Too bad Covid-19 isn’t black or brown. Perhaps then, Trump would be enthusiastic about defeating it.
As the Presidential campaign moves into high gear, the White Nationalist buffoon in the Oval Office is trying out one racist “Hail Mary” after another. He’s claimed that if Biden is elected, “our suburbs” would be destroyed. And he wasn’t subtle about the nature of that destruction; he specifically called out a 2015 Obama-era fair-housing initiative that requires local governments to address historic patterns of racial desegregation.
“Your home will go down in value, and crime rates will rapidly rise,” Trump said. “People have worked all their lives to get into a community, and now they’re going to watch it go to hell. Not going to happen, not while I’m here.”
White housewives, apparently, will be sufficiently terrified by the prospect of darker-skinned neighbors to ignore Trumpian chaos and failures to even pretend to govern, and vote Republican in November.
Never particularly tethered to facts, Trump has also warned that Biden will abolish the police. Biden, of course, has said nothing of the kind, but hey–a “law and order” President has to remind voters of the dangers posed by “antifa” and the leftists, even if his own government’s data shows pretty convincingly that there is no actual “antifa” movement, and that the real threat to public safety comes from the right.
As the Guardian has recently reported,
Donald Trump has made warnings about the threat of antifa and “far-left fascism” a central part of his re-election campaign. But in reality leftwing attacks have left far fewer people dead than violence by rightwing extremists, new research indicates, and antifa activists have not been linked to a single murder in decades.
A new database of nearly 900 politically motivated attacks and plots in the United States since 1994 includes just one attack staged by an anti-fascist that led to fatalities. In that case, the single person killed was the perpetrator.
Over the same time period, American white supremacists and other rightwing extremists have carried out attacks that left at least 329 victims dead, according to the database.
There’s so much else: Trump’s defense of the Confederate flag, and promises to “protect our historic monuments,” his attack on African American NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace, and his constant and misleading rants against peaceful protesters rallying to the cause of Black Lives Matter. (No, Mr. Pretend-President, the protests are not being mounted by Americans who are trying to destroy the country.)
As Jennifer Rubin noted in a Washington Post opinion column criticizing the New York Times for its understated description of Trump’s “racially charged” references,
Trump is not conducting a seminar on race and culture. He is not calling attention to violence against racial minorities. He is making racist statements and venerating racist symbols. Period.
Rubin also reminds readers that Trump’s explicit and nauseating racism has effectively been endorsed by his political party.
And when the media generously describe Republicans as “bothered” or “uneasy” about Trump’s blatant racism, they exaggerate Republicans’ reaction and distort reality. The overwhelming number of elected Republicans do not say and do not act as though they are bothered or uneasy. The few Republican voices (other than openly Never Trumpers) whom mainstream reporters dig up to say negative things about Trump are generally retired pols (e.g., former congressman Carlos Curbelo) and lesser-known strategists who do not really take Trump on as much as they disagree with his premises and assertions, as if racist words and accusations are floating free in the atmosphere, untethered to a particular person. Let’s be accurate: Whatever personal qualms they might have, virtually every elected Republican either ignores, rationalizes or minimizes Trump’s racist appeals.
In November, Americans won’t just elect people to critically important public offices. We will render a verdict on the country’s original sin.
The GOP has chosen to make defense of racism its political strategy. The party needs to be so soundly defeated that even the very stupid partisans willing to place party above both morality and country recognize the folly of that approach.
Prof K points out that “…even if his own government’s data shows pretty convincingly that there is no actual “antifa” movement, and that the real threat to public safety comes from the right.”
In that vein, please see the MSNBC story on that topic:
‘Umbrella Man’ seen breaking windows at Minnesota protests was white supremacist trying to incite riots, police say
Chris Hayes: “The truth behind this fearmongering and dangerous rhetoric remains that the worst actual documented instances of violence over the last two months were perpetrated by right-wing white nationalists.” (All In)
https://www.msnbc.com/all-in/watch/minn-protest-umbrella-man-was-white-supremacist-trying-to-incite-riots-police-say-88491077920
===============
The Republicans have been the HATE party for most of my 71 years. They are now just more OPEN and HONEST about it.
