May voters in the coming presidential election reject the grifter purveying bibles that flout the separation of church and state so central to the thinking of the Founders of the nation and the Framers of the constitution. It is sacrilegious and profane to elevate the charlatan that is TFG to a quasi savior status.
We who are not Trump cult members can criticize those who see Trump as their savior, but it is easier to call them out here than to change their opinion. When he promises them that he will be their retribution, what do we offer them in return? If we're going to prevail in the elections in November, we must find ways to make clear to those who are not yet true believers what the dangers are in electing a wannabe dictator. What are our best strategies to show the undecided what the differences are between democracy and autocracy?
Propaganda has won the day with them, and the “both sides” agenda of MSM makes it hard for those who need to be told what is normal and what is “alternative facts” to wade through the mire. Sad that so many lost their moral compass as the cretins have made Schitt smell like roses. Power has become the only goal. Repub power is to rule over us. Dem power is to let us decide. Repubs squash voting. Dems expand voting. Enough said for me. BTW, the party switch from the civil war era messes with my mind every time.
I doubt Lincoln ever imagined Republicans hoisting Confederate flags, though he understood that democracy is fragile without consistent care. The fact that excessive, unaccountable power, and the "love" of power, tends to corrupt, is part of every chapter of history.
Gary, you raise an intriguing issue with the notion of someone's "hubris" if taken to mean "exaggerated pride or self-confidence." In the case of our former president we are most likely talking about someone with a fundamentally narcissistic character structure or disorder. Narcissism is an unconscious defense against the fear that one is quite the opposite, a failure, unworthy or incompetent as a human. To shore oneself up or protect one's self-image one resorts to exaggerated pride or self-confidence. Merriam-Webster added "English picked up both the concept of hubris and the term for that particular brand of cockiness from the ancient Greeks, who considered hubris a dangerous character flaw capable of provoking the wrath of the gods. In classical Greek tragedy, hubris was often a fatal shortcoming that brought about the fall of the tragic hero. Typically, overconfidence led the hero to attempt to overstep the boundaries of human limitations and assume a godlike status, and the gods inevitably humbled the offender with a sharp reminder of their mortality." One usually encounters hubris in those who have had previous success in whatever venue they have chosen, be it warfare, politics or business. Despite perhaps accumulating a bit more money from the millions he inherited, our former president went bankrupt 6 times and presided over the failure of the majority of his spin-off businesses. His exaggerated pride grew not from his previous successes but from a narcissistic character structure designed to defend himself against awareness of his failures as a human being.
Bless you on a spring day for “unpacking” (as a favorite philosophy professor used to say) hubris. As for TFG, he learned it from his KKK father. From the Greeks, other than the plays of Aristophanes, my favorite line remains “…the gods laughed.”
I thought hubris was supplanting (or trying to supplant) the gods' will with one's own. Oedipus' parents thinking they could outwit fate by having him raised by shepherds, that sort of thing. Trump, imho, is just a damaged egotist, not anyone with the stature to go against the gods he doesn't believe in. He's no Prometheus stealing fire from the gods, he's a pickpocket in the agora grubbing for spare change.
The lyrics remind me of a recent conversation that respect doesn't have to be earned, but can be successfully forced on people. The fear and anger candidate has his followers hornswoggled.
Gary, I don’t think that 45 thinks that he deserves to stay in power, he just wants to do so to stay out of prison. He knew that the cops were on his doorstep even without the insurrection—he’d broken the Emoluments clause of the Constitution from day one.
Trump broke the law so many times during his 4 years in office. No wonder he assumed he could get away with January 6th. He got away with everything else -- especially the emoluments clause.
Did you see that a judge ruled that Trump can be indicted criminally for Lafayette Square this past week? That's going to cost him and hopefully Bill Barr will be included in the indictment.
A different genre of music, but definitely poised to inspire a generation seeking to have freedoms restored — listen to the phenomenally talented Jon Batiste: Freedom, Be Who You Are, Drink Water, Don’t Stop, and much more!
Don't rap and hip hop do that? I have to admit I'm not very aware of current popular music or its messages, but I thought that rap at least calls out social injustice and has done for 30-something years. I'm pretty sure the female rappers and/or hip hoppers advocate women's rights. I'm also an old fogey and may well be talking out of my ass.
BK, i love that era, but don’t forget punk rock in the 80s and 90s, NOFX, Bad Religon, Henry Rollins from Black Flag is, so many more. there is a strong Gen X connection to political punk and hardcore.
We're the same age BK, I grew up with all of those songs as well. Was too young to be politically active or recognize so much what was going on in Vietnam, but agreed that it needed to end.
Hi Jeri! I too have trouble with the party switch. It gets me every time. Also this essay from the Professor is like reading today’s news, almost verbatim! Scary, scary 🫣
Does it ever, rich cretins have been chomping at the bit from the git go. I give credit for any success to our ancestors with a work ethic, except for Fredrich Drumpf
It confuses trumpers, too. One writer said how the democrats were racists, etc. I guess she didn't realize that the party names had switched. I didn't even comprehend it so it must be difficult for people with poor education.
