The Conversation -- December 12, 2024
Leo Sands of the Washington Post: "President Joe Biden is commuting the sentences of nearly 1,500 people and pardoning 39 more convicted of nonviolent crimes, the White House said in a statement Thursday, describing it as 'the largest single-day grant of clemency in modern history.... [At 6:15 am ET.,] This is a developing story that will be updated." The AP's report is here. ~~~
~~~ The White House "Fact Sheet" is here.
Mark Landler of the New York Times: Trump's awe of royalty may help Britain maintain a decent relationship with the U.S. "Mr. Trump's affection for the Windsors is palpable." MB: Landler, and those he cites, are probably right about Trump in this regard. That's pathetic.
Strange Woman Who Pledged to Be "Reporters' Worst Nightmare" to Lead VOA. Minho Kim of the New York Times: "... Donald J. Trump on Wednesday night chose Kari Lake to lead Voice of America, aiming to put a fierce loyalist who has called journalists 'monsters' in charge of a federally funded news outlet that reaches hundreds of millions of people around the globe. Mr. Trump was accused of using his appointees to try to turn Voice of America, whose aim is to offer unbiased news to audiences around the world, into a pro-Trump propaganda outlet during his first term. In his announcement of Ms. Lake, a local TV news anchor turned election denier who lost races for Senate and governor in Arizona, Mr. Trump hinted that he believed he had found an ally to try to reshape its coverage." The NBC News story is here.
Jonathan Swan & Maggie Haberman of the New York Times: "... resuscitating [Pete] Hegseth in less than a week from dead man walking to a man with a real shot of being confirmed [as defense secretary] by the Senate -- was a test case of power and intimidation in the Trump era. It was a reminder of Mr. Trump's ability to summon an online swarm, even while spending minimal personal capital of his own. It showed that he has at his disposal a powerful movement, which jumped into action once his desires became clear. And it highlighted the role of Elon Musk, who has bottomless wealth to enforce Mr. Trump's desires.... The campaign to revive Mr. Hegseth's nomination was led internally by [JD] Vance and orchestrated externally by a small group of Mr. Trump's most aggressive allies. The group included his eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., and MAGA media figures..., chief among them Stephen K. Bannon; the radio host Charlie Kirk; and the Breitbart reporter Matt Boyle.... Mr. Hegseth relied on his own group of close allies ... as he made the rounds on Capitol Hill with his wife, Jennifer, by his side.... The cowing effect [of the pro-Hegseth campaign] reveals how intensely worried Republican senators are about getting on the wrong side of Mr. Trump and his MAGA movement. The arc of their public comments charts their apparent capitulation."
All the President*'s Lackeys. Jamelle Bouie of the New York Times: "...Trump intends to fill a large portion of his cabinet with figures who would otherwise struggle to find a place in a typical administration of either party.... Compare [these nominees] with virtually any other Republican White House or cabinet, and you'll see a team with shockingly little governing experience and almost no connection to the institutional Republican Party outside of donations.... What [Trump] wants ... are deputies and subordinates who will show a special and specific loyalty to him, above and beyond everything else.... [Today's Republican] party is little more than a patronage network centered on the personalist rule of an American caudillo and his billionaire allies.... The weakness of the institutional Republican Party, the fragility of the Republican majorities and the volatility of Trump himself are a recipe for political instability and chaos." ~~~
~~~ Marie: There is a much greater structural problem here than Bouie acknowledges. Donald Trump is not the problem. Even sycophantic Republicans are not the problem. The problem is an ignorant, belligerant, irresponsible electorate. The problem is the general social "system" that has fostered our failures to be decent citizens. It is a collective failure, to be sure, and the government -- both Democrats & Republicans -- are largely responsible for it. The "leaders" put their own interests first and even the best of them -- for the most part -- only nibbled at the structural problems. To borrow from Deep Throat, "These are not very bright guys, and things got out of hand." Bernie Sanders, one of the exceptions who proves the rule, is retiring. A Trumpy rich guy defeated Sherrod Brown. There are few "bright guys" left, and they can't do much to save the country from its entrenched flaws. See related stories, linked below, on reactions to the murder of United HealthCare's CEO.
