Politics As Identity

When the pandemic really started to hit home, Trump’s poll numbers improved–causing several commenters to this blog and friends on Facebook to express both mystification and fear.

I tend to agree with Paul Ogden’s March 28th response, analyzing this “panic bump.”  Agreement has also come from Nate Silver and from Rachel Bitecofer, writing at the Niskanen Center.  They have also  noted that Trump’s “bump” is considerably smaller than those that followed previous shocks to the political system, and that all previous examples had dissipated in fairly short order.

I worry far more about a different asset Trump enjoys–one that differs from previous situations and reflects a troubling phenomenon in American politics. As Rachel Bitecofer wrote, that “formidable asset” is today’s political polarization and hyper-partisanship, which provide Trump with a reliable (arguably unmovable) base of support, and–at least so far– has prevented a truly substantial erosion in approval ratings.

Now, the parties are largely ideologically homogenous and partisanship has evolved to become a social identity, an individual’s “ride or die,” which makes the prospect of red states breaking in favor of Biden seem unlikely, especially given the salience of white racial identity in contemporary Republican politics. In an America in which partisans are willing to inflict bodily harm on each other over politics, it seems unlikely that a mere recession, even an intense one, could move them off of their preferred presidential candidate in the ways it did prior to the polarized era, when the economic-fundamentals models, like the dinosaurs once did, ruled the Earth.

A similar analysis has made by Heather Cox Richardson, a professor of history at Boston College, in an essay comparing Trump’s “rhetorical strategy” to that described  by Eric Hoffer in 1951, in his classic book, “The True Believer.”  Hoffer argued that demagogues need “a disaffected population” composed of  people who feel they’ve lost power and status that they previously held– “that they had been displaced either religiously, economically, culturally, or politically.”

The disaffected will follow even obviously unfit leaders who promise them a return to their former privileged status.

But to cement their loyalty, the leader had to give them someone to hate. Who that was didn’t really matter: the group simply had to be blamed for all the troubles the leader’s supporters were suffering.

What is particularly chilling is the degree of devotion this strategy inspires. In an article for Salon, Chauncey DeVega interviewed a psychiatrist about Trump and his base.

Q: As in other cults, the members are in love with the leader. Trump’s followers are very damaged people. As such, whatever Trump commands them to do they will do, even if it means getting sick and dying from the coronavirus.

A: That is correct. Such a level of mass fanaticism is very disturbing, and is something that we have not seen in the United States on such a large scale. We have seen it with Jim Jones and other cults. People follow the cult leader to their doom. Of course, there was a similar type of fanaticism in Germany with Adolf Hitler. Trump’s followers really need a strong leader to make them feel safe. It could be a strong father figure, a god, anyone who is powerful enough to make them feel loved and safe.

Trump’s followers, like other cult members, also want someone who will accept their aggression and destructiveness as being good and normal. These people are devoted to Trump. That devotion is more important than anything else.

These descriptions are certainly consistent with what I have observed over the past three years. Trump’s supporters are disproportionately people who simply couldn’t abide having an African-American President, and who are terrified of being “displaced” by uppity women and detested minorities.

They will not desert him.

That means that the only way to defeat Trump and his Republican sycophants in November is to get out the vote. We cannot waste time trying to peel off damaged people from what has been accurately described as a cult. We must fight every effort at vote suppression and electoral rigging, and work like we’ve never worked before to get the majority of Americans– people who haven’t made fear and/or hatred part of their identities– to the polls.

49 Comments

  1. Vote Blue, no matter who. We may not be your perfect candidates, but we will be better than the Gang Of Putin. Elect the better instead of the evil. There is no choice. Sitting out or going for a third party is supporting Trump/Putin.

  2. Thank you, Sheila for once again stating the message of participation. Reading Lewis’ “It Can’t Happen Here” is more chilling than ever. That was in 1935.

    You’re right about the cultists. Watching our health care workers start to die for want of PPE and patients dying for want of ventilators won’t be enough for these damned fools. They ignore the fact that this “government” is allowing that much-need equipment to be EXPORTED instead of used here.

    I guess the cultists will just have to start dying off. Georgia, Florida, Mississippi, Alabama, Texas, Arkansas all have two things in common. They are now another month behind the mitigation curve and they are dominated by Republican politics. We may be about to see Darwin’s speculations come true before our eyes. When you lie down with dogs (In the case of Trump, et.al., sewer rats) you get up with fleas.

