A remarkable time we are in, and Dr. Richardson, you report with such clarity. Biden is without doubt the leader for our times, and the tired, but dangerous republican rhetoric droning on in the sewers and stagnant backwaters of our national psyche are beyond the pale. Our new speaker of the house, I believe is particularly dangerous. He…
A remarkable time we are in, and Dr. Richardson, you report with such clarity. Biden is without doubt the leader for our times, and the tired, but dangerous republican rhetoric droning on in the sewers and stagnant backwaters of our national psyche are beyond the pale. Our new speaker of the house, I believe is particularly dangerous. He is very smooth, utterly arrogant and self righteous. He scares the crap out of me. Keep up the great work...we need you.
Barry Goldwater saw the danger of a Mike Johnson: “Mark my word, if and when these preachers get control ofthe (Republican) party, and they're sure trying to do so, it's going to be a terrible damn problem. Frankly, these people frighten me.
Politics and governing demand compromise. But these Christians believe they are acting in the name of God, so they can't and won't compromise. I know, I've tried to deal with them."
We need to only look to Hungary to see what “Christian” based facism looks like—and it scare the hell out of me.
Disagree. Sorry. "Li'll Mike" believes with all his heart that he is Christian and doing his god's work. Christianity (at least his brand of it) has gone off the rails. Jesus were he here in body today would disapprove greatly. And not for the first time. Don't blame this on Satanism. Look inward. Christianity has to come to grips with this utter warping of Christian values. I grew up in a Christian family with Christian values. This crap I see today from the likes of Johnson is Christianity gone mad.
I think of it more as Paulism, or perhaps Calvinism. They honestly believe they speak for God, but they think by worshiping Jesus they are doing what they should. I personally honestly think that Jesus didn't want to be worshiped, he wanted to be LISTENED TO.
Beautifully put! I concur. It's much easier to "worship" than to "go and do likewise," which is what Jesus' followers were ACTUALLY told to do. You know, help the people who can't do a darn thing for you! So inconvenient to be a true Christian ;-)
Bears no relation whatsoever to what Christ taught. For them to call themselves Christians, is an insult to Jesus & God. And to all thinking, caring humans beings on the planet. The are plain a simple, a fascist cult.
At some point, and I hope it is soon, Jesus will return to earth and file a huge defamation suit. He will
win of course. And all these holier than thou charlatans taking the lord’s name in vain will be sentenced to a very hot place for a very long time. Good riddance.
Jay, much as I agree with the rest of what you say, I question whether Johnson geniunely believes, whether he truly has faith, or whether instead his posturing is all a sham to obtain power. His actions, past and promised, demonstrate beyond question that he is emphatically not a Christian, regardless of his professed belief. Actions really do speak louder than words. He's nothing better than a whited sepulchre, a golden calf worshiper, or a brass gong. He is nothing, despite his professed faith.
1 Corinthians 13, King James Version
13 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.
2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.
3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.
Matthew 23:27, King James Version
27 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness.
And no, obviously he's not a Satanist, Louis - even Satan would deny Johnson and his ilk and it wouldn't take three tries, either.
A "christian"....err ahh.., like wtf.., Over..(?) Might as well be a 'bot'. So, let's take this picture which has 9 frames.., click on the ones showing a "Christian". Ooops., ERROR. Try again. Pretty hard to identify aren't they. Oh well.., being a D hydro driver, pilot, jet engine mechanic, GSX1100R rider, Ducati 996 (dry clutch) rider, 22yr vet, & a recent Grampa..., and human being. Works for me. As a fellow "human being" we just have to remember: Keep yerr guard up, and I sure agree.., DO NOT overlook "Li'll Mikey and the MAGA ilk.
Love you Louis! You are the Louis in Atlanta, right? Thanks for sanity. Please help get those rich Atlantans turned away from self-righteousness. Manifest destiny and American exceptionalism? No.
Separation of church and state as our founding fathers intended? YES.
Thank you. And if I have the wrong “Louis Giglio”, pardon me. I hope to God he and Andy Stanley are sharing the truth. So vitally important. Not in Atlanta any more. But if you are who I think you are, bravo! Thank you.
And if not?? Thank j you anyway.
Peace!
Carey Sipp
csipppaces@icloud.com. PACEs for science of positive and adverse childhood experiences - brain science we MUST share with people of faith - Sojourners, etc., as the brains of our infants and young children are being compromised by fetal alcohol exposure and the toxic stew created by the extreme stress caregivers are under. Keeps us weak, confused, vulnerable to addiction and incarceration; domestic violence and filling the school-to-prison pipeline that keeps the prison industrial complex packed; perpetuates the uniquely American form of enslavement of keeping young BIPOC men out of being able to be part of the solution.
Jen Andrews -- I must disagree with you. Barry Goldwater was a very intelligent, very decent man who also in a sense saved the country by convincing President Nixon to resign.
I really wonder if they are acting in the name of God. For one, I am reading that these so called Christian nationalists are complaining that Christ was too WOKE. If you do not want to follow Christ's teachings how can you be a Christian? Their God is a vengeful God, and as such they are vengeful as well as self righteous people. MAGA Mikey Johnson is a wolf in sheep's clothing. As such, he and the rest of his party are reminding me of the Soviet Union and its fascism. Having had my family cleaved in two when East Germany became a thing and then built a wall to trap their people in, I feel very cautious about the USA right now. I agree that Biden is a remarkable president, but with the media owned by the other party, it is hard to get the message out.
The CINOs, as JLGraham aptly named them yesterday, scare the crap out of most everyone. When I add the friends and families of the million people who died of COVID while tfg mismanaged it and made it political, the millions who watched Jan 6 live on tv, and the many millions whose lives have been improved by our hard working President Biden, Vice President Harris and the entire administration, I have to wonder why elected Democrats keep asking for money rather than talking to the media with a clear message as Dr Richardson does so well.
