Headlines this morning said that “Congress” is in crisis. But that construction obscures the true story: the Republicans are in crisis, and they are taking the country down with them.
Trump giving the Republicans whiplash by stepping to the left of them? I'm getting some popcorn.
Meanwhile, I hope the Democrats are honing their messaging blades for the moment when government services stop and people stop getting paid. Why aren't we in full attack mode?
It’s a show they are all putting on, and it has historical precedent. Make a country ungovernable then welcome a strongman saviour who promises to resolve differences with ‘reasonable’ policies. Then shut down or sideline democratic institutions because they are ‘stuck’.
Remember that throughout human history, democracy, in all its various forms, has been the exception, not the rule - an exception that flourishes before descending into factionalism, stasis, chaos - to be replaced by oligarchs or strongmen.
Is our generation in Europe and the USA going to lose our democracies? How can we make them stronger? How can we resist the factionalism, stasis and chaos that are the conditions for strongmen to take power?
Complaining about extremists isn’t good enough anymore. Biden knows his history and his political instincts are impeccable, but only when democratically-inclined conservatives put democracy first and organise against the saboteurs on their own side can democracy thrive. We on the left can make it easier for them by being open to their timid overtures.
Likewise governments more generally must throw their might against the disinformation cyber war being waged against democracy and truth by the illiberal forces of autocrats and oligarchs.
"Is our generation in Europe and the USA going to lose our democracies? How can we make them stronger? How can we resist the factionalism, stasis and chaos that are the conditions for strongmen to take power?"
1. Make sure kids get to the library once per week for a new book (any book, it does not matter).
2. Teach them to stay off social media, for the most part, thereby avoiding spending large amounts of time on the truly trivial.
3. Avoid pounding any dogma of any type into the minds of young people (political, religious, doctrinaire, etc.).
4. Teach young people to understand others are different and to learn what those differences are and value them rather than minimize them.
5. Teach young people that "superior" means you have suspended your brain. Teach them that equivalent but different is the norm.
6. Don't spend any time trying to scare a child into believing he or she might go to hell. That is the dumbest pony trick I have ever been exposed to.
7. Do teach them not to judge. Perfection does not exist. Superiority does not exist. Treat differences with respect.
8. DO teach them that there are 7 Billion people on the planet. All of them are of equal "value", that is, nearly zero. A species value is inverse its population.
My kids, for the most part, do most of the above with normal human glitches. Which, I kindly point out.
Then? I get the "OK, Dad, we already KNOW that".
Yep, my kids point out my own failings too, like, if I happen to refer to tRUMP with one of my more vile nicknames. Then? I get "Daaaaad!. That's SO gross".
Your “suggestions” are impressive, and it’s good to hear that you have communicated them to you family in a way that they take them for granted and can tease you about them.
But you are probably in a good town or city and your kids go to good schools, and you are living a prosperous life that you, and probably our wife, has worked hard to create.
The problem is how do WE get these kinds of caring messages into the families in the middle of Ohio that is struggling financially, has schools with hollowed libraries, goes to an evangelical church, and watches Fox News?
The chaos in Congress, and the possible return of Trump is making their lives more difficult and threatening their future much more than it threatens yours (ours, as I am not much different except I’m dealing with my grandchildren).
Can American idealism penetrate into Florida or Texas or are they lost to corrupt, racist, fascist governments, and are unredeemable?
I don’t live in any of those places. My town and state are at the opposite end. We are getting rid of plastics, moving rapidly toward renewable energy, preparing for the sea to rise, trying and failing to equalize education for all, and even putting up billboards in Florida and Texas inviting LBGTQ folks to move here.
How do we get messages across the great divide? M.T. Greene is telling those states to succeed. I hope Lauren Boebert is on birth control and is making it easy for her constituents to get it.
Oldandintheway Absolutely! I do think about people in those states who have been groomed to accept misogyny, racism, homophobia, xenophobia. How is there any hope for them? And the “minority” populations in Blue states? Having done some training for human services staff about how stress overload affects health and cognitive function, I am too well aware of how our policies, politics and funding have damaged and trapped millions in powerlessness and learned helplessness. Is there any way out? Perhaps the most obvious remedy is for everyone to have a job, a home, an education, healthcare and a vote? Is this really too much to ask?
If we all had those things, how would we tell who was special and deserving and worthy, and who wasn't? We can't possibly do away with our caste markers!
"how do WE get these kinds of caring messages into the families in the middle of Ohio that is struggling financially, has schools with hollowed libraries, goes to an evangelical church, and watches Fox News?"
I guess that I think those folks are in charge of packing their own suitcase.
If they head out with an empty suitcase, well, what is a body to do?
By all means, follow Mike’s suggestions. But the crisis demands that we focus on the here and now, as sanity is oozing out all over. Dems need a battle plan, smart and well-funded. The Lincoln Project on steroids. Repubs had the know-how before the kooks took over. Can we turn it around post-haste, before our next generation is lost in the morass…
The reason kids are hooked on social media is because they live in a trivial world socially. It is a viscous cycle that is set and tough to break.
Personally, I think it is because due to the availability of 'grown up' issues and problems in the world and of the planet, they don't have time to just be kids.
Is there such a thing as a democratically-inclined conservative? "The modern conservative is engaged in one of the oldest exercises in moral philosophy, that is, that is the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness." John Kenneth Galbraith Selfishness is simply greed. My mama taught it was terrible to be selfish and not share. Would I want someone to share with me?
Galbraith was an economist, not a political scientist. He was talking about fiscal policy - and there, the conservatives are indeed usually selfish.
To answer your question - yes, there are democratically-inclined conservatives. Two US politicians from that tradition have been hounded in the Republican Party, but held firm to their principles (Elizabeth Cheney and Mitt Romney). I also invite you to read Rory Stewart’s article in The Atlantic. Think also of Angela Merkel and her mentor, Helmut Koch.
Republicans and Tories have been taken over by a far-right populist cancer, but conservatives who value democracy still exist. We must encourage them.
"The modern conservative is engaged in one of the oldest exercises in moral philosophy, that is, that is the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness."
THE best description of a Ronald Reagan "conservative" I have met!
Love this Galbraith quote. Posted it a lot before I got banned on FB and “X.” “Conservative” has been corrupted, twisted, and is now meaningless. Just a word to legitimize greed. JKG said it best.
According to many historians, the last progressive Republican Senator was George W. Norris (NE-R). He ushered through the legislation for the TVA and the REA. He also led the fight to switch NE from a bi-cameral to a unicameral legislature. He worked closely with FDR on the social programs introduced in the 1930's. The conservative Republicans in the Senate wouldn't support his legislation and so he became an Independent in the 1940's and NE voted him out for doing so. He's perhaps the most influential politician to come out of Nebraska.
You're so right about history having supported autocratic governance, it has been the rule and democratic governance a recent exception. We all cry for "freedom' and wonder how autocratic regimes manage, but just check out the Chinese, Russians etc and you get some idea. It pays well to remember that in America only about 1/2 of voters actually "vote" in presidential elections except when the clarion calls have stirred maybe another 15% to turn out. Political parties indulge routinely in "disinformation" these days since that often seems to work, that's one hell of a "moral backbone". 2024 is going to be something, I'm sure. My bet is on the Democrats!
We agree, Frank. My take on most revolutions is that they don't change much....often exchanging one set of autocrats for another set of autocrats. Somehow the wealthy manage to stay in charge and actual democracy is hard work. We have a set of ideals in this country which we have failed in many ways to bring about, but it does give us a goal. The current R party of death has given us plenty of reasons to get out the vote, actually vote, and vote D.
Agreed, although democratic rule is not a recent exception - it’s a very ancient exception. Its demise always follows the same pattern, however - factionalism, stasis, chaos.
For sure, but democratic rule was practiced in a very limited way among the Greeks. Our school book praise of Athenian democracy is more illusory than real, given autocracy has largely been the name of the game through history. Ancient and not so ancient writers were generally down on it, noting features such as you mention. People like Edward Gibbon presumed that civilizations were intended to serve and maintain wealth-based self-interested autocracies, as the only foundation for stability. It was only following the American revolution that the idea and gradual practice of broadly based democracies arose, and has had an uncertain history ever since. It is a complicated story indeed. Social revolution or dysfunctional democracies have often led to dictatorial, one-party regimes. Thus much of the world lives today.
I wasn’t thinking of the Athenians, although they invented the word. Many other places and political units have had democratic governments before the American revolution - government by and for the people- of some description at some point, the better known in Europe being several Italian cities between the 12th and 15th centuries and Swiss Landsgemeinde.
By the way, I certainly wouldn’t call the American revolution a democratic one since it was meant to preserve wealth and oligarchy, including through the practice of widescale slavery and ethnic cleansing. The remarkable aspect of the American system is that oligarchic rule became steadily more democratic without changing the core constitution, through the means of amendments that widened the political and legal definition of ‘the people’. But that’s part of what keeps the American democracy fragile - its core constitution is oligarchic and riveted to its time. The old colonists got rid of the king, but retained the 18th century ‘enlightened’ aristocratic privileges. Arguably, the Electoral College and gerrymandered constituencies keeps the system from being a fully-fledged democracy, as there is no generalized system of ‘one citizen one vote’ in the US.
Thanks Annis, your history is more rounded out than mine, don't my general remarks hold though? Dynasties, aristocracies, empires, ruled the larger polities, right? Ive heard that about the early American revolution, ethnic cleansing though was as much from below as above (I gather you're talking about colonial expansion and expropriation of native lands), and weren't there debates about the moral underpinnings of slavery, though because of slaveholding interests the issue was postponed, while states were encouraged to divest themselves of slaveholding, albeit gradually for those which did and often slaves were subsequently sold into the southern slave plantation states?
The responsible media need to stop saying “Congress did not do xyz” “Congress failed to do xyz” and call it like is: The Republicans or GOP are the ones failing America.
The simple fact is: "The enemy is inside the gates." We need to recognize this virulent cancer for what it is: these MAGA/KKK Republicans are in fact enemies of the state. What they are doing is the equivalent of the shot fired on Ft. Sumter. It is an attack on the Union, meant to do great harm to the republic.
This is akin to DC Stephenson, as portrayed in the book you recommended Richard. Fever In The Heartland. My car buddy used to say, "you can't polish a turd" when referring to something unfixable. In no way can you pretty it up. This applies applies to republicans of all stripes. Either love the destruction, or leave it in your past. Tipping points are real!
Carl Sagan said: "The most complicated thing in the known universe is the human brain." Perhaps it is that we shouldn't be surprised that some of those now in Congress are Fascists who would favor bringing down the U.S. government for reasons perhaps only known to them. We humans are not purely rational creatures. Pres. G.W. Bush was right on 3/31/2001 at the White House Correspondents' Dinner when he said: "You can fool some of the people all of the time, and those are the ones you want to concentrate on." Those in Congress who would shut down the government got there because some of the people get fooled all of the time.
I'm referring to what's usually called the mainstream media. Dr. Richardson's amazing research and comprehensive assessment of what's going on is a given at the top of the list of responsible media. No need to be snarky, Ed. I'm pretty sure you knew exactly what I meant.
Considering how much the "GOP" bellows about "tax and spend", I'm inclined to wonder about what all the spending buys? A cure for disease? A bridge over troubled waters? A public haven away from pavement? Or Troops called to the border for an election stunt? The ugly, ineffective, and ecologically disastrous Great Wall of Trump? Benghazi and other lengthy and very costly hearings that produce no more than theater? Hobby wars? Tax cuts and subsidies for the wealthiest? Bonuses for bankrupted banks? Some bills are worth every penny and others a ripoff. we need to say more about the difference.
The taxing and spending the Republicans castigate the Dems with is spending to fix all the things Republicans broke during their administrations when they pushed through tax cuts for the morbidly rich and corporations, while continuing to spend on things like weapons systems, etc. Voting for a Republican for president is tantamount to voting for a recession.
JL, the voters must stop electing these sc*mbags. Real leaders don’t waste our hard-earned money. Spending tax dollars “wisely” for the benefit of many, is the goal of democracy. Not throwing precious resources into some bottomless pit of nonsense and hatred.
One small problem with that, Elizabeth: Voters will continue to elect these s*****gs as long as the voters themselves remain irresponsible. Multiple issues stand out here, including a large majority of Republican voters that remain willfully ignorant. Root causes need to be addressed.
Yes, at what point might the "vindictive vandalism", committed by the creepiest of our GOP Reps and other elected officials apparently desirous of converting our country into a Fascist backwater, constitute treason? I mean, could they be investigated by the DOJ and arrested for treason based on their public statements and likely backroom conspiracies? Is there a legal case to be made consistent with the Constitution as written and interpreted by the SCOTUS?
I fear not, and it thus seems to me we as a nation are in very dangerous waters, largely unforeseen until quite recently, because our Constitution does not provide specific remedies for the various abuses of power that the GOP feels obliged to rely on (because they cannot win national elections fair and square).