  3. That highly questionable “political bump” is for the one man whose months of lies and cover ups regarding Covid-19 has brought this country to the level of highest number of diagnosed cases of coronavirus. They are still unaware of the fact that Trump is killing off Americans, including the Republicans who gave him that “political bump”. Only in America is ignorance an infectious condition in one political party.

    “That means that the only way to defeat Trump and his Republican sycophants in November is to get out the vote.”

    How can we possibly “get out the vote” when the primary elections are no longer in the news? Trump is giving presidential campaign rallies daily which are disguised as health reports and only Joe Biden of the Democratic campaign is keeping his campaign in the public eye on social media and E-mails. Bernie Sanders’ “Bernie Bros” (formerly Bernie Bots) are maintaining steady reports they won’t vote for Joe if he is the candidate and Bernie is somewhere in the shadowland of our presidential campaign. Dr. Fauci is now being protected by Federal Marshals due to death threats from Trump’s supporters and Trump has denied activating of the ACA registration during this Covid-19 Pandemic.

    One party of “Politics As Identity” has become a national epidemic as the “death party”; and they are winning the election months before it happens.

  4. Sorry, but Sheila is preaching to the choir here. While I agree many Trump followers are ‘damaged people’, most are likely not or not so damaged. What they are is alienated from government and politicians. Our country has turned into an oligarchy or corporate state and our politicians are simply a reflection of that. Trump offered hope ….. hope in a different way than Obama did. But Obama kind of caved. Name one person or even corporation that Obama and Holder brought to justice over the financial crimes of the Great Recession. None. And so many voters who had shied from the Dems replacement corporate candidate and voted for Bernie only to see the DNC and super delegates put their fingers on Hillary’s side of the scale took a chance and voted for Trump. Not because they were in love with him. But he offered a fresh take. Unfortunately they didn’t see the snake oil salesman in Trump that the smart people did. Now we’re all stuck with him. And those voters now see before them a Dem candidate once again put in place by corporate america. Will they vote for Joe? or stick with Trump or just not vote? Whichever they do, I can’t really blame them.

  5. In the final analysis, we have no alternative than to RESIST. That won’t be easy, but in my estimation, it makes much more sense than IRRESPONSIBLE POLITICAL SUICIDE.

  6. 1.) I agree with much of your basic premise – relating to the fact that – Red states may well vote red in 2020. Terry Franzman made clear points that Trump supporters are not “damaged”, but we should be clear that such supporters are about 35-40% of the population.
    2.) It seems obvious that – key states: Florida, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin – for example will be key to the presidential results. IF – the Democrats – can not take advantage of the Trump failures in these states, where the Evangelical/Trump base is not strong, then they/we do not deserve to win the election. Gretchen Whitmer – Michigan’s governor, might be a logical vice-presidential candidate related to this.
    3.) While it seemed obvious that Biden would be the Democratic Party nominee, things May get a little unclear in the next 2-3 months. Perhaps – an alternate candidate – Andrew Cuomo (despite his corrupt history in NY state) comes to mind, might become the logical candidate. The delay in the completion of the primaries and caucuses – gives the Democrats some time. Sanders seems to me highly irrelevant now. Totally changing our healthcare – insurance system, while obviously a good idea, is NOT going to take hold as “the issue” and Sanders CLEARLY – is not the effective, pragmatic leader that Cuomo is. Both he and Biden -seem like “old men” now – in a world – where being younger seems potentially important.
    4.) – Sanders was great – at getting out his diehard supporters. He DID NOT – bring out the “youth vote” – which may be important. IF Sanders supporters can not see the importance of defeating Trump in 2020, and essentially sabotage the election, their OBVIOUS self-serving Racism will be evident – as they will be willing to sacrifice People of Color, immigrants and others, just to say “I’m right”. I really hope – most of them will “grow up” – and recognize that we don’t need “the revolution” in a literal sense – where we have a totally Fascist state in 2021-2022.
    5.) – Encouraging the votes of People of Color, women and some men in 2020 are very important. Screaming – about how horrible Trump is – won’t be effective. We need factual, intellectual – positioning, to be sure. We also need to seriously look at the emotional side of things. People need to be shown how Trump has let them down. The EMOTIONS – of many are important. Trump plays on emotion. Democrats need to see that and hear the fears and concerns of the voters who really matter in 2020. People of Color need to feel listened to. Suburban Milwaukee, Philadelphia, Detroit and other cities’ “independent voters” and “middle-of-the road Republican” voters – need to both recognize Trump’s failures AND see the Democrats as a Positive Alternative. Alienating such voters – will be dangerous.
    6.) Winning in 2020 – is quite possible, but will take significant work – not talking to the converted – but healing and reaching others. It is also important that Democrats take solid control in the senate.

