This election may be America’s last stand against this country becoming, like Hungary and Russia, a full-on oligarchy run of, by, and for the morbidly rich…
The cult feels like they will have a licensed to kill and torture all of the liberals Gloria. I was raised around their mentality, sometimes I feel like the missing Link.
It appears it’s already part of the profound Republican corruption .
Not an accident by any means .
These people have been conniving and grooming the accessible ‘ justices ‘ on the Court .
We know who they are and have watched their rulings grow along with the wealthiest and “most fake Christian” politicians and their financial support by these very Oligarchs who value money way more than Democracy, Which literally stands in their way with focus on equality and freedom for all .
Tearing this process down would require a total focus of freedom loving people for an undetermined amount of time .
Malignant narcissists have a hypnotic effect. It takes psychiatrists to understand and explain what's going on. Dr. Bandy Lee has been explaining Trump Contagion since before 2016.
I have a theory in response to your question, “How is this presidential race so close?” It addresses both how reasonable people can hold drastically different worldviews and how political bias can be so evenly split amongst the population from the standpoint of statistics. My hypothesis utilizes the old saying, “follow the money”, with the understanding that between special interests and campaign donations, this election cycle will create a multi-billion-dollar marketplace. I’m suggesting that the tighter the race, the more money raised, with the beneficiary being the advertising revenue of large multi-media corporations. Since corporations have a fiduciary responsibility to maximize profits, they have a vested interest in keeping the race as close to 50/50 as possible. In my opinion, this premise is very helpful tool for examining the central tendency of manufactured consent. For corporate media, it’s not a battle between political parties winning the hearts and minds of voters but managing the even-split between the two worldviews of their consumer base in pursuit of profit.
I know I am in a minority but IMHO not close. Polls do not reconcile that Trump underperformed in his primaries, sometimes by as much as 30% and must consider the effect of "new" registrations.
The other day in a FT 6 phone call. Jason Berlin said we've already added 4.5 million new Democrats, all under the radar, all in crucial districts. I've asked you to interview him, Thom.
Yes Mr. Solomon, most people are unaware of the importance of Demography in our lives, especially the political sphere. Demography as a discipline is made up of three basic components;
1) Fertility
2)Mortality
3) Migration
It starts out with these three simple components. But soon gets complicated and unfortunately is beyond the knowledge of the average citizen. No surprise, actually. Every year in the country a new tranche of voters is added. You are correct in emphasizing this fact.
I Hold Corporate Media to account! Had they been doing their jobs, the American people would know how Dangerous a Threat trump is to our Democracy and the World at large. This is why, I Thank You Thom, for banging the Drum for Truth and the Facts.I appreciate you, and your staff !! 💯👍🇺🇸💙🌊
I agree that the MSM is letting clickbait greed skew the news. But if what you say is true, whyizit that you and I know that Trump is a psychopathic, fascist, conman scammer, misogynist creep, and incompetent executive and incompetent ex-president? We have access to the same media as everyone else. Of course, a partial answer is "alternative facts news."
I just wonder if MAGAs are not mostly reactionaries whose serial bad choices in life have made them feel the need to be taken care of by some overconfident rich guy who promises the future that they have been incapable of creating for themselves. As economist Dean Baker's book "Rigged" explains, America's capitalist system is engineered to exploit (indenture) the majority of citizens. One can evade, even exploit, that economic engineering, but only if one bothers to figure out how it works. Clearly, most Americans do not bother.
Sadly, as I proposed in my comment, corporate media is doing their job as mandated by their charter. Their goal is managing the world views of their audience to insure a tight race.
Gregory, The sole purpose of a corporation is to provide a positive rate of return for investors. Corporations have board of directors who represent the interest of the investors.
The board of directors hires a CEO and in quite a few cases the Chairman of the Board is also the CEO. I am not talking about the parent company of the Corporation, but the real power behind the corporations, since practically all corporations are owned by another corporation, and a few are owned by yet another, If you drill down to the ultimate individual you find the Newhouse Family, Sumner and Shari Redstone, Brian L Roberts, Robert Iger, the Ochs Sulzberger Family and Jeff Bezos.
Profitability depends on Subscriptions, but more importantly advertising. Ads are placed by a cabal of corporations, using rating companies like Nielsen.
Clicks and viewership depend on conflict,pain, suffering, tension,if it bleeds it ledes, and nothing gets more clicks and viewers than conflict.
