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.
Cowardly is right,Betsy. It took 2 years before any reporters used the L word. It’s still rare for any of them to say liar and it’s way past time. Words do matter. The Cowardly Liar.
Biden needs to call him a coward all the time. Say that for someone who is innocent he sure spends a lot of time hiding things. Repeat his words back to him. Like a candidate under an indictment should not be running, like saying the mishandling of classified documents should result in the death penalty. The coward has a lot to hide and needs to be painted as such. I think that is one mistake all opponents of autocrats make is not calling them what they most fear - WEAK.
First, Biden probably did not attend a school where middle school age boys talk seriously nasty trash to each other like the private school for troubled, nasty boys, that Trump attended. This is important because middle schools like that are the origin of the Trump's ability to talk trash constantly. I acquired that skill in my own middle school (public school in East Texas, not private school), but, I have not used it since I left East Texas. Well, maybe three times.
Second, Biden was probably not raised by a psychopath, evil, Nazi father like Trump was. Trump's dad was literally a member of the Ku Klux Klan in NY in the 1920's so real, hard, HATE is in Trump's heart from his earliest days.
Last, but not least, Biden has actually attended Church routinely throughout his life, although it was the Catholic Church, which has promulgated much evil. As a church goer Biden may have been exposed to the actual ethics of Christianity by a good priest (there are a few that are not chasing little boys around the alter).
So, Biden is just not equipped to be nasty all day long like Trump. And?
I am actually quite happy he cannot compete in the realm of the truly nasty use of the language of hate.
Our problem is NOT that Biden cannot compete in a mud pit in his underwear like Trump.
Our problem is that Americans are attracted to those who CAN do mud wrestling with their fat arse showing to everyone through hate talk and nasty talk.
Solving the root cause problem: Americans have now spent so many years watching trash TV, listening to trash talk in their daily lives and growing up with trash talk that if a potential President does not do "Trash Talk' they think he is a "P*ssy".
And? They think Trump is a Raeel Maen. (translation, real man).
Bingo. I also would point out our "love affair" of outlaws and crooks. Jesse James hideout, Billy the Kid, of the past, All Capone of the depression era, Gotti. T..p is the same except he has decided that he wants to be king.
As a former educator, I observed a lot of students who loved someone who defied authority. In a sad footnote, the class clown in one of my classes committed suicide and at one point was nearly killed in a drug dispute. It must be his birthday this week because his sisters are remembering the good times.
Thank you Mike. I grew up in Carbondale,Pa just east of Joe Biden’s Scranton. I agree with your description of how “normal “ boys are raised. Donald Trump would not do well in my hometown in the 1950’s and ‘60’s. Many of my friends were rough around the edges but they had integrity and a sense of shame and we tried to do and be better. The “ reality “ tv behavior would not be acceptable. Uncle Joe may be full of malarkey at times but he is a good and decent person.
Yes. Dichotomizing the sexes and defining masculinity as opposite of femaleness, with shaming boys for exhibiting "feminine" characteristics, helps to ensure we'll have generations of men who seem without compassion and who resort to violence in the face of anything they fear or don't like. If maleness is the opposite of femaleness, boys and men have to continually work to maintain their masculinity by squelching everything in themselves that doesn't fit and stamping it out where ever they see it in other men. This of course also means dominating women and children who of course, aren't "real men". If the father shames the boy for being human, the boy will probably grow into a man who feels shame for being human.
@Mike S, I'd add one more to your excellent list of Trump's influences. Biden didn't have an amoral, self-loathing lawyer to teach him from an insider's perspective how to break the law and get away with it.
Roy Cohn joins the pantheon of people who have or had no compunction about destroying the country for personal advantage, a group that includes Lee Atwater and Newt Gingrich. He completes the education of Donald Trump as a hateful, feral bigot with the tools to impose his hate on anyone he chooses and the narcissism to feel good about doing so.
Trump was a just a sociopath waiting for a mentor. Most normal people would turn away from someone like that, or destroy themselves (I suspect Mary Trump's dad was in that category).
Trump doesn't have one quality in him worth admiring. We now know even his kids are a mess--at least his first 3. I don't know anything about the other 2. Hopefully their mothers will shield them from his horribleness.
Don't leave off the "which has promulgated much evil" part of that sentence. That, to me (a non-theist) explains the first part "although it was the Catholic Church".
Right now we have no reason to think that Trump wins and Biden is the loser, except that Trump and the media constantly tell us. It was BIDEN who won the election in 2020, receiving more votes for president than any candidate before him.
I also must point out that “going to church” is not a guarantee of moral superiority. A person does not need to fear eternal damnation to act for the good of society. The Catholic Church is no better or worse than any other religion considering that all religions are run by humans who are flawed to different degrees. Morality is learned through example first of all.
Mike, now ordinary public middle schoolers have completely joined the trash talk groups. We live down the street from a middle school and hear all the nasty talk as they walk past our house. This is a diverse neighborhood, so I don't know how much of it is racial.
My middle school, from 1970-1974 was nearly all white and the worst trash talkers, by far, were white. Also, the meanest kid in the school was white. The trash talk was profound and centered around the F***
Biden has made it clear that he Comes from a loving, working family. If I remember correctly, his sister was his first and subsequent campaign chairman.
I agree. A real gentleman doesn’t know how to act like a thug. But I do think Biden needs to call DT out on every single lie. All of them. Every misdeed, in particular those relating to our National Security.
My husband and I were just having this very conversation last night. We were watching a program on commercial TV and there were repeated commercials for some "non-reality, reality" program where "Real Housewives" were very aggressive and nasty to each other. I have never watched any of these programs but millions of people do and they think that behavior is okay and it is being normalized. What does that say about us and our society? It was like mud wrestling in social settings. I found just the commercial for it disgusting.
It is said that trump attended church 14x while in office. It was said that his presence was more of a media event rather than worship. He also declined to name a favorite Bible verse even though the Bible is his favorite book. At some point he said "eye for eye" was a favorite. Figures. In an interview trump said that he has never asked God for forgiveness and questioned his need to do so. That about sums it up.
Mike, most priests were not "chasing little boys"... what is true is the RCC, like just about every other organization, systemically suppressed the stories with intimidation and denial. Wiki's take. "John Jay report indicated that some 11,000 allegations had been made against 4,392 priests in the USA. This number constituted approximately 4% of the 110,000 priests who had served during the period covered by the survey (1950–2002).
Yes, Biden needs to take off the gloves. For all his tireless behind-the-scenes work to improve the economy and protect our basic rights he has flubbed in foreign affairs. Aside from the Afghanistan debacle, declaring 100% support for "my friend Bibi" after the October 7 Hamas butcher shop of Israel has diminished him. Our youth are watching the Israeli army callously annihilate the Palestinians in Gaza and are crouching in disgust. Biden is trying to walk it back with half a spine. When it comes to disparaging trump and his vitriol he does so like Wonder Bread without the wonder. If he doesn't start launching missiles at the idiot SOON, I'm afraid he'll be toast....
You are on the right track. Trump is the master of finding a cute/nasty nickname to disarm his opponent. We must hone that skill, and turn that tool back on him. IMHO, our nasty nickname for him: * must include alliteration (over-used, but still effective), * must fall off the tongue mellifluously, & * must include the idea of Traitor. And yes, Coward and Liar if possible. But too many concepts might spoil the mellifluous-ness.
It could be a fun contest. Perhaps built up as a media event where teams promote their preferred nasty nickname, and hold rallies featuring intense debates on the pros and cons of competing nicknames, with big prizes raised via raffle tickets. Winners get tidbits, but the big pot goes to "the cause". To support The Big Blue Tent that we're all under for this critical round.
these could be fun media events where debaters use humor to argue in favor of their favorite nasty nickname -- but they use facts, figures, law and history to provide critical education. Folded into a debate format.
Hopefully great talent (educating while entertaining) will emerge from the sheer urgency of this moment.
It’s hard to reach back to hitler/mussolini because his followers appear to be historically brain dead. And, I’m not sure they understand what the terms nazi or fascist actually mean.
I actually think such a tactic could backfire. It seems too obvious. Too contrived. Have you ever heard or seen a scientist confront a religious extremist rep or talented special interest rep? A mismatch. I have seen that in spades with evolution denial and climate denial. They are skilled at the Gish Gallop and other such nefarious responses and are skilled at making their adversary look foolish. I do not advocate "when they go low, we go high" as my heroine Michelle Obama once said, but I also do not advocate getting sucked into a childish name-calling game. I think it possible to call out the idiocy of MAGA Trumpism without being childish about it.
I think melonhead gets way too much publicity and infects our days way too much already. He doesnt deserve any more attention - actually he doesnt "deserve" ANY attention - period! I'm just fed up & tired of him.
having grown up in an area where everyone was 'connected', I've felt that the Mafia wouldn't want him. A narcissist isn't their idea of a good mob candidate. Plus the guy can't keep his mouth shut. They know he'd rat out everyone to save his skin.
Ms. Richardson, Hungary has only 15 million people and they are fleeing their country in large numbers. Orban needs money from the EU and they are withholding it. Eventually he will cave and democracy will return just like in Polen.
I visited Hungary just before the pandemic and was lectured unpleasant young men about the evils of immigration and the need for racial purity, the superiority of the Hungarian government.
The problem with the GQP is they know Agent Orange is a toxic dump. But being humility and integrity are not something that is valued in their party. They are guilty of enabling the fat ass for their own self-centered greed. They can't stuff him back in the bottle. So now what? Wait at Starbucks for Jesus and JFK jr to show up and hand Mike Johnson a plan? They normalized gun violence, they normalized an insurrection, they normalized bigotry, the normalized misogyny, they normalized having blood on their own hands. And now they don't know how to clean it up. So, they won't.
Those that were fired but continue to speak out, like Liz Cheney, will be held up as true patriots. More Republicans should have chosen to be fired rather than remain silent. They will be seen as complicit in trying to destroy our democracy.
I agree and just posted a similar frustration. Any marketing person will tell you that the first thing you say has to create an emotional response, then the brain will get involved and add the logic. I would add authoritarian to your example. It took months for the dems to say dictator. These people like Andrew Bates talk like they are in a college seminar instead of being the first line of defense.
"The first thing you say has to create an emotional response."
Correct, David Haddick.
But then you produce one word, one euphemism -- much bandied about by educated people -- that CANNOT produce an emotional response. And I have made this point here ad nauseam.
You cannot use a long word -- 5 or 6 syllables of it! -- as a slogan, least of all a word many won't understand.
"Nazi" happens to be true, literally true, and far far better for getting the message across than "Fascist", an insult when used by those on the left, a badge of honor for right-wing people so insulted. The insult falls flat because neither side really understands it. Mussolini and his at first brutally effective movement lie forgotten.
Agent Orange uses schoolyard bullies' insults, so, throwing back the same, "TRAITOR-DICTATOR" fits the bill. But the word Nazi, alone or in combination is both powerful and true, without being self-demeaning. And it's easy to call on the memory of the many thousands of Americans who died fighting Hitler's Germany.
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Seven years ago, in December 2016, I wrote:
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Great again?
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Democracy? Democracy? Where's that? I see only oligarchy.
Chances are DT will bankrupt oligarchy, as he's bankrupted all he touches, and try for the only thing he (thinks he) understands: dictatorship.
Or... as Hillary said and the Muller report demonstrated a Russian agent...Putin’s Boy... overthrowing our democracy to please (or pay back) his boss lest he pay with his own life or that of his children and grandchildren. Which may cause paranoia. 😏
"But people did not take Hitler seriously until it was too late."
Peter, if that had been the root problem, Hitler would still have been stopped before it was too late.
The real problem in Germany and here was and is: The majority of Germans and, possibly Americans (we will find out), WANTED/WANT Hitler's/Trump's hate in office to guide them to a new promised land.
When Trump starts putting people into camps you will see how many Americans will cheer. "Yeah, baby, those "b....ards" got what they deserved. Burn 'em baby!"
Exactly like what happened in Germany.
6 million people don't get carted off to extermination without a huge majority of the people fully enthusiastic about that.
Mike, I think your analysis is absolutely correct. There are far, far too many people who want, with all their hearts, to rid our country of those "different" from them; gayfolk, people who are not of their particular flavor of sky pilot worship, people who are different races/skin tones, women who want independence from men.
Rather than merely inventing rude nicknames for a man so patently, pathetically, grotesquely ridiculous—but who still has an unbroken hold on his supporters so strong that his movement is continuing to grow, while the President’s political action and its effects remain almost totally unknown and misunderstood—isn’t it about time for a range of strong, well-coordinated nationwide actions to show people, especially the MAGA mob, what is really really in it for THEM? Show what is really in it for America. Show what is really in it for the planet.
Hold the collective mutt’s snout to its own shit…
So. How about ideas for practical actions throughout society?
Targeting, shaming the media and media bosses with noisy, embarrassing demonstrations against those who have undermined public information and journalism by making short-term profits accruing to billionaire owners and corporate shareholders the exclusive criterion for publication;
HCR has shown us the immediate relevance of history when it comes to tackling current political, social and economic challenges—can we not then push, as I have suggested here, for a barrage of film material showing up the dangers we now face in terms of the colossal disasters of the 20th century… which we now risk repeating… ON A FAR LARGER SCALE??? This time, in America too, spared from direct damage in all the wars of the past century and a half. Spared since America’s terrible Civil War…
This ain’t just education, ain’t just information, there’s plenty of gripping entertainment in the hell and heaven of the 20th century. And, as I keep saying, if it’s well presented, fanatical MAGAts and their ilk will just leuurve the rise and rise of Benito Mussolini, of Adolf Hitler, Goebbels’ magnificent scenarios, the Nuremberg Rallies, , the 1936 Olympics, Leni Riefenstahl’s great images, Blitzkrieg, triumph upon triumph…
Then, the London Blitz, Dunkirk, the long hard fight back, Pearl Harbor, all the Axis forces declaring war on America. The cost. The horrendous cost. Death, death and hell on earth for a hundred million and more—I don’t forget what was done to Africa, I don’t forget Asian history, Chinese, Indian, Japanese, I don’t forget Soviet history, nor do I forget North America at a time when GIs and Canadian soldiers, sailors, airmen were fighting and dying to preserve their countries’ way of life at home…
Targeting, shaming all those who have made the same fast buck the be-all-and-end-all of absolutely everything in society—public health, education at all levels, the provision, maintenance and improvement of essential infrastructures, transport, housing, the provision of all social services, policing, prisons, investment and industrial development, the military, both manpower and materiel, deployment at home and worldwide, both war and peace…
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One thing we are observing every day, yet not realizing, is how very contagious mass psychosis can be, affecting even those who are not directly caught up in it. The most horrendous thing about great evil is how it stains the hearts and minds of those who encounter or even hear of it, often including the hitherto innocent. It can be dangerous even to witness deeds of extreme evil, when we are tempted to blind vengeance, adding crime to heinous crime.
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Hitler was not brought to power by a majority of Germans but he did not have to wait long until the Reichstag fire gave him the pretext he needed to implement his plans and seize total power. Now that the people were effectively powerless yet borne on the Nazi tide, the fact of going along with it fatalistically, because inured to obeying those in authority, does not necessarily signify any real enthusiasm for what is being done. Discretion is the better part of valor—you protect yourself and your family by silencing your doubts and questioning, knowing full well that it would be dangerous to do otherwise.
When Hitler held his great Berlin victory parade in July 1940, observers may have been taken in by the crowd’s applause, but Hitler himself was not. Hitherto, the drug that had sustained him was crowd adulation. On that day, it failed him, and from then on he switched to other drugs, a cocktail of amphetamines. With consequences for his judgment.
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Mike, the people were fed on the spectacle of military might, Nuremberg Rallies, Goebbels’ masterly propaganda. Later, many will have taken part in the regime’s constant celebrations, merging into culture wars, organized hatred, demonstrations, book burnings, and many will have witnessed or even taken part in Kristallnacht, pogrom and orgy of destruction, the ultimate violent vengeance visited on chosen scapegoats for the humiliation of defeat in the Great War and the economic ruin brought on by the Versailles Treaty.
Nevertheless, the SS Einsatzgruppen that carried out the regime’s first trial run of mass murder, that of psychiatric patients and the physically and mentally handicapped, were sworn to secrecy and the deaths of patients were released in a constant trickle so as to avoid direct suspicions. Those who had doubts about what was happening dared not express them publicly… until the Bishop of Münster spoke out in a strong sermon in August 1941. The scandal was naturally stifled but when in January of the following year the Wannsee Conference decided “the final solution to the Jewish question” the event and the policy were shrouded in the utmost secrecy. Mass shooting by the same Einsatzgruppen of over a million victims, primarily Jews and gypsies, mainly in the eastern territories conquered by Germany, now gave way to the secret establishment of death camps in Polish territory and to the massive rail transport to Auschwitz, Treblinka, Belzec, Sobibor and Chelmno of those to be worked to death or gassed directly.
[When a student around 1960, I was friendly with a young Pole who, with his once well-to-do family, had worked as slave laborers in the IG Farben chemical factory at Auschwitz-Buna. Interesting that Bayer, now owners of Monsanto with its awful reputation as producers of pesticides dangerous to human health and the life of the soil, should be a salvaged survivor of the giant IG Farben complex, which produced poison gas for the war machine including the Zyklon B used to kill millions in the death camps. The pesticides industry is, of course, a “peaceful” development of chemical warfare technology…]
What I am getting at in all this is the extreme secrecy of the Final Solution, which—understandably—was unimaginable even to vast numbers of its victims, despite the obvious hatred and cruelty shown by the invaders and their local helpers. Yes, these were to be found, often in large numbers, wherever the Nazis’ reach extended. But then, so were individuals and organizations that protected Jews.
The exceptions, large and small, run directly counter to your negative view of human nature and show up cultural differences, both in the treatment of minorities and in attitudes to powerful authorities. In Denmark, the king donned a yellow star and the people saved the Jewish population, spirited out to neutral Sweden. In Albania, the puppet government successfully obstructed deportation, refusing to provide lists of Jews, and villagers everywhere protected them. In Bulgaria, despite antisemitic policies, politicians, church leaders and the population prevented the deportation of the Jews. Italian Fascism may have turned antisemitic to please Hitler, but many Italians put on a show while actively protecting Jews. There was, of course, nothing doing in the areas controlled by Germany and the rump Fascist puppet State after Italy switched sides…
What is particularly interesting is the nature and extent of resistance to Nazi policies in the Third Reich, both in Germany itself, where there were significant regional, religious and social differences in attitudes to the regime itself and in particular to antisemitic propaganda, and in post-Anschluss Austria, where serious anti-Nazi activities continued into the postwar period, despite the country’s relative failure to take responsibility for its participation in the Hitlerian adventure.
