Can't wait for the coverage of CPAC's Orbgásm. Will there be a contest between Hawley and Cruz to see which can debase himself more? Time to sell DEPLORABLE & PROUD T-shirts?
Have to give the right credit: they've gotten much closer to the average American's nearly complete unconcern with all things foreign than the Democrats ever could. The average American, especially in the middle of the country, cares more about the security of the Mexican border lest their area be overrun by taco trucks or (Gawd Forbid!) Spanish language TV stations than they ever will about anything outside North America. The only reason Trump seemed to be somewhat of an internationalist is that he knows there's dupes to be fleeced outside the US.
Who can the Democrats appeal to who aren't already Democrats? Do any independents care anywhere near as much about Ukraine as the price of gas?
If Americans are, in fact, an insular, ignorant, selfish, bigotted people, how should Democrats adapt?
Apparently, most polls show strong approval for the Ukraine now. But that will chip away if Donald and his Pets continue their attacks. And the two-faced Rs are saying Biden isn't doing enough and he shouldn't antagonize Putin!
Here's what I don't understand about Hungary and Serbia: They're NATO member nations. To be such requires that you have "a functioning democratic political system." How is that measured?
According to Freedom House, "Hungary today can no longer be regarded as a democracy but belongs to the growing group of hybrid regimes, sitting in the 'gray zone' between democracies and pure autocracies" (https://freedomhouse.org/country/hungary/nations-transit/2020).
To be a NATO member, states commit to collective defense, AKA "Article 5." If Hungary is no longer a democracy, and it is attacked, the US must defend it. We send our sons and daughters to defend an autocratic regime? Um . . . no!
Orban had a blueprint that the RW R's are following. As someone said earlier, the party got @30% and gradually expanded its power. So, they're democratic in theory, but are now a one party rule. Hungary is what Cruz, et al want the US to be.
Outstanding piece by Tim on Truth Social...you could smell the con a mile away.....the idea that they'd have the ability to build a technology platform from scratch was always laughable...I had no idea though how "all in" the Rep party was on the con.
I suspect Truth Social is less about a functioning social media site, and more about lining Trump’s pockets. From various reports, it seems to be accomplishing the enrichment of Trump just fine.
I fear you're right. I'm cautiously optimistic the upcoming generation will arrive in time to save us. Might be too late but with a cohort of millennials and whatever decent citizens left today we might turn this around. Generation Z appears much more engaged and ready
I too am optimistic about our future because of the upcoming generation. I've worked with high-school-aged students for the last 15 years, in both public and private schools, and I can tell you they are tuned into the world and they are progressive in what they value. They're not racist. Black kids and white kids sit together at lunch and in the Library. So do boys and girls. (I don't like the cursing girls do with boys present, but none of them can curse in class or in the Library. When I admonish them, they apologize.) They still refer to us as Ms., Mrs. and Mr.
I've worked in a Catholic school for the last five years, so I can't attest to this in public schools, but there is no bullying of kids who are different.
That gives me more optimism, but will they arrive in time? My observations have been what you stated. But really what a indictment of us ( I'm 58) that we need kids to save us...
Well, they will be adults when they save us, when they start voting (some of them are voting now). Nothing wrong with that. We older adults get set in our ways. Not such an indictment.
Perhaps they arrive just in time as the Red Sea parted for the Israelites, not a minute sooner?
Re Cotton and Nuremberg Trails - The judges at Nuremberg were appalled that the Nazi defendants didn't have counsel and insisted that ones be provided to the defendants. Goering was finally able to get one; couldn't find any information on the other defendants.
I looked it up. Can't find the links cause it was on my work account, but each defendant had one. It's disgusting that the Harvard Law grad doesn't know that the defense's job is to assure that their rights are protected. Of course he knows! He's just performing. So sad the Americans who support him don't recognize that.
Yes, they did get lawyers - finally. The only lawyer I could find any info on was Goering's; the others are seemingly anonymous, at least online. (I've got dozens of post WW2 books, but none on the trials.) The Germans on the Allied lists weren't accepted by Goering, and it was hard to even get a name on the list. Most lawyers approached didn't want anything to do with the trials, and the lawyers couldn't have done substantive with the Nazi regime. Goering's lawyer was the only whose name I could find - apparently he did put up a strong defense. (Sorry, didn't note his name, but he's named in several places.) But Goering had a big mouth on the stand and basically convicted himself - not that there was any real chance he wouldn't have been convicted considering his position with the Nazis. But few defendants were actually sentenced to death, so in that sense, if he'd kept his mouth shut, maybe he would have gotten life instead of death. Of course, he decided on suicide, so it was rather moot.
Charlie, you and JVL are my go to news and analysis sources I count on everyday. Thanks for being life preservers I cling to in these crazy, scary times. ( I also appreciate the other Bulwark writers. Please all of you keep doing what you are doing.)
Many thanks for the tip-off re: the 63 Republican votes against the resolution of support for NATO. I was not at all surprised to find my trump-loving congressman, Jeff Van Drew, among that anti-democracy 63. Let us recall that this is not Van Drew's first bite at the poison apple. On January 6, 2021, he stood in the well of the House to nullify the votes of the people of Pennsylvania. He just can't seem to get enough of autocracy.
I remember CPT Tom Cotton. He was an enormous douchebag in Afghanistan. Everyone could tell he was eying a run for President even while he was on active duty. No surprise that he’s turned out this way, though he’s moved hell and high water to get our Afghan allies out which is more than I can say for POTUS.
Separately, so now DeSantis is an agent for normalizing radicalism? Holy shit. And the reasoning is because he’s so normal and has a veneer of respectability? Hyperbole much?
The stupid is always strong and it is usually entertaining. One needs only look around the world (not just America) to see this.
More than enough stupid to go around for everyone.
Politics has largely become performance art. There was always a strong element of performance art (because, hey, I need the votes) but politicians used to actually do things (substantive things) for their constituents. That seems to happen a lot less these days.
