"Elected Republicans could hardly muster a tired shrug among them; they are, apparently, too worn out, beaten down, and numbed to be outraged."
Why are we still giving these people a veneer of empathy for "their" situation? At what point do we call it what it is - willing to put up with anything/everything to gain and keep power? I find not one ounce of sympathy for them in that. This is DANGEROUS. Blood will be on their hands for their silent acquiescence, though not one of them will feel an ounce of responsibility.
Honestly, this whole thing may come down to 'hedging their bets'. They think they and their families will be safe and even prosper (probably no matter what) and just, now, care about the raw power. It's vile and disgusting and I also have no sympathy. I am sick of these excuses that they are so beaten down and fearful of Trump and Trumpism (or the bullshit 'lesser of two evils' argument) that they had no choice. They know EXACTLY what they are doing and they know it is wrong.
Regarding Kim's quote about anti-semitism from Churchill, I think it was Nietzsche who said "anti-semitism is the ideology of those who feel cheated." This is the Politics of Resentment, when a "populist" leader tells an aggrieved majority that their problems are because of the Jews (or Muslims, Mexicans, immigrants, socialists, gays, RINOs, George Soros, Liz Cheney, fill in the blank). Madeleine Albright said (in Fascism: A Warning) "in the end, it is always about giving them someone to hate."
But the danger now doesn't come just from dishonest leaders, their opportunistic backers, and a bigoted slice of the population. All that aside, on Nov. 8. sleep-walking, complacent voters may care more about the price of gas than preserving democracy. Timothy Snyder said it best in On Tyranny: "each election could be the last."
The quote was actually "damned poor sticker". Churchill was referring to Hitler's antisemitism, and making the point that while the Jews might be the first group to be persecuted, persecution would not stop with the Jews, it would spread to others.
The first ethnic group was the Roma (gypsies to those who don't know). And yeah, then the political enemies headed to the camps. Jews weren't officially targeted until late 1935, though many saw the signs and fled. And in 1935, he had the military swear an oath to HIM, superseding their oath to Germany - which is why many (most?) military leaders didn't move against him when they had the chance. Kind of suspect that's what Trump is secretly doing to his political followers like Graham, etc.
Were there any real checks on trump? Voters did not hold any of the GOP accountable in 2020 - most all of them winning their re-elections handily, despite record money on the challengers' side. So if voters refused to hold them accountable, why should they think the voters will suddenly hold them accountable in the midterms, or in the future....
"Elected Republicans could hardly muster a tired shrug among them; they are, apparently, too worn out, beaten down, and numbed to be outraged."
Why are we still giving these people a veneer of empathy for "their" situation? At what point do we call it what it is - willing to put up with anything/everything to gain and keep power? I find not one ounce of sympathy for them in that. This is DANGEROUS. Blood will be on their hands for their silent acquiescence, though not one of them will feel an ounce of responsibility.
I think many of them agree with him but are hedging their bets to see how far he can go before they show their enthusiasm for fascism.
Honestly, this whole thing may come down to 'hedging their bets'. They think they and their families will be safe and even prosper (probably no matter what) and just, now, care about the raw power. It's vile and disgusting and I also have no sympathy. I am sick of these excuses that they are so beaten down and fearful of Trump and Trumpism (or the bullshit 'lesser of two evils' argument) that they had no choice. They know EXACTLY what they are doing and they know it is wrong.
You're absolutely right about that. That can no longer say "they didn't know" or "they didn't realize."
Regarding Kim's quote about anti-semitism from Churchill, I think it was Nietzsche who said "anti-semitism is the ideology of those who feel cheated." This is the Politics of Resentment, when a "populist" leader tells an aggrieved majority that their problems are because of the Jews (or Muslims, Mexicans, immigrants, socialists, gays, RINOs, George Soros, Liz Cheney, fill in the blank). Madeleine Albright said (in Fascism: A Warning) "in the end, it is always about giving them someone to hate."
But the danger now doesn't come just from dishonest leaders, their opportunistic backers, and a bigoted slice of the population. All that aside, on Nov. 8. sleep-walking, complacent voters may care more about the price of gas than preserving democracy. Timothy Snyder said it best in On Tyranny: "each election could be the last."
https://neofascism.substack.com/
They're fundamentally bigots.
What does that mean - "a damned poor stopper"????
The quote was actually "damned poor sticker". Churchill was referring to Hitler's antisemitism, and making the point that while the Jews might be the first group to be persecuted, persecution would not stop with the Jews, it would spread to others.
"First they came . . . Then they came for me . . . "
That makes sense - thanks for the clarification!
The first ethnic group was the Roma (gypsies to those who don't know). And yeah, then the political enemies headed to the camps. Jews weren't officially targeted until late 1935, though many saw the signs and fled. And in 1935, he had the military swear an oath to HIM, superseding their oath to Germany - which is why many (most?) military leaders didn't move against him when they had the chance. Kind of suspect that's what Trump is secretly doing to his political followers like Graham, etc.
Which sequence of events is neither not studied nor considered objectionable to those planning the next Trump administration.
Were there any real checks on trump? Voters did not hold any of the GOP accountable in 2020 - most all of them winning their re-elections handily, despite record money on the challengers' side. So if voters refused to hold them accountable, why should they think the voters will suddenly hold them accountable in the midterms, or in the future....