No matter how hard Republicans try to reinvent the Founders & Framers in the image of their libertarian billionaire patrons, the reality is that America was history’s first great liberal experiment...
Jason Stanley, the author of How Fascism Works, titled his first chapter, "The Mythic Past." Early in this chapter Stanley states, "The function of the mythic past, in fascist politics, is to harness the emotion of nostalgia to the central tenets of fascist ideology-authoritarianism, hierarchy, purity, and struggle." The GQP has been following this how-to process for decades and lies about our past are required. Stanley also states, "Fascist politics repudiates any dark moments of a nation's past." The burning of Black Wall Street in 1921 and the racist coup in Wilmington, NC, in 1898, are not in our school history books. Teaching Critical Race Theory to students working on their law degrees can't be tolerated in a Fascist America.
The institutions, systems and beliefs of our founders are the seeds of today's systems. Capitalism, corporations, free slave labor, stealing indigenous lands are all responsible for the issues we have to deal with today. We s haven't worked through to a just, fair equitable society. The past is the prologue to the present.
A land of laws not kings. No one is above the law. No fear or favor. Justice delayed is justice denied. Lady Justice, blindfolded, holding a scale and a sword.
And then along came a Trump and sat down beside her.
"I've got this thing, and it's f*cking gold!" Remember Rod Blagojevich, the Illinois governor who tried to sell Obama's vacated Senate seat? He was a Democrat. He went to jail. Only thinking of himself, he broke the public trust and paid the price ...in the days of yore.
Now that Trump, only thinking of himself, was caught red-handed stealing one of the largest stashes of state secrets in American history, everyone is wondering (haha) what his motive was (and is), even though by now everyone not in denial knows full well the undying truth of Trump's lizard brain: "I've got this thing, and it's f*cking gold!"
It's not even that big of a mystery to whom he would likely sell out his own country in a New York minute. Is it? C'mon!
Think about it: Who is his one and only best friend forever and main, go-to geopolitical mentor on the world stage, whom Trump consistently, suspiciously, always praises and excuses no matter what, more than all the rest of his other favorite fellow authoritarian travelers -- the one fellow asshole who helped elect him, who no doubt groomed him for decades, and who surreptitiously (allegedly) bailed out his fat ass and scam company more than once, when no other respectable financial institution (Are there any left?) would touch the Trump brand with a 20' pole after getting stiffed by numerous bankruptcies and lawsuits?
Dare we say the P-word? (No not that one.) Wingnuts love conspiracy theories devoid of evidence; why not try one on for size that fits the evidence like a glove?
Trump is a traitor. And so are his followers and enablers. Make them pay the price this November.
The devolution of the Republican Party happened over my lifetime. It occurred layer by layer: Watergate, Iran Contra, Afghanistan/Iraq lies, and a psychopathic criminal president.
And, that's just some of the things we know about along with their public embrace of racists and insurrectionists.
Dare we ask what is next if they are not exposed and held accountable?
The rights and benefits the Democratic Party has fought for are not rejected by them after they are passed. They use Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, disability, food stamps, infrastructure, mail-in ballots, the insurance exchanges, the rules and regs that keep us alive, and other things too numerous to mention.
So busy hating liberals, but not too busy to reap the rewards of the general welfare issues the liberals have had to fight them for.
Hey Thom. Reading your articles continue to teach many lessons in logic and rhetoric. For instance, your refrain “Today’s Republicans claim” appears five times. The claim that follows reminds us how fallacies in logic work to misrepresent your enemies. Obviously, the approach exaggerates the scope of your enemies' beliefs. Dozens of times on your radio show, when such an argument as the straw man makes its appearance, you immediately call it out and, as you should, quickly dismiss the argument. So my question is, when you utilize a similar categorical statement that asserts that all Republicans agree with something, can I dismiss your argument? When you casually assert that “Today’s Republicans claim that America was founded as a Christian nation,” shouldn’t I immediately discount the argument? Certainly such wild generalizations point us to the infamous straw man.