I mean--what, exactly, has MTG accomplished legislatively for her district? What have most of these denizens of the Twittersphere actually accomplished?
The primary purpose of many of these politicians these days (besides their primary goal of remaining in office) is to play-act (at least I hope they are play acting, I am not too sure about a few of them) out the angst and fears and prejudices of their base. That's it. Legislation, WTF is that? Soap opera for the people who like to pretend they are too good and smart to watch soap opera.
It's kind of a shame that we can't have two governments--a play act government to provide the entertainment and stupidity and a quiet. serious government that actually thinks and looks at things and makes reasonable smart decisions and legislation.
The rapid pace news cycle and short attention spans of most people create this horrific cycle of ever more egregious stupidity in the frenetic search for likes and media face time--because plain ole stupid just doesn't cut the mustard these days. It also helps to be malicious and cruel towards whatever your opposition segment happens to be--because being malicious and cruel is "truthy." Not truthful, truthy--which means it seems more sincere than being nice, because everybody is an angry asshole, amiright?
If social media was nuked into oblivion today (along with the 10 minute news cycle), the universe would be a far better place and people would be a lot less angry. Barring something like that we are just going to continue to spiral down the drain.
Two governments; one for performance. That’s a function of the royal family in England. Lots of drama, lots of glamour, pomp, tabloid fodder etc. it frees up their Prime Minister to actually govern. Well, maybe not Boris Johnson, who wallows in outrageous performative stupidity, but sometimes it works well to advance the serious work of governing.
One thing I like about the parliamentary system is that the head of the party actually had to work at getting there. Ditto their 3 week election cycle (or however short it is).
I am a bigger fan of the Westminster system than of ours... and of fast/short election cycles.
If we had a similar system, maybe the Democrat party would be less of a clusterf**k. Maybe we would have an actual centrist party that marginalized the extremists... one can dream.
Hmmmm, TBH I am not really sure. That's an interesting question. I have done a lot of reading about the writing of the Constitution but I do not recall that ever really being addressed in a fashion that would make it memorable--meaning it may have been mentioned in passing or on the side, but not really focused on.
If I were to hazard a guess, I would think it would have had something to do with their own experiences WRT Parliament and the English government and their desire to create a government that was more constrained.
Remember that the writers were largely men of property and local power/influence. They likely felt that they could have more influence and power over local government than a national one that was more powerful and less geographically focused.
The Federal government's primary purpose was to ease relations and traffic between the states and provide a brake on inter-state rivalry while presenting a united front to the outside world. It wasn't really supposed to get too involved locally (on a state level).
Britain did not have a similar setup to mediate between the national government and the people. The shires were not independent in the same sense, nor had they really been so since the days of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms.
Yes, I envy their restricted campaign time frame. And I’m starting to think that our two party system favors an adversarial relationship, instead of the collaboration required in a parliamentary system.
Our system worked as long as there were people willing to cooperate in governing. However, when one party goes on record to refuse to cooperate/compromise - yeah, it falls apart.
The wildcard is as Jere stated is Democratic turnout ( probably have to be a record) and Independents. The economy is actually booming but how can you convince Independents of that?? Its about inflation and I guess our birthright to cheap gas. It's not looking good.
Yes, the price of gas seems to be all Americans care about. Very frequently I reflect on the rationing in WW2. No way today’s Americans would accept that! We have become soft and narcissistic. And dumber. Not a good future.
formative flag waving/ lapel pins. Gallon of gas vs Ukrainian destruction 🤔. Just as recently as 2001, G.W Bush didn't ask any sacrifice. Not a tax increase to pay for the " War on Terror" just more performative fluff..Go to the mall instead so the terrorists don't win. SMH
Yes, that was one of the most unfortunate missed opportunities in my lifetime. The intense desire for sacrifice after 9/11 could have changed the country - like solar panels on every roof. But no; we were advised to go shopping. That’s our new America.
As an old Michigan Democrat it's sad to see we have just lost one of our best Republican congressmen. I see how proud Dump is about the situation, only six more to get according to his quote. Upton was/is an old time Republican that had the ability to deal with Democrats to cut deals that were best for the country. We are heading down the tubes fast if the Republicans are not willing to stand up to Dump.
Tom Rice (R-SC) recently said that Trump is the most revenge-driven person he's ever known. That quality is obvious to anyone with eyes to see. It's a function of an extraordinarily self-centered understanding of right and wrong. which is manifest in countless ways.
I'll never fathom why so many people refuse to see it, and keep insisting that he's motivated by love of America and guided by wise policy principles. He may have happened upon some policy stances that those people like -- but in the end he would abandon all of them for whatever serves his ego or self-interest.
It's plain as day that his campaign endorsements are more about personal grievance than policy, yet the True Believers tell themselves it's al for a higher purpose. There's so much wilful blindness on display.
I saw that interview too. I took some frail comfort that a Republican was being forthright. Trump’s mean traits are those that any parent would quickly try to suppress in their own children; how so many of those parents vote for those ugly traits in a leader requires some psychological analysis.
After seeing this latest on Michigan and similar happenings in other states controlled by the GOP , the potential to slide into Banana Republic and quasi authoritarianism is getting real by the minute. I think Lincoln's Secretary of State William Seward said " There was always just enough virtue in this republic to save it; sometimes none to spare", we squeaked by in 2020...Do we have enough left in 2022 and 2024??
Don't know that Seward quote, but what a great one! We also squeaked by in 1864. Lincoln thought he would lose a second term until the successes of Grant and Sherman. It could have been otherwise.
I do not know if we have enough to save it this time. If I had to lean one way or the other, I would say Yes, we do, but just barely.
No. 2022 is already rigged. Possibly last national election. Americans can no longer be counted on to do the right thing after exhausting all other possibilities. Mitch McConnell wins. So does Putin. Look at the global map already: most of the land mass is under totalitarian rule already; the GOP is one vote away from joining them.