Particularly inspiring for American women, the successful activism of German wives of Jews in defense of their husbands late in the war, even after the decisive defeat at Stalingrad—the Rosenstrasse Protests…
I take strong exception to your final paragraph, Mike S., and even more so to your “hypothesis” that “WE ALL, in our heart of hearts, want to feel superior to someone else so we can feel better about ourselves. Some kind of evolved thinking/behavior.”
I am 10 000% with Larry Levy when he warns you against such sweeping, opinionated generalizations. I am sure that this is not your intention, yet the view of human nature you are setting forth is so profoundly negative that it closely resembles that of Nazi-Fascists themselves—believing the worst, expecting the worst of our fellow-men, accordingly basing one's outlook and actions on that assumption and ending up by justifying the foulest of foul means. All conservatives who view human nature as intrinsically bad, including those with an inculcated belief in “original sin”, run the risk of losing their footing and sliding into the evil behavior they like to ascribe to others.
To these points I want to add an important one: pessimism in the face of a prospective Trump victory in November must be harnessed productively to imagine, coordinate and implement effective preventive actions. Yet all that you are offering is a deeply negative view of America’s ability, both innate and actual, to rise to the occasion and mount an effective defense of the country’s democratic institutions. You speak of deeply ingrained fecklessness and ignorance yet propose nothing that could awaken the country and make it sound as though nothing could ever achieve that. In so doing you are in effect promoting fecklessness…
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This response comes too late. Everything that needs to be said -- and there is far far more to this, all this and far more will have to be gone over again. The sole advantage to you is that you'll have, for the time being, been spared a more public attack.
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Still, while we're about it, I'm giving you -- SEPARATELY -- the rest of the work in progress that I wasn't able to produce today -- other activities, other obligations...
This amounts to something of a ragbag, but fresh minds could marshal and align valid material while pruning what's unnecessary.
HERE THEN. ENJOY. OR DETEST. It's all there for you.
Meanwhile, I'll not be there tomorrow! Other business calls...
Very true, Peter. I ask, however, to whom are we giving this "measure of the danger"? My MAGA family are convinced they are the patriotic Americans, practicing democracy. If their leader needs to be "Hitleresque" to keep their country for them, they are all for it.
Just like many Nazis liked to think of themselves as patriotic Germans...
But, like Hitler, their beloved guide promises to overthrow democracy.
Like Putin, this man's boss and exemplar, who never permitted any but the most superficial appearances of democracy and now totally bans all diversity. The autocrat has a monopoly of thought and decision...
For most of America, democracy MEANT "white cis guys in charge of everything". And that remains their definition. Just like freedom of religion means freedom of Christian religion to go and do whatever it wants.
But Ann, democracy is not possible on a basis of bottomless ignorance about the world we live in.
If our media had 0.001% of the competence and sense of responsibility necessary to do their basic job -- informing the public -- we'd be seeing films daily of the horrendous 20th Century.
Film, because people today understand only images.
What's more, the MAGA mob will love the irresistible rise and rise of Mussolini, then Hitler...
Parades. Nuremberg Rallies. Military might. War. Blitzkrieg.
Until Stalingrad. Until downfall. Until they see total destruction, the camps, the endless millions dying horribly. Hitler's suicide. Goebbels' suicide with wife and children, Mussolini's corpse hanging upside down in Milan.
"But Ann, democracy is not possible on a basis of bottomless ignorance about the world we live in."
Fixing the profound ignorance that a huge number of Americans find themselves fully ensconced within is no easy task.
Add the fact that the ignorance they/we have plays into a stronger desire to sort things out with the rules that whatever white man preacher at the front of the church tells them.
The combination of ignorance and leveraging nuts/preachers with poor judgement to tell them what to do?
We should add that no one has ever called their child Hiltler. Furthermore, what happened to the Nazi supporters? They disappeared and hid. Americans that support Trump will be looked down as a Trump enabler and it will of be a good look.
“ And there in lies the rub”, as we (not they) say. We talk in thought-provoking, complicated sentences, while Trump is shouting sound-bites triggering emotional responses that need no thought or time to consider.
It’s like going to war with a story about a cannon instead of the cannon itself.
Excellent choice of words describing the both the Dems and MSMs “explanatory” responses versus the radical right’s emotion-provoking statements. And what about our failure to have short, punchy SPECIFICS versus lengthy, snooty college-like responses. Shouldn’t we have a “messaging squad” who’ve been trained in hard core debating tactics and strategies to have direct statements (versus messages) about exactly how any of these radicals are subverting democracy rather than just calling them out for doing so. Even in the cited JRB statement, there was too much of that tired, old strategy of “when they take the low road, we take the high road.” Sounding ethically superior has been ineffective for 10+ years now!!! It may make the elitista in the Dem party feel good about themselves, but it certainly prompts many others to feel like they’re being insulted and then rationalize: they think they’re better than us...we have to elect folks who don’t disrespect us.
David, I agree with you on this. The Dems have and are failing miserably to launch a verbal campaign against the MAGA/KKK Republicans. We could have photos of Trump and Hitler together, Trump and Putin, with simple words to make the point.
I hear you, Ms. Smith, although I would ask what audience you expect to address. I recall some survey results from the Braver Angels group a few years back that tallied the language each side -- "Red" vs. "Blue" -- uses to describe the other. I can't remember the favorite epithet used by us "Blues" (whatever it is, I'm sure we've seen it hundreds of times here), but the "Red's" favorite name for us is "traitor." To them, we are the traitors, traitors to our race, to our society, to the Christian god. (Of course, I disagree but they don't seem to care what I think.)
Somehow, I don't think more inflamed language is going to convince anyone. Please, let's just stick with the facts, ma'am, just the facts. It that's not enough, then there's not much else we can do except become like them, i.e., violent, irrational, murderous, and terribly shortsighted.
In my last conversation with my MAGA sister who tried to convince me of the great things she thought he had done for the country, I stopped her with these words: "He's just a grifter."
What does your sister think that Trump did so well? Does any of it check out? The only thing I can think of is the $11 billion fast-track Covid vaccine development, and that was only after the most amazingly corrupt gyrations trying to convince us that Covid was a hoax.
Is anyone besides me nervous about that new movie coming out in the spring titled, "Civil War"? It looks like an action-packed glorification of a second U.S. civil war, where people die heroically for something or another. Just like some people look at "Handmaid's Tale" and think, "Hey, that's not a bad idea..." I suspect that too many people will look at "Civil War" and think of it as a solution.
Truth be told, Dirk, I tuned out what she was saying because I stubbornly insisted - and still do - that he really is nothing more than a grifter. That's all I need to know about him. Just so you know, it's rare in my family when I get the last word.
Using words like fascist instead of Nazi is one. Use words to get to the point and that “common folk” know well. Slang is OK. Them back up with facts if need be.
Dirk, I respectfully disagree. You can use an insult to get attention, and then back it up with facts and a good argument. Remember, we elected an Internet troll in 2016.
I hope you're right. Just for my own part, when someone starts off a conversation with an insult, I'm generally too pissed to hear their facts and arguments. I'm more interested in beating them, not understanding them. Not that I ever really have conversations on these topics -- I kinda wish I had a MAGA sister who apparently believes that Trump did "great things," like Lynell(VA by way of MD&DC) above, and wanted to convince me of the same. What do these people think he did so well?
Zero election deniers and supporters I come across do not have facts to back up their claims. They are just similar to Fred Trump, Sr. In that they enjoy the entertainment that Jr. has been able to get away with it. But of course with Daddies money.
Trump is a madman and a huckster. We need to call him out on his bs. For a sociopath like Putin to claim either Christian or family values is ludicrous. We must all push back against these bullies and call them out. Pull back the curtain on the empty Wizard of Oz.
TFG (Donald J. Trump - just in case there’s anyone here reading these comments and HCR’s letter) is now in the mode of a desperate man who has pulled back the covers and dropped the kkk robe and realized that the American government and our court systems are down right serious and his dad has been probably rolling over and twisting in his grave or wherever he maybe witnessing his favored son ruin his name and businesses!!!
You have so much material to work with. MAGANAZI, white faux-Christian Nationalist, Traitor, Murderer, serial immigration supporter, liar, rapist, grifter.
Jim, I agree. The more desperate he becomes, the louder he is going to spew his dangerous rhetoric. The louder and more unhinged HE becomes, the louder and more unhinged his supporters and cronies-in-crime become. They will fight for him no matter the outcome. Mob mentality will win out if they cannot be convinced that he cares nothing for the little people.
They will fight for HIM. They think he would fight for THEM.
If only they could or would see.
I often think of the invasion of the Capitol and wonder if, had the mob found Pence, they really would have hung him. Many people think so.
That's why we are in danger of losing our individual identity. Trump's mob of misguided men and women will protect him and do everything in their power to carry out his commands.
When mobs become desperate, it only takes a few mentally deranged people to start the mob charging forward in defense of their beliefs. They will plow down anyone or anything who gets in their way. Could be any one of us.
When Pence was in Congress they called him dense Pence. Who would ever support a man like TFFG would threatened to have him killed and darn near succeeded?
Do we have that many stupidly clueless, hatefully racist and/or low-informed people who are voters [and non-voters] in America - whether they’re the far-right, conservative people who are for the most part labeled as republicans who have become cult-members following a twice-impeached, narcissistic wannabe dictator among us?
Jim, that's what has been a shock to me. Realizing that there ARE so many Americans who have fallen for his lies and who identify with him.
Every day I shake my head in disbelief. Dissolutionment has taken over me, although I try to stay positive. I'm positive that Trump will cause his followers to help him overthrow our democratic way of life.
Yes, we do. Hateful, not just racially, but also of women's independence, gender expression, sexual orientation, and of "other" religions (because don't you all have the "one, true God"?)
Exactly! The 'Pinocchio ' rating was ineffective. Used to seethe about the soft pedaling of all the lies, across the GOP spectrum; that moral cowardice to call out the lies for what they were (are) helped create the trump cult.
People just say, "All politicians lie", then they pick and choose what he means and what is just "joking", and they call his opponents' unfulfilled predictions or mistakes "lies".
I couldn't get dick-tater past the WaPo word-police computer. They printed "MAGANAZI Party" and "Critical Fascist Theory" and "Ku Klux Don" and "Adolf Huckster," so I give them some credit. The NYT, too, frowns on any comment that mentions body parts, especially the ones "down there," and they don't print my nicknames... for instance... Jim Jordan is Jiminy Crackpot.
Steve Brant offer this warning on FB ... in response to HCR post today:
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!
Thank-you Betsy. I also think describing the type of government DT, et. al., are trying to foist upon us as a DICTATORSHIP, rather than an autocracy or some other academic-sounding term would be more accurate and reach more of the public who need to know what the MAGA movement truly is.
Steve, I agree. Dictator and dictatorship are words that must be used, along with nazi, to convey the seriousness of the moment. Autocracy is too complex a theory for many people, and they shut it out of their consciousness.
I agree with you that authoritarian lacks meaning and context of most of the MAGANAZIs. Call it what it is -- a dictatorship.
We already know that if anyone in his administration disagrees with him they are immediately fired via Twitter or text. Or if, heaven forbid, someone is praised for any reason in his administration they are fired or else they need to do some serious boot licking.
Betsy, I agree entirely that words matter and the media hasn’t done their job well for decades. However, regardless how the media talks about Trump, we the people are the ones with the power to prevent him from regaining the White House.
Gigantic efforts by Democrats (and Independents) in recent elections have born fruit (Virginia, Jacksonville, Fl, Fort Collins, CO, and dozens if not hundreds of school board elections preventing Moms for Liberty candidates from gaining seats) And to your point, Letters to the editor, subscription cancellations and truly significant pushback from readers on recent editorial bs in NYT and WaPo (among others) appears to be having an effect.
The media has significant obligations in protecting democracy. But in the end, it is We the People who will determine our fate and the fate of our precious experiment in democracy.
And by all means, let’s use the word traitor to describe Trump!!
But there's another group that we need to reach: Independents, or, as we call them in MA, Unenrolled. We need to get both Dems and Independents to vote, even when voting has been made difficult or seems to be useless. In 2016, when I was canvassing, too many people just shrugged and said that it made no difference whom they voted for, blahblahblah. We can't let that happen again.
And reach the independent voters and let them know how much voting for a third party candidate such as "No Labels" would hurt the Democratic candidate.
I tend to worry about "Americans for Prosperity" right now. You should pay attention to the ads from these Koch sycophants. All Hail the petroleum Industries, they're here to save the day by increasing the supply to fund our planetary addiction to such.
Traitor? Absolutely. I’ve been calling him one for years, and continue to be baffled that are government can’t lock him away. And that includes the high level crooks that are with him. These columns by HCR are very informative, but also very alarming. I would love to know whether the good doctor believes we can overcome the attack on our democracy through nonviolent means.
FOLLOW the MONEY!! Elitists and their corporate disguise, (the men behind the curtain) manipulate the legal system and circumvent their fair share of the national burdens so that they can play while the rest of the working people PAY (Taxes)!
Instead of calling tRump’s words “lies” we should call them “propaganda”. tRump has the largest microphone in the world with which he can spew hateful rhetoric and propaganda. The media breathlessly recounts each stupid thing he says; which makes it impossible to keep up with. Unfortunately it is pure evil genius- this man has done more in a few short years to destroy the America we all love and made us enemies; we forget that we are on the same team and should be working together to make our country better.
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.
I predicted this as he traveled down the famous elevator at tRump Tower. His father was a Ku Klux Klan member, so his belief system was to be expected. His father turned away many minorities, seeking housing in Queens. He was a racist and tRump's mother was absent in her role as mother. tRump was a poor student and his father had to pay a handsome sum to get him into Wharton. He is committing treason and the media has allowed him to get a foothold with those who are uninformed and those who are Nazi sympathizers. It's high time we call out his treasonous behavior and give no quarter to any rethuglican now in office. The sooner we send them packing, the better. The MTG's of the world need to be investigated. They are no better than the man that became President by hook and by crook. The electoral college has seen its day and that too should be thrown out with the bath water. Those of us who despise what tRump has done to our democracy, have allowed the media to give a platform to all of the scum who came crawling out of their caves. They need to think again! Let's Clean House!
The first knife in the back for democracy goes back at least as far as Reagan. FOrty years of anti-republic "Republicans" have sure made a mess of things, and we daren't let it go any further.
The thing I dislike most about President Reagan is that his words set apart the government from the people. Reagan said "The nine most terrifying words in the English language are: I'm from the Government, and I'm here to help." It was a direct refutation of President Lincoln's Gettysburg Address. His address ends by reminding us that we are a self-governing nation: "...It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us, that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion, that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain, that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom, and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.” Reagan and Prime Minister Thatcher were champions of the neoliberal movement, to shrink the size and reach of the federal government. In Grover Norquist's words, he would "starve the beast" -- he would "shrink the federal government until it is small enough to drown in a bathtub". They wanted to move away from being a self-governing democratic system, toward getting the government out of the business sector -- except when they needed the federal gov't to bail them out after their free-wheeling economic blunders. Reagan and Thatcher ripped apart the fabric of society, turning us into individual atoms, instead of being members of a society. And look at what we have become! The Republicans are so alienated from society, and from each other, that they have dropped all pretense of having a political platform on which to stand.
Our best hope -- probably our only hope -- is that the Democrats will clearly demonstrate that they want to help all of us rise up out of poverty, to achieve prosperity for All.
The Inflation Recovery Act (IRA) can accomplish several things. Congress authorized spending into the economy to improve various aspects of our infrastructure, including our homes and the buildings in which we work, while reducing carbon loading in the atmosphere to mitigate climate change. The Republicans say they want to reduce spending, apart from defense contractors. The Republicans are wrong in so many ways. By going all-electric, we are going to drastically reduce our lifetime cost of energy. By installing solar electric systems, and two-way heat pumps for heating and air conditioning, we will avoid the continually rising cost of burning fossil fuels, while doing something significant about climate change. The IRA is currently in the process of being implemented at the State level. Some discounts and rebates are already available. This is the beginning of making a HUGE improvement in our health, both financial and physical. The Republicans are living in the Twilight Zone. I wish we could avoid giving them any attention, and just concentrate on helping the American people, while we still can.
"The thing I dislike most about President Reagan is that his words set apart the government from the people."
Exactly, and that was the the key to what he was peddling, and what the once "Party of Lincoln" has become. Who is it that the government is BY, and who does it work FOR? Who is it that is being governed? Who now ignores the law with virtual impunity? Who is crushed or even shot for minor infractions? None of the will to corrupt we now see is entirely new, and the Southern wing of the Democratic Party was pretty execrable before Civil Rights Acts sent them running into the arms of the former party of Abolition (and the Confederate flag defenders began to have Rs next to their names); but Reagan struck at the core of democracy and the common weal. It was never "government" they intended to drown, just the Lincolnian strain of it. Reagan wanted plutocracy; Trump wants fascism. I'm not sure there's a lot of difference.
Back in the 1970s I was with a group backpack camping on the pacific coast, miles from any habitation or phone. Jerks in a dune buggy had built an oversized campfire that had spread to copious driftwood and the afternoon wind was carrying burning material to start new fires. just beyond the band of driftwood was tall dried grass and then dry-season forest. To make a long story short we put out a fire that was maybe 40' diameter by running like mad, clearing unburned from around it and throwing partly ignited material into the inferno. Satellite fires were extinguished with sea water and a soup pot. The thing is it felt great to work as a team and get it done. I think there is some of the same reward in war, but here there was no accompanying tragedy. Could we possibly unite and coordinate as a society to fight the fire we have unleashed on the planet and it's future? Could we provide jobs and a sense of solidarity in doing what needs to be done to rescue as much as we can of our sustaining web of life? I know Biden is making some progress in that respect, but we are way behind schedule, and need to focus.
What you suggest is what FDR tried to do with the New Deal policies. The Republicans have hated those policies ever since. They want government only to protect the property of the rich that their ancestors stole from the rest of society.
Nicely stated. When those that run the government spend their time running it down, count on the government being the problem. CONservatives want to run government like a business they claim, so my advice is to avoid their businesses at all costs. They are only interested in themselves. I guess we could apply the old adage of "those who can't teach" to CONservative politicians :those who can't do business - govern". Something like that, except there are a lot of successful business people in government. But you get the idea.