The media won’t give them the opportunity because of the need to ‘present both sides’ for ratings only. Competence and stability is boring; incompetence and chaos gets clicks and likes.
I don't see much presenting of both sides. I see pandering to the viewers who want orange faced entertainment and sound bites, not items that require thought like GDP, union agreements, job sector growth, and such. The heavy coverage of TFG isn't needed, he always whines about the same stuff, blames the same people, and tells the same lies. Why, he rarely even wears a different tie. But he sells news time.
We need more main stream media spending real air time on actual news , where it's coming from and who it affects.
Margaret Sullivan, once an ombudsman for the NYTimes and the WaPo, had a great piece this week in the Guardian criticizing the press for treating the upcoming election like the typical horse race and failing to call out the right.
In years long gone, every media outlet would have shouted the news that Trump is endorsing arrest of his opponents, deportation of Muslims, and other fantasies of a wannabe dictator.
I agree. The media wants to make news rather than report it. But could they ignore 50 Democratic veterans talking about the draft dodger presidential candidate? Click. Click.
Moron & Grifter Alliance = MAGA. America.., meaning The United States of America, has never ceased to be "great". To combine the the adjective and adverb (again) as the Moron Hisself did, re: MAGA, clearly illustrated his illness, distinct "delusions of grandeur", and the plague being suffered by most members of the new Republican Party. Ahh yes.., now comes Li'll Mikey. Alas, perhaps a religious zealot, he surely just suffers from humanitis.., e.g: A 'human being' whose thinking is fertilized by genetics and the environment one continues to evolve within. Keep yerrr guard up folks.
I am amazed too that the potential (likelihood?) of a government shutdown gets so little time in the news! How long ago was this THE big story? Now, anything else on MSM.
An aside about Johnson's Repubs strategy: In order for their god/phoenix to rise out of the ashes, all must first burn down. Democrats are insufficiently doing so, thus they take on the odious task of bringing America to ashes out of the goodness of their hearts.
Yes! The new Speaker is dangerous, but fortunately for democracy, he is quickly proving incompetent. Like Trump. Why have Republicans got so extreme? Because they have no ideas to offer, and they know they are losing.
The new "Speaker" has a Jan. 6th flag outside his office? Proof that this is not a fascist worshipping at the maggot throne of the fg, but a domestic terrorist. Separation of church and state? G-d help us.
I disagree Johnson is proving incompetent. I believe his objective is to monkey-wrench the government by shutting down the House’s ability to legislate. McCarthy did not deliver on the “defund the government” agenda. Mike is doing it by running out the clock on legislating. When you are convinced of the imminent Rapture, your job is to burn down the House. The other gop have no spine to stand up against him, because they will be doxxed and their lives will be threatened. Classic Mob Tactics. Buckle Up. We are about to experience The Demon Drop.
I agree with your points entirely, most especially the first sentence. Heather’s split screen image was especially evocative today - one more example of how vividly she nails the big picture and then fills in the details.
It feels like we are moving towards some titanic struggle in a year’s time - the forces of good against the very misguided, but constantly threatening right. They are taking advantage of a geographical / political quirk - the capture of small state America. There is a yearning there for a better, more stable past. A slower moving time. Towns where everybody knew each other and all pitched in to help anyone in a crisis.
The problem is that they are not entirely wrong, as much as we would like them to be. The power of the United States rose to massive prominence in the aftermath of World War II as the richest, most militarily dominant power extant. President Eisenhower wisely did not tamper with what the Democrats had built under (mostly) Roosevelt. And for tens of millions of predominantly white Americans, small town America and the big cities co-existed mostly peacefully.
Naturally there were terrible things going on which we choose, in our longing for stability, to cast into the background. Nobody knew how the nuclear bomb problem would play out. Treatment of Blacks was better than 30 years previous, but still wretched and shameful. Conformity was seen as the summa cum laude of American life, and many potentially amazing Americans were stifled because of its reach.
Then life began to speed up, slowly at first and then with the advent of the computer and social media, all in a rush. The abolition of the Fairness in Media doctrine in 1987 remains one the great underrated calamities in American life. Unions were pummeled into submission. Illicit drugs grabbed a stranglehold on an astonishing number of Americans (and Canadians!). Suicides rose and we entered the era of Deaths of Despair. Life has become a whirlwind and one often feels like a mere leaf in it.
Through this time, large cities have remained blue. They are home to innovators and early adopters. Some of their innovations have been terrible in that they have gouged the soul, the spiritual, the essence out of life. I’m looking at you AI and you, social media and you, the gig economy.
But there is a plaintive call to slow down and not discard the old values in smaller centers and rural areas. There is the yearning for America to go back to white and Christian domination, as if they hold the keys to social order and public virtue. There is a much deeper rebellion against growing solitude in America. People don’t really want self-serve cashiers. They order from Amazon, but feel uneasy that they have lost something irreplaceable in brick and mortar. They want all babies to be born (just like in the old days, they think.
And under Trump their uneasiness and sense of a loss of personal autonomy has been given shape. It’s weird and illogical to us and especially surprising when it flipped over into open rebellion and anger.
And now he’s back, we think. Although I’m not so sure he’ll make it to the finish line. Supporters recognize the totality of his failed Presidency. They are uneasily aware of his crime compulsion. But they stick to him because of two things: 1) in the first place he *recognized* them, a massive political accomplishment. And secondly he plays on their fears and nostalgia like fiddle.
We will not defeat Trump by appealing to the better nature of MAGA. These people don’t want to hear criticisms of his hate-filled “policies” - they have adopted them, because Trump made sense to them.
And the biggest problem is that there are way more states of this ilk than there are New Yorks and Calififornias. The Republicans automatically have a 3-4 point advantage in the Electoral College (and thus in electing the President) because Utah = California in voting power.