It seems we may be forced to choose between voting our way out of this situation (only a DEM landslide would suffice) or preparing to fight fire with fire.
I'm worried the Democratic Party as an institution has not yet come to this conclusion, nor has Joe Biden (bless his earnest and patriotic soul). As we all know, civil wars happen, often because nobody takes the possibility seriously until it is too late to avoid bloodshed.
Should we be in full attack mode? Or.. hear me out... should we take time to possibly look to do things differently?
Democrats, Republicans... what about Americans? How are we individually and our communities? I don’t know if voting in presidential elections helps our communities grow which is why I think we need to take a step back and look locally:
IRS agents , Gary Shipley & Kevin Breuninger are in full "attack & distract" mode against the President's son. Hunter Biden did not "attack". Hunter simply filed a civil lawsuit against the appropriate Defendant, the IRS, in the appropriate venue: Case No: 1:23-cv-027 seeking appropriate damages for each & every violation. Federal Lawsuits require early & extensive discovery disclosures.
I think we also need to ask tough questions as well. One of the best philosophical questions I’ve come across is: how would we know if we, the people, were under attack by those in power?
Would we be able to tell? Or would we be under the propaganda?
Lastly, there’s the component of a spiritual and psychological attack. Religions call them demons or archons, Jung calls it the shadow -- is there a force bent on destroying humanity that we need to make ourselves familiar with?
Donald Trump said that he is “the apple of Putin’s eye”. Putin’s pocket is where our corrupt politicians are.
I truly believe it was the 2016 election that was rigged not 2020. Trump never has been honestly elected anything. Now the smear of his reviling court will be on us forever. Joe Biden is a Great man and will go down in history as one of the Best world leaders ever.
I think that ultimately we need to look way more deeply into human nature, especially in terms of why it is that so many people, for many centuries, have supported their own oppressors? Why is "Liberty and Justice for All" such an uphill battle, and fragile even when progress is made? There is a lot of psychology there that we might have more purchase on of we understood it better.
That said, who benefits and who suffers as a result of specific policies is always one of the most important questions. I'd like to see a triage done across the board to evaluate how much each feature of law and policy conforms to government of, by and for the people, rather than some wealthy political patron(s) buying favor.
J L Graham I always find much to ponder in your posts!
Some thoughts about today: have we been exposed to too many TV and movie “heroes?” And we believe someone will “save us?”
I’m reading “American Crusade” and am aghast about the actual long-term planning that has been focused on turning our country into a Christian Nationalist nation. Throughout history men have used religion to justify their actions, accrue power and money and then to defend themselves as god’s chosen, to lead and judge the masses. That seems to be a common thread these days.
Do you really need to "bogart " some else's substack to further an audience to your own? I think there are many references to how to get traffic to your page on the Support pages of Substack. I don't think continously linking in "comments" is one of them
Franklin, the syntax of your phrase "under the propaganda" does not make much sense. I don't think the issue is a "philosophical question". I see you have made a 3rd successive comment.
My husband and I were discussing this again this morning. The subject has been well investigated , it’s the why of anger so obvious in our society . The CEO pay vs the laborer is the perfect example. That gap has widened at breakneck speed in the last 40-50 years.
We have ALL done better -relative terms . Having come from no electric or indoor plumbing to today , the stat is more than half the worlds poverty is gone. But the gap of thems that have and thems that don’t is a commonly known spread, the rich have gained 300% + over what us ground levels have. We’re the paycheck to paycheck people and qualifiers for every assistance program (which btw ‘ the thems’ want to eradicate) which year to year is siphoned off bit by bit.
What does increase are the monies needed from rainy day/emergency funds . IE It costs more to treat the sick from emergency visits than insure them through adequate medical coverage.
Greed has taken the front row causative.
It’s human nature at its worst.
Who are those ‘thems’?
They’re the ones (including their puppets) pointing the fingers of blame, screaming foul, and making a scene.
The others ones are too busy working solutions and helping .
If us has any blame to bear it’s that voter participation factor. 40-50% voting population..HELLO!!!!
As Simon says😉...”if you don’t take the shot you won’t score at all” .
Right now Anthony Blinken is being interview on CBS this Morning. He was asked how can we give more money to Ukraine when Zelensky just fired his top 6 military leaders for corruption.Blinken said that “Z is doing what he can seeing something isn’t working”....
I think the same way...
💙💙VOTE OUT ALL THE COMPLICIT! THE RABLE ROUSING DO NOTHING CONGRESS and their PUPPETEERS💙💙
( this includes those continuing the ‘rigged and stolen barkers’ - governors/lawyers/politicians/attorney generals/judges/school board/board members/think tanks)
For sure, voting local is essential. This was the first thing I taught my children by taking them to the voting booth in strollers for the seemingly most obscure local elections. We must vote in all elections. The franchise is not to be taken lightly. Ever. I appreciate the points you make in this article and wish you'd mentioned Marianne Williamson's presidential campaign as a foil to the corruption you enumerate. I am not saying she is our savior. I am saying she addresses these concerns in an intelligent, thoughtful way. And yet she is ridiculed and canceled by establishment Democrats. This is a problem.
I really don't care about your argument. This is the system we have! If we don't vote, you can be sure of a facist takeover, so NO! We MUST Vote and Vote Blue or lose your rights as a person of color, immigrants, women, LBGTQ people and even poor people! Don't be a fool!!!
I think West has some things to say we should listen to. RFK will be responsible for the suffering and deaths of Americans who believe his fantasies.
I love the idea of a third or fourth party or person to vote for - but only if we had national Ranked Choice Voting.
Under the current system, if one does not vote, or does not vote for Biden, one is embracing, endorsing, supporting, believing in and literally voting for Trump. Period.
Sadly, that's exactly true! We Must Vote these fascists OUT or suffer a radical change in what America was founded on. Equality and Freedom! Little by little, both of those things are being taken away. If you don't see this, you're not paying attention!
Voting at the State level gives States Gerrtmandered jigsaw puzzle districts designed by the current minority to keep them in power, obliterating the general will of the voters
In Michigan voters rallied to mitigate gerrymandering and won. In the next election both houses of Congress flipped to Democrats after 40 years of GOP Gerrymandered rule
Michigan is the exception. Texas, Wisconsin, Florida are the rule
Contesting does not change the current political landscape. Removing gerrymandering on a national requires the will of fair minded Congressmen
Yes, Dave! A friend of mine here in Michigan helped to write our anti-gerrymandering ballot proposal that passed with flying colors, and we should not be the exception, but the "Indepent Commission" Rule! Here's how we did it:
The R's and the R Governor refused to allow an Independent Commission. Whether we'll be able to win over a few R's is the question. Getting a Dem Gov. is really important. I think Cinde Warmington would be great.
I watched that clip. I think he was in “Professional “ mode. Conveying the facts of the case. I also think the journalist was playing, trying to play, the game of “make a stumble, I’ll get an exclusive if I can trip you up.”
I think Jefferys did a good job of avoiding that trap.
Thanks for the laugh Jerry. I know a lot of people want us to get even, even maybe just be appropriately aggressive back. It’s struggle ad infinitum and right now a lot of chaos as this is the MO of MAGA.
For sure plenty to do. But what we don’t hear enough of is the people behind the scenes plodding away ‘at getting things done’.
DrDebra Turner (Women’s league of Voters) shows the push to get people registered . I’m sure you know the past stats. But more impressive is a prevailing character of ALL people being able to express their opinion, get heard, all religions, all colors, all parties.
We spend so much time on the bad news, yup ‘it sells the morning paper Jimmy Brown’...
people are so tuned into the bad news they’re missing the good. They’re defeating their dreams in apathy, and complacency.
No doubt the job ahead , Jerry.
Someone once said at least I gave them a smile in such a tirade midst one day. Take a deep breath folks, stay the course, listen to some good music, encourage another vote or registration.
Our President is doing a ‘helluva job’. Let’s have his back. Let’s make him even better, us better.
Amy Walters on PBS last night was eloquent, but decent , accurate, and concise . There’s a ramrod crowd out there , the circus ( or worse) we’ve labeled them. Will we rise above, get more improvements done , learn the lesson and extend a hand to a forgotten middle class ( or poorer). It won’t take or be anybody but us getting that done.
“Headlines this morning said that “Congress” is in crisis. But that construction obscures the true story: the Republicans are in crisis, and they are taking the country down with them.”
Sorry, I disagree Dr. Richardson, it is “we the people” that are in a crisis. We the people have not formed a perfect union. And we need to help understand and guide or Republican friends from this.
It could be Trump going to jail or it could be a more sane Republican nominee, but we need to stop this narcissistic leader.
I can’t and won’t get caught up on the news about Kevin’s coming woes or the foibles of a junior member in a theater when we should be grateful for the leadership and diplomacy that deserves the oxygen.
Biden’s team has done well for us. I think the talks with members of the PRC will result in a cogent response to the Ukraine situation if nothing else. Xi does not and cannot be on the losing side of this conflict and he knows it. While I don’t think some of the other issues will get addressed, finding a path forward with China relative to it is good diplomacy.
The release of hostages is another important milestone. Yes 6B seems to be “unlocked” in this “deal” but as HCR points out, the headline misses the details. I expect that will be lost on the right-wing media of course…
Between all those little victories, sadly, the administration’s successes are going to be ignored as everyone wants to know about Hunter. Don’t expect any minority reports about “evidence” to last long in the right-wing media subterfuge: those voices will get drowned-out or eliminated. It’s their way.
I am and will continue to be aghast that the Right has chosen to try to take down a senior Senator, now president, who has given more years of his life than I have enjoyed life by trying to paint him as some cheap-suit grifter. Such disrespect for a clear statesman. It really is despicable.🤨
Who owns the media? Who owns the Washington Post? Who owns the Wall Street Journal? Who owns the New York Times? These are not independent news organizations any longer...
Never. And I don't know if the current crop of Beltway Propagandists from Pundlandia will be targeted. Real reporters, yes. They will be. But I'm starting to view each Tweet/article/substack/cable/network talking head venue as them auditioning to be the new Joseph Goebbels (whom they would affectionately dub "JoGo".)
The disrespect for a true Statesman accompanies the bizarre fragmented Republican governance on the eve of a probable default.
Federal Agencies can only count on real money and this situation means programs are already suspended, contracts on hold and development frozen. Now even if there is a miracle and the various conditions for budget reconciliation are met it’s obvious of government stumbling and impending disaster for the next year.
Those arrogant red state Republicans had better pray for mild hurricanes for the rest of the year. An unfounded FEMA could make the Katrina fiasco a fond memory.
"…extremist Representative Lauren Boebert (R-CO) was kicked out of a kid-friendly Beetlejuice concert…."
Voters and political parties need to take a lesson from Denver's Buell Theatre. When self-important people violate established norms and their behavior disregards the rights of the public, you remove such people so that they cannot continue inflicting their abuse. You remove them regardless of their job title, their political connectedness, or their political party membership.
Buell theatre employees deserve the standing ovation for their performance.
When is the population at large going to say, wait a second — we are in grave danger of losing democracy and all of its benefits. Heather powerfully drives home this reality once again today. She's helped us stay well-informed about the threat, but as large as her audience is the masses seem woefully clueless.
Tom Nichols of The Atlantic tackles the issue in his newsletter today, headlined "Americans Are Sleepwalking Through a National Emergency." His opening paragraph is sobering: "The United States of America is facing a threat from a sometimes violent cult while a nuclear armed power wages war on the border of our closest allies. And yet, many Americans sleepwalk as if they are living in normal times instead of in an ongoing crisis."
He concludes by noting that daily life can proceed without everyone walking around in a state of panic. "But we don’t have to live this way, either, with voters and institutions—and especially the media—pretending that all is well while charlatans, aspiring theocrats, and would-be authoritarians set fire to American democracy."
The Authors of ‘How Democracies Die’ Overestimated the Republicans
Because that volume was prescient about how Donald Trump would try to rule, I was surprised to learn, in Levitsky and Ziblatt’s new book, “Tyranny of the Minority,” that they were shocked by Jan. 6. Though they’ve studied violent insurrections all over the world, they write in this new book, “we never imagined we’d see them here. Nor did we ever imagine that one of America’s two major parties would turn away from democracy in the 21st century.”
What astonished them the most, Levitsky told me in an interview last week, “was the speed and the degree to which the Republican Party Trumpized.” In “How Democracies Die,” he and Ziblatt had reproved Republicans for failing to stop Trump’s rise to power. But at the time, he said, “we didn’t consider or call the Republican Party an authoritarian party. We did not expect it to transform so quickly and so thoroughly.”
Exactly! A hell of a lot of folks, including me, saw Jan 6 coming a mile away. It was telescoped from many places, Trump's repugnant mouth for one, but Bannon, Flynn, Jones, and all the other creeps. They were shouting it out, for frig's sake! How could anyone paying attention have thought otherwise? I had the same sick feeling approaching Jan 6 that I had hearing Dick Cheney talk about all the "secret" evidence they had that there were nukes in Iraq in an interview on NPR. My greatest remaining question about the insurrection is why the government was not better prepared that day. Not in general, but granular. I don't feel like anything close to a full accounting has been presented to date.
