Democracy is as good as its participants. An informed, interested & engaged citizen is the lifeline of a healthy society. A liberal citizen is vital to our American democracy as a conduit for progress. This liberal citizen advocates humanism, scientific reason, and a progressive culture of life.
The top US top general (Chair of the Chiefs of Staff) Mark Milley is quoted by Bob Woodward calling Trump a true fascist and the greatest threat to our democracy and way of life. It's also obvious that too many Americans don't care about all this if we are to take seriously what the polls are showing. And of course, it was the 2020 election where Trump got the most votes a candidate had ever gotten, second only to Biden in the same election!
There are so many disqualifying elements to the Trump candidacy that I think for reasonable adults and for an advanced country to automatically reject him. I don't know about you, but I don't want to play with anyone who says, I won't accept the result of the game if I lose, but I demand that you accept the result if you lose." Yet, here we are, the race is effectively tied and the Harris campaign is trying to get the Dems to actually vote, because it's turnout now, not changing minds.
It's three weeks until election day (Nov. 5th) when states will be reporting their tallies. Most media are saying it may be days, weeks, before we know who won. I have a feeling that we may know who won before we go to bed that night. I can't see the Dems not coming out in huge numbers. A blue wave, which has materialized in 2020 and 2022 and in many other state elections, I believe, will wash away Trump and his cultist minions. Sometimes you have to flush twice.
It's
appalling. Another school mass shooting. ENOUGH. Enough with the fake
and worthless "thoughts and prayers"! Nothing has failed us more than
stupid thoughts and prayers. We need policy and action. When you vote
for politicians that are against gun control, you become part of the
problem, you are responsible for the number one kid killer: gun
violence.
It appears we're falling back to 2016 all over again.... The mainstream media is giving Drumpf [that's how I pronounce his name; call me on it as you'd call him about .."Kamabla"] another pass
allowing to spew lies and gibberish. They [including MSNBC] covered
live his "press conference" [lies & gibberish without follow ups].
Trying to be "neutral" in order to not appear adversarial allows liars
and creepy authoritarians to distort reality and advance their goals.
With the SCOTUS saying any "official act" by the Prez has the shield of immunity [a ridiculous argument!], plus the history of the Don to overturn the legitimate election of 2020, and his many utterances of fascist ideas, why is anyone surprised to hear his latest:
Mr. Trump said last Friday to a gathering of Christian conservatives: “I love you. You got to get out and vote. In four years, you don’t have to vote again. We’ll have it fixed so good, you’re not going to have to vote.” He was given an opportunity to take this back but he didn't.
He and Vance are not trying to appeal to anyone outside MAGA now. They won't acknowledge their defeat either. Repubs have positioned many election officials in battleground states who are election deniers and may not certify the results of this election! I've never voted for a Republican but I also never thought that if one got elected our democracy could end, not until Trump.
For me it's rather simple. Before we even debate policies, or any other topic, Trump is disqualified as a candidate for the highest office just on the premise that he doesn't abide by democracy's rules. You can't have debates with an autocrat or appeal to institutions for protection after he gets to power.
From the Paris Olympics opening ceremony.... a showcase of a most beautiful song (by John Lennon) that wouldn't be a highlight in most countries, including the US: "Imagine there's no heaven...no hell below us...imagine all the people living for today...nothing to kill for...and no religion too"
Let's NOT forget HOW we got to this point, while condemning the assassination attempt.
Political violence as an acceptable means has been repeatedly endorsed by Trump and many of his cohorts and supporters. Let's see if prez Biden says he loves the shooter, that there are "good people on both sides." Or whether the president can order to take Trump out..... Of course, this will be an "official act" as per SCOTUS. He can also pardon anyone, and can free the "hostages" ....those who may be arrested in taking Trump out.
Obviously, I am NOT serious about any official or unofficial act that uses violence to achieve a political goal. But those on the fascist right who have been using dehumanizing language and threats for revenge, and hunt Dems, and, and... must be held accountable. We, on the progressive side, would strike anyone off any list of potential leaders if they bragged about shooting someone on Fifth Avenue and be proud that they'd not lose any support... Tsk.
Actually I want Trump to be alive to experience another humiliating defeat [if the Dems get their act together and choose another prez candidate] in this election. I'm looking forward to enjoying watching Trump face justice in the months after the election. I'm enjoying how Trump's lawyer and buddy, Giuliani is going down.