Adam Goldman & Devlin Barrett of the New York Times: "The F.B.I. director, Christopher A. Wray, said on Wednesday that he intended to resign before the Trump administration took office, bowing to the reality that ... Donald J. Trump had publicly declared his desire to replace him. Mr. Wray announced the move while addressing employees on Wednesday afternoon in remarks that tacitly acknowledged the politically charged position the F.B.I. now faces with an incoming president who openly scorns the agency. 'I've decided the right thing for the bureau is for me to serve until the end of the current administration in January and then step down,' Mr. Wray said, adding, 'This is the best way to avoid dragging the bureau deeper into the fray, while reinforcing the values and principles that are so important to how we do our work.' The director spoke wistfully about his time at the F.B.I. 'This is not easy for me,' he said, addressing a packed conference room at F.B.I. headquarters, as many more watched on video feeds at F.B.I. offices around the country. 'I love this place, I love our mission and I love our people.' He left the room to a standing ovation, and some shed tears as Mr. Wray shook employees' hands on the way out, according to an F.B.I. official." (Also linked yesterday.) CNN's report is here. ~~~
~~~ Ruth Marcus of the Washington Post: "FBI Director Christopher A. Wray shouldn't have made it so easy for Donald Trump.... For the FBI director to announce that he will voluntarily step aside by Inauguration Day so that Trump can install a successor risks normalizing a decidedly aberrational and unhealthy development. Wray should have stayed and forced Trump's hand.... When Trump ousted [former FBI Director James] Comey, it was viewed as a cataclysmic, norm-shattering moment. Now, with history set to repeat itself, the replacement of an FBI director by an incoming president threatens to become rule rather than exception. It transforms what is supposed to be the ultimate apolitical job into just another political appointment. With that, the insulation provided by a 10-year term will be shredded, with FBI directors newly beholden to the president." ~~~
~~~ "Exit, Mumbling Platitudes." Benjamin Wittes of Lawfare: "Wray's public statement is muddled and lengthy. It is also cowardly.... To be fair, Wray faced no good option here. He could stay and be fired -- and humiliated.... Or he could preemptively obey, spare himself the embarrassment, roll out the red carpet for Kash Patel, and make what Trump is doing look orderly and not quite so much like a purge of professionals from the chief federal government outfit entitled to bear arms against American citizens.... By ducking out preemptively, Wray may even expand Trump's maneuvering room under the Federal Vacancies Reform Act in installing a temporary replacement.... The simple fact is that Wray's resignation is not the right thing for the Bureau, and it absolutely will not prevent the agency from being dragged deeper into the fray. But it probably is the right thing for Chris Wray, and it probably will mitigate the degree to which he personally gets dragged deeper into the fray. A quiet exit mumbling platitudes while the wrecking ball roars by."
Zuck Sucks Up. Mike Isaac, et al., of the New York Times: "Meta said on Wednesday that it had donated $1 million to ... Donald J. Trump/s inaugural fund, in the latest move by Mark Zuckerberg, the company/s chief executive, to foster a positive rapport with Mr. Trump. The Silicon Valley company did not provide details of why it made the donation, but the move came just weeks after Mr. Zuckerberg met with Mr. Trump at Mar-a-Lago. During that meeting last month, the two men exchanged pleasantries and Mr. Zuckerberg congratulated Mr. Trump on winning the presidency. Mr. Zuckerberg also had a meal with Marco Rubio, Mr. Trump's pick for Secretary of State, according to a person who saw the meeting happen." A CBS News report is here.
Time Sucks Up. Meredith McGraw of Politico: "Donald Trump is expected to be named Time magazine's 'Person of the Year' -- and to celebrate the unveiling of the cover, the president-elect will ring the opening bell of the New York Stock Exchange on Thursday morning, according to three people familiar with the plans...."
Julia Ainsley & Didi Martinez of NBC News: "The incoming Trump administration intends to rescind a long-standing policy that has prevented Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents from arresting undocumented people at or near so-called sensitive locations, including houses of worship, schools and hospitals or events such as funerals, weddings and public demonstrations without approval from supervisors, according to three sources familiar with the plan.... Donald Trump plans to rescind the policy as soon as the first day he is in office, according to the sources...." ~~~
~~~ It's the Holiday Season, and Trump Has His Own Little Elves. Alan Feuer of the New York Times: There have been "several recent efforts by far-right organizations, including some that have a history of taking it on themselves to patrol the border with Mexico, to insert themselves into [Donald Trump's] deportation plan.... The push by some militia groups to help Mr. Trump reflects how one of his signature policy proposals mirrors ideas that once existed solely on the fringes of American politics. Militia groups, especially in border states, have a long history of supporting enforcement efforts, sometimes taking migrants into custody on their own and turning them over to lawful authorities in agencies like the U.S. Border Patrol.... Last month, Tom Homan, a former immigration official nominated to oversee the deportation effort, seemed open to the idea of using nontraditional personnel to carry out the plan." Perhaps "armed, violent, bigoted, unstable vigilantes" would be a more accurate description of Trump's volunteers than is "elves."
