On December 21, Congress passed the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021, a $2.3 trillion bill that pulled together a number of different pieces of legislation, including a $900 billion coronavirus relief bill and a $1.4 trillion appropriations bill (which included 12 separate annual appropriations bills). Today’s news is that Trump is refusing to sign the bill into law.
I have looked at DT’s Twitter feed a handful of times, but I wanted to hear his objections to the measures passed by Congress so I bit the bullet. His remarks were standard Trumpian propaganda but the comments – well, the comments were something else again.
The comments defending, lauding, or continuing to support Donald Trump were a toxic mix of the last wails of a dying breed of disgruntled cranks, terribly misinformed individuals who cannot conceive of the possibility they have been misled – not just by Trump, but by the Conservative movement that Trump hijacked - and hired guns in the employ of Putin’s army of internet assassins.
Those in Putin’s employ will be rewarded by their master for their mischief. Those who continue to sing the praises of Donald Trump will eventually find themselves on the dustheap of history, either ridiculed for being so thoroughly fooled by a delusional demagogue or scorned for supporting the man who did more to undermine the United States than any person in its history.
My concern: Although the comments themselves may be the work of lunatics, ignoramuses or bots, the thousands of “likes” they received are from folks who may not feel comfortable posting such things but harbor the same sentiments.
It is difficult to resist lashing out but resist we must because they derive pleasure from the scorn. It empowers the worst of them, and I refuse to empower them any more than I would pass ammunition to a lunatic on a school playground wielding a weapon. It may give some satisfaction in the short run, but it does not address the root problems.
There is work to be done. We cannot ignore the millions of people who followed Trump and think that by electing a Democratic President everything will work out fine – it won’t.
The good work I expect a Biden administration will attempt, is vital. Changing the conditions under which people live for the better, is a start in the right direction.
However, unless people have a workable alternative narrative, unless there is an information intervention that can succeed in breaking through the decades of lies many people have come to believe, we will remain a divided nation and those divisions will become even more rigid. And, it will be our children who pay the price.
R Dooley, your 'workable alternative narrative' is THE key, imho. Initially, our narrative must express OUR desires and hopes, and be inclusive enough to appeal to conservatives.
Toward this effort, some people now speak to "the commons” and the “the commonwealth”. Most people can relate to our shared parts of our society (the commons), such as nature, education, safety, health and the tried-and-true “liberty and justice for all”.
Take nature, for instance. I can certainly agree with hunters and NRA members on the importance for caring for nature, and now I more fully accept hunters’ interests. Here, we have common interests in protecting nature. Around safety, hunters and I can agree on the need for safety measures pertaining to education, use, access, sales, on guns. So, can liberals begin to relate to "gun safety", and our common concerns, rather than “gun control”. We must challenge the use of the term gun control!
So, here, I feel I have defined the view of the commons, relating to nature, safety, hunting and education.
The commons, and our common interests, I believe, has the potential to challenge the dominant “rugged individualism” narrative of conservatives. In fact, America was built on common interests of freedom and liberty. However, at this point, we must find the commonalities, rather than relapse to the old winner-looser model of debating.
There exists a commonality and mutuality within all debates and disagreements.
Frederick, thankyou for the excellent micro-example of the macro "building of the commons" we will need for our new narrative. It has helped in the past to have the physical common green areas of many towns as a visual reminder of the need for shared space. But perhaps we are building the new commons partly in our language ( (in English)gun safety/gun control; defund police/reallocate resources ); also, we are gathering anew in our streets and in our digital "commons" neither of which are yet safe for all. When Heather asked us for ideas about the new narrative we needed I really struggled. I realize now that, at the very least, it will have to be more like a 3-D printer than a single flat surface--many threaded and woven together.
Yes, there are many threads. But what holds it together?
Sometimes it is helpful to notice the “opposition” and their plans, ideals. Libertarianism (or conservatism) proclaims limited government, individual rights, private interests.
We have two dynamics here. One, a private economy called capitalism (corporate capitalism). Conservatism sanctifies the ideal of profit making, at the expense of constitutional rights and the safety of people and the planet.
Secondly, conservatism demands a limited role of government, to insure the private interests of shareholders and corporate profits.
Well, we say government IS our democracy. Democracy IS government. We advocate a society built on the basic human rights of safety, equity and liberty.
Our economy must serve the interests of the commons and our commonwealth. Progressives insure the safety and health of all people, future generations and our Earth.
My naive thought on freedom has always been that individual freedom stops where it infringes upon the freedom of the other. In a definition of unlimited individual free-dumb, the rampant, incoherent free-dumb of the individual never stops and does not under any circumstances recognize the free-dumb of the other...dog eat dog! This may work when we are alone, far into the woods or mountains but is uniquely destructive of "society" when we are 2 or more in close proximity. There is always a bigger dog or a violent pack to proclaim their freedom at the expense of all others if their is no respect for the freedom of the other. Dog catchers and their pound are a much underrated profession and institution, essential for society to function in freedom and harmony.
Unfortunately, Haque is preaching to the choir. His thoughts on "free-dumb" please the left but speak only to the left in a self-righteous way. He proposes generalizations that are partly true, but far to easy. The right throughout Europe is a force not unlike our own in its debasement and cruelty. Canada has its diverse problems. The rioting and destabilization throughout the world is its own "epidemic." I think we have a worldwide issue that is one of precarity, economic inequality, and climate migration, as well as migration provoked by wars, gangs, and drug lords. The narrowness of Haque's perspective concerns me. It serves to distract from the rape of earth's forests, oceans, air, rivers, and land, and avoid the deeper, wider problem of the failure of governments to address any of these issues, not to mention, advanced capitalism. I rarely use this term, but this seems to me that Haque is, in a contorted way, blaming the victim.
I agree with you about the greater importance of those much larger existential problems, which we have conveniently managed to ignore for a few more years while wringing our hands over trump's excursions from political restraint. But I will defend the piece by saying the point is more about the benefits of strong social safety nets. Which unfortunately is not obvious to a considerable segment of the U.S. population.
I would say that the "safety nets" are going to be of little meaning if governments continue to ignore the global issues of migration and climate change. I think the "free-dumb" is alive at every level of society. It just appears that the culprits are "the other."
Blaming the victim -- In the sense that we victimize ourselves by choosing/accepting what he defines as "free-dumb," yes, he's blaming the victim. And I agree with Syd about the benefits of a strong safety net being opaque to a sizable chunk of the American population. One tactic the Democtratic party could choose is to work aggressively on making those benefits clear. But the party's not going to do that unless we stand up and say, "This is IMPORTANT. This is A PRIORITY."
Yeah, I agree that the Dem party does not make clear which benefits they want to promote. My concern, I really don't mean to be "Debbie Downer," but my concern would be that there is a challenging balance between supporting "benefits" and the agendas of major corporate donors. I also think climate change is the biggest crisis before us and I see little action from the Dems to address it. Of course, capitalism is at the foundation of every issue.
Just took a few minutes off to read this and verify the author's excellent credentials. Okay, then what should we do about it? Should thinking Americans emigrate to Canada and Europe? Idealistic but not realistic. Stop what you're doing right now and check out the link if you haven't already. https://eand.co/why-freedom-became-free-dumb-in-america-4947e39663f2
So true. I have a friend in CA whose doctor dad made it big with a medical business he started in the 70s. live in a hilltop estate in Napa. they LOATHE poor people, anyone who advocates for the poor and consider gubmint nothing but thieves trying steal their hard earned money. They call SF the big shithole and the people in it "animals." These people are all grads of CA's great public universities but no acknowledgement that taxes made them who they are. they begrudge every nickel that goes to anyone coming up today. And of course their servants, on whom they are highly dependent, are immigrants. I don't get it. Not visiting again until dad is deceased and the spew of rancor slows down. Or maybe never.
Umair nailed it. Look forward to reading more of her writings. Have also lived in Canada and Europe and felt more relaxed and happy in both places. I always felt “it” when I came back to NY. By “it”, I felt “racism” and its effects immediately-whether pumping gas across the border from Canada or landing at JFK. It’s part of the atmosphere here. An edge. A tension. Having basically lived a life here and travelled 49 of 50 states, I can see how the country’s origins in and history of racism have made so many people incredibly dumb. Including most of my family who never venture further than the safety of repeated Disney World visits. Most with advanced degrees and all as boring as hell. Voted for Trump, too. ❤️🤍💙
Yes, it does. Thank you Bill. Seeing our country from this perspective, and with such clarity, helps me understand the 70 million who voted against the greater good.
And rugged individualism is the largest contributor to the expansion and severity of the pandemic in America. Federal government delegates its authority to the states, and its leverage to private business, who NEVER see themselves as leaders. I’ll say that again - Private Industry is not successful by leading, but by learning how to win the game of competition.
