Thanks for sorting out the signal from the noise. What would I do without this daily newsletter? It is my morning tonic, taken before I even get out of bed.
I agree that the forum which Professor Richardson has created is a gem. It reminds me of the teach-ins during the late sixties when professors would give up their spare time to create a spontaneous class on some aspect of the political and foreign policy issues swirling around our young heads at the time, trying to provide us with important historical and intellectual context so that we could begin to appreciate the significance of the issues facing us.
Providing such a forum is in the great American tradition of the public philosopher -- persons like William James, John Dewey, Martha Nussbaum, Francis Fox Piven. Such efforts widen the circle of discussion, increasing the Peoples' ownership of the future.
"...the fact that the Trump campaign is openly sharing Nazi symbols..."
What an absolutely insane timeline we find ourselves in. As awful as it is, it's always comforting to know that there are so many like-minded people who find it equally insane. Hoping with everything in me that November is a record-breaking slaughter.
I'm hoping with you for a "record-breaking slaughter" of Trump in the election. As insane as the Trump's campaign's openly sharing Nazi symbols is, American fascination with Nazism is nothing new. Edwin Black in his well researched book, "IBM and the Holocaust," shows how closely IBM worked with Nazi Germany to provide Hitler with the Hollerith punch-card technology which enable the Nazis to not only move war materiel around efficiently but also to send Jews to the concentration camps as well. According to Black, the head of IBM was proud of his service to Hitler, actually carrying a letter of commendation in his breast pocket from Hitler. For more, see, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_during_World_War_II
My concern is that he will lose the popular vote but win the electoral college. If that happens, I will be first in line to protest his presidency as illegitimate.
An overwhelming impression of panic is my first thought. As with many unstable autocratic political frontmen, I worry about those that are not seen but can pull Trump's string. Fortunately the military is distancing itself from him or we might have had to face a totally different scenario. However there are people in his entourage that clearly understand the nazi symbolism even if he has little clue of history. They hook him on the ratings that it would generate and the number of times his name will be mentioned. He is increasingly going to act as the "wounded bull elephant" that he clearly is. Much as i abhor the ivory trade, part of the Democratic strategy from now to the election should be to pre-emptively "pull his tusks" and "hobble his feet" to limit the china that he can smash in our store while we are getting him out the door.
The DACA decision was the third Supreme Court decision, so far, that has gone against the president. They also declined to hear an administration appeal against California's Sanctuary law, which prohibits local officials in California from notifying federal immigration authorities about the release of immigrants from custody and providing federal officials with other immigrant-related information.
Your letters and insights into the turmoil in dis-United America of the moment are the most revealing and poignant commentary I see from here in Britain. Thank you.
We could do with the same thing concerning this side of the Atlantic. We have our own varieties of simili-trumps and bear the consequences of their acts or absence thereof.
I was having the discussion about the lines being clearly drawn, everybody knows who they are and who they are dealing with. I have felt most of my life that 'we the people' have been dealing with the deepest rifts in our democratic foundation with half measures.Democrats in particular just played too nice trying to be the 'inclusive' while the GOP has been down and dirty ever since Nixon. I personally think Gore's failure to slug it out with Bush in 2000 was the original sin of the new century and that was pivotal in getting us here. Bringing an olive branch to a knife fight.
So here we are and -- at the very least -- Democrats are breaking up steak knives in the kitchen set and taking it to the streets.
At least folks are revealing themselves for who they are and always have been. Donald Trump has unmasked the dark ugly reality at the soul of the GOP of the modern age and it is clear that some people are so deeply depraved that no amount of negotiating or conciliation will ever bring them into the community: they are hardwired to angle for the grift. Some folks are crazy. I grew up with the crazy so there are no surprises here.
But for as long as one's true agenda is dis-aligned with their truth, they will project that agenda into the world in all manner of passive aggressive ways. They will gaslight. Now, at least, it is straight up aggression, they are forced to own it and nobody but the worst among us will embrace the gaslight as truth.
I would agree that some scales have fallen from some eyes and that an increasing number of people are appreciating just how seriously drawn the political lines have been since at least Gore's unwillingness to challenge the hanging chads, even rebuking black political leadership for wanting to continue the fight. At the time, like you, I was quite disappointed in his refusal to fight. I believe he said something to the effect that he did not wish to put the American People through the turmoil of such a fight. We got turmoil anyway because there were political forces out there spoiling for a fight.