Worse still each state (50, no less!) has a legislature that more or less mimics that in Washington. Here Republicans dominate and they are constantly churning out crazier, more belligène and deeply in democratic schemes. Keeping up with them is like non-stop Whac-a-Mole. On Tuesday the Democrats decisively won an election. By Friday, the response has been such that we are now thinking, maybe not so much.
This is the fight of America’s life. There will be tens of millions of Trump voters if he stays out of prison and captures the nomination. A sliver of them are ugly, hateful plotters who have wet dreams about white, Christian nationalist government. Behind them are the 98% you wouldn’t mind having as neighbors - if you never talked politics. Good people going down a frightening path.
I still believe good will triumph. Trump has gone to the well of his charisma too often. He is desperate and thus projects more and more laughably dystopian canvases of your great country. And he is whiny.
And Biden’s accomplishments are going to begin to resonate as they stick - just as the ACA has. (Please ditch the too cute by half term “Bidenomics” though)
When they get to the abyss, which for all practical purposes is Election 2024, Americans will pause. I believe they will reject nihilism and democracy will thereafter begin to thrive again. The table is being set.
As Churchill said, “Americans always do the right thing - but not before exploring all possible alternatives.
Ignore the polls - they are mere venting devices. But take the opposition seriously. Most of them are people who have thought long and hard about the frenzies of the last 50-60 years. The 1950s are calling them - and I don’t mean that in the least derisively. We must project a better alternative.
There is a dangerous sadness, which has mutated in
The wealthy who earned their big bucks during the Industrial Age, in the days before an income tax, or voting rights for women, long to return to those times. They honestly believe they are the only ones who should be deciding what's good for the country and business, etc.
Even the early industrialist Andrew Carnegie, who was one of the few who started out as a regular guy when he was born to a working class family in Scotland, and believed that he was on the side of his workers, came to believe that he was entitled to rule with the other wealthy industrialists and the workers should be happy for whatever he wanted to give them.
This attitude is still their driving force. They are allowed to pour millions into twisting people's viewpoints, and they've gotten really good at it.
We are in for the battle of our lives. Even if Trump loses, they aren't going to change the view they've had for over 100 years.
Totally agree about the wealthy putting up a fight. They are in a slightly different category now though than those who remember the Golden Age of the 1946-1965 period. The robber barons of the 19th century - Rockefeller, Carnegie Leland Stanford, et al, took advantage of new “tech” - railroads, oil, Western land to such an extent that they were finally reined in by the Antitrust Act of the early 20th century. During and after the Depression, their highest marginal tax rate roe steadily, poking its nose over 90% by 1959.
Today’s billionaire class made their money largely on Wall Street and new tech (again). But there was no high tax rate for them. Under Reagan’s espousal of trickle down theory, they have made out like bandits, paying much less in tax and learning the art of sheltering their money.
The vast majority of Trump supporters have been immiserated by today’s robber barons. Yet both groups put their trust in Trump, the larger one for no good reason, the smaller obscenely wealthy group do so because they know Trump will protect them. But even a few of the wealthy are starting to have second thoughts, recognizing the probability that Trump is likely to drive the United States over the cliff.
As you said, “We’re in the battle of our lives”. You’ll get no argument from me on that score.
Thank you, Eric, for such a well-reasoned, fact-based response. You give this retired lawyer hope for the 2024 elections.
Your knowledge of American history applied to the breathless changes encountered in the last four decades provides a clear perspective of our current battle against Trump’s dystopian views - combined with the White/Christian ideology - versus our desires for a robust, inclusive democracy.
Your response helps me understand the deep chasm between me and my white Christian siblings who apparently feel disenfranchised by the “others”. Perhaps their longing to return to the halcyon days of the 50’s motivates their discontent - the void the radical “Christian” right is all to eager to fill.
Having total ignorance of the “Fairness in Media Doctrine” of 1987, your reference to it motivates further investigation.
Until Citizens United is overturned, I remain fearful that corporations and the 1%
will continue to control our government. That, combined with the evangelical movement, makes it even more challenging for equitable, rational policies and values to prevail.
Thanks, again, for your encouraging, enlightening response. I hope you continue to spread your wisdom far and wide. We are going to need it!
Just to save you some time - up until 1987, the regulatory arm of the US government for media, the FTC, mandated that all networks had to present BOTH sides of an issue equally and fairly, given the radio listener or tv viewer the opportunity to make up her mind in an unpoisoned environment. Reagan cancelled this in his second term. This left media outlets the opportunity to take political positions (and make money doing so). It was not long before we got Rush Limbaugh, Glen Beck, Fox News, Breitbart News and hundreds of other outlets who present the Right side of every issue with with scant, if any, regard for truth. Of course there are left wing media outlets as well. By and large, they have not been as rabid and angry as the Right. But they too spin their stories.
The results have been devastating - a huge increase in polarization, an increase in hatred for “the other”, disbelief in any sources than the one a person chooses, and an increase in radicalization by media companies who see that hate sells.
It is difficult now to find a “middle” position in political thinking. Dismantling the concept of Fairness in Media is one of Reagan’s most devastating legacies.
I appreciate learning about the "Fairness in media Doctrine", Eric. I never knew this part of history. Again, your salient views are honored very much by me, Eric. 🙏
Precisely correct; thank you Eric. And Florence is no less correct in identifying the other necessary target that 'must' go - Citizen's United. Those are my targets.
Good point. I don’t know if that should be more on my radar. My feeling was that the Citizen’s United ruling had, as a major effect, pushed many American politicians to go the small donor route as a way to fight back. That’s probably a terrible take.
The influence of money on elections is pernicious. I’d love to see Washington finance federal elections and each state finance state elections. No other money. Give each party a sum of money and set up rules for how they allot it. When the election is over, they could be audited appropriately, and lose part of the allotment in the next election if they can be proven to have spent beyond the limit.
As the richest country in the world, America could afford
to do that.