You
better vote for whomever Dem runs against Trump, because Trump would
have no limits on his "official acts." The 5 con majority on SCOTUS,
(even Barrett couldn't support this) decided that evidence of corruption
or illegality were part of an "official act" such evidence cannot be
used to prosecute a president. In what country you may ask.....
I'm tired of the arrogance of anyone who thinks of themselves as more important than the values they represent, especially when they can do the right thing and exit the stage before the events overtake them and their legacy is destroyed. Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Joe Biden, Sonya Sotomayor come to my mind today.
Well, if they were listening to me... First, the Dem players who can force Biden out have to agree he should go. However, the timing and the how could play out indirectly. After polls show Biden's appeal with the persuadable voters is abysmal (which is the case now), the would-be successors pledge support for Biden as they have done after his terrible show. But in private, they'd tell him otherwise. No one wants to appear as a backstabber publicly. Why? Because it may make JB less likely to bow out, and they'd also want to be in prime position for the 2028 election--if it happens! So, Biden will decide "on his own" sometime this month (July) to pass the torch to a new gen of Dems after having saved our democracy! The convention can pick the nominee, preferably by ranked choice ballot.
It's a ridiculous argument some Dems are making now that Biden rebounded... that it was just a bad night for him... that he's raised tens of millions $ after the "debate". That money came from people who will vote for Biden and the party's candidates. But, BUT, this is not how the election will be decided. It's a small minority of voters (the vast majority of voters are already committed and won't change) who do not think Biden deserves another term. When it mattered (June debate) he couldn't deliver. When Obama lost his first debate nobody was questioning his cognitive ability or his age! Joe had only one task: to convince the voters he could be president, now and in the future. Optics matter more than citing some numbers and esoteric policies (he fumbled those too). Bernie Sanders is one year older than Biden but have you seen him recently? He's feisty and a very clear communicator. All of us we'd be talking about different topics today had Bernie faced Trump in the debate!
In the best case scenario the few voters who are up for grabs and don't like both candidates may not vote for Drumpf but they can also stay home, which would be bad for Dems. TURNOUT is the key in this election as it was in 2020... Oh, and Biden took those 3-4 must-win states by a few thousands of votes! He cannot afford to lose any votes this year! Not showing up because they don't like Biden will also mean all Dems down ballot will suffer. Control of Congress is at stake too in addition to a myriad of other state and local races.
If they were still listening.... Biden can perform another great act: convince Justice Sotomayor (age 70 and not in good health) to retire now! The Dems can replace her before they lose the Senate--as this is likely given the map this year for them. If the Repubs win the Senate, the Dems can forget about getting anyone to the SCOTUS. In an ingenious twist, Biden nominates Kamala Harris to the SCOTUS. This would be a masterful move imho.
You know it was a terrible night for Biden when almost anyone else--especial those on the deep Dem bench--could have done better on the debate even without any preparation. The contrast between the two candidates couldn't be greater but Joe failed to communicate that to 50 million voters who watched the debate. Granted, most had already made up their minds and won't change, but the uncommitted and all those who will get their news later were not convinced to vote for the president again.
My goodness, who prepped him? In his closing statement he didn't even mention abortion rights--one of the most important issues in this election! At times he fumbled, was incoherent, couldn't be heard, and the optics--oh, yes the optics everyone learned about the Nixon-Kennedy TV debate--were horrible. He looked very old and out of it.
Biden's handlers cannot spin this, I don't think. What was a whisper, now it's an open demand for Joe's withdrawal. I'm happy to see the "liberal media" reports what we all saw--unlike the faux news on the other side. The Dems must show that they have the guts to do the right thing, which will be another big contrast to the R party's eagerness to support a felon and the worst of the worst.
Joe must release his delegates--the sooner the better--and he can go into retirement on Jan. 20th, 2025 as the best president in my lifetime.
This is a similar situation like the RGB and the Supreme Court. She refused to step down after several serious health issues despite being on the court for a long while and being part of a progressive legacy. She made herself bigger than what was at stake. In the end, just before she died, she wished someone like her would replace her on the SCOTUS. He successor has been making sure that her legacy is being erased. Biden must realize that Trump CANNOT be president again and do what he can to prevent that. Believing sycophants or letting his ego guide him will likely prove to be disastrous.