Don't they see that those things are not the same, as they should have learned from "Sesame Street" ? No, they 'do not' - it's 'their way' or the highway (obstruction to traffic jams) to govern a democracy; their 'demand' is to rule. 'Their reasoned' - self justified conclusion is the need for only one party reign alongside a partisan 'Chairman of the Board' who settles all disputes or opinions in their favor; business board style. It don't and won't work. The 'business of the people' is not driven by the strictly profit / loss calculus of business decisions. Business and Governing are two entirely different 'constructs' created by humans for two entirely different purposes and aims. It's a damn shame to have to break these concepts down elementary school LCD's (lowest common denominator, aka addition / subtraction), but we must if we are to deal constructively with this brand of self righteous, self affirming, self flagellating, board rigging cretins that only recognize their own realm which is a self affirming echo chamber of delusions I mention and more ! Campaign finance must be - must be reformed drastically folks, and an improved, refined for our times "Fairness Doctrine" codified into Constitutional Law ! 'We' have to demand it, and likely we will have to do it ourselves in every state - I don't trust partisans to do it and neither should you. Ie., if the owner of a coal mine accounted for the great bulk of the campaign money support for candidate 'Croc', would I not expect candidate 'Croc' to play his vote for his benefit ? I think the average person, regardless of education level see's that plainly or certainly suspects that. *Money is not free speech. It's a taller soapbox or a louder bullhorn. Campaigns for government sway has to be about ideas and honor, not treasure. Where treasure wins, we the people lose; short and long term. I demand "cleansing sunlight" !
James Garner, who worked with him as a VP of SAG when he was president of the union in the 60s, had a good two word definition of Sainted Ray Gun: "amiable dunce."
And Reagan even abused that position with a corrupt waiver for his own company. Reagan has been a double-dealing piece of scum since the days he was called "Dutch" and before.
He was too kind. I did sense that, unlike Trump and the RNC, he maybe kinda believed some parts of his own barrage of BS, but massive BS fed into the Nation's navigational systems has been an ongoing invitation to disaster, and Reaganomics was always about enriching the rich at the public's expense. He projected an amiable persona, but was still a malignant narcissist; not really a very nice person.
He should have been impeached over his blocking the hostage release to dirty Carter. A Texas republican gave a death bed confession to that effect. Guess he hopes that doing that would maybe get him into Heaven?
Again, so much to dislike about Reagan. Giving rise to the uber rich by slicing income tax rates from 70% to 38.5%. I took the HR Block tax course in 1986 just so I could understand all of the changes. The manager that taught the course asked me to work for them for that tax season. I agreed. I ended up doing over 100 returns working part time in the evenings. The poor people that came into Block. They were as clueless as I was before I took the class.
The following is from Wikipedia.
The first tax cut (Economic Recovery Tax Act of 1981) among other things, cut the highest personal income tax rate from 70% to 50% and the lowest from 14% to 11% and decreased the highest capital gains tax rate from 28% to 20%.[1]
The second tax cut (Tax Reform Act of 1986) among other things, cut the highest personal income tax rate from 50% to 38.5% but decreasing to 28% in the following years[2] and increased the highest capital gains tax rate from 20% to 28%.[1]
At the time, people weren't substantially informed about the tax cuts, as an ABC News Poll in September 1986 showed that 63% of Americans didn't know enough about the Tax Reform Act of 1986 to say if it was good or bad.[3]
Nixon's "pardon" was a terrible, terrible precedent, as Trumps unaccountable corruption of the power of pardon clearly demonstrates. Even the nonsensical "pardoning" of turkeys offends me. I knew it was a terrible precedent the moment it was announced, as a betrayal of rule of law, and legitimizing an imperial presidency, but even then, I dared not imagine what we have come to accept today.
First we need a way to reconsider errors of the application of law, either in the law's application, or retrospective rejection of the basis of the law itself. That simply should not rest on the whim of a single person. It is an anachronistic holdover from monarchy, a repudiation of the principle of equal protection and due process.
Second, I don't even know how Nixon's "pardon" was considered legitimate; it did not correct an error, it shut down due process by granting impunity to Nixon, the very thing that distinguishes a tyrant; what the Magna Carta was about. Perhaps we could have chosen more of a "Truth and Reconciliation" approach to Nixon, but the truth and rule of law determination of guilt and transgression of acceptable behavior had to be firmly established in a way the made it clear that presidents too must answer to the law. "He suffered enough" by losing his job? What about Bernie Madoff?
The road we are now on is illustrated by the casually and defiantly Republican Senate declining to even go though the motions of considering the gravity of Trump's malfeasance; a kangaroo court indeed, in contrast to Republican's former willingness to convict Nixon in the Senate. The notion that great power entails great responsibility is old and fundamental, and needs to be even more strictly enforced for those with entrusted extraordinary powers than for the average citizen. Impacts upon lives, or even lives themselves can hang in the balance. We seem fairly vigilant, perhaps at times over-vigilant, about enforcing that standard on middle management and mid level practitioners, yet are too often strangely and vicariously over-protective of the fates of the very rich and famous. This ironically betrays our aspirations of "liberty and justice for all"
Very well reasoned throughout JL... Bravo Small i have maintained forever and still, that one only gets as much 'justice' as they can afford; cynical, but no less true for as long as I can recall. smh....
Ah yes, Hence the establishments of that old euphemism Probable Deniability" allowing blame to flow down from the top. Kinda like Reganomics only a little different. (Sometimes affectionally referred to as Tickled on Economics.) Sorry I couldn't resist the opportunity to indulge in the "Theater of the Absurd."
The question for Agent Orange is, "who's your daddy now?" It's Putin! He misses Fred slapping him around so he replaced him with Daddy P. All warm and fuzzy hugs now.
Government is the problem. I can never let that go. Did you hear Maddow call out Cheney in the interview? Liz quietly said she did not agree, but you could tell that it made her feel very, very comfortable.
Thank you for the reminder about Reagan. That needs to be repeated to remind US of the “quality” of Republican presidents since Eisenhower: oil wars and trickledown.
My impression is that many of the thinking young are dispirited and angry about the condition of the world we are bequeathing them. Nixon was a terrible president, and yet he seemed to care about preserving the environment, or at least spoke and acted as though he did, starting, among other things, the EPA and appointing a credible person to run it. Carter also tired to reduce our burden on the environment. Reagan did his best to destroy the EPA and anything else having to do with environmental stewardship, and set the tone for Republicans to follow. I recall reading in the journal "Science" that Reagan officials were claiming that the "commercial value" of a species should determine the government's efforts to protect it.
What if we had been replacing fossil fuels for the last half century? What might it have saved us in terms of balance of payments, pollution, national security, and environmental sustainability? Would it not be liberating to not being held over an (oil) barrel by foreign and domestic monopolies? So why the hell not?
He didn't go to Wharton. He went to UPenn. His grades were too low to get into Wharton even then when their entry standards were low. Don't pass on his lie that he went to Wharton; he got to AUDIT classes there, for no credit. And one Wharton professor remembered him all those years later in 2016, saying "Donald Trump was the dumbest fucking student who ever walked into my classroom in all my career."
A friend of mine just told me yesterday how smart she thinks tRump is. Seriously?! Sad to say, the dumb F has convinced his maggots of his superior brain power!
I have to say that all my friends who surprised me back in 2016 when they came out in favor of Trump - shocking me like Michael York's character was shocked in "Cabaret" when his "good" German friend showed up in his SS uniform - that if you had asked me about any of them before that moment, I'd have said they were as smart as all my other friends, since I don't have any dumbass friends. Fortunately it wasn't very many, but even one was too many.
TC, I lost a decades old bff. In the long run, it was truly a toxic relationship that I was blind to. It's how I can "understand" why people support Trump. It was her support of him which opened my eyes and unraveled our friendship. So, I guess in a manner, the Sore Loser benefitted me in one way.
Carol Ann, some subset of folks are more susceptible to the attractive aspects of propaganda. Consider for a moment what numbers of Italians and Germans were seduced by the patently false promises and propaganda of Mussolini and Hitlers propaganda machines / organizations. All other forms to totalitarian are the same, so I could list them all by name, but if you reflect a moment on just those two examples, I think you'll get the gist. I for one would not have considered the majorities of Italians nor Germans to *be education challenged; and their history and cultures are much longer than ours.
Eadie Sharron, I did, too! I don't know anyone else who realized that, at the very moment he came down that escalator. When I told people, everybody just laughed.
My spouse who is an ex-pat American said that to me right away as well. I also tried to calm her down at that point. But Holy Cow, she was right from the beginning!
I actually thought it was some kind of practical joke when that corrupt baboon came down that escalator. I found out a few days later that it certainly was NOT a joke to my utter dismay. I thought to myself, ''this idiot is in no way qualified to be a President of the United States. It was a horrible shock to me when he actually, (with the help from Putin and the Electoral Reform College) won the election.
Yes.. and that wretched loud mouth, Jim Jordan, tried to drown out his testimony at the hearings. That was my first introduction to Jordan and I have detested him ever since.
The rules of order if evenly applied strictly, would have shut his mouth, put him in his seat or ejected him; consider that. I'm from Ohio and consider how ashamed he has had made me and others for far too long. Yet, his guaranteed district re-elects him.
“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.”
How about now! Not two weeks from now starting in January! Now!
There’s No reason to help/ aid his BS settle in and become normalized by major news outlets remaining silent for two weeks. Two weeks from now is too late. They need to start Now!!
I highly doubt that outcome George. For my part, 'so far' I'm watching my news on Scripps affiliates, then verifying the info Axios. com, Propublica, and various substack writers I've already vetted, like our good Dr. Imagine for a moment if we all did that with just our numbers on HCR's substack.... Ignoring, not tuning in to only an agreed to selection; I think the solidarity would be cautionary to all the rest, even if such a small number. That's what the powerful fear most; any hint of solidarity among any significant numbers of the electorate contrary to what they desire. They work overtime and spend fortunes keeping us divided, if not at outright odds with one another; that's the main game. It's an age old game too, just with added money and an amenable SCOTUS and division of congress critters.
Unfortunately I concur with you about highly doubting that outcome. My comment was meant to express the need is now, not two weeks from now or even later. However as many know the media coming around and “snap into focus” is no more likely now than it was before, regardless of tfg’s Nazi rhetoric becoming more transparent and obvious.
Yes, Vote everyone! We must start believing in democracy by exercising our right to vote! It really is that simple. Remember it only takes sunlight to kill germs! I end with Leonard Cohen, “Everything has a crack in it, that’s how the light gets in”.
We have to get past the thought that this is about Trump, or the GOP for that matter. Unless we address the ‘why’, and by that I mean, dig deeper than the simple racist, fascist, Nazi, white nationalist labels/explanations, and fix the underlying reasons that people are willing to vote for an authoritarian, we’ll continue to play whack a mole.
“After more than half a century of studying addiction, Bruce Alexander no longer separates compulsive drug use from other dependencies. He categorizes addictions to alcohol, drugs, food, gambling, power, a sense of superiority, and a litany of other things as responses to the same underlying pain.
Yet he does regard one flavor of addiction as distinct from all others.
“What’s the most dangerous addiction of all in the twenty-first century?” he asked in a conversation with one of us over Zoom last year. And then he answered his own question. According to the octogenarian professor who has devoted his life to addiction psychology, the most dangerous addiction today is the rising obsession globally with cult political leaders like Donald Trump.”
Interesting concepts, Tom. I know that in studies with rats held in isolation; when given the option between cocaine, and social time with other rats, they almost universally chose the social time over the jolt of the drug. Professionally, I have encountered many drug dependent people. The ones that I got to observe over time ALWAYS did better when they were in positive social situations that eased whatever their underlying pain was.
(Note: NOT in any way clinical observations. Just watching from my street cop perspective of when people did well getting off drugs, and when they didn't. )
Yeah, the ‘rat park’ experiment from Hari’s book, Chasing the Scream. One can chase almost every social ill we have as coming from childhood trauma, be it abuse or neglect, from parenting or outside forces. Trump is a case in point; his father was a monster. Not making excuses for behavior at all here. Clinton, Bush II, and Obama all had unresolved ‘daddy issues’, which led from wanting to be liked/loved (by peers) into ignoring logic and reason when it came to policy decisions which were detrimental to working people. America pays lip service to children; we treat them, and the elderly, poorly.
I hope you're right about the news outlets. But those who've been "riding the fence" or worse all along may only be concerned about the number of clicks any topic inspires. Let's not forget who owns them (in every sense of the word). You'd think this topic would wake many up and inspire clicks. However, I recently raised the topic of the orange dictator wannabe's true objectives to someone who HAD supported / voted for him in the past but a year ago identified him as an idiot. He is aware of tfg's current legal issues so is investigating other gop presidential candidates, but doesn't see the problem with delaying the cases till AFTER the election. He got angry & defensive when I told him why we can't allow that, and basically shut down, citing "Biden is no better". That reaction did not surprise me; I think he & many orange supporters have trouble with totally ditching tfg - or his gop enablers, possibly because they don't want to feel / admit they have been duped. So we all have our work cut out for us. I'm glad the administration is speaking out about this but think they're walking a fine line. However, it will not be good enough to make general statements as "attacks on our democracy and freedoms" but perhaps they are taking initial "baby steps". But I think specifics & real life scenarios that (mostly) everyone can relate to are required, just as are now broadcast regarding abortions. The same should be done with 3-4 other important freedoms, perhaps using real examples, described by real people, of what the loss of these specific freedoms is like living in a dictatorship. Far too many of us have no clue what it's like to do without rights we totally take for granted. And Biden's team must do a much better job highlighting all the good that Biden has accomplished, citing, again, real life examples, not just numbers as in "this will bring X number of jobs"). The only other thing that may be effective is for notable, respected gop people like Liz Cheney to begin doing exactly what Cheney is doing now. (I did sense a slight pause in my friend when I mentioned that "Liz Cheney is very concerned about tfg's motives".) And finally, Democrats also need to hire top notch marketing people who actually know how to do this, & immediately. What will it take for them to realize that their uninspired pablum DOES NOT WORK?
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'm serious about the need for the book! It would inform future generations. “Men, it has been well said, think in herds; it will be seen that they go mad in herds, while they only recover their senses slowly, one by one.”
― Charles MacKay, Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds
Perhaps, but I think that effective leadership, grass roots, and/or elected can make a difference, as well as the arts. There no way to reason with fanatics, but some who move with them are only along for the ride.
J L Graham, you hit the spot when you said, '' There is no way to reason with fanatics.'' Believe me, i have tried a failed to reason with them and most of these fanatics were close relatives to myself.
And another one: Julie Ingersoll's "Building God's Kingdom: Inside the World of Christian Reconstruction." This book explores the strategies and influence of Christian Reconstructionism, one of the stealth movements that so many are unaware of. Christian Reconstructionism is an intellectual movement that was birthed in the 1960s and has provided the theoretical foundations for many things we are experiencing, not least the Christian school and homeschooling movements and the corresponding rationale for dismantling public education.
One of the offshoots of Christian Reconstruction is Dominionism. Speaker Mike Johnson has been influenced by Dominionism. This is NOT the same thing as Christian Nationalism, by the way, although there is a lot of overlap.
And a comment: I'm glad you mentioned Nancy McLean's "Democracy in Chains." That important book seems to have slipped under the radar.
100Panthers: Perfect!!! Definitely write the book! "Profiles in Cowardice: Decisive Moments in the Lives of Deplorable Americans." And just for a perversion of historical symmetry, add an honorary non-Republican Deplorable: Include Robert Kennedy, Jr., to show the Dems' decline since JFK wrote the original "Profiles." People could send lists of their top 10 Moments of Cowardice for you to choose from. Here's my # 1: John McCain allowing Palin to be named his running mate.
EXACTLY. The CONservative movement was inevitably headed this way. Give Democracy in Chains by Nancy MacLean a read. Then review the Lewis Powell Memo to see how this was always going to be the end game. James Buchanan and the libertarians decided long ago that "No Compromise" was needed and that they would have to be very steahly to achieve their goals. So they grabbed Milton Friedman's free market idea and attached the idea that less government meant more freedom for everyone knowing full well that it meant more freedom for wealthy businesses and individuals to feel free to run over others. Read the Libertarian platform. They talk about freedom, but then they destroy their argument when their platform would give more power to the powerful leaving those at the bottom under their boots. They are not supportive of monopolies, but provide no method to prevent them. They want individual people power which in reality means everyone is alone. It is a platform riddled with ideas and no solutions except more "Freedom".
Free markets without regulation are not free, they are predatory.
For 100Panthers: There is a book out by Andy Borowitz, called Profiles in Ignorance. It does a VERY nice job of showing the GOP's increasing pride in candidates who are little better than dumb effing barstids. You get glimpses ot the MAGA idiocracy even back before Reagan and why the Dems have SUCH a hard time messaging.
Dave, I respect what Adam did on the January 6th committee. He kept his oath for the most part. I read Renegade. Honestly it was just a biography. It was very honest. But he basically admitted to bad lies and hypocrisy with no apology. I felt like he was just cashing in his chips at the top of his game.
I learned much more from Democracy Awakening. And also from Oath and Honor.
I can’t speak to his motivation for writing his book, but I do appreciate his willingness to call out the MAGA right. His words most likely won’t influence that group, which already considers him a RINO and a traitor, but maybe some independents and traditional republicans will pay heed.
Great title. But it needs to be a movie. The ones who need to learn from this effort don't read many books. The ones that do read are the oligarchs who pull the strings.
Make it a short film. And it will need some explosions and computer generated unreal stunts to entertain or we will lose them. And then...the coup de grace: "MaraCarthy!" the video game. A series of short films and video game spin offs. Launch them on TicTok.
The book, the film, the game - all need to be outrageous enough for Ron DeSantis to ban them - ensuring their success.
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!
Indeed Trumps immaturity may prove a saving grace. I am more fearful of a more disciplined tyrant emerging. Reagan was a "smoother" authoritarian. Trump has let the cat out of the bag.
Steven, I read an opinion piece today by Joe Matthews titled “Keeping Trump off state’s 2024 ballot is justified”. In it he relates to the hard lessons Germany grappled with post WWII & how they are now grappling with disallowing the far-right Alternative for Democracy (AFD) party from participating in politics. Why? Because the party’s stance/agenda violates the human rights provisions of the German Basic Law. It is an interesting read & I hope this link I found is accessible: https://www.ocregister.com/2023/12/17/joe-mathews-why-california-should-take-donald-trumps-name-off-the-ballot/. Seems a bit similar to what Section 3 of the 14th Amendment was/is intended for. It will be interesting to see what transpires there, after all they emerged from that which we are sliding toward and the majority there don’t want to go back (but like here, there is a minority that wants to do just that).
D4N, whilst running errands today I was thinking of this & plan to look into the genesis of Germany’s Basic Law & what it contains…sounds kinda interesting. From snippets I’ve read here ‘n there, some countries modeled their constitution after ours, but with tweaks that make amending it not so onerous (but not easy-peasy either). Other countries do and have looked to us as an example of a democratic society to emulate….sigh, just wish we could live up to their admiration!
President Biden is and always has been crystal clear about the stakes here. “We are at an inflection point in history.” Maybe people were too overcome by the Republican noise machine to hear that, but President Biden is very clear on this one.