Mark, it is my question too. They were certainly prepared for BLM protests, with National Guard, and helicopters swooping down. They were warned. I think Chris Wrey has some explaining to do
Tfg appointed a lot of cronies near the end of his term and they made sure no one could stop it. Actively prevented the National Guard call up. Those bastards should be prosecuted, even if they were “just following orders.” The conspiracy was broad and deep.
And yet Trump just said in the MTP interview that Nancy Pelosi could have called 10000 National Guard troops - a lie - esp when we’ve seen video of her calling for help in the moment!!
For heaven's sake, you can call the rabble that calls itself "the Republican Party" whatever you like, but it is neither republican nor a political party.
A bunch of Nazis without swastika armbands, employed to neuter American power and destroy the Republic. It was smarter to steal a name, to hijack Grandma's Old Party, than to build up assorted storm troopers.
That action began long ago, long enough for the movement to fragment into chaos, impelled by a leader madder than the Mao who launched successive waves of destruction culminating in the Cultural Revolution.
Priority: to identify and dissolve the networks foreign and domestic financing the destruction of America's democratic institutions.
P.S. I suppose I should have mentioned the wretched hostages of that handful of raving lunatic Nazis without swastika armbands. After all, it is those poor souls and their lily-livered-would-be-leader K. McCarthy who make up the numbers.
Plainly, they're scared witless of losing their lucrative, high-profile (if, thanks to the likes of them, no longer high-status) jobs. Nevertheless, these people ARE hostages. They know they are at the mercy of racketeers ready to turn fanatical Drumpfkultists onto them and their families -- human beings armed to the teeth whose brains have been transformed by their Boss or bosses' black arts into those of attack dogs.
Yes, the MAGA movement is an updated, Americanized, ultracapitalistic revamp of Mao's Red Guards, armed this time round with automatic rifles... Red Caps instead of Red Books -- don't we all know by now that books and public libraries are dangerous? You just do what you think the Stable Genius of Lair o' MAGA wants you to. Him or the Terminator Floridator. Or some raving female fiend of a MAGA Harpy.
Did these authors not have social media accounts? Calls for civil war were all over Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, etc. Everyone I know was worried sick about Jan. 6 way before it happened.
The problem is that criminals appoint criminals who do their best to hire or promote criminals. But this only works at relatively high levels. People who think the “Deep State” is every government employee have clearly been buying the propaganda. Those of us who have worked in government know that we are committed to public service but unfortunately ultimately end up serving the appointees and their little inner circles. We try to move things forward towards better, more effective and efficient government programs. When the Upper levels share that commitment, we can do wonderful things. When those Uppers want to bleed government, halt progress and otherwise make government underperform.... they can do that. Yes, I’m talking about the Republicans.
Jennifer, you are stating a dangerously simplistic view of our political situation. If you take specific issues and look at the differences between the parties it is clear they are far apart. Abortion. Environment. Student debt. Ukraine. Rule of law. . . There will always be scoundrels in politics because politicians and power-wielders are human. That does not mean it is acceptable to take actions (voting third parties or not voting) that will yield the election of a madman. Be savvy.
My point is: Undoubtedly the US is in a bad situation where you have liars.cheats,big money and a lousy press. How do you change that because if it doesn't change this circus will go on and on?
I agree the system needs to be changed and reformed. But we must do this from within. Not voting or voting for a third party candidate swings the results toward Trump and the Repubs 2025 plan which is the worst of the two choices
The call to ‘do it from within’ is hilariously naive when both parties are captured by their corporate donors. Elections will not save us. General strikes and mass nonviolent civil disobedience are the only thing that will. Lesser of two evils voting is what brought us to this point. Unfortunately, to break the duopoly, there will be civil unrest, as there has been whenever social change has taken place in America, from worker strikes during the Great Depression through the Civil Rights movements.
When they go low, we go high, is about the stupidest messaging I can think of in the current climate. This is a war against a corporate coup that has taken place, a coup that has been aided, in various forms, by BOTH political parties. Fight the corporate state, whichever party is supporting it at any given moment, and we have a chance. Pledging allegiance to Team Red or Team Blue is nothing short of insanity.
Not voting is not an option! We already have a miserable voting record in this country as it is! And a third party is not a viable option either, at least at this point in time. Maybe someday...but not yet.
I go back to the electoral college process. It is that process that takes away empowerment of the citizens that their vote counts. When the electoral college can overrule the people’s choice why the hell bother?
Who benefits from a gov shut down? Who does the Freedom Caucus serve when they disrupt and obstruct their legislative duties and violate their oaths by attempting to dismantle the institutions of government that serve their constituents? They work to sow distrust of gov and grow apathy towards participating in the people’s business. They are administrative terrorists hell bent on destroying democracy. Now, who does that serve? Their oligarchy donors, and Putin, and MBS. “It’s a war on the middle class, and frankly we are winning.” Warren Buffett. “Billionaires have more in common with global oligarchs than regular Americans.” Tim Synder.
Speaking of billionaires, it’s time we take a step back and look at the world that the first billionaires created in the 1800s and how that affects us today:
@frankO’Kanu, I don’t disagree with your concepts, and thank you for participating here! Please consider that it may seem a bit self-serving to have sooooo many links to one particular/different substack in this one newsletter’s comments. The HCR community is a trusted, safe space, made that way by tolerance, yes - but even more by prudence and thoughtfulness.
Re: Tuberville... Why hasn't Chuck Schumer called for a change to the "hold" rules for the Senate? I understand the reason for some limited holds by Senators as a "courtesy" to Senators from each state. That was a policy under the more collegial Senates of the past. Today, this is almost as bad a rule as the 60% vote requirement to pass anything (essentially a filibuster).
I would propose a moderate change rather than attempting to remove the option for holds entirely. Permit EACH Senator to exercise a single hold at a time, or maybe two. But no more. If you have two holds in place, that is all any single Senator can exercise until those holds are removed, either by letting a vote take place or by the withdrawal of the nominee who is held. This would let each Senator selectively hold some nominations, but no single Senator could hold 300 nominations up as Tuberville is currently doing. Of course, if he could convince other Senators to exercise holds with him, he could increase that number, but he would have to get a consensus in the GOP caucus to do that.
Allowing a single Senator to essentially singlehandedly block dozens let alone hundreds of nominations is absurd and should be eliminated immediately by BOTH parties.
From where I sit, there's a remedy to this blockhead, of sorts. IIRC, the new HQ for Space Force was to be in Alabama (Huntsville?). Now that 'Coach' has embarked on his latest shenanigans, the HQ for Space Force will remain in Colorado Springs.
It's time to begin removing military installations out of Alabama until this ridiculous charade comes to an end. Start closing them down, redeploy the soldiers and their dependents and let's make it hurt the local economy of Alabama. Shouldn't be that hard.
Unfortunately this "option" has already happened so it won't be available to put pressure on Tuberville. The Biden administration decided last month to keep the Space Force in Colorado. They claim it is not a political decision (and it well may not be) but merely a cost savings measure as the Space Force headquarters in Colorado is already in place and moving it to Alabama (as decided by the Trump administration) would just cost extra money.
After the missing jet incident in SC this past weekend, Tommy T criticized the Marine Commandant for allowing this to happen. What a moron! He is the reason there is no current Marine Commandant!
Chuck Schumer is a holdover from a time when both parties operated under a pledge of gentlemanly cooperation. He needs to go, along with many others, and allow for men and women to take charge who are willing to fight, to get down and dirty with the Republicans, an eye for an eye. The Democrats as a party need to wake up and realize what we are up against.
Never happen. Although personally my abstract view of the political world in Washington probably closely aligns with AOC, I also understand (as sadly she does not seem to) that our legislative branches are NOT in any way single-sided and the likelihood that AOC could actually lead a Congressional caucus even if the House had a Democratic majority (which it doesn't) is about zero. She is just too politically left for a compromise coalition to rise up in her favor. The best bet is to got a center/left person probably (for right now) from the GOP who the Democrats could align with and form a coalition House majority. This is NOT something the US is well-known for but in today's environment it is probably the best we can hope for. If we can find 10-15 GOP representatives who are NOT pledged to maintain allegience to the right-wing GOP a slim majority coalition can probably be formed. however, the hold that the right wing has over almost all of the GOP congressfolk is pretty amazing and it may be that there is no way for a coalition to form. We shall see, hopefully soon.
By the way, when I said "never happen" I meant in today's Congress. Of course, if the Dems can scratch back a majority in the House in 2024, things might be different.
This may sound ignorant. What would it take to strip Tuberville from the committee he heads which allows this to happen, allowing someone else to take over?
Tuberville doesn't head any committees. Only Democrats head committees in the Senate. Tuberville is acting under a rule that permits ANY Senator to hold up ANY number of nominations. This has been a custom for years, but no one has ever tried to do it like Tuberville. It is usually used as an emergency by a Senator to block one or maybe a couple of nominations they are so strongly opposed to. Holding back 300 nominations for military advancement is unheard of, but then virtually all of politics for the past 7 years has been almost completely unprecedented in Washington, so that should n't surprise us.
My proposal was that a new rule should be passed which restricts "holds" by any single Senator to one or maybe 2 or even 3, but that's it. This is "at a time" so once a decision is made on someone a Senator is trying to block, then that Senator can block someone else. But it makes it impossible for Tuberville to do what he is doing, i.e., blocking all incoming military advancement nominations.
Generally, unless there is a REAL actionable objection, each party gets to choose the members of their committees. In this case, given the current status which permits any Senator to submit as many objections under the 1 vote objection to nominees, there is little justification to remove him. I don't like it and I have suggested that the rules change to restrict objections to no more than 1 or 2 at a time, but right now, he is within his rights.
I do believe the intent is to hold these positions open so that when/if tfg is returned to the WH he can find wants to install his loyalists in those positions and thus control the military. And why would he want to control the military? It doesn’t take more than a few seconds to realize what he could/would do. Horrifying. They learned from the Merrit Garland debacle...
Well, of course, any Democrat could do the same thing to Trump so this may be a non-productive exercise in Senatorial power. Of course, the GOP if they get control of the Senate might decide to change the rules. I don't see why the Democrats don't change the rules themselves, and at the same time get rid of the 60% requirement for most votes to pass a law or rule. Filibustering shouldn't be permitted. I'd be happy with limited changes. As noted elsewhere, a reasonable change would be to permit any single Senator to have 1-3 holds at a time, but after those holds are exercised, no more until one of their existing holds is released. Thus a "Tuberville" wouldn't be permitted, he could hold say 3 of his most immportant blocks, but that is it. He would need to get other Senators to help him and he would probably hyave trouble blocking more than a few dozen other nominatees and at least 90% of those nomiated would be voted on quickly.
Thanks as always for your astute and even profound view of our current events. I don't know quite how to say this appropriately for this forum, other than that the obstructionist republicans are engaged in traitorous acts and should be charged and dealt with accordingly. The comparison between these childishly naively and evil acts and the steady as she goes Biden administration is so clear...and that there is still support out there for these ne'er-do-wells is beyond belief. And yet...here we are. Thanks Again. You are making a huge difference.
Yes, Heather is educating her readers, but the supporters of these anti-democratic forces don't read Heather's letters or read much of anything. That's why I keep imagining some edutainment cable channel fully funded to counter Faux.
Haha Problem is Heather is way too smart. It would need to take a different form, but then might not appeal to the deplorables. Real creativity required.
I have no doubt that Hunter Biden did some things that were pretty slippery. But, I have a couple of questions. Where was the GQP outrage when the Trump sons were running a fake children's cancer charity? Where was their outrage when Trump University was handing out fake degrees and had to pay back the money? Where was their outrage when Ivanka got patents in China while working in our White House? Where was their outrage when Ivanka and the president were hawking Goya products? Not to even mention the $2B that Jared got from Saudi Arabia. Democrats didn't go after the president's family....
And Don Jr. who is a huge dope fiend with a cocaine addiction and yes, the fake children's cancer charity. His bratty children are much worse than Hunter Biden. But the MAGA's don't dare mention that, nor does the corrupt MSM. In my opinion, the MSM has been bribed or bought off. NBC's, 'Meet the Press'' had an interview with TUMP recently and never rebuked any of his usual lies. No backlash or anything. He was allowed to lie freely as he usually does.
It’s about time that Hunter Biden gives the R’s a taste of their own making! Suing the IRS so-called whistleblowers for exposing his private info is a start. He has also sued the guy who looked into his computer and revealed the salacious video of him. You know the one which the despicable MGT decided to show in the House. I just wish that MSM would listen to their audiences and not continue to give Trump any publicity. Perhaps they are thinking they will be the one station that captures him saying all the right things for Jack Smith and Company. Nonetheless, tonight on Rachel Maddow, she showed just how his base is ramping up threats to all in the court system and all in Congress. I wonder if Leonard Leo and Ginni Thomas are part of the mob. I sincerely wouldn’t put it past either of them.