All of entertainment is based on conflict, it is is profitable, without the horse race no one would follow politics,or even the Golden Bachlorette, much less Survivor or any reality show or politics.
How many viewers do you think the corporate media would get if they reported that Harris was 15 points ahead of Trump., how much ad revenue would they get from both parties with such a lead.
I'm reading a book right now ("Tyranny of the Minority" by Levitsky and Ziblatt) that says there is a strong element of racial resentment and White grievance, growing out of the civil rights movement of the 1960's, that Trump and Christian Nationalists have taken advantage of to build a cult following. Billionaires don't care about that; they just want freedom from taxes and regulations. But they believe this racist cult, with a flood of money, guarantees a win for them.
Affirmative action for 25 years would be reasonable for women and minorities but not forever and ever and ever and ever... Both parties are asleep at the wheel whether intentional or accidental or just stupidity are to blame. I think there rich have bought both parties and set this up going all the way back to normalizing relations with China if not before and the JFK assassination? Where's my Q anon sticker?
Affirmative action Bob, was an example of how to solve a difficulty only exacerbates the difficulty. There was a huge backlash to affirmative action, which if not morphed into the Tea party, threw gas on the fire.
The problem was basing it on race and gender, and not income, and leaving intact the mechanisms of nepotism, in the form of legacy appointments and hires.
Thank you again Thom for spelling out the problem with good data and research. I have been a fan since Air America.
JD Vance had a close association with Yarvin. Along with money, these autocrats want control to keep ordinary folk afraid and docile (check out "Autocracy Inc" by Anne Applebaum). People with a poorly developed prefrontal cortex (PFC -- the brain's logic center) tend to be controlled by the amygdala ("lizard brain") and respond to fear because it had survival value in the past. Without good connections to the prefrontal cortex, the fear and anger take over. The PFC is not mature until age 25, and can be damaged by everything from a bad parent and misinformation to alcohol. Change is terrifying for many (civil rights, LGBTQ+ and womens movements, even abolishing slavery). This includes xenophobia: women, immigrants and people of color taking jobs and tax benefits. Women -- oh, the horror! -- throwing off the chains of childbearing and homemaking (don't get me wrong; I love to cook and we raised a wonderful son).
Germans were humiliated after WWI and actually elected Hitler to office. It's so much easier to have a perceived common enemy (Poles, Jews, Russians). It's also human nature to respond to body language and tone of voice rather than content of speech. Falling for a con man has a long history.
Having a medical background, the traumatized brain is the only way I can understand support for autocrats. As long as they are loyal to tRump,, they think will be taken care of. Thinking for yourself is hard!
"Actually elected Hitler to office" is BS. In 1933, President Paul von Hindenburg appointed Adolf Hitler as Chancellor of Germany, mainly due to the political instability of the Weimar Republic. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adolf_Hitler%27s_rise_to_power
Hitler ran for the presidency in 1932 but was defeated by the incumbent Paul von Hindenburg; nonetheless, he achieved a strong showing of second place in both rounds. Following this, in July 1932 the Nazis became the largest party in the Reichstag, albeit short of an absolute majority. 1933 was a pivotal year for Hitler and the Nazi Party. Traditionally, the leader of the party who held the most seats in the Reichstag was appointed Chancellor. However, President von Hindenburg was hesitant to appoint Hitler as chancellor. Following several backroom negotiations – which included industrialists, Hindenburg's son, the former chancellor Franz von Papen, and Hitler – Hindenburg acquiesced and on 30 January 1933, he formally appointed Adolf Hitler as Germany's new chancellor. Although he was chancellor, Hitler was not yet an absolute dictator.
The groundwork for the Nazi dictatorship was laid when the Reichstag was set on fire in February 1933. Asserting that the communists were behind the arson, Hitler convinced von Hindenburg to pass the Reichstag Fire Decree, which severely curtailed the liberties and rights of German citizens. Using the decree, Hitler began eliminating his political opponents. Following its passage, Hitler began arguing for more drastic means to curtail political opposition and proposed the Enabling Act of 1933. Once enacted this law gave the German government the power to override individual rights prescribed by the constitution, and vested the Chancellor (Hitler) with emergency powers to pass and enforce laws without parliamentary oversight. The law came into force in March and by April, Hitler held de facto dictatorial powers and used them to order the construction of the first Nazi concentration camp at Dachau for communists and other political opponents. Hitler's rise to power was completed in August 1934 when, following the death of President von Hindenburg, Hitler merged the chancellery with the presidency and became Führer, the sole leader of Germany.