I am Canadian. I found Heather's wonderful posts June 25 2022. She has educated me greatly since then and I am most grateful. You may find the international Earth for all group. of interest to check out some time. This is an international group that supports democracy and works to integrate earth science and economics. There is also now a useful Global Peace Index. Also Transparency International , the Center to Counteract digital hate, Open Democracy and deSmog. These are all organizations I have found through searching using google.
To me these are all serious efforts to uncover the deep connections between fascism and fossil fuel corporate funding through the influence of the Atlas Network Foundation paradoxically this was founded by the British war hero Anthony Fisher.
Participatory Democracy is vital and if this fails in the US , the rest of us are all in terrible trouble.
While I'm certainly not disappointed that Trump is laying bare his full intentions for all to see and hear, I will NEVER, EVER say I *owe* him anything, least of all anything approaching gratitude. If anything, in fact, HE is in deep debt to US--the American people--for putting us through all this anxiety over the past 8 1/2 years, all to stoke his bloated ego.
I understand your point. I don't really like the idea of "thanking" bad people (and just FYI my father was a malignant narcissist just like Trump, so I'm not in the habit of saying "Thanks, Dad".) But I think we Americans have had a mindset of "it can't happen here" regarding losing democracy. Certainly, journalists would appear to think that or not to care if we do because they are just "reporting" what happens as if the result won't affect them. And so if Trump / Mike Johnson / the Supreme Court have shown us we really are in danger, then it's kinda like having a heart attack that you survive. It is hugely painful but does force you to change your behavior... to take living more seriously.
And yes... Trump has gotten a lot from America. And he needs his ego to be fed because he is completely empty inside. He's the worst kind of person possible. Devoid of any redeeming values.
I'm sorry to hear you had to live with a narcissist.
My comment wasn't rooted in an "it can't happen here" mentality. I just don't think there's anything about TFG that I can be thankful for, not even his willingness to say what he wants to do out loud. (He did that in the runup to 2016 and it didn't seem to sway very many people.) I can't stand to look at him. I can't stand to hear his whiny voice. His mannerisms are disturbing. I could go on....
Question: Who might lead us to "rise up" as a citizenry? Who might Mobilize us? I tend towards non-hierarchical thinking, but in the case of WAR with the enemy in our midst -- I think we need a leader.
As with any war, the President is the leader of the fight. And as with WWII (the last time the USA was mobilized to fight fascism), public education is helped by the talented people in the entertainment world. Study the First Motion Picture Unit (led by Jack Warner of Warner Bros during WWII). Also watch the "Why We Fight" series of short films created by Frank Capra (available to watch on YouTube). There's also the post-WWII films the US government produced to warn against fascism. Frank Sinatra was in one of them. But it all goes back to the actions of the POTUS. Biden needs to shift his mindset from "campaign" to "war". He says this is a "battle for the soul of America". Well, then he should treat this as the war that it really is. Here are some links:
They are the uneducated masses that feel disenfranchised. They suck up the rhetoric as though it is gospel and trample the very flag they claim to love. Tomorrow, they will wake up and wonder why their guns have been seized, the electrical grid down, water undrinkable, highways impassable and the cost of everything beyond their reach. Yet they will continue to follow that orange baboon whose sole purpose in life is to amass fame and fortune at their expense and blame their discomfited situation on those who want to defend the values of this nation. As long as the Republicans that are supposed to represent their constituents are beholden to their sponsors, big business and fake christianity, they will continue to lead us into a fascist theocracy not unlike Iraq.
I love that term “fake Christianity “ because that is exactly what it is. We need to call that out loudly along with so much else. Christmas couldn’t be a better time to do this.
The "Fake Christians" are the American Taliban. Mike Johnson is a combination war lord and mullah. Don't be fooled by his mild demeanor. He could be one of the most dangerous people in America today. Two steps from the presidency!
Sabrina, you are exactly right. I am only aware of 4 while males in my area, including myself, that are true hard-core Democrats out of about 700 white males in my area. It seems like the women in my area are the only ones that have the education and good sense to vote for Democrats. Make that 5 white males, with my oldest son being a true Democrat.
My point exactly! There is NO EXCUSE for the media to treat this as a "Democrats v Republicans" election any more. And at the same time, the Biden-Harris campaign should NOT do so either! They are running against fascists... and should MOBILIZE the American people as if we were at war... because we are!
I’m reading today’s letter at 7:00 a.m. on the West Coast. Just turned on CNN (can’t stand Morning Joe) to a long presentation on Trump the Nazi. Very thorough. Using Biden’s strongly worded response. Much more is needed, but this is a good start. We need to be writing stronger and more letters to all news outlets, TV and newspapers in all our local areas about what he is proposing.
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.
In employing the metaphor of the Good Shepherd, Jesus spoke of bringing life and bringing it abundantly. At no time did he seek to bash any group of people or decry distinctions or differences. "Love your neighbor as yourself" was unqualified and unconditioned.
ELCA pastor here, Evelyn. Thank you for saying this. As Dietrich Bonhoeffer reminded us again and again during WWII, silence is complicity. WE CAN NOT BE SILENT! Our faith compels us to speak truth.
You need a mega Church these days to reach that crowd. If I had heard your message instead of anti abortion sermons in the Catholic Church (back in the 80’s!), I might still be a follower. Too many churches with charismatic preachers hear only messages similar to that of authoritarians.
Oh yes, many of them are cashing in. And, as another commenter posted earlier, their emotional appeal is the draw. There's a whole strain of "christianity" that justifies self-satisfaction. "If I'm rich, it's because I'm blessed by God." I don't know, but it sounds rather like a pyramid scheme.
So true. Maybe it's time to distinguish the Dominionists, Christian nationalists and their ilk (Westboro Baptist, for example) from the rest by labeling them "dysangelists", since their messaging is anything but good.
Bravo. I hope you know about the group, Faithful America. They are actively wrestling against and calling out White Christian Nationalism for all the reasons you outlined.
Evelyn Wheeler, yes, I think of the word God as love. Church words, actions and doctrine should model and encourage love. If they don't, I look away. One of the most succinct ways I've heard it put is: Religion can be used in service of the truth or in service of the ego.
For me, any thought of being a Christian was bludgeoned out of my by those who "love the sinner but hate the sin" (at the mild end of the spectrum) and those who condemn my very existence because of who I love. Yes, there are "Open and Affirming" congregations (I am a musician at one, and had one of the Pastors hear my wife and I reconfirming our vows when the Obergefell decision was issued. I will not join any church.)
"Last April, perhaps in a surge of Czech nationalism, Ivana Trump told her lawyer Michael Kennedy that from time to time her husband reads a book of Hitler's collected speeches, My New Order, which he keeps in a cabinet by his bed ... Hitler's speeches, from his earliest days up through the Phony War of 1939, reveal his extraordinary ability as a master propagandist," Marie Brenner wrote. - https://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trumps-ex-wife-once-said-he-kept-a-book-of-hitlers-speeches-by-his-bed-2015-8
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.
My father was just like Trump... violent, malignant, narcissist. When Trump won, I had a nervous breakdown because I knew what we were in for. We cannot let Trump win again. This is no longer a political campaign. We are at war with fascism.
I’m happy you have managed to keep yourself together. I use whatever self-care methods necessary to keep moving forward in the face of this renewed threat.
J L Graham: Same here in Las Vegas--and the hits just keep on coming. Our outstanding Senators are extremely vulnerable, and a massive amount of right-wing money is being used to target them.
Lani, after the 2016 election during a Dr’s visit I happened to mention my anxiety about what might unfold. She said she’d seen a big spike in patient appointments sharing near universal dread of his presidency. And this was before he really got going.
We are beyond a civil war here. This is the new front in the world war on patriarchal institutions and governments whose basic nihilist motivations have become organized instruments of power-over-others with all its horrors and civil deaths.
The people who wake up to this need for democracy to not just survive but thrive are from every walk of life, sex, color, age - much like Israelis are modeling now as they rebuild lives - and need to identify each other by our actions. Words are easy, we shall know us by our deeds.
Just as we support Heather here, the journalists and reporters who do step out and give us truth, meaning and clarity also need support, including other Substack writers. For instance feedback to MSMedia with our thanks as well as our critical comments. The billionaire owners do listen bc they want to keep raking it in by their stations being listened to. The profit motive can work both ways.
Our totality of purpose and meaning must help us take on whatever action roles we can. Having been involved at different levels for the last seventy years or so I am hoping to stick around to see some deep victories. For everyone's sake whether they know it yet or not.
Having grown up in a family who immigrated here from Germany and Holland shortly after WWII, I knew even as a child that this could also happen in America. So many red flags went up for me back in 2016 with Trump's rhetoric, and it's been painful for me to watch how his rhetoric has escalated with each passing day towards fascism, led by this evil man. I'm sure my parents are turning over in their graves.
And that reflects the scope of the problem. The Heritage Foundation types are very very wealthy and incredibly well organized, like a great vampire squid [credit Matt Taibbi] devouring the whole world. The people haven't been fazed by common sense. Democratic ideals are considered expendable, unnecessary. Only Muskovite money and power deserves respect. The colleges are utterly failing us. If we don't have the students, we don't stand a chance.
Yes, James Burnham--absolutely. And tragically. From the 1st "debate," there has been no question that things were going to become this bad -- and continue deteriorating. (Nice reference to Philip Roth, whose 2004, "The Plot Against America," was terrifyingly prescient.)
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!
True, however listen closely to what Liz is saying...I believe she’s getting ready to run as a third party candidate...no labels, perhaps. She consistently disses Biden, from my perspective, she’s in it for herself. After all, she is a Cheney.
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.
Sadly Ian, you're right. Just a point of clarification: The AK-47 is a Soviet made military rifle chambering a 7.62 x 39mm round. The AR-15 is a rifle initially designed by Armalite to replace the M-14 military rifle. It sold the patent to Colt, and has entered the civilian market as a shoulder fired semi-automatic rifle. It fires a .223 round which is smaller than the 7.62, and is designed to "tumble" upon entering the body.
Thanks for the heads up. I did read the Atlantic article and although beyond target shooting I have no use for guns it was quite informative Again my thanks.
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."
Although Biden won in 2020, my wife and I were appalled that Trump won any states besides Mississippi and Alabama. It was a serious red flag for us. I remain frustrated with Biden that he doesn't understand that we have been at war since, well honestly, since Trump stood on a debate stage with him and told the Proud Boys to stand back and stand by. He needs to understand that these are not mere criminals. They are enemy combatants and need to be treated as such.
As an ex-resident of northern Florida, IMO much of that area is just an extension of Alabama…
In fact most of the south outside the large urban centers haven’t evolved much since the civil war - in fact many there still celebrate the confederacy.
But he did so believing that the "battle for America's soul" could be won by dint of reason and doing good. The impact of 40 years of agitprop and how it has allowed fascism to metastasize in the body politic is something he underestimates and his undying longing for compromise is, frankly, the reason we are even having conversations about Clarence Thomas' ethics today. A body only has four cheeks to turn. Once your face is bloodied and your butt is kicked, it may be time to fight back.
And we are not given any information on who, where and what was asked. It’s very easy to create questions to elicit certain answers in order to manipulate public opinion.
In my opinion, we need more than forceful terms. The Biden-Harris campaign should treat this as the "mobilization at a time of war" that it is. This is not a campaign. It is a fight for the future!
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.
Cowardly is right,Betsy. It took 2 years before any reporters used the L word. It’s still rare for any of them to say liar and it’s way past time. Words do matter. The Cowardly Liar.
How about Cowardly Lying Traitor?
Biden needs to call him a coward all the time. Say that for someone who is innocent he sure spends a lot of time hiding things. Repeat his words back to him. Like a candidate under an indictment should not be running, like saying the mishandling of classified documents should result in the death penalty. The coward has a lot to hide and needs to be painted as such. I think that is one mistake all opponents of autocrats make is not calling them what they most fear - WEAK.
Rickey,
First, Biden probably did not attend a school where middle school age boys talk seriously nasty trash to each other like the private school for troubled, nasty boys, that Trump attended. This is important because middle schools like that are the origin of the Trump's ability to talk trash constantly. I acquired that skill in my own middle school (public school in East Texas, not private school), but, I have not used it since I left East Texas. Well, maybe three times.
Second, Biden was probably not raised by a psychopath, evil, Nazi father like Trump was. Trump's dad was literally a member of the Ku Klux Klan in NY in the 1920's so real, hard, HATE is in Trump's heart from his earliest days.
Last, but not least, Biden has actually attended Church routinely throughout his life, although it was the Catholic Church, which has promulgated much evil. As a church goer Biden may have been exposed to the actual ethics of Christianity by a good priest (there are a few that are not chasing little boys around the alter).
So, Biden is just not equipped to be nasty all day long like Trump. And?
I am actually quite happy he cannot compete in the realm of the truly nasty use of the language of hate.
Our problem is NOT that Biden cannot compete in a mud pit in his underwear like Trump.
Our problem is that Americans are attracted to those who CAN do mud wrestling with their fat arse showing to everyone through hate talk and nasty talk.
Solving the root cause problem: Americans have now spent so many years watching trash TV, listening to trash talk in their daily lives and growing up with trash talk that if a potential President does not do "Trash Talk' they think he is a "P*ssy".
And? They think Trump is a Raeel Maen. (translation, real man).
Bingo. I also would point out our "love affair" of outlaws and crooks. Jesse James hideout, Billy the Kid, of the past, All Capone of the depression era, Gotti. T..p is the same except he has decided that he wants to be king.
Idk. I revere Carl Sagan.
As a former educator, I observed a lot of students who loved someone who defied authority. In a sad footnote, the class clown in one of my classes committed suicide and at one point was nearly killed in a drug dispute. It must be his birthday this week because his sisters are remembering the good times.
Yep
Thank you Mike. I grew up in Carbondale,Pa just east of Joe Biden’s Scranton. I agree with your description of how “normal “ boys are raised. Donald Trump would not do well in my hometown in the 1950’s and ‘60’s. Many of my friends were rough around the edges but they had integrity and a sense of shame and we tried to do and be better. The “ reality “ tv behavior would not be acceptable. Uncle Joe may be full of malarkey at times but he is a good and decent person.
Yes. Dichotomizing the sexes and defining masculinity as opposite of femaleness, with shaming boys for exhibiting "feminine" characteristics, helps to ensure we'll have generations of men who seem without compassion and who resort to violence in the face of anything they fear or don't like. If maleness is the opposite of femaleness, boys and men have to continually work to maintain their masculinity by squelching everything in themselves that doesn't fit and stamping it out where ever they see it in other men. This of course also means dominating women and children who of course, aren't "real men". If the father shames the boy for being human, the boy will probably grow into a man who feels shame for being human.
@Mike S, I'd add one more to your excellent list of Trump's influences. Biden didn't have an amoral, self-loathing lawyer to teach him from an insider's perspective how to break the law and get away with it.
Roy Cohn joins the pantheon of people who have or had no compunction about destroying the country for personal advantage, a group that includes Lee Atwater and Newt Gingrich. He completes the education of Donald Trump as a hateful, feral bigot with the tools to impose his hate on anyone he chooses and the narcissism to feel good about doing so.
Trump was a just a sociopath waiting for a mentor. Most normal people would turn away from someone like that, or destroy themselves (I suspect Mary Trump's dad was in that category).
Trump doesn't have one quality in him worth admiring. We now know even his kids are a mess--at least his first 3. I don't know anything about the other 2. Hopefully their mothers will shield them from his horribleness.
“Biden has actually attended Church routinely throughout his life, although it was the Catholic Church …” That counts, though? ☺️
That was a pretty offensive sentence...
And I’m a lapsed Catholic.
Don't leave off the "which has promulgated much evil" part of that sentence. That, to me (a non-theist) explains the first part "although it was the Catholic Church".
Right now we have no reason to think that Trump wins and Biden is the loser, except that Trump and the media constantly tell us. It was BIDEN who won the election in 2020, receiving more votes for president than any candidate before him.
I also must point out that “going to church” is not a guarantee of moral superiority. A person does not need to fear eternal damnation to act for the good of society. The Catholic Church is no better or worse than any other religion considering that all religions are run by humans who are flawed to different degrees. Morality is learned through example first of all.
True. Biden just happens to be a guy who tries to take his faith seriously, unlike so many other churchgoers.
Trump's "Christians' have really destroyed Christianity for me.
And a “good Christian” according to some.
‼️⁉️
Mike, now ordinary public middle schoolers have completely joined the trash talk groups. We live down the street from a middle school and hear all the nasty talk as they walk past our house. This is a diverse neighborhood, so I don't know how much of it is racial.
Social media have rewarded the skill of middle school trash talking
None of it is racial.
My middle school, from 1970-1974 was nearly all white and the worst trash talkers, by far, were white. Also, the meanest kid in the school was white. The trash talk was profound and centered around the F***
Wow. You definitely tell the truth about it all. Thank you. Sad but true.
Trash talk is ALL too common.
Biden has made it clear that he Comes from a loving, working family. If I remember correctly, his sister was his first and subsequent campaign chairman.
I agree. A real gentleman doesn’t know how to act like a thug. But I do think Biden needs to call DT out on every single lie. All of them. Every misdeed, in particular those relating to our National Security.
My husband and I were just having this very conversation last night. We were watching a program on commercial TV and there were repeated commercials for some "non-reality, reality" program where "Real Housewives" were very aggressive and nasty to each other. I have never watched any of these programs but millions of people do and they think that behavior is okay and it is being normalized. What does that say about us and our society? It was like mud wrestling in social settings. I found just the commercial for it disgusting.
It is said that trump attended church 14x while in office. It was said that his presence was more of a media event rather than worship. He also declined to name a favorite Bible verse even though the Bible is his favorite book. At some point he said "eye for eye" was a favorite. Figures. In an interview trump said that he has never asked God for forgiveness and questioned his need to do so. That about sums it up.
Mike, most priests were not "chasing little boys"... what is true is the RCC, like just about every other organization, systemically suppressed the stories with intimidation and denial. Wiki's take. "John Jay report indicated that some 11,000 allegations had been made against 4,392 priests in the USA. This number constituted approximately 4% of the 110,000 priests who had served during the period covered by the survey (1950–2002).
Yes, Biden needs to take off the gloves. For all his tireless behind-the-scenes work to improve the economy and protect our basic rights he has flubbed in foreign affairs. Aside from the Afghanistan debacle, declaring 100% support for "my friend Bibi" after the October 7 Hamas butcher shop of Israel has diminished him. Our youth are watching the Israeli army callously annihilate the Palestinians in Gaza and are crouching in disgust. Biden is trying to walk it back with half a spine. When it comes to disparaging trump and his vitriol he does so like Wonder Bread without the wonder. If he doesn't start launching missiles at the idiot SOON, I'm afraid he'll be toast....
Remember the “you`re the puppet” exchange with Hillary Clinton? Classic!