Was that video presented by Jim Jordan yesterday during Barr’s hearing before the House Judicial Committee a Trump instigated and planned “White Nationalist Hail Mary”? Chairman Nadler stated when it finally ended that it had NOT been presented to the Committee the required 48 hours before the hearing and that fact was entered into the records. Jordan’s jacketless arm waving diatribe and attempted disruptions delved back into former administration’s protective measures which were removed by Trump then he blamed past administrations for not providing those protections earlier. A daily Trump tactic. Watching that video, which was difficult to do, I realized that the media MUST begin broadcasting those peaceful protests which they claim were attacked by violent instigators who were not part of the community but we never see. Think back to January 21, 2017, and the millions who marched peacefully in protest of Trump and related issues; those marches, protests and rallies continued for two years across this country. After Charlottesville conditions seem to have deteriorated rapidly once Trump referred to the “good people” in the neo-Nazis and White Supremacists who changed that peaceful protest into violence and ended with the death of a peaceful woman protester.
Over the past year; the Congressional hearings, no matter the issue or the person in the hot seat, have become verbally violent protests at the government level. Trump is using these situations in his favor as every hearing so far has been a win for the Republicans. He has been using these unrecognized “White Nationalist Hail Mary” hearings to his favor; including his impeachment for which he received a resounding “Amen!” from Mitch McConnell, the Senate and the entire Republican party.
“In November, Americans won’t just elect people to critically important public offices. We will render a verdict on the country’s original sin.”
But only if we win at local, state, national levels, especially in the Senate.
Sheila-I love your work and your words, as I, too, am profoundly concerned about this Republic, the United States of America, we love. We need to laser like focus on POTUS Trump as a liar, racist, misogynistic person who is only interested in his personal glory. Believe it or not, I believe him to be a master of mis-information and has the ability to re-direct the conversation, i.e., Russia’s bounty hunting of American troops to minorities taking over the suburbs. We need to ignore his BS, and focus on the person who is a liar, racist, misogynistic person!
When you are a sociopathic narcissist, you are not the master of any specific “strategy” since it’s part of your character. Hell, it’s your basic instincts.
Trump is both evil and sick. He has a mental illness, first and foremost. The mere fact that he repeatedly says, “I trust my gut.” over any rational thought should heed a warning to all. His instinctual level is severely damaged with mental illness and sociopathy. Any idea or strategy coming from this level will be irrational sickness.
Sheila writes about the upcoming election, “We will render a verdict on the country’s original sin.”
The DNC continues to use identity politics to win elections. Biden has put forth “progressive” policies, but too many progressives remember Obama’s bait and switch. I expect Biden to appeal to several bases and then screw them all over once elected. Why not?
An election won in November will just be a “never Trump” mandate, which says we are not a racist country, but we are a racist country. We will not address the systemic issues because we are a classist country and until we admit that, we’ll never solve it, or racism.
Wall Street loves Trump, too, but knows his racism is shooting himself in the foot. Thankfully, they got Biden, who will uphold policies beneficial to capitalism and, thus, perpetuate the systemic classism and racism inherent in an economic system that benefits the Oligarchy.
The “New York Times” is one of the thousands of media outlets trying desperately to present themselves as “balanced.” They have printed blatant untruths and they have given uncritical space to people like Tom Cotton to promote unconstitutional uses of our military. We don’t need balance. We need facts!
Since all major outlets had cameras running the night Federal officers were sicced on the peaceful protestors at Lafayette Park, we were able to witness live the overreach of this administration in order to allow a photo op for 45. We have been able to witness Federal officers tear gassing the wall of moms and the wall of veterans in Portland. It was clear they weren’t defending the Federal building when they did that. More emphasis on what’s real versus what Mr. Barr and his overlord are saying is critical to our future.
WOW, just when you think the Reactionary Right Wing Neo-Confederate Republicans cannot sink any further – They do.
The Arkansas Republican senator Tom Cotton has called the enslavement of millions of African people “the necessary evil upon which the union was built”.
Nikole Hannah-Jones, who was awarded this year’s Pulitzer Prize for commentary for her introductory essay to the 1619 Project. On Sunday, she tweeted: “If chattel slavery – heritable, generational, permanent, race-based slavery where it was legal to rape, torture, and sell human beings for profit – were a ‘necessary evil’ as Tom Cotton says, it’s hard to imagine what cannot be justified if it is a means to an end.