Versions of this meme have been around a while. I read one a couple months ago that also used individualism and common-good as pivots for discussion, but was much more nuanced and much less judgemental than this one. Looked for where I stashed the link for reference, but of course couldn't find it on short notice. Wish I could, so I could share it here. It has the kind of insights supported by good critical thinking and examples that I find useful. This one? Eh. An excuse to feel superior. I am so tired of this kind of thing.
This is precisely where much of my mental anguish has sprung from for the past four years. I mean, we're right to believe in science and following those recommendations, aren't we? So it's no huge leap to start considering those who refute that evidence fools. And then look, there's me feeling superior again. And it doesn't feel great. Maybe it's only shocking to know there are people out there who just don't see "it" the same way. And I'll never understand why they do not. I am so tired of this kind of thing, too.
I've convinced that Trump isn't just striking back at McConnell and Thune but also intentionally weakening the economy for Biden and the nation. It's hard not to conclude that for Trump, hurting people is a source of perverse pleasure, a pleasure that eases the pain and anger of a humiliating loss. And he's not done yet.
His problem is that it doesn't ease the pain for him. He's like a junkie and will need higher and higher doses to have even the slightest of temporary pleasures.
Would be very interested in your insights on another aspect of the bill. I've read that it contains a clause requiring shell corporations to make funding sources transparent. Obviously, the Trump empire does not want this to pass into law. Could the fights with Senate Majority Leader and Whip be a smokescreen? When the negotiations are all final, it would be interesting to see if this remains in the final bill he signs. My personal belief is that all of his people-oriented attacks are distractions to draw attention away from how he is increasing his personal revenue.
I think that is the Corporate Transparency Act, which they passed with a veto-proof margin and I think it is separate. Either way I'm sure Trump is freaking out about it and another reason for him to try and stay in power.
Jennifer, you are correct that Congress passed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which incorporated the Corporate Transparency Act, on Dec. 11th. Trump vetoed the bill late on the 23rd. The margins of the votes were sufficient to override a veto if all Reps and Sens remain consistent. (McCarthy has said he won't back an override.) But they will need to do so in the very short time window next week, along with the appropriation acts Prof. Richardson describes. A new Congress arrives Jan. 3rd, though it is my understanding that the present Congress could procedurally delay gaveling them in until they passed the bill if they had not previously done so.
Here's the piece I didn't get at all - this comment from a WH aide - "One person in conversation with White House officials talked with Jeff Stein of the Washington Post about Trump’s scuttling of the bill and said, “He’s just angry at everybody and wants to inflict as much pain on Congress as possible.” Excuse me! Inflict as much pain on Congress as possible??? How about the American people, and the whole of government, the whole military, you know the ones doing the work, soldiers, sailors, their families - not getting the help they deserve. I'm so sick of the Republican party's political ploys and pure laziness, I could scream. But to no effect, alas.
It's been a whole four years of screaming into the wind about the enablers of Trump's sitting coolly in their Senate splendor, yucking it up with their Russian oligarch counterparts. Sick of the whole game they are playing with American lives. I can hardly wait till 2022 when I get a chance to donate to every Democrat running for Senator and get these fools and Grifter Oligarchs and suck-ups to our Russian agent president out of office.
As HCR alluded, for Republicans, the 800 lb gorilla isn't Trump, it's his base; the MAGA Mob, the Red Hat Battalions, the idolatrous throng that will turn out en masse to unelect any Republican who isn't as blindly loyal to Trump, and only Trump, as they are. For the last four years what is now the party of Trump has played and encouraged Trump's mob.
Now, on his way out the door, Trump is playing them.
The elites in Germany thought, in the end, they could control Hitler....
The wrath and stubbornness 45 is exhibiting simply reinforces the reality that he is incapable of leadership! No human being could possibly continue this deadly game of Russian roulette when so many lives are at stake! People will be penniless, homeless and in states of desperation during the coldest months of the year! I can't even bear to think of the consequences of his actions! My heart aches for our country and our people. More children will be on the streets starving -- the poor innocent children! It's unbearably heartbreaking!
One self-centered sociopath is destroying hundreds of thousands of innocent lives. Are our hands completely tied? Is there nothing to be done from a legal perspective? I feel utterly useless, sitting here, watching the destruction of a nation by one vengeful, soulless individual.
Calling your local church and asking if they are taking food, money, clothing for those in need. Working at a food bank, donating food etc. these seem small things but if most everyone does something it makes a difference. Plus it eases that feeling of personal powerlessness.
I'm sorry, bit I already do -- plus I am an avid activist. None of that takes away my grief or sense of powerlessness. When you look into their eyes, beneath the smiles of gratitude, is an emptiness, a sense of worthlessness and loss of dignity -- as if to say, please don't recognize me. Sure, it's a good thing to help out, but it doesn't ease any of the anguish -- not one little bit.
I disagree. It does a great deal. That's like saying, "I don't vote, because what difference does one vote make?" Don't underestimate small actions. If nothing else, they influence others for the better, and they are often the best we can do at a particular time. As for grief or a sense of powerlessness, why go there? Do what you can, friend, and buck yourself up. You do make a difference.
I posted here few weeks ago I was willing to take bets that trump would get on board and start hyping up his supporters to win the GA runoffs for the Republicans. I'm kind of glad no one took me up on it. I still think he's going to try and turn out his base for a win, but I'm a whole lot less certain now. He's really playing it close to the line! I have a hard time believing he'll take down his party just because they put down his kool-ade for a brief, refreshing swig of reality.
What would otherwise be an enjoyable spectacle of Republicans being eaten by a monster of their own creation is sadly tempered by considering the chaos and hardship he is also inflicting on millions of desperate Americans who should be able to expect better of their government. The Republican party is now a joke, and a sad excuse for representative democracy.
TЯ☭mp doesn't have a party. He's just borrowing the Republican Party. And, he's going after Republicans now as well. He was a Democrat a lot longer than he's been a Republican. He's a DRAINO. Democrat Republican or Anything In Name Only.
He was their "useful idiot"...he got them some of the legislation and some judicial appointments they have long wanted. He used them to gain even more fame, money, and power. And they used him. However, now the bill for their use of him seems to be coming due and he will make them pay one way or another, OR drag them down with him. I wonder if any Republicans have ever read Faust??? Good ol' Goethe is probably a bit much for them, but he kinda lays out what happens when you make a deal with Satan.
Like I said...humanity has been here before. I can cite some operatic treatments of this as well. It makes great theatre, but I don't particularly relish actually LIVING through it.
Your last line is close, but falls a bit short. The Republican Party has lost its soul, the most venal continue to follow Trump down the rabbit hole, only to be abandoned soon after they no longer serve their purpose to him, and the thoughtful of the party have all left for The Lincoln Project.
Trump, like the petulant, spoiled child he emulates, will continue to stomp his feet, cry “foul” and fall to the floor in the middle of the grocery store until he gets the candy he thinks he deserves.
And the country will pay the price.
Right now, the best we can do is take it upon ourselves to support our neighbors as best we can. Now more than ever we need to join with our communities to weather the storm until January 20th and beyond. Never give up, never give up to these tyrants, and remember next Election Day what they have done to us. We just have to survive until then.
Never give up. Either find help or find a way to lend help.
It's not his party. He was never a Republican. As actual Republicans have pointed out and even the worst of his enablers know. He is this force of evil that grabbed control because it could, because they were such feckless scum. He doesn't care about them, or anyone else, other than himself. I doubt he even cares for his children, when push comes to shove.
As long as the children are useful to him....they are IN. When he nolonger needs them or they resist....they are OUT. He doesn't understand the meaning of the word CARE!
As Adam Serwer, a columnist for The Atlantic, once said "the cruelty is the point".
When he was running for president in 2016, I remember Trump, the newly-minted "pro-lifer", being asked, regarding abortion, whether the woman having the abortion should be prosecuted in addition to the doctors performing it. "Yes. There has to be punishment." was his reply. I remember reading a reaction to this on Facebook (when I still was on FB): "He is a monster." At the time I thought: well, he is an idiot, and a proto-fascist, but a monster, probably not, because he never means what he says anyway. I was wrong, stupidly wrong. As the journalist Masha Gessen said upon Trump's election: when the tyrant speaks, believe him. He means it. He IS a monster.
I am wondering if Trump's malfeasances -- wow that's too weak a description! -- can be prosecuted by the International Criminal Court in The Hague? 330,000 dead through depraved indifference certainly counts as mass murder, if not on the scale of Pol Pot, then at least of Idi Amin who slaughtered 500,000 Ugandans. Add to this his evil antics at his end-of-term, and you are seeing a crime against humanity.