  7. While our Constitution lays out what the government can and cannot do, it limits the discussion of duties to the three branches of government. So what are the duties of citizenship? We all know that we must obey (under penalty) the laws written by legislatures and signed by executives, whether they be federal or state. So we generally try not to kill people, rob banks, or run red lights.

    But do we have an overarching duty or responsibility to vote in every general election for which we are qualified? Within that duty, if we determine it to indeed be a duty, what are our responsibilities as voters? Are we capable of thorough examination of the platforms and policy prescriptions of each individual candidate and making a determination of which is best for the future of our city, state, country, or our world? Is that the duty of the voter?

    Sorry to have only questions this morning, but I would be interested to read your answers.

  8. Come on people, if you honestly think the GOP is the only party of identity politics, you’re succumbing to the same deny, defend, and deflect characteristics enjoyed by right-wing cultists.

    The next thing you know, you’ll be demanding Rachel Maddow take over as the presidential candidate for the mentally incapacitated Joe Biden.

    Those of us seeking change, which seems to be most of the commenters on this blog, are struggling with the channel to how this emanates. Neither political party is interested in changing from the status quo because those in power toss billions after the political class.

    Meanwhile, the working class gets screwed and stays divided. Why is that?

  9. Todd,

    “Meanwhile, the working class gets screwed and stays divided. Why is that?”

    Why? As I’ve been trying to point out the past five years, the PRO-DEMOCRACY INTELLIGENCE has been compromised. For example: If your wife or husband is running around on you, would you expect them to be truthful about it all. It’s the same politically. Beware who you trust. Fools will never win.

  10. We’re being destroyed because of OUR INTELLIGENCE GAP. It’s very similar to what happened to the Allied forces during W.W. II at the DECISIVE “Battle of the Bulge.” The Germans infiltrated our defenses dressed as Americans. Our front line defense was COMPROMISED. Because of this, we almost lost the battle which, possibly, could have changed the direction of the WAR.

  11. The US handling of the pandemic and the ensuing economic chaos perhaps offers a genuine, one-time opportunity to change more of the “general public” into the “electorate” by….VOTING. Why? Pain and fear – and these are pretty uniform for the “unwashed 70%” who don’t support the President (except for the top 5% who have all the $). “They” can through the magic of the ballot become the “We” in “we, the people”.

    Obstacles are there big time: gerrymandering (too late to change now – have to work around), voter suppression (expose and fight hard), difficulties /complexity of voting (hold them by the hand and drive them to the polls).

    Of course, it will come down to the statistically always who seldom/never vote: minorities and young people. For the former, it will take extra work by faith and community leaders. For the latter, it may take drastic, innovative messaging….

  12. We’ve been at war for 50 years in the U.S. It’s not recognized as such, since only one side fights back. It’s much like the “Phoney War,” which PRECEDED the German BLITZKRIEG, that overran most of Europe at the beginning of W.W. II.

  13. I am impressed with George Marx’s take on the situation and with Sheila’s exhortation to TURN OUT (which cannot be overstated). I tend to be more optimistic than some of our contributors today. I think with 10 going on 30 million unemployed this morning and a recession and the virus en route to Trump’s rural strongholds and with TURN OUT among women and minorities and the fact that not all the cult will drink Jones’s (Trump’s) Kool Aid, and that with only 35-40 per cent in the cult’s clutches we are talking about 60 to 65 per cent who are not. I like those numbers come November if they hold, and I have reason to believe they will not only hold but improve.

    So after all the expert and pundit treatment on this fall’s election and how this or that bloc will react to this or that campaign’s entreaties and all the offsetting arguments pro and con, guess what? It’s about arithmetic, which brings us back to Sheila’s observation in re TURN OUT. It seems to me our job is not to argue esoteric ideas but rather health care, wage inequality and any other issues that speak to the everyday lives of voters plus a liberal dose of how Trump has not delivered on such issues, all with a design to enhance TURN OUT. We have the votes; the trick is to TURN THEM OUT. Let’s do it.

  14. I haven’t liked doing this TODAY, but my VISION hasn’t been compromised, since I recognized the problem at its BEGINNING fifty years ago.