Like you I am hopeful that we progressives can begin to counteract a great deal of the neo-liberal and neo-conservative policies which have made life in this country very difficult and dangerous, aspects of which I need not list since so many of us have had these pushed into our noses over the last 20 years, starting with the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars of 2001 and 2003, the downsides of which continue to this day.
My hope is that a new vision for this country's future will be developed, starting with Biden's election to president. This country would do well, I believe, to find a positive vision for itself and to attract persons to the vision. We do not have time for finger-pointing and laying blame. There is nothing one can do to persuade some minds to abandon their position. The best hope is create a positive movement that speaks to the needs of The People, drawing others in because the movement's goals have the potential to increase the quality of life in this country for everyone.
To do this, we will have to work together to create the necessary leadership to make this happen. We will have to find ways to speak to one another that is focused on the practical problems of lessening economic inequality, racial and social inequality; ending endless wars and getting control of the defense/security budget; defining a serious and permanent program for managing climate change. Along with all this, I believe we need to revisit what it means to be a free citizen in a democratic republic and what responsibilities there are of this citizenship, but also what our government can do to support us to become the fully realized citizens that, I think, FDR was imagining in his New Deal -- creating programs that supported citizens to pursue Happiness, in its deepest philosophical sense.
There is a great deal of intelligence and well meaning in this country. But we have squandered much of it. It is time for us all to commit to a new awakening in this country, a new awakening to the rich possibilities of life and the many realms of deep value which make living this life worthwhile.
Well said, Gayle. It never fails to amaze me that so many in the GOP are self-proclaimed "Christians", when they will seemingly always ... ALWAYS ... choose whatever option is least like anything attributed to the Christ of the New Testament, from whom they take their name. That level of hypocrisy is, to me, indicative of the deeply entrenched schizophrenic detachment from reality that is the hallmark of today's GOP. It's clinically insane, and typical of true cult-like behavior.
A truly monstrous level of cynicism must be required in order to recognize the fact that those are people for whom the LABEL of "Christian" is enough, that they don't want to have to actually give up their innate prejudices and hatreds, but can be convinced that they're on the side of all that's "holy". Then to further pervert the message so that they see those who are promoting the very things that the New Testament attributes to Jesus as being antithetical to their religion requires that the brainwashing be so thorough that no amount of logic can touch it requires a truly horrendous level of ... well, honestly, the only word I can think of that comes close is "evil". I believe it applies quite well.
When Trump was so, well, reasonable about the LGBT decision, my first thought was that someone (Kavanaugh?) had told him what the rest of the decisions would be and he knew that one was just a sop to the left-of-center, but the reaction to DACA comforts me some.
You are stronger than I am. Reading HCR before a late bedtime was a recipe for a sleepless night for me. I now read her first thing in the morning and then take out my frustrations/anger/rage/hopeless feeling/disappointment during my daily bike ride. There have been some rides where my speed has increased dramatically. I wonder if there is a correlation between HCR's missive and my performance.....hmmmmmmmm!
I have to be positive about the future, and I am. What is particularly encouraging is seeing youth find their voice. As a child of the 60s, recent weeks are, to me, reminiscent of the Viet Nam protests...small at first, but accelerating and spreading as inspiration became a contagion. Trump seems to be grasping and somewhat floored by the 100s of thousands that went to the streets in the past three weeks, while his potbellied followers hung out on street corners with their weapons on shoulders looking a bit stunned and isolated. No, things are looking up, and the sad Trumpsters look sadder every day. This Tulsa rally will be interesting, I think.
Thanks for sorting out the signal from the noise. What would I do without this daily newsletter? It is my morning tonic, taken before I even get out of bed.
SAME!!! I get my daily dose of news right in bed and am armed for the remainder of the day. Thank you so much Heather! You are a national treasure.
I agree that the forum which Professor Richardson has created is a gem. It reminds me of the teach-ins during the late sixties when professors would give up their spare time to create a spontaneous class on some aspect of the political and foreign policy issues swirling around our young heads at the time, trying to provide us with important historical and intellectual context so that we could begin to appreciate the significance of the issues facing us.