Looking at the Wikipedia definition of a Crime Against Humanity, it's clear that Trump meets SEVERAL of the criteria handily. The ICC charter explicitly says that non-member states (The USA, to its shame, withdrew in 2002) can nevertheless petition the ICC to consider prosecuting someone who has committed crimes against humanity. It would be good if Biden's incoming AG would lodge such a complaint.
It will never happen. Even under a "restoration" administration such as Biden's, this would seem like a relinquishment of US sovereignty. God knows US "sovereignty" needs a good hard slap in the face by the international community. But so much for fantasy-land.
As I said elsewhere, his niece pretty much stated that we haven't yet seen just how cruel "Donald"--she never refers to him as anything else--can be. People mean absolutely NOTHING to him. Only if they are useful for him in some way will be even bother with them. He uses them until they are no longer of any use and then basically writes them off. If they are totally ruined and destroyed, then so be it. Everybody in this administration who has been fired over the last 4 years knows all too well this is true. As a supreme narcissist he simply cares about no one but himself. I daresay his children and wives also mean little to him. It is simply stunning to witness it, and even more stunning that people around him enable him and allow themselves to be used. They probably, sadly, think there will be something in it for them. But, as SO many have seen, that is total fantasy. He will screw them over ultimately. He ALWAYS does. And on he goes, sowing discord, chaos, despair, and enmity, and in his wake leaving nothing but smoking ruins, and all done without an ounce of guilt or remorse. Far in the future I think he will eventually be seen as one of the worst human beings to ever grace the planet. It's a tragic pity so many people can't, or won't, see that right now. "What fools these mortals be..."
No, I've not seen it, but as with anything concerning Roger Stone I'd figure after seeing it I'd have to take a bath. I know he is REALLY reprehensible, but that is what DJT surrounds himself with...makes him seem not so bad. HA!!
And so, in the end, Donald Trump plays his endgame role: God. From denying SNAP to the food insecure to the distribution of vaccines to executions, he is demonstrating the wrath of vengeful god. He knows no benevolence, charity or compassion, only violence and destruction. He is in his glory and it's killing us.
Incredibly tragic for so many that this spoiled, vindictive, man baby can have his tantrum with such devastating effect. My parents would have said of any child behaving like that they need a good spanking.
What a small, small man he is. To have reached this advanced age without having learned to deal with failures and disappointments is stunning. Mary Trump probably didn't know the half of it.
But, I feel Mary Trump has been amazingly prescient about Trump from the beginning. All one has to do is listen to her...she NAILS his behaviour better than anyone I have come across. She has said all along, beware what he will do before he leaves office. ANYTHING is possible. We're seeing that, and we still have roughly 3½ weeks of Big Orange Baby's tantrums and sh!t-flinging to endure. He is insane and so are his cult-ish followers. I'm going to be on edge until Biden is sworn in, and probably for a little while after.
I was impressed by Mary Trump's descriptions of his behavior while avoiding the use of professional jargon. She outlined the kinds of expreriences that underlie and maintain the behaviors that we all observe.
We all predicted it would get a lot worse before January 20th and, sigh, we still have 4 weeks to go of this malevolent derangement. Unless and until Murderous Mitch and his Marionette Minions march their arses into the White House--or go down to Florida--and tell the sick bastard that his time is up, drag him kicking and screaming to a desk, put a sharpie in his hand, and make him sign we will be having to endure the whirlwind of his psychopathy. And as you all know, they won't. Even though they could lose both senate runoffs as a result. They have eaten of his sickness and it has become their raison d'être.
As Bill's brilliant wife has said, many Americans have this bizarre idea--based on utter ignorance of anything other than what exists on Fox and what poison the NRA feeds them--that freedom (or, to borrow her phrase, free-dumb) is a zero-sum game that means that white men get to do anything they want and everyone else has to suffer the consequences. However, they also don't understand how Medicare and Social Security work (as the Trumped-up anti ACA rhetoric demonstrated a decade ago), what unemployment actually is, or, indeed, any of the other programs put into place by FDR, Truman, and Johnson that protect white people from the likes of the Deranged Donald. So perhaps what we need is a vast re-education program, when we finally get rid go the Maniacal Menace once and for all. And indict his ass, as well as those of his congressional apparatchiks.
Amen sister.. what you said. It is amazing to me.. I have wondered long why no one has invoked the 25 th to remove him.. would require that his cabinet have some sense of right and wrong and be willing to protect the country. And that is not going to happen. They’re all as dumb as rocks malevolent to boot. I think Betsy DeVoss and Wilbur Ross and Ben Carson and all of his sycophants, Mnuchin etc. they’ll just do trump’s bidding because they think something good is going to come of it for THEM, or Have a little skin in the game here with pardons to be not yet. Betsy divorce his brother just got pardoned. And don’t get me started on Jared Kushner because that slime ball has been wheeling and dealing on the Middle East trip while shit comes down raining down on the United States.. I hate to tell him but no one‘s gonna forget..Many people will not forget all these names. These people who made a solemn oath to uphold the Constitution of United States and who have disregarded that in the most grievous way possibles . I hope these people who have allowed this to happen all of them have an epic backlash but I also know better than to hope for that
Oh Linda, I’m sorry if you thought article was WRITTEN by my wife. She is brilliant and probably would have produced a more comprehensive piece, but she simply passed it along to me.
I’m just rejoining the “herd” this evening or I would have responded sooner. I’m just pleased the column, flawed though it is, generated such a varied response. We really need to focus on the fundamentals of our society and begin addressing them in a coordinated way. This nation, as great as it is, is deeply flawed and has been so since the first settlers landed. It will take a herculean effort over many, many years to truly right the ship of state.
If he is going down in ignominy then he will take all of us, whether complicit or not, with him. Perhaps we are all in some ways complicit by not being more active in local government, backing people we believe in more strenuously and speaking out to our elected officials both in good times and bad. We have been willing to "go along to get along" and down that slippery road to perdition we have gone. I have resolved to continue to be more active politically, socially and environmentally regardless of who is in power. I hope we all find our inner true grit and willingly "speak truth to power" for the rest of our lives.
He is inflicting as much pain as possible and exercising the only power he has left by refusing to do what everyone is asking him to do. It is as if he he is setting himself apart from the entire US govt perhaps to play victim and hero to his base, perhaps in some twisted hope that his base will stage some kind of overthrow and he will be left in charge. I actually hope he just stays at mar-a-bozo and keeps playing golf. I hope he signs the bill but I suspect he won’t and will blame all the chaos on everyone else. The effect on the GA run offs will be interesting to watch. My biggest concern is that he will continue to inflame his base after Biden is sworn claiming the US is run by an illegitimate President, but hopefully there are some laws that will limit his influence in that regard.
Our GA votes were cast absentee and all are received and accepted! whew! On Christmas eve I spoke with my lovely aunt, who is 85. She has always been a Republican even though she dislikes Trump and finds him offensive and crass. We have never talked politics but on this call she absolutely begged me to please vote for one of the Republican senators. Why, because she is terrified, and I mean terrified that Biden is owned by China and our National Security and all our lives are at risk. Honestly I have never heard her so frightened. I'm so angry that the right is doing this to people. All the lies and propoganda are hurting people in so many ways. It just made me cry to have her so frightened.
My absentee vote was received, registered, and tallied on Dec. 11th. Georgia's airwaves are being absolutely BOMBARDED 24/7 with political ads. It is relentless. There are apparently 27 different entities playing spots, including the 4 candidates, so the bulk are PACs from outside the state. Their spots are the worst. It is easy to see the Republican strategy is mainly to frighten and scare everybody. ALL the popular bugaboos about those "radical, extremist, socialist liberals" are stressed over and over, with not an ounce of concern whether or not the outrageous things they're asserting are factual. As one of the local news shows in Atlanta stated, they basically HAVE to air what they're given, regardless of whether or not it's factual, because these candidates' campaigns and the various PACS have paid for airing ads a certain number of times. OF COURSE it's about money--we're well over half a billion $$ now and counting being spent on this campaign. Anyway, Republican strategists here admit their strategy is to hammer their messages again and again and again. There's barely anything substantive from them about the issues. Democrats are doing some similar things--I WISH they'd do more!--but their ads don't resort to pure fear-mongering, which is the strategy of the Right. The Right paints themselves as the saviours of American freedom and values, yada yada yada...BUT, as with Margaret's aunt above, it does work to convince and scare their "sheeple". It is infuriating, but I refuse to call someone like Margaret's aunt "fucking stupid". That kind of incendiary labeling doesn't get us anywhere, and I'm sorry, but that's not how you reach people. Yes, some are "unreachable", and they are always gonna be, but some are pretty sentient beings who are simply being grifted and are falling for the hysterical hype, and we're literally drowning in it right now in Georgia. The scales will fall from their eyes eventually, and it is our job to keep plugging away at it and try to reach those we can. You don't attract flies with vinegar...