I finally figured out how to keep the party platform switch straight -- focus on the slaveholders, the pro-slavery, the racists -- they have always been the ones that held up progress and had to be 'bribed' into agreeing with many of the founding documents and much of any legislation in not just this country. If one side made a deal with the slaveholders, that deal was only good as long as the slaveholders got their way in everything else that came along. Case in point, when LBJ signed the Civil Rights legislation, he knew that he was losing the Southern 'Democrats', aka racists. Ditto for Mitch McConnell and his treatment of Obama.
Fits Trump to a T. Any decent person should be motivated to reject him after reading this. His sociopathy was obvious in the way he got people to pay for it by maxing out their credit cards.
Betsy, In response to the crucial questions you raise, I believe we must take great effort to drive home what it would mean to lose our democracy and how our way of life would change. Trump already has stated he would enact the Insurrection Act on Day 1 of his presidency. He’s already spoken about rounding up his political enemies. Accordingly, we can’t relent in urging people, whatever their reasons for remaining complacent or uncommitted, to imagine what America would look like were the President to start moving the National Guard around to put down our voices, our right to dissent, perhaps indefinitely detaining us. This is not without precedent. Trump had wanted to criminalize protests around Black Lives Matter for the murder of George Floyd.
Expanding upon rights and freedoms that would be ripped away, as an example, I would advise we amplify that a court willing to overturn 50 years of settled precedent in Roe would do that with other fundamental protections, even those, like Roe, that over and over again had been reaffirmed.
Ultimately, we have 7 months to urge uncommitted or indifferent voters to listen to the things Trump says and the people he admires. No one should doubt that whatever freedoms we have in this country, whatever one likes about this country, dramatically would change were Trump to return to the White House.
Clearly, Trump is showing frequent signs of dementia. In 2016 and 2020 Psychiatrists and Neurologists hesitated to label TFFG's aberrant behaviors as mental disorders in 2016 and 2020. Not so much anymore.
But that doesn't seem to affect his cult, they lap it up. There's something very wrong with a political system that allows someone so vile, dangerous and mentally unfit to be the only choice of one of its 2 political parties. There's too much money pouring in from dark money sources, too much power in Federalist Society hand picked justices, and too much equal treatment of the parties by the media. People are not being truthfully informed so they can't make an intelligent decision especially those who never were taught critical thinking, history or civics in school.
What makes me sad about the cult is that the collapse of American public schools after WWII left so many with no history and no civics courses. So called “Departments of Education” replaced the basic humanities and sciences courses with multiple choice testing and only math and science seem to have survived. Liberal arts colleges are decreasing every year. Time to wake up and learn history, arts, and foreign languages. Why do Ukrainians learn complex weapons systems so quickly? Think two languages and two alphabets behind most of them.
It truly is a sad state of affairs, starting with the fact that anti-intellectualism has been around a long time in this country. This of course has been weaponized by the r's who love to yammer on about "the elites." That they may have degrees from ivy league schools seems to not matter.
Liberal arts: there was a recent New Yorker article with an unfortunately click-baity title, something like "Are the Liberal Arts Getting Conservative." It was actually about how some schools have attempted to return to a more classical education. This sounded really promising, especially in the schools serving kids who are usually underserved. But this has been co-opted by conservatives who want to use their version of it to get rid of supposed liberal indoctrination. One politician said something about wanting kids to be able to make their own decisions without the government getting in the way. Said with zero irony, of course.
And we can make that political system work for us again, as the founders intended.We can elect a person who will throw off the corporate capture from our government , who will tell us the truth, and respectfully listen to both Democrats and Republicans.We have this exciting opportunity to elect RFKJR.
I have been voting since 1970 and looking carefully at the actions of the people I have voted for. Politicians promise the world but rarely do even a very small bit of what they promised. Biden has achieved more progressive progress for all Americans than anyone since Johnson. RFKJR has none of Biden’s experience that gives him the ability to make real progress. Compare Sanders promises with Biden’s achievements. Look at who Biden has brought into his administration. Biden is the real deal!
John, I’m going to summarize some of Kennedy’s positions, and would love for you to tell us why you would support a candidate who espouses these positions.
Abortion: Kennedy’s views are unclear. He has voiced support for a 15 week ban, then backtracked that amid backlash. Calls every abortion a tragedy.
Antisemitism: has said that Covid is a bio weapon created by Ashkenazi Jews and the Chinese to target Caucasians and Black people.
Immigration: has backed Texas in its illegal quest to usurp federal power over the border.
Ukraine: has called the war in Ukraine unnecessary which should be settled by diplomacy and criticizes US support of Ukraine.
Vaccines: Kennedy has spouted the dangerous nonsense that vaccines cause autism. He doubts the efficacy of the measles vaccine. He spread misinformation about Covid vaccination.
Compulsive womanizing: Kennedy kept a diary rating the 37 women with whom he cheated on his wife in one year. His wife’s discovery of the diary contributed to her suicide.
For most of us here, any one of these stances is disqualifying. Together, they are damning. Kennedy is a liar, a cheat, a compulsive womanizer, an anti-vax nut job, a conspiracy theorist, and an anti-Semite. He is also the gravest threat to Biden’s candidacy, and a vote for him makes a second Trump term more possible. I do not think you will find many fellow travelers here, John, and I, for one, find your support of such a man as repulsive as if you were a Trump supporter.
John, surely you jest! RFKJR is a Kennedy in name only, and his entire family denounces him. His vaccine conspiracy theories, alone, disqualify him for office. Her has always been an entitled joke, and his father and JFK are spinning in their graves.