It’s probably a terrible idea, one that could be swatted away by a single informed commenter. But currently the amount of money in politics is obscene and the non-stop mass solicitations make my skin crawl.
"Life has become a whirlwind and one often feels like a mere leaf in it." This a beautiful line Eric, which you echo in your final sentence, "There is a dangerous sadness, which has mutated in...". I'd love to hear the rest of that thought.
“There is a dangerous sadness, which has mutated into a sullen, shared anger. That was Trump’s magic. He empowered the powerless to kick their self-loathing to the curb and turn it outward on others.”
Wow ! Color me gobsmacked ! Eric, you have serious admirable skills. Not only do you know what I have known, you've put it all in a nutshell - then doubled down putting it to prose ! Set it to music, and here we have an anthem. Much admiration ~
Thank you so much for taking the time to write this warm comment. I almost feel I should check to see if I’m the ‘Eric’ you are referring to. :)
I had 2 or 3 people sign up for my Substack, Cancel the American Dream, in the last couple of days. But you only receive an email address when your notified, not the person’s handle. So I’m not sure if you were one of the signups.
The Substack covers America from a critical perspective in the era 1950 to the present. There are about a hundred posts and it is completed now. You might like the *long* version of my my history and overarching thesis.
Right now I’m writing at longer intervals and when I do, commenting on current events.
Do you write a Substack? When I looked you up, it seemed as if you were about to start, but I possibly misinterpreted.
Thank you again. Your words are a wonderful tonic to start my Sunday.
Interesting points you make, Eric. Trump may “have gone to the well of his charisma too often”, but that has only ever been part of the bigger plan: to implode America. Mob Tactics keep the 98% of his supporters who “ you would not mind having as your neighbors...” very quiet, as they whisper prayers for it all not to turn out too badly for themselves, when the “Rapture” comes. Meanwhile the Big Boys are playing an actual game of World Domination. Come November 17th, as Mike Johnson allows the CR to run out and the Government to shut down, The Markets tank, the Military Positions left vacant because of his partner-in-crime, Tuberville’s extremist righteousness, create a National Security failure ala Bibi Netanyahu, as China invades Taiwan. Putin continues to hammer Ukraine, whose been abandoned by us. And Iran continues to fund and mechanize in the Middle East. And we sit in the lead up to the most consequential election in our lifetimes, receiving information from inept media sources algorithmically following the ad dollars. Biden’s accomplishments? Page 15, under the fold.
This is a biting and chilling summary, touching on many things I didn’t think of at the time of writing my piece.
Your piece is deeply pessimistic but has the ring of possible actuality. I am perhaps a shade more optimistic - I think Biden is doing salutary work in mitigating the worst of the threats. I think that betting on the outcome would be a mug’s game - too many moving pieces. Like the startups in the tech world, new faces keep popping up in the geopolitical world to “move fast and break things”.
Thank you, Eric. You've stated this extremely well. I've had the same outlook for many months.
As a boy and young adult, I was fascinated with the American Civil War. I very often today think that America is, in essence, in 1863 and the Confederates don't yet get that they have already begun losing the war. They will fight on, as will we, but the outcome is most likely now predetermined. By 2025 or 2026, I believe an attempted overthrow of American government, and other powerful and critical institutions, will have been thwarted. (A serious health event for Biden is the one huge joker in the deck, IMO.)
I also really support your perspective on this: the longing for simpler times, more personal connection, safer streets, far more stability in the world around us, etc. are huge drivers of what's happening now. Unconsciously, tens of millions want to bring those elements back, and MAGA tapped deeply into that longing (& offered up people to blame).
Unfortunately, progressives and liberals are in a difficult spot in fulfilling the above need. We tend to embrace new things with open minds, and some of them – like social media – have turned out to be disastrous on multiple levels. So has our "open mindedness" re: life-destroying and community-destroying addictive drugs.
IMO, a classical liberal path will be needed fairly soon, with much more compromising and respectfulness. Two responsible parties will be essential But first, the reactionary revolutionaries must be defeated for good. They are good people, by-and-large, who let themselves get propagandized. But nonetheless their movement is an enormous national threat.
Your final paragraph really hit home with me. America needs exactly the remedies you suggest. The threat, however, is huge. Even though it’s a year away I can already feel the fear I’ll experience next November. If America turns its back on democracy, my country (Canada) will be up against the wall.
Heather, you left out the media! It is striking that they join hands with MAGAs in dumbing down the voter. The sad fact is it works because there are millions of people who vote for candidates for their looks. They have to have hair and vigor. Experience, smarts and wisdom come in second place. But journalists are in a place to lead these voters to a higher plane. To get voters to understand the amazing progress our country has made under Biden. They instead are cynically aiding and abetting those who want to destroy our democracy.
They are determining the value of the stories based on what's going to get them reactions, ratings, clicks.
Reality TV, shock jocks, and Jerry Springer-type shows has made Americans so addicted to being entertained by outrage and drama that they're unknowingly choosing to determine what kinds of "news" we are going to get.
Jim Wright at Stonekettle is fond of saying "If you want a better country, be a better citizen", but it's really pretty true.
A remarkable time we are in, and Dr. Richardson, you report with such clarity. Biden is without doubt the leader for our times, and the tired, but dangerous republican rhetoric droning on in the sewers and stagnant backwaters of our national psyche are beyond the pale. Our new speaker of the house, I believe is particularly dangerous. He is very smooth, utterly arrogant and self righteous. He scares the crap out of me. Keep up the great work...we need you.
Barry Goldwater saw the danger of a Mike Johnson: “Mark my word, if and when these preachers get control ofthe (Republican) party, and they're sure trying to do so, it's going to be a terrible damn problem. Frankly, these people frighten me.
Politics and governing demand compromise. But these Christians believe they are acting in the name of God, so they can't and won't compromise. I know, I've tried to deal with them."
We need to only look to Hungary to see what “Christian” based facism looks like—and it scare the hell out of me.