    You have to be there at the beginning. It’s called WARNING INTELLIGENCE. Without it, you’re going to be doomed. You can’t intervene otherwise.

  15. Marv – Yes, I have been wrong more than once before, but I have been right more than once before, too. It’s a “You pays your money and you takes your chances” thing in guessing off electoral outcomes. I thought Hillary would win and that Dewey would win in 1948, too, but I was wrong, though I have been right more than wrong in my electoral guesswork since Truman.

    Nonetheless, I will continue to guess off electoral outcomes as I see them and will continue to do so whether others consider my choices Pollyannish or Nate Silverish, though Nostradamus I am not – nor is anyone else except Nostradamus. I have company.

  16. Strategic action is needed to get out the vote and get Democratic votes. That isn’t happening. I fear just as the Bernie Sanders crowd has gone silent once again and are sticking their head in the sand saying they won’t vote, Democrats will once again loose the solidarity to win in November. At the very least, Bernie Sanders should come out with support for the Democratic candidate, Biden or not. Sanders needs to tell his supporters to Vote Blue No Matter Who.

  17. Marv,

    This whole thing is quite astounding wouldn’t you agree?

    I’ve been pretty busy the past few days, but, I read this morning’s thread and comparing what I’ve been looking at this morning, no one has to guess!

    You have governors that are paralyzed against doing anything to help their constituency in their states until the American Nero gives his nod. The boldface lies about every single thing, I believe that this plague is going to be a lot worse than what they are predicting. Especially now that they’ve discovered that it’s airborne and not just given by close contact. The summer break freak fests are now bearing its unwanted fruit, colleges are starting to report burgeoning epidemics amongst their constituency.

    President Nero sent tons upon tons of PPE and other equipment to China, all the while people were telling him, the tsunami was on its way, and then he tells everyone not to worry because it’s going to go away like a miracle! But, you can be mad if you want at this lunatic, I would like to know the excuse for these governors, you have a few that are very proactive, Pritzker in Illinois, Cuomo in New York, Inslee in Washington, Edwards in Louisiana trying to stay ahead of the curve on their own, but you can’t plug the starboard holes, when all of the portholes are left alone and expect the boat to stay afloat.

    And even with evidence recorded in print and on video and voice, they (current administration and toadies) are now trying to lay blame somewhere else for their own incompetence! There is always enough blame to go around, but when all you do is make accusations instead of decisions, nothing is accomplished. General Honoré said, “don’t be stuck on stupid” well, they’re stuck up to their axles!

    I’ve got an idea though, and this I know will work! Ask hobby lobby’s owner, David Green, what visions his wife might have concerning the economy and this runaway plague circumventing the globe! Nothing like a little hypocritical divine greenback feedback, LOL!

    This made me think of a Scripture in Jeremiah, it was a warning through the prophet Jeremiah,

    It reads; “the profits are prophesying lies in my name. ” I have not sent them or commanded them or spoken to them………. A lying vision and a worthless divination and the deceit of their own heart is what they are prophesying to you. Therefore this is what GOD says concerning prophets who are prophesying in my name, though I did not send them, and who say that no sword or famine will occur in this land; “by sword and by famine those profits will perish. And the people to whom they are prophesying will be cast out into the streets……………….. with no one to bury them, their wives, their sons, or their daughters, for I will pour out on them the calamity they deserve.”

    I think that 14th chapter in Jeremiah, well, it hits the nail pretty square!

  18. Gerald,

    “though Nostradamus I am not – nor is anyone else except Nostradamus.”

    I’m disappointed in you. You know better. I’m not playing Nostradamus. You just can’t handle the facts.

  19. One thing that we all seem wired for is blaming others preferentially to accepting accountability. TrumPence McConnell maybe extreme examples but it seems also that the same trait is endemic to the human race. We can blame from our easy chairs which just seems like it’s easy to accomplish a lot compared to actually leaving those comfortable spots and venturing into the frontiers of who we are and why.

    Will the period of self isolation caused by the threat of death by suffocation now force us to confront us?

    Maybe.

  20. Sheila is not the first to speak of an America “in which partisans are willing to inflict bodily harm on each other over POLITICS.”

    I suggest that individuals willing to harm others BECAUSE of politics are actually low in number.

    Here’s why…
    If I, or several million others, are willing to beat the crap out of the incurably mean (misanthropes?) who intend to harm entire segments of the population–whether they assault us with baseball bats or tax law or poor healthcare or subtle bigotry or politics in general– my attack on them is not against POLITICS; it is against the war-march they are actively on to injure large segments of American citizens.