It never should have gotten down to only these two Senate seats in the first place! Losing all those races that we should have won (Maine and South Carolina I am looking at you!) puts us in this ridiculous position.
Of course...I agree. That this whole charade even happened can be blamed on the vagaries of Georgia politics and the peculiar happenstance of TWO Senate seats being open at the same time. (It's a shame Johnny Isakson had to step down as he was one of the more sane Republicans in the Senate, but illness (Parkinson's) forced him to resign.) In 18 months the primaries will begin for elections for Governor and for the full 6-year term Senate seat being sought now by Loeffler and Warnock. Expect Doug Collins to rear his ugly head one more time, and it is expected Stacey Abrams will make another run for Governor. Trust me, Georgians didn't necessarily WANT to be under this kind of microscope, but here we are. The race to fill the remainder of Isakson's term prompted what is called a "jungle primary", meaning candidates' names on the ballot were placed in one column, alphabetically. There were, I think, 15 names on the list and the top 2 were then to face each other in a runoff on Jan. 5th. The rules are if one had gotten over 50% of the vote they would've won the seat outright without a runoff. With 15 names on the ballot, that basically ensured no one would get 50%. Those rules were set in stone back when Isakson stepped down. Perdue's 6-year term was to come to an end this year all along. (In one of his ads he stated that he came into office in 2014 in the midst of a huge economic crisis and that he helped spearhead the recovery...to which most people were like, "HUH???" There was a huge economic crisis in 2014??? I guess I slept through that...) It is curious fate that put both races in the same year. I'll be glad when we're back to being ignored again...
I live in New England, not Georgia, but have been involved in a similar, sad scenario. My 91 yr-old mother is frightened out of her wits, convinced that Biden is terrible, etc. etc. Not surprisingly, her "news" source is Fox. I can do little except grit my teeth and refuse to engage in a back-and-forth with her. Logic and reason flew out the window many, many months ago. It is beyond belief to watch how insanely off-base people like my mother have become. Worse, it is mind-bending to assess what they have "accomplished" by blindly supporting the GOP. <sigh> Jan. 20th can't come soon enough -- I just hope that when it arrives it is not too late.
The raw power of propaganda is frightening to watch in real time. There is a meme going around, I may have even seen it here already, that says social media has done to parents (and grandparents) what they said video games would do to the millennial generation. Which is to say, damage their brains.
could you program her TV so it can't see Fox and the others? I wish. fortunately my 94 year old mother and 96 year old aunt remain very sane. you'd think members of the WW2 generation would know a fascist when they see one.
My in-laws are of the same mindset as your mother. Fox blares constantly in their home. They watch nothing else as far as "news" goes. It is mind boggling.
My very young and hip 90 y.o. mother is a proud progressive, thank God! She is convinced Fox uses subliminal messaging. How else can people believe this garbage?
I have heard similar concerns from friends about Biden...I really don’t understand where this is coming from nor how it gets so deeply ingrained in their thinking. Would be curious where your Aunts opinion comes from. It seems that all the right has is fear mongering but unfortunately it is effective.
Facebook. It is full of these conspiracies and lies and they get passed around like wildfire. People comment that it is all true and then share the lies with all of their friends and family. I see it every day. Unchecked. Rampant. Tragically dangerous.
It's not just "Facebook." It's living in a hermetically sealed bubble of carefully constructed falsehoods. You could get this way on any social media web site, or in any media bubble, as others have pointed out here.
It's been going on a while. See this piece in Salon from 2014.
they said it about Obama. he was coming to take away our health care. I had a friend who believed it. she was wringing her hands in despair about losing her health care once "he" was in office. a few years later I asked her if anything had changed and she admitted that nothing had. I suggested maybe it would be good to try other news sources so she wouldn't get anxious about stuff that wasn't going to happen. she didn't and we're not friends anymore. I couldn't stand her stupidity and willingness to be brainwashed.
Psychology Today about the appeal of tRump...in a nutshell the spectre of fear of some bogeyman appeals to a segment of the population as their brains are wired for it. Trump has built his base on this, and those that are fanning the flames (and hidden from view) understand how this works. It is sad that so many have been manipulated by this, but it seems they were wired for it.
Exactly...I think there is a problem with traditional media/social media carrying too much weight/trust . I guess you believe what you want to believe...maybe someone will write a book on the large scale fleecing of America by the right wing media one of these days. (But of course the left wont buy it!)
Margaret cares for her aunt, who is elderly. This lady may be misinformed, but she is painfully worried. Calling her "that fucking stupid" is unkind in the extreme.
All of which points to the fact that we desperately need a litmus test before anyone is allowed to run for any office, or be approved for any cabinet position, beginning with local dogcatcher: in order to run for office one must submit and make public five years of federal and state tax returns.
I hope that's sarcastic, because where would you draw the line? Property ownership? Been tried. Gender? Race? How about an IQ test? Demonstrated knowledge of civics? Graduation from an approved college? Nevil Shute proposed a system where you got additional votes for various supposedly meritorious qualities and accomplishments, but I think anything other than universal suffrage is scary.
No, not sarcastic. I was thinking of making it a much longer post with caveats and qualifications, as I am aware of the dangerous territory it treads and have utmost respect for the sanctity of the vote. That said, I did propose it as a hypothetical in order to discuss the issue of political illiteracy and ignorance. I'm not sure what a workable solution is, but the election of trump points to a real problem with civic engagement in this country, and ought to be acknowledged.
And also... (please pardon, I'm not a fan of run-on comments) but it was in response to the idea of having qualification tests to become a candidate, which is as dangerous an idea, if you ask me.
As a footnote to this discussion, there was an interview on CNN a few days back with the co-author of Art of the Deal who was pretty blunt (and accurate) about tRumps current disposition...rage, narcissistic , mean, and wants to inflict pain on “the enemy” which is pretty much everyone at this point. I keep hoping he will encounter an alligator while looking for his golf ball in a pond...
Rather than focusing and lamenting on what is, let’s find solutions. Give to charities, donate food, clothing, time. There are so many churches and organizations needing donations and help. Turn to solutions instead of sitting in anger and resentment. It’s really toxic and helps no one.
Happy New Year, Elaine. So true. I was slipping into an abyss earlier but got a helping hand by Stuart Atwell just a little while ago. My donating is ongoing!
I have looked at DT’s Twitter feed a handful of times, but I wanted to hear his objections to the measures passed by Congress so I bit the bullet. His remarks were standard Trumpian propaganda but the comments – well, the comments were something else again.
The comments defending, lauding, or continuing to support Donald Trump were a toxic mix of the last wails of a dying breed of disgruntled cranks, terribly misinformed individuals who cannot conceive of the possibility they have been misled – not just by Trump, but by the Conservative movement that Trump hijacked - and hired guns in the employ of Putin’s army of internet assassins.
Those in Putin’s employ will be rewarded by their master for their mischief. Those who continue to sing the praises of Donald Trump will eventually find themselves on the dustheap of history, either ridiculed for being so thoroughly fooled by a delusional demagogue or scorned for supporting the man who did more to undermine the United States than any person in its history.
My concern: Although the comments themselves may be the work of lunatics, ignoramuses or bots, the thousands of “likes” they received are from folks who may not feel comfortable posting such things but harbor the same sentiments.
It is difficult to resist lashing out but resist we must because they derive pleasure from the scorn. It empowers the worst of them, and I refuse to empower them any more than I would pass ammunition to a lunatic on a school playground wielding a weapon. It may give some satisfaction in the short run, but it does not address the root problems.
There is work to be done. We cannot ignore the millions of people who followed Trump and think that by electing a Democratic President everything will work out fine – it won’t.
The good work I expect a Biden administration will attempt, is vital. Changing the conditions under which people live for the better, is a start in the right direction.
However, unless people have a workable alternative narrative, unless there is an information intervention that can succeed in breaking through the decades of lies many people have come to believe, we will remain a divided nation and those divisions will become even more rigid. And, it will be our children who pay the price.
R Dooley, your 'workable alternative narrative' is THE key, imho. Initially, our narrative must express OUR desires and hopes, and be inclusive enough to appeal to conservatives.
Toward this effort, some people now speak to "the commons” and the “the commonwealth”. Most people can relate to our shared parts of our society (the commons), such as nature, education, safety, health and the tried-and-true “liberty and justice for all”.
Take nature, for instance. I can certainly agree with hunters and NRA members on the importance for caring for nature, and now I more fully accept hunters’ interests. Here, we have common interests in protecting nature. Around safety, hunters and I can agree on the need for safety measures pertaining to education, use, access, sales, on guns. So, can liberals begin to relate to "gun safety", and our common concerns, rather than “gun control”. We must challenge the use of the term gun control!
So, here, I feel I have defined the view of the commons, relating to nature, safety, hunting and education.
