"It’s also just so stupid, cynical, and dishonest."
"if I agree with his conclusion that the Republican Party is increasingly authoritarian?"
The lack of self-awareness in contradiction is so breathtaking that one can only suspect either a conspiracy to deliver mass propaganda, or some epidemic of mental health dysfunction.
I will ask this question again even though it never gets any qualified response. We consistently hear this Democrat and media meme of Republican/conservative authoritarianism (ironically from the left demonstrating overwhelming acts of authoritarianism in the name of a virus), and so what are the examples that prove the accuracy of this meme?
There is far too much authoritarianism on both the left and the right. Examples on the right are trade protectionism; breaking up Big Tech; separating families as a tool to deter illegal immigration; punishing blue states by withholding emergency aid and other federal assistance; bathroom bills, opposition to gay marriage, and other anti-gay and anti-transgender policies; minimizing or even supporting police and vigilante brutality against minorities; anti-CRT and similar controls on schools and universities.
Current authoritarianism is not my major concern with the GOP. There are political checks on right- wing authoritarianism. My major concerns with the GOP are nihilism and anti-democracy sentiments on the right, and the appeasement, or even outright support, by GOP politicians of those strains of thought. Nihilism and anti-democracy are pre-authoritarian, in that they would remove the political checks on authoritarianism.
Examples on the right are trade protectionism (there is debate within the right AND the left on this. It is simply policy choice with risks and benefits... not examples of any authoritarianism. And it comes from both Reps and Dems.)
breaking up Big Tech; (supported by the left too, debated within the right)
separating families as a tool to deter illegal immigration; (how is that authoritarianism? Since when did this definition apply to people outside the country that are not even governed by our laws and rules? Deterring illegal immigration has always been a goal shared by both parties, until the radicals turned old Joe into their puppet.)
punishing blue states by withholding emergency aid and other federal assistance; (Democrats do the same to red states… more often and with more punitive measures… yes, that is authoritarianism… especially when done in a partisan fashion)
bathroom bills, opposition to gay marriage, and other anti-gay and anti-transgender policies; (the progressive are pushing for progressive laws on these things and the GOP tends to oppose them for reasons of traditional Judea Christian values. That is no example of authoritarianism. The debate is healthy. Look at what has happened to girl’s athletics because the left authoritarians forced schools to allow trans people to compete in female sports.)
minimizing or even supporting police and vigilante brutality against minorities; (LOL. That is BS. Nobody supports police brutality. There is nothing authoritarian about the GOP on this. They leave it to the states and cities and just make sure the leaders of the states and cities are held responsible for how they handle their law enforcement. That is democracy not authoritarianism. Fucking Bill Clinton is the one that ran on being tough on crime and pushed the 3 strikes and added hundreds of thousands of police with federal spending. Kamala Harris used to bust the chops of young black men for stealing and doing drugs.)
anti-CRT and similar controls on schools and universities: (yeah, well the GOP rejects the teaching of Nazism too… which derives from Marxism…which is embedded in CRT. If that is authoritarianism I think it is great. But it is not. It is just protecting the country from the extreme left that would make it into another failed communist state. )
Current authoritarianism is not my major concern with the GOP. There are political checks on right- wing authoritarianism. LOL. Ok.
My major concerns with the GOP are nihilism and anti-democracy sentiments on the right, (Fuck you say… LOL. ALL the nihilism and anti-democracy sentiments are on the left. Go get yourself some collectivism in Venezuela and keep that crap out of here.)
and the appeasement, or even outright support, by GOP politicians of those strains of thought. Nihilism and anti-democracy are pre-authoritarian, in that they would remove the political checks on authoritarianism.
Giant fail. You seem to be projecting and making up shit in your head. You might want to actually look up the words:
Authoritarianism (like national vaccination mandates, shutdowns, shelter-in-place orders, CTR requirements in schools, etc.) Those are examples of it… government taking away freedoms in a complete partisan way. Canceling, censoring, that is authoritarianism. Taking away existing rights. That is authoritarianism. Conservatives are generally libertarians. They support leave me the fuck alone to pursue my own interests. The claim that the right is a risk of authoritarianism is just projection of the very sickness of the left.
