This year will be an unprecedented referendum on democracy. Fully sixty percent of Americans will have an “election denier” Trump-humping Republican on the ballot this November
To get a better idea of how this all started I suggest a book by Nancy MacLean "Democracy in Chains". A real page turner. In it she follows the career of James Buchanan who labored in the wilderness from the early 1950's, crafting his policies until he met Charles Koch in the 70's. Koch being the masterful businessman that he is, took over Buchanan's policies and framework. With the millions he poured into it, it took off until it is what we have today. That book gives a more comprehensive and detailed critique, necessary to fight this ideology.
So, the solution is for progressives to step up. Agreed. They need to support voting rights, women's rights, healthcare, continue the Build Back Better green agenda, fix the judiciary, fix the media. Some of these things are obvious and simply require legislation, good solid legislation, backed by funding and oversight, that can't be ignored in red states. Other things may be more difficult, especially fixing the media. Starting by dismantling media conglomerates is a good first step, but we need to do more than just that.
Progressives have the ideas that most Americans like, but have been talked out of, because (according to their detractors, like Republicans and centrist Democrats) they are too expensive, socialistic, or discriminate against white males. Progressives have some great leaders, but somehow the message isn't getting across.
The President and Attorney General have to realize that they will get only delay and obfuscation from Republicans, and determine, with the help of Progressives, to do all in their power to put down this anti-democratic wave.
The BIG MONEY problem is NOT merely its use in politics. Its very existence is the problem. It corrupts not merely politicians; it corrupts everything it touches including markets of all sorts.
Media is in many ways also a primary, a root cause of our poisoned social and political milieu. The solution is many faceted from breaking up the radio station ownership monopolies to the social media monopolies. Another obvious step would be for the FCC to restore and redefine the fairness doctrine. Still another would be to restore, strengthen and expand the public service requirements around free airtime to candidates and a requirement that media objectively analyze the issues candidates discuss and the claims they make. And why would FOX NEWS or msnbc, etc. be exempt from rules like the fairness doctrine, etc. since they need access to public frequencies to get their broadcasts from place to place and satellite to satellite. Not even Comcast has solid, privately owned cable running from coast to coast. Some of these corrections would likely require legislation.
But the media problem also includes the abandonment of the public to the never tender mercies of right-wing talk radio. Liberals and progressives with money, and not all that much money is required, MUST buy and operate a strategic network of stations across the country. Yes, radio is now old tech, but it is still essential tech. It is the guide to new tech. New tech is self-selective, meaning one must generally know what to look for. Radio is that guide used by the yakkers who have gone new tech. Reality has no such universally available guide. Right-wing radio still has a far larger audience than even Thom's show. Why? Because station networks gave the wingers all the time they needed to build that audience. They did the opposite for Air America while some of the stations' monopolist advertisers were even allowed to demand cancellation of Air America programing.
But radio stations are up for sale ALL the time, largely because they almost all operate in the same three saturated markets -- sports talk, religious talk and right-wing talk. Relative to TV, radio stations are cheap to buy. One could pretty much blanket the country with a couple dozen strategically located blowtorch stations.
That's the Achilles' heel of democracy, getting citizens to participate in sufficient numbers, getting them to see that politics, as ugly as that word has become, is actually a good thing, integral to self-governance. And, depending on whom they choose to represent the policies they favor, politics will affect their personal lives on nearly every level for better or worse.
It sounds as wierd as it is, that probably one of the toughest duties of a sincere politician (Yes, they do actually exist; there's been occasional sightings in the wild) is to convince his or her constituents that they should care at least about their own best interests. Yeah, wierd.
‘Trump-humping’ Republicans … there’s a meme that could go viral. Thanks Thom … I think …
Don’t like those corrupt anti-American court decisions? We need to remove McConnell judges from every bench, to the top. It can be done. We have the sensible mechanisms, from pressure to impeachment, despite protests from people who call themselves liberal.
But we need to get progressives and liberals in decisive majorities, first, and today that means Democrats and the occasional Independent.
thanks again Thom, wishing you, and US, strength — b.rad
USA 2022 in a nutshell---thank you, Thom. What a mess and how fascinating!
The suspense of the outcome of this election is pretty close to the one of 2020. Some of the debates from around the nation could be pretty "poisonous" too. President Biden decided not to kiss any MAGA ass, and I hope the candidates don't either.
It's all about the messaging and taking it back. We can prevail at the polls. Just because some thieves plan to steal or not certify an election doesn't mean it will WORK.
It is a great message---we should all watch carefully what we ingest.
I am proud to have campaigned for Green Nader twice. Sorry, Thom, but there was a brief, shining moment...What, NAFTA/GATT Clinton was such a choice? But as a dunked Four Square Gospeller along the way, it's the utter corruption of Jesus that just perplexes me beyond words. What is idolatry if not this worship of Trump? The Cathars at Montsegur were murdered because they believed that the god of this creation was actually evil, and one could be forgiven for harboring that heresy today.