Providing such a forum is in the great American tradition of the public philosopher -- persons like William James, John Dewey, Martha Nussbaum, Francis Fox Piven. Such efforts widen the circle of discussion, increasing the Peoples' ownership of the future.
"...the fact that the Trump campaign is openly sharing Nazi symbols..."
What an absolutely insane timeline we find ourselves in. As awful as it is, it's always comforting to know that there are so many like-minded people who find it equally insane. Hoping with everything in me that November is a record-breaking slaughter.
Me too, of course. I'm concerned about the time from Nov. 3 - Jan 20 however.
I'm hoping with you for a "record-breaking slaughter" of Trump in the election. As insane as the Trump's campaign's openly sharing Nazi symbols is, American fascination with Nazism is nothing new. Edwin Black in his well researched book, "IBM and the Holocaust," shows how closely IBM worked with Nazi Germany to provide Hitler with the Hollerith punch-card technology which enable the Nazis to not only move war materiel around efficiently but also to send Jews to the concentration camps as well. According to Black, the head of IBM was proud of his service to Hitler, actually carrying a letter of commendation in his breast pocket from Hitler. For more, see, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_during_World_War_II
My concern is that he will lose the popular vote but win the electoral college. If that happens, I will be first in line to protest his presidency as illegitimate.
If the damn electoral college does it again we can't sit by and let it happen. Americans must take to the streets by the millions!
An overwhelming impression of panic is my first thought. As with many unstable autocratic political frontmen, I worry about those that are not seen but can pull Trump's string. Fortunately the military is distancing itself from him or we might have had to face a totally different scenario. However there are people in his entourage that clearly understand the nazi symbolism even if he has little clue of history. They hook him on the ratings that it would generate and the number of times his name will be mentioned. He is increasingly going to act as the "wounded bull elephant" that he clearly is. Much as i abhor the ivory trade, part of the Democratic strategy from now to the election should be to pre-emptively "pull his tusks" and "hobble his feet" to limit the china that he can smash in our store while we are getting him out the door.
The DACA decision was the third Supreme Court decision, so far, that has gone against the president. They also declined to hear an administration appeal against California's Sanctuary law, which prohibits local officials in California from notifying federal immigration authorities about the release of immigrants from custody and providing federal officials with other immigrant-related information.
Your letters and insights into the turmoil in dis-United America of the moment are the most revealing and poignant commentary I see from here in Britain. Thank you.
We could do with the same thing concerning this side of the Atlantic. We have our own varieties of simili-trumps and bear the consequences of their acts or absence thereof.
Keith Jameson, I second that😍
I remind my kids nearly every day that these times are not normal. November can't come soon enough.
January can't come soon enough either.
I was having the discussion about the lines being clearly drawn, everybody knows who they are and who they are dealing with. I have felt most of my life that 'we the people' have been dealing with the deepest rifts in our democratic foundation with half measures.Democrats in particular just played too nice trying to be the 'inclusive' while the GOP has been down and dirty ever since Nixon. I personally think Gore's failure to slug it out with Bush in 2000 was the original sin of the new century and that was pivotal in getting us here. Bringing an olive branch to a knife fight.
So here we are and -- at the very least -- Democrats are breaking up steak knives in the kitchen set and taking it to the streets.
At least folks are revealing themselves for who they are and always have been. Donald Trump has unmasked the dark ugly reality at the soul of the GOP of the modern age and it is clear that some people are so deeply depraved that no amount of negotiating or conciliation will ever bring them into the community: they are hardwired to angle for the grift. Some folks are crazy. I grew up with the crazy so there are no surprises here.
But for as long as one's true agenda is dis-aligned with their truth, they will project that agenda into the world in all manner of passive aggressive ways. They will gaslight. Now, at least, it is straight up aggression, they are forced to own it and nobody but the worst among us will embrace the gaslight as truth.
I would agree that some scales have fallen from some eyes and that an increasing number of people are appreciating just how seriously drawn the political lines have been since at least Gore's unwillingness to challenge the hanging chads, even rebuking black political leadership for wanting to continue the fight. At the time, like you, I was quite disappointed in his refusal to fight. I believe he said something to the effect that he did not wish to put the American People through the turmoil of such a fight. We got turmoil anyway because there were political forces out there spoiling for a fight.