Nihilism is the campus sickness being taught that is embedded in critical theory. The doctrine that nothing actually exists or that existence or values are meaningless. That there is no objective truth, only relative “feelings” of “victims” that take precedent. Tear the system down and Great Reset it to a new socialist collectivist Utopia. That is nihilism. Again… projecting left dogma as a right thing. It is not
You have not moved the needle here. California is a great example of a growing authoritarian regime. The fact that Biden was elected is 100% proof that Trump was never anything close to any risk of authoritarianism. His crime was trying to break up the American power cabal that seeks to control everything with an iron fist of authoritarianism.
Throughout your reply to me you make the error of citing nihilism and authoritarianism on the left as proof that that there is not a problem of nihilism and authoritarianism on the right, or on the other hand to assert that similar political discussions on the left regarding restricting freedoms mean the political discussions on the right regarding restricting freedoms are not authoritarian. That is simply a logical fallacy (if a, then b; then if not a, then not b). Nihilism and authoritarianism are a problem on the American left, but also on the American right.
Authoritarianism is government oppression or violation of personal freedoms on an arbitrary or partisan basis, generally without access to legal challenge. Let's take the examples I provided one by one.
Trade protectionism denies freedom of contract to some persons to advance the partisan interests of other persons. Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders are particularly enthusiastic authoritarian trade protectionists. Sherrod Brown and Peter Navarro also.
Big Tech companies have a first amendment right to publish, or not publish, whatever speech they want. Threatening breakups, regulation, or financial penalties to coerce the Big Tech companies to publish what you want, or not publish what you don't want, is authoritarian. Josh Hawley and Elizabeth Warren are particularly authoritarian in this regard.
Authoritarianism can be applied against any person within the government's jurisdiction, not just citizens. It was authoritarian of the Trump administration to separate immigrant families without due process rights or hearings on asylum claims.
Punishing or threatening to punish blue state citizens for their liberal political views is classic authoritarianism, as would be punishing citizens of red states for their conservative political views.
Regarding gay and transgender people, it is authoritarian to deny them rights recognized with heterosexuals and non-transgender. Opposition to marital equality is a classic example of authoritarianism, as was conservative opposition to interracial marriage during Jim Crow.
Conservative Republican support for Derek Chauvin and even Armaud Arbery's killers, are examples of support for authoritarian police and citizen vigilante practices. Denying the obvious problem of biased policing is support for authoritarianism.
Government promotion of anti-CRT curriculum and prohibition of CRT curriculum, including criminal penalties on teachers and administrators who express offending speech, is authoritarian. Threatening defunding universities for partisan reasons is authoritarian.
Biden's election is proof that Trump is a failed anti-democratic authoritarian, not proof that he is not authoritarian. Conservatism today is not true libertarianism, but rather a populist libertarianism of freedom for me but not for thee.
The American right is nihilistic in that they trash longstanding American norms, values, and institutions, including democracy itself. January 6, and the prelude and rationalizing and minimizing aftermath, is the definitive example.
You need to read up on CRT, or dig deep into some intellectual honesty to admit that you are in-deed projecting on others what are your actual interests and beliefs. CRT evolved from 1970s and a form of critical theory from three now dead French communists that were upset about the glaring failure of communism and committed to finding other excuses to defend their ideological bias. What they came up is similar to what Hitler came up with and is documented in Mein Kampf. Instead of a Jewish conspiracy to gain world domination, critical theory just shifts to blaming other groups. Critical Theory argues that social problems stem more from social structures and cultural assumptions than from individuals.
And this is completely anathema to the founding principles of western civilization where the individual is free and individual rights are divine and rein supreme. And individuals should be held responsible for their own behavior and choices.
Trump, as with Reagan and as do the fundamental principles of Republicanism, are in protecting the individual... individual rights and liberty... but for Americans... not for the immigrants of El Salvador that become reliable Democrat moocher voters in subsequent generations. And nothing about the Republican platform blames groups for any of the ills of modern society (except the group of corrupt politicians and their corporatist benefactors)... it blames individuals for their bad behavior and mistakes.