Maybe this is an Al Capone moment, but there was (still is actually) a question about the US justice system has some modicum of equal justice. Since he declared his candidacy, Trump demeaned everyone he didn't like, including the institutions that hold our system together. Attacking the legitimacy of those who can check the unlawful, the crooks & liars is a known tactic in the authoritarian's play book. In the same sense, Trump is running to destroy all those checks & balances.
Trump is now a convicted felon. We didn't need this verdict--on top of all the other verdicts (like sexual assault, business fraud, etc. etc)--to figure out who Trump is. But, we have to be asking this question every single day: Why should anyone vote for a convicted felon?
As to the punishment, any other person would be send to prison, had they violated 10 gag orders (many about personal attacks on judge, jurors, et al, intimidation, incitement, etc.), prior conduct, lack of remorse, recidivism, and obstruction of justice.
You mean, we're not celebrating "those losers" [as per Trump] on Memorial Day? What are we to make those veterans who support Trump? Or, the law & order people? Tsk.
FROM 4 STAR Army GENERAL H.R. McMaster, hired by Trump as his National Security Advisor: "[Trump's] failure to condemn white supremacy “gives space to these groups that foment hatred and intolerance.”
FROM Dan Coats, hired by Trump as his Director of National Intelligence (two photos, sorry): "He doesn't know the difference between the truth and a lie."
FROM 4 STAR Navy Admiral William McCraven, Commander, US Special Operations, Seal Commander who took out Osama bin Laden and coordinated the capture of Sadaam Hussein: Trump's comments "may be the greatest threat to democracy in my lifetime."
FROM 4 STAR ARMY GENERAL Barry McCaffrey. He received three Purple Heart medals for injuries sustained during his service in the Vietnam War, two Silver Stars, and two Distinguished Service Crosses—the second-highest United States Army award for valor. He was inducted into United States Army Ranger Hall of Fame at the United States Army Infantry Center :[Trump] "is a serious threat to USA national security."
CIA Director Gina Haspel, Trump's CIA choice: Haspel said Trump's post-election behavior was 'insanity' and he was 'acting out like a 6-year-old with a tantrum."
Of course there are dozen of others in the Trump administration who have revealed his dangerous incompetency. But, most Republicans don't have the integrity to oppose him. Even N. Haley's "totally unhinged" Trump is now better than Joe Biden's "catastrophe"...
So, did you hear that 1 in 5 Americans thinks that president Biden is responsible for the Supreme Court taking away women's constitutional right to abortion? So what about the other 4 in 5 Americans, you ask. Well, another 2 live in an alternative universe, where Trump won in 2020 and that he's being prosecuted by Biden's judges!
Most Americans believe the economy is bad, when economic indicators, like inflation, wages, unemployment show otherwise. Likewise with Americans believing there's a "carnage" out there (as Trump and Fox claim) when crime has fallen to historical low levels.
Yeah, everyone has opinions and nowadays this is also taken as reality in some circles. But, to have Supreme Court justices believing in non-reality and proudly displaying such opinions strikes at the core of the court's legitimacy and impartiality.
You guessed it, I'm talking about Alito and Thomas (I can't call them justices) whose conduct has been disgraceful and utterly corrupting of our judicial system. These canks who supported the insurrection, the Big Lie, and Xtian nationalism, and other crazy notions, didn't have the integrity to recuse themselves when relevant cases came to the SCOTUS. This crisis is further exaggerated by the intentional court delays that benefit Trump and further defraud American voters who should know where the Republican presidential nominee is a convicted felon before this critical election.
Yes, president Biden and his party, the reliable news media, and everyone in position to disseminate accurate information have an important task in this election, because campaigns rely on getting a party's base to come out and vote--they rarely change opinions to make people change their votes. They have to make connections between a candidate or a party and the voters. Biden and the Dems have a lot to be proud of in terms of actual and sequential public policies, but many Americans aren't aware of.
And, yes, the alternative--Trumpism and that Republican party--is NOT acceptable. Unfortunately, the so-called "liberal media" are too cautious and are falling back to the days of equal distance in order to appear fair and balanced. But the world and reality don't always exist at the mid point, like between the flat earthers and the sane ones.
Better late than never? But most of those who have come out against Trump kept QUIET when they should have come out as soon as they realized how dangerous he was/is. Indeed many of them facilitated this madness we've been going through by empowering this malignant man.
Most of them didn't discover who he is after Jan. 6th 2021, unless they're idiots with the worst political judgment. They are now against him because he is a LOSER! I bet you if he was still president they'd still be kissing his ass.