The commons, and our common interests, I believe, has the potential to challenge the dominant “rugged individualism” narrative of conservatives. In fact, America was built on common interests of freedom and liberty. However, at this point, we must find the commonalities, rather than relapse to the old winner-looser model of debating.
There exists a commonality and mutuality within all debates and disagreements.
But first we need to agree to talk to each other, not rant.
Yes indeed. I’ve come to see the hunters’ views from a family member .....
Biden has lived a life of agreeing to talk to ‘the other'
Frederick, thankyou for the excellent micro-example of the macro "building of the commons" we will need for our new narrative. It has helped in the past to have the physical common green areas of many towns as a visual reminder of the need for shared space. But perhaps we are building the new commons partly in our language ( (in English)gun safety/gun control; defund police/reallocate resources ); also, we are gathering anew in our streets and in our digital "commons" neither of which are yet safe for all. When Heather asked us for ideas about the new narrative we needed I really struggled. I realize now that, at the very least, it will have to be more like a 3-D printer than a single flat surface--many threaded and woven together.
Yes, there are many threads. But what holds it together?
Sometimes it is helpful to notice the “opposition” and their plans, ideals. Libertarianism (or conservatism) proclaims limited government, individual rights, private interests.
We have two dynamics here. One, a private economy called capitalism (corporate capitalism). Conservatism sanctifies the ideal of profit making, at the expense of constitutional rights and the safety of people and the planet.
Secondly, conservatism demands a limited role of government, to insure the private interests of shareholders and corporate profits.
Well, we say government IS our democracy. Democracy IS government. We advocate a society built on the basic human rights of safety, equity and liberty.
Our economy must serve the interests of the commons and our commonwealth. Progressives insure the safety and health of all people, future generations and our Earth.
100% in agreement. Good points.
Once again my wife comes up with a winner. This explains almost everything.
https://eand.co/why-freedom-became-free-dumb-in-america-4947e39663f2
My naive thought on freedom has always been that individual freedom stops where it infringes upon the freedom of the other. In a definition of unlimited individual free-dumb, the rampant, incoherent free-dumb of the individual never stops and does not under any circumstances recognize the free-dumb of the other...dog eat dog! This may work when we are alone, far into the woods or mountains but is uniquely destructive of "society" when we are 2 or more in close proximity. There is always a bigger dog or a violent pack to proclaim their freedom at the expense of all others if their is no respect for the freedom of the other. Dog catchers and their pound are a much underrated profession and institution, essential for society to function in freedom and harmony.
Unfortunately, Haque is preaching to the choir. His thoughts on "free-dumb" please the left but speak only to the left in a self-righteous way. He proposes generalizations that are partly true, but far to easy. The right throughout Europe is a force not unlike our own in its debasement and cruelty. Canada has its diverse problems. The rioting and destabilization throughout the world is its own "epidemic." I think we have a worldwide issue that is one of precarity, economic inequality, and climate migration, as well as migration provoked by wars, gangs, and drug lords. The narrowness of Haque's perspective concerns me. It serves to distract from the rape of earth's forests, oceans, air, rivers, and land, and avoid the deeper, wider problem of the failure of governments to address any of these issues, not to mention, advanced capitalism. I rarely use this term, but this seems to me that Haque is, in a contorted way, blaming the victim.
I agree with you about the greater importance of those much larger existential problems, which we have conveniently managed to ignore for a few more years while wringing our hands over trump's excursions from political restraint. But I will defend the piece by saying the point is more about the benefits of strong social safety nets. Which unfortunately is not obvious to a considerable segment of the U.S. population.
I would say that the "safety nets" are going to be of little meaning if governments continue to ignore the global issues of migration and climate change. I think the "free-dumb" is alive at every level of society. It just appears that the culprits are "the other."
Blaming the victim -- In the sense that we victimize ourselves by choosing/accepting what he defines as "free-dumb," yes, he's blaming the victim. And I agree with Syd about the benefits of a strong safety net being opaque to a sizable chunk of the American population. One tactic the Democtratic party could choose is to work aggressively on making those benefits clear. But the party's not going to do that unless we stand up and say, "This is IMPORTANT. This is A PRIORITY."
Yeah, I agree that the Dem party does not make clear which benefits they want to promote. My concern, I really don't mean to be "Debbie Downer," but my concern would be that there is a challenging balance between supporting "benefits" and the agendas of major corporate donors. I also think climate change is the biggest crisis before us and I see little action from the Dems to address it. Of course, capitalism is at the foundation of every issue.
Thank you for posting that. I’m forwarding to some family members .. . Wish me luck
I feel a lot is gained by listening. In there, somewhere, is common ground
Just took a few minutes off to read this and verify the author's excellent credentials. Okay, then what should we do about it? Should thinking Americans emigrate to Canada and Europe? Idealistic but not realistic. Stop what you're doing right now and check out the link if you haven't already. https://eand.co/why-freedom-became-free-dumb-in-america-4947e39663f2
Jacob, I checked credentials first, too. It's become a (good) habit, as there is so much out there to read.
Excellent essay Bill! Many thanks to your spouse.
No safety net also induces “The Haves” to horde what they’ve amassed — why would one share what they have today, if they might need it tomorrow?
So true. I have a friend in CA whose doctor dad made it big with a medical business he started in the 70s. live in a hilltop estate in Napa. they LOATHE poor people, anyone who advocates for the poor and consider gubmint nothing but thieves trying steal their hard earned money. They call SF the big shithole and the people in it "animals." These people are all grads of CA's great public universities but no acknowledgement that taxes made them who they are. they begrudge every nickel that goes to anyone coming up today. And of course their servants, on whom they are highly dependent, are immigrants. I don't get it. Not visiting again until dad is deceased and the spew of rancor slows down. Or maybe never.
Umair nailed it. Look forward to reading more of her writings. Have also lived in Canada and Europe and felt more relaxed and happy in both places. I always felt “it” when I came back to NY. By “it”, I felt “racism” and its effects immediately-whether pumping gas across the border from Canada or landing at JFK. It’s part of the atmosphere here. An edge. A tension. Having basically lived a life here and travelled 49 of 50 states, I can see how the country’s origins in and history of racism have made so many people incredibly dumb. Including most of my family who never venture further than the safety of repeated Disney World visits. Most with advanced degrees and all as boring as hell. Voted for Trump, too. ❤️🤍💙
Yes, it does. Thank you Bill. Seeing our country from this perspective, and with such clarity, helps me understand the 70 million who voted against the greater good.
Thank you for sharing. It give words to all my thoughts about this past year and, I guess I understand better now, all the years leading up to it.
I've never heard of Eudaimonia & Co. Very interesting! How did your wife find it?
A great read Bill. I feel it worth mulling over
I feel Americans want a “freedom from ...” and Europeans and social democratic societies desire a “freedom to...”
Our rugged individualism diminishes sharing, collaborating and cooperating.
And rugged individualism is the largest contributor to the expansion and severity of the pandemic in America. Federal government delegates its authority to the states, and its leverage to private business, who NEVER see themselves as leaders. I’ll say that again - Private Industry is not successful by leading, but by learning how to win the game of competition.
Absolutely. Private industry must have constraints, that serve people and our Earth
WOW!!! This is IT. Thank You and your wife. I have posted it and will forward it and print it and ...
This is a great article, Bill. Thank your wife for me...and Happy New Year to you both!
Versions of this meme have been around a while. I read one a couple months ago that also used individualism and common-good as pivots for discussion, but was much more nuanced and much less judgemental than this one. Looked for where I stashed the link for reference, but of course couldn't find it on short notice. Wish I could, so I could share it here. It has the kind of insights supported by good critical thinking and examples that I find useful. This one? Eh. An excuse to feel superior. I am so tired of this kind of thing.
This is precisely where much of my mental anguish has sprung from for the past four years. I mean, we're right to believe in science and following those recommendations, aren't we? So it's no huge leap to start considering those who refute that evidence fools. And then look, there's me feeling superior again. And it doesn't feel great. Maybe it's only shocking to know there are people out there who just don't see "it" the same way. And I'll never understand why they do not. I am so tired of this kind of thing, too.
Thank you for posting. Great article.
I've immediately signed on for a year...a WONDERFUL site! Thanks!!
I've convinced that Trump isn't just striking back at McConnell and Thune but also intentionally weakening the economy for Biden and the nation. It's hard not to conclude that for Trump, hurting people is a source of perverse pleasure, a pleasure that eases the pain and anger of a humiliating loss. And he's not done yet.
His problem is that it doesn't ease the pain for him. He's like a junkie and will need higher and higher doses to have even the slightest of temporary pleasures.
Spot on, Stuart.
As fucked up a piece of shit as his niece knows him to be, the truth is a bazillion times worse than she can conceive.
There is no adjective profane enough to describe tRump! I find myself at a loss when referring to him!
Totes.