Great historical account Mr. Solomon. May I add that, twice von Hindenburg turned down Hitler, refusing to appoint him as Chancellor because von Hindenburg was part of the old, ancient aristocratic elite, while Hitler was part of and represented the Proletariat. Von Hindenburg had grave suspicions about Hitler. But he was finally persuaded to give in and appoint him. He thought Hitler could be controlled by the Aristocracy. Paul von Hindenburg was widely loved and trusted by the German people. And von Hindenburg loved his country. That's why they elected him. Unfortunately, he was old, feeble and in poor health, so he finally acquiesced to Hitler. After he died, and about two years later, the Reichstag fire, it was Game Over for democratic Germany.
Incidentally, I have often suspected that 911 was our modified, less successful version of the Reichstag Fire.
I would just add that Hitler's early failures helped him develop a strategy to seize power. The Nazi Bauhaus Riot was our Jan 6th. The coming national plot to seize power if not elected is the Nazi MAGA's Reichstag Fire. The question is whether we will, like my German pals' late parents did, let him get away with it.
Tomonthebeach, I suspect 911 was a much modified, less effective version of the Reichstag fire. I think you are correct about Jan. 6th paralleling the Bauhaus Riot. Trump's first attempt failed the same as Hitler's first attempt failed. At least the Germans threw Hitler into prison for a short stint. What did we do? Grant Trump immunity for future Presidential infractions.
Spot on Anne! It looks to me like the New World order billionaires want to rule the world, and they believe they can get along with each other while making all of the peons who make under a million dollars a year disposable? Anyone who makes under a million a year will probably be fair game for them, depends on how desperate they are at the time and what mood they are in if they need more soldiers or not or babies?
Thanks Anne, great observations I agree. You raised one issue that is salient and important, voice, Kamala has one disability and that is her voice, her pitch is too high, if she could have dropped it down an octave she would be taken more seriously.
It isn't right, we can bitch about fairness and prejudice, but we are dealing with human nature. To be successful in sales, and politics is nothing but selling oneself,one has to tailor the pitch and delivery to the audience, customer or in Trumps case the victim.
It’s always been the money. The money has corrupted the Supreme Court. Lenard Leo worked hard to buy the court for 20 years. The court always rules in favor of big money. Money has also bought most of the local newspapers and radio stations, the ones that used to hold local politicians accountable. Now, it all right-wing fear mongering. Money is all Murdoch cares about. His biggest money makers are selling big lies to the gullible. He also is big on fascism. And now the tech-bros, who got rich writing twenty lines of code, think they are brilliant and should rule the world. They, like Musk, love Trump, because Trump wants to be one of them, even though Trump can’t read twenty lines of English.
I can't get over "our dictator phobia"! I've read too much & watched too many documentaries about what Hitler did to Germany, what Stalin did to Russia. I recall the excessive violence of Pol Pot & all the North Korean dictators, I remember the picture of the one man standing in front of the tanks at Tienemen Square. The violence throughout Africa because of waring factions against dictators is occurring every day. So no! I will NOT GET OVER OUR DICTATOR PHOBIA!!!!!!
With 20 so items on the Dems campaign website. Of course nobody knows what the Dems will give the voters which a simple 3 or 4 economic message would make clear. Without clarity in messaging it is sure the low information Dem voter base will not come out when they do not think their party cares about their needs not knowing what is in the offering. No doubt the Dems are using a center based all inclusive strategy. Center based strategies are what parties do where there the base does not root for. The media always tells the Dems to go center but never for the Repubs. The Repubs know that a base voter strategy always wins because it makes the base wildly happy. We need the base to be invested in coming out in order for the Dems to win.
What we are witnessing is shocking and scary, but I think we have to discipline ourselves to approach it analytically. Because, though it seems that way to us as it is happening, it is not surprising. Our class of billionaires have been enjoying looting and pillaging the wealth of the middle class for 50 years, and do not want to give up the habit, in spite of the fact that them are putting the US economy on a collision course with catastrophe. The consumer class cannot be deprived of enough wealth to purchase the goods an services that the system creates, or the system will collapse. I guess wealth and power are addictive, just like narcotics. They need an intervention, and it is about time the American people gave it to them. So, you combine this with a population, a large percentage of which are not seemingly capable of understanding the origins of our misery, but do feel the decline, and you get a group who are willing to look for someone who says he can fix it all for them--by tearing it all down. This is fascism 101, and it can happen here. Please get to work.