Then Trump has the gall to accuse President Biden of suffering from dementia. I think Trump is, and he’s out there encouraging dangerous political violence.
Heather’s statement that tfg can never stop being a victim is important to his cult status grabbed me. I’d never thought of it quite that clearly. I’d wondered why he, clearly no victim, wasn’t tired of whining 24/7 and why his followers weren’t worn out with it. Guess it’s obvious now that I know.
Many have eyes with which to see and yet they look not, many have ears with which to hear and yet they listen not. It is a choice which has its consequences if unheeded.
The article started out with professionals giving descriptions of Trump’s dementia. But then had a Trump spokesman saying Biden is demented and Trump is fine. Bollocks. Both-sides BS.
Susan, My call for concretizing what it would mean to lose our democracy is not meant for the MAGA cult. As stated in my comment, its intent is to impress upon complacent and uncommitted voters the rights and freedoms that would be ripped away were Trump to return to the White House. Additionally, I would note, in 2020, the largest bloc of voters were non-voters, whom I expect did not support Trump.
Barbara, in listening to MAGA supporters, they believe themselves to be safe from being rounded up; they rejoice in the idea of the “elites” who regularly disparage them being locked up (especially uppity minorities and Feminazis).
Mary, Because my reply would be identical to the one I just posted to Susan, who is part of this thread, if I may, I would ask you refer to that response.
Mary, Thank you for taking the time to read that reply. I believe all the exchanges and clarifications among us are key to helping each of us engage in ways that allow for increasingly meaningful results.
Where truth is now "created," as TFG does when he labels his posts on his social media platform "truths," changing MAGA minds will be difficult if not impossible. But working to get the vote out is not. Help register voters, help knock doors, help write postcards, letters to editor. In my state 9000 or more registered Democrats failed to vote.. We would have a very different government had they turned out. I believe those minds are reachable.
Studies show that postcards can bring to the polls 1-4% of otherwise unlikely voters. That may not sound like a huge amount, but it is often enough to change the result of an election.
If they have any humanities, Betsy, we could start there.
My guess is, however, that too many U.S. schools, in buckling under to the living dead of standardized testing, have left too many helplessly dehumanized, and thus prey to the demagogue. As they are prey to the billionaire social media predators, and their formulae for hate, divisiveness, group think.
Back in the 1950s I (a young student myself) recall reading a newspaper column by Sydney J Harris in which he described an approach to teaching that treated students a "inanimate sausage casings" to be stuffed with information. It was happening then and might (in some ways) be worse today. Children develop. They not all wired the same, nor share identical talents and interests; and that's a good thing since our diversity as a society vastly expands our horizons as a species, but the "easy way" is to try to stamp them out like machine parts. You don't force a tomato to grow (at least not the "organic" ones) you give them what they need to thrive, and that means knowing tomatoes.
I'm not dissing teachers here, I married one; but rather the politics of curricular design. We are doing something wrong when a large section of the populace thinks that they (and society) are healthier for getting sick than being vaccinated, just for example. We aren't just studying to pass tests, or even to just to survive on the job. We, especially in an increasingly complicated world, need a full complement of skills to navigate reality; like the tides and temperatures rising around us. Like how to disagree without killing each other. Like how to make government of the people, by the people, for the people run as a practical matter.
Advertising tries to control people, when what we need is to liberate and engage them. Where is there robust infrastructure for that? Democracy (like this site) is a conversation, or it's not really democracy.
Standardised testing is not the enemy. As a gifted child of a low-income home who had had irregular school attendance and indifferent grades, my good standardised test scores were the only thing that gave me the chance to escape poverty and participate in the world of higher education.
I remember taking the Iowa Basics tests in the 3rd - 6th grades and then the Stanford-Binet testing in high school. Although not required, we then took the PSAT, SAT and the ACT. None of my excellent.teachers taught to the tests, but I suspect the school district used these scores to separate each grade in our elementary school into what we called, "the smart class, the dumb class and the other class."
Our school district had one person of color the entire 13 years I was there unless you count the handful of Asians.
So was our school district racist? I imagine it was by design because people of color were likely prevented from purchasing homes or renting there.
The ugliest most hypocritical form of racism is segregation.
Betsy, you ask the question that is in all of our minds. I have decide to forget trying to change minds and and focus on being visable and vocal
in promoting Biden. Wear a Biden shirt or button. Speak up when the opportunity presents itself. We need to let the "undecided" know there are more of us than what the news says.
Also, write to all the forms of media, newspapers, TV, and social media. Emphasize that they need to have reporters and not entertainers. They have to get beyond poll numbers and false equivalencies and explain the different future each candidate will create. They have to report about how bizarre it is to have a criminal conman rapist selling Bibles as a part of his attempt to raise money for his legal fees. The cancer of greed and racism has already metastasize through several branches of our government. The treatment is the injection of truth and justice.
I’m taking HCR’s advice here and “taking up oxygen “ as you and she suggest.The only difference is that down deep, we know Biden can’t restore democracy, RFKJR will.
We know that neither Biden nor Trump (nor RFK, Jr., but this is not the place to explore how dangerous he and his theories are) nor any one individual can restore democracy. That is a task that we must all undertake together. At the same time, we know that Trump and the 2025 plan will destroy our democracy, so the path is clear. We need to vote Blue and encourage everyone we know to do the same.