“Imagine thinking a non-divisive curriculum is one that tells black children the buying and selling of their ancestors, the rape, torture, and forced labor of their ancestors for PROFIT, was just a ‘necessary evil’ for the creation of the ‘noblest’ country the world has ever seen.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jul/26/tom-cotton-slavery-necessary-evil-1619-project-new-york-times?fbclid=IwAR2vM3MmGjJ9Nqe4DnMcJvwuCGwLHKdSk7wl8IsoIb8IfFxH5XwP7xQOSuA
It takes someone like a Tom Cotton to add clarity. If as Cotton says Slavery was “the necessary evil upon which the union was built” so it follows that defending “the necessary evil” was a noble cause. Thus, we can erect statues and monuments to Confederate Traitors.
Since Republicans take such great joy in dismantling progress for the people of the country, I submit that is long overdue for Democrats and progressives who actually respect and honor our Constitution to begin the dismantling of the Republican party and all the horrors it has visited upon the people of this nation.
One of my favorite scenarios has real investigations into the radical, right-wing boobs that McConnell has so joyously put on the Federal bench with the help of the idiots on the Senate judiciary committee. Find impeachable acts and actions for these “people” and send them back to Kansas where they can go back to mowing Kris Kobach’s lawn.
The immediate work for the Biden administration is going to include bringing back all the Obama era programs THAT WORKED. The reconstruction of the State Department, the DOJ, the EPA and Education all need to begin on day #1. Transition? There will be NO transition. Every office occupied by a Trump appointee will be strewn with the rat turds of incompetence and anything counter to the good of the American people.
All this stuff of about this or that racist is now pretty well established and Trump just keeps the hits coming. The work for all of us on this blog is to do SOMETHING to ensure people get registered to vote, overcoming voter suppression by the seditious Republican party and making sure the voters get to the polls. For every armed asshole trying to intimidate voters standing in line, we must provide good people to hand out coffee, sandwiches, hot chocolate and encouragement to those doing their patriotic duty.
There is a wizard behind the WH curtain – Steven Miller.
Good morning Sheila!
How are you doing?
As I recall, much to some of the individuals chagrin, a couple of us talked about martial law, and that there would be blood! They were aghast at that possibility, and that it would never happen! Certain individual said not to worry, because the federal marshals would escort the president out of the White House, LOL! Well, it seems like the federal marshals are the president’s own private little army along with immigration and customs enforcement (ICE) and probably Eric Prince and his Blackwater gang! That shouldn’t surprise anyone because Eric Prince and Donald Trump really wanted to have this private army led by Eric Prince under the president’s purview. Brownshirts? SA? SS? Definitely night of the Long knives stuff.
You can see how this is drawing out like-minded Klannish buffoons, Tom Cotton for starters, and…… well the list is too long for this thread anyway.
If you are running around behind POTUS like a toddler behind his mommy, you’re not going to accomplish much, and, judging by a lot of these comments, that’s exactly what’s happening! Not that comments are going to change anything, but being in the middle of the protest and such, gives one a different perspective! Now I might be a little bit younger, but I’m no spring chicken! Cluck cluck, LOL. remember, comments can drive a narrative, just make sure you actually know what you’re talking about when you comment.
Today, we are driving to Romeoville Illinois to pick up emergency relief supplies for folks in this area. We use our own fuel, we purchase boxes of gloves and gallons of sanitizer and alcohol, not to mention copious amounts of disposable masks. These can be distributed along with the food and other necessities. So, you get a different perspective to say the least, you don’t have to see it on the news, because you are in it.
I admire you Sheila, because you are teaching the next generation’s, you, are making a difference. You are an honest broker, you are an empathetic compassionate intellectual, special mention Jack, what a guy!
The rest, I think a little foresight is called for. I guarantee you, 100%, the Germans didn’t think what happened there could’ve really happened there when it was happening there. So, don’t follow the Germans ignorance, the ball is already rolling, and is going to be really hard to stop.
Lester Levine -“There is a wizard behind the WH curtain – Steven Miller.”
Miller may be ethnically a Jewish-American, but politically he’s a rat turd and far from kosher.