When you speak for all Republicans, I just don’t know what to do with such irresponsible conclusions. Certainly not all Republicans believe that the “Founders wanted everybody armed so we could shoot at corrupt or “tyrannical” politicians.” Ten of millions would take issue with such a silly assertion. Nor do all Republicans agree that “the Founders didn’t want the government involved in the health and welfare of America’s citizens, but that they intended for us to all be, essentially, on our own.”
This approach comes with all kinds of hyperbole, but I realize they will have no bearing on your thoughts about rhetoric. Yet you must know, that your opposition will readily conclude that your arguments are ridiculous. Thoughtful people see how these fallacies mislead and even coerce readers. Certainly your followers will agree with you, but your rhetoric reveals how one can disparage their enemies and justify a hatred of them.
In the end, I wonder if America's Founders would also be disgusted today’s progressives and ashamed of our leaders on the left? I’d think they’d be terribly disgusted by the amounts given by left’s billionaire patrons. The massive amounts of money given to the left by engineers like Bill Gates, George Soros, Mark Zuckerberg, Robert Iger, Jeff Bezos, Barack Obama, Dana Walden, Tim Cook, Michael Bloomberg, Jack Dorsey, Tim Cook, Sundar Pichai, Chris Licht, Larry Fink, Jamie Dimon, Klaus Schwab, the Board of Trustees of the World Economic Forum. The Founders would seem to be also disgusted by just the amassed power that controls the county’s most influential sectors, including the bloated governmental bureaucratic agencies, Hollywood media culture, corporate and investment banking, big tech initiatives, social media, and immigration policies. They would certainly be disgusted by the tendency that's centralized the power of the federal government. They'd be amazed by the loss of individual state representation. They’d clearly be terribly suspicious of demagogues that promote a dismantling of traditional sources of democratic representation such as the electoral college and the filibuster.
I understand why you fight for the fall of the Republican Party or at least that it would fade away from all influence. But I find this in direct contradiction to George Washington’s earnest prayer: that God would have you, and the State over which you preside, in his holy protection, that he would incline the hearts of the Citizens to cultivate a spirit of subordination and obedience to Government, to entertain a brotherly affection and love for one another, for their fellow Citizens of the United States at large, and particularly for their brethren who have served in the Field, and finally, that he would most graciously be pleased to dispose us all, to do Justice, to love mercy, and to demean ourselves with that Charity, humility and pacific temper of mind, which were the Characteristics of the Divine Author of our blessed Religion, and without an humble imitation of whose example in these things, we can never hope to be a happy Nation." CIRCULAR TO THE STATES | SUNDAY, JUNE 08, 1783
Maybe if progressive could express real brotherly affection and love for one another (even their enemies on the right) and for their fellow Citizens of the United States at large (including those that voted for Reagan and even Trump) they might just lead us to a better and united country.
Then the Republican Party could be defined as representing its majority and their collective will, a faction of (mostly) election deniers and anti-small-d-democrats out of step with (most of) America. That rings true, belying the notion that Republicans in general are not responsible for the direction of their own party.
A word about logical fallacies: Outside of blind hypocrisy, how does it make sense to beat up someone over lumping together "enemies" (Sing that song with "your" 100% Republican buddies at CPAC who swore a blood oath against all liberals, progressives and Democrats in general.); then turn right around and unconsciously (?) generalize YOUR enemies (?) as some some sort of, it-goes-without-saying, evil, amorphous "LEFT" -- accused of all manner of irresponsible behavior with mighty thin gruel offered up as so-called evidence?
And yet another flip flop preaching kumbaya, why can't we all just get along? Indeed.
Thanks for the note and challenge. If I’m following your thought correctly, you believe most of the Republicans are election deniers and out of step with America. Please provide evidence for such a claim.