Good question, Betsy. Here's my answer. We need to use the campaign weapons we have been handed by the enemy.
In every election or referendum since the Deadly Dobbs Decision, those campaigning for Reproductive Rights have won. It is THE issue that will motivate voters of all ages. Dobbs is archaic and a form of totalitarianism. A form of government intervention in the private lives of families everywhere. It's a step too far. Add to that the White Supremacist Nationalist movement and we have a formula for victory. "Maga is telling you how many kids to have and how to worship!"
But there is much more.
If in chatting with others who are undecided, women's reproductive and health rights are not enough to convince them, pull out short recap of what Project 2025 will do to our health, freedom and the future of the Planet.
These are two powerful weapons. Let's use them and win!
Watch Friday's episode of Deadline White House. The results of having this autocrat group win is spelled out in detail. Great information to formulate questions to get them thinking.
And yet....when an Arizona couple were interviewed by a TV reporter and asked if democracy is on the line in the November election....they demured and said that was an overblown description of what Trump would do. In other words, his words were not sinking in.
I fear that people who are so ignorant of politics and history cannot be informed sufficiently at this late date to change their thinking and their voting behavior. We had to have started in high school at the latest.
Betsy, while many here will have different opinions, I believe our power lies in helping get out the vote. Helping to register voters now and closer to the election, helping get out the vote. How? Postcards to voters, phone calls, door knocking, and providing rides to the polls are very effective in motivating people to vote. And there are many organizations nationally helping coordinate such efforts including Indivisible and postcardstovoters.org.
One iof the best source for ideas about actions you can take is Jessica Craven’s Chop Wood, Carry Water newsletter here on Substack. I also subscribe to Hopium Chronicles, from Simon Rosenberg here on Substack. Rosenberg’s analysis of current political trends is anchored in facts/ statistics and includes big doses of hope and good news. It is worth every nickle but if you can’t afford it, you can still subscribe.
Some here will note that the mainstream media continues to treat Trump and the Republicans as if their actions are normal and this is just a horse race election like any other. I can’t argue with that. But few of us here are powerful enough by ourselves to change that narrative (though I believe we did a great job of telling NBC to rethink Ronna McDaniel’s hiring!). The power we do have is being active and helping get out the vote. Democrats need our actions, $$$ and full-throated, nonstop support. Let’s do this!!
My local Indivisible group is very active in sending GOTV postcards, so that's another way to get involved. In the past, it's just been urging people to register and vote, but they've now started endorsing specific candidates.
Learn all you can about Project 2025 and what Trump/Heritage Foundation have in store on Day 1. MAGA is a cult and these people need to be de-programed somehow. Just Vote Blue.
May voters in the coming presidential election reject the grifter purveying bibles that flout the separation of church and state so central to the thinking of the Founders of the nation and the Framers of the constitution. It is sacrilegious and profane to elevate the charlatan that is TFG to a quasi savior status.
We who are not Trump cult members can criticize those who see Trump as their savior, but it is easier to call them out here than to change their opinion. When he promises them that he will be their retribution, what do we offer them in return? If we're going to prevail in the elections in November, we must find ways to make clear to those who are not yet true believers what the dangers are in electing a wannabe dictator. What are our best strategies to show the undecided what the differences are between democracy and autocracy?
Propaganda has won the day with them, and the “both sides” agenda of MSM makes it hard for those who need to be told what is normal and what is “alternative facts” to wade through the mire. Sad that so many lost their moral compass as the cretins have made Schitt smell like roses. Power has become the only goal. Repub power is to rule over us. Dem power is to let us decide. Repubs squash voting. Dems expand voting. Enough said for me. BTW, the party switch from the civil war era messes with my mind every time.
I doubt Lincoln ever imagined Republicans hoisting Confederate flags, though he understood that democracy is fragile without consistent care. The fact that excessive, unaccountable power, and the "love" of power, tends to corrupt, is part of every chapter of history.
I have never understood the hubris required to think that one is so special they deserve to be in power and stay in power forever.
Power Play lyrics - From the Steppenwolf 1969 album Monster
What gives you the right hey you
To stand there and tell me what to do
Tell me who gave you the power
To stop me from livin' like I do
Remember if you plan to stay
Those who give can take away.
Don't bite the hand that feeds you
Just one time I'd like to be somewhere where
None of your clever lies fill the air
I'm tired of your frozen smile and voice of tin
Just might all gang up on you
Turn the knob and do you in
This never ending power play
'Tween Jealousy, greed and vicious hate
Is grinding us like giant millstones
But it can't be our only fate
It's time we got our heads together
And let 'em know that we're awake
Those in the dark, you know they're no longer blind
They're breakin' from your strangle hold on their minds
Those who can see don't need no one to cross the street
Be careful who you're pushin' round
They just might find you obsolete
Remember if you plan to stay
Those who give can take away.
Don't bite the hand that feeds you
My mother made it clear that I was no better than anyone else. Her greatest gift.
I love that Robbie.
One lesson I wish my parents had taught me was how to listen to others.
My high school composition teacher told us, "you never learn when you are talking." A subtle way of saying, "You need to listen."
In fact, that's what Obama told the hecklers the other night.
Kathy, otherwise it is the root of racism.