Yeah, good luck with that "wild card." I've been hearing how the abortion issue is going to hurt Republicans at the polls for the last 40 years. But exit polls consistently show that the abortion issues gets Republicans more votes than it costs them. The fact is pro-life people vote on the abortion issue, while pro-choice people rarely do. (I learned that as a Republican candidate campaigning in an urban district, knocking on doors and talking to Democratic and independent voters..) Overturning Roe will alter that dynamic some, but not to the extent that it will make more than a couple points difference at best. Plus, you're going to have people on the left pushing extreme positions like abortion on demand for all 9 months of pregnancy. That's not going to be popular with most people.
For the record, when you ask people, most say they support Roe v. Wade. But when you ask them how late abortions should be allowed, they want the line drawn quite a bit earlier than the current line which is set at viability, i.e. the ability of the fetus to live outside the womb with or without assistance. It's pretty clear that people don't actually know the holding of Roe, which established a constitutional right to abortion on demand for the first two trimesters, which approach was altered by Planned Parenthood v. Casey to viability, now about 20-22 weeks into pregnancy. My guess is the Court will use the Mississippi case to draw a new line at 15-16 weeks, which ironically is where most people want the line.
Good points. As far as the left’s tendency to swing extreme, it’s hard to get more extreme than what red states are doing right now. Plus, there’s the tendency of the side that’s losing its position to have the most potent political activism; that’s been the right, since Roe, but now the shoe is on the other foot. Still, it’s only speculation that the formula will hold.
To me, it’s a worrisome sign in general that governments in Mexico and South America are relaxing abortion restrictions, while we are going the opposite direction. We are moving toward oppression, in what feels like a profound downward spiral, while countries we thought of as oppressive are moving towards more liberty.
I feel like our country, that proclaims itself as a beacon of democracy and liberty, is abandoning both, in a race to the bottom that most Americans do not support.
So much for a dignified supposedly not going to treat KBJ like Brett " I like beer" Kavanagh. What a cheap shot !! I would say below the dignity of a U.S Senator but nearly the entire GOP Senate has lowered that bar to a level where a ant would scrape it. The fact he would say such a thing again goes to the voters he's trying to reach sadly they love it.
The bad-faith attacks by Republican Senators against a public defender for taking on unsavory clients is just disgusting. These Senators are smart; they're just conniving assholes. They know full well the role of the public defender, and how little latitude one has in accepting clients. I know a lot of Americans don't know their history, but it's in front of mind for these Senators that John Adams defended the British who shot at the colonists in Boston in March of 1770, and took his job so seriously that he secured acquittals. Are we impugning the patriotism of John Adams? Is that what the GOP is?
Republican politicians do this because their voters let them get away with it. Their voters are paranoid and stupid, which is how people like Donald Trump and Mo Brooks incited them into an attack on the Capitol. And Republican politicians cynically take advantage of this paranoia and stupidity, rather than trying to lead their constituents to some sort of understanding based in reality.
I just wish Democrats would consider a campaign along the following lines: Republicans think you are stupid. Republicans don't actually believe the election was stolen, but they tell you they believe it, because they think you are stupid. Republicans don't think KBJ thinks racist babies are a thing, but they want to put on some embarrassing performance in the Senate, because they think you're stupid. Republicans know what the job of a public defender is, and how everyone has a right to competent defense in court, but they want to hide this from you, because they think you are stupid. Republicans are constantly telling you lies that they themselves don't believe, because they think you are stupid. Republicans run campaign ads where they are in a gym lifting weights or shooting automatic rifles and blowing shit up because they think you're too stupid to realize that this is just performative nonsense, and that it indicates nothing about whether they are qualified to hold the office for which they're running (if anything, it indicates lack of qualifications). Democrats won't lie to you; we respect you more than that.
I have made the same point many times, that the only reason Rs act as they do is that they think their supporters are stupid (or uninformed or misinformed). The problem is that those people who should wake up to that fact (a) don't hear us point it out, and (b) are too. . .stupid. . .to comprehend it if they did hear it.
Just a small correction to your point about John Adams' defense of the British soldiers. He wasn't being patriotic, at least not to the US, because it didn't exist yet then. He was being faithful to the rule of law and the rights of the accused which the US inherited from Britain and codified in the Sixth Amendment.
That would work on a rational adult. However, the answer from a substantial portion of them will be, "We know ,we just enjoy how upset you get about it." They don't believe in governance, ergo the clowns are a feature, not a bug. They believe that they're special, and they'll be just fine in the event the system comes crashing down. Contrasted with the Democrats' very adult and sane position of "you're not special, if all this goes sideways, we're all fucked."
Most of them think they're in on the "jokes" and get satisfaction out of punching down. Michelle Obama was wrong, the only way to combat this kind of dominance game is by going very, very low. Enough with the outrage and the shock and the disgust--If a congressman does an ad where he's brandishing guns, his opponents need to run ads explicitly mocking his small dick.
What you are describing (going very, very low) amounts to the "dumbing down" of the electorate or the "race to the bottom," two phrases that describe much of the late 20th/early 21st century USA. Michelle Obama's declaration was inspirational but they had absolutely no plan for implementing it. Could such a plan exist? I don't know.
Today the Dems provided a good example of this race to the bottom. On "Morning Joe", Jaime Harrison, the DNC chair, called Tom Cotton the "lowest of the low" and a "little maggot-infested man" for his remarks on the floor of Congress on Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, that she would have gone to Nuremburg to defend the Nazis. Cotton's remarks were disgusting. But so was Harrison's name-calling.
Cotton was not only disgusting but also wrong. Liberal democratic legal systems give the accused right to counsel. Harrison squandered this opportunity to defend liberal democracy. You don't have to go low to defend the democratic institutions of the US. Just explain them.
"Republican politicians do this because their voters let them get away with it."
This is not a passive response by GOP voters. Instead, they actively desire extremism, brutalism, and unmitigated bigotry. This is demanded of their demagogic leaders. And man, are the Stanford/Yale/Harvard/Princeton "educated" GOP pols delivering in spades.