Well said
The latest is that trump is calling Biden a fascist!
You are on the right track. Trump is the master of finding a cute/nasty nickname to disarm his opponent. We must hone that skill, and turn that tool back on him. IMHO, our nasty nickname for him: * must include alliteration (over-used, but still effective), * must fall off the tongue mellifluously, & * must include the idea of Traitor. And yes, Coward and Liar if possible. But too many concepts might spoil the mellifluous-ness.
It could be a fun contest. Perhaps built up as a media event where teams promote their preferred nasty nickname, and hold rallies featuring intense debates on the pros and cons of competing nicknames, with big prizes raised via raffle tickets. Winners get tidbits, but the big pot goes to "the cause". To support The Big Blue Tent that we're all under for this critical round.
Traitorous Dick Tator
these could be fun media events where debaters use humor to argue in favor of their favorite nasty nickname -- but they use facts, figures, law and history to provide critical education. Folded into a debate format.
Hopefully great talent (educating while entertaining) will emerge from the sheer urgency of this moment.
I used to like "comrade chaos," back when trump was "president" and everything was in disarray. Now, that's way too tame.
Lani, how about Putin-toady?
It’s hard to reach back to hitler/mussolini because his followers appear to be historically brain dead. And, I’m not sure they understand what the terms nazi or fascist actually mean.
Trumputin
Putin pet poodle.
these are cool: Putin-toady. Trumputin. Putin Pet Poodle.
Cowardly Lyin' Lion
I actually think such a tactic could backfire. It seems too obvious. Too contrived. Have you ever heard or seen a scientist confront a religious extremist rep or talented special interest rep? A mismatch. I have seen that in spades with evolution denial and climate denial. They are skilled at the Gish Gallop and other such nefarious responses and are skilled at making their adversary look foolish. I do not advocate "when they go low, we go high" as my heroine Michelle Obama once said, but I also do not advocate getting sucked into a childish name-calling game. I think it possible to call out the idiocy of MAGA Trumpism without being childish about it.
You have taken my 3 words of the dump and elaborated beyond! I like where this is going.....
deadbeat donnie
I think melonhead gets way too much publicity and infects our days way too much already. He doesnt deserve any more attention - actually he doesnt "deserve" ANY attention - period! I'm just fed up & tired of him.
My names for him have long been death star and mafia don.
having grown up in an area where everyone was 'connected', I've felt that the Mafia wouldn't want him. A narcissist isn't their idea of a good mob candidate. Plus the guy can't keep his mouth shut. They know he'd rat out everyone to save his skin.
Yes, but he is a criminal and his name is don.
That's what surrogates are for. Biden needs a really good attack dog. Pres Obama? He triggers Trump all the time.
What is IMHO?
In My Humble Opinion
Melanie Moor, how about The Traitorous Cowardly Liar?
YES!
Turd Mouth Trump. Bloviating Bone Spur.
Cowardly Lyin' Traitor?
Ms. Richardson, Hungary has only 15 million people and they are fleeing their country in large numbers. Orban needs money from the EU and they are withholding it. Eventually he will cave and democracy will return just like in Polen.
I visited Hungary just before the pandemic and was lectured unpleasant young men about the evils of immigration and the need for racial purity, the superiority of the Hungarian government.
Better!
too many words how about
Lying Traitor
Traitor trump. All day everyday.
For years I've referred to him as "the dump" - now that's sounding too nice....
“A lying liar who lies.” (Credit to Al Franken)
Hey, "fascist" now makes it into the NYT and WaPo, so there's that.
I got put in YT jail 6-7 years ago for saying that!
So “we” are making some progress at least?
YT jail ??
Faint praise but hope springs eternal. Let’s keep the momentum going.
The problem with the GQP is they know Agent Orange is a toxic dump. But being humility and integrity are not something that is valued in their party. They are guilty of enabling the fat ass for their own self-centered greed. They can't stuff him back in the bottle. So now what? Wait at Starbucks for Jesus and JFK jr to show up and hand Mike Johnson a plan? They normalized gun violence, they normalized an insurrection, they normalized bigotry, the normalized misogyny, they normalized having blood on their own hands. And now they don't know how to clean it up. So, they won't.
There were those that did and they promptly were censored or fired.
Those that were fired but continue to speak out, like Liz Cheney, will be held up as true patriots. More Republicans should have chosen to be fired rather than remain silent. They will be seen as complicit in trying to destroy our democracy.
Insipid Cowardly Liar
They’d have to look up insipid and they done have a dictionary app on their phone.
I agree and just posted a similar frustration. Any marketing person will tell you that the first thing you say has to create an emotional response, then the brain will get involved and add the logic. I would add authoritarian to your example. It took months for the dems to say dictator. These people like Andrew Bates talk like they are in a college seminar instead of being the first line of defense.
"The first thing you say has to create an emotional response."
Correct, David Haddick.
But then you produce one word, one euphemism -- much bandied about by educated people -- that CANNOT produce an emotional response. And I have made this point here ad nauseam.
You cannot use a long word -- 5 or 6 syllables of it! -- as a slogan, least of all a word many won't understand.
"Nazi" happens to be true, literally true, and far far better for getting the message across than "Fascist", an insult when used by those on the left, a badge of honor for right-wing people so insulted. The insult falls flat because neither side really understands it. Mussolini and his at first brutally effective movement lie forgotten.
Agent Orange uses schoolyard bullies' insults, so, throwing back the same, "TRAITOR-DICTATOR" fits the bill. But the word Nazi, alone or in combination is both powerful and true, without being self-demeaning. And it's easy to call on the memory of the many thousands of Americans who died fighting Hitler's Germany.
*
Seven years ago, in December 2016, I wrote:
*
Great again?
*
Democracy? Democracy? Where's that? I see only oligarchy.
Chances are DT will bankrupt oligarchy, as he's bankrupted all he touches, and try for the only thing he (thinks he) understands: dictatorship.
But will the Republic survive the attempt?
Putin’s poodle. Putin’s pool boy. Putin’s patsy.
Or... as Hillary said and the Muller report demonstrated a Russian agent...Putin’s Boy... overthrowing our democracy to please (or pay back) his boss lest he pay with his own life or that of his children and grandchildren. Which may cause paranoia. 😏
TRAITOR DICK TATOR
If you add TOT at the end then it perfectly captures the spoiled child that is Trump.
And describes the size of his brain, atrophied by disuse.
To my mind, Peter, he first and foremost was and is a grifter. That one word takes the politics out of it, IMO.
True.
But people did not take Hitler seriously until it was too late.
And "grifter", "conman" etc. may be true but fail to give the measure of the danger.
Extreme, unprecedented danger.
A would-be Hitler who could get his hands on material power Hitler never dreamed of. That of the United States of America.
"But people did not take Hitler seriously until it was too late."
Peter, if that had been the root problem, Hitler would still have been stopped before it was too late.
The real problem in Germany and here was and is: The majority of Germans and, possibly Americans (we will find out), WANTED/WANT Hitler's/Trump's hate in office to guide them to a new promised land.
When Trump starts putting people into camps you will see how many Americans will cheer. "Yeah, baby, those "b....ards" got what they deserved. Burn 'em baby!"
Exactly like what happened in Germany.
6 million people don't get carted off to extermination without a huge majority of the people fully enthusiastic about that.
I think you're right. And I will never understand how easy so many people find it to hate others and cheer on their persecution and suffering.
Mike, I think your analysis is absolutely correct. There are far, far too many people who want, with all their hearts, to rid our country of those "different" from them; gayfolk, people who are not of their particular flavor of sky pilot worship, people who are different races/skin tones, women who want independence from men.
I've got 4 of those targets on me...
SO HERE'S SAID RAGBAG!
Rather than merely inventing rude nicknames for a man so patently, pathetically, grotesquely ridiculous—but who still has an unbroken hold on his supporters so strong that his movement is continuing to grow, while the President’s political action and its effects remain almost totally unknown and misunderstood—isn’t it about time for a range of strong, well-coordinated nationwide actions to show people, especially the MAGA mob, what is really really in it for THEM? Show what is really in it for America. Show what is really in it for the planet.
Hold the collective mutt’s snout to its own shit…
So. How about ideas for practical actions throughout society?
Targeting, shaming the media and media bosses with noisy, embarrassing demonstrations against those who have undermined public information and journalism by making short-term profits accruing to billionaire owners and corporate shareholders the exclusive criterion for publication;
HCR has shown us the immediate relevance of history when it comes to tackling current political, social and economic challenges—can we not then push, as I have suggested here, for a barrage of film material showing up the dangers we now face in terms of the colossal disasters of the 20th century… which we now risk repeating… ON A FAR LARGER SCALE??? This time, in America too, spared from direct damage in all the wars of the past century and a half. Spared since America’s terrible Civil War…
This ain’t just education, ain’t just information, there’s plenty of gripping entertainment in the hell and heaven of the 20th century. And, as I keep saying, if it’s well presented, fanatical MAGAts and their ilk will just leuurve the rise and rise of Benito Mussolini, of Adolf Hitler, Goebbels’ magnificent scenarios, the Nuremberg Rallies, , the 1936 Olympics, Leni Riefenstahl’s great images, Blitzkrieg, triumph upon triumph…
Then, the London Blitz, Dunkirk, the long hard fight back, Pearl Harbor, all the Axis forces declaring war on America. The cost. The horrendous cost. Death, death and hell on earth for a hundred million and more—I don’t forget what was done to Africa, I don’t forget Asian history, Chinese, Indian, Japanese, I don’t forget Soviet history, nor do I forget North America at a time when GIs and Canadian soldiers, sailors, airmen were fighting and dying to preserve their countries’ way of life at home…
Targeting, shaming all those who have made the same fast buck the be-all-and-end-all of absolutely everything in society—public health, education at all levels, the provision, maintenance and improvement of essential infrastructures, transport, housing, the provision of all social services, policing, prisons, investment and industrial development, the military, both manpower and materiel, deployment at home and worldwide, both war and peace…
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One thing we are observing every day, yet not realizing, is how very contagious mass psychosis can be, affecting even those who are not directly caught up in it. The most horrendous thing about great evil is how it stains the hearts and minds of those who encounter or even hear of it, often including the hitherto innocent. It can be dangerous even to witness deeds of extreme evil, when we are tempted to blind vengeance, adding crime to heinous crime.
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Hitler was not brought to power by a majority of Germans but he did not have to wait long until the Reichstag fire gave him the pretext he needed to implement his plans and seize total power. Now that the people were effectively powerless yet borne on the Nazi tide, the fact of going along with it fatalistically, because inured to obeying those in authority, does not necessarily signify any real enthusiasm for what is being done. Discretion is the better part of valor—you protect yourself and your family by silencing your doubts and questioning, knowing full well that it would be dangerous to do otherwise.
When Hitler held his great Berlin victory parade in July 1940, observers may have been taken in by the crowd’s applause, but Hitler himself was not. Hitherto, the drug that had sustained him was crowd adulation. On that day, it failed him, and from then on he switched to other drugs, a cocktail of amphetamines. With consequences for his judgment.
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Mike, the people were fed on the spectacle of military might, Nuremberg Rallies, Goebbels’ masterly propaganda. Later, many will have taken part in the regime’s constant celebrations, merging into culture wars, organized hatred, demonstrations, book burnings, and many will have witnessed or even taken part in Kristallnacht, pogrom and orgy of destruction, the ultimate violent vengeance visited on chosen scapegoats for the humiliation of defeat in the Great War and the economic ruin brought on by the Versailles Treaty.
Nevertheless, the SS Einsatzgruppen that carried out the regime’s first trial run of mass murder, that of psychiatric patients and the physically and mentally handicapped, were sworn to secrecy and the deaths of patients were released in a constant trickle so as to avoid direct suspicions. Those who had doubts about what was happening dared not express them publicly… until the Bishop of Münster spoke out in a strong sermon in August 1941. The scandal was naturally stifled but when in January of the following year the Wannsee Conference decided “the final solution to the Jewish question” the event and the policy were shrouded in the utmost secrecy. Mass shooting by the same Einsatzgruppen of over a million victims, primarily Jews and gypsies, mainly in the eastern territories conquered by Germany, now gave way to the secret establishment of death camps in Polish territory and to the massive rail transport to Auschwitz, Treblinka, Belzec, Sobibor and Chelmno of those to be worked to death or gassed directly.
[When a student around 1960, I was friendly with a young Pole who, with his once well-to-do family, had worked as slave laborers in the IG Farben chemical factory at Auschwitz-Buna. Interesting that Bayer, now owners of Monsanto with its awful reputation as producers of pesticides dangerous to human health and the life of the soil, should be a salvaged survivor of the giant IG Farben complex, which produced poison gas for the war machine including the Zyklon B used to kill millions in the death camps. The pesticides industry is, of course, a “peaceful” development of chemical warfare technology…]
What I am getting at in all this is the extreme secrecy of the Final Solution, which—understandably—was unimaginable even to vast numbers of its victims, despite the obvious hatred and cruelty shown by the invaders and their local helpers. Yes, these were to be found, often in large numbers, wherever the Nazis’ reach extended. But then, so were individuals and organizations that protected Jews.
The exceptions, large and small, run directly counter to your negative view of human nature and show up cultural differences, both in the treatment of minorities and in attitudes to powerful authorities. In Denmark, the king donned a yellow star and the people saved the Jewish population, spirited out to neutral Sweden. In Albania, the puppet government successfully obstructed deportation, refusing to provide lists of Jews, and villagers everywhere protected them. In Bulgaria, despite antisemitic policies, politicians, church leaders and the population prevented the deportation of the Jews. Italian Fascism may have turned antisemitic to please Hitler, but many Italians put on a show while actively protecting Jews. There was, of course, nothing doing in the areas controlled by Germany and the rump Fascist puppet State after Italy switched sides…
What is particularly interesting is the nature and extent of resistance to Nazi policies in the Third Reich, both in Germany itself, where there were significant regional, religious and social differences in attitudes to the regime itself and in particular to antisemitic propaganda, and in post-Anschluss Austria, where serious anti-Nazi activities continued into the postwar period, despite the country’s relative failure to take responsibility for its participation in the Hitlerian adventure.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_resistance_to_Nazism
Particularly inspiring for American women, the successful activism of German wives of Jews in defense of their husbands late in the war, even after the decisive defeat at Stalingrad—the Rosenstrasse Protests…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosenstrasse_protest
I take strong exception to your final paragraph, Mike S., and even more so to your “hypothesis” that “WE ALL, in our heart of hearts, want to feel superior to someone else so we can feel better about ourselves. Some kind of evolved thinking/behavior.”
I am 10 000% with Larry Levy when he warns you against such sweeping, opinionated generalizations. I am sure that this is not your intention, yet the view of human nature you are setting forth is so profoundly negative that it closely resembles that of Nazi-Fascists themselves—believing the worst, expecting the worst of our fellow-men, accordingly basing one's outlook and actions on that assumption and ending up by justifying the foulest of foul means. All conservatives who view human nature as intrinsically bad, including those with an inculcated belief in “original sin”, run the risk of losing their footing and sliding into the evil behavior they like to ascribe to others.
To these points I want to add an important one: pessimism in the face of a prospective Trump victory in November must be harnessed productively to imagine, coordinate and implement effective preventive actions. Yet all that you are offering is a deeply negative view of America’s ability, both innate and actual, to rise to the occasion and mount an effective defense of the country’s democratic institutions. You speak of deeply ingrained fecklessness and ignorance yet propose nothing that could awaken the country and make it sound as though nothing could ever achieve that. In so doing you are in effect promoting fecklessness…
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This response comes too late. Everything that needs to be said -- and there is far far more to this, all this and far more will have to be gone over again. The sole advantage to you is that you'll have, for the time being, been spared a more public attack.
*
Still, while we're about it, I'm giving you -- SEPARATELY -- the rest of the work in progress that I wasn't able to produce today -- other activities, other obligations...
This amounts to something of a ragbag, but fresh minds could marshal and align valid material while pruning what's unnecessary.
HERE THEN. ENJOY. OR DETEST. It's all there for you.
Meanwhile, I'll not be there tomorrow! Other business calls...
Melanoma said he kept a book of Hitlers speeches in his nightstand. Which no one believes because then you’d have to assume he reads.
Very true, Peter. I ask, however, to whom are we giving this "measure of the danger"? My MAGA family are convinced they are the patriotic Americans, practicing democracy. If their leader needs to be "Hitleresque" to keep their country for them, they are all for it.
Thanks for reading!
Just like many Nazis liked to think of themselves as patriotic Germans...
But, like Hitler, their beloved guide promises to overthrow democracy.
Like Putin, this man's boss and exemplar, who never permitted any but the most superficial appearances of democracy and now totally bans all diversity. The autocrat has a monopoly of thought and decision...
For most of America, democracy MEANT "white cis guys in charge of everything". And that remains their definition. Just like freedom of religion means freedom of Christian religion to go and do whatever it wants.
People of certain generations understand "Nazi" and all that word means, but younger people may not.
But Ann, democracy is not possible on a basis of bottomless ignorance about the world we live in.
If our media had 0.001% of the competence and sense of responsibility necessary to do their basic job -- informing the public -- we'd be seeing films daily of the horrendous 20th Century.
Film, because people today understand only images.
What's more, the MAGA mob will love the irresistible rise and rise of Mussolini, then Hitler...
Parades. Nuremberg Rallies. Military might. War. Blitzkrieg.
Until Stalingrad. Until downfall. Until they see total destruction, the camps, the endless millions dying horribly. Hitler's suicide. Goebbels' suicide with wife and children, Mussolini's corpse hanging upside down in Milan.
"But Ann, democracy is not possible on a basis of bottomless ignorance about the world we live in."
Fixing the profound ignorance that a huge number of Americans find themselves fully ensconced within is no easy task.
Add the fact that the ignorance they/we have plays into a stronger desire to sort things out with the rules that whatever white man preacher at the front of the church tells them.
The combination of ignorance and leveraging nuts/preachers with poor judgement to tell them what to do?
Disastrous outcomes.
I've been saying similar things about the media for many months now.
Donald Dictator
Love it.
Trump campaign writes comments like that.
Todd Swanson,
Which/whose comment do you refer to?
Totally unclear... Both which, whose and why...
We should add that no one has ever called their child Hiltler. Furthermore, what happened to the Nazi supporters? They disappeared and hid. Americans that support Trump will be looked down as a Trump enabler and it will of be a good look.
“ And there in lies the rub”, as we (not they) say. We talk in thought-provoking, complicated sentences, while Trump is shouting sound-bites triggering emotional responses that need no thought or time to consider.
It’s like going to war with a story about a cannon instead of the cannon itself.
