In a little over a week, Donald Trump will be inaugurated as President of the (dis)United States–an outcome that seemed unthinkable not that long ago. Among the reasons for that outcome was the refusal of millions of Americans to cast a ballot; if turnout had just held steady from 2020, Harris would have won. It’s hard to dismiss suspicion that racism and misogyny were more potent than a desire to keep a mentally-ill felon out of the Oval Office.
Some political supporters saw Trump as a path toward personal gain. As Josh Marshall wrote on Talking Points Memo, many Washington “players” saw Trump as a vehicle for their own ambitions. He wasn’t just old and increasingly worn out, but he also wasn’t particularly invested in what would happen once he was in the White House. His focus was on not going to jail and exacting vengeance over his foes. As Marshall noted, that disinterest in actual governing leaves lots of openings for people who see an opportunity to direct–and benefit from– government policy. There’s little sign Trump cares. He’s already gotten what he wants.
We see evidence supporting Marshall’s thesis in what currently looks like the “co-Presidency” of Elon Musk. An article in Common Dreams introduced readers to the Mump regime:
Welcome to America’s “Mump regime,” governance of, by and for the oligarchs in which an erratic unelected white supremacist gazillionaire whose new hobby is buying presidents is cosplaying as shadow president to cash in – and fuck kids with cancer – alongside a senile grifter selling everything in sight: Bibles, sneakers, perfume, hotels, cabinet seats, diplomatic posts and democracy itself. Beware: Just to be clear, “We now have a criminal enterprise, not a government.”
The article notes that Trump has assembled a group of billionaires–13 so far–to staff his oligarchy, but notes that Musk is both the richest and most influential.
A likely illegal alien and white supremacist who grew up in apartheid South Africa, made a fortune from a car that kills twice as many people as the industry average, and though foreign-born found a way to power by giving a useful idiot $277 million to become his puppet master. A good investment: Since the election, Musk has made $170 billion, most from Tesla and SpaceX investors eager to see him end all those pesky safety and labor rules that cut into profits.
Buying Trump was so profitable Never-Elected Pres. Musk is already malevolently branching out. He’s threatening people in Congress, including “jackass” moderates of both parties, with unseating them by throwing money at potential primary opponents if they dare to disagree with him. Governing by threat, tweet and financial heft comes so easily to the guy who quickly turned Twitter into a bigot-invested haven for hate akin to “a Munich beer hall hall in 1933” that he’s even telling Germans how to vote – for Nazis. “Only the AFD can save Germany,” he posted in defense of anti-immigrant fascists who want to purify Europe by casting out people it considers lesser, if not subhuman. Weirdly, he did it on the same day 100 years ago Hitler was released from a Bavarian prison, and the New York Times declared him a “tamed…sadder and wiser man” than when he’d tried to overthrow the government.”
It’s difficult to predict how successful the Mump Administration will be in implementing its announced policies. Despite having “served” as President for a term, Trump has clearly learned little or nothing about governance, and Musk (who believes he knows everything) is equally ignorant of the way things actually work. The GOP’s majority in the House is narrow and it’s filled with culture warriors and White Nationalists more intent upon appearing on Fox News than governing. They’re adamantly opposed to anything approaching negotiation or compromise. If the country emerges relatively unscathed by the looney-tune administration taking shape, we will owe that escape to their massive dysfunctions.
Unfortunately, however, even incompetent clowns can do a lot of damage.
I keep thinking of that Mark Twain quote: Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and your government when it deserves it.
On Inauguration Day, a number of Hoosiers who might be considered “Mark Twain patriots” will reaffirm our support for and love of our country and for what I have called “the American Idea”–the philosophy animating our constituent documents, and summarized by America’s first motto: e pluribus unum.
Ours will be a simple message: in our America, government serves the common good, and everyone deserves a seat at the civic table. (You can find more information about that gathering here.)
Join us if you can.