I’m a Christian! Li’ll Mikey and his ilk are satanists!
Disagree. Sorry. "Li'll Mike" believes with all his heart that he is Christian and doing his god's work. Christianity (at least his brand of it) has gone off the rails. Jesus were he here in body today would disapprove greatly. And not for the first time. Don't blame this on Satanism. Look inward. Christianity has to come to grips with this utter warping of Christian values. I grew up in a Christian family with Christian values. This crap I see today from the likes of Johnson is Christianity gone mad.
I think of it more as Paulism, or perhaps Calvinism. They honestly believe they speak for God, but they think by worshiping Jesus they are doing what they should. I personally honestly think that Jesus didn't want to be worshiped, he wanted to be LISTENED TO.
Beautifully put! I concur. It's much easier to "worship" than to "go and do likewise," which is what Jesus' followers were ACTUALLY told to do. You know, help the people who can't do a darn thing for you! So inconvenient to be a true Christian ;-)
Bears no relation whatsoever to what Christ taught. For them to call themselves Christians, is an insult to Jesus & God. And to all thinking, caring humans beings on the planet. The are plain a simple, a fascist cult.
At some point, and I hope it is soon, Jesus will return to earth and file a huge defamation suit. He will
win of course. And all these holier than thou charlatans taking the lord’s name in vain will be sentenced to a very hot place for a very long time. Good riddance.
"Greedy money changers"?
Jay, much as I agree with the rest of what you say, I question whether Johnson geniunely believes, whether he truly has faith, or whether instead his posturing is all a sham to obtain power. His actions, past and promised, demonstrate beyond question that he is emphatically not a Christian, regardless of his professed belief. Actions really do speak louder than words. He's nothing better than a whited sepulchre, a golden calf worshiper, or a brass gong. He is nothing, despite his professed faith.
1 Corinthians 13, King James Version
13 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.
2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.
3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.
Matthew 23:27, King James Version
27 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness.
And no, obviously he's not a Satanist, Louis - even Satan would deny Johnson and his ilk and it wouldn't take three tries, either.
If it's not what Christ taught and practiced, it's not Christianity even if they call it that.
Johnson is a wolf in wolf’s clothing.
I disagree on his clothes, but yes.
https://yadontknow.blogspot.com/2023/11/sheeps-clothing.html
Wolves are superior animals; Johnson is an inferior animal.,,, one that should be termed "an abortion".
A "christian"....err ahh.., like wtf.., Over..(?) Might as well be a 'bot'. So, let's take this picture which has 9 frames.., click on the ones showing a "Christian". Ooops., ERROR. Try again. Pretty hard to identify aren't they. Oh well.., being a D hydro driver, pilot, jet engine mechanic, GSX1100R rider, Ducati 996 (dry clutch) rider, 22yr vet, & a recent Grampa..., and human being. Works for me. As a fellow "human being" we just have to remember: Keep yerr guard up, and I sure agree.., DO NOT overlook "Li'll Mikey and the MAGA ilk.
He’s a Christianist - a political, extreme Christian.
Love you Louis! You are the Louis in Atlanta, right? Thanks for sanity. Please help get those rich Atlantans turned away from self-righteousness. Manifest destiny and American exceptionalism? No.
Separation of church and state as our founding fathers intended? YES.
Thank you. And if I have the wrong “Louis Giglio”, pardon me. I hope to God he and Andy Stanley are sharing the truth. So vitally important. Not in Atlanta any more. But if you are who I think you are, bravo! Thank you.
And if not?? Thank j you anyway.
Peace!
Carey Sipp
csipppaces@icloud.com. PACEs for science of positive and adverse childhood experiences - brain science we MUST share with people of faith - Sojourners, etc., as the brains of our infants and young children are being compromised by fetal alcohol exposure and the toxic stew created by the extreme stress caregivers are under. Keeps us weak, confused, vulnerable to addiction and incarceration; domestic violence and filling the school-to-prison pipeline that keeps the prison industrial complex packed; perpetuates the uniquely American form of enslavement of keeping young BIPOC men out of being able to be part of the solution.
Peace and let’s talk.
It’s a sermon for sure! ❤️🦋❤️
Barry was right.
Maybe the only intelligent thing Goldwater ever said.
Jen Andrews -- I must disagree with you. Barry Goldwater was a very intelligent, very decent man who also in a sense saved the country by convincing President Nixon to resign.
Not an expert, but seems to me religion is one of Satan’s best snares.
Such "Christians" do not believe in God; they believe God believes in them.
I really wonder if they are acting in the name of God. For one, I am reading that these so called Christian nationalists are complaining that Christ was too WOKE. If you do not want to follow Christ's teachings how can you be a Christian? Their God is a vengeful God, and as such they are vengeful as well as self righteous people. MAGA Mikey Johnson is a wolf in sheep's clothing. As such, he and the rest of his party are reminding me of the Soviet Union and its fascism. Having had my family cleaved in two when East Germany became a thing and then built a wall to trap their people in, I feel very cautious about the USA right now. I agree that Biden is a remarkable president, but with the media owned by the other party, it is hard to get the message out.
Yeh.. 'you' know it!.
The CINOs, as JLGraham aptly named them yesterday, scare the crap out of most everyone. When I add the friends and families of the million people who died of COVID while tfg mismanaged it and made it political, the millions who watched Jan 6 live on tv, and the many millions whose lives have been improved by our hard working President Biden, Vice President Harris and the entire administration, I have to wonder why elected Democrats keep asking for money rather than talking to the media with a clear message as Dr Richardson does so well.
The media won’t give them the opportunity because of the need to ‘present both sides’ for ratings only. Competence and stability is boring; incompetence and chaos gets clicks and likes.
I don't see much presenting of both sides. I see pandering to the viewers who want orange faced entertainment and sound bites, not items that require thought like GDP, union agreements, job sector growth, and such. The heavy coverage of TFG isn't needed, he always whines about the same stuff, blames the same people, and tells the same lies. Why, he rarely even wears a different tie. But he sells news time.