Would be very interested in your insights on another aspect of the bill. I've read that it contains a clause requiring shell corporations to make funding sources transparent. Obviously, the Trump empire does not want this to pass into law. Could the fights with Senate Majority Leader and Whip be a smokescreen? When the negotiations are all final, it would be interesting to see if this remains in the final bill he signs. My personal belief is that all of his people-oriented attacks are distractions to draw attention away from how he is increasing his personal revenue.
I think that is the Corporate Transparency Act, which they passed with a veto-proof margin and I think it is separate. Either way I'm sure Trump is freaking out about it and another reason for him to try and stay in power.
https://www.natlawreview.com/article/congress-passes-corporate-transparency-act-veto-proof-majority
Jennifer, you are correct that Congress passed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which incorporated the Corporate Transparency Act, on Dec. 11th. Trump vetoed the bill late on the 23rd. The margins of the votes were sufficient to override a veto if all Reps and Sens remain consistent. (McCarthy has said he won't back an override.) But they will need to do so in the very short time window next week, along with the appropriation acts Prof. Richardson describes. A new Congress arrives Jan. 3rd, though it is my understanding that the present Congress could procedurally delay gaveling them in until they passed the bill if they had not previously done so.
https://thehill.com/policy/defense/overnights/531533-overnight-defense-trump-vetoes-defense-bill-setting-up-override
... to be clear, they could delay the 12pm deadline, not extend the session to additional days
Here's the piece I didn't get at all - this comment from a WH aide - "One person in conversation with White House officials talked with Jeff Stein of the Washington Post about Trump’s scuttling of the bill and said, “He’s just angry at everybody and wants to inflict as much pain on Congress as possible.” Excuse me! Inflict as much pain on Congress as possible??? How about the American people, and the whole of government, the whole military, you know the ones doing the work, soldiers, sailors, their families - not getting the help they deserve. I'm so sick of the Republican party's political ploys and pure laziness, I could scream. But to no effect, alas.
It's been a whole four years of screaming into the wind about the enablers of Trump's sitting coolly in their Senate splendor, yucking it up with their Russian oligarch counterparts. Sick of the whole game they are playing with American lives. I can hardly wait till 2022 when I get a chance to donate to every Democrat running for Senator and get these fools and Grifter Oligarchs and suck-ups to our Russian agent president out of office.
As HCR alluded, for Republicans, the 800 lb gorilla isn't Trump, it's his base; the MAGA Mob, the Red Hat Battalions, the idolatrous throng that will turn out en masse to unelect any Republican who isn't as blindly loyal to Trump, and only Trump, as they are. For the last four years what is now the party of Trump has played and encouraged Trump's mob.
Now, on his way out the door, Trump is playing them.
The elites in Germany thought, in the end, they could control Hitler....
You can always tell when a "revolution" starts but never where, when, how and with whom it will finish!
The wrath and stubbornness 45 is exhibiting simply reinforces the reality that he is incapable of leadership! No human being could possibly continue this deadly game of Russian roulette when so many lives are at stake! People will be penniless, homeless and in states of desperation during the coldest months of the year! I can't even bear to think of the consequences of his actions! My heart aches for our country and our people. More children will be on the streets starving -- the poor innocent children! It's unbearably heartbreaking!
One self-centered sociopath is destroying hundreds of thousands of innocent lives. Are our hands completely tied? Is there nothing to be done from a legal perspective? I feel utterly useless, sitting here, watching the destruction of a nation by one vengeful, soulless individual.
Calling your local church and asking if they are taking food, money, clothing for those in need. Working at a food bank, donating food etc. these seem small things but if most everyone does something it makes a difference. Plus it eases that feeling of personal powerlessness.
I'm sorry, bit I already do -- plus I am an avid activist. None of that takes away my grief or sense of powerlessness. When you look into their eyes, beneath the smiles of gratitude, is an emptiness, a sense of worthlessness and loss of dignity -- as if to say, please don't recognize me. Sure, it's a good thing to help out, but it doesn't ease any of the anguish -- not one little bit.
I disagree. It does a great deal. That's like saying, "I don't vote, because what difference does one vote make?" Don't underestimate small actions. If nothing else, they influence others for the better, and they are often the best we can do at a particular time. As for grief or a sense of powerlessness, why go there? Do what you can, friend, and buck yourself up. You do make a difference.
Agreed!
"But," not "bit" in the 1st sentence!
If he's enjoying this chaos and people's suffering, he's a psychopath, not a sociopath.
Is there any longer any doubt? Not for me.
Not much difference, really.
Yep. Agreed.
I posted here few weeks ago I was willing to take bets that trump would get on board and start hyping up his supporters to win the GA runoffs for the Republicans. I'm kind of glad no one took me up on it. I still think he's going to try and turn out his base for a win, but I'm a whole lot less certain now. He's really playing it close to the line! I have a hard time believing he'll take down his party just because they put down his kool-ade for a brief, refreshing swig of reality.
What would otherwise be an enjoyable spectacle of Republicans being eaten by a monster of their own creation is sadly tempered by considering the chaos and hardship he is also inflicting on millions of desperate Americans who should be able to expect better of their government. The Republican party is now a joke, and a sad excuse for representative democracy.
TЯ☭mp doesn't have a party. He's just borrowing the Republican Party. And, he's going after Republicans now as well. He was a Democrat a lot longer than he's been a Republican. He's a DRAINO. Democrat Republican or Anything In Name Only.
He was their "useful idiot"...he got them some of the legislation and some judicial appointments they have long wanted. He used them to gain even more fame, money, and power. And they used him. However, now the bill for their use of him seems to be coming due and he will make them pay one way or another, OR drag them down with him. I wonder if any Republicans have ever read Faust??? Good ol' Goethe is probably a bit much for them, but he kinda lays out what happens when you make a deal with Satan.
Mephistopheles discussing with God:
Ah, he serves you well, indeed!
"He scorns earth's fare and drinks celestial mead.
Poor fool, his ferment drives him far!
He half knows his own madness, I'll be bound.
He'd pillage heaven for its brightest star,
And earth for every last delight that's to be found;
Not all that's near nor far
Can satisfy a heart so restless and profound"
Like I said...humanity has been here before. I can cite some operatic treatments of this as well. It makes great theatre, but I don't particularly relish actually LIVING through it.
A highly caustic substance that dissolves any "hindrance" as it goes down the pipe!
Yes....corrosive......
May I copy?
Sure. My personal rule is I never say anything about someone I wouldn't say to them directly.
Your last line is close, but falls a bit short. The Republican Party has lost its soul, the most venal continue to follow Trump down the rabbit hole, only to be abandoned soon after they no longer serve their purpose to him, and the thoughtful of the party have all left for The Lincoln Project.
Trump, like the petulant, spoiled child he emulates, will continue to stomp his feet, cry “foul” and fall to the floor in the middle of the grocery store until he gets the candy he thinks he deserves.
And the country will pay the price.
Right now, the best we can do is take it upon ourselves to support our neighbors as best we can. Now more than ever we need to join with our communities to weather the storm until January 20th and beyond. Never give up, never give up to these tyrants, and remember next Election Day what they have done to us. We just have to survive until then.
Never give up. Either find help or find a way to lend help.
It's not his party. He was never a Republican. As actual Republicans have pointed out and even the worst of his enablers know. He is this force of evil that grabbed control because it could, because they were such feckless scum. He doesn't care about them, or anyone else, other than himself. I doubt he even cares for his children, when push comes to shove.
As long as the children are useful to him....they are IN. When he nolonger needs them or they resist....they are OUT. He doesn't understand the meaning of the word CARE!
I’ve long thought the same thing.
As Adam Serwer, a columnist for The Atlantic, once said "the cruelty is the point".
When he was running for president in 2016, I remember Trump, the newly-minted "pro-lifer", being asked, regarding abortion, whether the woman having the abortion should be prosecuted in addition to the doctors performing it. "Yes. There has to be punishment." was his reply. I remember reading a reaction to this on Facebook (when I still was on FB): "He is a monster." At the time I thought: well, he is an idiot, and a proto-fascist, but a monster, probably not, because he never means what he says anyway. I was wrong, stupidly wrong. As the journalist Masha Gessen said upon Trump's election: when the tyrant speaks, believe him. He means it. He IS a monster.
I am wondering if Trump's malfeasances -- wow that's too weak a description! -- can be prosecuted by the International Criminal Court in The Hague? 330,000 dead through depraved indifference certainly counts as mass murder, if not on the scale of Pol Pot, then at least of Idi Amin who slaughtered 500,000 Ugandans. Add to this his evil antics at his end-of-term, and you are seeing a crime against humanity.