That is not fascism. Fascism in what we see in states like California where the state is controlled by one party and the Governor can do what the hell he pleases... including more actions to crack down on those that would oppose him. Fascism is identified in partisanship. The Democrats are fully committed to getting their way and cracking down on all that would oppose. They prop up their dictator through the abuse of power owning all the institutions of power. It is the people that are fighting that power structure... fighting fascism. They voted for Trump and will likely put him in power again in 2024 to finish what they started.
If you fight against that, you are in fact fighting FOR fascism.
Individual opinions are shaped to a degree by biases and preferences. One person may view a particular government action as authoritarian, while another person may view the same action as government doing what it is supposed to do. And one person's nihilism is another person's revolutionary justice.
I am familiar with CRT. I attended Harvard Law School while Derrick Bell was a professor there. CRT provides some interesting, and even profound, analysis of the presence and effects is systemic racism. It is worthwhile for academic study in undergraduate an graduate programs, but CRT would tend to be oppressive and racist if used as the foundation for public policy. Having said that, your throwing the word fascist around, and even comparing CRT to Mein Kampf, is silly.
Your celebrating Donald Trump as some protector of individual liberty is ridiculous. His extreme narcissism leaves no room for caring about other people's freedom, or otherwise. Trump cares only about feeding his ego and making money. And is quite willing to lead a pseudo cult of rubes to feed his ego and pocket book.
But the dangerous part for our country is Trump's willingness to destroy American democracy, because his ego can't stand losing to Joe Biden. Your statement that opposing Trump and his MAGA followers is supporting fascism may be the most idiotic thing I have heard from a Trump supporter. And that is saying something.
There does not appear to be much overlap in our respective viewpoints. Still, I enjoyed our conversation.
Harvard Law School explains a lot. It just goes to my experience that people with high academic achievement are myopic in their thought process. You cannot even spot the cognitive dissonance and lack of critical thinking in your response. You drift off in criticizing Trump's personality and project what he feels and cares about.
My experience with high academic types is that for all their academic gifts, they often lack emotional intelligence and suck at really reading people for who they are.
Trump destroying democracy? LOL That is rich given the destruction billionaire boys club puppet in the white house today.
I have never been a fan of Trump's personality. However, his platform was near Reaganesk and what the country needs. I don't get all wee weed up about a Tweet.
"It’s also just so stupid, cynical, and dishonest."
"if I agree with his conclusion that the Republican Party is increasingly authoritarian?"
The lack of self-awareness in contradiction is so breathtaking that one can only suspect either a conspiracy to deliver mass propaganda, or some epidemic of mental health dysfunction.
I will ask this question again even though it never gets any qualified response. We consistently hear this Democrat and media meme of Republican/conservative authoritarianism (ironically from the left demonstrating overwhelming acts of authoritarianism in the name of a virus), and so what are the examples that prove the accuracy of this meme?
I will wait.
Likely crickets will occur.
There is far too much authoritarianism on both the left and the right. Examples on the right are trade protectionism; breaking up Big Tech; separating families as a tool to deter illegal immigration; punishing blue states by withholding emergency aid and other federal assistance; bathroom bills, opposition to gay marriage, and other anti-gay and anti-transgender policies; minimizing or even supporting police and vigilante brutality against minorities; anti-CRT and similar controls on schools and universities.
Current authoritarianism is not my major concern with the GOP. There are political checks on right- wing authoritarianism. My major concerns with the GOP are nihilism and anti-democracy sentiments on the right, and the appeasement, or even outright support, by GOP politicians of those strains of thought. Nihilism and anti-democracy are pre-authoritarian, in that they would remove the political checks on authoritarianism.
Thanks for playing...
Examples on the right are trade protectionism (there is debate within the right AND the left on this. It is simply policy choice with risks and benefits... not examples of any authoritarianism. And it comes from both Reps and Dems.)
breaking up Big Tech; (supported by the left too, debated within the right)
separating families as a tool to deter illegal immigration; (how is that authoritarianism? Since when did this definition apply to people outside the country that are not even governed by our laws and rules? Deterring illegal immigration has always been a goal shared by both parties, until the radicals turned old Joe into their puppet.)
punishing blue states by withholding emergency aid and other federal assistance; (Democrats do the same to red states… more often and with more punitive measures… yes, that is authoritarianism… especially when done in a partisan fashion)
bathroom bills, opposition to gay marriage, and other anti-gay and anti-transgender policies; (the progressive are pushing for progressive laws on these things and the GOP tends to oppose them for reasons of traditional Judea Christian values. That is no example of authoritarianism. The debate is healthy. Look at what has happened to girl’s athletics because the left authoritarians forced schools to allow trans people to compete in female sports.)