Musk, as with so many over-the-top arrogant, hubris-laden and ego-centric “managers” will screw up everything he touches. When the spineless jellyfishes in Congress realize that all this primary B.S. is just more threat and fear mongering, they will ignore this asshole. After all, the next Congressional election isn’t for another 2 years and by then, even Republican voters will have had enough of this collection of dunces.
Actually; President Joe Biden would have been reelected had the Democratic party united and remained as loyal to democracy, Rule of Law and the Constitution as Republicans are to MAGA instead of seeking support for their egotistic issues. And if they had done more than raise parasols over our heads as protection from the Golden Showers the Republicans have rained down on our heads since 2015.
The Democratic party spouted baseless “calls to arms” such as President Abraham Lincoln used to maintain the Union and pass the 13th Amendment to free the slaves but it was too little and too late. We are now all headed for some form of slavery based in control of our personal finances to keep us powerless and either barefoot, pregnant and in our kitchens or as their personal field hands in the workforce.
I will continue some form of Democratic support as that is the only option before me but we need a leader to be put before us to renew our hope and faith in returning to the America which was once the proud global leader of democracy. As America goes, so goes the world; and it is currently going, going and will be gone without a miracle.
We will inaugurate Fascism in a few days; can’t unring that bell or unelect that Fascist.
Vern, you have a lot more faith in the electorate than I do. The people who voted Republican in 2024, live in a different world, where everything is rosy in the red states. They simply ignore anything that doesn’t fit into their world view.
It’s going to get rough for the next 4 years. The question is whether or not the courts follow the Constitution and stop some of the nonsense that will be the goal of the new administration. Orange Jesus already has an Executive Order to stop a key part of Amendment 14, birthright citizenship. I’ve heard that Coney Barrett has been getting the MAGAT treatment for her recent vote with the libs. Will she be strong enough to do it again?
I hope to God she will.
These Disunited States of America, once the keeper for the world of liberal democracy, the first country to cover a large enough territory rich in natural resources, and a Monroe Doctrine that formalized our right to expand endlessly, have a week left to flourish. Then, we will throw those gifts from the past away and become a rogue royal playground of the few rich and famous and the many workers as AI and robotics will change the world forever, making one where work will no longer be necessary.
This will be the genesis of the new world, in which living indoors is necessary for most of it because we will have created a climate hostile to many species, including ourselves.
Instead of social lives, we will connect all the different housing structures with a network of information superhighways supervised by massive, energy-consuming networks of ever more networks and databases containing all the traits that can be known
Unfortunately for all of us reading Prof Kennedy’s excellent blog, our recent election turned out to be a rejection of a kinder, safer, smarter, more prosperous nation we had gotten used to under the very successful presidency of Joe Biden, as the maga thugs down through the simply ignorant of the truth voters rejected a continuancy of that success by defeating the entirely capable and sensible Kamal Harris. It was a matter of disinformation, racism and misogyny, and woefully low voter turnout. Now we are faced with the worst display of a nascent oligarchy in the history of our country, to add to all the other “worsts” associated with the orange head. 13 billionaires! Cabinet hopefuls like Patel, RFK Jr, Hegseth, Gabbard, et al. My only hope is that some GOPers in congress grow a pair over the next couple of years before they are all thrown out in the midterms, so we can watch the mitigation of orange head’s incompetence all aglow. Two years following that, Gavin Newsome, with his large ego and really smart combative political skills can run for the presidency and lead us back to a saner nation.
Vernon – from your mouth to God’s ear. I have less faith in republican voters coming around, than in the ability of reps in congress to get along enough to support DJT and Musk’s agenda. Ironically, they may actually be our saviors.
In re: Peggy’s comment – I have a close friend (despite our differences) who sticks her fingers in her ears saying na-na-na-na, and rolling her eyes when I try to tell her she’s being lied to by faux news. She swears they are the only ones telling the Truth. The cult-ism and indoctrination is incredibly powerful. What can ya do.