And I for am am terrified for what they will do to democracy. They seem to believe that the only legitimate citizens of the world are white xtians. And what is worse, none of those so- called xtians actually exhibit true Christian behavior.
Nice analysis. I think another feature of Republican voters is that they’re addicted to drama and outrage. I think those feelings make people feel superior. I see the root of it in reality TV. I get a strong sense that for many people, their daily lives are an episode in their own TV drama, and they know it has to be titillating to keep up their internal ratings so they create drama out of the thin cloth of their existence. DJT is always riveted on his own ratings; that seems like a window into the psyche of his supporters.
Very little to disagree with here, but I fear the forces of stupid are too great.
If the D’s could find a way to thread that needle (telling R’s they are being duped without having them have to admit they have been f’ing morons) I am not sure it would work. I fear 30+ years of demagogue talk radio nonsense, Fox News, etc. is just too much. Some of those previous talking heads, Charlie and Joe Walsh (to name two) have been trying to push back for 6 years now, and from where I sit it seems the crazy has only gotten worse. I think we are in for a tough couple of decades. As a young Boomer, I feel bad for the generations below me.
Everyone is talking about Zelensky winning the information war. The videos his country have put together in the midst of everything going on there, have been incredibly moving and have resonated with people the world over. Why hasn't anyone here taken hold of the enormous opportunity to tell everyday Americans that "this is fascism in Russia" and "this is the fascism today's GOP wants to take us to"? Far too many people here do not understand the real danger being posed and what it would mean not only to themselves and their everyday lives, but also to their children and every child born into their families for generations to come.
If you follow the Bulwark, then you must know of the many anti-trump efforts to help “ everyday Americans” understand the dangerous threat (well, no longer a threat) of fascism in Russia, Hungary and elsewhere. If you know of better ways to crack the trump/tucker cult, then please do share and do so. Every day, hours and hours each day, cable, network, and online media outlets, and anti-trump advocates, are showing the photos from Ukraine, telling their stories, and have been predicting this for years, but Fox viewership has not budged and MAGA has only tightened the noose around the GOP. I think (that’s an opinion) that the Bulwark emerged, at least in part, from the hope that through reasoned discourse everyday Americans might return to some sanity. That people don’t understand is not for a lack of intense effort over the last five years by many including the Bulwark. They understand, it is their lust for it that few predicted. Stop asking why isn’t anyone doing it. That’s long been a the wrong question to ask.
My hope is that it's a generational thing and that those old, white, not-college-educated, Evangelical Christian, rural populists will die out. Their kids are leaving their towns and getting college educations so they can live a middle-class life.
Most everyday Americans are not reading the Bulwark, are not paying to be Bulwark +. They are wrapped up in their own lives and not following through any online subscriptions. The Bulwark and others, most of whom I appreciate and do subscribe to, are still doing more "preaching to the choir" than coming out with something spectacular that will resonate with everyday Americans who do not follow politics as a general rule.
*If only they knew better, they'd do better* seems to be your thesis. If pictures of civilians killed, hog-tied and left to rot, along side decimated communities, isn't spectacular enough, not sure what could be. The question is moot. Finding a fix requires much more depth than asking why isn't anyone doing something to educate the average Joe. The average Joe and Jane are getting off on it, they are attracted to that kind of bully power. That's the problem, not ignorance. People are not so stupid as to be totally unaware of Russia's brutality. Tucker said exactly what they wanted to hear, we can support Russia because a * show of force * is the answer, especially if it's taken on a country that wouldn't do our leader's bidding. The problem isn't simply ignorance. Disinformation is killing our democracy, but accurate information alone isn't the fix. We can tie their paychecks to a test on the Mueller report. Even if they passed the exam, they still would seek other info to corroborate their perceived victimization and real rage against the libs.
It's yours to have the last word on this commentary...
Are Tucker and Fox showing any of pictures of murdered, tortured civilians? TAC already had one article a few weeks ago basically denying that the Russians bombed a maternity hospital and claimed there was an actress posing as a victim.
There needs to be before and after pictures shown. Kyiv looked like most American cities. Now, it's WW2 pictures.
You are equating the "average joe" to the MAGA crowd, but there are millions of Independents and moderate Republicans who voted tfg out of office in 2020. They just didn't hold their GOP members of the House and Senate accountable. I don't know how to break the fever dream of the Quack-a-doodles, racists and armed militia members of the GQP base, but we do need to reach the people in the middle by educating them on where today's GOP will lead us and how that will impact their lives, not the lives (and deaths) of people half way around the world. Should they care more, should they read more? Probably. But they need someone to show them exactly what voting for today's GOP will mean to their lives and the lives of their children, grandchildren, and beyond.
In the early days of Trump, it seemed like ill advised hyperbole to use words like fascism and Nazi Germany as descriptors. People who used those words lost some credibility as fear mongers. So then a blanket caution set in, as more evidence piled up.
I heard a podcast discussion yesterday about the media’s allergy to using the words “lie” or “liar”, when that was the obvious situation. Instead they opted for a bucket full of weak alternatives, like “disingenuous”, or “unsupported”.
Back when the Hill was accepting comments, I'd be called a fascist Nazi in one breath, and a commie socialist in the next. Ditto Biden. Words, thank you Trump, have lost whatever meaning they've had.
Do you think we could maybe send Donald Trump into exile? I'm only half kidding.
Along with the ones in Congress who support him? We can dream . . .
Can't wait for the coverage of CPAC's Orbgásm. Will there be a contest between Hawley and Cruz to see which can debase himself more? Time to sell DEPLORABLE & PROUD T-shirts?
Have to give the right credit: they've gotten much closer to the average American's nearly complete unconcern with all things foreign than the Democrats ever could. The average American, especially in the middle of the country, cares more about the security of the Mexican border lest their area be overrun by taco trucks or (Gawd Forbid!) Spanish language TV stations than they ever will about anything outside North America. The only reason Trump seemed to be somewhat of an internationalist is that he knows there's dupes to be fleeced outside the US.