Oh and did you see where Elon and Bibi got together in San Francisco?? WTF?
Not since Lucky Luciano and Meyer Lansky had a night on the town in NYC has there been such a dastardly duo of way too well funded gangsters hobnobbing in a major metropolis with mal intent!
Trump left vacant several auditing and whistleblower positions in the various departments of the Federal Government to prevent them from reporting him. And others, as Heather reported yesterday, did blow the whistle on him and one led to his first impeachment.
Funny, that. There's another naturalized US citizen, but born in Australia, who causes the English-speaking world infinite trouble. The British Empire didn't disband soon enough.
Couldn’t be clearer who is competent, intelligent and most experienced in the complicated job of the presidency - age matters less in this case. Just contrast the actions and results of the two, and ignore the MAGA distractions about nothingness.
Would that Main Street media would start doing their job rather than being distracted by MAGA insinuations and absurd theatrics.
exactly ! the media is complicit in reporting the candy and the sensational instead of talking about the achievements of the biden administration and the dangers to democracy of trump and his acolytes. and i too feel so sad that the right wing lunatics are trying to impeach biden who has served our country his whole life a
“the Republicans are in crisis, and they are taking the country down with them”
It is time overdue for the House republicans of a more ‘moderate stripe’ and the House Dems to work out some sort of sane accommodations…..
The very recent budget ‘extensions’ (of a totally manufactured ‘crisis’) are perhaps a sign….
Meanwhile the piece of advice Robert Reich gave today is oh so true “
SOME Useful political advice from Robert Reich:
Don’t waste your time and energy commiserating with people who already agree with you. Don’t gripe, whine, wring your hands, and kvetch with other progressives about how awful Trump and his Republican enablers are. Don’t snivel over or criticize Biden and the Democrats for failing to communicate more effectively how bad Trump and his Republican enablers are. None of this will get you anything except an upset stomach or worse.
— Demonstrate, but don’t mistake demonstrating for political action. You may find it gratifying to stand on a corner in Berkeley with a sign asking drivers to “honk if you hate fascism” and elicit lots of honks, but that’s as politically effectual as taking a warm shower. Organize people who don’t normally vote to vote for Biden. Mobilize get-out-the-vote efforts in your community. Get young people involved.
I'm with him there, with a dining table full of postcards to Virginia, where early voting in the November election has begun already. I've done postcards for this group before; it's not tilted to any candidate, but the lists are carefully chosen from inactive young voters. Reich and Dr. Richardson are the only two sub-stacks I read, because I feel they are reality based about the past and forward -looking. Kevin McCarthy's enormous ego got him—and us—into this position, and I can't imagine how we get out of this before the government shuts down. I just remember a woman from the Tea Party railing hysterically at President Obama for shutting down the national parks without the slightest realization that she had been asking for it.
Just about everyone I know is doing letters or postcards….think registering young voters is super important and a very watchful eye on voter suppression efforts a hugely good idea AND using the media to expose voter suppression is absolutely necessary…the media has allowed these guys WAY TOO MANY ‘victories’!
I struggle with my patience when people whine about Biden, but I remind myself that not everyone reads Letters from an American. And most young people do not have my perspective even of the last decade. Living through Nixon and Reagan and GWB was enough to ensure I will never vote for any Republican.
"Freedom Caucus insist they will not agree to any budget that accepts the deal McCarthy cut with Biden."
With "freedom" like the "Freedom Caucus", who needs tyranny? What the "GOP" calls "free" or "freedom" these days is puerile, hubristic acting out; our national interests be damned.
In the narrow sense of it's use in the song. But real freedom to make one's own choices so long as they are responsible to others, makes life worth living.
The malignantly narcissistic view of "freedom" is getting to boss everybody else around with complete impunity. That's the malign folly Republicans are selling these days.
As I would not be a slave, so I would not be a master. This expresses my idea of democracy. Whatever differs from this, to the extent of the difference, is no democracy." - Lincoln
Thank you, Dr. Richardson for this wonderful update. What I'd really like to know is how any one person, in any office, can dictate what the whole Country must do. How does Tommy Tuberville, a college football coach, not exactly a prestigious job, have the power to single handedly prevent 300 military officers, on active duty in service to the entire Country from promotion? I've searched the Constitution, particularly Article I, Sections 7 through 10 dealing with rights, privileges, power, and legislating and nowhere does the Constitution suggest that ONE Senator or Congress Person has the right to dictate, or establish a rule or regulation on their own volition. What is wrong with our government that they would allow, such atrocious behavior to occur.
As to the Party of Trump holding the Country hostage, this is strictly forbidden: See Article VI and Amendment XIV, Section 4, specifically state that all debt must be paid. Period. End of Discussion. There is not a Constitutional provision for setting debt ceilings, or refusal to pay debts such as Federal and Military salaries, Social Security, VA payments, or interest on National debt. It is time for both Democrats and real Republicans to grow some courage and uphold the Constitution pursuant to Article VI, section 2. The Constitution and the laws (passed and signed into law are SUPREME whether the Party of Trump agrees with them or not. We fought two wars, the Revolutionary War and the Civil War, to maintain our rights and our Constitution, Now is the time to uphold both those rights and the Constitution.
Answer to question one (re: the ol' ball coach): Football is a religion in the south east. Ol' ball coach was a very popular if not always successful football coach at several universities, most notably Auburn University. Name recognition and (cue the heavenly choir) football. Answer to question(s) 2: It is a senate procedural mechanism and not a constitutional requirement. As to question 3... I have no clue why we are abdicating our governmental responsibilities and allowing this kind of atrocious behavior to occur.
Thank you Ally, As a dedicated football fan of more than 75 years, I understand the love of football, my husbands and my children knew that Sundays were Mom's only TV day of the week. But no matter how much I love and respect the game, I always knew it was just that a game. I like skilled football coaches and players as much as I like beautiful skilled horses. But politics is the real world, it's not supposed to be a game. I also realize that both the Senate and the House have procedural rules; but these rules have no standing in courts of law. It's like a parent setting bed time, if the child refuses to comply the child and parent have to come to a reasonable understanding. My question still remains What the hell is wrong with our government that such reckless behavior is allowed? I've written to both my Congressman and my Senator (in California we have only one Senator until 2025 as Dianne Feinstein refuses to resign) I've had a reply from Senator Padilla that he will review my email and get back to me as soon as possible.
I share your sentiments. Both that life is not a game, and why McConnell and Feinstein won't retire. They add zero benefit to the Senate or to their respective parties. Feinstein is obviously suffering from some form of dementia, her family should encourage her to quit now. McConnell has never been brilliant but he too obviously has some central nervous system problem.
As I was looking for the 09/18/23 Red Wine and Blue podcast (not yet posted on Youtube), I stumbled upon this conversation HCR had in October 2022 at the University of Maine. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2VFEeTBebsk As Heather has said, the first "Letter" (not so named yet) was on September 15, 2019 and the Substack publishing of the "Letters" started on November 5, 2019.
Preaching to the choir here but Heather's ability to absorb, summarize and consolidate the news/politics of today (where chaos and craziness is everywhere) within historical and current context is extraordinary. The vast array of topics that she can address extemporaneously (biweekly videos without notes) is astounding . . . .including fashion . . . when pockets were introduced to women's clothing!! (on a "Now and Then "podcast with Joanne Freeman-another wonderful forum but has ended). Of course, all of what she pulls together requires an incredible amount of passion, research, time, and thought and none of us mere mortals can figure out how she sustains the level of activity she manages! And, to top it all off, she continues to be a most down-to-earth, genuine person.
Trump giving the Republicans whiplash by stepping to the left of them? I'm getting some popcorn.
Meanwhile, I hope the Democrats are honing their messaging blades for the moment when government services stop and people stop getting paid. Why aren't we in full attack mode?
It’s a show they are all putting on, and it has historical precedent. Make a country ungovernable then welcome a strongman saviour who promises to resolve differences with ‘reasonable’ policies. Then shut down or sideline democratic institutions because they are ‘stuck’.
Remember that throughout human history, democracy, in all its various forms, has been the exception, not the rule - an exception that flourishes before descending into factionalism, stasis, chaos - to be replaced by oligarchs or strongmen.
Is our generation in Europe and the USA going to lose our democracies? How can we make them stronger? How can we resist the factionalism, stasis and chaos that are the conditions for strongmen to take power?
Complaining about extremists isn’t good enough anymore. Biden knows his history and his political instincts are impeccable, but only when democratically-inclined conservatives put democracy first and organise against the saboteurs on their own side can democracy thrive. We on the left can make it easier for them by being open to their timid overtures.
Likewise governments more generally must throw their might against the disinformation cyber war being waged against democracy and truth by the illiberal forces of autocrats and oligarchs.
"Is our generation in Europe and the USA going to lose our democracies? How can we make them stronger? How can we resist the factionalism, stasis and chaos that are the conditions for strongmen to take power?"
1. Make sure kids get to the library once per week for a new book (any book, it does not matter).
2. Teach them to stay off social media, for the most part, thereby avoiding spending large amounts of time on the truly trivial.
3. Avoid pounding any dogma of any type into the minds of young people (political, religious, doctrinaire, etc.).
4. Teach young people to understand others are different and to learn what those differences are and value them rather than minimize them.
5. Teach young people that "superior" means you have suspended your brain. Teach them that equivalent but different is the norm.
6. Don't spend any time trying to scare a child into believing he or she might go to hell. That is the dumbest pony trick I have ever been exposed to.
7. Do teach them not to judge. Perfection does not exist. Superiority does not exist. Treat differences with respect.
8. DO teach them that there are 7 Billion people on the planet. All of them are of equal "value", that is, nearly zero. A species value is inverse its population.
My kids, for the most part, do most of the above with normal human glitches. Which, I kindly point out.
Then? I get the "OK, Dad, we already KNOW that".
Yep, my kids point out my own failings too, like, if I happen to refer to tRUMP with one of my more vile nicknames. Then? I get "Daaaaad!. That's SO gross".
Good.
Those rules for the most part apply to everyone.
Your “suggestions” are impressive, and it’s good to hear that you have communicated them to you family in a way that they take them for granted and can tease you about them.
But you are probably in a good town or city and your kids go to good schools, and you are living a prosperous life that you, and probably our wife, has worked hard to create.
The problem is how do WE get these kinds of caring messages into the families in the middle of Ohio that is struggling financially, has schools with hollowed libraries, goes to an evangelical church, and watches Fox News?
The chaos in Congress, and the possible return of Trump is making their lives more difficult and threatening their future much more than it threatens yours (ours, as I am not much different except I’m dealing with my grandchildren).
Can American idealism penetrate into Florida or Texas or are they lost to corrupt, racist, fascist governments, and are unredeemable?
I don’t live in any of those places. My town and state are at the opposite end. We are getting rid of plastics, moving rapidly toward renewable energy, preparing for the sea to rise, trying and failing to equalize education for all, and even putting up billboards in Florida and Texas inviting LBGTQ folks to move here.
How do we get messages across the great divide? M.T. Greene is telling those states to succeed. I hope Lauren Boebert is on birth control and is making it easy for her constituents to get it.
Oldandintheway Absolutely! I do think about people in those states who have been groomed to accept misogyny, racism, homophobia, xenophobia. How is there any hope for them? And the “minority” populations in Blue states? Having done some training for human services staff about how stress overload affects health and cognitive function, I am too well aware of how our policies, politics and funding have damaged and trapped millions in powerlessness and learned helplessness. Is there any way out? Perhaps the most obvious remedy is for everyone to have a job, a home, an education, healthcare and a vote? Is this really too much to ask?
It is NOT too much to ask. It is done in Europe. We just have to be too “special.” We aren’t.
If we all had those things, how would we tell who was special and deserving and worthy, and who wasn't? We can't possibly do away with our caste markers!
I wish some state other than Texas, where I live, would invite all these Republicans moving here to get them out of here!
Man you must be livid with the Paxton thing.
Oldand...
"how do WE get these kinds of caring messages into the families in the middle of Ohio that is struggling financially, has schools with hollowed libraries, goes to an evangelical church, and watches Fox News?"
I guess that I think those folks are in charge of packing their own suitcase.
If they head out with an empty suitcase, well, what is a body to do?
Excellent list!
Which vile nickname do they object to? I’m curious. My own favorite is “orange cocksplat”.
I love your rules.
I'm partial to Big Orange Twatwaffle myself.
My favorite is "orange anusmouth".
Jen,
Vile indeed. I should probably not write mine here. Not a place for names learned on an East Texas farm. Not a bit. Dr. Richardson is from Maine.
chuckle
Critical Thinking is sorely needed and should be taught to kids early. Asking questions is an art which can be learned.