Looking at the Wikipedia definition of a Crime Against Humanity, it's clear that Trump meets SEVERAL of the criteria handily. The ICC charter explicitly says that non-member states (The USA, to its shame, withdrew in 2002) can nevertheless petition the ICC to consider prosecuting someone who has committed crimes against humanity. It would be good if Biden's incoming AG would lodge such a complaint.
It will never happen. Even under a "restoration" administration such as Biden's, this would seem like a relinquishment of US sovereignty. God knows US "sovereignty" needs a good hard slap in the face by the international community. But so much for fantasy-land.
---LMN
As I said elsewhere, his niece pretty much stated that we haven't yet seen just how cruel "Donald"--she never refers to him as anything else--can be. People mean absolutely NOTHING to him. Only if they are useful for him in some way will be even bother with them. He uses them until they are no longer of any use and then basically writes them off. If they are totally ruined and destroyed, then so be it. Everybody in this administration who has been fired over the last 4 years knows all too well this is true. As a supreme narcissist he simply cares about no one but himself. I daresay his children and wives also mean little to him. It is simply stunning to witness it, and even more stunning that people around him enable him and allow themselves to be used. They probably, sadly, think there will be something in it for them. But, as SO many have seen, that is total fantasy. He will screw them over ultimately. He ALWAYS does. And on he goes, sowing discord, chaos, despair, and enmity, and in his wake leaving nothing but smoking ruins, and all done without an ounce of guilt or remorse. Far in the future I think he will eventually be seen as one of the worst human beings to ever grace the planet. It's a tragic pity so many people can't, or won't, see that right now. "What fools these mortals be..."
Bruce, have you seen that Roger Stone documentary? He makes Trump look almost warm and fuzzy.
No, I've not seen it, but as with anything concerning Roger Stone I'd figure after seeing it I'd have to take a bath. I know he is REALLY reprehensible, but that is what DJT surrounds himself with...makes him seem not so bad. HA!!
It was fascinating. I think it's important to try to understand where someone is coming from, what makes them tick, especially those who wield power.
Forgot to say that I did read Mary Trump's book. It was no more than I supposed. Sad, really.
So sad and so true.
Life and Death Decisions
And so, in the end, Donald Trump plays his endgame role: God. From denying SNAP to the food insecure to the distribution of vaccines to executions, he is demonstrating the wrath of vengeful god. He knows no benevolence, charity or compassion, only violence and destruction. He is in his glory and it's killing us.
He has always thought himself sufficient unto himself.
John Donne would , of course, disagree..
"Be thine own palace, or the world's thy jail"
Yes!
And yet, he thrives by sucking the life out of people.
We all know people who are uniquely "takers" and who never give. That's how they stoke their psychic boilers....psychic vampires!
always has
Killing children and leaving them parentless because people will be committing suicide when they have absolutely no funds coming in
And he won't give a damn.
Sadly, Daria, this is so very true. Playing God at the expense of human lives. And he's loving it!
Daria, I hate to like your comments but they are so very true. Thank you?
Thanks, Period. I wish there was a symbol other than a heart (or thumbs up). Liking is not always appropriate.
Incredibly tragic for so many that this spoiled, vindictive, man baby can have his tantrum with such devastating effect. My parents would have said of any child behaving like that they need a good spanking.
What a small, small man he is. To have reached this advanced age without having learned to deal with failures and disappointments is stunning. Mary Trump probably didn't know the half of it.
But, I feel Mary Trump has been amazingly prescient about Trump from the beginning. All one has to do is listen to her...she NAILS his behaviour better than anyone I have come across. She has said all along, beware what he will do before he leaves office. ANYTHING is possible. We're seeing that, and we still have roughly 3½ weeks of Big Orange Baby's tantrums and sh!t-flinging to endure. He is insane and so are his cult-ish followers. I'm going to be on edge until Biden is sworn in, and probably for a little while after.
I was impressed by Mary Trump's descriptions of his behavior while avoiding the use of professional jargon. She outlined the kinds of expreriences that underlie and maintain the behaviors that we all observe.
This is what my comment was supposed to be before "something went wrong":
Mary has a master's and a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Adelphi University, so she knows what abnormal behavior is.
We all predicted it would get a lot worse before January 20th and, sigh, we still have 4 weeks to go of this malevolent derangement. Unless and until Murderous Mitch and his Marionette Minions march their arses into the White House--or go down to Florida--and tell the sick bastard that his time is up, drag him kicking and screaming to a desk, put a sharpie in his hand, and make him sign we will be having to endure the whirlwind of his psychopathy. And as you all know, they won't. Even though they could lose both senate runoffs as a result. They have eaten of his sickness and it has become their raison d'être.
As Bill's brilliant wife has said, many Americans have this bizarre idea--based on utter ignorance of anything other than what exists on Fox and what poison the NRA feeds them--that freedom (or, to borrow her phrase, free-dumb) is a zero-sum game that means that white men get to do anything they want and everyone else has to suffer the consequences. However, they also don't understand how Medicare and Social Security work (as the Trumped-up anti ACA rhetoric demonstrated a decade ago), what unemployment actually is, or, indeed, any of the other programs put into place by FDR, Truman, and Johnson that protect white people from the likes of the Deranged Donald. So perhaps what we need is a vast re-education program, when we finally get rid go the Maniacal Menace once and for all. And indict his ass, as well as those of his congressional apparatchiks.
Amen sister.. what you said. It is amazing to me.. I have wondered long why no one has invoked the 25 th to remove him.. would require that his cabinet have some sense of right and wrong and be willing to protect the country. And that is not going to happen. They’re all as dumb as rocks malevolent to boot. I think Betsy DeVoss and Wilbur Ross and Ben Carson and all of his sycophants, Mnuchin etc. they’ll just do trump’s bidding because they think something good is going to come of it for THEM, or Have a little skin in the game here with pardons to be not yet. Betsy divorce his brother just got pardoned. And don’t get me started on Jared Kushner because that slime ball has been wheeling and dealing on the Middle East trip while shit comes down raining down on the United States.. I hate to tell him but no one‘s gonna forget..Many people will not forget all these names. These people who made a solemn oath to uphold the Constitution of United States and who have disregarded that in the most grievous way possibles . I hope these people who have allowed this to happen all of them have an epic backlash but I also know better than to hope for that
Oh Linda, I’m sorry if you thought article was WRITTEN by my wife. She is brilliant and probably would have produced a more comprehensive piece, but she simply passed it along to me.
I’m just rejoining the “herd” this evening or I would have responded sooner. I’m just pleased the column, flawed though it is, generated such a varied response. We really need to focus on the fundamentals of our society and begin addressing them in a coordinated way. This nation, as great as it is, is deeply flawed and has been so since the first settlers landed. It will take a herculean effort over many, many years to truly right the ship of state.
OMG! Heather, you're our lighthouse in this unrelenting storm.
If he is going down in ignominy then he will take all of us, whether complicit or not, with him. Perhaps we are all in some ways complicit by not being more active in local government, backing people we believe in more strenuously and speaking out to our elected officials both in good times and bad. We have been willing to "go along to get along" and down that slippery road to perdition we have gone. I have resolved to continue to be more active politically, socially and environmentally regardless of who is in power. I hope we all find our inner true grit and willingly "speak truth to power" for the rest of our lives.
He is inflicting as much pain as possible and exercising the only power he has left by refusing to do what everyone is asking him to do. It is as if he he is setting himself apart from the entire US govt perhaps to play victim and hero to his base, perhaps in some twisted hope that his base will stage some kind of overthrow and he will be left in charge. I actually hope he just stays at mar-a-bozo and keeps playing golf. I hope he signs the bill but I suspect he won’t and will blame all the chaos on everyone else. The effect on the GA run offs will be interesting to watch. My biggest concern is that he will continue to inflame his base after Biden is sworn claiming the US is run by an illegitimate President, but hopefully there are some laws that will limit his influence in that regard.
Our GA votes were cast absentee and all are received and accepted! whew! On Christmas eve I spoke with my lovely aunt, who is 85. She has always been a Republican even though she dislikes Trump and finds him offensive and crass. We have never talked politics but on this call she absolutely begged me to please vote for one of the Republican senators. Why, because she is terrified, and I mean terrified that Biden is owned by China and our National Security and all our lives are at risk. Honestly I have never heard her so frightened. I'm so angry that the right is doing this to people. All the lies and propoganda are hurting people in so many ways. It just made me cry to have her so frightened.