Who can the Democrats appeal to who aren't already Democrats? Do any independents care anywhere near as much about Ukraine as the price of gas?
If Americans are, in fact, an insular, ignorant, selfish, bigotted people, how should Democrats adapt?
Apparently, most polls show strong approval for the Ukraine now. But that will chip away if Donald and his Pets continue their attacks. And the two-faced Rs are saying Biden isn't doing enough and he shouldn't antagonize Putin!
Here's what I don't understand about Hungary and Serbia: They're NATO member nations. To be such requires that you have "a functioning democratic political system." How is that measured?
According to Freedom House, "Hungary today can no longer be regarded as a democracy but belongs to the growing group of hybrid regimes, sitting in the 'gray zone' between democracies and pure autocracies" (https://freedomhouse.org/country/hungary/nations-transit/2020).
To be a NATO member, states commit to collective defense, AKA "Article 5." If Hungary is no longer a democracy, and it is attacked, the US must defend it. We send our sons and daughters to defend an autocratic regime? Um . . . no!
Orban had a blueprint that the RW R's are following. As someone said earlier, the party got @30% and gradually expanded its power. So, they're democratic in theory, but are now a one party rule. Hungary is what Cruz, et al want the US to be.
Hungary is in NATO, but Serbia isn't. Neither are Bosnia-Herzegovina nor Kosovo.
Yes. However, when I searched, I found this: In 2015 Serbia implemented its first Individual Partnership Action Plan with NATO, regularly participates in its military maneuvers and hosted a joint civil protection exercise with NATO in 2018 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foreign_relations_of_NATO#:~:text=In%202015%20Serbia%20implemented%20its,exercise%20with%20NATO%20in%202018.).
Outstanding piece by Tim on Truth Social...you could smell the con a mile away.....the idea that they'd have the ability to build a technology platform from scratch was always laughable...I had no idea though how "all in" the Rep party was on the con.
I suspect Truth Social is less about a functioning social media site, and more about lining Trump’s pockets. From various reports, it seems to be accomplishing the enrichment of Trump just fine.
I fear you're right. I'm cautiously optimistic the upcoming generation will arrive in time to save us. Might be too late but with a cohort of millennials and whatever decent citizens left today we might turn this around. Generation Z appears much more engaged and ready
I too am optimistic about our future because of the upcoming generation. I've worked with high-school-aged students for the last 15 years, in both public and private schools, and I can tell you they are tuned into the world and they are progressive in what they value. They're not racist. Black kids and white kids sit together at lunch and in the Library. So do boys and girls. (I don't like the cursing girls do with boys present, but none of them can curse in class or in the Library. When I admonish them, they apologize.) They still refer to us as Ms., Mrs. and Mr.
I've worked in a Catholic school for the last five years, so I can't attest to this in public schools, but there is no bullying of kids who are different.
That gives me more optimism, but will they arrive in time? My observations have been what you stated. But really what a indictment of us ( I'm 58) that we need kids to save us...
Well, they will be adults when they save us, when they start voting (some of them are voting now). Nothing wrong with that. We older adults get set in our ways. Not such an indictment.
Perhaps they arrive just in time as the Red Sea parted for the Israelites, not a minute sooner?
Our world is changing more rapidly than in any time in human history (see Thomas Friedman's "Thank You for Being Late" - https://www.thomaslfriedman.com/thank-you-for-being-late/). Those who can not adapt to change die out.
Re Cotton and Nuremberg Trails - The judges at Nuremberg were appalled that the Nazi defendants didn't have counsel and insisted that ones be provided to the defendants. Goering was finally able to get one; couldn't find any information on the other defendants.
I looked it up. Can't find the links cause it was on my work account, but each defendant had one. It's disgusting that the Harvard Law grad doesn't know that the defense's job is to assure that their rights are protected. Of course he knows! He's just performing. So sad the Americans who support him don't recognize that.
Yes, they did get lawyers - finally. The only lawyer I could find any info on was Goering's; the others are seemingly anonymous, at least online. (I've got dozens of post WW2 books, but none on the trials.) The Germans on the Allied lists weren't accepted by Goering, and it was hard to even get a name on the list. Most lawyers approached didn't want anything to do with the trials, and the lawyers couldn't have done substantive with the Nazi regime. Goering's lawyer was the only whose name I could find - apparently he did put up a strong defense. (Sorry, didn't note his name, but he's named in several places.) But Goering had a big mouth on the stand and basically convicted himself - not that there was any real chance he wouldn't have been convicted considering his position with the Nazis. But few defendants were actually sentenced to death, so in that sense, if he'd kept his mouth shut, maybe he would have gotten life instead of death. Of course, he decided on suicide, so it was rather moot.
Thx for the info.
Charlie, you and JVL are my go to news and analysis sources I count on everyday. Thanks for being life preservers I cling to in these crazy, scary times. ( I also appreciate the other Bulwark writers. Please all of you keep doing what you are doing.)
Many thanks for the tip-off re: the 63 Republican votes against the resolution of support for NATO. I was not at all surprised to find my trump-loving congressman, Jeff Van Drew, among that anti-democracy 63. Let us recall that this is not Van Drew's first bite at the poison apple. On January 6, 2021, he stood in the well of the House to nullify the votes of the people of Pennsylvania. He just can't seem to get enough of autocracy.
Mine too! Ugh!
Have any of them been asked and answered why they voted against?
He definitely found the right political party for him.
I remember CPT Tom Cotton. He was an enormous douchebag in Afghanistan. Everyone could tell he was eying a run for President even while he was on active duty. No surprise that he’s turned out this way, though he’s moved hell and high water to get our Afghan allies out which is more than I can say for POTUS.
Separately, so now DeSantis is an agent for normalizing radicalism? Holy shit. And the reasoning is because he’s so normal and has a veneer of respectability? Hyperbole much?
The stupid is always strong and it is usually entertaining. One needs only look around the world (not just America) to see this.
More than enough stupid to go around for everyone.