By all means, follow Mike’s suggestions. But the crisis demands that we focus on the here and now, as sanity is oozing out all over. Dems need a battle plan, smart and well-funded. The Lincoln Project on steroids. Repubs had the know-how before the kooks took over. Can we turn it around post-haste, before our next generation is lost in the morass…
Mike S: you are a wonderful parent and role model. Love your advice!
Well,
You would have to ask my kids if I am a great Dad, but, as a long time guy, I much appreciate your positive feedback.
The reason kids are hooked on social media is because they live in a trivial world socially. It is a viscous cycle that is set and tough to break.
Personally, I think it is because due to the availability of 'grown up' issues and problems in the world and of the planet, they don't have time to just be kids.
Actually Mike, the World's population is 8,061,201,158,......oops, 159,....oops 160
See below:
https://populationmatters.org/lp-the-facts/?gclid=CjwKCAjwjaWoBhAmEiwAXz8DBVgSwq-3fDye5RSNwrkm61RZ9D7uaqowVSzPkkcnOFkVXQa3gh0iRhoC0X0QAvD_BwE
YIKES!
1/Billion is still == 0.00000000001 or something. Each of our value.
Teaching CIVICS in school would be nice.
Love this thank you. Great ideas to stick to. Look out girl’s mom’s coming! 😂
If I could have used a thumbs up symbol for each of your points I would have.
I love your thinking and child raising methods.
Is there such a thing as a democratically-inclined conservative? "The modern conservative is engaged in one of the oldest exercises in moral philosophy, that is, that is the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness." John Kenneth Galbraith Selfishness is simply greed. My mama taught it was terrible to be selfish and not share. Would I want someone to share with me?
Liz Cheney? Mitt Romney? Jeff Flake? Repubs who didn't agree w Trump left in droves after 2016.
https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/congressional-republicans-left-office-in-droves-under-trump-just-how-conservative-are-their-replacements/
Robert Reich in his substake yesterday make a logical case for these non-maga's to create a third party & run someone (LizC) w a backbone against tfg.
But NOT in 2024!
Oh, and I would not support Cheney no matter how much I admire her for her role on the J6 Committee.
You don’t have to support her socio-economic policies to welcome and encourage her principled stand on democracy and the rule of law.
Galbraith was an economist, not a political scientist. He was talking about fiscal policy - and there, the conservatives are indeed usually selfish.
To answer your question - yes, there are democratically-inclined conservatives. Two US politicians from that tradition have been hounded in the Republican Party, but held firm to their principles (Elizabeth Cheney and Mitt Romney). I also invite you to read Rory Stewart’s article in The Atlantic. Think also of Angela Merkel and her mentor, Helmut Koch.
Republicans and Tories have been taken over by a far-right populist cancer, but conservatives who value democracy still exist. We must encourage them.
John Kenneth Galbraith was an economist in the broadest sense with a keen eye and great wit.
Jenn,
"The modern conservative is engaged in one of the oldest exercises in moral philosophy, that is, that is the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness."
THE best description of a Ronald Reagan "conservative" I have met!
It vastly depends on what you're being asked to share.
Love this Galbraith quote. Posted it a lot before I got banned on FB and “X.” “Conservative” has been corrupted, twisted, and is now meaningless. Just a word to legitimize greed. JKG said it best.
According to many historians, the last progressive Republican Senator was George W. Norris (NE-R). He ushered through the legislation for the TVA and the REA. He also led the fight to switch NE from a bi-cameral to a unicameral legislature. He worked closely with FDR on the social programs introduced in the 1930's. The conservative Republicans in the Senate wouldn't support his legislation and so he became an Independent in the 1940's and NE voted him out for doing so. He's perhaps the most influential politician to come out of Nebraska.
You're so right about history having supported autocratic governance, it has been the rule and democratic governance a recent exception. We all cry for "freedom' and wonder how autocratic regimes manage, but just check out the Chinese, Russians etc and you get some idea. It pays well to remember that in America only about 1/2 of voters actually "vote" in presidential elections except when the clarion calls have stirred maybe another 15% to turn out. Political parties indulge routinely in "disinformation" these days since that often seems to work, that's one hell of a "moral backbone". 2024 is going to be something, I'm sure. My bet is on the Democrats!
We agree, Frank. My take on most revolutions is that they don't change much....often exchanging one set of autocrats for another set of autocrats. Somehow the wealthy manage to stay in charge and actual democracy is hard work. We have a set of ideals in this country which we have failed in many ways to bring about, but it does give us a goal. The current R party of death has given us plenty of reasons to get out the vote, actually vote, and vote D.
Agreed, although democratic rule is not a recent exception - it’s a very ancient exception. Its demise always follows the same pattern, however - factionalism, stasis, chaos.
For sure, but democratic rule was practiced in a very limited way among the Greeks. Our school book praise of Athenian democracy is more illusory than real, given autocracy has largely been the name of the game through history. Ancient and not so ancient writers were generally down on it, noting features such as you mention. People like Edward Gibbon presumed that civilizations were intended to serve and maintain wealth-based self-interested autocracies, as the only foundation for stability. It was only following the American revolution that the idea and gradual practice of broadly based democracies arose, and has had an uncertain history ever since. It is a complicated story indeed. Social revolution or dysfunctional democracies have often led to dictatorial, one-party regimes. Thus much of the world lives today.
I wasn’t thinking of the Athenians, although they invented the word. Many other places and political units have had democratic governments before the American revolution - government by and for the people- of some description at some point, the better known in Europe being several Italian cities between the 12th and 15th centuries and Swiss Landsgemeinde.
By the way, I certainly wouldn’t call the American revolution a democratic one since it was meant to preserve wealth and oligarchy, including through the practice of widescale slavery and ethnic cleansing. The remarkable aspect of the American system is that oligarchic rule became steadily more democratic without changing the core constitution, through the means of amendments that widened the political and legal definition of ‘the people’. But that’s part of what keeps the American democracy fragile - its core constitution is oligarchic and riveted to its time. The old colonists got rid of the king, but retained the 18th century ‘enlightened’ aristocratic privileges. Arguably, the Electoral College and gerrymandered constituencies keeps the system from being a fully-fledged democracy, as there is no generalized system of ‘one citizen one vote’ in the US.
Thanks Annis, your history is more rounded out than mine, don't my general remarks hold though? Dynasties, aristocracies, empires, ruled the larger polities, right? Ive heard that about the early American revolution, ethnic cleansing though was as much from below as above (I gather you're talking about colonial expansion and expropriation of native lands), and weren't there debates about the moral underpinnings of slavery, though because of slaveholding interests the issue was postponed, while states were encouraged to divest themselves of slaveholding, albeit gradually for those which did and often slaves were subsequently sold into the southern slave plantation states?
Excellent synopsis and advice!
Good question!!
What does this vindictive vandalism cost in terms of total dollars, lasting damage, and disrupted individual lives? And who pays the bill?
The responsible media need to stop saying “Congress did not do xyz” “Congress failed to do xyz” and call it like is: The Republicans or GOP are the ones failing America.
The simple fact is: "The enemy is inside the gates." We need to recognize this virulent cancer for what it is: these MAGA/KKK Republicans are in fact enemies of the state. What they are doing is the equivalent of the shot fired on Ft. Sumter. It is an attack on the Union, meant to do great harm to the republic.
This is akin to DC Stephenson, as portrayed in the book you recommended Richard. Fever In The Heartland. My car buddy used to say, "you can't polish a turd" when referring to something unfixable. In no way can you pretty it up. This applies applies to republicans of all stripes. Either love the destruction, or leave it in your past. Tipping points are real!
Guess it applies doubly.
The enemy within. The evil never ends. Is this America or Captain McHook and Captain McCrook's Neverland?
Carl Sagan said: "The most complicated thing in the known universe is the human brain." Perhaps it is that we shouldn't be surprised that some of those now in Congress are Fascists who would favor bringing down the U.S. government for reasons perhaps only known to them. We humans are not purely rational creatures. Pres. G.W. Bush was right on 3/31/2001 at the White House Correspondents' Dinner when he said: "You can fool some of the people all of the time, and those are the ones you want to concentrate on." Those in Congress who would shut down the government got there because some of the people get fooled all of the time.
Please name what constitutes the "responsible media" these days.
You are here, aren't you?
I'm referring to what's usually called the mainstream media. Dr. Richardson's amazing research and comprehensive assessment of what's going on is a given at the top of the list of responsible media. No need to be snarky, Ed. I'm pretty sure you knew exactly what I meant.
We, the tax payers, will be handed the bill for sure.
Considering how much the "GOP" bellows about "tax and spend", I'm inclined to wonder about what all the spending buys? A cure for disease? A bridge over troubled waters? A public haven away from pavement? Or Troops called to the border for an election stunt? The ugly, ineffective, and ecologically disastrous Great Wall of Trump? Benghazi and other lengthy and very costly hearings that produce no more than theater? Hobby wars? Tax cuts and subsidies for the wealthiest? Bonuses for bankrupted banks? Some bills are worth every penny and others a ripoff. we need to say more about the difference.
The taxing and spending the Republicans castigate the Dems with is spending to fix all the things Republicans broke during their administrations when they pushed through tax cuts for the morbidly rich and corporations, while continuing to spend on things like weapons systems, etc. Voting for a Republican for president is tantamount to voting for a recession.
Well said.
JL, the voters must stop electing these sc*mbags. Real leaders don’t waste our hard-earned money. Spending tax dollars “wisely” for the benefit of many, is the goal of democracy. Not throwing precious resources into some bottomless pit of nonsense and hatred.
One small problem with that, Elizabeth: Voters will continue to elect these s*****gs as long as the voters themselves remain irresponsible. Multiple issues stand out here, including a large majority of Republican voters that remain willfully ignorant. Root causes need to be addressed.
You are SO right!
Corporations excluded....
What vindictive vandalism?
The Fweedumbass Kawkuss. Maybe if the Fweedumbasses were arrested for treason, that would move things along while they were absent in jail.
Ciao TC !
Yes, at what point might the "vindictive vandalism", committed by the creepiest of our GOP Reps and other elected officials apparently desirous of converting our country into a Fascist backwater, constitute treason? I mean, could they be investigated by the DOJ and arrested for treason based on their public statements and likely backroom conspiracies? Is there a legal case to be made consistent with the Constitution as written and interpreted by the SCOTUS?
I fear not, and it thus seems to me we as a nation are in very dangerous waters, largely unforeseen until quite recently, because our Constitution does not provide specific remedies for the various abuses of power that the GOP feels obliged to rely on (because they cannot win national elections fair and square).
It seems we may be forced to choose between voting our way out of this situation (only a DEM landslide would suffice) or preparing to fight fire with fire.
I'm worried the Democratic Party as an institution has not yet come to this conclusion, nor has Joe Biden (bless his earnest and patriotic soul). As we all know, civil wars happen, often because nobody takes the possibility seriously until it is too late to avoid bloodshed.
Reckless political theater that harms people and American assets, including our reputation as a stable partner with other nations.
You mean the House Republicans, the hardline right wingers?
Sorry if I wasn't clear.
Not to mention the possible delay of Social Security payments!
Imagine the sea of gray haired (and shiny bald) march on Washington, DC!
'Why aren't we in full attack mode? ' This the forever question for liberals.
Should we be in full attack mode? Or.. hear me out... should we take time to possibly look to do things differently?
Democrats, Republicans... what about Americans? How are we individually and our communities? I don’t know if voting in presidential elections helps our communities grow which is why I think we need to take a step back and look locally:
https://unorthodoxy.substack.com/p/why-we-need-to-stop-voting-in-presidential
IRS agents , Gary Shipley & Kevin Breuninger are in full "attack & distract" mode against the President's son. Hunter Biden did not "attack". Hunter simply filed a civil lawsuit against the appropriate Defendant, the IRS, in the appropriate venue: Case No: 1:23-cv-027 seeking appropriate damages for each & every violation. Federal Lawsuits require early & extensive discovery disclosures.
I think we also need to ask tough questions as well. One of the best philosophical questions I’ve come across is: how would we know if we, the people, were under attack by those in power?
Would we be able to tell? Or would we be under the propaganda?
https://unorthodoxy.substack.com/p/september-11th-and-menticide#details
Interested in thoughts if any!
Lastly, there’s the component of a spiritual and psychological attack. Religions call them demons or archons, Jung calls it the shadow -- is there a force bent on destroying humanity that we need to make ourselves familiar with?
https://unorthodoxy.substack.com/p/are-we-under-satanic-attack#details
Because politics is not therapy. Politics is the ongoing struggle about how a society distributes goods, services, and power.
The tough question is asking who benefits, or thinks they will benefit, from the collapse of the Democratic Republic?
Who is funding the moves to collapse the government and economy.
Those are political questions. They have nothing to do with therapy.
Ken, agree! WHO “is funding the moves to collapse the government and economy.” Is exactly the right question. The answers give me the shivers.....🙀
Donald Trump said that he is “the apple of Putin’s eye”. Putin’s pocket is where our corrupt politicians are.