Great post and comments! I think Gil may have consumed too many blue pills from MSNBC or CNN, though. Biden/Harris are genocidal maniacs, along with the uniparty in Washington. AIPAC has an outsized influence over Washington’s puppets and definitely the media. The only truthful media sources are Telegram, TikTok, and Substack. All others suppressed independent voices, including search engines like Google. Due to the sheer size of TikTok and their quasi-Chinese ownership, they were targeted by Biden and the uniparty. Even SCOTUS plays along. College kids across the country protested en masse last Spring and look how Biden/Harris handled it. Do you really think the youth of the country would support either Biden or Harris after that? The DP chose their donors over their base and no amount of propaganda is getting them back.
If Trump save TikTok and the millions of entrepreneurs who use the platform, he’ll have loyal support from those people. If you listened to Zuckerberg, he took plenty of shots at Biden and the DP for forcing Facebook to censor users from the right and left. Once the former Twitter banned Trump, he made billions by starting up Truth Social. Attacking Trump is not the answer! Once again, if you haven’t researched the back story behind Truth Social, I’d strongly encourage you to set aside a few hours to do so. There are forces supporting Trump from faraway places who want him in office.
One other point on AIPAC and the power of the Israeli lobby, Musk once hammered Israel on his X platform and his advertisers (oligarchy) stopped advertising until Musk went over to Israel and apologized to Bibi and kissed his ring. Musk now wears a kippah. What’s even more sinister is how the media has normalized genocide in Gaza but somehow shames the groups in Sudan for committing genocide. Antony Blinken turned out to be one of the bloodiest liars as SoS, and I didn’t think anybody could beat Hillary Clinton.
This country hasn’t been the moral leader of the world since WW2. We should have never allowed the intelligence community to develop the CIA for the oligarchy. It’s done more damage across the world than most could even imagine.
And speaking of morality, I hope Sheila caught wind about Wednesday’s press conference/rally by the Comptroller of Indiana to stop funding of Indiana University due to their non-separation of the Kinsey Sex Institute from the university. In her press release, she wrote, “After looking further into the Kinsey Institute myself, I understand why the legislature passed, and the Governor signed, this bill into law.”
I guess Elise Nieshalla didn’t like the words “masturbation” and “menopause” in the same sentence:
https://kinseyinstitute.org/
Todd, you have finally abandoned all reason as well as your dictionary. No, Biden/Harris are NOT genocidal maniacs. You’re thinking of the Republicans in every elected office that aren’t white and Christian.
Now stop being such a flame thrower and use your skills and journalistic acumen to say and comment responsibly. Your name calling is WAY out of line with no actual basis in fact.
Had Biden been true to his promise in the run up to the 2020 election, and been comfortable being a one term president, we would have seen a full blown primary season with a standard Democratic convention. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a fan of both he and Harris, but, perhaps, the Dems would have had a chance to take into consideration the amount of bigotry and misogyny still prevalent in the country, and nominated someone who would not have had to swim against those joint tides.
Now, we will have full on greed and idiocy running the show, with a hugely compromised SCOTUS most probably being useless, at best. In that regard, watch out for Aileen Cannon!
Peg: VOTE! It coulda made the difference we seek. Yeah … well!
all the flack about Greenland ,Panama etc, the news there did not think trumps idea was even gonna. the local view there,not a chance in hell. seems the don jr trip was a planned sketch. im looking at the backdrop behind mumps curtian and their picks,,or whoevers picks for cabinet,and high end jobs. they all can make a finacial killing in the present knowlege and investments. this whole rogues gallery needs a voice to show where their intentions are before confirmations. congresss seems to be ditching the protacol for background and personal fact checks.then i suppose we can trust the news media to follow suit eh? Im walking thru Bismarck/Mandan NoDak and few if any,even care,watch or have just overall givenup on any awareness of the affect this means. NoDak is brewed out of a white settlers take over,and few if any Native Americans even have a sputter to even talk much anymore about the turn we made. since were some how fully inaugurated into this mumpsasphere/bromance. trumps whole idea is money and power,point it out,and make a point,whereas the working class majoirty will be hammered with more from graft and demands to invest. im seeing more commercials in regard to credit for kids,and apps to watch their spending and probably seeks the kids personal data.(anyone for a living a wage and saving as we seen fit) few if anyone knows what a app
does or can do.did anyone read the fine print in front of a tech lawyer?and will all,that fine print be swept up and dumped for personal goals in this admin. do we now have a /person/place where this admin can use your personal,data to exact revenge on whoever steps,outta line now zuck? like the gestapo, will the media sites sell you out now?zucks and bezos etc who own media are well into the lipstick. all this is still unanswered. do we need a fact check from these ceos of any media to keep us the American public informed at any cost..one side or the other,have we already crossed the line of no return.