Politics has largely become performance art. There was always a strong element of performance art (because, hey, I need the votes) but politicians used to actually do things (substantive things) for their constituents. That seems to happen a lot less these days.
I mean--what, exactly, has MTG accomplished legislatively for her district? What have most of these denizens of the Twittersphere actually accomplished?
The primary purpose of many of these politicians these days (besides their primary goal of remaining in office) is to play-act (at least I hope they are play acting, I am not too sure about a few of them) out the angst and fears and prejudices of their base. That's it. Legislation, WTF is that? Soap opera for the people who like to pretend they are too good and smart to watch soap opera.
It's kind of a shame that we can't have two governments--a play act government to provide the entertainment and stupidity and a quiet. serious government that actually thinks and looks at things and makes reasonable smart decisions and legislation.
The rapid pace news cycle and short attention spans of most people create this horrific cycle of ever more egregious stupidity in the frenetic search for likes and media face time--because plain ole stupid just doesn't cut the mustard these days. It also helps to be malicious and cruel towards whatever your opposition segment happens to be--because being malicious and cruel is "truthy." Not truthful, truthy--which means it seems more sincere than being nice, because everybody is an angry asshole, amiright?
If social media was nuked into oblivion today (along with the 10 minute news cycle), the universe would be a far better place and people would be a lot less angry. Barring something like that we are just going to continue to spiral down the drain.
Two governments; one for performance. That’s a function of the royal family in England. Lots of drama, lots of glamour, pomp, tabloid fodder etc. it frees up their Prime Minister to actually govern. Well, maybe not Boris Johnson, who wallows in outrageous performative stupidity, but sometimes it works well to advance the serious work of governing.
One thing I like about the parliamentary system is that the head of the party actually had to work at getting there. Ditto their 3 week election cycle (or however short it is).
I am a bigger fan of the Westminster system than of ours... and of fast/short election cycles.
If we had a similar system, maybe the Democrat party would be less of a clusterf**k. Maybe we would have an actual centrist party that marginalized the extremists... one can dream.
Why did the Framers NOT create a parliamentary system of governance?
Hmmmm, TBH I am not really sure. That's an interesting question. I have done a lot of reading about the writing of the Constitution but I do not recall that ever really being addressed in a fashion that would make it memorable--meaning it may have been mentioned in passing or on the side, but not really focused on.
If I were to hazard a guess, I would think it would have had something to do with their own experiences WRT Parliament and the English government and their desire to create a government that was more constrained.
Remember that the writers were largely men of property and local power/influence. They likely felt that they could have more influence and power over local government than a national one that was more powerful and less geographically focused.
The Federal government's primary purpose was to ease relations and traffic between the states and provide a brake on inter-state rivalry while presenting a united front to the outside world. It wasn't really supposed to get too involved locally (on a state level).
Britain did not have a similar setup to mediate between the national government and the people. The shires were not independent in the same sense, nor had they really been so since the days of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms.
Plus there was the whole King thing.
Good guess. Thx for the info.
As someone who considers most of the Democrats to be RIGHT-wing extremists, I agree with you--We definitely need to move to the center.
Yes, I envy their restricted campaign time frame. And I’m starting to think that our two party system favors an adversarial relationship, instead of the collaboration required in a parliamentary system.
Our system worked as long as there were people willing to cooperate in governing. However, when one party goes on record to refuse to cooperate/compromise - yeah, it falls apart.
The wildcard is as Jere stated is Democratic turnout ( probably have to be a record) and Independents. The economy is actually booming but how can you convince Independents of that?? Its about inflation and I guess our birthright to cheap gas. It's not looking good.
Yes, the price of gas seems to be all Americans care about. Very frequently I reflect on the rationing in WW2. No way today’s Americans would accept that! We have become soft and narcissistic. And dumber. Not a good future.
Yes no way, no sacrifices only per
formative flag waving/ lapel pins. Gallon of gas vs Ukrainian destruction 🤔. Just as recently as 2001, G.W Bush didn't ask any sacrifice. Not a tax increase to pay for the " War on Terror" just more performative fluff..Go to the mall instead so the terrorists don't win. SMH
Yes, that was one of the most unfortunate missed opportunities in my lifetime. The intense desire for sacrifice after 9/11 could have changed the country - like solar panels on every roof. But no; we were advised to go shopping. That’s our new America.
As an old Michigan Democrat it's sad to see we have just lost one of our best Republican congressmen. I see how proud Dump is about the situation, only six more to get according to his quote. Upton was/is an old time Republican that had the ability to deal with Democrats to cut deals that were best for the country. We are heading down the tubes fast if the Republicans are not willing to stand up to Dump.
Tom Rice (R-SC) recently said that Trump is the most revenge-driven person he's ever known. That quality is obvious to anyone with eyes to see. It's a function of an extraordinarily self-centered understanding of right and wrong. which is manifest in countless ways.
I'll never fathom why so many people refuse to see it, and keep insisting that he's motivated by love of America and guided by wise policy principles. He may have happened upon some policy stances that those people like -- but in the end he would abandon all of them for whatever serves his ego or self-interest.
It's plain as day that his campaign endorsements are more about personal grievance than policy, yet the True Believers tell themselves it's al for a higher purpose. There's so much wilful blindness on display.
I saw that interview too. I took some frail comfort that a Republican was being forthright. Trump’s mean traits are those that any parent would quickly try to suppress in their own children; how so many of those parents vote for those ugly traits in a leader requires some psychological analysis.
After seeing this latest on Michigan and similar happenings in other states controlled by the GOP , the potential to slide into Banana Republic and quasi authoritarianism is getting real by the minute. I think Lincoln's Secretary of State William Seward said " There was always just enough virtue in this republic to save it; sometimes none to spare", we squeaked by in 2020...Do we have enough left in 2022 and 2024??
Don't know that Seward quote, but what a great one! We also squeaked by in 1864. Lincoln thought he would lose a second term until the successes of Grant and Sherman. It could have been otherwise.
I do not know if we have enough to save it this time. If I had to lean one way or the other, I would say Yes, we do, but just barely.