Marie: To those of you I misled into thinking that I was glad Amazon billionaire Jeff Beelzebub had become an honorable employer, I apologize. I was being facetious. He -- and every other American billionaire, for that matter -- is a national disgrace. Excessuve wealth is a shameful thing, and a government that permits it is without merit.
In case you missed Fox's "Patriot Awards" show, RAS has linked this excellent review of the ceremony:
As They Were Leaving. Matt Brown of the AP: "Senate Democrats failed Wednesday to confirm a Democratic member of the National Labor Relations Board after independent Sens. Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema opposed the nomination, thwarting their hopes of locking in a majority at the federal agency for the first two years of ... Donald Trump's term. A vote to move ahead with the nomination of Lauren McFarren, who currently chairs the NLRB, failed 49-50. Had she been confirmed to another five-year term, it would have cemented a Democratic majority on the agency's board for the first two years of the incoming Trump administration. Now, Trump will likely be able to nominate McFarren's replacement.... The rejection of McFarren was yet another blow to Senate Democrats and President Joe Biden from Manchin and Sinema, who served as major brakes -- and at times outright obstacles -- to much of their legislative agenda the first two years of Biden's term." Thanks to Ken W. for the link.
Turtle Emerges from Shell. Sanjana Karanth of the Huffington Post: "Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) reportedly said that ... Donald Trump's victory puts Americans in 'a very, very dangerous world,' stressing that he plans to spend his final two years in the Senate pushing back against the growing Trump-fueled isolationism within the GOP.... 'We're in a very, very dangerous world right now, reminiscent of before World War II,' McConnell told the Financial Times on Wednesday. 'Even the slogan is the same, "America First." That was what they said in the '30s.'... 'The cost of deterrence is considerably less than the cost of war,' the senator said to the Times. 'To most American voters, I think the simple answer is, "Let's stay out of it." That was the argument made in the ’30s and that just won't work. Thanks to [former President Ronald] Reagan, we know what does work -- not just saying peace through strength, but demonstrating it."
Karoun Demirjian of the New York Times: "A divided House on Wednesday passed a defense policy bill that would direct $895 billion to the Pentagon and other military operations, moving over the opposition of Democrats who objected to a provision denying coverage for transgender health care for the children of service members.... "The provision in question would bar TRICARE, the military's health care plan, from covering 'medical interventions for the treatment of gender dysphoria that could result in sterilization' for children under 18.... The speaker [Mike Johnson] insisted at the last minute that he would not bring a defense bill to the floor without the provision [to block coverage].... The vote was 281 to 140, with 124 Democrats and 16 Republicans voting against the bill. Republicans had pressed for a far more expansive ban on transgender health care coverage...."
Zoe Richards of NBC News: "A foster care advocate [Elliott Hinkle] is challenging Rep. Nancy Mace's account that she was 'physically accosted' by a man who was arrested at the Capitol on Tuesday.... [Hinkle describes the exchange between Mace & James McIntyre, whom Capitol Police arrested.] Lisa Dickson, another former foster youth and advocate, [said]..., 'I want to express deep disappointment in the fact that Congresswoman Nancy Mace came to a national foster youth event, told participating youth that it was a safe space -- and literally had one of them arrested by Capital police for simply shaking her hand and asking about trans rights.'..." Mace describes McIntyre's shaking her hand in a way she says was "aggressive" and "intimidating." And something about misogyny. She refused aid from paramedics, but later shared a picture of herself with her arm in a sling. MB: Oh, puh-leze. Wouldn't it me nice if we could take the word of a Congresswoman over that of an ordinary citizen? But Newshog Nancy has not been on the front pages enough lately, so this is what you get. Thanks to RAS for the lead.