Vern > The Republican Party was once a party I would have joined – it was when they separated from the Whig Party in 1854 and were on the right side of the slavery question at the time (Abe was a former Whig) – but that party is now on the wrong side of history and is self-destructing with leadership from the likes of Trumps, Cottons, Ernsts et al. I have written elsewhere (and with considerable approval) that I am coining a new name for that party which is headed for the oblivion suffered by the Whigs, a name more in keeping with the present worldview and surrender to terminal capitalism of its members, to wit: The Authoritarian Party.
The foregoing is not what I intended to write this morning. I had intended to write the following as a lead off to a new and worrisome development (not, for a change, taxpayers who are getting beaten and gassed by those whose salaries they pay in Portland, Seattle, New York, and other such municipal venues) It was the following.
Mayday! Mayday! We have a child in the candy store with our checkbook! Trump has used the Defense Construction Act (which was initially designed for a different purpose, but who cares about congressional intent anymore?) to hand over some 765 million dollars to Kodak for pharmaceutical manufacturing. It amounts to a taxpayer funded IPO and to a company with a history of bankruptcy and no history of manufacturing pharmaceutials. I detect a political stench, like, if the manufacture of such pharmaceuticals is so critical as to utilize provisions of the Act, then why not do the manufacturing with an existing manufacturer of pharmaceuticals who are not starting from scratch and have the necessary personnel and facilities to quickly respond to the supposed need? Answer : Because he can circumvent congressional approval.
Giving Trump a checkbook with an unlimited balance in our treasury (since if we don’t have the money we can borrow it from our great grandchildren) opens the door for all sorts of chicanery. I even thought of shell corporations in which Trump would have a silent interest, or (for a hit in Zurich under layers of trustees) domestic corporations owned by foreign interests, and not so openly as the Chinese interests who own Smithfield.
So what to do? Repeal the Act or amend it so that congressional consent is required before it can be employed, and do it in a hurry before this guy (who is always looking for ways to make a buck and has now found the mother lode) spends us into bankruptcy. How? Hook it on as an amendment to the must pass coronavirus bill now under urgent consideration. Quickly.
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
Only until recently did I wonder, how Jefferson could have written those words and not felt like he was a hypocrite. This is a man that owned slaves. Reading “The New Jim Crow” has given me an amazing perspective on that. The oligarchy of colonial times, almost 100 years earlier (1676) started spinning the political truth with Bacon’s Rebellion. The poor tenants (both black and white) of rich landowners were stuck and unhappy with their indentured servitude station in life. The landed gentry need labor to run their farms and they need not to be shot in the night. To get the poor white people to be happy with their low station in life, they invented the idea of the inferior, less than a man, negro. To prop it up they turned that negro indentured servitude into slavery. To make sure they could not conspire they imported slaves that could not speak english from Africa, rather than Jamaica, and then they told the poor white people, look you are so much better off than these poor, less than human wretches. Read the book to get the full story.
To Thomas Jefferson, one of those truth’s that he believed self-evident, was that Blacks were not fully men!
Political manipulation of racism has deep deep roots in American History. Here I sit totally amazed that even with a college education I know so little of American history and how ignorant I have been to have not seen, even a little of this. I am ashamed of my white privilege, and memes and sound bites don’t make an education and as long as the majority of Americans choose to embrace ignorance, I don’t know how we will have meaning full change.
I know this would make most peoples head explode, but maybe the change should start in that 6th grade civics class, with the question, “how could Jefferson have been such a hypocrite when he wrote those words?”
Trump is not being a hypocrite when he does his dog whistles. He knows “in his gut” that racist appeals to whites has a long history of being a very effective political tool and it is embedded in American politics. Our job is to point it out and educate people.
Todd E Smekens- “Wall Street loves Trump, too, but knows his racism is shooting himself in the foot. Thankfully, they got Biden, who will uphold policies beneficial to capitalism and, thus, perpetuate the systemic classism and racism inherent in an economic system that benefits the Oligarchy.”
Amen, Todd!!! Until we deal with America’s REAL “original sin” of PROFIT by the abuses of Capitalist on Labor (whether slave labor then or today’s poverty paid labor), NOTHING will change. Period.