We need more main stream media spending real air time on actual news , where it's coming from and who it affects.
They don't present both sides, they don't give any analysis as they do not research any longer and they let lies, hate, conspiracy be doubled down on.
Margaret Sullivan, once an ombudsman for the NYTimes and the WaPo, had a great piece this week in the Guardian criticizing the press for treating the upcoming election like the typical horse race and failing to call out the right.
In years long gone, every media outlet would have shouted the news that Trump is endorsing arrest of his opponents, deportation of Muslims, and other fantasies of a wannabe dictator.
Yes!
I agree. The media wants to make news rather than report it. But could they ignore 50 Democratic veterans talking about the draft dodger presidential candidate? Click. Click.
Moron & Grifter Alliance = MAGA. America.., meaning The United States of America, has never ceased to be "great". To combine the the adjective and adverb (again) as the Moron Hisself did, re: MAGA, clearly illustrated his illness, distinct "delusions of grandeur", and the plague being suffered by most members of the new Republican Party. Ahh yes.., now comes Li'll Mikey. Alas, perhaps a religious zealot, he surely just suffers from humanitis.., e.g: A 'human being' whose thinking is fertilized by genetics and the environment one continues to evolve within. Keep yerrr guard up folks.
This is the best and most accurate explanation of MAGA I've seen!
I am amazed too that the potential (likelihood?) of a government shutdown gets so little time in the news! How long ago was this THE big story? Now, anything else on MSM.
An aside about Johnson's Repubs strategy: In order for their god/phoenix to rise out of the ashes, all must first burn down. Democrats are insufficiently doing so, thus they take on the odious task of bringing America to ashes out of the goodness of their hearts.
Touche' ... Well said
Yes! The new Speaker is dangerous, but fortunately for democracy, he is quickly proving incompetent. Like Trump. Why have Republicans got so extreme? Because they have no ideas to offer, and they know they are losing.
Well, they are losing the logical argument, but where they can cheat, they don't hesitate.
Because they are swamped with extreme Evangelical types, who want to remake "America" "in their own image"
The new "Speaker" has a Jan. 6th flag outside his office? Proof that this is not a fascist worshipping at the maggot throne of the fg, but a domestic terrorist. Separation of church and state? G-d help us.
But his Christo-Fascism will convince him he is too righteous, and he will not extend the debt limit or craft a passable budget.
I disagree Johnson is proving incompetent. I believe his objective is to monkey-wrench the government by shutting down the House’s ability to legislate. McCarthy did not deliver on the “defund the government” agenda. Mike is doing it by running out the clock on legislating. When you are convinced of the imminent Rapture, your job is to burn down the House. The other gop have no spine to stand up against him, because they will be doxxed and their lives will be threatened. Classic Mob Tactics. Buckle Up. We are about to experience The Demon Drop.
MLRGRMI: Yes--He is extremely competent at achieving his goals . . .
I agree with your points entirely, most especially the first sentence. Heather’s split screen image was especially evocative today - one more example of how vividly she nails the big picture and then fills in the details.
It feels like we are moving towards some titanic struggle in a year’s time - the forces of good against the very misguided, but constantly threatening right. They are taking advantage of a geographical / political quirk - the capture of small state America. There is a yearning there for a better, more stable past. A slower moving time. Towns where everybody knew each other and all pitched in to help anyone in a crisis.
The problem is that they are not entirely wrong, as much as we would like them to be. The power of the United States rose to massive prominence in the aftermath of World War II as the richest, most militarily dominant power extant. President Eisenhower wisely did not tamper with what the Democrats had built under (mostly) Roosevelt. And for tens of millions of predominantly white Americans, small town America and the big cities co-existed mostly peacefully.
Naturally there were terrible things going on which we choose, in our longing for stability, to cast into the background. Nobody knew how the nuclear bomb problem would play out. Treatment of Blacks was better than 30 years previous, but still wretched and shameful. Conformity was seen as the summa cum laude of American life, and many potentially amazing Americans were stifled because of its reach.
Then life began to speed up, slowly at first and then with the advent of the computer and social media, all in a rush. The abolition of the Fairness in Media doctrine in 1987 remains one the great underrated calamities in American life. Unions were pummeled into submission. Illicit drugs grabbed a stranglehold on an astonishing number of Americans (and Canadians!). Suicides rose and we entered the era of Deaths of Despair. Life has become a whirlwind and one often feels like a mere leaf in it.
Through this time, large cities have remained blue. They are home to innovators and early adopters. Some of their innovations have been terrible in that they have gouged the soul, the spiritual, the essence out of life. I’m looking at you AI and you, social media and you, the gig economy.
But there is a plaintive call to slow down and not discard the old values in smaller centers and rural areas. There is the yearning for America to go back to white and Christian domination, as if they hold the keys to social order and public virtue. There is a much deeper rebellion against growing solitude in America. People don’t really want self-serve cashiers. They order from Amazon, but feel uneasy that they have lost something irreplaceable in brick and mortar. They want all babies to be born (just like in the old days, they think.
And under Trump their uneasiness and sense of a loss of personal autonomy has been given shape. It’s weird and illogical to us and especially surprising when it flipped over into open rebellion and anger.
And now he’s back, we think. Although I’m not so sure he’ll make it to the finish line. Supporters recognize the totality of his failed Presidency. They are uneasily aware of his crime compulsion. But they stick to him because of two things: 1) in the first place he *recognized* them, a massive political accomplishment. And secondly he plays on their fears and nostalgia like fiddle.
We will not defeat Trump by appealing to the better nature of MAGA. These people don’t want to hear criticisms of his hate-filled “policies” - they have adopted them, because Trump made sense to them.