Of course if someone is in a cult it's hard to appeal to them. So for them it doesn't matter that his faithful VP, Pence, (who survived Trump's mob who wanted to hang him) just said he won't be endorsing him.
There are dozens of Trump's inner circle (he chose the BEST as he often bragged) have now come out against their former boss. None of them spoke when it mattered, like during Trump's impeachment(s).
- Chief of Staff, and the Chief of Staff to the CoS. - Two Defense Secretaries - Two Homeland Security Secretaries - Two National Security Advisors - Three communications directors - White House and personal lawyers - Numerous state and local Republican elected officers - And, 60 courts that threw out his false claims about stolen election - And,....
When president Roosevelt died a few months after his fourth inauguration, no one said they regretted voting for him. At age 63, on his last day alive, he was better than any Republican that ran against him. The true, essential job of a president is making decisions. FDR made many, most beneficial to the people (here and abroad), and steered the country in troubled times.
You never know all the crises that may arise during a president's term. Some are already known, like Putin's threats, but a pandemic like Covid may appear. What we knew about Trump's dangerous incompetence before the election was in full effect during Covid. Hundreds of thousands of Americans died because of it. But, "those emails"...
The NYT and other liberal media have been a lot more critical, with many more stories, about Biden's age and frequent faux pas than Trump's more frequent and much more ridiculous statements. It's a repeat of 2015-16 when far more stories appeared about Hilary Clinton's minor infraction with the emails than her adversary's dangerous incompetence.
Beautifully written. And this from a Palestinian doctor who's lost family members to this long conflict: "“The only real revenge for murder,” he said, “is achieving peace.” Cursed be they who cry out: Revenge. We choose life."
All this violence serves those who want violence as a way of life & death.
When I was a polisci student I remember my professors saying that our institutions would most probably protect us from authoritarian rule. Well, I now say it wasn't the institutions, not alone anyway. We've been lucky, so far, with the former president's attempts to destroy our democracy and any institution that stood it his way.
But, it was a few people who decided to do the right think, that is, have allegiance to the Office of the President and the Constitution, instead to ..Nero. But Nero is back and if elected it'll be revenge time and he won't allow anyone but a stooge and a lackey to be in positions of power--no guardrails for democracy.
We
owe gratitude to Cass Hutchinson for testifying under oath (and more to
come in the criminal cases agains the former guy). She also said that
she has guilty for being COMPLICIT up to Jan. 6th. Many of the people in
the previous admin. who are now revealing how
malignant the Trump admin. was, had been part of the problem. They were
enablers of the worst politics could produce and empower all the way to
the White House.
There is NOTHING new we've learned about Trump that we didn't know before. Yes, we have more details that he committed many more crimes, and he conspired to defraud the United States, the voters, and our democracy.
So,
anyone who enabled this malignacy to spread far and wide in our society has to carry this guilt to
their grave.
I appreciate Chris Christie, the only one on the debate stage among the Republican candidates the other day for saying Trump should be "voted off the island." But, Christie was an enabler too. I would like to ask him, when did he realize he was helping an arsonist and doing it for many years... Trump's character and actions were in display, at least when he entered the Republican politics by challenging the legitimacy of Barak Obama. Remember that? It's easier to go after someone when you (Christie) think he's a loser and will inflict another humiliating defeat to your party.
> By the way, I don't get what those Republican were debating on stage. If they thought that any of them is better for the presidency, they had to show or say so. But, other than Christie, they would support Trump for the presidency even if he is a convicted fellon! A fellon who conspired to overthrow democracy nontheless. Yeah, those Republicans... and their party, which still says that the Jan. 6th violent insurrection was "a legitimate politcal discourse." In what universe?.... Tsk.
As I've debated countless times about the incredibly important decision of choosing a president, let's remember that life isn't only about 1 issue, generally speaking. A president and a party in power make a million decisions about policies, hire or appoint people in vital positions, promote certain values and steer the country into a certain direction.
For the last several years, we have one politically responsible party--yes, it's the Dems--and one anti-democracy, anti-science, anti-environment, religiously nutty parry--the Repubs.
Biden promotes workers' rights, and has passed pro-environment/science important bills. The Chinese are hoping Trump will win and kill anything that's "green" ecologically, including electric cars. He wants to get votes from the auto industry workers, and he'll get some as many people are known to vote against their economic interests.