Gary, you raise an intriguing issue with the notion of someone's "hubris" if taken to mean "exaggerated pride or self-confidence." In the case of our former president we are most likely talking about someone with a fundamentally narcissistic character structure or disorder. Narcissism is an unconscious defense against the fear that one is quite the opposite, a failure, unworthy or incompetent as a human. To shore oneself up or protect one's self-image one resorts to exaggerated pride or self-confidence. Merriam-Webster added "English picked up both the concept of hubris and the term for that particular brand of cockiness from the ancient Greeks, who considered hubris a dangerous character flaw capable of provoking the wrath of the gods. In classical Greek tragedy, hubris was often a fatal shortcoming that brought about the fall of the tragic hero. Typically, overconfidence led the hero to attempt to overstep the boundaries of human limitations and assume a godlike status, and the gods inevitably humbled the offender with a sharp reminder of their mortality." One usually encounters hubris in those who have had previous success in whatever venue they have chosen, be it warfare, politics or business. Despite perhaps accumulating a bit more money from the millions he inherited, our former president went bankrupt 6 times and presided over the failure of the majority of his spin-off businesses. His exaggerated pride grew not from his previous successes but from a narcissistic character structure designed to defend himself against awareness of his failures as a human being.
Bless you on a spring day for “unpacking” (as a favorite philosophy professor used to say) hubris. As for TFG, he learned it from his KKK father. From the Greeks, other than the plays of Aristophanes, my favorite line remains “…the gods laughed.”
I thought hubris was supplanting (or trying to supplant) the gods' will with one's own. Oedipus' parents thinking they could outwit fate by having him raised by shepherds, that sort of thing. Trump, imho, is just a damaged egotist, not anyone with the stature to go against the gods he doesn't believe in. He's no Prometheus stealing fire from the gods, he's a pickpocket in the agora grubbing for spare change.
Well Said. Thanks for the deep dive into the subject that most do not understand, Critical Thinking verses Myopic / Binary thinking processes.
Thank you for the backstory on hubris. I'm not sure if I used it correctly after reading your comment, but I learned something.
So that's something.
The lyrics remind me of a recent conversation that respect doesn't have to be earned, but can be successfully forced on people. The fear and anger candidate has his followers hornswoggled.
Thank you, Patricia. Hornswoggled in my new word of the day!
Fear to me has NEVER meant respect. It does mean deference and obedience, but NOT respect.
Respect MUST be earned, so far as I think.
Gary, I don’t think that 45 thinks that he deserves to stay in power, he just wants to do so to stay out of prison. He knew that the cops were on his doorstep even without the insurrection—he’d broken the Emoluments clause of the Constitution from day one.
Trump broke the law so many times during his 4 years in office. No wonder he assumed he could get away with January 6th. He got away with everything else -- especially the emoluments clause.
Did you see that a judge ruled that Trump can be indicted criminally for Lafayette Square this past week? That's going to cost him and hopefully Bill Barr will be included in the indictment.
Listening now.
A different genre of music, but definitely poised to inspire a generation seeking to have freedoms restored — listen to the phenomenally talented Jon Batiste: Freedom, Be Who You Are, Drink Water, Don’t Stop, and much more!
Don't rap and hip hop do that? I have to admit I'm not very aware of current popular music or its messages, but I thought that rap at least calls out social injustice and has done for 30-something years. I'm pretty sure the female rappers and/or hip hoppers advocate women's rights. I'm also an old fogey and may well be talking out of my ass.
It may not be in her music, but Taylor Swift has wielded a ton of power in favor of Democracy with her encouragemnt to get all her fans to VOTE!!! 💙
BK, i love that era, but don’t forget punk rock in the 80s and 90s, NOFX, Bad Religon, Henry Rollins from Black Flag is, so many more. there is a strong Gen X connection to political punk and hardcore.
https://youtu.be/qI2luxT2Sic?si=3xt-VF_ed7JvVVIO
We're the same age BK, I grew up with all of those songs as well. Was too young to be politically active or recognize so much what was going on in Vietnam, but agreed that it needed to end.
Every chapter, and I was complacent. No one should be after the whipping we have had.
Hi Jeri! I too have trouble with the party switch. It gets me every time. Also this essay from the Professor is like reading today’s news, almost verbatim! Scary, scary 🫣
Does it ever, rich cretins have been chomping at the bit from the git go. I give credit for any success to our ancestors with a work ethic, except for Fredrich Drumpf
Wow, yeah, I had that feeling, too. So much similarity over the ages.
False Equivalency Doctrine
It confuses trumpers, too. One writer said how the democrats were racists, etc. I guess she didn't realize that the party names had switched. I didn't even comprehend it so it must be difficult for people with poor education.
Fox watchers are deliberately confused, but don't feel conflicted. Just drink the kool-aid
I finally figured out how to keep the party platform switch straight -- focus on the slaveholders, the pro-slavery, the racists -- they have always been the ones that held up progress and had to be 'bribed' into agreeing with many of the founding documents and much of any legislation in not just this country. If one side made a deal with the slaveholders, that deal was only good as long as the slaveholders got their way in everything else that came along. Case in point, when LBJ signed the Civil Rights legislation, he knew that he was losing the Southern 'Democrats', aka racists. Ditto for Mitch McConnell and his treatment of Obama.