    I purport there is significant difference between the planks of a political platform and the army of deplorables and incurably mean who are already on the march and have been sniping and attacking the rest of us from the dark niches of the American social landscape for generations. Politics merely wordifies and organizes the wishes and villainy of a hoped-for majority of voters in order to win the opportunity to enact sometime later said villainy into laws and/or loopholes.

    There is a political way to fight political enemies.
    There is another way entirely to fight — BAM!!!– the incurably mean.

  21. Larry,

    “There is a political way to fight political enemies.
    There is another way entirely to fight — BAM!!!– the incurably mean”

    You get it! You gotta see both. And you better deal with both.

  22. As Larry has well pointed out. There are two DOMESTIC battles going on.

    1. Partisan politics: Republicans led by Donald Trump vs. Democrats to be led by?

    2. Domestic viral warfare: now “hijacked” by Donald Trump and engaged by who?

    You have to fight both battles at the same time. Can you imagine what would have happened to us, if our military in W.W. II had decided not to bother with submarine warfare and failed to develop SONAR?

  23. The parallels with Hitler are inescapable. After losing WW 1, Germany was impoverished, national morale was low, the country needed rebuilding, and it was ripe for a demagogue like Hitler to rise to power. All that was needed in addition to a powerful-appearing leader was someone or, in this case, some group to focus on for hatred and blame for the country’s ills, and that was Jews. Hitler had been, up to that point, a relative failure in life–he had repeatedly been turned down for admission to a prestigious Art Institute in Austria, he didn’t do well as a soldier, didn’t have a wife or children, and didn’t have any business or profession in which he succeeded. He eked out a living hand painting landscapes on picture postcards (which are now very valuable). He seized on the opportunity to appeal to Germans’ low morale, formed a political party that eventually consumed the German government and all newspapers and radio stations, and the rest is history.

    Take Trump–he lived a privileged life. His father helped him cheat to avoid military service. He was given a million dollars in the late 1960’s to start a business, but he got sued by HUD for housing discrimination. He entered into a consent decree, but still claims, to this day, that he “won” this lawsuit. He has bankrupted 6 or 7 businesses, and tried to take on partners because he couldn’t get credit from any U.S. bank, so he has been selling his persona as a “self-made billionaire”: Trump Casinos, Trump Steaks, Trump University ($25 m settlement), and Trump golf accessories. He was supported by his father well into his forties. His father would send agents to Trump Casinos to purchase bags and bags of chips that were never cashed, just to try to establish some cash flow to keep the casinos going, but they eventually failed. He has been sued literally thousands of times by contractors and suppliers who never got paid. He has bragged that this is intentional: coerce a lawsuit and then settle for a lower price to save attorney fees and litigation costs. I call it cheating. Because he continues to hide his tax and financial records, the full extent of his entanglements with Russians and Saudi Arabians isn’t known. His only real success came with “The Apprentice”, but that wasn’t enough. He needed power and adulation, so he seized on the resentment of non-college educated whites who were pissed off when Barak Obama not only got elected, but was very successful as POTUS. Of course, like everything else in his pathetic life, he had to cheat his way into the White House.

    The current news cycle reports that states with Democratic Governors cannot get the PPE or ventilators they are begging for, but states with Republican Governors and that Trump needs to get re-elected can get everything they want. Trump and his personal television network constantly try to blame President Obama for the lack of preparedness for this pandemic, even though the Obama Administration set up a pandemic rapid response unit and created a playbook for steps needed to react to just this kind of crisis. Trump also whines that no matter how many ventilators New York, for example, receive, they’ll never be satisfied,. He also refuses to call Democratic Governor Gretchen Witmer by her name because she criticized him. In his usual smirking (“I think I’m hot) arrogance, he said that he prefers helping governors who appreciate him and thank him. Now, we’re supposed to thank this loser for giving us supplies needed to save lives that were purchased with our money?

    People are and will die because of this sociopath, but the scary part is that Trumpsters will vote for this loser no matter how many lies he tells and no matter how many people die due to his incompetence. The faithful tune in to Pastor Hannity every evening for their daily indoctrination as to how Trump is wonderful and the Democrats are evil. Falwell, Jr. re-opened Liberty University, claiming, in an interview, that COVID-19 was just another flu being used by Democrats to get Trump. Then, there is that mega church pastor that had to be arrested because he not only held services, he sent out church buses to pick up congregants and got them to shake hands.