Concerning your quip about blind hypocrisy: thinking and claiming that CPAC represents all Republicans doesn’t make it so. That assertion is far from the truth. Again please provide the evidence. Also, there's not doubt that its wrong if and when either side fights to eliminate their opponents. If it’s wrong for the Republicans, it’s wrong for Progressives. Any attempts to eliminate or make the opposition irrelevant in this country will end in dire consequences.
Lastly, you seem to feel your conclusion is somehow reasonable. Such ridicule of “getting along” tells me so much more about your rationality than it does about responsible behavior. Your reasoning in fact reveal how civility in the country is rapidly declining.
What, your fingers broke, or you just don't know where to look for reality outside the bubble?
Lastly, the alleged "ridicule" was not about "getting along" but about the hypocrisy of not following one's own preachy, holier-than-thou advice to others {but not for thee}. The first step in climbing out of the deep, dark, right-wing news well is reading comprehension with an eye toward self-awareness.
I suppose our disagreements would inevitably turn ugly. So, here are a few questions for clarity’s sake. What does “comprehensive reading” mean? What books, articles and essay do you read that are outside your Left-wing perspective? Would you say that you have an eye toward self-awareness? Your rhetoric doesn’t seem to offer any such thing. Your thoughts simply do not help me understand the constructive values your political opinions bring to the debate? And you certainly don’t help me understand the nature of “self-awareness.” Do you feel you have self-awareness? No doubt you offer all kinds of opinions but your arguments seem entirely self-referential and far from insightful.
Certainly, many on the right question many of the related issues of the last election. However, their questioning of what happened leading up to and during the election season does not make them deniers. If questions and suspicions prove denialism, then many, including Hillary Clinton and Stacey Abrams would fall into that category. Indeed, the last several years come complete with the belief that Trump was not a legitimate President.
I guess the old adage still applies: Liberals say they want to hear and allow for other views, but then they are astonished and offended to realize that there are many other views.
Ugly is in the eye of the beholder. So is subjective truth. But, sorry, we both said "lastly" last time, and the column space is getting too skinny to properly address the latest blizzard of misconceptions and mischaracterizations. Personal pro bono time is over. Any further counseling falls under billable hours.
Funny! Yes there's nothing worse than skinny column space on these platforms. That said, I have learned a lot and I've been forced to think thru a lot of complexity.
No worries about billable hours. The check will be in the mail.
Regardless of what Trump humpers say in words, truthfully they share the same psychological illness that Trump, and all wannabe dictators, share. None of them can understand, and neither will you, unless you've studied the subconscious in the human being. That's where the ego resides, and is specifically expressed in the ganglia (nerve system), and even more specifically in the solar plexus area. The ego, when it was given to humanity, was a force for good - problem is, it became infected (just as our physical bodies can become infected). The reason why Trump, Putin, Kim Jong-un, Orban, Bolsonaro, Lukashenko and other dictators get along so well is that their egos have been infected, and run rampant. Trump humpers have the same problem, but for slightly different reasons. The dictators themselves are psychologically ill, while the followers who tout them as leaders are hypnotized. Slightly different, but still the root source is an infected ego. I mention this so that you won't be puzzled over their behavior, and so that you won't be thinking you can change them.
The politicians we have now, while not perfect, are much more healthy, and in most cases have their ego under control, as do most of those who read your Reports, Thom. So enjoy the few years of sanity while we have them, and don't be so surprised by absurd behavior - see it rather as an indication of the sickness prevalent in our society. And enjoy the company of the healthy ones; thank you Thom for giving us news and views that doesn't go to extremes, but finds that healthy balance we can relate to. Cheers.
RE: " ... right’s most bizarre lies."
Jason Stanley, the author of How Fascism Works, titled his first chapter, "The Mythic Past." Early in this chapter Stanley states, "The function of the mythic past, in fascist politics, is to harness the emotion of nostalgia to the central tenets of fascist ideology-authoritarianism, hierarchy, purity, and struggle." The GQP has been following this how-to process for decades and lies about our past are required. Stanley also states, "Fascist politics repudiates any dark moments of a nation's past." The burning of Black Wall Street in 1921 and the racist coup in Wilmington, NC, in 1898, are not in our school history books. Teaching Critical Race Theory to students working on their law degrees can't be tolerated in a Fascist America.