Same cretins always, just have to tweak our vocabulary
I agree. It is very difficult to keep straight. I envy Heather Cox Richardson that she has such a rich understanding.
She sorts the rat's nest for all of us, now and then
Fits Trump to a T. Any decent person should be motivated to reject him after reading this. His sociopathy was obvious in the way he got people to pay for it by maxing out their credit cards.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/5-types-people-who-can-ruin-your-life/201803/are-you-the-target-sociopath-part-i-2
Betsy, In response to the crucial questions you raise, I believe we must take great effort to drive home what it would mean to lose our democracy and how our way of life would change. Trump already has stated he would enact the Insurrection Act on Day 1 of his presidency. He’s already spoken about rounding up his political enemies. Accordingly, we can’t relent in urging people, whatever their reasons for remaining complacent or uncommitted, to imagine what America would look like were the President to start moving the National Guard around to put down our voices, our right to dissent, perhaps indefinitely detaining us. This is not without precedent. Trump had wanted to criminalize protests around Black Lives Matter for the murder of George Floyd.
Expanding upon rights and freedoms that would be ripped away, as an example, I would advise we amplify that a court willing to overturn 50 years of settled precedent in Roe would do that with other fundamental protections, even those, like Roe, that over and over again had been reaffirmed.
Ultimately, we have 7 months to urge uncommitted or indifferent voters to listen to the things Trump says and the people he admires. No one should doubt that whatever freedoms we have in this country, whatever one likes about this country, dramatically would change were Trump to return to the White House.
Clearly, Trump is showing frequent signs of dementia. In 2016 and 2020 Psychiatrists and Neurologists hesitated to label TFFG's aberrant behaviors as mental disorders in 2016 and 2020. Not so much anymore.
https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-dementia-evidence-overwhelming-top-psychiatrist-1881247
And that's just one of dozens of articles from the MSM about TFFG's mental decline.
But that doesn't seem to affect his cult, they lap it up. There's something very wrong with a political system that allows someone so vile, dangerous and mentally unfit to be the only choice of one of its 2 political parties. There's too much money pouring in from dark money sources, too much power in Federalist Society hand picked justices, and too much equal treatment of the parties by the media. People are not being truthfully informed so they can't make an intelligent decision especially those who never were taught critical thinking, history or civics in school.
Well said, Dotty.
What makes me sad about the cult is that the collapse of American public schools after WWII left so many with no history and no civics courses. So called “Departments of Education” replaced the basic humanities and sciences courses with multiple choice testing and only math and science seem to have survived. Liberal arts colleges are decreasing every year. Time to wake up and learn history, arts, and foreign languages. Why do Ukrainians learn complex weapons systems so quickly? Think two languages and two alphabets behind most of them.
It truly is a sad state of affairs, starting with the fact that anti-intellectualism has been around a long time in this country. This of course has been weaponized by the r's who love to yammer on about "the elites." That they may have degrees from ivy league schools seems to not matter.
Liberal arts: there was a recent New Yorker article with an unfortunately click-baity title, something like "Are the Liberal Arts Getting Conservative." It was actually about how some schools have attempted to return to a more classical education. This sounded really promising, especially in the schools serving kids who are usually underserved. But this has been co-opted by conservatives who want to use their version of it to get rid of supposed liberal indoctrination. One politician said something about wanting kids to be able to make their own decisions without the government getting in the way. Said with zero irony, of course.
What truly scares me, after I agree 💯 with what you wrote there Dotty, is that MAGA is basically saying the same thing.
Thank the Roberts court
Hear Here!!
And we can make that political system work for us again, as the founders intended.We can elect a person who will throw off the corporate capture from our government , who will tell us the truth, and respectfully listen to both Democrats and Republicans.We have this exciting opportunity to elect RFKJR.
Even JFK Jr’s siblings have warned us not to vote for him. He is not like our past Kennedy leaders. He would not be good for America!!
Oh good grief, John, you've got to be kidding.
John,
I have been voting since 1970 and looking carefully at the actions of the people I have voted for. Politicians promise the world but rarely do even a very small bit of what they promised. Biden has achieved more progressive progress for all Americans than anyone since Johnson. RFKJR has none of Biden’s experience that gives him the ability to make real progress. Compare Sanders promises with Biden’s achievements. Look at who Biden has brought into his administration. Biden is the real deal!
RFK, Jr. is the anti science candidate. Just what we need. /s
Maybe he has been exposed to too much Wi-Fi and cell phone "waves".
This man is not a serious person, John.
https://www.politifact.com/article/2023/jul/10/rfk-jrs-wi-fi-claim-about-human-blood-brain-barrie/
John, I’m going to summarize some of Kennedy’s positions, and would love for you to tell us why you would support a candidate who espouses these positions.
Abortion: Kennedy’s views are unclear. He has voiced support for a 15 week ban, then backtracked that amid backlash. Calls every abortion a tragedy.
Antisemitism: has said that Covid is a bio weapon created by Ashkenazi Jews and the Chinese to target Caucasians and Black people.
Immigration: has backed Texas in its illegal quest to usurp federal power over the border.
Ukraine: has called the war in Ukraine unnecessary which should be settled by diplomacy and criticizes US support of Ukraine.
Vaccines: Kennedy has spouted the dangerous nonsense that vaccines cause autism. He doubts the efficacy of the measles vaccine. He spread misinformation about Covid vaccination.