To get a better idea of how this all started I suggest a book by Nancy MacLean "Democracy in Chains". A real page turner. In it she follows the career of James Buchanan who labored in the wilderness from the early 1950's, crafting his policies until he met Charles Koch in the 70's. Koch being the masterful businessman that he is, took over Buchanan's policies and framework. With the millions he poured into it, it took off until it is what we have today. That book gives a more comprehensive and detailed critique, necessary to fight this ideology.
So, the solution is for progressives to step up. Agreed. They need to support voting rights, women's rights, healthcare, continue the Build Back Better green agenda, fix the judiciary, fix the media. Some of these things are obvious and simply require legislation, good solid legislation, backed by funding and oversight, that can't be ignored in red states. Other things may be more difficult, especially fixing the media. Starting by dismantling media conglomerates is a good first step, but we need to do more than just that.
Progressives have the ideas that most Americans like, but have been talked out of, because (according to their detractors, like Republicans and centrist Democrats) they are too expensive, socialistic, or discriminate against white males. Progressives have some great leaders, but somehow the message isn't getting across.
The President and Attorney General have to realize that they will get only delay and obfuscation from Republicans, and determine, with the help of Progressives, to do all in their power to put down this anti-democratic wave.
The corporate media is part of this problem as well.
The BIG MONEY problem is NOT merely its use in politics. Its very existence is the problem. It corrupts not merely politicians; it corrupts everything it touches including markets of all sorts.
Media is in many ways also a primary, a root cause of our poisoned social and political milieu. The solution is many faceted from breaking up the radio station ownership monopolies to the social media monopolies. Another obvious step would be for the FCC to restore and redefine the fairness doctrine. Still another would be to restore, strengthen and expand the public service requirements around free airtime to candidates and a requirement that media objectively analyze the issues candidates discuss and the claims they make. And why would FOX NEWS or msnbc, etc. be exempt from rules like the fairness doctrine, etc. since they need access to public frequencies to get their broadcasts from place to place and satellite to satellite. Not even Comcast has solid, privately owned cable running from coast to coast. Some of these corrections would likely require legislation.
But the media problem also includes the abandonment of the public to the never tender mercies of right-wing talk radio. Liberals and progressives with money, and not all that much money is required, MUST buy and operate a strategic network of stations across the country. Yes, radio is now old tech, but it is still essential tech. It is the guide to new tech. New tech is self-selective, meaning one must generally know what to look for. Radio is that guide used by the yakkers who have gone new tech. Reality has no such universally available guide. Right-wing radio still has a far larger audience than even Thom's show. Why? Because station networks gave the wingers all the time they needed to build that audience. They did the opposite for Air America while some of the stations' monopolist advertisers were even allowed to demand cancellation of Air America programing.
But radio stations are up for sale ALL the time, largely because they almost all operate in the same three saturated markets -- sports talk, religious talk and right-wing talk. Relative to TV, radio stations are cheap to buy. One could pretty much blanket the country with a couple dozen strategically located blowtorch stations.
Work work, work for the future. We HAVE to!
We the People need to step up and fight to regain our rights. Sadly most of us are too busy trying to pay for groceries and rent to care.
That's the Achilles' heel of democracy, getting citizens to participate in sufficient numbers, getting them to see that politics, as ugly as that word has become, is actually a good thing, integral to self-governance. And, depending on whom they choose to represent the policies they favor, politics will affect their personal lives on nearly every level for better or worse.
It sounds as wierd as it is, that probably one of the toughest duties of a sincere politician (Yes, they do actually exist; there's been occasional sightings in the wild) is to convince his or her constituents that they should care at least about their own best interests. Yeah, wierd.
At such a dark, depressing time as this, your writing is a tonic. Thanks for keeping me informed and focused.
‘Trump-humping’ Republicans … there’s a meme that could go viral. Thanks Thom … I think …
Don’t like those corrupt anti-American court decisions? We need to remove McConnell judges from every bench, to the top. It can be done. We have the sensible mechanisms, from pressure to impeachment, despite protests from people who call themselves liberal.
But we need to get progressives and liberals in decisive majorities, first, and today that means Democrats and the occasional Independent.
thanks again Thom, wishing you, and US, strength — b.rad
ps we need separation of Hate and State
USA 2022 in a nutshell---thank you, Thom. What a mess and how fascinating!
The suspense of the outcome of this election is pretty close to the one of 2020. Some of the debates from around the nation could be pretty "poisonous" too. President Biden decided not to kiss any MAGA ass, and I hope the candidates don't either.
It's all about the messaging and taking it back. We can prevail at the polls. Just because some thieves plan to steal or not certify an election doesn't mean it will WORK.
It is a great message---we should all watch carefully what we ingest.
I am proud to have campaigned for Green Nader twice. Sorry, Thom, but there was a brief, shining moment...What, NAFTA/GATT Clinton was such a choice? But as a dunked Four Square Gospeller along the way, it's the utter corruption of Jesus that just perplexes me beyond words. What is idolatry if not this worship of Trump? The Cathars at Montsegur were murdered because they believed that the god of this creation was actually evil, and one could be forgiven for harboring that heresy today.