Despite the dark money, Harris is up in he polls. NYT has Harris up 3, 49%-46%. This is 3 points higher than their last poll and her largest lead in the NYT poll since she became our candidate.
All this was made possible by not putting a maximum wage on the rich. Money is as addictive as drugs! The more money you make the more prestige you have whereas the more drugs you use, the more people want to get away from you! Money is much more dangerous than drugs.
Bob, my friend you will be on that failed maximum wage kick forever. The rich don't get wages, , they live off income. Income is not wages, not even in Title 26, USC, the Internal Revenu Act
The act taxed income,not wages and salaries. The reason why we pay taxes on our wages and salaries,is because the act was rewritten with a catch 22. Employers are required to withhold wages, and the law requires you to report wages on the Form 1040, failure to report is a violation of law.
I repeat again, the situation in Dickensenian England existed because of the Maximum wage, Parliament passed a law that certain classes of workers could not be paid more than a specified, by law, amount.
I should be more specific and say a maximum income! About 15 times the minimum wage, and if that is not enough then just raise the minimum wage! The rich must not be allowed to buy the government and the media...
Maximum income is more like it, but outside of a dictatorship there is no way to impose a maximum income, and a dictatorship is where we are headed, and financed by those who would pay a maximum income.
What is needed is a progressive, populist, rebellion like the fascist populist rebellion whose fountainhead is Trump, except that even rebellions need financing and who will finance a rebellion that threatens the wealth and power of the powers that be?
As usual, I completely agree with you. The proof of the pudding is that despite his being a uniquely abhorrent candidate, the election appears to be gravely close. But given the trillions in dark money and the corrupted right wing media and spineless politicians, given all that, I still do not understand how half of the American public could be so indifferent to his obvious malevolence and the jeopardy to our Republic. What is wrong with us?
Dark money and racism certainly explain a large percentage of the pro-Trump vote. Money and politics has always been a convenient marriage. FDR was able to coalesce voters by disparaging the wealthy. He had a distinct advantage as a wealthy insider. It may take one of his kind today to create widespread resentment against corporate wealth. I see some momentum in that direction with the revival of unions thanks to the statesmanship of President Biden. Alex Wagner's interview of union members in Wisconsin or Michigan ( I cannot remember which) was instructive. Civic laziness was the most revealing part of the interview, especially among the younger members, some who had no idea what happened on January 6. It was a small sample of course but I have seen many similar examples of civic ignorance on social media. I do not think civic ignorance is anything new in this country. Voters during the Roosevelt New Deal era were not better citizens, but widespread poverty (and eventually WWII nationalism) motivated them to rise up. Ironically civic laziness seems most pervasive in an economically complacent middle class. Compared to the rest of the world, we have a very abundant middle class which seems to tolerate dark money and political corruption as long as it does not take away their suburban tract home and gasoline powered cars. And don't get me going on the subject of over population and consumerism.
Lots of commentary on the psychological drives explaining today's America's propelling fascist zeitgeist. Is greed a rational motivation, or are the actions to satisfy that greed worthy of emotional commentary? Like a tennis match--back atcha. Largely, the rationalists are smugly of the belief that if all would just listen, the purity of the left-brain would clarify all (and would provide zealous deliverance to those proponents. Whoops, zealous?). Today, those claiming the right brain are lost in pinching, petty wolkisms--they are not true rightbrainers, they're blissninnies high on excess. The emotional reactions of prevailing fascism are well historied. On the highest, most active level, they exceed those of the most feral animal predators-- wolves are apt, clever killers, but show no real sign of wallowing in schadenfreude. Killer ants are most methodical and deliberately routine in their slaughter But higher up in the evolutionary chain, killer whales and like others seem to show that they enjoy toying with their prey before the kill. More than hunger satisfaction here.) Not so with the moral mayhem unleashed when fascists prevail. In routine mop-up, they seemingly get into contests of who displays the most daring, nightmarish cruelty. Damn, zealotry again.
All the money in the world wouldn't matter if it weren't for deep-rooted American racism and misogyny
Part of what makes any scam work is getting the mark to feel like they are in on it.
But how Trump make the cult feel that way?
The cult feels like they will have a licensed to kill and torture all of the liberals Gloria. I was raised around their mentality, sometimes I feel like the missing Link.
Culmination of the Nixon southern strategy. Same target audience, better demagogue.
We’ve been fearing authoritarianism .
It appears it’s already part of the profound Republican corruption .
Not an accident by any means .
