, a fall so epic that to stave it off they are counting on the likes of Joe Manchin to preserve them. Imagine being that spectacularly impoverished.
The rotten timbers are already beginning to snap. Matt Gaetz this week. The January 6 plotters in the House are going to be exposed legally. There will be a wash of other revelations, now that the Trump NDA has been ruled unenforceable. More books. More fuel for the fire.
With time and distance those who hung on to their jobs in the face of the pandemic by submitting to the anti-science mantra of the Trump regime will be revealed as the grifters they were. The stench of Redfield, Birx, Azar et al will be firmly attached to the Republican Party. The verdict on the needless 400 000 deaths will be given long before historians amplify it and will similarly cling to the Republicans.
Voter suppression laws in state legislatures will not be tolerated. They are a desperate rearguard action which only serves to illustrate the paucity of ideas in this particular opposition. They are a party of schemers, not planners.
After the crash, the long term consequences are worrying to some degree. The Democrats may in time come to view themselves as the Natural Governing Party and if that happens, they will, bit by bit, fall prey to corruption. America needs a clean, hard-fighting party in opposition - one that is prepared to take the reins of government.
For now though, there will be carnage. The Republican collapse is going to be fearful. And deserved.
From your lips to God’s ears.
Eric, what an excellent comment. Bravo! I think I will save it and then compare your predictions with events as they happen. Yours is, however, a best-case scenario, and I still worry that the Democrats will somehow screw it up, squander their demographic advantage, overreach, under perform, or perhaps do things in the wrong order, seem incompetent and lose elections they really must win.
In the long run, until parents see fit to have their children schooled with children of different skin colors, ethnicities, religions and economic circumstances, our racism and xenophobia and class privilege will continue to plague us. It always astounds me that with all we humans have in common with one another, we continue to view the "other" as a threat, and there is nothing primitive about this; it is totally modern and exacerbated by the wonders of modern communication. As if global warming were not enough of a problem for human beings to solve....
Anyway, I hope you are right about the imminent demise of the GOP. Thanks for this food for thought.
Brilliant!
I have a hard time picturing a clown 🤡 supporter seeing the truth of what we have experienced for the last four years, even belatedly, it’s been slapping them in the face for the entire time. In my opinion if you really believe that the election was stolen you have your head up your ass, it’s that simple, that there might be 75 million of them doesn’t change the truth of it as I see it.
Even the orange menace voters who held their noses and disliked the Jan.6 attacks, believe it was more or less caused by the racial justice protests in the summer, etc, etc - and will believe that until the people they are following tell them otherwise. Anyone capable of seeing that it's all a scam has figured it out by now.
I can't deny it, you may be right, hope you're not.
She is not correct.
Eve of WW2? No, not really. more accurate would be to say, 1928-1932-Germany, or closer still Italy.
I agree, invoking Neville Chamberlain is a bit premature. There may be a way to get from where we are to where we need to be without widespread violence.
Yep. The Fed can not print their way out of this one. Take a close look, but hold your nose.
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/china-adrs-whipsaw-amid-delisting-172924156.html
This is a minor correction due to unwise trading by a couple of private investment firms. It will almost certainly have no long-term consequences.
Whew.
NOT ❤
Oh. No.
They just aren't members of the Republican party any more. You can find the people you're talking about in the Never Trump movement and over at places like the Bulwark. Adam Kinzinger is making a fight out of staying in the party, and given his district in Illinois, he might pull it off, but the odds are very much against him, as he acknowledges. Look at what the party does to dissenters like the ten congresscritters who voted for impeachment or the senators who voted to convict. That's what the Republican Party is. If President Truman wasn't 100% correct back in 1948, he certainly is now: "The only 'good Republicans' are pushing up daisies.
As to "trying a little persuasion first," that's been done. Look at McConnell's statement yesterday to see how much good it did - he's proud to oppose everything and plans to continue, with all the R's in the Senate.
This isn't Hitler reclaiming the Rhineland in 1936 - this is Hitler taking the rest of Czechoslovakia in March 1939 and starting to make comments about Poland.
Jeez, TC, guess I'm lucky to be living in Italy these days. How are things in LA?
Well, the nice part of the COVID-19 shutdown was that the LA freeways went back about 40 years in terms of congestion. With things getting better pandemic-wise, they're getting back to awful freeway-wise; I'd say the freeways are back to about 15 years ago, congestion-wise. Unfortunately I live near the 101/405 intersection, officially The Worst Freeway Intersection On The Planet. And LA has finally gotten its act together with the mass innoculation program, which is good news, except the freeways are going to soon return to "normal," i.e., godawful.
I remember years ago driving from San Francisco to San Diego and hitting LA at the start of the afternoon rush. Oh my God, it took for ever to get across LA and out the other side. And I remember once flying into LA and having the sensation that it stretched from one horizon to the other. I imagine lots of folks just get attached to their little part of LA and avoid the freeways that way. Great Mexican food, however, and dim sum to die for.
That's very true about not getting out of your own part of LA. And of course the Covid made sticking to your own neighborhood even moreso.
I'm jealous! Where in Italy do you live? One set of my grandparents was from Naples and the other was from Sicily. I've often thought of moving there but I'm afraid I am too old now. (sad face).
Hi Annette. I live out in the countryside near several charming, walled hill towns in the eastern foothills of the Apennines. The region is Le Marche, the province is Macerata. I'm a prisoner in Paradise, I guess, as we have been in a pretty severe COVID 19 lockdown for the past month or so. I expect to get vaccinated in late April. Things should be improving pretty soon.
I thought Land O Lakes was in Minnesota. Do they produce butter in your town?
The butter producing Land O Lakes is indeed in Minnesota. We don't produce butter here. The name derives from the many lakes in this area, which unfortunately produces sinkholes!!!
I see you are north of Tampa. I have never been south of Gainesville, though I have visited 47 of the 50 states. Maybe I'll do Florida one of these years.
There are many places here that are worth a visit. If you ever get here, reach out to me and I will happily give you some recommendations.
Well, maybe some day. Thanks. What a kind offer!
Oh my! Do they swallow houses?
Yes, sometimes they do! In fact a few years ago, one totally swallowed a house and seriously damaged another that belonged to a friend from church. Luckily my house has been fine.....so far!
Is the United States a sovereign country? Tim Snyder has some answers and more questions.
https://soundcloud.com/user-998760545?fbclid=IwAR15JAnCJcwzbp9UQTUUTenBgKmKiLhQBDsIFiUj7ZiW_WV-pnGwIqfPLms
Yes. But most wouldn't belive it until Fox "News" said it. So Fox "News" needs to be made to say it. Would be nice if that was part of their settlement with Dominion and Smartmatic. Actually THAT would be brilliant!
In FL, the Republicans you speak of all flipped to Independent a long time ago.
Yeah, Florida's got a real problem.
Yep. We had an Amendment to create an open primary in 2020 and it did not pass. The parties really pushed back against it. Not just Republicans have flipped, many Dems too.
Just curious: where in Umbria?
I was a Dem to vote for Bernie in the FL primary in 2016. After his sandbagging, I have been Independent since.
Well stated, David. I know several people like that. Won't speak to the rest.