Rob, it only took 4 years for the visible underpinnings to come crashing down. The transformation has been well underway for decades, introduced to the mainstream through Ronald Reagan, the seemingly kind, gentle, father figure who made insidiousness acceptable to republicans and independents across the country. The persona he project…
Rob, it only took 4 years for the visible underpinnings to come crashing down. The transformation has been well underway for decades, introduced to the mainstream through Ronald Reagan, the seemingly kind, gentle, father figure who made insidiousness acceptable to republicans and independents across the country. The persona he projected was not a mistake or a fluke, it was well crafted and executed. He developed a polite way to say "screw you" to those at the bottom and gave those in the middle, greedy for more, a way to justify their selfishness. And those at the top? He gave them the language of trickle down economics, a framework that they've been able to use for decades. It's like a Jenga tower, eventually it collapses. That's where we are now.
Daria. I think you've got it pinned. You captured the background perfectly. What I see now is an administration whose plans are going awry, and are desperately trying to reclaim the upper hand. I admit that I am a natural optimist, but this admin has tried one foolish thing after another only to see their plans blow up on them. Their claims are becoming more preposterous, either out of desperation or an attempt (as Heather said) to try to convince Dems and Progs that it's a lost cause and not bother voting. What I see from my vantage point is the opposite: intense campaigns to encourage and support voters. No accident that polls show a steadily increasing support for Biden.
And I'm wondering if Trump's refusal to concretely agree to accept the outcome of the election might just nudge one or more Republican Senators to change their minds about supporting selection of Ginsburg's replacement. That would be nice.
Annie, I think you're right. The administration's efforts are being foiled time and again so they are doubling down on the optics at rallies, showing masked, whites only behind the president and increasing the inflammatory rhetoric against democrats, progs and "the other" more and more aggressively. What concerns me, at this point, is he is making absolutely no attempt, not even a feeble one, to address anyone other than his hard core constituency. He is throwing out fresh bits of red meat daily, just enough to keep them hungry and coming back for more.
The latest turning point, in my mind, is when Trump used the word "retribution" in his interview with Jeanine Pirro, regarding the September 3rd death of the so called antifa sympathizer, Michael Reinoehl, by US Marshals in Washington state. Pirro let Trump's comment pass, unchallenged. It's in that moment Trump's block of voters got the message loud and clear that he is willing to support any action that will push him forward. If they didn't understand the.precise meaning of the word retribution Trump's shills made the meaning very clear. (Mind you, his more militant core didn't need this "permission" they've already committed to violence and mayhem to further his cause.)
I struggle with optimism right now. Every horrible thing I imagined happening under a Trump presidency has come to fruition. His intentions were clear from the beginning just as they are now. And I hope you're right. I hope that Trump's refusal to accept the election results will turn the tide within the Republican Senate and stop the forward movement around RBG's replacement. That would be a sign of a better tomorrow..
Yeah, I know that history. I was going to allude to us going from Camelot to the Dark Ages in 4 years, but remembered Camelot was in the Dark Ages. I was thinking of all the progress that took place in civil rights at the beginning of this century to the point of a biracial president winning two terms. THEN THE BACKLASH CRASH.
Rob, it only took 4 years for the visible underpinnings to come crashing down. The transformation has been well underway for decades, introduced to the mainstream through Ronald Reagan, the seemingly kind, gentle, father figure who made insidiousness acceptable to republicans and independents across the country. The persona he projected was not a mistake or a fluke, it was well crafted and executed. He developed a polite way to say "screw you" to those at the bottom and gave those in the middle, greedy for more, a way to justify their selfishness. And those at the top? He gave them the language of trickle down economics, a framework that they've been able to use for decades. It's like a Jenga tower, eventually it collapses. That's where we are now.
Daria. I think you've got it pinned. You captured the background perfectly. What I see now is an administration whose plans are going awry, and are desperately trying to reclaim the upper hand. I admit that I am a natural optimist, but this admin has tried one foolish thing after another only to see their plans blow up on them. Their claims are becoming more preposterous, either out of desperation or an attempt (as Heather said) to try to convince Dems and Progs that it's a lost cause and not bother voting. What I see from my vantage point is the opposite: intense campaigns to encourage and support voters. No accident that polls show a steadily increasing support for Biden.
And I'm wondering if Trump's refusal to concretely agree to accept the outcome of the election might just nudge one or more Republican Senators to change their minds about supporting selection of Ginsburg's replacement. That would be nice.
Annie, I think you're right. The administration's efforts are being foiled time and again so they are doubling down on the optics at rallies, showing masked, whites only behind the president and increasing the inflammatory rhetoric against democrats, progs and "the other" more and more aggressively. What concerns me, at this point, is he is making absolutely no attempt, not even a feeble one, to address anyone other than his hard core constituency. He is throwing out fresh bits of red meat daily, just enough to keep them hungry and coming back for more.
The latest turning point, in my mind, is when Trump used the word "retribution" in his interview with Jeanine Pirro, regarding the September 3rd death of the so called antifa sympathizer, Michael Reinoehl, by US Marshals in Washington state. Pirro let Trump's comment pass, unchallenged. It's in that moment Trump's block of voters got the message loud and clear that he is willing to support any action that will push him forward. If they didn't understand the.precise meaning of the word retribution Trump's shills made the meaning very clear. (Mind you, his more militant core didn't need this "permission" they've already committed to violence and mayhem to further his cause.)
I struggle with optimism right now. Every horrible thing I imagined happening under a Trump presidency has come to fruition. His intentions were clear from the beginning just as they are now. And I hope you're right. I hope that Trump's refusal to accept the election results will turn the tide within the Republican Senate and stop the forward movement around RBG's replacement. That would be a sign of a better tomorrow..
Yeah, I know that history. I was going to allude to us going from Camelot to the Dark Ages in 4 years, but remembered Camelot was in the Dark Ages. I was thinking of all the progress that took place in civil rights at the beginning of this century to the point of a biracial president winning two terms. THEN THE BACKLASH CRASH.
Rob, I know you know the history. I didn't intend to imply you didn't!
My clever Irish, I fear, can tell a man to go to hell in such a way that he looks forward to the trip.