I truly believe it was the 2016 election that was rigged not 2020. Trump never has been honestly elected anything. Now the smear of his reviling court will be on us forever. Joe Biden is a Great man and will go down in history as one of the Best world leaders ever.
We know it’s not the puppets in the house - Gaetz, MTG, Jordan, et al. There’s big money and primary threats motivating them.
I think that ultimately we need to look way more deeply into human nature, especially in terms of why it is that so many people, for many centuries, have supported their own oppressors? Why is "Liberty and Justice for All" such an uphill battle, and fragile even when progress is made? There is a lot of psychology there that we might have more purchase on of we understood it better.
That said, who benefits and who suffers as a result of specific policies is always one of the most important questions. I'd like to see a triage done across the board to evaluate how much each feature of law and policy conforms to government of, by and for the people, rather than some wealthy political patron(s) buying favor.
J L Graham I always find much to ponder in your posts!
Some thoughts about today: have we been exposed to too many TV and movie “heroes?” And we believe someone will “save us?”
I’m reading “American Crusade” and am aghast about the actual long-term planning that has been focused on turning our country into a Christian Nationalist nation. Throughout history men have used religion to justify their actions, accrue power and money and then to defend themselves as god’s chosen, to lead and judge the masses. That seems to be a common thread these days.
Until the citizenry at large loose access to football, streaming, video games and their credit cards, will they either suffer or truly care?
Do you really need to "bogart " some else's substack to further an audience to your own? I think there are many references to how to get traffic to your page on the Support pages of Substack. I don't think continously linking in "comments" is one of them
That’s a fair call out. I can take that back.
Franklin, I call your 3rd "spiritual" comment BS.
Why so?
Franklin, the syntax of your phrase "under the propaganda" does not make much sense. I don't think the issue is a "philosophical question". I see you have made a 3rd successive comment.
Propagandized for too long. So a lot of people won't know I think.
My husband and I were discussing this again this morning. The subject has been well investigated , it’s the why of anger so obvious in our society . The CEO pay vs the laborer is the perfect example. That gap has widened at breakneck speed in the last 40-50 years.
We have ALL done better -relative terms . Having come from no electric or indoor plumbing to today , the stat is more than half the worlds poverty is gone. But the gap of thems that have and thems that don’t is a commonly known spread, the rich have gained 300% + over what us ground levels have. We’re the paycheck to paycheck people and qualifiers for every assistance program (which btw ‘ the thems’ want to eradicate) which year to year is siphoned off bit by bit.
What does increase are the monies needed from rainy day/emergency funds . IE It costs more to treat the sick from emergency visits than insure them through adequate medical coverage.
Greed has taken the front row causative.
It’s human nature at its worst.
Who are those ‘thems’?
They’re the ones (including their puppets) pointing the fingers of blame, screaming foul, and making a scene.
The others ones are too busy working solutions and helping .
If us has any blame to bear it’s that voter participation factor. 40-50% voting population..HELLO!!!!
As Simon says😉...”if you don’t take the shot you won’t score at all” .
We.Can.Do. This.
💙💙VOTE💙💙
Right now Anthony Blinken is being interview on CBS this Morning. He was asked how can we give more money to Ukraine when Zelensky just fired his top 6 military leaders for corruption.Blinken said that “Z is doing what he can seeing something isn’t working”....
I think the same way...
💙💙VOTE OUT ALL THE COMPLICIT! THE RABLE ROUSING DO NOTHING CONGRESS and their PUPPETEERS💙💙
( this includes those continuing the ‘rigged and stolen barkers’ - governors/lawyers/politicians/attorney generals/judges/school board/board members/think tanks)
For sure, voting local is essential. This was the first thing I taught my children by taking them to the voting booth in strollers for the seemingly most obscure local elections. We must vote in all elections. The franchise is not to be taken lightly. Ever. I appreciate the points you make in this article and wish you'd mentioned Marianne Williamson's presidential campaign as a foil to the corruption you enumerate. I am not saying she is our savior. I am saying she addresses these concerns in an intelligent, thoughtful way. And yet she is ridiculed and canceled by establishment Democrats. This is a problem.
I really don't care about your argument. This is the system we have! If we don't vote, you can be sure of a facist takeover, so NO! We MUST Vote and Vote Blue or lose your rights as a person of color, immigrants, women, LBGTQ people and even poor people! Don't be a fool!!!
Think it is time to vote for someone like Cornel West or RFK.
America can't go on with the 2 party system owned by money.
I think West has some things to say we should listen to. RFK will be responsible for the suffering and deaths of Americans who believe his fantasies.
I love the idea of a third or fourth party or person to vote for - but only if we had national Ranked Choice Voting.
Under the current system, if one does not vote, or does not vote for Biden, one is embracing, endorsing, supporting, believing in and literally voting for Trump. Period.
Sadly, that's exactly true! We Must Vote these fascists OUT or suffer a radical change in what America was founded on. Equality and Freedom! Little by little, both of those things are being taken away. If you don't see this, you're not paying attention!
Yep. What you said.
I’m sorry but that would be a vote for the republican, most likely Trump to end democracy.
I thought the same thing with Sanders and Ron Paul. The system runs deep and we have hope, yet every year, it’s the same thing over and over
I still think Bernie is there pushing the Dems.
Yes. Voting at the State level seems to be working.
Voting at the State level gives States Gerrtmandered jigsaw puzzle districts designed by the current minority to keep them in power, obliterating the general will of the voters
I see a lot of this being contested now.
In Michigan voters rallied to mitigate gerrymandering and won. In the next election both houses of Congress flipped to Democrats after 40 years of GOP Gerrymandered rule
Michigan is the exception. Texas, Wisconsin, Florida are the rule
Contesting does not change the current political landscape. Removing gerrymandering on a national requires the will of fair minded Congressmen
Yes, Dave! A friend of mine here in Michigan helped to write our anti-gerrymandering ballot proposal that passed with flying colors, and we should not be the exception, but the "Indepent Commission" Rule! Here's how we did it:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2018_Michigan_Proposal_2
Not in New Hampshire, sadly.
The R's and the R Governor refused to allow an Independent Commission. Whether we'll be able to win over a few R's is the question. Getting a Dem Gov. is really important. I think Cinde Warmington would be great.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2018_Michigan_Proposal_2
Good question, Jerry. Here is what I found from Hakim Jeffries yesterday.
Listen to the questions the ABC interviewer asks and the lack of follow-up questions on the Democratic agenda.
But also listen to lack of fire from Jeffries--fact filled but flat delivery.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qh3XhMBwzGI
I watched that clip. I think he was in “Professional “ mode. Conveying the facts of the case. I also think the journalist was playing, trying to play, the game of “make a stumble, I’ll get an exclusive if I can trip you up.”
I think Jefferys did a good job of avoiding that trap.
Thanks for the laugh Jerry. I know a lot of people want us to get even, even maybe just be appropriately aggressive back. It’s struggle ad infinitum and right now a lot of chaos as this is the MO of MAGA.
For sure plenty to do. But what we don’t hear enough of is the people behind the scenes plodding away ‘at getting things done’.
DrDebra Turner (Women’s league of Voters) shows the push to get people registered . I’m sure you know the past stats. But more impressive is a prevailing character of ALL people being able to express their opinion, get heard, all religions, all colors, all parties.
We spend so much time on the bad news, yup ‘it sells the morning paper Jimmy Brown’...
people are so tuned into the bad news they’re missing the good. They’re defeating their dreams in apathy, and complacency.
No doubt the job ahead , Jerry.
Someone once said at least I gave them a smile in such a tirade midst one day. Take a deep breath folks, stay the course, listen to some good music, encourage another vote or registration.
Our President is doing a ‘helluva job’. Let’s have his back. Let’s make him even better, us better.
Amy Walters on PBS last night was eloquent, but decent , accurate, and concise . There’s a ramrod crowd out there , the circus ( or worse) we’ve labeled them. Will we rise above, get more improvements done , learn the lesson and extend a hand to a forgotten middle class ( or poorer). It won’t take or be anybody but us getting that done.
Thanks Heather 🫶
💙💙VOTE ALL THE COMPLICIT OUT💙💙
Maybe waiting for the stupids to destroy themselves? The Bobert story is a good start.
Well, Virginia, that would be nice, but in the meantime they're normalizing stupidity and turning into a feature, vs a bug.
“Headlines this morning said that “Congress” is in crisis. But that construction obscures the true story: the Republicans are in crisis, and they are taking the country down with them.”
Sorry, I disagree Dr. Richardson, it is “we the people” that are in a crisis. We the people have not formed a perfect union. And we need to help understand and guide or Republican friends from this.
It could be Trump going to jail or it could be a more sane Republican nominee, but we need to stop this narcissistic leader.
JB
To Jerry Helmand thank you for the belly laugh you gave me today, “I’m getting the popcorn”.
So agree with you!
Yes but you can't believe what Trump says!
I can’t and won’t get caught up on the news about Kevin’s coming woes or the foibles of a junior member in a theater when we should be grateful for the leadership and diplomacy that deserves the oxygen.
Biden’s team has done well for us. I think the talks with members of the PRC will result in a cogent response to the Ukraine situation if nothing else. Xi does not and cannot be on the losing side of this conflict and he knows it. While I don’t think some of the other issues will get addressed, finding a path forward with China relative to it is good diplomacy.
The release of hostages is another important milestone. Yes 6B seems to be “unlocked” in this “deal” but as HCR points out, the headline misses the details. I expect that will be lost on the right-wing media of course…
Between all those little victories, sadly, the administration’s successes are going to be ignored as everyone wants to know about Hunter. Don’t expect any minority reports about “evidence” to last long in the right-wing media subterfuge: those voices will get drowned-out or eliminated. It’s their way.
I am and will continue to be aghast that the Right has chosen to try to take down a senior Senator, now president, who has given more years of his life than I have enjoyed life by trying to paint him as some cheap-suit grifter. Such disrespect for a clear statesman. It really is despicable.🤨
And a corrupt, morally bereft media gleefully enable fascism.
And when will “the media” realize that they will be one of the first on the chopping block if the fascist party gains control?
Who owns the media? Who owns the Washington Post? Who owns the Wall Street Journal? Who owns the New York Times? These are not independent news organizations any longer...
Never. And I don't know if the current crop of Beltway Propagandists from Pundlandia will be targeted. Real reporters, yes. They will be. But I'm starting to view each Tweet/article/substack/cable/network talking head venue as them auditioning to be the new Joseph Goebbels (whom they would affectionately dub "JoGo".)
Kathleen,
Yep. Corruption, Evil, and War comes from two things - Money and Power. It is never from the care of the people and the love of the worlds health.
The disrespect for a true Statesman accompanies the bizarre fragmented Republican governance on the eve of a probable default.
Federal Agencies can only count on real money and this situation means programs are already suspended, contracts on hold and development frozen. Now even if there is a miracle and the various conditions for budget reconciliation are met it’s obvious of government stumbling and impending disaster for the next year.
Those arrogant red state Republicans had better pray for mild hurricanes for the rest of the year. An unfounded FEMA could make the Katrina fiasco a fond memory.
"…extremist Representative Lauren Boebert (R-CO) was kicked out of a kid-friendly Beetlejuice concert…."
Voters and political parties need to take a lesson from Denver's Buell Theatre. When self-important people violate established norms and their behavior disregards the rights of the public, you remove such people so that they cannot continue inflicting their abuse. You remove them regardless of their job title, their political connectedness, or their political party membership.
Buell theatre employees deserve the standing ovation for their performance.
Hope they fumigated it afterwards. Ewwwwww
LOL
When is the population at large going to say, wait a second — we are in grave danger of losing democracy and all of its benefits. Heather powerfully drives home this reality once again today. She's helped us stay well-informed about the threat, but as large as her audience is the masses seem woefully clueless.
Tom Nichols of The Atlantic tackles the issue in his newsletter today, headlined "Americans Are Sleepwalking Through a National Emergency." His opening paragraph is sobering: "The United States of America is facing a threat from a sometimes violent cult while a nuclear armed power wages war on the border of our closest allies. And yet, many Americans sleepwalk as if they are living in normal times instead of in an ongoing crisis."
He concludes by noting that daily life can proceed without everyone walking around in a state of panic. "But we don’t have to live this way, either, with voters and institutions—and especially the media—pretending that all is well while charlatans, aspiring theocrats, and would-be authoritarians set fire to American democracy."
https://www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/archive/2023/09/trump-biden-impeachment-kristen-welker-interview/675365/?utm_campaign=atlantic-daily-newsletter&utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=20230918&utm_term=The+Atlantic+Daily
The Authors of ‘How Democracies Die’ Overestimated the Republicans
Because that volume was prescient about how Donald Trump would try to rule, I was surprised to learn, in Levitsky and Ziblatt’s new book, “Tyranny of the Minority,” that they were shocked by Jan. 6. Though they’ve studied violent insurrections all over the world, they write in this new book, “we never imagined we’d see them here. Nor did we ever imagine that one of America’s two major parties would turn away from democracy in the 21st century.”