Excellent choice of words describing the both the Dems and MSMs “explanatory” responses versus the radical right’s emotion-provoking statements. And what about our failure to have short, punchy SPECIFICS versus lengthy, snooty college-like responses. Shouldn’t we have a “messaging squad” who’ve been trained in hard core debating tactics and strategies to have direct statements (versus messages) about exactly how any of these radicals are subverting democracy rather than just calling them out for doing so. Even in the cited JRB statement, there was too much of that tired, old strategy of “when they take the low road, we take the high road.” Sounding ethically superior has been ineffective for 10+ years now!!! It may make the elitista in the Dem party feel good about themselves, but it certainly prompts many others to feel like they’re being insulted and then rationalize: they think they’re better than us...we have to elect folks who don’t disrespect us.
Well said Margaret, brief and succinct. I like it !!
Love the metaphor!
David, I agree with you on this. The Dems have and are failing miserably to launch a verbal campaign against the MAGA/KKK Republicans. We could have photos of Trump and Hitler together, Trump and Putin, with simple words to make the point.
We could even have a photo of W and Putin at his ranch with W “looking into” Putin’s soul. Need I continue?
W looking into Putin's soul!! I love it. What an absolute travesty for so many to have G.W. Bush and TFFG as Presidents.
Sometimes a picture does indeed beat a thousand words!
Trump and Putin both use social media as their bread and butter.
Manipulate it on an "industrial scale."
The democrats need to collaborate together! It’s like herding cats to get a group of Dems to do anything together!
Good point.
Yes. It's how I remember what Lying Ted's last name is.
Who’s “Lying Ted?”
Cruz. Tfg’s nickname for him.
I hear you, Ms. Smith, although I would ask what audience you expect to address. I recall some survey results from the Braver Angels group a few years back that tallied the language each side -- "Red" vs. "Blue" -- uses to describe the other. I can't remember the favorite epithet used by us "Blues" (whatever it is, I'm sure we've seen it hundreds of times here), but the "Red's" favorite name for us is "traitor." To them, we are the traitors, traitors to our race, to our society, to the Christian god. (Of course, I disagree but they don't seem to care what I think.)
Somehow, I don't think more inflamed language is going to convince anyone. Please, let's just stick with the facts, ma'am, just the facts. It that's not enough, then there's not much else we can do except become like them, i.e., violent, irrational, murderous, and terribly shortsighted.
In my last conversation with my MAGA sister who tried to convince me of the great things she thought he had done for the country, I stopped her with these words: "He's just a grifter."
Reminds me of my own words: "I wouldn't vote for him as dog catcher."
I'd be happy to vote for Trump. As in, "Juror #4 votes 'Guilty!'" T'would be a genuine highlight of my life, it would.
Very good, Dirk!
You nailed it. Huckster, grifter, bully, creep.
What does your sister think that Trump did so well? Does any of it check out? The only thing I can think of is the $11 billion fast-track Covid vaccine development, and that was only after the most amazingly corrupt gyrations trying to convince us that Covid was a hoax.
Is anyone besides me nervous about that new movie coming out in the spring titled, "Civil War"? It looks like an action-packed glorification of a second U.S. civil war, where people die heroically for something or another. Just like some people look at "Handmaid's Tale" and think, "Hey, that's not a bad idea..." I suspect that too many people will look at "Civil War" and think of it as a solution.
Truth be told, Dirk, I tuned out what she was saying because I stubbornly insisted - and still do - that he really is nothing more than a grifter. That's all I need to know about him. Just so you know, it's rare in my family when I get the last word.
Morning, Lynell. Nicely done with that turn of phrase.
Morning, Ally! Thanks!
Either way, drop the political correctness (it’s too high-brow) and be genuinely righteous
What was the politically correct part?
I use the term “white trash” actually
Using words like fascist instead of Nazi is one. Use words to get to the point and that “common folk” know well. Slang is OK. Them back up with facts if need be.
Dirk, I respectfully disagree. You can use an insult to get attention, and then back it up with facts and a good argument. Remember, we elected an Internet troll in 2016.
I hope you're right. Just for my own part, when someone starts off a conversation with an insult, I'm generally too pissed to hear their facts and arguments. I'm more interested in beating them, not understanding them. Not that I ever really have conversations on these topics -- I kinda wish I had a MAGA sister who apparently believes that Trump did "great things," like Lynell(VA by way of MD&DC) above, and wanted to convince me of the same. What do these people think he did so well?
I’m wondering the same. I know he takes credit for things he did not do 💁🏻♀️
I believe there's an old saying about mud wrestling with a pig and that is that the pig loves it!
Zero election deniers and supporters I come across do not have facts to back up their claims. They are just similar to Fred Trump, Sr. In that they enjoy the entertainment that Jr. has been able to get away with it. But of course with Daddies money.
Trump is a madman and a huckster. We need to call him out on his bs. For a sociopath like Putin to claim either Christian or family values is ludicrous. We must all push back against these bullies and call them out. Pull back the curtain on the empty Wizard of Oz.
Both use social media as their main tool/weapon.
TFG (Donald J. Trump - just in case there’s anyone here reading these comments and HCR’s letter) is now in the mode of a desperate man who has pulled back the covers and dropped the kkk robe and realized that the American government and our court systems are down right serious and his dad has been probably rolling over and twisting in his grave or wherever he maybe witnessing his favored son ruin his name and businesses!!!
Lock him up!!!
I put a ‘ lock him up ‘ sign on our rural, very red ‘ highway. Used 3” screws and solid wood and waited to see how long it would last.
Made it about 3weels. Never had so much fun.
Any suggestions for my next sign.
Three people never to trust:
A religious leader who tells you how to vote.
A political leader who tells you how to pray.
A draft dodger who tells you how to be patriotic.
(If you have enough land, you could do it like Burma Shave! ).
Trump = Dictator for Life
Dump Trump
I'll work on some more when the magic bean juice kicks in better.
You have so much material to work with. MAGANAZI, white faux-Christian Nationalist, Traitor, Murderer, serial immigration supporter, liar, rapist, grifter.
Sure. Crowdfund a laser projector, install it deep in your own property (atop your house?), and project "Lock him up!" directly onto the roadway.
How many bullet holes did you count???
Jim, I agree. The more desperate he becomes, the louder he is going to spew his dangerous rhetoric. The louder and more unhinged HE becomes, the louder and more unhinged his supporters and cronies-in-crime become. They will fight for him no matter the outcome. Mob mentality will win out if they cannot be convinced that he cares nothing for the little people.
They will fight for HIM. They think he would fight for THEM.
If only they could or would see.
I often think of the invasion of the Capitol and wonder if, had the mob found Pence, they really would have hung him. Many people think so.
That's why we are in danger of losing our individual identity. Trump's mob of misguided men and women will protect him and do everything in their power to carry out his commands.
When mobs become desperate, it only takes a few mentally deranged people to start the mob charging forward in defense of their beliefs. They will plow down anyone or anything who gets in their way. Could be any one of us.
When Pence was in Congress they called him dense Pence. Who would ever support a man like TFFG would threatened to have him killed and darn near succeeded?
Do we have that many stupidly clueless, hatefully racist and/or low-informed people who are voters [and non-voters] in America - whether they’re the far-right, conservative people who are for the most part labeled as republicans who have become cult-members following a twice-impeached, narcissistic wannabe dictator among us?
Jim, that's what has been a shock to me. Realizing that there ARE so many Americans who have fallen for his lies and who identify with him.
Every day I shake my head in disbelief. Dissolutionment has taken over me, although I try to stay positive. I'm positive that Trump will cause his followers to help him overthrow our democratic way of life.
Positively unbelievable.
Jim, yes we do. And it appears 💯 % of the GOP House is behind him now.
Yes Jim, we do.
Yes, we do. Hateful, not just racially, but also of women's independence, gender expression, sexual orientation, and of "other" religions (because don't you all have the "one, true God"?)
yes
Exactly! The 'Pinocchio ' rating was ineffective. Used to seethe about the soft pedaling of all the lies, across the GOP spectrum; that moral cowardice to call out the lies for what they were (are) helped create the trump cult.
People just say, "All politicians lie", then they pick and choose what he means and what is just "joking", and they call his opponents' unfulfilled predictions or mistakes "lies".
Donald Trump could pull out his dictator on Fifth Avenue and not lose a vote.
Dick- tater
I couldn't get dick-tater past the WaPo word-police computer. They printed "MAGANAZI Party" and "Critical Fascist Theory" and "Ku Klux Don" and "Adolf Huckster," so I give them some credit. The NYT, too, frowns on any comment that mentions body parts, especially the ones "down there," and they don't print my nicknames... for instance... Jim Jordan is Jiminy Crackpot.
I don't know why, they print "Dick Cheney" and "Dick Army". What's wrong with "Dick Tater"?
Ok that’s really funny!
🤣🤣🤣
Steve Brant offer this warning on FB ... in response to HCR post today:
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!
Hear Here !! Extremely well put Fred. I Like It!!
Thank-you Betsy. I also think describing the type of government DT, et. al., are trying to foist upon us as a DICTATORSHIP, rather than an autocracy or some other academic-sounding term would be more accurate and reach more of the public who need to know what the MAGA movement truly is.
Steve, I agree. Dictator and dictatorship are words that must be used, along with nazi, to convey the seriousness of the moment. Autocracy is too complex a theory for many people, and they shut it out of their consciousness.
I agree with you that authoritarian lacks meaning and context of most of the MAGANAZIs. Call it what it is -- a dictatorship.
We already know that if anyone in his administration disagrees with him they are immediately fired via Twitter or text. Or if, heaven forbid, someone is praised for any reason in his administration they are fired or else they need to do some serious boot licking.
Betsy, I agree entirely that words matter and the media hasn’t done their job well for decades. However, regardless how the media talks about Trump, we the people are the ones with the power to prevent him from regaining the White House.
Gigantic efforts by Democrats (and Independents) in recent elections have born fruit (Virginia, Jacksonville, Fl, Fort Collins, CO, and dozens if not hundreds of school board elections preventing Moms for Liberty candidates from gaining seats) And to your point, Letters to the editor, subscription cancellations and truly significant pushback from readers on recent editorial bs in NYT and WaPo (among others) appears to be having an effect.
The media has significant obligations in protecting democracy. But in the end, it is We the People who will determine our fate and the fate of our precious experiment in democracy.
And by all means, let’s use the word traitor to describe Trump!!
The only people that will listen are Democrats. The Republicans lost it when they elected Trump. Those words don't mean a thing to them.
But there's another group that we need to reach: Independents, or, as we call them in MA, Unenrolled. We need to get both Dems and Independents to vote, even when voting has been made difficult or seems to be useless. In 2016, when I was canvassing, too many people just shrugged and said that it made no difference whom they voted for, blahblahblah. We can't let that happen again.
And reach the independent voters and let them know how much voting for a third party candidate such as "No Labels" would hurt the Democratic candidate.
I tend to worry about "Americans for Prosperity" right now. You should pay attention to the ads from these Koch sycophants. All Hail the petroleum Industries, they're here to save the day by increasing the supply to fund our planetary addiction to such.
Wonder if you asked them again -- would they still say it made (makes) no difference? That apathy is what we need to overcome.
Words matter—and truer words were never spoken (or typed). Trump’s words are the ravings of a lunatic. Tell a friend.
Traitor? Absolutely. I’ve been calling him one for years, and continue to be baffled that are government can’t lock him away. And that includes the high level crooks that are with him. These columns by HCR are very informative, but also very alarming. I would love to know whether the good doctor believes we can overcome the attack on our democracy through nonviolent means.
FOLLOW the MONEY!! Elitists and their corporate disguise, (the men behind the curtain) manipulate the legal system and circumvent their fair share of the national burdens so that they can play while the rest of the working people PAY (Taxes)!
Instead of calling tRump’s words “lies” we should call them “propaganda”. tRump has the largest microphone in the world with which he can spew hateful rhetoric and propaganda. The media breathlessly recounts each stupid thing he says; which makes it impossible to keep up with. Unfortunately it is pure evil genius- this man has done more in a few short years to destroy the America we all love and made us enemies; we forget that we are on the same team and should be working together to make our country better.
UNITED WE STAND DIVIDED WE FALL.
Excellent articulation of the need for clear language that isn’t mis- or dis- or other obfuscation.
I look forward to reading your Substack posts.
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.
I predicted this as he traveled down the famous elevator at tRump Tower. His father was a Ku Klux Klan member, so his belief system was to be expected. His father turned away many minorities, seeking housing in Queens. He was a racist and tRump's mother was absent in her role as mother. tRump was a poor student and his father had to pay a handsome sum to get him into Wharton. He is committing treason and the media has allowed him to get a foothold with those who are uninformed and those who are Nazi sympathizers. It's high time we call out his treasonous behavior and give no quarter to any rethuglican now in office. The sooner we send them packing, the better. The MTG's of the world need to be investigated. They are no better than the man that became President by hook and by crook. The electoral college has seen its day and that too should be thrown out with the bath water. Those of us who despise what tRump has done to our democracy, have allowed the media to give a platform to all of the scum who came crawling out of their caves. They need to think again! Let's Clean House!
The first knife in the back for democracy goes back at least as far as Reagan. FOrty years of anti-republic "Republicans" have sure made a mess of things, and we daren't let it go any further.
I have always hated that Reagan is touted as one of the best President's.....when he should have been impeached over the Iran Contra deal.
The thing I dislike most about President Reagan is that his words set apart the government from the people. Reagan said "The nine most terrifying words in the English language are: I'm from the Government, and I'm here to help." It was a direct refutation of President Lincoln's Gettysburg Address. His address ends by reminding us that we are a self-governing nation: "...It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us, that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion, that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain, that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom, and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.” Reagan and Prime Minister Thatcher were champions of the neoliberal movement, to shrink the size and reach of the federal government. In Grover Norquist's words, he would "starve the beast" -- he would "shrink the federal government until it is small enough to drown in a bathtub". They wanted to move away from being a self-governing democratic system, toward getting the government out of the business sector -- except when they needed the federal gov't to bail them out after their free-wheeling economic blunders. Reagan and Thatcher ripped apart the fabric of society, turning us into individual atoms, instead of being members of a society. And look at what we have become! The Republicans are so alienated from society, and from each other, that they have dropped all pretense of having a political platform on which to stand.
Our best hope -- probably our only hope -- is that the Democrats will clearly demonstrate that they want to help all of us rise up out of poverty, to achieve prosperity for All.
The Inflation Recovery Act (IRA) can accomplish several things. Congress authorized spending into the economy to improve various aspects of our infrastructure, including our homes and the buildings in which we work, while reducing carbon loading in the atmosphere to mitigate climate change. The Republicans say they want to reduce spending, apart from defense contractors. The Republicans are wrong in so many ways. By going all-electric, we are going to drastically reduce our lifetime cost of energy. By installing solar electric systems, and two-way heat pumps for heating and air conditioning, we will avoid the continually rising cost of burning fossil fuels, while doing something significant about climate change. The IRA is currently in the process of being implemented at the State level. Some discounts and rebates are already available. This is the beginning of making a HUGE improvement in our health, both financial and physical. The Republicans are living in the Twilight Zone. I wish we could avoid giving them any attention, and just concentrate on helping the American people, while we still can.
"The thing I dislike most about President Reagan is that his words set apart the government from the people."
Exactly, and that was the the key to what he was peddling, and what the once "Party of Lincoln" has become. Who is it that the government is BY, and who does it work FOR? Who is it that is being governed? Who now ignores the law with virtual impunity? Who is crushed or even shot for minor infractions? None of the will to corrupt we now see is entirely new, and the Southern wing of the Democratic Party was pretty execrable before Civil Rights Acts sent them running into the arms of the former party of Abolition (and the Confederate flag defenders began to have Rs next to their names); but Reagan struck at the core of democracy and the common weal. It was never "government" they intended to drown, just the Lincolnian strain of it. Reagan wanted plutocracy; Trump wants fascism. I'm not sure there's a lot of difference.
Back in the 1970s I was with a group backpack camping on the pacific coast, miles from any habitation or phone. Jerks in a dune buggy had built an oversized campfire that had spread to copious driftwood and the afternoon wind was carrying burning material to start new fires. just beyond the band of driftwood was tall dried grass and then dry-season forest. To make a long story short we put out a fire that was maybe 40' diameter by running like mad, clearing unburned from around it and throwing partly ignited material into the inferno. Satellite fires were extinguished with sea water and a soup pot. The thing is it felt great to work as a team and get it done. I think there is some of the same reward in war, but here there was no accompanying tragedy. Could we possibly unite and coordinate as a society to fight the fire we have unleashed on the planet and it's future? Could we provide jobs and a sense of solidarity in doing what needs to be done to rescue as much as we can of our sustaining web of life? I know Biden is making some progress in that respect, but we are way behind schedule, and need to focus.
What you suggest is what FDR tried to do with the New Deal policies. The Republicans have hated those policies ever since. They want government only to protect the property of the rich that their ancestors stole from the rest of society.
Hl, I bow to your wisdom and prolific prose.
Nicely stated. When those that run the government spend their time running it down, count on the government being the problem. CONservatives want to run government like a business they claim, so my advice is to avoid their businesses at all costs. They are only interested in themselves. I guess we could apply the old adage of "those who can't teach" to CONservative politicians :those who can't do business - govern". Something like that, except there are a lot of successful business people in government. But you get the idea.
Don't they see that those things are not the same, as they should have learned from "Sesame Street" ? No, they 'do not' - it's 'their way' or the highway (obstruction to traffic jams) to govern a democracy; their 'demand' is to rule. 'Their reasoned' - self justified conclusion is the need for only one party reign alongside a partisan 'Chairman of the Board' who settles all disputes or opinions in their favor; business board style. It don't and won't work. The 'business of the people' is not driven by the strictly profit / loss calculus of business decisions. Business and Governing are two entirely different 'constructs' created by humans for two entirely different purposes and aims. It's a damn shame to have to break these concepts down elementary school LCD's (lowest common denominator, aka addition / subtraction), but we must if we are to deal constructively with this brand of self righteous, self affirming, self flagellating, board rigging cretins that only recognize their own realm which is a self affirming echo chamber of delusions I mention and more ! Campaign finance must be - must be reformed drastically folks, and an improved, refined for our times "Fairness Doctrine" codified into Constitutional Law ! 'We' have to demand it, and likely we will have to do it ourselves in every state - I don't trust partisans to do it and neither should you. Ie., if the owner of a coal mine accounted for the great bulk of the campaign money support for candidate 'Croc', would I not expect candidate 'Croc' to play his vote for his benefit ? I think the average person, regardless of education level see's that plainly or certainly suspects that. *Money is not free speech. It's a taller soapbox or a louder bullhorn. Campaigns for government sway has to be about ideas and honor, not treasure. Where treasure wins, we the people lose; short and long term. I demand "cleansing sunlight" !
David, great comment!!!! Thank you.
David H - everything you said. 100%
Wonderful Post! Than you so very much for this great reminder.