Speaking of China and its leadership has been open about it: they'll keep building coal-fired plants until 2050. By 2030, they'll built 300 of them. OK, the Chinese poeple don't have a choice, but in the US we get what we deserve over all*. No?
*except when a state is gerrymandered to prevent the majority from being the ..majority, and when access to the ballot is restricted. Republican state governments now want to decide themselves--not the voters--who should win their state!
This is not just MAGA, it's the Republican Party's responsibility too
We all have our preferences, priorities and values. When it comes to public policy and electing representatives to lead the government, we can debate the issues. Reason and evidence should guide our important decisions. But before we have a conversation, we have to agree about the rules of logic, and evidence.
Likewise, if democracy is to survive, the major participants have to agree about the fundamentals of the game. One such rule is to accept the peaceful transition of government. The system has to have legitimacy, at least among those major players and teams that participate. There's no point having elections if the result is not respected by the participating major parties.
But, how about when there's cheating? Yeah, that would be very bad if it affected the end result of an election. The outcome of an election, wouldn't be legitimate then. However, false allegations, big lies, and unsubstantiated claims are equally harmful. There isn't a shred of evidence, for example, that the 2020 election was stolen, or fraud changed the outcome.
When democracies die, there are many assassins, and most often among them are those established leaders that empower the murder of democracy. The Republican party [The RNC] has failed to condemn the Big Lie and the big liar. Actually, it has said that the Jan. 6th (2021) violent insurrection against the US Capitol was a "legitimate political discourse"!!!
That's why, in my view, anyone who agrees with this is dis-qualified from holding public office.
"During the first Republican debate of the
2024 presidential primary campaign last month, Donald Trump’s rivals
were asked to raise their hands if they would support his candidacy,
even if he were “convicted in a court of law.” Mr. Trump’s effort to
overturn the 2020 election wasn’t just a potential criminal offense. It
also violated the cardinal rule of democracy: Politicians must accept
the results of elections, win or lose.
But that seemed to matter little on the debate stage..." [source: NYT 9/8/23]
As the new school year commences, education is under attack in our country. Who's attacking education? Isn't education a good thing? True education is learning HOW to think, not just absorb information. To learn history, what actually happened in the context of the time. To recognize that education is not a casual and superficial attempt to obtain a degree of some sort. It's about training your brain to obtain wisdom.
When students ask me what my political views are, I say that I support education, science, the environment, and, of course, the democratic principles that allow for free voting, free expression--which includes the individual pursuit of happiness--legitimacy of institutions, and peaceful transitions of power!
"The Defendant, Donald J. Trump, did knowingly combine conspire, confederate, and agree with co-conspirators, known and unknown to the Grand Jury, to defraud the United States." From the indictment unsealed Aug. 1st, 2023.
This is one of the most important moments in our history (until the verdict is announced). The only president who conspired to overthrow a legitimate election (the most fair and open) and subvert our democracy.
What's the meaning of the 4th of July nowadays? Love of the flag, bbq and the fireworks?... Or, the misguided and vile patriotism of the MAGA people?
Back when, I learned about the Declaration of Independence and the new ideology of liberalism, the formation of a new nation with all its pitfalls and imperfections; and of the struggles to get to this point in history. I don't want to live in the fantasy of American exceptionalism and ideals of the Dark Ages--all of which are still very relevant, surprisingly in this 21st c. I don't want to see leaders who give permission to people to be free from the obligations of common decency!
Happy 4th! May you grow closer to independence and freedom--both start in your mind...
Oh, yeah... (I posit sarcastically) Let's elect a young swamp man because the other guy is a dinosaur.
The latest bright idea from the swamp (FLA) creature:
Question: Are you in favor of eliminating any agencies?
DeSantis: We would do education, commerce, energy, and the IRS. If Congress won’t go that far, I’m going to use those agencies to push back against woke ideology… pic.twitter.com/cAoZIXfESu — Acyn (@Acyn) June 28, 2023
It's one thing not to admit you were wrong because you lack integrity or courage, and another not to realize how foolish you've been. Everything we knew, suspected, reported, shown, exhibited, court-ruled, etc, about Trump has been verified, and most by people in his inner circle, and the courts--more of them to rule in the next couple years.
Every defense of this indefensible vile human being has collapsed other than the cultist devotion of Republicans. He's by far the front-runner in that anti-democracy party even after ALL the revelations about his actions.