Igor Bobic of the Huffington Post: "Two of the biggest critics of the U.S. health care system condemned the assassination of UnitedHealthcare's CEO Brian Thompson while calling out 'vile' insurance company practices aimed at maximizing profits. 'The visceral response from people across this country who feel cheated, ripped off, and threatened by the vile practices of their insurance companies should be a warning to everyone in the health care system," Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) told HuffPost in an interview on Tuesday when asked about the cold response to Thompson's death, which included celebratory posts on social media.... Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) called Thompson's killing 'outrageous' and 'unacceptable' before similarly criticizing insurance company practices." ~~~
~~~ Erik De La Garza of the Raw Story: "The aftermath of the shocking killing of UnitedHealthcare's CEO -- and the 'cheering reaction' it triggered -- offers a stark warning to a society already desensitized to bloodshed, according to an [Atlantic] editorial published Wednesday. And the brazenness of the gleeful response from frustrated insurance customers nationwide is worrying to people who study violence closely, wrote Adrienne LeFrance, who added in her Atlantic editorial that last week's assassination of Brian Thompson could lead down a path of 'decivilization.' 'The line between a normal, functioning society and catastrophic decivilization can be crossed with a single act of mayhem,' LeFrance warned readers on Wednesday. She pointed out that the conditions that made a society susceptible to violence include 'highly visible wealth disparity, declining trust in democratic institutions, a heightened sense of victimhood, [and] intense partisan estrangement.'"
Shayna Jacobs of the Washington Post: "New York Police said Wednesday that bullet casings recovered from the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare chief executive Brian Thompson matched the gun found on Luigi Mangione, the man charged in the killing, and investigators believe he was acting on animus toward the health insurance industry and corporate America.... [New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch] said that the crime lab matched Mangione's fingerprints with those on a water bottle and Kind bar found near the area outside the New York Hilton Midtown where Thompson was gunned down on Dec. 4."
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North Carolina. Patrick Marley of the Washington Post: "Flexing power just before they lose their supermajority, Republicans in North Carolina's legislature overrode a veto Wednesday to give one of their allies control over the state's elections board, rewrite ballot-counting rules and chip away at the power of the incoming Democratic governor. The move came as Republicans sought to claim three seats in the legislature and a spot on the state Supreme Court by throwing out tens of thousands of ballots in races they lost last month. The state Democratic Party is fighting that effort by asking a federal judge to ensure votes don't get tossed because of administrative errors. The developments offer the latest test for democracy in the swing state while highlighting North Carolina Republicans' brand of go-to-the-mat politics. Courts could soon review how ballots were counted in last month's election, and judges will almost certainly be asked to review the new law limiting the power of the incoming governor, Josh Stein (D)." The NBC News story is here.
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Canada Bows to Trump's Demands. Matina Stevis-Gridneff, et al., of the New York Times: "Canada is working on a broad plan, including drones and police dogs, to address concerns raised by ... Donald J. Trump about the shared border between the two nations, underscoring the urgency of avoiding threatened tariffs that would send its economy into meltdown. ... In a closely watched meeting between Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada and the leaders of the country's provinces on Wednesday, Mr. Trudeau and senior members of his government said that they would come up with measures to fortify the border. The Canadian government will flesh out details, figure out a price tag, establish a timeline and then present the plan to the incoming Trump administration before Mr. Trump's inauguration next month...." ~~~
~~~ Marie: Justin Chamberlain's appeasement plan would make some sense (even though he has allowed Trump to threaten & humiliate him) if there were a serious drug smuggling problem at the border, but experts say there is not.
South Korea. Choe Sang-Hun of the New York Times: "In a surprise shift from remorse to defiance, President Yoon Suk Yeol of South Korea on Thursday refused to step down and lashed out at those who sought to oust him over his short-lived decision to place his country under military rule. Mr. Yoon has faced mounting pressure from all sides after his decision on Dec. 3 to declare martial law and send troops into the National Assembly. Tens of thousands of protesters have demanded his resignation, impeachment or arrest. His own party suggested that he resign early. The opposition has vowed to impeach him. The police are investigating possible insurrection charges against him.... Thursday..., [Mr. Yoon defended his declaration of martial law] as a bold move to 'save the country' from what he called the 'anti-state' opposition parties, which he accused of using a legislative majority to paralyze the nation. 'I will proudly confront it, whether it's impeachment or investigation,' Mr. Yoon said. 'I will fight to the end.'" ~~~
~~~ Marie: Maybe it would help if Yoon developed a perfume called "Fight, Fight, Fight!" ~~~
~~~ Oh, Apparently Not. Gawon Bae, et al., of CNN: "South Korea's ruling party has thrown its support behind attempts to impeach embattled President Yoon Suk Yeol over his ill-fated decision to declare martial law that sparked a political crisis and widespread public anger in the country. The announcement came moments before Yoon delivered a defiant speech Thursday in which he attempted to justify his hugely controversial martial law decision and rejected growing calls from across the political spectrum for him to stand down. The People Power Party (PPP) had initially refused to back impeachment, hoping instead Yoon would resign from office. But its leadership said attempts to persuade him had made no progress."