These people have been conniving and grooming the accessible ‘ justices ‘ on the Court .
We know who they are and have watched their rulings grow along with the wealthiest and “most fake Christian” politicians and their financial support by these very Oligarchs who value money way more than Democracy, Which literally stands in their way with focus on equality and freedom for all .
Tearing this process down would require a total focus of freedom loving people for an undetermined amount of time .
Malignant narcissists have a hypnotic effect. It takes psychiatrists to understand and explain what's going on. Dr. Bandy Lee has been explaining Trump Contagion since before 2016.
I have a theory in response to your question, “How is this presidential race so close?” It addresses both how reasonable people can hold drastically different worldviews and how political bias can be so evenly split amongst the population from the standpoint of statistics. My hypothesis utilizes the old saying, “follow the money”, with the understanding that between special interests and campaign donations, this election cycle will create a multi-billion-dollar marketplace. I’m suggesting that the tighter the race, the more money raised, with the beneficiary being the advertising revenue of large multi-media corporations. Since corporations have a fiduciary responsibility to maximize profits, they have a vested interest in keeping the race as close to 50/50 as possible. In my opinion, this premise is very helpful tool for examining the central tendency of manufactured consent. For corporate media, it’s not a battle between political parties winning the hearts and minds of voters but managing the even-split between the two worldviews of their consumer base in pursuit of profit.
I know I am in a minority but IMHO not close. Polls do not reconcile that Trump underperformed in his primaries, sometimes by as much as 30% and must consider the effect of "new" registrations.
The other day in a FT 6 phone call. Jason Berlin said we've already added 4.5 million new Democrats, all under the radar, all in crucial districts. I've asked you to interview him, Thom.
I pray that you and he are correct.
Yes Mr. Solomon, most people are unaware of the importance of Demography in our lives, especially the political sphere. Demography as a discipline is made up of three basic components;
1) Fertility
2)Mortality
3) Migration
It starts out with these three simple components. But soon gets complicated and unfortunately is beyond the knowledge of the average citizen. No surprise, actually. Every year in the country a new tranche of voters is added. You are correct in emphasizing this fact.
Agree. It sells paper and digital media. Have you noticed how local papers are changing? Many have disappeared or use puff pieces as news.
I Hold Corporate Media to account! Had they been doing their jobs, the American people would know how Dangerous a Threat trump is to our Democracy and the World at large. This is why, I Thank You Thom, for banging the Drum for Truth and the Facts.I appreciate you, and your staff !! 💯👍🇺🇸💙🌊
I agree that the MSM is letting clickbait greed skew the news. But if what you say is true, whyizit that you and I know that Trump is a psychopathic, fascist, conman scammer, misogynist creep, and incompetent executive and incompetent ex-president? We have access to the same media as everyone else. Of course, a partial answer is "alternative facts news."
I just wonder if MAGAs are not mostly reactionaries whose serial bad choices in life have made them feel the need to be taken care of by some overconfident rich guy who promises the future that they have been incapable of creating for themselves. As economist Dean Baker's book "Rigged" explains, America's capitalist system is engineered to exploit (indenture) the majority of citizens. One can evade, even exploit, that economic engineering, but only if one bothers to figure out how it works. Clearly, most Americans do not bother.
Sadly, as I proposed in my comment, corporate media is doing their job as mandated by their charter. Their goal is managing the world views of their audience to insure a tight race.
Gregory, The sole purpose of a corporation is to provide a positive rate of return for investors. Corporations have board of directors who represent the interest of the investors.
The board of directors hires a CEO and in quite a few cases the Chairman of the Board is also the CEO. I am not talking about the parent company of the Corporation, but the real power behind the corporations, since practically all corporations are owned by another corporation, and a few are owned by yet another, If you drill down to the ultimate individual you find the Newhouse Family, Sumner and Shari Redstone, Brian L Roberts, Robert Iger, the Ochs Sulzberger Family and Jeff Bezos.
Profitability depends on Subscriptions, but more importantly advertising. Ads are placed by a cabal of corporations, using rating companies like Nielsen.
Clicks and viewership depend on conflict,pain, suffering, tension,if it bleeds it ledes, and nothing gets more clicks and viewers than conflict.
All of entertainment is based on conflict, it is is profitable, without the horse race no one would follow politics,or even the Golden Bachlorette, much less Survivor or any reality show or politics.
How many viewers do you think the corporate media would get if they reported that Harris was 15 points ahead of Trump., how much ad revenue would they get from both parties with such a lead.