Source for the above: https://www.reuters.com/world/us/rfk-jr-abortion-vaccines-housing-foreign-policy-2024-03-20/
Compulsive womanizing: Kennedy kept a diary rating the 37 women with whom he cheated on his wife in one year. His wife’s discovery of the diary contributed to her suicide.
For most of us here, any one of these stances is disqualifying. Together, they are damning. Kennedy is a liar, a cheat, a compulsive womanizer, an anti-vax nut job, a conspiracy theorist, and an anti-Semite. He is also the gravest threat to Biden’s candidacy, and a vote for him makes a second Trump term more possible. I do not think you will find many fellow travelers here, John, and I, for one, find your support of such a man as repulsive as if you were a Trump supporter.
John, surely you jest! RFKJR is a Kennedy in name only, and his entire family denounces him. His vaccine conspiracy theories, alone, disqualify him for office. Her has always been an entitled joke, and his father and JFK are spinning in their graves.
John Daigle, I've been thinking about your endorsement of RFK, Jr., and I have several questions for you:
1)Do you think that RFK, Jr. is likely to win the presidency?
2)If not, from whom do you think he will siphon the most votes?
3)Do you think that if Biden or Trump (or RFK, Jr.) wins, that will strengthen our democracy and bring us closer to "a more perfect union"?
4)Whom did you vote for in 2016 and 2020?
Hope this is sarcasm
Not kidding Dotty, guess I’ve drunk the koolaid, I’ve never before been so hopeful for a candidate.He is just a man , not Jesus. Happy Easter.
Then Trump has the gall to accuse President Biden of suffering from dementia. I think Trump is, and he’s out there encouraging dangerous political violence.
Heather’s statement that tfg can never stop being a victim is important to his cult status grabbed me. I’d never thought of it quite that clearly. I’d wondered why he, clearly no victim, wasn’t tired of whining 24/7 and why his followers weren’t worn out with it. Guess it’s obvious now that I know.
Many have eyes with which to see and yet they look not, many have ears with which to hear and yet they listen not. It is a choice which has its consequences if unheeded.
The article started out with professionals giving descriptions of Trump’s dementia. But then had a Trump spokesman saying Biden is demented and Trump is fine. Bollocks. Both-sides BS.
And yet, Trump supporters don't believe he will do that.
Susan, My call for concretizing what it would mean to lose our democracy is not meant for the MAGA cult. As stated in my comment, its intent is to impress upon complacent and uncommitted voters the rights and freedoms that would be ripped away were Trump to return to the White House. Additionally, I would note, in 2020, the largest bloc of voters were non-voters, whom I expect did not support Trump.
Excellent comments. I have shared to my social network.
Thank you, Dan.
Barbara, in listening to MAGA supporters, they believe themselves to be safe from being rounded up; they rejoice in the idea of the “elites” who regularly disparage them being locked up (especially uppity minorities and Feminazis).
Mary, Because my reply would be identical to the one I just posted to Susan, who is part of this thread, if I may, I would ask you refer to that response.
Done—great statement. Thank you for writing it.
Mary, Thank you for taking the time to read that reply. I believe all the exchanges and clarifications among us are key to helping each of us engage in ways that allow for increasingly meaningful results.
Where truth is now "created," as TFG does when he labels his posts on his social media platform "truths," changing MAGA minds will be difficult if not impossible. But working to get the vote out is not. Help register voters, help knock doors, help write postcards, letters to editor. In my state 9000 or more registered Democrats failed to vote.. We would have a very different government had they turned out. I believe those minds are reachable.
As I am reduced from marching to postcard writing, imaging them on refrigerators as reminders. They have been shown to be useful
Studies show that postcards can bring to the polls 1-4% of otherwise unlikely voters. That may not sound like a huge amount, but it is often enough to change the result of an election.
Cards also go to voters who have missed a vote. Reminders.
Edited to add commas.
If they have any humanities, Betsy, we could start there.
My guess is, however, that too many U.S. schools, in buckling under to the living dead of standardized testing, have left too many helplessly dehumanized, and thus prey to the demagogue. As they are prey to the billionaire social media predators, and their formulae for hate, divisiveness, group think.
Back in the 1950s I (a young student myself) recall reading a newspaper column by Sydney J Harris in which he described an approach to teaching that treated students a "inanimate sausage casings" to be stuffed with information. It was happening then and might (in some ways) be worse today. Children develop. They not all wired the same, nor share identical talents and interests; and that's a good thing since our diversity as a society vastly expands our horizons as a species, but the "easy way" is to try to stamp them out like machine parts. You don't force a tomato to grow (at least not the "organic" ones) you give them what they need to thrive, and that means knowing tomatoes.
I'm not dissing teachers here, I married one; but rather the politics of curricular design. We are doing something wrong when a large section of the populace thinks that they (and society) are healthier for getting sick than being vaccinated, just for example. We aren't just studying to pass tests, or even to just to survive on the job. We, especially in an increasingly complicated world, need a full complement of skills to navigate reality; like the tides and temperatures rising around us. Like how to disagree without killing each other. Like how to make government of the people, by the people, for the people run as a practical matter.
Advertising tries to control people, when what we need is to liberate and engage them. Where is there robust infrastructure for that? Democracy (like this site) is a conversation, or it's not really democracy.
Very well done.