Syria. The Washington Post's live updates of developments Thursday in Syria's political upheaval are here: "Secretary of State Antony Blinken is traveling to Jordan and Turkey to promote a 'Syrian-led transition' in Damascus, meeting leaders of neighboring nations to try to get them on board.... The top U.S. diplomat 'will discuss the need for the transition process and new government in Syria to respect the rights of minorities' and will push for open channels of humanitarian assistance, and securing and destroying stockpiles of chemical weapons, spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement. Earlier, Blinken had said the U.S. government will 'recognize and fully support' the new Syrian government if the transition process is inclusive and transparent. The rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, which led the assault that toppled Bashar al-Assad's regime, was formed as an offshoot of al-Qaeda."
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Reader Comments (20)
Kari Lake, the Voice of America? Oh yeah, just like Axis Sally.
Re: “Zuck sucks up”, I’d just delete “up”.
Chris Wray thinks his resignation will make it easier on the FBI? I guess he’d be the Admiral who resigned on December 6, 1941 so things would go easier for the Navy.
If stupidity was a currency, just think how many rich people there
would be in this country.
Lookin' at all those Trump supporters.
Stupid is as stupid does (as Forrest Gump said).
Time Person of the Year? “Man” would pushing it…Fat Thing of the year? Rapist of the Year? Traitor of the Year? Dick-tator of the Year?
Oh well, Hitler was Time’s Man of the Year once too, just before…you know.
Maybe Fatty should be Hitler of the Year.
Arm in a sling after a…handshake!??
Assault??
Christ. I know these MAGAts are obsessed with being seen as Victims of the Woke Mob, but this is ludicrous. It would make more sense if Mr. Hinkle (he of the “aggressive” handshake) reported to authorities that he’d been Maced. More accurate, anyway.
Wondered if that newish mail truck I saw the other day was and EV.
I'd guess it wasn't.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2024/12/11/biden-usps-ev-oshkosh-climate/
And, I suspect that by moving the postal truck manufacturing to S. Carolina, as it appears to have done, Oshkosh ducked the UAW....and is employing non-union workers.
I'd note Boeing's decline also coincided with its move to S. Carolina (which I once called "our little China")
MAGA!
Ken,
Speaking of other ways to bust the unions…
On their way out the door, Kyrsten Sinema and Joe Manchin show their true colors (MAGA red) by giving Democrats a big FU and guaranteeing some Trump thugs will be running the NLRB.
https://www.axios.com/2024/12/12/manchin-sinema-schumer-nlrb-vote
David French, in The New York Times, asks Did Christopher Wray Just Defy Donald Trump?
"By stepping down now, as the conservative writer Erick Erickson observed, Wray has created a “legal obstacle to Trump trying to bypass the Senate confirmation process.
Here’s why. According to the Vacancies Reform Act, if a vacancy occurs in a Senate-confirmed position, the president can temporarily replace that appointee (such as the F.B.I. director) only with a person who has already received Senate confirmation or with a person who’s served in a senior capacity in the agency."
Oh, whom to trust?
The short answer: no one knows.
https://www.opb.org/article/2024/12/09/artificial-intelligence-local-news-oregon-ashland/
I found this one particularly fascinating, living as I do here in the Pretender's Wonderland.
Jonathan Chait, writing in The Atlantic, calls it Scandalous Resignation
"Wray, wrestling with the problem of Trump’s desire to separate him from a job he apparently liked, chose to step down on his own. This raises the likelihood that the media will treat the replacement of Wray as normal administrative turnover rather than as a scandal.