William. Excellent analysis. Seems to bolster my theory.
Obsession with short term gratification can lead to long term oblivion.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/kamala-harris-endorsed-by-business-leaders/
I'm reading a book right now ("Tyranny of the Minority" by Levitsky and Ziblatt) that says there is a strong element of racial resentment and White grievance, growing out of the civil rights movement of the 1960's, that Trump and Christian Nationalists have taken advantage of to build a cult following. Billionaires don't care about that; they just want freedom from taxes and regulations. But they believe this racist cult, with a flood of money, guarantees a win for them.
Affirmative action for 25 years would be reasonable for women and minorities but not forever and ever and ever and ever... Both parties are asleep at the wheel whether intentional or accidental or just stupidity are to blame. I think there rich have bought both parties and set this up going all the way back to normalizing relations with China if not before and the JFK assassination? Where's my Q anon sticker?
Affirmative action Bob, was an example of how to solve a difficulty only exacerbates the difficulty. There was a huge backlash to affirmative action, which if not morphed into the Tea party, threw gas on the fire.
The problem was basing it on race and gender, and not income, and leaving intact the mechanisms of nepotism, in the form of legacy appointments and hires.
Thank you again Thom for spelling out the problem with good data and research. I have been a fan since Air America.
JD Vance had a close association with Yarvin. Along with money, these autocrats want control to keep ordinary folk afraid and docile (check out "Autocracy Inc" by Anne Applebaum). People with a poorly developed prefrontal cortex (PFC -- the brain's logic center) tend to be controlled by the amygdala ("lizard brain") and respond to fear because it had survival value in the past. Without good connections to the prefrontal cortex, the fear and anger take over. The PFC is not mature until age 25, and can be damaged by everything from a bad parent and misinformation to alcohol. Change is terrifying for many (civil rights, LGBTQ+ and womens movements, even abolishing slavery). This includes xenophobia: women, immigrants and people of color taking jobs and tax benefits. Women -- oh, the horror! -- throwing off the chains of childbearing and homemaking (don't get me wrong; I love to cook and we raised a wonderful son).
Germans were humiliated after WWI and actually elected Hitler to office. It's so much easier to have a perceived common enemy (Poles, Jews, Russians). It's also human nature to respond to body language and tone of voice rather than content of speech. Falling for a con man has a long history.
Having a medical background, the traumatized brain is the only way I can understand support for autocrats. As long as they are loyal to tRump,, they think will be taken care of. Thinking for yourself is hard!
Power to the people!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curtis_Yarvin#Views
"Actually elected Hitler to office" is BS. In 1933, President Paul von Hindenburg appointed Adolf Hitler as Chancellor of Germany, mainly due to the political instability of the Weimar Republic. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adolf_Hitler%27s_rise_to_power
Hitler ran for the presidency in 1932 but was defeated by the incumbent Paul von Hindenburg; nonetheless, he achieved a strong showing of second place in both rounds. Following this, in July 1932 the Nazis became the largest party in the Reichstag, albeit short of an absolute majority. 1933 was a pivotal year for Hitler and the Nazi Party. Traditionally, the leader of the party who held the most seats in the Reichstag was appointed Chancellor. However, President von Hindenburg was hesitant to appoint Hitler as chancellor. Following several backroom negotiations – which included industrialists, Hindenburg's son, the former chancellor Franz von Papen, and Hitler – Hindenburg acquiesced and on 30 January 1933, he formally appointed Adolf Hitler as Germany's new chancellor. Although he was chancellor, Hitler was not yet an absolute dictator.
The groundwork for the Nazi dictatorship was laid when the Reichstag was set on fire in February 1933. Asserting that the communists were behind the arson, Hitler convinced von Hindenburg to pass the Reichstag Fire Decree, which severely curtailed the liberties and rights of German citizens. Using the decree, Hitler began eliminating his political opponents. Following its passage, Hitler began arguing for more drastic means to curtail political opposition and proposed the Enabling Act of 1933. Once enacted this law gave the German government the power to override individual rights prescribed by the constitution, and vested the Chancellor (Hitler) with emergency powers to pass and enforce laws without parliamentary oversight. The law came into force in March and by April, Hitler held de facto dictatorial powers and used them to order the construction of the first Nazi concentration camp at Dachau for communists and other political opponents. Hitler's rise to power was completed in August 1934 when, following the death of President von Hindenburg, Hitler merged the chancellery with the presidency and became Führer, the sole leader of Germany.