Good to hear from you JLG! It's always to nice listen and have a "good Conversation."
Standardised testing is not the enemy. As a gifted child of a low-income home who had had irregular school attendance and indifferent grades, my good standardised test scores were the only thing that gave me the chance to escape poverty and participate in the world of higher education.
I remember taking the Iowa Basics tests in the 3rd - 6th grades and then the Stanford-Binet testing in high school. Although not required, we then took the PSAT, SAT and the ACT. None of my excellent.teachers taught to the tests, but I suspect the school district used these scores to separate each grade in our elementary school into what we called, "the smart class, the dumb class and the other class."
Our school district had one person of color the entire 13 years I was there unless you count the handful of Asians.
So was our school district racist? I imagine it was by design because people of color were likely prevented from purchasing homes or renting there.
The ugliest most hypocritical form of racism is segregation.
but you are the exception, not the rule.
Maybe you were a talented test taker, something many are not.
the result of over regulate and under fund conservative public policy on schools
Betsy, you ask the question that is in all of our minds. I have decide to forget trying to change minds and and focus on being visable and vocal
in promoting Biden. Wear a Biden shirt or button. Speak up when the opportunity presents itself. We need to let the "undecided" know there are more of us than what the news says.
Also, write to all the forms of media, newspapers, TV, and social media. Emphasize that they need to have reporters and not entertainers. They have to get beyond poll numbers and false equivalencies and explain the different future each candidate will create. They have to report about how bizarre it is to have a criminal conman rapist selling Bibles as a part of his attempt to raise money for his legal fees. The cancer of greed and racism has already metastasize through several branches of our government. The treatment is the injection of truth and justice.
I’m taking HCR’s advice here and “taking up oxygen “ as you and she suggest.The only difference is that down deep, we know Biden can’t restore democracy, RFKJR will.
The point is to RETAIN it, not restore it.
We know that neither Biden nor Trump (nor RFK, Jr., but this is not the place to explore how dangerous he and his theories are) nor any one individual can restore democracy. That is a task that we must all undertake together. At the same time, we know that Trump and the 2025 plan will destroy our democracy, so the path is clear. We need to vote Blue and encourage everyone we know to do the same.
RFK, Jr. has serious mental problems. Even his family sees it.
Idiota
I've got a Bernie button. Not sure if I have a Biden button. But wherever I go, my Biden/Harris bumper stickers are there.
Certainly those who are not pledged to the cult will make the difference here. I think there are points to be made by pointing to contrasts.
Indeed!
Good question, Betsy. Here's my answer. We need to use the campaign weapons we have been handed by the enemy.
In every election or referendum since the Deadly Dobbs Decision, those campaigning for Reproductive Rights have won. It is THE issue that will motivate voters of all ages. Dobbs is archaic and a form of totalitarianism. A form of government intervention in the private lives of families everywhere. It's a step too far. Add to that the White Supremacist Nationalist movement and we have a formula for victory. "Maga is telling you how many kids to have and how to worship!"
But there is much more.
If in chatting with others who are undecided, women's reproductive and health rights are not enough to convince them, pull out short recap of what Project 2025 will do to our health, freedom and the future of the Planet.
These are two powerful weapons. Let's use them and win!
Watch Friday's episode of Deadline White House. The results of having this autocrat group win is spelled out in detail. Great information to formulate questions to get them thinking.
And yet....when an Arizona couple were interviewed by a TV reporter and asked if democracy is on the line in the November election....they demured and said that was an overblown description of what Trump would do. In other words, his words were not sinking in.
Repetition is necessary. The FOX audience gave had poison repeatedly pumped into them. It will take lots of Repetition of truth for it to penetrate.
I fear that people who are so ignorant of politics and history cannot be informed sufficiently at this late date to change their thinking and their voting behavior. We had to have started in high school at the latest.
Betsy, while many here will have different opinions, I believe our power lies in helping get out the vote. Helping to register voters now and closer to the election, helping get out the vote. How? Postcards to voters, phone calls, door knocking, and providing rides to the polls are very effective in motivating people to vote. And there are many organizations nationally helping coordinate such efforts including Indivisible and postcardstovoters.org.
One iof the best source for ideas about actions you can take is Jessica Craven’s Chop Wood, Carry Water newsletter here on Substack. I also subscribe to Hopium Chronicles, from Simon Rosenberg here on Substack. Rosenberg’s analysis of current political trends is anchored in facts/ statistics and includes big doses of hope and good news. It is worth every nickle but if you can’t afford it, you can still subscribe.
Some here will note that the mainstream media continues to treat Trump and the Republicans as if their actions are normal and this is just a horse race election like any other. I can’t argue with that. But few of us here are powerful enough by ourselves to change that narrative (though I believe we did a great job of telling NBC to rethink Ronna McDaniel’s hiring!). The power we do have is being active and helping get out the vote. Democrats need our actions, $$$ and full-throated, nonstop support. Let’s do this!!
My local Indivisible group is very active in sending GOTV postcards, so that's another way to get involved. In the past, it's just been urging people to register and vote, but they've now started endorsing specific candidates.
Indivisible is great! Thank you for your GOTV efforts.
Learn all you can about Project 2025 and what Trump/Heritage Foundation have in store on Day 1. MAGA is a cult and these people need to be de-programed somehow. Just Vote Blue.