Trump supporters have two philosophical rationalizations for his demand to violate [the tradition of FBI directors serving 10 years]. The lowbrow, populist version favored by Trump cultists is that Trump is beset by a 'deep state' conspiracy that has kneecapped him at every turn because it is loyal to globalists, neoconservatives, or some other corrupt network. The highbrow version, preferred by conservative-movement elites, is that presidents possess an inherent right to control the executive branch from top to bottom, and all norms designed to prevent the president from abusing that power are an affront to the Constitution."
ProPublica
"For most working Americans, paying their share of the taxes that fund Medicare is an unavoidable fact of life. It’s so automatic for many workers that they may not even realize it takes a bite out of every paycheck. In theory, everyone is required to contribute to the country’s health insurance program for seniors, no matter how poor or rich, from cashiers to CEOs.
Not on Wall Street. There, some of the most powerful people in finance found a way to opt out.
The trove of tax records behind ProPublica’s “Secret IRS Files” series contains plenty of examples of billionaire financiers who avoided Medicare tax despite earning huge amounts from their companies. In 2016, Steve Cohen, the owner of the New York Mets, paid $0. So did Stephen Schwarzman, head of the investment behemoth Blackstone. Bill Ackman, the headline-grabbing hedge fund manager, was able to shield almost all his income from the tax."
Press Watchers
"The central problem is this: Our most important news organizations operate according to a business model that singularly values affluent customers. And that business model affects everything they do.
To be clear: The advertisers want to connect with the affluent, not the working class. The rich can afford subscriptions and get through paywalls. The marketing? It’s directed at people with disposable income.
The end result is – tragically – a muted mainstream commercial media that has ceded the business of informing the masses to Fox and social media dominated by the right wing.
They are the ones who speak to the average, working-class Americans. Fox, for instance, has won over a mass audience not because of its conservative political views but arguably in spite of them. Fox is entertaining, it has a tabloid aesthetic, it embraces populist narratives, encourages antagonism and outrage, and finds charismatic personalities to deliver it all. It grabs viewers by the throat and riles them up."
All the wrong lessons.
Plains Dealer
"COLUMBUS, Ohio – Senate Republicans on Wednesday passed legislation that would enable patients to force hospitals into administering drugs for off-label use if the hospital’s own physicians refuse.
The legislation comes after a COVID-19 pandemic when conservatives came to believe that drugs like hydroxychloroquine or ivermectin, neither of which have been proven to benefit COVID-19 patients, would cure, treat or prevent their infections. It also comes amid a resurgence in anti-vaccination attitudes within the Republican Party.
But if the hospital is “unwilling” to administer that drug, they must grant admitting privileges to credentialed physicians who will.
The original version of the bill prohibits hospitals outright from denying patients their prescribed medicines."
Not that it matters to the pretend president....
https://apnews.com/article/trump-hegseth-gabbard-rubio-kennedy-cabinet-poll-2e6a3b7a9f5fad9fb7527681f1f5a9aa
It’s worth spending time considering Marie’s point about the structural problems we face as a nation. It’s true that the Fat Fascist and his sycophants in the Party of Traitors are not essentially the proximate causes of our current sorry state. They most certainly benefit in the most crass and craven opportunistic manner, but none of that would be possible without a lazy, selfish, ignorant, and paranoid electorate.
We are beset by a huge population of “I come firsters”. A nation which once believed strongly in a shared duty and responsibility as citizens has become a bunch of whiny crybabies who bristle at the idea that someone, somewhere, not only has something they don’t, but are enjoying their exalted status by mooching off them via tax supported free giveaways.
The breakdown became most obvious during Reagan’s rule, during which he demonized black Americans as mooching welfare loafers driving Cadillacs and eating filet mignon paid for by victimizing hard working white taxpayers. “Fuck you, Charlie, I got mine” became the clarion call to rally voters to the banner of racial profiling and selfish isolationism turbocharged under the banner of Frrreeedom!
The right’s concept of Freeedom is a one way street. You have the right to do whatever you want, to mow down anyone who says different, and you have no responsibility to anyone and any thing, place, or idea other than getting as much as you can for yourself and making sure no one else gets anything you conceive of as being something that might be yours.
Similarly, the idea of Patriotism!! became a wholly owned subsidiary of the right, a Potemkin property, the flag of which you could wrap yourself in to ward off all criticism, a nice side benefit being the ability to characterize any critics as unAmerican. You were never, however, obliged to honor any of the essential concepts that underpinned the creation of the United States. That shit was just window dressing.