No. 2022 is already rigged. Possibly last national election. Americans can no longer be counted on to do the right thing after exhausting all other possibilities. Mitch McConnell wins. So does Putin. Look at the global map already: most of the land mass is under totalitarian rule already; the GOP is one vote away from joining them.
A potential wild card is SCOTUS reversing Roe, during the heat of the campaign.
Yeah, good luck with that "wild card." I've been hearing how the abortion issue is going to hurt Republicans at the polls for the last 40 years. But exit polls consistently show that the abortion issues gets Republicans more votes than it costs them. The fact is pro-life people vote on the abortion issue, while pro-choice people rarely do. (I learned that as a Republican candidate campaigning in an urban district, knocking on doors and talking to Democratic and independent voters..) Overturning Roe will alter that dynamic some, but not to the extent that it will make more than a couple points difference at best. Plus, you're going to have people on the left pushing extreme positions like abortion on demand for all 9 months of pregnancy. That's not going to be popular with most people.
For the record, when you ask people, most say they support Roe v. Wade. But when you ask them how late abortions should be allowed, they want the line drawn quite a bit earlier than the current line which is set at viability, i.e. the ability of the fetus to live outside the womb with or without assistance. It's pretty clear that people don't actually know the holding of Roe, which established a constitutional right to abortion on demand for the first two trimesters, which approach was altered by Planned Parenthood v. Casey to viability, now about 20-22 weeks into pregnancy. My guess is the Court will use the Mississippi case to draw a new line at 15-16 weeks, which ironically is where most people want the line.
Good points. As far as the left’s tendency to swing extreme, it’s hard to get more extreme than what red states are doing right now. Plus, there’s the tendency of the side that’s losing its position to have the most potent political activism; that’s been the right, since Roe, but now the shoe is on the other foot. Still, it’s only speculation that the formula will hold.
To me, it’s a worrisome sign in general that governments in Mexico and South America are relaxing abortion restrictions, while we are going the opposite direction. We are moving toward oppression, in what feels like a profound downward spiral, while countries we thought of as oppressive are moving towards more liberty.
I feel like our country, that proclaims itself as a beacon of democracy and liberty, is abandoning both, in a race to the bottom that most Americans do not support.
Entirely possible, I suppose.
Sadly you're probably right.. All the evidence agrees with your assessment.
So much for a dignified supposedly not going to treat KBJ like Brett " I like beer" Kavanagh. What a cheap shot !! I would say below the dignity of a U.S Senator but nearly the entire GOP Senate has lowered that bar to a level where a ant would scrape it. The fact he would say such a thing again goes to the voters he's trying to reach sadly they love it.
The bad-faith attacks by Republican Senators against a public defender for taking on unsavory clients is just disgusting. These Senators are smart; they're just conniving assholes. They know full well the role of the public defender, and how little latitude one has in accepting clients. I know a lot of Americans don't know their history, but it's in front of mind for these Senators that John Adams defended the British who shot at the colonists in Boston in March of 1770, and took his job so seriously that he secured acquittals. Are we impugning the patriotism of John Adams? Is that what the GOP is?
Republican politicians do this because their voters let them get away with it. Their voters are paranoid and stupid, which is how people like Donald Trump and Mo Brooks incited them into an attack on the Capitol. And Republican politicians cynically take advantage of this paranoia and stupidity, rather than trying to lead their constituents to some sort of understanding based in reality.
I just wish Democrats would consider a campaign along the following lines: Republicans think you are stupid. Republicans don't actually believe the election was stolen, but they tell you they believe it, because they think you are stupid. Republicans don't think KBJ thinks racist babies are a thing, but they want to put on some embarrassing performance in the Senate, because they think you're stupid. Republicans know what the job of a public defender is, and how everyone has a right to competent defense in court, but they want to hide this from you, because they think you are stupid. Republicans are constantly telling you lies that they themselves don't believe, because they think you are stupid. Republicans run campaign ads where they are in a gym lifting weights or shooting automatic rifles and blowing shit up because they think you're too stupid to realize that this is just performative nonsense, and that it indicates nothing about whether they are qualified to hold the office for which they're running (if anything, it indicates lack of qualifications). Democrats won't lie to you; we respect you more than that.
I have made the same point many times, that the only reason Rs act as they do is that they think their supporters are stupid (or uninformed or misinformed). The problem is that those people who should wake up to that fact (a) don't hear us point it out, and (b) are too. . .stupid. . .to comprehend it if they did hear it.
It's absolutey a bad-faith attack.
Just a small correction to your point about John Adams' defense of the British soldiers. He wasn't being patriotic, at least not to the US, because it didn't exist yet then. He was being faithful to the rule of law and the rights of the accused which the US inherited from Britain and codified in the Sixth Amendment.
The ad you described sounds great.
That would work on a rational adult. However, the answer from a substantial portion of them will be, "We know ,we just enjoy how upset you get about it." They don't believe in governance, ergo the clowns are a feature, not a bug. They believe that they're special, and they'll be just fine in the event the system comes crashing down. Contrasted with the Democrats' very adult and sane position of "you're not special, if all this goes sideways, we're all fucked."
Most of them think they're in on the "jokes" and get satisfaction out of punching down. Michelle Obama was wrong, the only way to combat this kind of dominance game is by going very, very low. Enough with the outrage and the shock and the disgust--If a congressman does an ad where he's brandishing guns, his opponents need to run ads explicitly mocking his small dick.
What you are describing (going very, very low) amounts to the "dumbing down" of the electorate or the "race to the bottom," two phrases that describe much of the late 20th/early 21st century USA. Michelle Obama's declaration was inspirational but they had absolutely no plan for implementing it. Could such a plan exist? I don't know.
Today the Dems provided a good example of this race to the bottom. On "Morning Joe", Jaime Harrison, the DNC chair, called Tom Cotton the "lowest of the low" and a "little maggot-infested man" for his remarks on the floor of Congress on Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, that she would have gone to Nuremburg to defend the Nazis. Cotton's remarks were disgusting. But so was Harrison's name-calling.