    You are correct, Sheila. People are dying unnecessarily, but the Trump Disciples will still vote for him. Because their devotion is not based on merit or patriotism, but rather, an inner sense of resentment toward women and minorities who succeed, we must get out the vote. We can’t take much more of Trump.

  24. Yeah Marv, I hate to say it, but I think you’re correct in your assessment of the situation. This really isn’t an all-hands-on-deck situation anymore, it’s an abandon ship situation!

    Nostradamus, LOL Gerald! You guys are killing me this morning. Nostradamus is so vague, those that like to listen to him can pretty much use his words to mean almost anything. It was purposeful and clever by him and his quatrain writing. I really think Nostradamus liked the opium pipe.

    Nostradamus doesn’t follow a particular attack, he’s all over the map! That’s pretty much why I I have always enjoyed scripture, Old and New testament. It really is uniform in it’s message. From the beginning to the end, and scriptures in the New testament allude to the old ones, and information expressed in scripture is being verified on a continuous basis.

    Folks poo poo it, it’s poo-pooed because of the ignorance and apostate hypocrisy of those who claimed to be in leadership positions of these religions. But if you really just study the scripture as you would any historical book, compared to other written records, Stones, tablets, glyphs, it really is accurate!

    That being said, scripture does make an accounting for what is about to happen, and as you said Marv, “BAM” well I think there’s a big Bam coming, and I really don’t believe anybody is prepared for it.

    I truly believe that a lot of what’s going on is predicted in Daniel, it’s bearing fruit as we speak, man’s history is standing on feet of clay mixed with iron oh, it appears strong sometimes, but it has no adhesion, iron is strong class. And it doesn’t mix. It’s just a really excellent metaphor of what’s going on now, government is paralyzed, the population is angry and tribal, and these religious leaders are fighting against government. Definitely feet of clay and iron!

    The first inclination is to fight, but if you think about it, that’s no way to win anything whatsoever.

    When it gets like this, I really believe that he’s going to declare martial law, and retribution is going to be similar but on a larger scale two Nazi Germany or Joseph Stalin’s Purge or the Khmer rouge Purge, or even the purges that went on in the Russian Soviet Union, one minute Russia is bringing back with a vengeance!

    It’s time to hunker down, watch your family, be safe as possible. And, I would encourage everyone to read scripture. The answers are there, the hope is there, the promise is there, but if you have no faith, it does no good!

    Scripture doesn’t tell you you can’t defend yourself, and you can’t protect your family, that in itself, how you do it, it’s a choice everyone has to make, it’s a matter of conscience concerning how far you take it and willing to go.

    Other forces are controlling the narrative, because nothing makes any sense, things are happening that are antithetical to each other.

    When scripture says these people will be lead as if they had hooks in their jaws, well, a fish doesn’t like to be on the hook, but most of the time he gets reeled in and eaten! seems to me, these leaders and everyone else are being reeled in as if they had a hook in their jaws!

    I really think that things might seem like they’re getting better after a little bit, and then, I think the giant flyswatter is going to swat the whole deal, lol, or maybe not lol, but yikes.

    The police officers that I’ve talked to, the Feds that are patrolling the areas around the military base, none of them have seen anything like this in their lifetimes, this is uncharted waters, with government being as inept, during multiple crises, it’s a historical time, one that you better be able to understand, and one that doesn’t rip your face to shreds.

  25. My biggest concern about getting Democrats out to the polls is that we need to figure out a way to convince the younger generation of strong Bernie supporters that it is imperative that they vote for Biden. We also need to figure out a way to convince those who strongly supported Warren and Buttegieg.

    We must convince them that voting for Biden is a matter of survival and is not the time to refuse to vote because they are angry. They need to be reassured that the older white generations are on their way out and that the younger generations will very soon be in control.

  26. Nancy – we at CommonGoodGoverning are laser-focused on this issue right now and are gearing up brainstorming. Glad to have you (and other Sheilites) join us. Sheila can give you my email.

  27. john,

    I don’t disagree with anything you just said. However, how does one not fight, not necessarily PHYSICALLY, against the loss of his family’s FUTURE? It seems to me that FEAR has taken over common sense.

    I’m reminded of the fact there were close to 500,000 Jews in the Warsaw ghetto and only a few hundred decided to fight back. No doubt, there wasn’t any chance of success. But what will our excuse be, I don’t see one? Please clue me in. Is the lack of CIVIC COURAGE a valid excuse?

  28. “Ask and ye shall receive.”