Then along came Fox and with it, the rise of a right-wing media echo chamber which seized on these ideas, bolstering the proposition that Real Americans had Frrreeeedom!, should be able to do whatever the hell they wanted, own as many guns as they could afford, shoot anyone saying different, refer to anyone you disagreed with as evil, as traitors, as not American. Fox figured out they could make a bundle by coming up with new and more flamboyant outrages to provide a support system for the belief that You Mattered, They Didn’t, and you had No Responsibility to anyone but yourself.
Trump, a narcissistic bully and greedy pig, came along at just the right time.
Experts? Fucking eggheads! You’re just as smart as they are. Smarter even. “I know more than the generals! Only I can fix it! I’m just like you!”
Of course, the media was no help in any of this. And Democrats have still not figured out how best to appeal to a self-absorbed, largely ignorant electorate kept paranoid, infantilized, and eternally suspicious of anyone saying we owe anything to a something called democracy, especially if that meant Others were included.
The problem is almost ontological at this point, but not entirely. The sad truth is, that as a species, we got where we are through cooperation, through working with others, by having each others’ backs. The nations of the world learned the hard way that trade is the best guarantor of peace in the world. Isolationism creates suspicion, paranoia, hatred. But this is what Trump offers.
In human history, tribes that tried to shut themselves off from everyone else never survived.
This is also what Trump offers.
Too bad so many are too worried about what Charlie has to understand this.
Another problem is that they care more about denying others than harming themselves. I'm reminded of Heather McGhee talking about community pool integration.
"The story McGhee tells orbits around a depressing metaphor: the drained swimming pool. For a good chunk of the 20th century, American towns offered grand community swimming pools as symbols of leisure and civic pride. They were testaments to public investment.
But then desegregation happened and the pools had to be integrated. Rather than open them up to everyone, town after town simply shut them down. And not only did they close the pools, they nuked their parks departments and effectively abandoned public investment altogether. So in the end, Black Americans didn’t get to enjoy the pools, but neither did white people who were motivated by self-destructive racist ideologies."
We see this with Trump's immigration policies, his tariffs policies, his healthcare and education policies. They will be hurt by higher prices, poorer education, fewer homes and worse health outcomes, but as long as their perceived enemies suffer too they will endure the pain. They always have someone to blame to distract themselves from the truth of their own culpability. It is the same with the rich hoarding all the wealth. At least it is not going to the dreaded Them. The bigots and idiots want to drag us all down with them, at least they chose their fate.
Akhilleus,
Just came in from raking leaves to find your summary of what went wrong. Agree with your history of where we went off track and with Marie's recognition that we also have our "structural" problems. We sure do. As I said a few weeks back, tho', I don't know if any one of these many factors--our relatively recent history which you clearly summarize or the embedded structures Marie mentions-- are chicken or egg.
I don't know, but I have a thought or two about the question.
People--I include myself--are moved first of all by their own biological and psychological needs. Our economic system is very aware of that and taps into those needs for its profit. It offers cures for what ails us, for anything we might desire or need as individuals, seldom as a member of any group. If we have the means, we can get it delivered to our doorsteps. Advertising targets us as if we were living apart from anyone else, as most of in fact are, household by household, with nary a thought for anyone else and with the implied exception you mention that Charlie up the block might victimize us by getting something we don't have.
Cooperative enterprises run counter to this reality, which is why they remain a rarity. Likewise with worker unions. The economic structures we've adopted (or that have happened to us) encourage and ensure our isolation, and keep us weak and mostly compliant. If we're not poor, Amazon or Walmart might supply our immediate needs but we're still alone with our stuff.
No wonder many live in near panic mode. "The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation," Thoreau said, and he was right. But that mass is desperate because they live absent a community of mutuality. When a natural disaster strikes, people get together to support one another; when the immediate needs are met, they again drift apart, just the way Facebook likes it. I'd note that social media provides people a way to find and fit into a group, but most often without any burden of responsibility that belonging to a group implies. Once again, it's all so easy and convenient.
One final remark about history. Those who know and care about it have a sense of how they fit into the human story, even when they're sitting alone in their favorite chair. Unlike those who think history began with them, they belong to something other than themselves.
I feel that way anyway.
Bigotry's long simmering threat, 1923
"Speaking Truth To Power"
Sarah Longwell
"Trump lied about an election being stolen and then sicked a mob on the Capitol. It's funny that you roll your eyes at this, Kevin, because you're the one who went down and resurrected him.”