And the biggest problem is that there are way more states of this ilk than there are New Yorks and Calififornias. The Republicans automatically have a 3-4 point advantage in the Electoral College (and thus in electing the President) because Utah = California in voting power.
Worse still each state (50, no less!) has a legislature that more or less mimics that in Washington. Here Republicans dominate and they are constantly churning out crazier, more belligène and deeply in democratic schemes. Keeping up with them is like non-stop Whac-a-Mole. On Tuesday the Democrats decisively won an election. By Friday, the response has been such that we are now thinking, maybe not so much.
This is the fight of America’s life. There will be tens of millions of Trump voters if he stays out of prison and captures the nomination. A sliver of them are ugly, hateful plotters who have wet dreams about white, Christian nationalist government. Behind them are the 98% you wouldn’t mind having as neighbors - if you never talked politics. Good people going down a frightening path.
I still believe good will triumph. Trump has gone to the well of his charisma too often. He is desperate and thus projects more and more laughably dystopian canvases of your great country. And he is whiny.
And Biden’s accomplishments are going to begin to resonate as they stick - just as the ACA has. (Please ditch the too cute by half term “Bidenomics” though)
When they get to the abyss, which for all practical purposes is Election 2024, Americans will pause. I believe they will reject nihilism and democracy will thereafter begin to thrive again. The table is being set.
As Churchill said, “Americans always do the right thing - but not before exploring all possible alternatives.
Ignore the polls - they are mere venting devices. But take the opposition seriously. Most of them are people who have thought long and hard about the frenzies of the last 50-60 years. The 1950s are calling them - and I don’t mean that in the least derisively. We must project a better alternative.
There is a dangerous sadness, which has mutated in
The wealthy who earned their big bucks during the Industrial Age, in the days before an income tax, or voting rights for women, long to return to those times. They honestly believe they are the only ones who should be deciding what's good for the country and business, etc.
Even the early industrialist Andrew Carnegie, who was one of the few who started out as a regular guy when he was born to a working class family in Scotland, and believed that he was on the side of his workers, came to believe that he was entitled to rule with the other wealthy industrialists and the workers should be happy for whatever he wanted to give them.
This attitude is still their driving force. They are allowed to pour millions into twisting people's viewpoints, and they've gotten really good at it.
We are in for the battle of our lives. Even if Trump loses, they aren't going to change the view they've had for over 100 years.
Totally agree about the wealthy putting up a fight. They are in a slightly different category now though than those who remember the Golden Age of the 1946-1965 period. The robber barons of the 19th century - Rockefeller, Carnegie Leland Stanford, et al, took advantage of new “tech” - railroads, oil, Western land to such an extent that they were finally reined in by the Antitrust Act of the early 20th century. During and after the Depression, their highest marginal tax rate roe steadily, poking its nose over 90% by 1959.
Today’s billionaire class made their money largely on Wall Street and new tech (again). But there was no high tax rate for them. Under Reagan’s espousal of trickle down theory, they have made out like bandits, paying much less in tax and learning the art of sheltering their money.
The vast majority of Trump supporters have been immiserated by today’s robber barons. Yet both groups put their trust in Trump, the larger one for no good reason, the smaller obscenely wealthy group do so because they know Trump will protect them. But even a few of the wealthy are starting to have second thoughts, recognizing the probability that Trump is likely to drive the United States over the cliff.
As you said, “We’re in the battle of our lives”. You’ll get no argument from me on that score.
Eric: Thanks for, "immiserated"! Perfect!
Thank you, Eric, for such a well-reasoned, fact-based response. You give this retired lawyer hope for the 2024 elections.
Your knowledge of American history applied to the breathless changes encountered in the last four decades provides a clear perspective of our current battle against Trump’s dystopian views - combined with the White/Christian ideology - versus our desires for a robust, inclusive democracy.
Your response helps me understand the deep chasm between me and my white Christian siblings who apparently feel disenfranchised by the “others”. Perhaps their longing to return to the halcyon days of the 50’s motivates their discontent - the void the radical “Christian” right is all to eager to fill.
Having total ignorance of the “Fairness in Media Doctrine” of 1987, your reference to it motivates further investigation.
Until Citizens United is overturned, I remain fearful that corporations and the 1%
will continue to control our government. That, combined with the evangelical movement, makes it even more challenging for equitable, rational policies and values to prevail.
Thanks, again, for your encouraging, enlightening response. I hope you continue to spread your wisdom far and wide. We are going to need it!
Just to save you some time - up until 1987, the regulatory arm of the US government for media, the FTC, mandated that all networks had to present BOTH sides of an issue equally and fairly, given the radio listener or tv viewer the opportunity to make up her mind in an unpoisoned environment. Reagan cancelled this in his second term. This left media outlets the opportunity to take political positions (and make money doing so). It was not long before we got Rush Limbaugh, Glen Beck, Fox News, Breitbart News and hundreds of other outlets who present the Right side of every issue with with scant, if any, regard for truth. Of course there are left wing media outlets as well. By and large, they have not been as rabid and angry as the Right. But they too spin their stories.
The results have been devastating - a huge increase in polarization, an increase in hatred for “the other”, disbelief in any sources than the one a person chooses, and an increase in radicalization by media companies who see that hate sells.
It is difficult now to find a “middle” position in political thinking. Dismantling the concept of Fairness in Media is one of Reagan’s most devastating legacies.
I appreciate learning about the "Fairness in media Doctrine", Eric. I never knew this part of history. Again, your salient views are honored very much by me, Eric. 🙏
Precisely correct; thank you Eric. And Florence is no less correct in identifying the other necessary target that 'must' go - Citizen's United. Those are my targets.
Good point. I don’t know if that should be more on my radar. My feeling was that the Citizen’s United ruling had, as a major effect, pushed many American politicians to go the small donor route as a way to fight back. That’s probably a terrible take.
