It seems that former president Donald Trump is aligning his supporters with a global far-right movement to destroy democracy. On Saturday, in Durham, New Hampshire, Trump echoed Nazi leader Adolf Hitler’s attacks on immigrants, saying they are “poisoning the blood of our country”—although two of his three wives were immigrants—and quoted Russian president Vladimir Putin’s attacks on American democracy. Trump went on to praise North Korean autocratic leader Kim Jong Un and align himself with Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán, the darling of the American right wing, who has destroyed Hungary’s democracy and replaced it with a dictatorship.
It is time to start using the word traitor to describe Trump and those who would destroy our democracy. Back in 2016, the media shied away from calling out lies. Saying "misinformation" or "disinformation" distorts the truth and allows lies to flourish unchallenged. This damages the fabric of our society. If Trump is re-elected, he will go after the cowardly cya media, so they have an incentive to speak the truth and prevent his re-election. Words matter, and we have to start using words again that don't obfuscate but that express what we mean, that speak truth.
Those of us who read your newsletter have seen this coming for a long time. Trump is helping those who haven't been paying enough attention so far to see his true intentions extremely clearly now. I've seen a few news outlets clearly tie Trump's rhetoric to Hitler's language, including NPR's Weekend Edition this morning. It's about damn time. Seems like maybe, just maybe, the major news outlets will snap into focus over this holiday break and come out with sharp, accurate reporting starting in January. All of your readers will keep doing our part to help everyone around us see the stark choice ahead of us, and tune out the distractions, of which there will be so many. Trump is telling us who he is extremely clearly; we'll keep telling people what that means for them, and what they can do about it, which is to vote out every single Republican in office, since they are Trump's foot soldiers.
Will someone please write the book 'Profiles in Cowardice' that recounts the moment each Republican leader succumbed to cowardice and became MAGAs!?!? Republican leadership are shameful spineless sycophants to those that can empower them. For Kevin McCarthy it was after Jan.6th, after condemning Trump, but than went down to Mar-a-Lago to kiss Trump's orange butt to become Speaker. For McConnell it was failing to vote for impeachment the second time....and on it goes.
I think the American people will ultimately owe Trump a debt of gratitude for "saying the quiet part out loud". By overtly and unambiguously aligning himself with Putin, Kim, and Orban he has cast the choice we have next November in the starkest terms possible. There is no grey area any more. While Trump initially learned to be a "professional" authoritarian from the Mafia in Queens, NYC (and from Roy Cohn), running for and then becoming POTUS made him a much bigger player than I think even he dreamed of being when he began flirting with politics many years ago.
I pray that the Biden administration responds in MUCH stronger terms than they did tonight, because these statements make it as clear as it ever will be that we are at war with fascism here at home. The American people were mobilized to fight the global fascist threat roughly 78 years ago. I hope President Biden turns what would have been a traditional political campaign into what it now needs to be: the MOBILIZATION of the American people to defeat fascism here at home. Biden can use the history lesson told in Rachel Maddow's amazing book "Prequel" to tell the story of how democracy was almost destroyed here at home before WWII... a critically important "forgotten" history lesson.
We have always had an element in American society that prefers to dominate others by claiming "they" are evil. What I learned from Rachel's book about how Henry Ford promoted antisemitism with a Detroit newspaper he bought for that purpose turned my stomach.
Thank you, as always, for making clear the facts of these historic times. Let's pray that history repeats itself ... that We the People defeat fascism here at home again... and then starting in January 2025 declare war on fascism around the world... not using missiles and bombs, but using the POWER OF OUR EXAMPLE. We must show the world that democracy can help us fulfill dreams that will never be achieved by fascism!
Speaking as an Episcopal priest, I will say this: "secular values of democracy" have little to do with "destroying Christianity." What destroys Christianity? Bigotry, hatred, exclusion, condemnation, greed, power-seeking, inequality, and an angry God ideology, that disrespect creation, humanity, and human persons in all our marvelous complexity, diversity, and capabilities. The church that stays silent in the face of these, is destined to fail. And the church that preaches them is spiritually bankrupt.
Now tell the truth. In 2016 did you think things would get this bad? I did. This travesty is beyond anything Philip Roth could have imagined. And there is no end in sight.
Misinformation, disinformation, out of context, untruth. Civilization as we know it has been trying to be “civil”. There is and was nothing civil about storming our capital, threatening to hang the Vice- President, try to ruin voting poll workers lives (yes, their lives and having to hear phone calls with death threats). Time to wake up. Time to make sure you’re registered. Time to make sure our neighbors who are being thwarted from voting, can cast their votes. If you valuable your personal freedoms as most of us have always had and taken for granted, you must vote democratic. The Republicans that we’ve known in the past are so very rare. Consider the valor of Liz Cheney who knowingly gave up her career because our Democracy is more important. Forget voting the Republicans ticket “because your dear grandfather always did”. We must restore our Democracy as we’ve always taken it for granted. We must. Before it is too late!
I was born before we entered WW2 and I have never heard any candidate, let alone a former President, utter such vulgar contempt for our nation. While like any other citizen Trump has every right to spew the verbal and written trash he does, the fact that he is doing it certainly rings a bell from about 1933 to which a swastika is affixed.
I get the fact he is somewhat deranged, but the millions who have their fingers on the triggers of AK- 47s and think the sun rises and sets at his bidding are the ones who actually concern me.
And yet polls show as much support for Trump as Biden. It does not mean that voters will actually vote this way, but what does it mean if even a third of voters have so little regard for you and me, for women and blacks, for our LGBTQ+ cousins, and others. How can we feel safe in such a society? But then again, as I heard one Black man say when white middle class people were freaking out over Trump's election in 2016, "Welcome to my world."