What astonished them the most, Levitsky told me in an interview last week, “was the speed and the degree to which the Republican Party Trumpized.” In “How Democracies Die,” he and Ziblatt had reproved Republicans for failing to stop Trump’s rise to power. But at the time, he said, “we didn’t consider or call the Republican Party an authoritarian party. We did not expect it to transform so quickly and so thoroughly.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/11/opinion/columnists/democracies-minority-rule.html?unlocked_article_code=jpHCk-fVYp7BOvUVvC08ZtRcXVg2LC5RNOzFxNkCD6M0kdJXa4MIGSJtufDdBu3Z85aS18T_VZyx8NqS_2gPQvCbKB0wUgRtOc1PICkdzacpJtIAxnNUINnKlkOxqJbe3sH_FZc80407oLzZBZiO1HjNrNgUh1QlPxwtd2x3SwxitW9SKQYP_rx-0QzbJAsYxIGSv-dxOdzEgd77tbfVBiY7MXnVrwW0eUWyOsOZXKzvuvSD2Azgke1b32CBb44XC3en1SEpJJXLH5vuWL8c5xbwSWfnpKtGUno_26_RdFVt_oxc2pDPF9CGlfyI6drsp34_C-QZqk68UiYnWc4mgUwvGCg0DxAruKyAa6m-&smid=url-share
Exactly! A hell of a lot of folks, including me, saw Jan 6 coming a mile away. It was telescoped from many places, Trump's repugnant mouth for one, but Bannon, Flynn, Jones, and all the other creeps. They were shouting it out, for frig's sake! How could anyone paying attention have thought otherwise? I had the same sick feeling approaching Jan 6 that I had hearing Dick Cheney talk about all the "secret" evidence they had that there were nukes in Iraq in an interview on NPR. My greatest remaining question about the insurrection is why the government was not better prepared that day. Not in general, but granular. I don't feel like anything close to a full accounting has been presented to date.
Mark, it is my question too. They were certainly prepared for BLM protests, with National Guard, and helicopters swooping down. They were warned. I think Chris Wrey has some explaining to do
Tfg appointed a lot of cronies near the end of his term and they made sure no one could stop it. Actively prevented the National Guard call up. Those bastards should be prosecuted, even if they were “just following orders.” The conspiracy was broad and deep.
And yet Trump just said in the MTP interview that Nancy Pelosi could have called 10000 National Guard troops - a lie - esp when we’ve seen video of her calling for help in the moment!!
Exactly right
For heaven's sake, you can call the rabble that calls itself "the Republican Party" whatever you like, but it is neither republican nor a political party.
A bunch of Nazis without swastika armbands, employed to neuter American power and destroy the Republic. It was smarter to steal a name, to hijack Grandma's Old Party, than to build up assorted storm troopers.
That action began long ago, long enough for the movement to fragment into chaos, impelled by a leader madder than the Mao who launched successive waves of destruction culminating in the Cultural Revolution.
Priority: to identify and dissolve the networks foreign and domestic financing the destruction of America's democratic institutions.
P.S. I suppose I should have mentioned the wretched hostages of that handful of raving lunatic Nazis without swastika armbands. After all, it is those poor souls and their lily-livered-would-be-leader K. McCarthy who make up the numbers.
Plainly, they're scared witless of losing their lucrative, high-profile (if, thanks to the likes of them, no longer high-status) jobs. Nevertheless, these people ARE hostages. They know they are at the mercy of racketeers ready to turn fanatical Drumpfkultists onto them and their families -- human beings armed to the teeth whose brains have been transformed by their Boss or bosses' black arts into those of attack dogs.
Yes, the MAGA movement is an updated, Americanized, ultracapitalistic revamp of Mao's Red Guards, armed this time round with automatic rifles... Red Caps instead of Red Books -- don't we all know by now that books and public libraries are dangerous? You just do what you think the Stable Genius of Lair o' MAGA wants you to. Him or the Terminator Floridator. Or some raving female fiend of a MAGA Harpy.
Did these authors not have social media accounts? Calls for civil war were all over Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, etc. Everyone I know was worried sick about Jan. 6 way before it happened.
They published their assessment 2 years prior to Jan. 6th.
Ok, that makes more sense. Thanks, 100!
The two interviews I've seen with them are quite sober and sobering. They even got to my husband, who keeps insisting he is "independent."
Me too!
I’d agree with this 100%. We need to really take back our democracy instead of falling for fancy words from politicians ABOUT democracy
To do that, we need to really awake and ask ourselves, just who are the bad guys here:
https://unorthodoxy.substack.com/p/who-are-the-bad-guys-part-two#details
The problem is that criminals appoint criminals who do their best to hire or promote criminals. But this only works at relatively high levels. People who think the “Deep State” is every government employee have clearly been buying the propaganda. Those of us who have worked in government know that we are committed to public service but unfortunately ultimately end up serving the appointees and their little inner circles. We try to move things forward towards better, more effective and efficient government programs. When the Upper levels share that commitment, we can do wonderful things. When those Uppers want to bleed government, halt progress and otherwise make government underperform.... they can do that. Yes, I’m talking about the Republicans.
So what should we do?
Don't vote or vote a 3rd party. How can you go on with the 2 party system owned by big money?
Jennifer, you are stating a dangerously simplistic view of our political situation. If you take specific issues and look at the differences between the parties it is clear they are far apart. Abortion. Environment. Student debt. Ukraine. Rule of law. . . There will always be scoundrels in politics because politicians and power-wielders are human. That does not mean it is acceptable to take actions (voting third parties or not voting) that will yield the election of a madman. Be savvy.
Sorry I don't agree.
IF things are going to change it will not be because you voted for corrupt party's.
Good luck with waiting for the perfection you desire.
Thank you.
OMG, noooooo!
My point is: Undoubtedly the US is in a bad situation where you have liars.cheats,big money and a lousy press. How do you change that because if it doesn't change this circus will go on and on?
I agree the system needs to be changed and reformed. But we must do this from within. Not voting or voting for a third party candidate swings the results toward Trump and the Repubs 2025 plan which is the worst of the two choices
The call to ‘do it from within’ is hilariously naive when both parties are captured by their corporate donors. Elections will not save us. General strikes and mass nonviolent civil disobedience are the only thing that will. Lesser of two evils voting is what brought us to this point. Unfortunately, to break the duopoly, there will be civil unrest, as there has been whenever social change has taken place in America, from worker strikes during the Great Depression through the Civil Rights movements.
When they go low, we go high, is about the stupidest messaging I can think of in the current climate. This is a war against a corporate coup that has taken place, a coup that has been aided, in various forms, by BOTH political parties. Fight the corporate state, whichever party is supporting it at any given moment, and we have a chance. Pledging allegiance to Team Red or Team Blue is nothing short of insanity.
I agree with Tom below this comment.
Not voting is not an option! We already have a miserable voting record in this country as it is! And a third party is not a viable option either, at least at this point in time. Maybe someday...but not yet.
I go back to the electoral college process. It is that process that takes away empowerment of the citizens that their vote counts. When the electoral college can overrule the people’s choice why the hell bother?
Can Biden vote out the Electoral College? I doubt it but just asking.
No
OK thanks. Who can?
Who benefits from a gov shut down? Who does the Freedom Caucus serve when they disrupt and obstruct their legislative duties and violate their oaths by attempting to dismantle the institutions of government that serve their constituents? They work to sow distrust of gov and grow apathy towards participating in the people’s business. They are administrative terrorists hell bent on destroying democracy. Now, who does that serve? Their oligarchy donors, and Putin, and MBS. “It’s a war on the middle class, and frankly we are winning.” Warren Buffett. “Billionaires have more in common with global oligarchs than regular Americans.” Tim Synder.
Speaking of billionaires, it’s time we take a step back and look at the world that the first billionaires created in the 1800s and how that affects us today:
https://unorthodoxy.substack.com/p/donating-to-a-good-cause-how-billionaires
@frankO’Kanu, I don’t disagree with your concepts, and thank you for participating here! Please consider that it may seem a bit self-serving to have sooooo many links to one particular/different substack in this one newsletter’s comments. The HCR community is a trusted, safe space, made that way by tolerance, yes - but even more by prudence and thoughtfulness.
Thanks for this Charoltte. Someone else made a similar comment so I can appreciate you calling this out.
I am with Charlotte on this one as well. And I also agree that its ok that people can disagree with others in conversations.
So no-one can disagree?
That doesn't sound right to me.
It “doesn’t sound right” because you are not reading it.
Re: Tuberville... Why hasn't Chuck Schumer called for a change to the "hold" rules for the Senate? I understand the reason for some limited holds by Senators as a "courtesy" to Senators from each state. That was a policy under the more collegial Senates of the past. Today, this is almost as bad a rule as the 60% vote requirement to pass anything (essentially a filibuster).
I would propose a moderate change rather than attempting to remove the option for holds entirely. Permit EACH Senator to exercise a single hold at a time, or maybe two. But no more. If you have two holds in place, that is all any single Senator can exercise until those holds are removed, either by letting a vote take place or by the withdrawal of the nominee who is held. This would let each Senator selectively hold some nominations, but no single Senator could hold 300 nominations up as Tuberville is currently doing. Of course, if he could convince other Senators to exercise holds with him, he could increase that number, but he would have to get a consensus in the GOP caucus to do that.
Allowing a single Senator to essentially singlehandedly block dozens let alone hundreds of nominations is absurd and should be eliminated immediately by BOTH parties.
From where I sit, there's a remedy to this blockhead, of sorts. IIRC, the new HQ for Space Force was to be in Alabama (Huntsville?). Now that 'Coach' has embarked on his latest shenanigans, the HQ for Space Force will remain in Colorado Springs.
It's time to begin removing military installations out of Alabama until this ridiculous charade comes to an end. Start closing them down, redeploy the soldiers and their dependents and let's make it hurt the local economy of Alabama. Shouldn't be that hard.
Squeal, Piggy. Squeal.
Great ideas, Marla. Teach the SOB Tuberville a lesson. He is too ignorant to be in our Senate. A typical backwoods hick is what he is.
He lives in Florida
Unfortunately this "option" has already happened so it won't be available to put pressure on Tuberville. The Biden administration decided last month to keep the Space Force in Colorado. They claim it is not a political decision (and it well may not be) but merely a cost savings measure as the Space Force headquarters in Colorado is already in place and moving it to Alabama (as decided by the Trump administration) would just cost extra money.
Maria That would fill a dual purpose, giving the Confederacy states less access to recruiting the military.
After the missing jet incident in SC this past weekend, Tommy T criticized the Marine Commandant for allowing this to happen. What a moron! He is the reason there is no current Marine Commandant!
Chuck Schumer is a holdover from a time when both parties operated under a pledge of gentlemanly cooperation. He needs to go, along with many others, and allow for men and women to take charge who are willing to fight, to get down and dirty with the Republicans, an eye for an eye. The Democrats as a party need to wake up and realize what we are up against.
I would like to see AOC in a position to drive more legislation.
Never happen. Although personally my abstract view of the political world in Washington probably closely aligns with AOC, I also understand (as sadly she does not seem to) that our legislative branches are NOT in any way single-sided and the likelihood that AOC could actually lead a Congressional caucus even if the House had a Democratic majority (which it doesn't) is about zero. She is just too politically left for a compromise coalition to rise up in her favor. The best bet is to got a center/left person probably (for right now) from the GOP who the Democrats could align with and form a coalition House majority. This is NOT something the US is well-known for but in today's environment it is probably the best we can hope for. If we can find 10-15 GOP representatives who are NOT pledged to maintain allegience to the right-wing GOP a slim majority coalition can probably be formed. however, the hold that the right wing has over almost all of the GOP congressfolk is pretty amazing and it may be that there is no way for a coalition to form. We shall see, hopefully soon.
By the way, when I said "never happen" I meant in today's Congress. Of course, if the Dems can scratch back a majority in the House in 2024, things might be different.
This may sound ignorant. What would it take to strip Tuberville from the committee he heads which allows this to happen, allowing someone else to take over?
“What would it take to strip Tuberville from the committee he heads ....?”
Voting for the Democratic Party’s candidates would be a good start.
Tuberville doesn't head any committees. Only Democrats head committees in the Senate. Tuberville is acting under a rule that permits ANY Senator to hold up ANY number of nominations. This has been a custom for years, but no one has ever tried to do it like Tuberville. It is usually used as an emergency by a Senator to block one or maybe a couple of nominations they are so strongly opposed to. Holding back 300 nominations for military advancement is unheard of, but then virtually all of politics for the past 7 years has been almost completely unprecedented in Washington, so that should n't surprise us.
My proposal was that a new rule should be passed which restricts "holds" by any single Senator to one or maybe 2 or even 3, but that's it. This is "at a time" so once a decision is made on someone a Senator is trying to block, then that Senator can block someone else. But it makes it impossible for Tuberville to do what he is doing, i.e., blocking all incoming military advancement nominations.