minimizing or even supporting police and vigilante brutality against minorities; (LOL. That is BS. Nobody supports police brutality. There is nothing authoritarian about the GOP on this. They leave it to the states and cities and just make sure the leaders of the states and cities are held responsible for how they handle their law enforcement. That is democracy not authoritarianism. Fucking Bill Clinton is the one that ran on being tough on crime and pushed the 3 strikes and added hundreds of thousands of police with federal spending. Kamala Harris used to bust the chops of young black men for stealing and doing drugs.)
anti-CRT and similar controls on schools and universities: (yeah, well the GOP rejects the teaching of Nazism too… which derives from Marxism…which is embedded in CRT. If that is authoritarianism I think it is great. But it is not. It is just protecting the country from the extreme left that would make it into another failed communist state. )
Current authoritarianism is not my major concern with the GOP. There are political checks on right- wing authoritarianism. LOL. Ok.
My major concerns with the GOP are nihilism and anti-democracy sentiments on the right, (Fuck you say… LOL. ALL the nihilism and anti-democracy sentiments are on the left. Go get yourself some collectivism in Venezuela and keep that crap out of here.)
and the appeasement, or even outright support, by GOP politicians of those strains of thought. Nihilism and anti-democracy are pre-authoritarian, in that they would remove the political checks on authoritarianism.
Giant fail. You seem to be projecting and making up shit in your head. You might want to actually look up the words:
Authoritarianism (like national vaccination mandates, shutdowns, shelter-in-place orders, CTR requirements in schools, etc.) Those are examples of it… government taking away freedoms in a complete partisan way. Canceling, censoring, that is authoritarianism. Taking away existing rights. That is authoritarianism. Conservatives are generally libertarians. They support leave me the fuck alone to pursue my own interests. The claim that the right is a risk of authoritarianism is just projection of the very sickness of the left.
Nihilism is the campus sickness being taught that is embedded in critical theory. The doctrine that nothing actually exists or that existence or values are meaningless. That there is no objective truth, only relative “feelings” of “victims” that take precedent. Tear the system down and Great Reset it to a new socialist collectivist Utopia. That is nihilism. Again… projecting left dogma as a right thing. It is not
You have not moved the needle here. California is a great example of a growing authoritarian regime. The fact that Biden was elected is 100% proof that Trump was never anything close to any risk of authoritarianism. His crime was trying to break up the American power cabal that seeks to control everything with an iron fist of authoritarianism.
Throughout your reply to me you make the error of citing nihilism and authoritarianism on the left as proof that that there is not a problem of nihilism and authoritarianism on the right, or on the other hand to assert that similar political discussions on the left regarding restricting freedoms mean the political discussions on the right regarding restricting freedoms are not authoritarian. That is simply a logical fallacy (if a, then b; then if not a, then not b). Nihilism and authoritarianism are a problem on the American left, but also on the American right.
Authoritarianism is government oppression or violation of personal freedoms on an arbitrary or partisan basis, generally without access to legal challenge. Let's take the examples I provided one by one.
Trade protectionism denies freedom of contract to some persons to advance the partisan interests of other persons. Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders are particularly enthusiastic authoritarian trade protectionists. Sherrod Brown and Peter Navarro also.
Big Tech companies have a first amendment right to publish, or not publish, whatever speech they want. Threatening breakups, regulation, or financial penalties to coerce the Big Tech companies to publish what you want, or not publish what you don't want, is authoritarian. Josh Hawley and Elizabeth Warren are particularly authoritarian in this regard.
Authoritarianism can be applied against any person within the government's jurisdiction, not just citizens. It was authoritarian of the Trump administration to separate immigrant families without due process rights or hearings on asylum claims.
Punishing or threatening to punish blue state citizens for their liberal political views is classic authoritarianism, as would be punishing citizens of red states for their conservative political views.
Regarding gay and transgender people, it is authoritarian to deny them rights recognized with heterosexuals and non-transgender. Opposition to marital equality is a classic example of authoritarianism, as was conservative opposition to interracial marriage during Jim Crow.