The institutions, systems and beliefs of our founders are the seeds of today's systems. Capitalism, corporations, free slave labor, stealing indigenous lands are all responsible for the issues we have to deal with today. We s haven't worked through to a just, fair equitable society. The past is the prologue to the present.
A land of laws not kings. No one is above the law. No fear or favor. Justice delayed is justice denied. Lady Justice, blindfolded, holding a scale and a sword.
And then along came a Trump and sat down beside her.
"I've got this thing, and it's f*cking gold!" Remember Rod Blagojevich, the Illinois governor who tried to sell Obama's vacated Senate seat? He was a Democrat. He went to jail. Only thinking of himself, he broke the public trust and paid the price ...in the days of yore.
Now that Trump, only thinking of himself, was caught red-handed stealing one of the largest stashes of state secrets in American history, everyone is wondering (haha) what his motive was (and is), even though by now everyone not in denial knows full well the undying truth of Trump's lizard brain: "I've got this thing, and it's f*cking gold!"
It's not even that big of a mystery to whom he would likely sell out his own country in a New York minute. Is it? C'mon!
Think about it: Who is his one and only best friend forever and main, go-to geopolitical mentor on the world stage, whom Trump consistently, suspiciously, always praises and excuses no matter what, more than all the rest of his other favorite fellow authoritarian travelers -- the one fellow asshole who helped elect him, who no doubt groomed him for decades, and who surreptitiously (allegedly) bailed out his fat ass and scam company more than once, when no other respectable financial institution (Are there any left?) would touch the Trump brand with a 20' pole after getting stiffed by numerous bankruptcies and lawsuits?
Dare we say the P-word? (No not that one.) Wingnuts love conspiracy theories devoid of evidence; why not try one on for size that fits the evidence like a glove?
Trump is a traitor. And so are his followers and enablers. Make them pay the price this November.
The devolution of the Republican Party happened over my lifetime. It occurred layer by layer: Watergate, Iran Contra, Afghanistan/Iraq lies, and a psychopathic criminal president.
And, that's just some of the things we know about along with their public embrace of racists and insurrectionists.
Dare we ask what is next if they are not exposed and held accountable?
The rights and benefits the Democratic Party has fought for are not rejected by them after they are passed. They use Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, disability, food stamps, infrastructure, mail-in ballots, the insurance exchanges, the rules and regs that keep us alive, and other things too numerous to mention.
So busy hating liberals, but not too busy to reap the rewards of the general welfare issues the liberals have had to fight them for.
Hey Thom. Reading your articles continue to teach many lessons in logic and rhetoric. For instance, your refrain “Today’s Republicans claim” appears five times. The claim that follows reminds us how fallacies in logic work to misrepresent your enemies. Obviously, the approach exaggerates the scope of your enemies' beliefs. Dozens of times on your radio show, when such an argument as the straw man makes its appearance, you immediately call it out and, as you should, quickly dismiss the argument. So my question is, when you utilize a similar categorical statement that asserts that all Republicans agree with something, can I dismiss your argument? When you casually assert that “Today’s Republicans claim that America was founded as a Christian nation,” shouldn’t I immediately discount the argument? Certainly such wild generalizations point us to the infamous straw man.
When you speak for all Republicans, I just don’t know what to do with such irresponsible conclusions. Certainly not all Republicans believe that the “Founders wanted everybody armed so we could shoot at corrupt or “tyrannical” politicians.” Ten of millions would take issue with such a silly assertion. Nor do all Republicans agree that “the Founders didn’t want the government involved in the health and welfare of America’s citizens, but that they intended for us to all be, essentially, on our own.”