Generally, unless there is a REAL actionable objection, each party gets to choose the members of their committees. In this case, given the current status which permits any Senator to submit as many objections under the 1 vote objection to nominees, there is little justification to remove him. I don't like it and I have suggested that the rules change to restrict objections to no more than 1 or 2 at a time, but right now, he is within his rights.
I do believe the intent is to hold these positions open so that when/if tfg is returned to the WH he can find wants to install his loyalists in those positions and thus control the military. And why would he want to control the military? It doesn’t take more than a few seconds to realize what he could/would do. Horrifying. They learned from the Merrit Garland debacle...
Well, of course, any Democrat could do the same thing to Trump so this may be a non-productive exercise in Senatorial power. Of course, the GOP if they get control of the Senate might decide to change the rules. I don't see why the Democrats don't change the rules themselves, and at the same time get rid of the 60% requirement for most votes to pass a law or rule. Filibustering shouldn't be permitted. I'd be happy with limited changes. As noted elsewhere, a reasonable change would be to permit any single Senator to have 1-3 holds at a time, but after those holds are exercised, no more until one of their existing holds is released. Thus a "Tuberville" wouldn't be permitted, he could hold say 3 of his most immportant blocks, but that is it. He would need to get other Senators to help him and he would probably hyave trouble blocking more than a few dozen other nominatees and at least 90% of those nomiated would be voted on quickly.
35. Thank you President Biden for doing your duty, upholding your oath of office, bringing back dignity, respect, and honor to the office.
Thanks as always for your astute and even profound view of our current events. I don't know quite how to say this appropriately for this forum, other than that the obstructionist republicans are engaged in traitorous acts and should be charged and dealt with accordingly. The comparison between these childishly naively and evil acts and the steady as she goes Biden administration is so clear...and that there is still support out there for these ne'er-do-wells is beyond belief. And yet...here we are. Thanks Again. You are making a huge difference.
Yes, Heather is educating her readers, but the supporters of these anti-democratic forces don't read Heather's letters or read much of anything. That's why I keep imagining some edutainment cable channel fully funded to counter Faux.
Maybe Heather can get her own all day radio show like Rush Limbaugh and start making fun of Trump all day long, punctuated by commercial breaks?
Haha Problem is Heather is way too smart. It would need to take a different form, but then might not appeal to the deplorables. Real creativity required.
I have no doubt that Hunter Biden did some things that were pretty slippery. But, I have a couple of questions. Where was the GQP outrage when the Trump sons were running a fake children's cancer charity? Where was their outrage when Trump University was handing out fake degrees and had to pay back the money? Where was their outrage when Ivanka got patents in China while working in our White House? Where was their outrage when Ivanka and the president were hawking Goya products? Not to even mention the $2B that Jared got from Saudi Arabia. Democrats didn't go after the president's family....
And Don Jr. who is a huge dope fiend with a cocaine addiction and yes, the fake children's cancer charity. His bratty children are much worse than Hunter Biden. But the MAGA's don't dare mention that, nor does the corrupt MSM. In my opinion, the MSM has been bribed or bought off. NBC's, 'Meet the Press'' had an interview with TUMP recently and never rebuked any of his usual lies. No backlash or anything. He was allowed to lie freely as he usually does.
I, for one, wouldn't hold my breath waiting for answers from the 'Pubbies. They're not forthcoming.
Exactly.
We should have. We need to go on offense instead of constantly finding ourselves on defense. We look weak.
It’s about time that Hunter Biden gives the R’s a taste of their own making! Suing the IRS so-called whistleblowers for exposing his private info is a start. He has also sued the guy who looked into his computer and revealed the salacious video of him. You know the one which the despicable MGT decided to show in the House. I just wish that MSM would listen to their audiences and not continue to give Trump any publicity. Perhaps they are thinking they will be the one station that captures him saying all the right things for Jack Smith and Company. Nonetheless, tonight on Rachel Maddow, she showed just how his base is ramping up threats to all in the court system and all in Congress. I wonder if Leonard Leo and Ginni Thomas are part of the mob. I sincerely wouldn’t put it past either of them.
Oh and did you see where Elon and Bibi got together in San Francisco?? WTF?
Elon and Bibi do San Fran?!?
Not since Lucky Luciano and Meyer Lansky had a night on the town in NYC has there been such a dastardly duo of way too well funded gangsters hobnobbing in a major metropolis with mal intent!
Trump left vacant several auditing and whistleblower positions in the various departments of the Federal Government to prevent them from reporting him. And others, as Heather reported yesterday, did blow the whistle on him and one led to his first impeachment.
(Um, Elon for President?)
Thank God me can't--He is a naturalized US citizen. He was born in South Africa.
Funny, that. There's another naturalized US citizen, but born in Australia, who causes the English-speaking world infinite trouble. The British Empire didn't disband soon enough.
The British Empire never disbanded. It morphed into the American Empire.
When? In 1929?
From 1914-15, probably. But the process was completed by 1944.
But he is rich and Republican, so can't he do whatever he wants?
Over my dead body!!
Hoping that's a joke...
Maybe over his dead body?
Couldn’t be clearer who is competent, intelligent and most experienced in the complicated job of the presidency - age matters less in this case. Just contrast the actions and results of the two, and ignore the MAGA distractions about nothingness.
Would that Main Street media would start doing their job rather than being distracted by MAGA insinuations and absurd theatrics.
exactly ! the media is complicit in reporting the candy and the sensational instead of talking about the achievements of the biden administration and the dangers to democracy of trump and his acolytes. and i too feel so sad that the right wing lunatics are trying to impeach biden who has served our country his whole life a
Another home run, Dr Richardson. TY!
“the Republicans are in crisis, and they are taking the country down with them”
It is time overdue for the House republicans of a more ‘moderate stripe’ and the House Dems to work out some sort of sane accommodations…..
The very recent budget ‘extensions’ (of a totally manufactured ‘crisis’) are perhaps a sign….
Meanwhile the piece of advice Robert Reich gave today is oh so true “
SOME Useful political advice from Robert Reich:
Don’t waste your time and energy commiserating with people who already agree with you. Don’t gripe, whine, wring your hands, and kvetch with other progressives about how awful Trump and his Republican enablers are. Don’t snivel over or criticize Biden and the Democrats for failing to communicate more effectively how bad Trump and his Republican enablers are. None of this will get you anything except an upset stomach or worse.
— Demonstrate, but don’t mistake demonstrating for political action. You may find it gratifying to stand on a corner in Berkeley with a sign asking drivers to “honk if you hate fascism” and elicit lots of honks, but that’s as politically effectual as taking a warm shower. Organize people who don’t normally vote to vote for Biden. Mobilize get-out-the-vote efforts in your community. Get young people involved.
I'm with him there, with a dining table full of postcards to Virginia, where early voting in the November election has begun already. I've done postcards for this group before; it's not tilted to any candidate, but the lists are carefully chosen from inactive young voters. Reich and Dr. Richardson are the only two sub-stacks I read, because I feel they are reality based about the past and forward -looking. Kevin McCarthy's enormous ego got him—and us—into this position, and I can't imagine how we get out of this before the government shuts down. I just remember a woman from the Tea Party railing hysterically at President Obama for shutting down the national parks without the slightest realization that she had been asking for it.
Just about everyone I know is doing letters or postcards….think registering young voters is super important and a very watchful eye on voter suppression efforts a hugely good idea AND using the media to expose voter suppression is absolutely necessary…the media has allowed these guys WAY TOO MANY ‘victories’!
I struggle with my patience when people whine about Biden, but I remind myself that not everyone reads Letters from an American. And most young people do not have my perspective even of the last decade. Living through Nixon and Reagan and GWB was enough to ensure I will never vote for any Republican.
I understand….and on occasion I find Biden to sound defensive or certainly not Obama-quality rhetoric.
But we don’t have the luxury of time….
I’m a child of the Second World War….my dad was in Yokohama Harbor for the peace treaty….
I once asked my mom what was the scariest thing she’s ever been through and she said World War 2 …..”we didn’t know if we could win it..”
I think this situation today is equally scary with a much much LESS alert body politic! And even higher stakes…
https://apple.news/A7fHu7eCQTY-chQPvA5uCnA
The House Reps beginning to ‘shape up’…sort of/….
"Freedom Caucus insist they will not agree to any budget that accepts the deal McCarthy cut with Biden."
With "freedom" like the "Freedom Caucus", who needs tyranny? What the "GOP" calls "free" or "freedom" these days is puerile, hubristic acting out; our national interests be damned.
Or, as Janice Joplin so famously sang Kris Kristofferson's words,
"Freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose"
In the narrow sense of it's use in the song. But real freedom to make one's own choices so long as they are responsible to others, makes life worth living.
Of course
JL: the “Freedumb Caucus” where you are as free as you want to be completely and irretrievably stupid....and dangerous!
The malignantly narcissistic view of "freedom" is getting to boss everybody else around with complete impunity. That's the malign folly Republicans are selling these days.
As I would not be a slave, so I would not be a master. This expresses my idea of democracy. Whatever differs from this, to the extent of the difference, is no democracy." - Lincoln
Correct on all.
Thank you, Dr. Richardson for this wonderful update. What I'd really like to know is how any one person, in any office, can dictate what the whole Country must do. How does Tommy Tuberville, a college football coach, not exactly a prestigious job, have the power to single handedly prevent 300 military officers, on active duty in service to the entire Country from promotion? I've searched the Constitution, particularly Article I, Sections 7 through 10 dealing with rights, privileges, power, and legislating and nowhere does the Constitution suggest that ONE Senator or Congress Person has the right to dictate, or establish a rule or regulation on their own volition. What is wrong with our government that they would allow, such atrocious behavior to occur.
As to the Party of Trump holding the Country hostage, this is strictly forbidden: See Article VI and Amendment XIV, Section 4, specifically state that all debt must be paid. Period. End of Discussion. There is not a Constitutional provision for setting debt ceilings, or refusal to pay debts such as Federal and Military salaries, Social Security, VA payments, or interest on National debt. It is time for both Democrats and real Republicans to grow some courage and uphold the Constitution pursuant to Article VI, section 2. The Constitution and the laws (passed and signed into law are SUPREME whether the Party of Trump agrees with them or not. We fought two wars, the Revolutionary War and the Civil War, to maintain our rights and our Constitution, Now is the time to uphold both those rights and the Constitution.
Answer to question one (re: the ol' ball coach): Football is a religion in the south east. Ol' ball coach was a very popular if not always successful football coach at several universities, most notably Auburn University. Name recognition and (cue the heavenly choir) football. Answer to question(s) 2: It is a senate procedural mechanism and not a constitutional requirement. As to question 3... I have no clue why we are abdicating our governmental responsibilities and allowing this kind of atrocious behavior to occur.
Thank you Ally, As a dedicated football fan of more than 75 years, I understand the love of football, my husbands and my children knew that Sundays were Mom's only TV day of the week. But no matter how much I love and respect the game, I always knew it was just that a game. I like skilled football coaches and players as much as I like beautiful skilled horses. But politics is the real world, it's not supposed to be a game. I also realize that both the Senate and the House have procedural rules; but these rules have no standing in courts of law. It's like a parent setting bed time, if the child refuses to comply the child and parent have to come to a reasonable understanding. My question still remains What the hell is wrong with our government that such reckless behavior is allowed? I've written to both my Congressman and my Senator (in California we have only one Senator until 2025 as Dianne Feinstein refuses to resign) I've had a reply from Senator Padilla that he will review my email and get back to me as soon as possible.
Sadly, we (the global "we" in the US) make everything into a game. Life isn't a game at all.
I cannot fathom why Feinstein and McConnell are even still in office.
I share your sentiments. Both that life is not a game, and why McConnell and Feinstein won't retire. They add zero benefit to the Senate or to their respective parties. Feinstein is obviously suffering from some form of dementia, her family should encourage her to quit now. McConnell has never been brilliant but he too obviously has some central nervous system problem.
As I was looking for the 09/18/23 Red Wine and Blue podcast (not yet posted on Youtube), I stumbled upon this conversation HCR had in October 2022 at the University of Maine. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2VFEeTBebsk As Heather has said, the first "Letter" (not so named yet) was on September 15, 2019 and the Substack publishing of the "Letters" started on November 5, 2019.
Preaching to the choir here but Heather's ability to absorb, summarize and consolidate the news/politics of today (where chaos and craziness is everywhere) within historical and current context is extraordinary. The vast array of topics that she can address extemporaneously (biweekly videos without notes) is astounding . . . .including fashion . . . when pockets were introduced to women's clothing!! (on a "Now and Then "podcast with Joanne Freeman-another wonderful forum but has ended). Of course, all of what she pulls together requires an incredible amount of passion, research, time, and thought and none of us mere mortals can figure out how she sustains the level of activity she manages! And, to top it all off, she continues to be a most down-to-earth, genuine person.