The latest: we now have the recording in which he admits having top-secret docs and showing them to casual people (no security clearance) while laughing about handling national security docs. "Bring in some cokes".... He continues to cross the country on a campaign of blatant lies. Any legit news media should begin their coverage by saying... here's a dangerous liar who has been endangering our country. This must be acknowledged, over and over again--there's no middle ground between the sane and the insane.
He's "writing" a book and selling it to the gullible wingnuts. The title, "If I Did it"....
Too many Republicans, the base and elected
leaders, are attempting to overthrow our democracy. They have been
attacking the legitimacy of our institutions--the glue that keeps the
country together. At least the visible ones, those who lead this cult,
have earned a badge of shame disgrace (they're
shameless) for the rest of their lives. Those in Congress, they should
be remembered as usurpers, and plotters of a legislative coup d'etat.
Today there's a firewall to stop this, but it may not be there in the
future. Imagine in the House was controlled by the Repubs. Conceivably
both Congressional chambers can reject the legitimate results of an
election!
What we saw this morning was
to see a standing ovation for those objecting to the certification of
the Electoral College results. Yeah, just like a banana republic, where
the absurd, the anti-democratic assaults receive standing ovation by
elected officials in the US Congress who have taken an oath to support
and defend the constitution of the United States!
Joe
Biden will be the next president of the US, and Kamala Harris the next
VP, but 160 Congressional Republicans are putting the country through a
sh*t show, because they can. Remember, they place their cult above any
allegiance to the constitution, and democracy. They want to overturn the
legitimacy of the election. They don't believe Dems can win elections
that's why they have been attacking the legitimacy of Dems since the
Clinton years. The transformation of the Republican party began with the
election of R. Reagan, with the religious right, the conspiracy
advocates, the anti-science, anti education, anti-civil
rights/democracy, people taking control of the party. It's been 40 years
in the making. They created a monster they cannot control now.
How
can you even engage someone in dialogue/debate when they are not
rational, don't follow logic, and they have "facts" based on crazy
conspiracy theories and a rabid belief the other party can't possible
win elections or trusted in government? Well, you know the answer....
Yet,
Trump and this election revealed some ugly truths about America, and
about the weaknesses of our system. Both are endemic and won't be fixed
soon. The first ugliness is embedded in our society. How could this
happen that this caricature of a president, who until this moment is
debasing our democracy and institutions, came to be given the light of
day for far too long.
....
At
this hour, 2pm EST, the US Capitol has been stormed by Trump
protesters. We're witnessing another violent attack by the Trump
cultists. He spoke earlier to them and egged them to take back their
country, while many Republicans inside were attempting a legislative
coup. This is insane, and disgusting, but entirely predictable since
2016.
Lots has taken place in the last several months, most notably the election and seemingly the end of a national nightmare/embarrassment, though Trump and his minions are still attacking our institutions and our democracy. But, we did avoid greater damage by making him the biggest loser, and by exposing him for what he is--an immature, petulant, malignant, dangerous autocrat, and most indecent person.
Yet, we have a problem. Not only such a person was able to back into the presidency, but there are so many Americans who are so divorced from reality that think he's great, and that he's been cheated out of a second term! This is in the face of reason and evidence. But, this is the product of a long cultivation of the Republican party's base that has turned people into cultists. The party itself, since Ronald Reagan (1980s), has been hostile to science,the environment, education, and reason! There's no wonder why so many Americans openly wear their ignorance and prejudice as badges of honor!
A second attribute of the "GOP" is its disdain of democratic values--what the American experiment in government aspired to be: of, for, by the people! The main core, base and leadership, of the Republican party has turned into a fanatical cult, which holds that those who have opposite views are "un-American" traitors, and that the Democratic party is does not have legitimacy to hold power, even if voters actually prefer it. The Republicans have been challenging the legitimacy of every single Democratic president or presidential candidate starting with Bill Clinton!
I hope that the Biden-Harris team realizes this, and that they fight fire with fire. They should not have to plead for acceptance; they must assert and exhibit it. I'm tired of hearing "we have to reach across the aisle"! I do want cooperation and exchange of ideas, where debate is based on reason and facts. But, how can you reason with people who have "alternative facts" and think you're not even legitimate to sit at the table with them?
Here's a great NYT Op-Ed, Dec. 16th, 2020:
By Paul Krugman
Republicans spent most of 2020 rejecting science in the face of
a runaway pandemic; now they’re rejecting democracy in the face of a
clear election loss.