This approach comes with all kinds of hyperbole, but I realize they will have no bearing on your thoughts about rhetoric. Yet you must know, that your opposition will readily conclude that your arguments are ridiculous. Thoughtful people see how these fallacies mislead and even coerce readers. Certainly your followers will agree with you, but your rhetoric reveals how one can disparage their enemies and justify a hatred of them.
In the end, I wonder if America's Founders would also be disgusted today’s progressives and ashamed of our leaders on the left? I’d think they’d be terribly disgusted by the amounts given by left’s billionaire patrons. The massive amounts of money given to the left by engineers like Bill Gates, George Soros, Mark Zuckerberg, Robert Iger, Jeff Bezos, Barack Obama, Dana Walden, Tim Cook, Michael Bloomberg, Jack Dorsey, Tim Cook, Sundar Pichai, Chris Licht, Larry Fink, Jamie Dimon, Klaus Schwab, the Board of Trustees of the World Economic Forum. The Founders would seem to be also disgusted by just the amassed power that controls the county’s most influential sectors, including the bloated governmental bureaucratic agencies, Hollywood media culture, corporate and investment banking, big tech initiatives, social media, and immigration policies. They would certainly be disgusted by the tendency that's centralized the power of the federal government. They'd be amazed by the loss of individual state representation. They’d clearly be terribly suspicious of demagogues that promote a dismantling of traditional sources of democratic representation such as the electoral college and the filibuster.
I understand why you fight for the fall of the Republican Party or at least that it would fade away from all influence. But I find this in direct contradiction to George Washington’s earnest prayer: that God would have you, and the State over which you preside, in his holy protection, that he would incline the hearts of the Citizens to cultivate a spirit of subordination and obedience to Government, to entertain a brotherly affection and love for one another, for their fellow Citizens of the United States at large, and particularly for their brethren who have served in the Field, and finally, that he would most graciously be pleased to dispose us all, to do Justice, to love mercy, and to demean ourselves with that Charity, humility and pacific temper of mind, which were the Characteristics of the Divine Author of our blessed Religion, and without an humble imitation of whose example in these things, we can never hope to be a happy Nation." CIRCULAR TO THE STATES | SUNDAY, JUNE 08, 1783
Maybe if progressive could express real brotherly affection and love for one another (even their enemies on the right) and for their fellow Citizens of the United States at large (including those that voted for Reagan and even Trump) they might just lead us to a better and united country.
How about replace the word "all" with "most?"
Then the Republican Party could be defined as representing its majority and their collective will, a faction of (mostly) election deniers and anti-small-d-democrats out of step with (most of) America. That rings true, belying the notion that Republicans in general are not responsible for the direction of their own party.
A word about logical fallacies: Outside of blind hypocrisy, how does it make sense to beat up someone over lumping together "enemies" (Sing that song with "your" 100% Republican buddies at CPAC who swore a blood oath against all liberals, progressives and Democrats in general.); then turn right around and unconsciously (?) generalize YOUR enemies (?) as some some sort of, it-goes-without-saying, evil, amorphous "LEFT" -- accused of all manner of irresponsible behavior with mighty thin gruel offered up as so-called evidence?
And yet another flip flop preaching kumbaya, why can't we all just get along? Indeed.
Highly illogical, Mr. Spock.
Thanks for the note and challenge. If I’m following your thought correctly, you believe most of the Republicans are election deniers and out of step with America. Please provide evidence for such a claim.
Concerning your quip about blind hypocrisy: thinking and claiming that CPAC represents all Republicans doesn’t make it so. That assertion is far from the truth. Again please provide the evidence. Also, there's not doubt that its wrong if and when either side fights to eliminate their opponents. If it’s wrong for the Republicans, it’s wrong for Progressives. Any attempts to eliminate or make the opposition irrelevant in this country will end in dire consequences.