It is time to start using the word traitor to describe Trump and those who would destroy our democracy. Back in 2016, the media shied away from calling out lies. Saying "misinformation" or "disinformation" distorts the truth and allows lies to flourish unchallenged. This damages the fabric of our society. If Trump is re-elected, he will go after the cowardly cya media, so they have an incentive to speak the truth and prevent his re-election. Words matter, and we have to start using words again that don't obfuscate but that express what we mean, that speak truth.
Those of us who read your newsletter have seen this coming for a long time. Trump is helping those who haven't been paying enough attention so far to see his true intentions extremely clearly now. I've seen a few news outlets clearly tie Trump's rhetoric to Hitler's language, including NPR's Weekend Edition this morning. It's about damn time. Seems like maybe, just maybe, the major news outlets will snap into focus over this holiday break and come out with sharp, accurate reporting starting in January. All of your readers will keep doing our part to help everyone around us see the stark choice ahead of us, and tune out the distractions, of which there will be so many. Trump is telling us who he is extremely clearly; we'll keep telling people what that means for them, and what they can do about it, which is to vote out every single Republican in office, since they are Trump's foot soldiers.
Will someone please write the book 'Profiles in Cowardice' that recounts the moment each Republican leader succumbed to cowardice and became MAGAs!?!? Republican leadership are shameful spineless sycophants to those that can empower them. For Kevin McCarthy it was after Jan.6th, after condemning Trump, but than went down to Mar-a-Lago to kiss Trump's orange butt to become Speaker. For McConnell it was failing to vote for impeachment the second time....and on it goes.
Dear Heather,
I think the American people will ultimately owe Trump a debt of gratitude for "saying the quiet part out loud". By overtly and unambiguously aligning himself with Putin, Kim, and Orban he has cast the choice we have next November in the starkest terms possible. There is no grey area any more. While Trump initially learned to be a "professional" authoritarian from the Mafia in Queens, NYC (and from Roy Cohn), running for and then becoming POTUS made him a much bigger player than I think even he dreamed of being when he began flirting with politics many years ago.
I pray that the Biden administration responds in MUCH stronger terms than they did tonight, because these statements make it as clear as it ever will be that we are at war with fascism here at home. The American people were mobilized to fight the global fascist threat roughly 78 years ago. I hope President Biden turns what would have been a traditional political campaign into what it now needs to be: the MOBILIZATION of the American people to defeat fascism here at home. Biden can use the history lesson told in Rachel Maddow's amazing book "Prequel" to tell the story of how democracy was almost destroyed here at home before WWII... a critically important "forgotten" history lesson.
We have always had an element in American society that prefers to dominate others by claiming "they" are evil. What I learned from Rachel's book about how Henry Ford promoted antisemitism with a Detroit newspaper he bought for that purpose turned my stomach.
Thank you, as always, for making clear the facts of these historic times. Let's pray that history repeats itself ... that We the People defeat fascism here at home again... and then starting in January 2025 declare war on fascism around the world... not using missiles and bombs, but using the POWER OF OUR EXAMPLE. We must show the world that democracy can help us fulfill dreams that will never be achieved by fascism!
I was watching the all white male people standing behind him. He is only dangerous because of those people who follow him.
At least these vile views are out in the open, making the stakes of the election beyond dispute.
Speaking as an Episcopal priest, I will say this: "secular values of democracy" have little to do with "destroying Christianity." What destroys Christianity? Bigotry, hatred, exclusion, condemnation, greed, power-seeking, inequality, and an angry God ideology, that disrespect creation, humanity, and human persons in all our marvelous complexity, diversity, and capabilities. The church that stays silent in the face of these, is destined to fail. And the church that preaches them is spiritually bankrupt.
Mr. Trump has been aping Mr. Hitler from day one. This is the end game.
Now tell the truth. In 2016 did you think things would get this bad? I did. This travesty is beyond anything Philip Roth could have imagined. And there is no end in sight.
A líe is a líe no matter how you dress it up. . .
Misinformation, disinformation, out of context, untruth. Civilization as we know it has been trying to be “civil”. There is and was nothing civil about storming our capital, threatening to hang the Vice- President, try to ruin voting poll workers lives (yes, their lives and having to hear phone calls with death threats). Time to wake up. Time to make sure you’re registered. Time to make sure our neighbors who are being thwarted from voting, can cast their votes. If you valuable your personal freedoms as most of us have always had and taken for granted, you must vote democratic. The Republicans that we’ve known in the past are so very rare. Consider the valor of Liz Cheney who knowingly gave up her career because our Democracy is more important. Forget voting the Republicans ticket “because your dear grandfather always did”. We must restore our Democracy as we’ve always taken it for granted. We must. Before it is too late!
I was born before we entered WW2 and I have never heard any candidate, let alone a former President, utter such vulgar contempt for our nation. While like any other citizen Trump has every right to spew the verbal and written trash he does, the fact that he is doing it certainly rings a bell from about 1933 to which a swastika is affixed.
I get the fact he is somewhat deranged, but the millions who have their fingers on the triggers of AK- 47s and think the sun rises and sets at his bidding are the ones who actually concern me.
And yet polls show as much support for Trump as Biden. It does not mean that voters will actually vote this way, but what does it mean if even a third of voters have so little regard for you and me, for women and blacks, for our LGBTQ+ cousins, and others. How can we feel safe in such a society? But then again, as I heard one Black man say when white middle class people were freaking out over Trump's election in 2016, "Welcome to my world."
Thank you for this. He's following the dictator's Handbook. Lord knows he doesn't have it in him to generate this all by himself, Professor ⭐
I stand for freedom. Thx Prof.
We must fight this GOP fascism!
Thank you. I hope the administration continues to call out Trump's fascist rhetoric in forceful terms.