David, You have much correct. JL below fleshes it in a bit more focused. Consider his 'flesh' if you will. Love your shares.
James Garner, who worked with him as a VP of SAG when he was president of the union in the 60s, had a good two word definition of Sainted Ray Gun: "amiable dunce."
And Reagan even abused that position with a corrupt waiver for his own company. Reagan has been a double-dealing piece of scum since the days he was called "Dutch" and before.
He was too kind. I did sense that, unlike Trump and the RNC, he maybe kinda believed some parts of his own barrage of BS, but massive BS fed into the Nation's navigational systems has been an ongoing invitation to disaster, and Reaganomics was always about enriching the rich at the public's expense. He projected an amiable persona, but was still a malignant narcissist; not really a very nice person.
That comes across clearly in Rick Perlstein's "The Invisible Bridge" - his political bio of Reagan and Reaganism.
I 'knew' your memory worked great TC.
TCinLA, I believe you're incorrect. Washington Post disagrees.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/retropolis/wp/2018/05/20/its-the-50th-anniversary-of-the-day-trump-left-college-and-nearly-had-to-go-to-war/
Yes, the Washington Post never makes any factual errors. (/snark)
He should have been impeached over his blocking the hostage release to dirty Carter. A Texas republican gave a death bed confession to that effect. Guess he hopes that doing that would maybe get him into Heaven?
Like Nixon interfering with LBJ’s peace negotiations with Vietnam, promising a better deal if they waited till after his election.
MLM ! Another good memory !
Ah, Rickey, your memory is very good !
Amen
Amen
Amen, amen, amen.
Again, so much to dislike about Reagan. Giving rise to the uber rich by slicing income tax rates from 70% to 38.5%. I took the HR Block tax course in 1986 just so I could understand all of the changes. The manager that taught the course asked me to work for them for that tax season. I agreed. I ended up doing over 100 returns working part time in the evenings. The poor people that came into Block. They were as clueless as I was before I took the class.
The following is from Wikipedia.
The first tax cut (Economic Recovery Tax Act of 1981) among other things, cut the highest personal income tax rate from 70% to 50% and the lowest from 14% to 11% and decreased the highest capital gains tax rate from 28% to 20%.[1]
The second tax cut (Tax Reform Act of 1986) among other things, cut the highest personal income tax rate from 50% to 38.5% but decreasing to 28% in the following years[2] and increased the highest capital gains tax rate from 20% to 28%.[1]
At the time, people weren't substantially informed about the tax cuts, as an ABC News Poll in September 1986 showed that 63% of Americans didn't know enough about the Tax Reform Act of 1986 to say if it was good or bad.[3]
Letting Nixon off the hook didn't help either!
let's go back even further - letting off the rebel leaders in 1865 did not help either.
Nixon's "pardon" was a terrible, terrible precedent, as Trumps unaccountable corruption of the power of pardon clearly demonstrates. Even the nonsensical "pardoning" of turkeys offends me. I knew it was a terrible precedent the moment it was announced, as a betrayal of rule of law, and legitimizing an imperial presidency, but even then, I dared not imagine what we have come to accept today.
First we need a way to reconsider errors of the application of law, either in the law's application, or retrospective rejection of the basis of the law itself. That simply should not rest on the whim of a single person. It is an anachronistic holdover from monarchy, a repudiation of the principle of equal protection and due process.
Second, I don't even know how Nixon's "pardon" was considered legitimate; it did not correct an error, it shut down due process by granting impunity to Nixon, the very thing that distinguishes a tyrant; what the Magna Carta was about. Perhaps we could have chosen more of a "Truth and Reconciliation" approach to Nixon, but the truth and rule of law determination of guilt and transgression of acceptable behavior had to be firmly established in a way the made it clear that presidents too must answer to the law. "He suffered enough" by losing his job? What about Bernie Madoff?
The road we are now on is illustrated by the casually and defiantly Republican Senate declining to even go though the motions of considering the gravity of Trump's malfeasance; a kangaroo court indeed, in contrast to Republican's former willingness to convict Nixon in the Senate. The notion that great power entails great responsibility is old and fundamental, and needs to be even more strictly enforced for those with entrusted extraordinary powers than for the average citizen. Impacts upon lives, or even lives themselves can hang in the balance. We seem fairly vigilant, perhaps at times over-vigilant, about enforcing that standard on middle management and mid level practitioners, yet are too often strangely and vicariously over-protective of the fates of the very rich and famous. This ironically betrays our aspirations of "liberty and justice for all"
.
Very well reasoned throughout JL... Bravo Small i have maintained forever and still, that one only gets as much 'justice' as they can afford; cynical, but no less true for as long as I can recall. smh....
Ah yes, Hence the establishments of that old euphemism Probable Deniability" allowing blame to flow down from the top. Kinda like Reganomics only a little different. (Sometimes affectionally referred to as Tickled on Economics.) Sorry I couldn't resist the opportunity to indulge in the "Theater of the Absurd."
Absolutely JL. Reagan smiled and joked and spoke softly as he boiled us like frogs.
Unfortunately, right wing thinking is fast gaining traction throughout the world.
Think I understand now how people felt watching the WWII train careening towards them.
The question for Agent Orange is, "who's your daddy now?" It's Putin! He misses Fred slapping him around so he replaced him with Daddy P. All warm and fuzzy hugs now.
Government is the problem. I can never let that go. Did you hear Maddow call out Cheney in the interview? Liz quietly said she did not agree, but you could tell that it made her feel very, very comfortable.
Thank you for the reminder about Reagan. That needs to be repeated to remind US of the “quality” of Republican presidents since Eisenhower: oil wars and trickledown.
My impression is that many of the thinking young are dispirited and angry about the condition of the world we are bequeathing them. Nixon was a terrible president, and yet he seemed to care about preserving the environment, or at least spoke and acted as though he did, starting, among other things, the EPA and appointing a credible person to run it. Carter also tired to reduce our burden on the environment. Reagan did his best to destroy the EPA and anything else having to do with environmental stewardship, and set the tone for Republicans to follow. I recall reading in the journal "Science" that Reagan officials were claiming that the "commercial value" of a species should determine the government's efforts to protect it.
What if we had been replacing fossil fuels for the last half century? What might it have saved us in terms of balance of payments, pollution, national security, and environmental sustainability? Would it not be liberating to not being held over an (oil) barrel by foreign and domestic monopolies? So why the hell not?
SO well phrased. I'm So glad to be back among the living!!
Exactly.
He didn't go to Wharton. He went to UPenn. His grades were too low to get into Wharton even then when their entry standards were low. Don't pass on his lie that he went to Wharton; he got to AUDIT classes there, for no credit. And one Wharton professor remembered him all those years later in 2016, saying "Donald Trump was the dumbest fucking student who ever walked into my classroom in all my career."
How smart is a person who suggested ingesting bleach to cure Covid?
Smart enough not to have followed his own suggestion.
A friend of mine just told me yesterday how smart she thinks tRump is. Seriously?! Sad to say, the dumb F has convinced his maggots of his superior brain power!
No offense to you, but you must have some really stupid friends. They have a very low bar.
I have to say that all my friends who surprised me back in 2016 when they came out in favor of Trump - shocking me like Michael York's character was shocked in "Cabaret" when his "good" German friend showed up in his SS uniform - that if you had asked me about any of them before that moment, I'd have said they were as smart as all my other friends, since I don't have any dumbass friends. Fortunately it wasn't very many, but even one was too many.
We have several too. And relatives.
Social media manipulation from Trump and Putin is duping people.
TC, I lost a decades old bff. In the long run, it was truly a toxic relationship that I was blind to. It's how I can "understand" why people support Trump. It was her support of him which opened my eyes and unraveled our friendship. So, I guess in a manner, the Sore Loser benefitted me in one way.
Carol Ann, some subset of folks are more susceptible to the attractive aspects of propaganda. Consider for a moment what numbers of Italians and Germans were seduced by the patently false promises and propaganda of Mussolini and Hitlers propaganda machines / organizations. All other forms to totalitarian are the same, so I could list them all by name, but if you reflect a moment on just those two examples, I think you'll get the gist. I for one would not have considered the majorities of Italians nor Germans to *be education challenged; and their history and cultures are much longer than ours.
I believe it.
Thank you TC ~
Eadie Sharron, I did, too! I don't know anyone else who realized that, at the very moment he came down that escalator. When I told people, everybody just laughed.
My spouse who is an ex-pat American said that to me right away as well. I also tried to calm her down at that point. But Holy Cow, she was right from the beginning!
I'm in the same boat, Annie.
I actually thought it was some kind of practical joke when that corrupt baboon came down that escalator. I found out a few days later that it certainly was NOT a joke to my utter dismay. I thought to myself, ''this idiot is in no way qualified to be a President of the United States. It was a horrible shock to me when he actually, (with the help from Putin and the Electoral Reform College) won the election.
Ditto John
Thank you, D4N.
Both use social media manipulation powerfully, and well. Their power. Immense power actually.
In the back of the Mueller Report is a brief biography of Mueller and Trump. The contrast between the two men couldn’t be starker.
Yeph, one is a brave American hero who is a treasure.
Yes.. and that wretched loud mouth, Jim Jordan, tried to drown out his testimony at the hearings. That was my first introduction to Jordan and I have detested him ever since.
The rules of order if evenly applied strictly, would have shut his mouth, put him in his seat or ejected him; consider that. I'm from Ohio and consider how ashamed he has had made me and others for far too long. Yet, his guaranteed district re-elects him.
Hand me the insecticide!
Yes. The "Republican" Party is telling us they are in collaboration with the self-identified "wannabee dictator".
They are not only saying it. They are proud of it. A badge of honor.
CONservatives.
“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.”
How about now! Not two weeks from now starting in January! Now!
There’s No reason to help/ aid his BS settle in and become normalized by major news outlets remaining silent for two weeks. Two weeks from now is too late. They need to start Now!!
Sounds good to me.
I highly doubt that outcome George. For my part, 'so far' I'm watching my news on Scripps affiliates, then verifying the info Axios. com, Propublica, and various substack writers I've already vetted, like our good Dr. Imagine for a moment if we all did that with just our numbers on HCR's substack.... Ignoring, not tuning in to only an agreed to selection; I think the solidarity would be cautionary to all the rest, even if such a small number. That's what the powerful fear most; any hint of solidarity among any significant numbers of the electorate contrary to what they desire. They work overtime and spend fortunes keeping us divided, if not at outright odds with one another; that's the main game. It's an age old game too, just with added money and an amenable SCOTUS and division of congress critters.
And that's known as Critical Thinking. Bravo.
Unfortunately I concur with you about highly doubting that outcome. My comment was meant to express the need is now, not two weeks from now or even later. However as many know the media coming around and “snap into focus” is no more likely now than it was before, regardless of tfg’s Nazi rhetoric becoming more transparent and obvious.
Yes, Vote everyone! We must start believing in democracy by exercising our right to vote! It really is that simple. Remember it only takes sunlight to kill germs! I end with Leonard Cohen, “Everything has a crack in it, that’s how the light gets in”.
We have to get past the thought that this is about Trump, or the GOP for that matter. Unless we address the ‘why’, and by that I mean, dig deeper than the simple racist, fascist, Nazi, white nationalist labels/explanations, and fix the underlying reasons that people are willing to vote for an authoritarian, we’ll continue to play whack a mole.
https://tomdispatch.com/todays-most-dangerous-drug/
“After more than half a century of studying addiction, Bruce Alexander no longer separates compulsive drug use from other dependencies. He categorizes addictions to alcohol, drugs, food, gambling, power, a sense of superiority, and a litany of other things as responses to the same underlying pain.
Yet he does regard one flavor of addiction as distinct from all others.
“What’s the most dangerous addiction of all in the twenty-first century?” he asked in a conversation with one of us over Zoom last year. And then he answered his own question. According to the octogenarian professor who has devoted his life to addiction psychology, the most dangerous addiction today is the rising obsession globally with cult political leaders like Donald Trump.”
Interesting concepts, Tom. I know that in studies with rats held in isolation; when given the option between cocaine, and social time with other rats, they almost universally chose the social time over the jolt of the drug. Professionally, I have encountered many drug dependent people. The ones that I got to observe over time ALWAYS did better when they were in positive social situations that eased whatever their underlying pain was.
(Note: NOT in any way clinical observations. Just watching from my street cop perspective of when people did well getting off drugs, and when they didn't. )
Yeah, the ‘rat park’ experiment from Hari’s book, Chasing the Scream. One can chase almost every social ill we have as coming from childhood trauma, be it abuse or neglect, from parenting or outside forces. Trump is a case in point; his father was a monster. Not making excuses for behavior at all here. Clinton, Bush II, and Obama all had unresolved ‘daddy issues’, which led from wanting to be liked/loved (by peers) into ignoring logic and reason when it came to policy decisions which were detrimental to working people. America pays lip service to children; we treat them, and the elderly, poorly.
One size fits all, generalization fallacy is what that sounds like to me Tom. jmho... Are you 'Tom' of tomdispatch ?
Nope. Info here - https://tomdispatch.com/about/
I don't think the realization will really hit the meganazis until they run out if toilet paper.
Foot soldiers, no. Soldiers are courageous.
Try c*cksuckerz.
That's actually a bad use of a nice thing. Just call them scum.
Lol TC..
I hope you're right about the news outlets. But those who've been "riding the fence" or worse all along may only be concerned about the number of clicks any topic inspires. Let's not forget who owns them (in every sense of the word). You'd think this topic would wake many up and inspire clicks. However, I recently raised the topic of the orange dictator wannabe's true objectives to someone who HAD supported / voted for him in the past but a year ago identified him as an idiot. He is aware of tfg's current legal issues so is investigating other gop presidential candidates, but doesn't see the problem with delaying the cases till AFTER the election. He got angry & defensive when I told him why we can't allow that, and basically shut down, citing "Biden is no better". That reaction did not surprise me; I think he & many orange supporters have trouble with totally ditching tfg - or his gop enablers, possibly because they don't want to feel / admit they have been duped. So we all have our work cut out for us. I'm glad the administration is speaking out about this but think they're walking a fine line. However, it will not be good enough to make general statements as "attacks on our democracy and freedoms" but perhaps they are taking initial "baby steps". But I think specifics & real life scenarios that (mostly) everyone can relate to are required, just as are now broadcast regarding abortions. The same should be done with 3-4 other important freedoms, perhaps using real examples, described by real people, of what the loss of these specific freedoms is like living in a dictatorship. Far too many of us have no clue what it's like to do without rights we totally take for granted. And Biden's team must do a much better job highlighting all the good that Biden has accomplished, citing, again, real life examples, not just numbers as in "this will bring X number of jobs"). The only other thing that may be effective is for notable, respected gop people like Liz Cheney to begin doing exactly what Cheney is doing now. (I did sense a slight pause in my friend when I mentioned that "Liz Cheney is very concerned about tfg's motives".) And finally, Democrats also need to hire top notch marketing people who actually know how to do this, & immediately. What will it take for them to realize that their uninspired pablum DOES NOT WORK?
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.
love your title and concept. "Profiles in Cowardice" suggested subtitle: "from Truth to Treason"
I'm serious about the need for the book! It would inform future generations. “Men, it has been well said, think in herds; it will be seen that they go mad in herds, while they only recover their senses slowly, one by one.”
― Charles MacKay, Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds
Perhaps, but I think that effective leadership, grass roots, and/or elected can make a difference, as well as the arts. There no way to reason with fanatics, but some who move with them are only along for the ride.
J L Graham, you hit the spot when you said, '' There is no way to reason with fanatics.'' Believe me, i have tried a failed to reason with them and most of these fanatics were close relatives to myself.
GREAT idea. There have been SO many wonderfully dramatic, unbelievable, and shocking examples of Cowardice, that the book could be a page turner.
And very heavy.
Love that wonderful book, with its takedown of Tulip Mania, as well as Eric Hoffer’s The True Believer.
Another must read is Kevin Kruse's "One Nation Under God: How Corporate America Invented Christian America."
And another one: Julie Ingersoll's "Building God's Kingdom: Inside the World of Christian Reconstruction." This book explores the strategies and influence of Christian Reconstructionism, one of the stealth movements that so many are unaware of. Christian Reconstructionism is an intellectual movement that was birthed in the 1960s and has provided the theoretical foundations for many things we are experiencing, not least the Christian school and homeschooling movements and the corresponding rationale for dismantling public education.
One of the offshoots of Christian Reconstruction is Dominionism. Speaker Mike Johnson has been influenced by Dominionism. This is NOT the same thing as Christian Nationalism, by the way, although there is a lot of overlap.
And a comment: I'm glad you mentioned Nancy McLean's "Democracy in Chains." That important book seems to have slipped under the radar.
Good sound bytes
100Panthers: Perfect!!! Definitely write the book! "Profiles in Cowardice: Decisive Moments in the Lives of Deplorable Americans." And just for a perversion of historical symmetry, add an honorary non-Republican Deplorable: Include Robert Kennedy, Jr., to show the Dems' decline since JFK wrote the original "Profiles." People could send lists of their top 10 Moments of Cowardice for you to choose from. Here's my # 1: John McCain allowing Palin to be named his running mate.
GREAT idea. It should be easy to amass a long list to send in.
"the moment each Republican leader succumbed..."
You will need notes taken from Epstein's little black book, or try Maxwell.
A deceased professor and friend of mine always wanted to do a study about how the lust and quest for power was the real root of evil.
EXACTLY. The CONservative movement was inevitably headed this way. Give Democracy in Chains by Nancy MacLean a read. Then review the Lewis Powell Memo to see how this was always going to be the end game. James Buchanan and the libertarians decided long ago that "No Compromise" was needed and that they would have to be very steahly to achieve their goals. So they grabbed Milton Friedman's free market idea and attached the idea that less government meant more freedom for everyone knowing full well that it meant more freedom for wealthy businesses and individuals to feel free to run over others. Read the Libertarian platform. They talk about freedom, but then they destroy their argument when their platform would give more power to the powerful leaving those at the bottom under their boots. They are not supportive of monopolies, but provide no method to prevent them. They want individual people power which in reality means everyone is alone. It is a platform riddled with ideas and no solutions except more "Freedom".
Free markets without regulation are not free, they are predatory.
“Free markets without regulation are not free, they are predatory.” A simple sentence packing a big punch. I’ll be using this. Thanks!
For 100Panthers: There is a book out by Andy Borowitz, called Profiles in Ignorance. It does a VERY nice job of showing the GOP's increasing pride in candidates who are little better than dumb effing barstids. You get glimpses ot the MAGA idiocracy even back before Reagan and why the Dems have SUCH a hard time messaging.