I
Great historical account Mr. Solomon. May I add that, twice von Hindenburg turned down Hitler, refusing to appoint him as Chancellor because von Hindenburg was part of the old, ancient aristocratic elite, while Hitler was part of and represented the Proletariat. Von Hindenburg had grave suspicions about Hitler. But he was finally persuaded to give in and appoint him. He thought Hitler could be controlled by the Aristocracy. Paul von Hindenburg was widely loved and trusted by the German people. And von Hindenburg loved his country. That's why they elected him. Unfortunately, he was old, feeble and in poor health, so he finally acquiesced to Hitler. After he died, and about two years later, the Reichstag fire, it was Game Over for democratic Germany.
Incidentally, I have often suspected that 911 was our modified, less successful version of the Reichstag Fire.
I would just add that Hitler's early failures helped him develop a strategy to seize power. The Nazi Bauhaus Riot was our Jan 6th. The coming national plot to seize power if not elected is the Nazi MAGA's Reichstag Fire. The question is whether we will, like my German pals' late parents did, let him get away with it.
Tomonthebeach, I suspect 911 was a much modified, less effective version of the Reichstag fire. I think you are correct about Jan. 6th paralleling the Bauhaus Riot. Trump's first attempt failed the same as Hitler's first attempt failed. At least the Germans threw Hitler into prison for a short stint. What did we do? Grant Trump immunity for future Presidential infractions.
Hindenburg did indeed appoint Hitler as chancellor, however in the plebescite of 1934
The people vote and confirmed https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1934_German_head_of_state_referendum
Not an actual "election."
True, but it was the people's choice. Approved by the people, which is what a popular election does.
Spot on Anne! It looks to me like the New World order billionaires want to rule the world, and they believe they can get along with each other while making all of the peons who make under a million dollars a year disposable? Anyone who makes under a million a year will probably be fair game for them, depends on how desperate they are at the time and what mood they are in if they need more soldiers or not or babies?
Thanks Anne, great observations I agree. You raised one issue that is salient and important, voice, Kamala has one disability and that is her voice, her pitch is too high, if she could have dropped it down an octave she would be taken more seriously.
It isn't right, we can bitch about fairness and prejudice, but we are dealing with human nature. To be successful in sales, and politics is nothing but selling oneself,one has to tailor the pitch and delivery to the audience, customer or in Trumps case the victim.
It’s always been the money. The money has corrupted the Supreme Court. Lenard Leo worked hard to buy the court for 20 years. The court always rules in favor of big money. Money has also bought most of the local newspapers and radio stations, the ones that used to hold local politicians accountable. Now, it all right-wing fear mongering. Money is all Murdoch cares about. His biggest money makers are selling big lies to the gullible. He also is big on fascism. And now the tech-bros, who got rich writing twenty lines of code, think they are brilliant and should rule the world. They, like Musk, love Trump, because Trump wants to be one of them, even though Trump can’t read twenty lines of English.
I can't get over "our dictator phobia"! I've read too much & watched too many documentaries about what Hitler did to Germany, what Stalin did to Russia. I recall the excessive violence of Pol Pot & all the North Korean dictators, I remember the picture of the one man standing in front of the tanks at Tienemen Square. The violence throughout Africa because of waring factions against dictators is occurring every day. So no! I will NOT GET OVER OUR DICTATOR PHOBIA!!!!!!
Totally agree with Gregory. Follow the money. The gap between ignorance and arrogance is filled with money/
With 20 so items on the Dems campaign website. Of course nobody knows what the Dems will give the voters which a simple 3 or 4 economic message would make clear. Without clarity in messaging it is sure the low information Dem voter base will not come out when they do not think their party cares about their needs not knowing what is in the offering. No doubt the Dems are using a center based all inclusive strategy. Center based strategies are what parties do where there the base does not root for. The media always tells the Dems to go center but never for the Repubs. The Repubs know that a base voter strategy always wins because it makes the base wildly happy. We need the base to be invested in coming out in order for the Dems to win.
What we are witnessing is shocking and scary, but I think we have to discipline ourselves to approach it analytically. Because, though it seems that way to us as it is happening, it is not surprising. Our class of billionaires have been enjoying looting and pillaging the wealth of the middle class for 50 years, and do not want to give up the habit, in spite of the fact that them are putting the US economy on a collision course with catastrophe. The consumer class cannot be deprived of enough wealth to purchase the goods an services that the system creates, or the system will collapse. I guess wealth and power are addictive, just like narcotics. They need an intervention, and it is about time the American people gave it to them. So, you combine this with a population, a large percentage of which are not seemingly capable of understanding the origins of our misery, but do feel the decline, and you get a group who are willing to look for someone who says he can fix it all for them--by tearing it all down. This is fascism 101, and it can happen here. Please get to work.