Cotton was not only disgusting but also wrong. Liberal democratic legal systems give the accused right to counsel. Harrison squandered this opportunity to defend liberal democracy. You don't have to go low to defend the democratic institutions of the US. Just explain them.
"Republican politicians do this because their voters let them get away with it."
This is not a passive response by GOP voters. Instead, they actively desire extremism, brutalism, and unmitigated bigotry. This is demanded of their demagogic leaders. And man, are the Stanford/Yale/Harvard/Princeton "educated" GOP pols delivering in spades.
And I for am am terrified for what they will do to democracy. They seem to believe that the only legitimate citizens of the world are white xtians. And what is worse, none of those so- called xtians actually exhibit true Christian behavior.
Nice analysis. I think another feature of Republican voters is that they’re addicted to drama and outrage. I think those feelings make people feel superior. I see the root of it in reality TV. I get a strong sense that for many people, their daily lives are an episode in their own TV drama, and they know it has to be titillating to keep up their internal ratings so they create drama out of the thin cloth of their existence. DJT is always riveted on his own ratings; that seems like a window into the psyche of his supporters.
Very little to disagree with here, but I fear the forces of stupid are too great.
If the D’s could find a way to thread that needle (telling R’s they are being duped without having them have to admit they have been f’ing morons) I am not sure it would work. I fear 30+ years of demagogue talk radio nonsense, Fox News, etc. is just too much. Some of those previous talking heads, Charlie and Joe Walsh (to name two) have been trying to push back for 6 years now, and from where I sit it seems the crazy has only gotten worse. I think we are in for a tough couple of decades. As a young Boomer, I feel bad for the generations below me.
Everyone is talking about Zelensky winning the information war. The videos his country have put together in the midst of everything going on there, have been incredibly moving and have resonated with people the world over. Why hasn't anyone here taken hold of the enormous opportunity to tell everyday Americans that "this is fascism in Russia" and "this is the fascism today's GOP wants to take us to"? Far too many people here do not understand the real danger being posed and what it would mean not only to themselves and their everyday lives, but also to their children and every child born into their families for generations to come.
If you follow the Bulwark, then you must know of the many anti-trump efforts to help “ everyday Americans” understand the dangerous threat (well, no longer a threat) of fascism in Russia, Hungary and elsewhere. If you know of better ways to crack the trump/tucker cult, then please do share and do so. Every day, hours and hours each day, cable, network, and online media outlets, and anti-trump advocates, are showing the photos from Ukraine, telling their stories, and have been predicting this for years, but Fox viewership has not budged and MAGA has only tightened the noose around the GOP. I think (that’s an opinion) that the Bulwark emerged, at least in part, from the hope that through reasoned discourse everyday Americans might return to some sanity. That people don’t understand is not for a lack of intense effort over the last five years by many including the Bulwark. They understand, it is their lust for it that few predicted. Stop asking why isn’t anyone doing it. That’s long been a the wrong question to ask.
My hope is that it's a generational thing and that those old, white, not-college-educated, Evangelical Christian, rural populists will die out. Their kids are leaving their towns and getting college educations so they can live a middle-class life.
Most everyday Americans are not reading the Bulwark, are not paying to be Bulwark +. They are wrapped up in their own lives and not following through any online subscriptions. The Bulwark and others, most of whom I appreciate and do subscribe to, are still doing more "preaching to the choir" than coming out with something spectacular that will resonate with everyday Americans who do not follow politics as a general rule.
*If only they knew better, they'd do better* seems to be your thesis. If pictures of civilians killed, hog-tied and left to rot, along side decimated communities, isn't spectacular enough, not sure what could be. The question is moot. Finding a fix requires much more depth than asking why isn't anyone doing something to educate the average Joe. The average Joe and Jane are getting off on it, they are attracted to that kind of bully power. That's the problem, not ignorance. People are not so stupid as to be totally unaware of Russia's brutality. Tucker said exactly what they wanted to hear, we can support Russia because a * show of force * is the answer, especially if it's taken on a country that wouldn't do our leader's bidding. The problem isn't simply ignorance. Disinformation is killing our democracy, but accurate information alone isn't the fix. We can tie their paychecks to a test on the Mueller report. Even if they passed the exam, they still would seek other info to corroborate their perceived victimization and real rage against the libs.
It's yours to have the last word on this commentary...
Are Tucker and Fox showing any of pictures of murdered, tortured civilians? TAC already had one article a few weeks ago basically denying that the Russians bombed a maternity hospital and claimed there was an actress posing as a victim.
There needs to be before and after pictures shown. Kyiv looked like most American cities. Now, it's WW2 pictures.
You are equating the "average joe" to the MAGA crowd, but there are millions of Independents and moderate Republicans who voted tfg out of office in 2020. They just didn't hold their GOP members of the House and Senate accountable. I don't know how to break the fever dream of the Quack-a-doodles, racists and armed militia members of the GQP base, but we do need to reach the people in the middle by educating them on where today's GOP will lead us and how that will impact their lives, not the lives (and deaths) of people half way around the world. Should they care more, should they read more? Probably. But they need someone to show them exactly what voting for today's GOP will mean to their lives and the lives of their children, grandchildren, and beyond.
I wonder if Sean Penn might have something in mind? Check out his recent appearances on both MSNBC and Fox...
In the early days of Trump, it seemed like ill advised hyperbole to use words like fascism and Nazi Germany as descriptors. People who used those words lost some credibility as fear mongers. So then a blanket caution set in, as more evidence piled up.
I heard a podcast discussion yesterday about the media’s allergy to using the words “lie” or “liar”, when that was the obvious situation. Instead they opted for a bucket full of weak alternatives, like “disingenuous”, or “unsupported”.
Back when the Hill was accepting comments, I'd be called a fascist Nazi in one breath, and a commie socialist in the next. Ditto Biden. Words, thank you Trump, have lost whatever meaning they've had.