What do these rejections have in common? In
each case, one of America’s two major parties simply refused to accept
facts it didn’t like.
I’m not sure it’s right to say Republicans
“believe” that, say, wearing face masks is useless or that there was
widespread voter fraud. Framing the issue as one of belief suggests that
some kind of evidence might change party loyalists’ minds.
In
reality, what Republicans say they believe flows from what they want to
do, whether it’s ignore a deadly disease or stay in power despite the
voters’ verdict.
In other words, the point isn’t that the G.O.P.
believes untrue things. It is, rather, that the party has become hostile
to the very idea that there’s an objective reality that might conflict
with its political goals.
Notice, by the way, that I’m not
including qualifiers, like saying “some” Republicans. We’re talking
about most of the party here. The Texas lawsuit calling on the Supreme
Court to overturn the election was both absurd and deeply un-American,
but more than 60 percent of Republicans in the House signed a brief supporting it, and only a handful of elected Republicans denounced the suit.
At this point, you aren’t considered a proper Republican unless you hate facts.
But
when and how did the G.O.P. get that way? If you think it started with
Donald Trump and will end when he leaves the scene (if he ever does),
you’re naïve.
Republicans have been heading in this direction for
decades. I’m not sure whether we can pinpoint the moment when the party
began its descent into malignant madness, but the trajectory that led to
this moment probably became irreversible under Ronald Reagan.
Republicans
have, of course, turned Reagan into an icon, portraying him as the
savior of a desperate, declining nation. Mostly, however, this is just
propaganda. You’d never know from the legend that economic growth under
Reagan was only slightly faster than it had been under Jimmy Carter, and slower than it would be under Bill Clinton.
And rapidly rising income inequality
meant that a disproportionate share of the benefits from economic
growth went to a small elite, with only a bit trickling down to most of
the population. Poverty, measured properly, was higher in 1989 than it had been a decade earlier.
Anyway,
gross domestic product isn’t the same thing as well-being. Other
measures suggest that we were already veering off course.
For
example, in 1980 life expectancy in America was similar to that in other
wealthy nations; but the Reagan years mark the beginning of the great
mortality divergence of the United States from the rest of the advanced
world. Today, Americans can, on average, expect to live almost four fewer years than their counterparts in comparable countries.
The main point, however, is that under Reagan, irrationality and hatred for facts began to take over the G.O.P.
There
has always been a conspiracy-theorizing, science-hating,
anti-democratic faction in America. Before Reagan, however, mainstream
conservatives and the Republican establishment refused to make alliance
with that faction, keeping it on the political fringe.
Reagan, by contrast, brought the crazies inside the tent.
Many
people are, I think, aware that Reagan embraced a crank economic
doctrine — belief in the magical power of tax cuts. I’m not sure how
many remember that the Reagan administration was also remarkably hostile
to science.
Reagan’s ability to act on this hostility was limited
by Democratic control of the House and the fact that the Senate still
contained a number of genuinely moderate Republicans. Still, Reagan and
his officials spent years denying the threat from acid rain while insisting that evolution was just a theory and promoting the teaching of creationism in schools.
This rejection of science partly reflected
deference to special interests that didn’t want science-based
regulation. Even more important, however, was the influence of the
religious right, which first became a major political force under
Reagan, has become ever more central to the Republican coalition and is
now a major driver of the party’s rejection of facts — and democracy.
For
rejecting facts comes naturally to people who insist that they’re
acting on behalf of God. So does refusing to accept election results
that don’t go their way. After all, if liberals are servants of Satan
trying to destroy America’s soul, they shouldn’t be allowed to exercise
power even if they should happen to win more votes.
Sure enough, a
few days ago the televangelist Pat Robertson — who first became
politically influential under Reagan — pronounced the Texas lawsuit a
“miracle,” an intervention by God that would keep Trump in office.
The
point is that the G.O.P. rejection of facts that has been so
conspicuous this year wasn’t an aberration. What we’re seeing is the
culmination of a degradation that began a long time ago and is almost
surely irreversible.
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What kind of society, exactly, do modern Republicans want? [...] They say they want a smaller government but that can’t be it. Most seek a larger national defense and more muscular homeland security. Almost all want to widen the government’s powers of search and surveillance inside the United States – eradicating possible terrorists, expunging undocumented immigrants, “securing” the nation’s borders. They want stiffer criminal sentences, including broader application of the death penalty. Many also want government to intrude on the most intimate aspects of private life.