Lastly, you seem to feel your conclusion is somehow reasonable. Such ridicule of “getting along” tells me so much more about your rationality than it does about responsible behavior. Your reasoning in fact reveal how civility in the country is rapidly declining.
https://news.yahoo.com/poll-two-thirds-of-republicans-still-think-the-2020-election-was-rigged-165934695.html ... https://www.politifact.com/article/2022/jun/14/most-republicans-falsely-believe-trumps-stolen-ele/ ... https://www.poynter.org/fact-checking/2022/70-percent-republicans-falsely-believe-stolen-election-trump/ ... https://www.axios.com/2022/07/23/jan-6-committee-republicans-poll ... and on and on and on...
What, your fingers broke, or you just don't know where to look for reality outside the bubble?
Lastly, the alleged "ridicule" was not about "getting along" but about the hypocrisy of not following one's own preachy, holier-than-thou advice to others {but not for thee}. The first step in climbing out of the deep, dark, right-wing news well is reading comprehension with an eye toward self-awareness.
I suppose our disagreements would inevitably turn ugly. So, here are a few questions for clarity’s sake. What does “comprehensive reading” mean? What books, articles and essay do you read that are outside your Left-wing perspective? Would you say that you have an eye toward self-awareness? Your rhetoric doesn’t seem to offer any such thing. Your thoughts simply do not help me understand the constructive values your political opinions bring to the debate? And you certainly don’t help me understand the nature of “self-awareness.” Do you feel you have self-awareness? No doubt you offer all kinds of opinions but your arguments seem entirely self-referential and far from insightful.
For example consider your reliance on polling. The history of polls is spurious at best. There are vast numbers of quality studies that challenge any real reliance on polling to prove arguments. https://www.brookings.edu/articles/polling-public-opinion-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly/ https://www.crf-usa.org/election-central/public-opinion-polls.html.
Certainly, many on the right question many of the related issues of the last election. However, their questioning of what happened leading up to and during the election season does not make them deniers. If questions and suspicions prove denialism, then many, including Hillary Clinton and Stacey Abrams would fall into that category. Indeed, the last several years come complete with the belief that Trump was not a legitimate President.
I guess the old adage still applies: Liberals say they want to hear and allow for other views, but then they are astonished and offended to realize that there are many other views.
Ugly is in the eye of the beholder. So is subjective truth. But, sorry, we both said "lastly" last time, and the column space is getting too skinny to properly address the latest blizzard of misconceptions and mischaracterizations. Personal pro bono time is over. Any further counseling falls under billable hours.
Funny! Yes there's nothing worse than skinny column space on these platforms. That said, I have learned a lot and I've been forced to think thru a lot of complexity.
No worries about billable hours. The check will be in the mail.
Is anyone still reading this thread ?
I just signed up for these notes a few days ago, not sure how these message boards work - -
Regardless of what Trump humpers say in words, truthfully they share the same psychological illness that Trump, and all wannabe dictators, share. None of them can understand, and neither will you, unless you've studied the subconscious in the human being. That's where the ego resides, and is specifically expressed in the ganglia (nerve system), and even more specifically in the solar plexus area. The ego, when it was given to humanity, was a force for good - problem is, it became infected (just as our physical bodies can become infected). The reason why Trump, Putin, Kim Jong-un, Orban, Bolsonaro, Lukashenko and other dictators get along so well is that their egos have been infected, and run rampant. Trump humpers have the same problem, but for slightly different reasons. The dictators themselves are psychologically ill, while the followers who tout them as leaders are hypnotized. Slightly different, but still the root source is an infected ego. I mention this so that you won't be puzzled over their behavior, and so that you won't be thinking you can change them.
The politicians we have now, while not perfect, are much more healthy, and in most cases have their ego under control, as do most of those who read your Reports, Thom. So enjoy the few years of sanity while we have them, and don't be so surprised by absurd behavior - see it rather as an indication of the sickness prevalent in our society. And enjoy the company of the healthy ones; thank you Thom for giving us news and views that doesn't go to extremes, but finds that healthy balance we can relate to. Cheers.