Conservative Republican support for Derek Chauvin and even Armaud Arbery's killers, are examples of support for authoritarian police and citizen vigilante practices. Denying the obvious problem of biased policing is support for authoritarianism.
Government promotion of anti-CRT curriculum and prohibition of CRT curriculum, including criminal penalties on teachers and administrators who express offending speech, is authoritarian. Threatening defunding universities for partisan reasons is authoritarian.
Biden's election is proof that Trump is a failed anti-democratic authoritarian, not proof that he is not authoritarian. Conservatism today is not true libertarianism, but rather a populist libertarianism of freedom for me but not for thee.
The American right is nihilistic in that they trash longstanding American norms, values, and institutions, including democracy itself. January 6, and the prelude and rationalizing and minimizing aftermath, is the definitive example.
You need to read up on CRT, or dig deep into some intellectual honesty to admit that you are in-deed projecting on others what are your actual interests and beliefs. CRT evolved from 1970s and a form of critical theory from three now dead French communists that were upset about the glaring failure of communism and committed to finding other excuses to defend their ideological bias. What they came up is similar to what Hitler came up with and is documented in Mein Kampf. Instead of a Jewish conspiracy to gain world domination, critical theory just shifts to blaming other groups. Critical Theory argues that social problems stem more from social structures and cultural assumptions than from individuals.
And this is completely anathema to the founding principles of western civilization where the individual is free and individual rights are divine and rein supreme. And individuals should be held responsible for their own behavior and choices.
Trump, as with Reagan and as do the fundamental principles of Republicanism, are in protecting the individual... individual rights and liberty... but for Americans... not for the immigrants of El Salvador that become reliable Democrat moocher voters in subsequent generations. And nothing about the Republican platform blames groups for any of the ills of modern society (except the group of corrupt politicians and their corporatist benefactors)... it blames individuals for their bad behavior and mistakes.
That is not fascism. Fascism in what we see in states like California where the state is controlled by one party and the Governor can do what the hell he pleases... including more actions to crack down on those that would oppose him. Fascism is identified in partisanship. The Democrats are fully committed to getting their way and cracking down on all that would oppose. They prop up their dictator through the abuse of power owning all the institutions of power. It is the people that are fighting that power structure... fighting fascism. They voted for Trump and will likely put him in power again in 2024 to finish what they started.
If you fight against that, you are in fact fighting FOR fascism.
Individual opinions are shaped to a degree by biases and preferences. One person may view a particular government action as authoritarian, while another person may view the same action as government doing what it is supposed to do. And one person's nihilism is another person's revolutionary justice.
I am familiar with CRT. I attended Harvard Law School while Derrick Bell was a professor there. CRT provides some interesting, and even profound, analysis of the presence and effects is systemic racism. It is worthwhile for academic study in undergraduate an graduate programs, but CRT would tend to be oppressive and racist if used as the foundation for public policy. Having said that, your throwing the word fascist around, and even comparing CRT to Mein Kampf, is silly.
Your celebrating Donald Trump as some protector of individual liberty is ridiculous. His extreme narcissism leaves no room for caring about other people's freedom, or otherwise. Trump cares only about feeding his ego and making money. And is quite willing to lead a pseudo cult of rubes to feed his ego and pocket book.
But the dangerous part for our country is Trump's willingness to destroy American democracy, because his ego can't stand losing to Joe Biden. Your statement that opposing Trump and his MAGA followers is supporting fascism may be the most idiotic thing I have heard from a Trump supporter. And that is saying something.
There does not appear to be much overlap in our respective viewpoints. Still, I enjoyed our conversation.
Harvard Law School explains a lot. It just goes to my experience that people with high academic achievement are myopic in their thought process. You cannot even spot the cognitive dissonance and lack of critical thinking in your response. You drift off in criticizing Trump's personality and project what he feels and cares about.
My experience with high academic types is that for all their academic gifts, they often lack emotional intelligence and suck at really reading people for who they are.
Trump destroying democracy? LOL That is rich given the destruction billionaire boys club puppet in the white house today.
I have never been a fan of Trump's personality. However, his platform was near Reaganesk and what the country needs. I don't get all wee weed up about a Tweet.