This substack post by Adam Kinzinger is along those lines:
https://open.substack.com/pub/adamkinzinger/p/the-perpetual-victimhood-of-maga?r=garu1&utm_medium=ios&utm_campaign=post
Dave, I respect what Adam did on the January 6th committee. He kept his oath for the most part. I read Renegade. Honestly it was just a biography. It was very honest. But he basically admitted to bad lies and hypocrisy with no apology. I felt like he was just cashing in his chips at the top of his game.
I learned much more from Democracy Awakening. And also from Oath and Honor.
I can’t speak to his motivation for writing his book, but I do appreciate his willingness to call out the MAGA right. His words most likely won’t influence that group, which already considers him a RINO and a traitor, but maybe some independents and traditional republicans will pay heed.
fame not game
Great title. But it needs to be a movie. The ones who need to learn from this effort don't read many books. The ones that do read are the oligarchs who pull the strings.
Make it a short film. And it will need some explosions and computer generated unreal stunts to entertain or we will lose them. And then...the coup de grace: "MaraCarthy!" the video game. A series of short films and video game spin offs. Launch them on TicTok.
The book, the film, the game - all need to be outrageous enough for Ron DeSantis to ban them - ensuring their success.
Great title 😊
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!
Indeed Trumps immaturity may prove a saving grace. I am more fearful of a more disciplined tyrant emerging. Reagan was a "smoother" authoritarian. Trump has let the cat out of the bag.
Well said. Egalitarianism and justice must win!
Steven Brant, that pretty much sums it up! As soon as I read Professor Richardson’s book, Rachel Maddow’s may be next. Thank you
Maddow's book is scary. Good, informative and a great read but scary. It demonstrates how lucky we were to have a good man in FDR in the White House.
Steven, I read an opinion piece today by Joe Matthews titled “Keeping Trump off state’s 2024 ballot is justified”. In it he relates to the hard lessons Germany grappled with post WWII & how they are now grappling with disallowing the far-right Alternative for Democracy (AFD) party from participating in politics. Why? Because the party’s stance/agenda violates the human rights provisions of the German Basic Law. It is an interesting read & I hope this link I found is accessible: https://www.ocregister.com/2023/12/17/joe-mathews-why-california-should-take-donald-trumps-name-off-the-ballot/. Seems a bit similar to what Section 3 of the 14th Amendment was/is intended for. It will be interesting to see what transpires there, after all they emerged from that which we are sliding toward and the majority there don’t want to go back (but like here, there is a minority that wants to do just that).
Thank you Barbara !
D4N, whilst running errands today I was thinking of this & plan to look into the genesis of Germany’s Basic Law & what it contains…sounds kinda interesting. From snippets I’ve read here ‘n there, some countries modeled their constitution after ours, but with tweaks that make amending it not so onerous (but not easy-peasy either). Other countries do and have looked to us as an example of a democratic society to emulate….sigh, just wish we could live up to their admiration!
California holds a lot of electoral votes. That would be very good, indeed.
President Biden is and always has been crystal clear about the stakes here. “We are at an inflection point in history.” Maybe people were too overcome by the Republican noise machine to hear that, but President Biden is very clear on this one.
"... always has been crystal clear ..." Yes, clear to the choir at least and that's a problem.
Do you mean “Prequel“?
Yes. Thanks for noticing my mistake. I fixed it.
You’re welcome, of course. I went looking for it as my next read; found “Prequel”. Thank you for the book recommendation. 👍🏼
Thanks Steven,
I am Canadian. I found Heather's wonderful posts June 25 2022. She has educated me greatly since then and I am most grateful. You may find the international Earth for all group. of interest to check out some time. This is an international group that supports democracy and works to integrate earth science and economics. There is also now a useful Global Peace Index. Also Transparency International , the Center to Counteract digital hate, Open Democracy and deSmog. These are all organizations I have found through searching using google.
To me these are all serious efforts to uncover the deep connections between fascism and fossil fuel corporate funding through the influence of the Atlas Network Foundation paradoxically this was founded by the British war hero Anthony Fisher.
Participatory Democracy is vital and if this fails in the US , the rest of us are all in terrible trouble.
Best Wishes,
Frances Scully
While I'm certainly not disappointed that Trump is laying bare his full intentions for all to see and hear, I will NEVER, EVER say I *owe* him anything, least of all anything approaching gratitude. If anything, in fact, HE is in deep debt to US--the American people--for putting us through all this anxiety over the past 8 1/2 years, all to stoke his bloated ego.
I understand your point. I don't really like the idea of "thanking" bad people (and just FYI my father was a malignant narcissist just like Trump, so I'm not in the habit of saying "Thanks, Dad".) But I think we Americans have had a mindset of "it can't happen here" regarding losing democracy. Certainly, journalists would appear to think that or not to care if we do because they are just "reporting" what happens as if the result won't affect them. And so if Trump / Mike Johnson / the Supreme Court have shown us we really are in danger, then it's kinda like having a heart attack that you survive. It is hugely painful but does force you to change your behavior... to take living more seriously.
And yes... Trump has gotten a lot from America. And he needs his ego to be fed because he is completely empty inside. He's the worst kind of person possible. Devoid of any redeeming values.
I'm sorry to hear you had to live with a narcissist.
My comment wasn't rooted in an "it can't happen here" mentality. I just don't think there's anything about TFG that I can be thankful for, not even his willingness to say what he wants to do out loud. (He did that in the runup to 2016 and it didn't seem to sway very many people.) I can't stand to look at him. I can't stand to hear his whiny voice. His mannerisms are disturbing. I could go on....
Excellent. Bravo, Amen, and sign me up.
Question: Who might lead us to "rise up" as a citizenry? Who might Mobilize us? I tend towards non-hierarchical thinking, but in the case of WAR with the enemy in our midst -- I think we need a leader.
As with any war, the President is the leader of the fight. And as with WWII (the last time the USA was mobilized to fight fascism), public education is helped by the talented people in the entertainment world. Study the First Motion Picture Unit (led by Jack Warner of Warner Bros during WWII). Also watch the "Why We Fight" series of short films created by Frank Capra (available to watch on YouTube). There's also the post-WWII films the US government produced to warn against fascism. Frank Sinatra was in one of them. But it all goes back to the actions of the POTUS. Biden needs to shift his mindset from "campaign" to "war". He says this is a "battle for the soul of America". Well, then he should treat this as the war that it really is. Here are some links:
The First Motion Picture Unit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lpz1rBd6UDU
Why We Fight https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLugwVCjzrJsXwAiWBipTE9mTlFQC7H2rU
Anti-Fascism post WWII (Don't Be A Sucker) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGAqYNFQdZ4
Frank Sinatra (The House I Live In) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ovwHkb1wEfU
I was watching the all white male people standing behind him. He is only dangerous because of those people who follow him.
Correct--and those people didn’t appear to understand what the orange sob was saying either.
They are the uneducated masses that feel disenfranchised. They suck up the rhetoric as though it is gospel and trample the very flag they claim to love. Tomorrow, they will wake up and wonder why their guns have been seized, the electrical grid down, water undrinkable, highways impassable and the cost of everything beyond their reach. Yet they will continue to follow that orange baboon whose sole purpose in life is to amass fame and fortune at their expense and blame their discomfited situation on those who want to defend the values of this nation. As long as the Republicans that are supposed to represent their constituents are beholden to their sponsors, big business and fake christianity, they will continue to lead us into a fascist theocracy not unlike Iraq.
I love that term “fake Christianity “ because that is exactly what it is. We need to call that out loudly along with so much else. Christmas couldn’t be a better time to do this.
The "Fake Christians" are the American Taliban. Mike Johnson is a combination war lord and mullah. Don't be fooled by his mild demeanor. He could be one of the most dangerous people in America today. Two steps from the presidency!
And that would just be Day 1! Hell no! We cannot make that mistake again.
They get that he makes them feel superior and entitled. Just what most white men expect.
Sabrina, you are exactly right. I am only aware of 4 while males in my area, including myself, that are true hard-core Democrats out of about 700 white males in my area. It seems like the women in my area are the only ones that have the education and good sense to vote for Democrats. Make that 5 white males, with my oldest son being a true Democrat.
Must be what is going on with my former work cohort.
Those people behind Trump whenever he is speaking are very carefully set up.
Set up? Some of them appear to have been lobotomised. The others have just tuned out.
The cure for a malignant narcissist sociopath is irrelevance.
At least these vile views are out in the open, making the stakes of the election beyond dispute.
My point exactly! There is NO EXCUSE for the media to treat this as a "Democrats v Republicans" election any more. And at the same time, the Biden-Harris campaign should NOT do so either! They are running against fascists... and should MOBILIZE the American people as if we were at war... because we are!
“These guys are Nazis, they’re boogaloo boys, they’re Proud Boys. These are the same people we fought in World War II.” Attributed to Gen. Mark Milley
Amen!
I’m reading today’s letter at 7:00 a.m. on the West Coast. Just turned on CNN (can’t stand Morning Joe) to a long presentation on Trump the Nazi. Very thorough. Using Biden’s strongly worded response. Much more is needed, but this is a good start. We need to be writing stronger and more letters to all news outlets, TV and newspapers in all our local areas about what he is proposing.
Good sign if CNN is reporting the truth again.
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.
Amen to that, Evelyn!
In employing the metaphor of the Good Shepherd, Jesus spoke of bringing life and bringing it abundantly. At no time did he seek to bash any group of people or decry distinctions or differences. "Love your neighbor as yourself" was unqualified and unconditioned.
"Our marvelous complexity". Absolutely right. Lovely phrase.
ELCA pastor here, Evelyn. Thank you for saying this. As Dietrich Bonhoeffer reminded us again and again during WWII, silence is complicity. WE CAN NOT BE SILENT! Our faith compels us to speak truth.
You need a mega Church these days to reach that crowd. If I had heard your message instead of anti abortion sermons in the Catholic Church (back in the 80’s!), I might still be a follower. Too many churches with charismatic preachers hear only messages similar to that of authoritarians.
Here’s one I only heard about recently:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Hagee
They might be spiritually bankrupt, but they’re wealthy beyond belief in cash.
Oh yes, many of them are cashing in. And, as another commenter posted earlier, their emotional appeal is the draw. There's a whole strain of "christianity" that justifies self-satisfaction. "If I'm rich, it's because I'm blessed by God." I don't know, but it sounds rather like a pyramid scheme.
So true. Maybe it's time to distinguish the Dominionists, Christian nationalists and their ilk (Westboro Baptist, for example) from the rest by labeling them "dysangelists", since their messaging is anything but good.
Bravo. I hope you know about the group, Faithful America. They are actively wrestling against and calling out White Christian Nationalism for all the reasons you outlined.
Beautifully stated! Thank you.
Evelyn Wheeler, yes, I think of the word God as love. Church words, actions and doctrine should model and encourage love. If they don't, I look away. One of the most succinct ways I've heard it put is: Religion can be used in service of the truth or in service of the ego.
Spiritually bankrupt but massively "popular".
For me, any thought of being a Christian was bludgeoned out of my by those who "love the sinner but hate the sin" (at the mild end of the spectrum) and those who condemn my very existence because of who I love. Yes, there are "Open and Affirming" congregations (I am a musician at one, and had one of the Pastors hear my wife and I reconfirming our vows when the Obergefell decision was issued. I will not join any church.)
I understand. These are perilous times.
Thank you Evelyn,
There are so many forms of illiteracy and spiritual illiteracy is really serious.
Mr. Trump has been aping Mr. Hitler from day one. This is the end game.
"Last April, perhaps in a surge of Czech nationalism, Ivana Trump told her lawyer Michael Kennedy that from time to time her husband reads a book of Hitler's collected speeches, My New Order, which he keeps in a cabinet by his bed ... Hitler's speeches, from his earliest days up through the Phony War of 1939, reveal his extraordinary ability as a master propagandist," Marie Brenner wrote. - https://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trumps-ex-wife-once-said-he-kept-a-book-of-hitlers-speeches-by-his-bed-2015-8
JL, thank you for the reference.
The donald epitomized the Charateristics of Facism.
https://ratical.org/ratville/CAH/fasci14chars.html
This should not come as a surprise. Trump’s father was a Nazi sympathizer and Trump grew up with this stuff.
As Rachel Maddow points out in her book, the country was awash with Nazi sympathizers until Pearl Harbor.
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.
My father was just like Trump... violent, malignant, narcissist. When Trump won, I had a nervous breakdown because I knew what we were in for. We cannot let Trump win again. This is no longer a political campaign. We are at war with fascism.
i had a near panic attack when tRump won. i was terrified ... still am!
I’m happy you have managed to keep yourself together. I use whatever self-care methods necessary to keep moving forward in the face of this renewed threat.
Yes, I did too. Meanwhile many of my neighbors were setting off fireworks in celebration.
J L Graham: Same here in Las Vegas--and the hits just keep on coming. Our outstanding Senators are extremely vulnerable, and a massive amount of right-wing money is being used to target them.
Lani, after the 2016 election during a Dr’s visit I happened to mention my anxiety about what might unfold. She said she’d seen a big spike in patient appointments sharing near universal dread of his presidency. And this was before he really got going.
You are correct. It wasn't supposed to happen here. Now it has.
Well, we're on the brink, but not yet without agency.
We are beyond a civil war here. This is the new front in the world war on patriarchal institutions and governments whose basic nihilist motivations have become organized instruments of power-over-others with all its horrors and civil deaths.
The people who wake up to this need for democracy to not just survive but thrive are from every walk of life, sex, color, age - much like Israelis are modeling now as they rebuild lives - and need to identify each other by our actions. Words are easy, we shall know us by our deeds.
Just as we support Heather here, the journalists and reporters who do step out and give us truth, meaning and clarity also need support, including other Substack writers. For instance feedback to MSMedia with our thanks as well as our critical comments. The billionaire owners do listen bc they want to keep raking it in by their stations being listened to. The profit motive can work both ways.
Our totality of purpose and meaning must help us take on whatever action roles we can. Having been involved at different levels for the last seventy years or so I am hoping to stick around to see some deep victories. For everyone's sake whether they know it yet or not.
I’m so sorry you had a father like that. We cannot let this beast beat us.
Steve B, I had the same deterioration of mental health, relationships with family and friends also after Trump won in 2016, and still continues.
My doctor increased my depression medication during Covid after I talked about existential dread. She took me seriously.
Mine too. Take care. Be well.
Having grown up in a family who immigrated here from Germany and Holland shortly after WWII, I knew even as a child that this could also happen in America. So many red flags went up for me back in 2016 with Trump's rhetoric, and it's been painful for me to watch how his rhetoric has escalated with each passing day towards fascism, led by this evil man. I'm sure my parents are turning over in their graves.
This whole movement seemed obvious from the start in '16, but the 'it can't happen here ' line of thought prevailed.
I am sorry for the personal pain these times are evoking for a lot of us.
These past seven years have been painful for so many of us. They have also strengthened our resolve to fight this beast. We can do this and we must.
People I thought were clear-eyed voted for tfg. I was shocked.
What disappointed me most was how much they fell into the "thrall".
I knew it would be bad, but I naively thought the Party would would pressure him to appear less extreme. No, they gleefully enabled him to get worse.
And that reflects the scope of the problem. The Heritage Foundation types are very very wealthy and incredibly well organized, like a great vampire squid [credit Matt Taibbi] devouring the whole world. The people haven't been fazed by common sense. Democratic ideals are considered expendable, unnecessary. Only Muskovite money and power deserves respect. The colleges are utterly failing us. If we don't have the students, we don't stand a chance.
Yes, James Burnham--absolutely. And tragically. From the 1st "debate," there has been no question that things were going to become this bad -- and continue deteriorating. (Nice reference to Philip Roth, whose 2004, "The Plot Against America," was terrifyingly prescient.)
I did; although I did not see the fascist bromances coming. I knew we'd lost SCOTUS for a generation with that election.
Yes, and in truth, it's become worse than I imagined.
People around me got on my case for "over reacting '.
Yes, in fact I did foresee what he became, having worked for two narcissists.
Yes. Absolutely did.
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!
True, however listen closely to what Liz is saying...I believe she’s getting ready to run as a third party candidate...no labels, perhaps. She consistently disses Biden, from my perspective, she’s in it for herself. After all, she is a Cheney.
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.
Me too, without the #.
Sadly Ian, you're right. Just a point of clarification: The AK-47 is a Soviet made military rifle chambering a 7.62 x 39mm round. The AR-15 is a rifle initially designed by Armalite to replace the M-14 military rifle. It sold the patent to Colt, and has entered the civilian market as a shoulder fired semi-automatic rifle. It fires a .223 round which is smaller than the 7.62, and is designed to "tumble" upon entering the body.
There is a fascinating Atlantic article on the development and rejection of the AR-15 by the US military: https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1981/06/m-16-a-bureaucratic-horror-story/545153/
I'm sorry it isn't gifted; my subscription has lapsed and my budget is eaten up with Substack subscriptions these days.
Thanks for the heads up. I did read the Atlantic article and although beyond target shooting I have no use for guns it was quite informative Again my thanks.
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."
Although Biden won in 2020, my wife and I were appalled that Trump won any states besides Mississippi and Alabama. It was a serious red flag for us. I remain frustrated with Biden that he doesn't understand that we have been at war since, well honestly, since Trump stood on a debate stage with him and told the Proud Boys to stand back and stand by. He needs to understand that these are not mere criminals. They are enemy combatants and need to be treated as such.
As an ex-resident of northern Florida, IMO much of that area is just an extension of Alabama…
In fact most of the south outside the large urban centers haven’t evolved much since the civil war - in fact many there still celebrate the confederacy.
I think he does understand perfectly. It was the reason he ran in 2020.
But he did so believing that the "battle for America's soul" could be won by dint of reason and doing good. The impact of 40 years of agitprop and how it has allowed fascism to metastasize in the body politic is something he underestimates and his undying longing for compromise is, frankly, the reason we are even having conversations about Clarence Thomas' ethics today. A body only has four cheeks to turn. Once your face is bloodied and your butt is kicked, it may be time to fight back.
Abso-f***ing-lutely, Rich!!
I truly believe President Biden understands this completely.
I call those polls “lazy journalism”.
And we are not given any information on who, where and what was asked. It’s very easy to create questions to elicit certain answers in order to manipulate public opinion.
I call them "fake journalism".
I am also troubled by the support he gets from his followers. What exactly is he doing for them? What does he offer? He is Corruption writ large!
I think he allows them an emotional outlet for feelings and passions they are unable to express. It’s both sad and dangerous.
And he feeds the amygdala it's daily dose of hatred and anger so it feeds the body.
The polls are a tool, no more no less.
Fearmong sells
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 ⭐
Tyranny is as old as dirt.
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.
In my opinion, we need more than forceful terms. The Biden-Harris campaign should treat this as the "mobilization at a time of war" that it is. This is not a campaign. It is a fight for the future!
It sounds like at this point they're not pulling punches.
Well said!