Very few on this blog, imho, address this economic original sin of America. Why? Is it easier to just peat and repeat the obvious Freak Parade of Trump Inc and the GOP marching band?
How is it that well educated people do not want an overhaul of a system that has done great damage and horror to millions of lives for centuries? Capitalism’s Laissez faire came into being in the 17th century when businessmen were approached by the French state government if they could be of service to the business class and help “promote their commerce.” At this point, business and state are the same. We have that form of capitalism on steroids in America and it seems it gets barely a mention, if at all.
Slavery was merely business in America. Nothing more or less. This capitalistic system has allowed businesses and corporations to do obscene, immoral and criminal things to their workers and (if they could get away with it) to the customers for hundreds of years. Wall Street and Banking is literally the life blood of this abusive inhumane system of profit making at the expense of human beings, past and present. Biden has already promised (not that he had to, his career speaks for itself) to protect the financial elite arteries of capitalism. 3 cheers for Corporate Democrats!!! (sarcasm)
Michael Moore and Robert Reich agree that decades of built up ANGER by working class people thrown under the bus of Capitalism in the traditional labor union states of Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania is what catapulted Trump into the White House. These voters have been left behind for 40 years by the Democrat Party that have left the working people in Reagan’s wasteland of union deaths. Democrats have been giving lip service and the people “shocked” the elite pollsters and America by their vote against The Establishment of Corporate Politics. UNTIL the disease of failed Capitalism is addressed, we can expect more Trumps to be elected!!! You can take that to the bank!
However, if you think the mere symptoms (and yes, character DOES matter….) of moral character (or lack of it) is more important than the actual disease killing our society and the planet, then really there is nothing else to be said. The patient (USA) is already dead.
Bradford Bray and those agreeing with him…nice ideals, BUT, suggest 3 things to do that a super-majority Americans would support, that a DEM congress/executive could pass and a Trump-loaded SCOTUS would uphold that would make significant differences. Talk/wishes are simple; governing is in the sausage factory.
Perhaps Republicans can now accept that abortion is “the necessary evil” upon which American individualism is built?
I see great good in WELL-regulated Capitalism and great evil in UNregulated Capitalism. In plain logic that means that Capitalism in itself is not evil. What is evil is the absence of wise democratic regulation of Capitalism.
I hope that makes sense to those who favor banishing Capitalism, as it seems Bradford advocates.
Anyway, continuing the logic, I see selected applications of Socialism as being potentially a part of the wise democratic regulation of Capitalism. I don’t think of Capitalism vs Socialism as a binary choice.
Capitalism may be the most remarkable engine ever invented. But like any engine, it works best if equipped with steering, throttle, brakes, and a good plan. It’s not our job to throw away the engine, rather it is our duty to control it.
Just as Communism’s dictators gave Socialism a bad reputation, American Tycoonism (and trickle-down hogwash) gave Capitalism a bad rap. I think that many republicans would eventually buy into some socialist gauges and gimmicks designed to make the engine of Capitalism more responsible and equitable…if only the critics of Capitalism would learn to express their criticisms in less absolute terms.
The royal monopoly of East India Tea for the “Indian trade” was a precursor of the later civil royals like Rockefeller to monopolize the oil business via ruthless underpricing which drove his competitors out of business, thus allowing his Standard Oil Company to subsequently overprice its products to consumers from a monopoly position. The Supreme Court broke Standard Oil up in 1911, thank goodness. Today the Sherman Anti-Trust Act of 1890 is poorly enforced in that mergers and acquisitions (a throwback to Rockefeller’s tactics under a different cover) are typically approved by regulators with only pretended concern for concentration of wealth and lesser competition. Occasionally an M and A proposal for approval will generate political noise from competitors via their politicians and even less occasionally, such a merger and/or acquisition is denied.
The above thumbnail sketch is descriptive of what can and frequently does happen in a capitalist economy, where making money and getting bigger is paramount, and as I have written elsewhere, theoretically, some day there will be One Corporation, and if so, guess what happens to anti-trust legislation and regulatory control, both antiquated by such ultimate Ms and As with no more competitors with which to merge or acquire? I call the result terminal capitalism – with no more worlds left to conquer.