Like you I am hopeful that we progressives can begin to counteract a great deal of the neo-liberal and neo-conservative policies which have made life in this country very difficult and dangerous, aspects of which I need not list since so many of us have had these pushed into our noses over the last 20 years, starting with the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars of 2001 and 2003, the downsides of which continue to this day.
My hope is that a new vision for this country's future will be developed, starting with Biden's election to president. This country would do well, I believe, to find a positive vision for itself and to attract persons to the vision. We do not have time for finger-pointing and laying blame. There is nothing one can do to persuade some minds to abandon their position. The best hope is create a positive movement that speaks to the needs of The People, drawing others in because the movement's goals have the potential to increase the quality of life in this country for everyone.
To do this, we will have to work together to create the necessary leadership to make this happen. We will have to find ways to speak to one another that is focused on the practical problems of lessening economic inequality, racial and social inequality; ending endless wars and getting control of the defense/security budget; defining a serious and permanent program for managing climate change. Along with all this, I believe we need to revisit what it means to be a free citizen in a democratic republic and what responsibilities there are of this citizenship, but also what our government can do to support us to become the fully realized citizens that, I think, FDR was imagining in his New Deal -- creating programs that supported citizens to pursue Happiness, in its deepest philosophical sense.
There is a great deal of intelligence and well meaning in this country. But we have squandered much of it. It is time for us all to commit to a new awakening in this country, a new awakening to the rich possibilities of life and the many realms of deep value which make living this life worthwhile.
I hope.
Well said, Gayle. It never fails to amaze me that so many in the GOP are self-proclaimed "Christians", when they will seemingly always ... ALWAYS ... choose whatever option is least like anything attributed to the Christ of the New Testament, from whom they take their name. That level of hypocrisy is, to me, indicative of the deeply entrenched schizophrenic detachment from reality that is the hallmark of today's GOP. It's clinically insane, and typical of true cult-like behavior.
A truly monstrous level of cynicism must be required in order to recognize the fact that those are people for whom the LABEL of "Christian" is enough, that they don't want to have to actually give up their innate prejudices and hatreds, but can be convinced that they're on the side of all that's "holy". Then to further pervert the message so that they see those who are promoting the very things that the New Testament attributes to Jesus as being antithetical to their religion requires that the brainwashing be so thorough that no amount of logic can touch it requires a truly horrendous level of ... well, honestly, the only word I can think of that comes close is "evil". I believe it applies quite well.
When Trump was so, well, reasonable about the LGBT decision, my first thought was that someone (Kavanaugh?) had told him what the rest of the decisions would be and he knew that one was just a sop to the left-of-center, but the reaction to DACA comforts me some.
Thank you so much for keeping this utter chaos organized.
Thank you for making sense of all the chaos. I look forward to reading your letter every night.
You are stronger than I am. Reading HCR before a late bedtime was a recipe for a sleepless night for me. I now read her first thing in the morning and then take out my frustrations/anger/rage/hopeless feeling/disappointment during my daily bike ride. There have been some rides where my speed has increased dramatically. I wonder if there is a correlation between HCR's missive and my performance.....hmmmmmmmm!
Wow! May the tide continue to turn against Trump and his minions each and every day.
I wish the election was sooner than Nov. 3.
Let's hope it continue!!!
correction...continues...
I guess I am just getting desensitized to chaos. It sounded like just another day in the Trump White House to me😪
Thanks for tackling the chaos and making some sense of it for us. You are our anchor.
Manipulated media and Trump. It's his life story.
I can handle the news so much better through your perspective.
I have to be positive about the future, and I am. What is particularly encouraging is seeing youth find their voice. As a child of the 60s, recent weeks are, to me, reminiscent of the Viet Nam protests...small at first, but accelerating and spreading as inspiration became a contagion. Trump seems to be grasping and somewhat floored by the 100s of thousands that went to the streets in the past three weeks, while his potbellied followers hung out on street corners with their weapons on shoulders looking a bit stunned and isolated. No, things are looking up, and the sad Trumpsters look sadder every day. This Tulsa rally will be interesting, I think.