My absentee vote was received, registered, and tallied on Dec. 11th. Georgia's airwaves are being absolutely BOMBARDED 24/7 with political ads. It is relentless. There are apparently 27 different entities playing spots, including the 4 candidates, so the bulk are PACs from outside the state. Their spots are the worst. It is easy to see the Republican strategy is mainly to frighten and scare everybody. ALL the popular bugaboos about those "radical, extremist, socialist liberals" are stressed over and over, with not an ounce of concern whether or not the outrageous things they're asserting are factual. As one of the local news shows in Atlanta stated, they basically HAVE to air what they're given, regardless of whether or not it's factual, because these candidates' campaigns and the various PACS have paid for airing ads a certain number of times. OF COURSE it's about money--we're well over half a billion $$ now and counting being spent on this campaign. Anyway, Republican strategists here admit their strategy is to hammer their messages again and again and again. There's barely anything substantive from them about the issues. Democrats are doing some similar things--I WISH they'd do more!--but their ads don't resort to pure fear-mongering, which is the strategy of the Right. The Right paints themselves as the saviours of American freedom and values, yada yada yada...BUT, as with Margaret's aunt above, it does work to convince and scare their "sheeple". It is infuriating, but I refuse to call someone like Margaret's aunt "fucking stupid". That kind of incendiary labeling doesn't get us anywhere, and I'm sorry, but that's not how you reach people. Yes, some are "unreachable", and they are always gonna be, but some are pretty sentient beings who are simply being grifted and are falling for the hysterical hype, and we're literally drowning in it right now in Georgia. The scales will fall from their eyes eventually, and it is our job to keep plugging away at it and try to reach those we can. You don't attract flies with vinegar...
It never should have gotten down to only these two Senate seats in the first place! Losing all those races that we should have won (Maine and South Carolina I am looking at you!) puts us in this ridiculous position.
Of course...I agree. That this whole charade even happened can be blamed on the vagaries of Georgia politics and the peculiar happenstance of TWO Senate seats being open at the same time. (It's a shame Johnny Isakson had to step down as he was one of the more sane Republicans in the Senate, but illness (Parkinson's) forced him to resign.) In 18 months the primaries will begin for elections for Governor and for the full 6-year term Senate seat being sought now by Loeffler and Warnock. Expect Doug Collins to rear his ugly head one more time, and it is expected Stacey Abrams will make another run for Governor. Trust me, Georgians didn't necessarily WANT to be under this kind of microscope, but here we are. The race to fill the remainder of Isakson's term prompted what is called a "jungle primary", meaning candidates' names on the ballot were placed in one column, alphabetically. There were, I think, 15 names on the list and the top 2 were then to face each other in a runoff on Jan. 5th. The rules are if one had gotten over 50% of the vote they would've won the seat outright without a runoff. With 15 names on the ballot, that basically ensured no one would get 50%. Those rules were set in stone back when Isakson stepped down. Perdue's 6-year term was to come to an end this year all along. (In one of his ads he stated that he came into office in 2014 in the midst of a huge economic crisis and that he helped spearhead the recovery...to which most people were like, "HUH???" There was a huge economic crisis in 2014??? I guess I slept through that...) It is curious fate that put both races in the same year. I'll be glad when we're back to being ignored again...
I live in New England, not Georgia, but have been involved in a similar, sad scenario. My 91 yr-old mother is frightened out of her wits, convinced that Biden is terrible, etc. etc. Not surprisingly, her "news" source is Fox. I can do little except grit my teeth and refuse to engage in a back-and-forth with her. Logic and reason flew out the window many, many months ago. It is beyond belief to watch how insanely off-base people like my mother have become. Worse, it is mind-bending to assess what they have "accomplished" by blindly supporting the GOP. <sigh> Jan. 20th can't come soon enough -- I just hope that when it arrives it is not too late.
The raw power of propaganda is frightening to watch in real time. There is a meme going around, I may have even seen it here already, that says social media has done to parents (and grandparents) what they said video games would do to the millennial generation. Which is to say, damage their brains.
could you program her TV so it can't see Fox and the others? I wish. fortunately my 94 year old mother and 96 year old aunt remain very sane. you'd think members of the WW2 generation would know a fascist when they see one.
My in-laws are of the same mindset as your mother. Fox blares constantly in their home. They watch nothing else as far as "news" goes. It is mind boggling.
My very young and hip 90 y.o. mother is a proud progressive, thank God! She is convinced Fox uses subliminal messaging. How else can people believe this garbage?
I have heard similar concerns from friends about Biden...I really don’t understand where this is coming from nor how it gets so deeply ingrained in their thinking. Would be curious where your Aunts opinion comes from. It seems that all the right has is fear mongering but unfortunately it is effective.
She isn't on Facebook or Twitter so I imagine it is all coming from places like Fox news and such.
Yup.
Facebook. It is full of these conspiracies and lies and they get passed around like wildfire. People comment that it is all true and then share the lies with all of their friends and family. I see it every day. Unchecked. Rampant. Tragically dangerous.
It's not just "Facebook." It's living in a hermetically sealed bubble of carefully constructed falsehoods. You could get this way on any social media web site, or in any media bubble, as others have pointed out here.
It's been going on a while. See this piece in Salon from 2014.
https://www.salon.com/2014/02/27/i_lost_my_dad_to_fox_news_how_a_generation_was_captured_by_thrashing_hysteria/
See my remark, re my elderly Mum. Her "info" comes from Fox News.
they said it about Obama. he was coming to take away our health care. I had a friend who believed it. she was wringing her hands in despair about losing her health care once "he" was in office. a few years later I asked her if anything had changed and she admitted that nothing had. I suggested maybe it would be good to try other news sources so she wouldn't get anxious about stuff that wasn't going to happen. she didn't and we're not friends anymore. I couldn't stand her stupidity and willingness to be brainwashed.
There is an article that was written in
Psychology Today about the appeal of tRump...in a nutshell the spectre of fear of some bogeyman appeals to a segment of the population as their brains are wired for it. Trump has built his base on this, and those that are fanning the flames (and hidden from view) understand how this works. It is sad that so many have been manipulated by this, but it seems they were wired for it.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/mind-in-the-machine/201812/complete-psychological-analysis-trumps-support
She didn’t like trump, too crude and vulgar and said she didn’t vote for him, but she kept watching the same crap and saying the same ignorant things.
And yet, there is no basis in reality for that fear! How could anyone be afraid of Joe Biden, of all people??
Exactly...I think there is a problem with traditional media/social media carrying too much weight/trust . I guess you believe what you want to believe...maybe someone will write a book on the large scale fleecing of America by the right wing media one of these days. (But of course the left wont buy it!)
People that fucking stupid deserve everything that's happening.
Margaret cares for her aunt, who is elderly. This lady may be misinformed, but she is painfully worried. Calling her "that fucking stupid" is unkind in the extreme.
Yeah TC but they're taking us down with them!
Whoa.
Yes, destroying everyone and everything in his path is what he wants to do, and the fact that the Republicans are doing nothing to stop him is just incredible. This op-ed in today's WAPO says it all. I hope you can get to it behind the paywall. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/12/26/until-bidens-win-is-certified-us-remains-vulnerable/
Grim.
Like a 2 year old, where he is stuck.
Hold on there ! ❤️ I like two-year-olds. This guy is the devil incarnate..
All of which points to the fact that we desperately need a litmus test before anyone is allowed to run for any office, or be approved for any cabinet position, beginning with local dogcatcher: in order to run for office one must submit and make public five years of federal and state tax returns.
The election of trump has got me thinking that some type of poll test required before being allowed to vote might not be a bad idea.
I hope that's sarcastic, because where would you draw the line? Property ownership? Been tried. Gender? Race? How about an IQ test? Demonstrated knowledge of civics? Graduation from an approved college? Nevil Shute proposed a system where you got additional votes for various supposedly meritorious qualities and accomplishments, but I think anything other than universal suffrage is scary.
No, not sarcastic. I was thinking of making it a much longer post with caveats and qualifications, as I am aware of the dangerous territory it treads and have utmost respect for the sanctity of the vote. That said, I did propose it as a hypothetical in order to discuss the issue of political illiteracy and ignorance. I'm not sure what a workable solution is, but the election of trump points to a real problem with civic engagement in this country, and ought to be acknowledged.
And also... (please pardon, I'm not a fan of run-on comments) but it was in response to the idea of having qualification tests to become a candidate, which is as dangerous an idea, if you ask me.
As a footnote to this discussion, there was an interview on CNN a few days back with the co-author of Art of the Deal who was pretty blunt (and accurate) about tRumps current disposition...rage, narcissistic , mean, and wants to inflict pain on “the enemy” which is pretty much everyone at this point. I keep hoping he will encounter an alligator while looking for his golf ball in a pond...
Rather than focusing and lamenting on what is, let’s find solutions. Give to charities, donate food, clothing, time. There are so many churches and organizations needing donations and help. Turn to solutions instead of sitting in anger and resentment. It’s really toxic and helps no one.
Bruce Carpenterjust now
I try my best to follow Gandhi’s first principle of being the change you wish to see in the world. If you wish to see more kindness, be more kind.
Happy New Year, Elaine. So true. I was slipping into an abyss earlier but got a helping hand by Stuart Atwell just a little while ago. My donating is ongoing!