    An E-mail from INDems (Indiana Democratic Party) has scheduled our Convention for June 13th. An AOL News item reported the DNC has scheduled their convention for the week of August 17th.

  29. Nancy.
    i wont argue the issue,of needing to change the present admin,and go,to Joe, but the use of Joe shouldnt be used to defend the change either.. its a matter of getting to the street and speaking with people,if just in passing WHY! everyone can read on face and twit, but it doesnt make a point when someone will explain why..words have become a cheap economy for change, face to face,ya gotta explain why,and how.. my talks with the working class in my field,mostly all trumpers, has me explain why,and how.. ive walked away with feeling i did more than type a few words and whys,,, like our own elected officials don’t…i can and will side swipe a persons actions in congress and senate,and tell them,,trump is using you like a whore for his buddies needs. frank words, and a punch at why they will never see above a poverty line for them and every working class person. open some minds, Bernie failed bacuse all we heard was a polite decorum and his manners regarding his fellow reps. we dont have to be that way,and thats where we need to be,up front,in sight,and ready to engage in conversation with anyone..i do this everyday,it may at least get some stimulation going and some thougts past on..but,at 65 i have no problem talking to the younger gens,none. seems they like knowlege from the past,and whos been looking out for who, many just rely on the same sites and talk,press the conversation,write down a few sites and orgs,, passemon,you know to be easy to digest,and support the change,no matter how little….high five (bump elbows) and smile when you,leave..and dont stop there…in a time like now where we self quarentine, find ways to go beyond the same ol same ol. get to a younger site,pass on the whys,from the past,many enjoy the conversation,and many may pass your knowlege on to others..
    best wishes, washdapaws..

  30. Fauci now warning that up to 200,000 US citizens could die, Trump’s phony war is coming to an end. To put this number in perspective the USA had a total of 291,557 combat deaths in WW 2 over a little more than 3 1/2 years.

    A friend of mine who has a son that is a Doctor in a hospital, told her it is far worse than the media is letting on. It is not the Media’s fault in way, the testing for Corona is simply a complete a total failure. Add to the confusion is the fragmented approach that different states are taking.

    From an article in the Guardian: >> Trump’s gut instinct to dispute expert medical advice, without any evidence, plays into the anti-establishment, anti-science and Christian fundamentalist sentiments nurtured in Trump’s Republican base. So, too, do his xenophobic attempts to blame the virus on foreigners and foes, principally China’s communist leaders, immigrants and Europe.

    Ironically, the level-headedness, good judgment and common sense shown by a key adviser, Anthony Fauci, a leading infectious disease expert, have made up for Trump’s lack of those very qualities. Fauci has added gravitas to Trump’s rambling, incoherent performances in front of camera. But vicarious leadership of this sort cannot work indefinitely.

    The real problems for Trump and his national savior act will begin when it becomes clear the administration’s failure to instigate a nationwide testing regime, coupled with its refusal to order effective lockdowns of virus hotspots and tardiness in delivering life-saving equipment, is increasing the likelihood of a protracted, rolling nightmare of sickness and misery through the summer and fall.<<

    None of these warnings have seemed to dissuade, the Reactionary Right Wing bible thumper's who as a test faith will march off to church and think they are protected or will die happy knowing their faith was tested and they passed. March on christian soldiers.

  31. Monotonous,

    Unfortunately, you’re probably right. They will go marching to their END TIMES, even if RAPTURE is no longer in the picture and, that way, they can be what they always wanted to be: a bunch of NAZIS. Let’s not forget 60% of the churches in Germany were NAZIFIED by their own vote.

  32. The question that keeps coming up in mind is whether there will be an election in November, and if there is one, how will it be conducted?

  33. Marv,

    I hate using this phone, LOL, I need to talk much slower obviously.

    When the Romans laid siege to Jerusalem, things quieted down and the Romans withdrew for a little while. The Jews in Jerusalem seem to feel that they had defeated the Romans! But what happened? The Romans came back, they came back with a vengeance, they came back with a mission, not only were they looking for blood, they were looking for vengeance! Those Jewish survivors in Jerusalem were touting their self-proclaimed victory, and the Romans wanted to make an example out of them. In the end, those folks were eating their own children and boiling their sandals because they were starving to death. Christ alluded to this time and 70 CE by also discussing Nebuchadnezzar sacking Jerusalem in 607 BCE.