We have the capacity to beat them. Today calling for volunteers to canvass in blue wall, North Carolina and AZ. https://www.mobilize.us/events/phone-bank-volunteer-opportunities/
Despite the dark money, Harris is up in he polls. NYT has Harris up 3, 49%-46%. This is 3 points higher than their last poll and her largest lead in the NYT poll since she became our candidate.
All this was made possible by not putting a maximum wage on the rich. Money is as addictive as drugs! The more money you make the more prestige you have whereas the more drugs you use, the more people want to get away from you! Money is much more dangerous than drugs.
Bob, my friend you will be on that failed maximum wage kick forever. The rich don't get wages, , they live off income. Income is not wages, not even in Title 26, USC, the Internal Revenu Act
The act taxed income,not wages and salaries. The reason why we pay taxes on our wages and salaries,is because the act was rewritten with a catch 22. Employers are required to withhold wages, and the law requires you to report wages on the Form 1040, failure to report is a violation of law.
I repeat again, the situation in Dickensenian England existed because of the Maximum wage, Parliament passed a law that certain classes of workers could not be paid more than a specified, by law, amount.
I should be more specific and say a maximum income! About 15 times the minimum wage, and if that is not enough then just raise the minimum wage! The rich must not be allowed to buy the government and the media...
Maximum income is more like it, but outside of a dictatorship there is no way to impose a maximum income, and a dictatorship is where we are headed, and financed by those who would pay a maximum income.
What is needed is a progressive, populist, rebellion like the fascist populist rebellion whose fountainhead is Trump, except that even rebellions need financing and who will finance a rebellion that threatens the wealth and power of the powers that be?
As usual, I completely agree with you. The proof of the pudding is that despite his being a uniquely abhorrent candidate, the election appears to be gravely close. But given the trillions in dark money and the corrupted right wing media and spineless politicians, given all that, I still do not understand how half of the American public could be so indifferent to his obvious malevolence and the jeopardy to our Republic. What is wrong with us?
The billionaires' deMOCKracy circus going on.
Dark money and racism certainly explain a large percentage of the pro-Trump vote. Money and politics has always been a convenient marriage. FDR was able to coalesce voters by disparaging the wealthy. He had a distinct advantage as a wealthy insider. It may take one of his kind today to create widespread resentment against corporate wealth. I see some momentum in that direction with the revival of unions thanks to the statesmanship of President Biden. Alex Wagner's interview of union members in Wisconsin or Michigan ( I cannot remember which) was instructive. Civic laziness was the most revealing part of the interview, especially among the younger members, some who had no idea what happened on January 6. It was a small sample of course but I have seen many similar examples of civic ignorance on social media. I do not think civic ignorance is anything new in this country. Voters during the Roosevelt New Deal era were not better citizens, but widespread poverty (and eventually WWII nationalism) motivated them to rise up. Ironically civic laziness seems most pervasive in an economically complacent middle class. Compared to the rest of the world, we have a very abundant middle class which seems to tolerate dark money and political corruption as long as it does not take away their suburban tract home and gasoline powered cars. And don't get me going on the subject of over population and consumerism.
Lots of commentary on the psychological drives explaining today's America's propelling fascist zeitgeist. Is greed a rational motivation, or are the actions to satisfy that greed worthy of emotional commentary? Like a tennis match--back atcha. Largely, the rationalists are smugly of the belief that if all would just listen, the purity of the left-brain would clarify all (and would provide zealous deliverance to those proponents. Whoops, zealous?). Today, those claiming the right brain are lost in pinching, petty wolkisms--they are not true rightbrainers, they're blissninnies high on excess. The emotional reactions of prevailing fascism are well historied. On the highest, most active level, they exceed those of the most feral animal predators-- wolves are apt, clever killers, but show no real sign of wallowing in schadenfreude. Killer ants are most methodical and deliberately routine in their slaughter But higher up in the evolutionary chain, killer whales and like others seem to show that they enjoy toying with their prey before the kill. More than hunger satisfaction here.) Not so with the moral mayhem unleashed when fascists prevail. In routine mop-up, they seemingly get into contests of who displays the most daring, nightmarish cruelty. Damn, zealotry again.