The influence of money on elections is pernicious. I’d love to see Washington finance federal elections and each state finance state elections. No other money. Give each party a sum of money and set up rules for how they allot it. When the election is over, they could be audited appropriately, and lose part of the allotment in the next election if they can be proven to have spent beyond the limit.
As the richest country in the world, America could afford
to do that.
It’s probably a terrible idea, one that could be swatted away by a single informed commenter. But currently the amount of money in politics is obscene and the non-stop mass solicitations make my skin crawl.
I’d like to be more educated on this topic.
Very well said! You know your history!
"Life has become a whirlwind and one often feels like a mere leaf in it." This a beautiful line Eric, which you echo in your final sentence, "There is a dangerous sadness, which has mutated in...". I'd love to hear the rest of that thought.
How did I not finish that?
“There is a dangerous sadness, which has mutated into a sullen, shared anger. That was Trump’s magic. He empowered the powerless to kick their self-loathing to the curb and turn it outward on others.”
Very much like the path of the incels.
Wow ! Color me gobsmacked ! Eric, you have serious admirable skills. Not only do you know what I have known, you've put it all in a nutshell - then doubled down putting it to prose ! Set it to music, and here we have an anthem. Much admiration ~
Thank you so much for taking the time to write this warm comment. I almost feel I should check to see if I’m the ‘Eric’ you are referring to. :)
I had 2 or 3 people sign up for my Substack, Cancel the American Dream, in the last couple of days. But you only receive an email address when your notified, not the person’s handle. So I’m not sure if you were one of the signups.
The Substack covers America from a critical perspective in the era 1950 to the present. There are about a hundred posts and it is completed now. You might like the *long* version of my my history and overarching thesis.
Right now I’m writing at longer intervals and when I do, commenting on current events.
Do you write a Substack? When I looked you up, it seemed as if you were about to start, but I possibly misinterpreted.
Thank you again. Your words are a wonderful tonic to start my Sunday.
Thank you!
Interesting points you make, Eric. Trump may “have gone to the well of his charisma too often”, but that has only ever been part of the bigger plan: to implode America. Mob Tactics keep the 98% of his supporters who “ you would not mind having as your neighbors...” very quiet, as they whisper prayers for it all not to turn out too badly for themselves, when the “Rapture” comes. Meanwhile the Big Boys are playing an actual game of World Domination. Come November 17th, as Mike Johnson allows the CR to run out and the Government to shut down, The Markets tank, the Military Positions left vacant because of his partner-in-crime, Tuberville’s extremist righteousness, create a National Security failure ala Bibi Netanyahu, as China invades Taiwan. Putin continues to hammer Ukraine, whose been abandoned by us. And Iran continues to fund and mechanize in the Middle East. And we sit in the lead up to the most consequential election in our lifetimes, receiving information from inept media sources algorithmically following the ad dollars. Biden’s accomplishments? Page 15, under the fold.
This is a biting and chilling summary, touching on many things I didn’t think of at the time of writing my piece.
Your piece is deeply pessimistic but has the ring of possible actuality. I am perhaps a shade more optimistic - I think Biden is doing salutary work in mitigating the worst of the threats. I think that betting on the outcome would be a mug’s game - too many moving pieces. Like the startups in the tech world, new faces keep popping up in the geopolitical world to “move fast and break things”.
Scary.
Not enough people are aware of Biden's accomplishments.
Thank you, Eric. You've stated this extremely well. I've had the same outlook for many months.
As a boy and young adult, I was fascinated with the American Civil War. I very often today think that America is, in essence, in 1863 and the Confederates don't yet get that they have already begun losing the war. They will fight on, as will we, but the outcome is most likely now predetermined. By 2025 or 2026, I believe an attempted overthrow of American government, and other powerful and critical institutions, will have been thwarted. (A serious health event for Biden is the one huge joker in the deck, IMO.)
I also really support your perspective on this: the longing for simpler times, more personal connection, safer streets, far more stability in the world around us, etc. are huge drivers of what's happening now. Unconsciously, tens of millions want to bring those elements back, and MAGA tapped deeply into that longing (& offered up people to blame).
Unfortunately, progressives and liberals are in a difficult spot in fulfilling the above need. We tend to embrace new things with open minds, and some of them – like social media – have turned out to be disastrous on multiple levels. So has our "open mindedness" re: life-destroying and community-destroying addictive drugs.
IMO, a classical liberal path will be needed fairly soon, with much more compromising and respectfulness. Two responsible parties will be essential But first, the reactionary revolutionaries must be defeated for good. They are good people, by-and-large, who let themselves get propagandized. But nonetheless their movement is an enormous national threat.
Your final paragraph really hit home with me. America needs exactly the remedies you suggest. The threat, however, is huge. Even though it’s a year away I can already feel the fear I’ll experience next November. If America turns its back on democracy, my country (Canada) will be up against the wall.
Nailed it, again, Eric! Plus: "belligène"!
So very well written! Many thanks.
Heather, you left out the media! It is striking that they join hands with MAGAs in dumbing down the voter. The sad fact is it works because there are millions of people who vote for candidates for their looks. They have to have hair and vigor. Experience, smarts and wisdom come in second place. But journalists are in a place to lead these voters to a higher plane. To get voters to understand the amazing progress our country has made under Biden. They instead are cynically aiding and abetting those who want to destroy our democracy.
They are determining the value of the stories based on what's going to get them reactions, ratings, clicks.
Reality TV, shock jocks, and Jerry Springer-type shows has made Americans so addicted to being entertained by outrage and drama that they're unknowingly choosing to determine what kinds of "news" we are going to get.
Jim Wright at Stonekettle is fond of saying "If you want a better country, be a better citizen", but it's really pretty true.
I'm not sure how we accomplish that.
The professor perfectly portrays the essence of the fight for the nation’s future. The Biden campaign should use it as a template for 2024.
As for Mike Johnson, didn’t he have a leading role in “The Handmaid’s Tale”?
Amen!