    The prophecies that took place concerning Nebuchadnezzar’s dream right the dream about the tree being cut down and had his dream interpreted by the prophet Daniel. The point is, one pointed to another further down the road, 607 bce, 70 ce and the final time in the future which Jesus Christ said no man knows the day or the hour only the father. He also said, not to be afraid because you would recognize these things pointing to the cumming tribulations. That’s in Matthew the 24th chapter.

    The warning was to mankind, but mankind took no note until a disaster happened, and one of those examples was Noah’s flood, where Jesus said that mankind took no note until the flood came and swept them all away.

    Like I said, I love to study the history in scripture, and, from everything I’ve studied over the years, it’s been extremely accurate! And like I also mentioned, there is more afoot here than just man’s incompetence. It’s almost like a perfect storm, so, do you feel empowered if somehow the elections are Won? The damage has been done, the compass is pointing in the ordained direction, the die has been cast throughout history. Daniel mentioned it in his prophecy of the immense image with the feet of clay and iron. This next disaster is going to be the end of the game so to speak. I’m going to do my best to be on the right side, I do what I have to do for my family as everyone else, you are a man of Faith, you worked for justice, look at what is happening and extrapolate the end game here.

    I’ve got no problem with fighting, and I’m prepared, physically and mentally, but I also recognize that there’s something beyond human knowledge that is happening here, most don’t believe that, but, I really believe that in my heart and I have faith in that. In Matthew it talks about the angry sea, this is referring to Earth’s population, and the sea is angry! we’ve reached the time in our history where these things could happen because there are so many humans on the planet, and instantaneous communication from one end of the globe to the other. It’s never been like this in history, and with all of this stuff happening at the same time, it portends to be biblical in proportion!

  34. john,

    I haven’t made myself clear. I believe any type of physical confrontation is playing right into Trump and his supporter’s hands. You have to hit the target on what you say. And that, no doubt, might end up physically dangerous. MLK hit the target without advocating violence. I’m for non-violence. I was the host for MLK’s top two attorneys when he was protesting in St. Augustine in the early ’60s. My positioning has always been predicated on that positive experience when I was in my 20s.

    Trump is getting away with murder, since he knows no one is going to hit him where it hurts. As the way things are moving, there’s not going to be an election. Why should he allow for one, if no one is willing to confront him in a meaningful way? He’s not that dumb. Is he? He’ll have just the right chance with the spreading Coronavirus as his excuse.

    Maybe what’s going on is that people think he is so dumb that he’s going to actually allow for an election in November. If I was in his shoes, I sure wouldn’t take a chance on one. I guess, I’m giving Trump too much credit. Possibly, the majority of the blog is right. I’m overrating him.

  35. Hey Marv, now you hit the nail on the head there.

    if I recall looking back at some of the old threads, and actually I have, we have both said the exact same thing.

    I don’t think he’s dumb, and that’s his superpower! Everyone thinks he’s dumb. Ignorant? Corrupt? Self-serving? Grifting? A bigot? Et Al, but none of that is stupid. He’s a world-class fiddle player, and he’s been playing them for three and a half years!

    He baited them into the impeachment fiasco, and I don’t know why they bothered because McConnell stated emphatically he was not going to find him guilty!

    Nancy pelosi was right, she knows him better than anyone else. There is no one standing at center stage to rebut the things he says and does, Barack Obama would have been the one I figured would do it, but I think he is afraid of trump anyway.

    Who actually would have the stature to stand there and go toe-to-toe? Especially the way things are now? Anybody that would actually be a thorn in his side so to speak would probably end up disappearing. He’s moving closer and closer to complete authoritarianism, Alla Vladimir Putin. This virus thing fell in his lap and he is realizing that this is what he’s been waiting for, he knows the he can do anything he wants right now and no one will stop him.

    That’s why I’ve mentioned before that there’s something much grander going on, and the prophecies that I’ve read and studied about, are very rapidly moving forward. That’s the only thing that will prevent Trump from demolishing everything. But there’s going to be some really tough times before that.

  36. Sheila has hit the nail on the head again. It amazes me that some evangelical pastors and red state Governors have followed Trump’s disinformation over the edge to their own coronavirus deaths. They literally have drunk the political kool-aid to seal their own doom.

  37. john,

    “Hey Marv, now you hit the nail on the head there.”

    “Who actually would have the stature to stand there and go toe-to-toe? Especially the way things are now?”

    A newly empowered ORGANIZATION that does more than just talk and has the COMBINED EXPERIENCE to out MANEUVER Trump and his RABID supporters.

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