"They call themselves conservatives but that’s not it, either. They don’t want to conserve what we now have. They’d rather take the country backwards – before the 1960s and 1970s, and the Environmental Protection Act, Medicare, and Medicaid; before the New Deal, and its provision for Social Security, unemployment insurance, the forty-hour workweek, and official recognition of trade unions; even before the Progressive Era, and the first national income tax, antitrust laws, and Federal Reserve.
They’re not conservatives. They’re regressives. And the America they seek is the one we had in the Gilded Age of the late nineteenth century."
Santorum is Right: The Conservatives Won't Win the Smart Thinkers
The conservative disposition lies in the individual's own temperament, and his aversion to progress. The elites always used the conservative disposition of the masses to extract their loyalty. The "bargain" has been God, religion, morality, stability, the known-and-true. Primitive taboos against innovation and change. Education and tolerance of diversity are deadly threats to conservatism!
Donate to Good Charities
The Role of Government
You be the judge!
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Below, a place tea-baggers would love....
...
Basics of Critical Thinking
The Skeptics Guide to the Universe
On Occasion, Size Does Matter!
Sure, we can all attain a high material life with ever-increasing possessions. The whole world hopefully will become like us someday--by which time we'll be even more prosperous and wealthy.
What? We need 6 Earths to do that? Noooooooooo!
A Form of Child Abuse
I have an affinity for education, but I define education as a means to learning, not indoctrination. Every child starts with a blank slate, so it's up to the parents and the society-at-large to rear this young human being into a critically-thinking adult. When you teach religion as fact--like people literally turning into pillars of salt, snakes bite the sinners, the earth is only 6,000 years old, and all that garbage--then it's a form of child abuse. It's stunting the development of the human mind and turning people into obedient ignoramuses.
As it often happens, especially around xmas time, I get into discussion whether the US is a Christian country. [discussed here in an earlier...
Even Fools Should Have Free Speech! Idiocracy Further Exposed...
Dangerous Attitudes
"Forty-four percent of the American population is convinced that Jesus will return to judge the living and the dead sometime in the next fifty years. According to the most common interpretation of biblical prophecy, Jesus will return only after things have gone horribly awry here on earth. It is, therefore, not an exaggeration to say that if the city of New York were suddenly replaced by a ball of fire, some significant percentage of the American population would see a silver lining in the subsequent mushroom cloud, as it would suggest to them that the best thing that is ever going to happen was about to happen—the return of Christ.
It should be blindingly obvious that beliefs of this sort will do little to help us create a durable future for ourselves—socially, economically, environmentally, or geopolitically. Imagine the consequences if any significant component of the U.S. government actually believed that the world was about to end and that its ending would be glorious. The fact that nearly half of the American population apparently believes this, purely on the basis of religious dogma, should be considered a moral and intellectual emergency."
With beliefs like this, who cares about climate change? Maybe Marge Simpson is right...
An Easy Step to Help the Environment
Do you get tons of catalogs that clutter your mailbox? Catalogs that you don't really use since it's easier and more up-to-date to simply use the internet? Here's something you can do to help yourself and save a few trees: Catalog Choice, a sponsored project of the Ecology Center, whose mission is to "improve the efficiency of catalog distribution by reducing the number of repeat and unsolicited mailings, and to promote the adoption of sustainable industry best practices."
Give it a try. It's free & easy.
Quoting intelligence...
"Being a cynic is contemptibly easy. If you let yourself think that nothing you're working on is ever going to make a difference, why bust your tail over it? Why care? If you're a cynic, you don't have to invest anything in your work. No effort, no pride, no compassion, no sense of excellence, nothing...
..Any good teacher will tell you that aiming at the lowest common denominator is poor practice. In communicating anything, you do better if you aim slightly above the heads of your audience. If you make them stretch a little, they respond better. If you keep aiming at the dumb ones, you never challenge them and you bore the hell out of the bright ones. You also commit the grievous and pernicious error of thinking the that people is dumb. One of the most horrific results is that the people start to think so themselves."
--Excerpts from Molly Ivins Can't Say That, Can She?
Understanding Evolution: We're Here 'Cause of It!
It's amazing that the majority of Americans--sadly, including students--not only don't understand the theory of evolution, but they reject one of the strongest scientific theories we have in favor of superstition, myths, and theories with no evidence or rule of reason!
And, this is a more serious explanation by Richard Dawkins..