I still cling to the fleeting hope that, properly regulated, we need not yet dump capitalism and throw the baby out with the bath water. I realize that this is anathema to those who want an end to it (and such a view has some merit in veiw of capitalism’s excesses), but we have to understand that any system is subject to abuse (See Russia and socialism). My counsel in this connection is to elect those this November who tell us they will fairly increase corporate taxes and keep a regulatory eye on corporate anti-trust activities while having a hard look at their M and A proposals, but that even if we are going to change systems, that we do so in a measured way rather than the very sudden and radical way the Bolsheviks did in Russia (which resulted in civil mayhem, millions murdered etc.). Can we reform the system to make it more just and equitable, or is it beyond repair and thus ready to take its place in the dustbin of history? Let’s see if we can get it to work, but if not, we can always (measurably and cautiously) move toward adoption of another system that works for all of us.
Seriously, people, Trump supporting Dr. Immanuel and her theories of alien DNA, demon semen and the malaria drug as the cure-all for the Pandemic and he is now in Texas on a $20,000 for “your picture with the president” fund raiser; what is it going to take for someone to throw the net over him? Aren’t the Republicans embarrassed yet?
The real Virus is Capitalism.
JoAnn – it is the inability of today’s Republicans to be embarrassed that makes them what they are – those that could be embarrassed left the party long ago.
OMG – I have a name for the likes of Steve Miller – an abomination against god and man
He is of the crazy ilk that cannot think to the logical conclusion of their policies – his whole family would have died in pogroms or the holocaust – no “undesirables” would be allowed to emigrate to the country under policies Miller proposes
Like a certain “criminal” Supreme Court Justice, who rails against the “activist” court that overturned laws, like in Loving v. Virginia — oops, the “criminal” would be in jail if he had his way
Gerald Stinson…well said. At least you leave the door open to changing the system. How ANYONE can historically justify a system that this country has endured, a system that had used free slave labor for profit to the millions upon millions of poverty wage jobs today, is beyond me and my read of facts and history.
What part of greed and “self first and foremost” BUILT into the system (right, please re-read Adams again and others who thought a system designed after the false premise of “human nature to survive” will be the best!!!) is not understandable as a curse upon the peasants past and present???
Really? Give it another try? What world are we living in? Marx Socialism has NEVER been implemented in human history. NEVER. Marx’s theory was perverted and twisted by Stalin and others. FACT. Get it right. Be historically honest.
On the other hand, we have had one form and another of the “selfish gene” Capitalism for nearly 300 years. A perverted socialistic Communism for how long? And it died in Russia as it should everywhere. It is NOT Socialist.
BTW, Democracy and Capitalism is anything but “ideal”-istic. Give me a break. Every vote counts? Since when? NEVER. These anti-human systems (in practice) have not been around for ever. The jury is STILL out on these failed experiments of justice in the public realm. So far, just using OUR history (don’t need to go into European, they have done MUCH better…I digress), Capitalism has crashed and failed how many times??? How many times have votes been counted and “lost” thrown away, paid off, etc, etc? I’ll let you count the ways of your idealism Mr. Lester Levine.
I want to talk about facts, you want to pontificate and condescend. That’s your right. I have a right to respond as I am doing now.
Stick to facts and the facts of history. I am afraid you are on the short end of both in this case. Cheers.
Lester Levine stated: “Bradford Bray and those agreeing with him…nice ideals, BUT, suggest 3 things to do that a super-majority Americans would support, that a DEM congress/executive could pass and a Trump-loaded SCOTUS would uphold that would make significant differences. Talk/wishes are simple; governing is in the sausage factory.”
First, governing is about politicians getting bought off my Corporations/Wall Street. Period.
Second, my so-called “Talk/wishes: comes straight out of concrete history and, for millions like me, being financially oppressed by a system that exploits workers for the system’s owners and engineers, the 1%! That is NOT talk Mr. Levine. That is human struggle and experience.
Third: I share a link to a youtube clip that I am sure you will understand it’s truth even though you will deny it’s reality and continue to call it wishes. Enjoy. Marxism 101: How Capitalism is Killing Itself with Dr. Richard Wolff
PS- pay particular attention to the numbers of people who think Capitalism is on its way out and the numbers who have a favorable opinion on Marxist Socialism. Spoiler alert: YOU are in the shrinking minority. Congrats!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6P97r9Ci5Kg