Re: “Among the reasons for that outcome was the refusal of millions of Americans to cast a ballot; if turnout had just held steady from 2020, Harris would have won. It’s hard to dismiss suspicion that racism and misogyny were more potent than a desire to keep a mentally-ill felon out of the Oval Office.” I think the reason that the Democrats lost is well explained in a piece by Jeet Heer “All Systems Fail in the January issue of “The Nation”. Trump won in many districts where Democrats like AOC and Ilhan Omar won also, this indicates that the election was largely a reaction against the status quo. The Harris Campaign was largely forcused on protecting “the system”. It moved further right in a futile attempt to attract the Republican crossover vote at the same time alienating its own base young people concerned that further action was needed on climate, those concerned about our military support for facsist regimes in our foriegn policy and those favoring humaine treatment of immigrants, etc. Democrats lost because these groups simply did not vote because the issue they cared deeply about were not being addressed. Many felt that big money was preventing the party from hearing the demands of the base.
Long ago, I read a book called “The Power of One”. There are so many accounts of that power of one being applied in Europe and elsewhere around the world during WWII. Passive resistance in small ways by each of us can accumulate into a movement with power to change. People will die under his policies. If I can resist in any way, I will do so. I am old and in ill-health but I am still willing to risk what little I have for the common good and my fellow countrymen no matter how compromised so many are.
We have a week until our country as we have know it is gone. Fascism. autocracy, oligarchy, illiberal democracy, whatever you call it, will be the new order. Resist in any way you can or be considered complicit.
Repeating Eduardo Porter:
“To steer voters away from a “blow it all up” approach will require figuring out how to invite them into a country that feels alien to so many — a society that is continually changing to embrace new peoples, cultures and technologies, products, environmental constraints, languages, religions, forms of expression, gender identities, sexual affinities, and so on. Voters’ disgust might appear as though it is aimed at venal leaders out of touch with the salt of the earth. But it amounts to a rejection of what America is becoming.”
Looking for centerpoint the next four years, I have decided to subscribe to Robert Reich in Substack. He has been at the table in Washington DC. Level headed. Critical yet forthcoming with alternative solutions. I trust him.
Exactly, Robert!
And North Dakota Jack, during a recent celebration in China regarding the CCP rule, in the backdrop, a Big Number 5 came slowly down from a skyscraper. The 5 represented 5G, which China is leading the world in in 5G Tech.
The Chinese trust their government to collect data on them and make positive decisions for the betterment of all. Trust in government is 85% in China and 15% in the US—a huge difference!!
Because our oligarchy oppresses the people, we have an adversarial role with our government. In China, it’s just the opposite. China wants all its residents to be connected to the highest tech possible because all layers of government use their ability to collect data and make better decisions. We saw it during COVID.
Since the US privatized tech and then regulated it, it’s just another layer of the oligarchy and is segmented. Only those who can afford it can have it because it’s a commodity held for profit here.
Musk can’t be POTUS because of his birth status, but he can buy the second seat and let his Tech Bros rule. 😉
Thank you, JO ANN, that’s about as close as anyone can get to my way of thinking.
There is a factual error in the comment by Robert Dwight Dodson. The district where I live is represented by Ilhan Omar. She won with almost 75% of the vote, but Harris also defeated Trump overwhelmingly in that district. Harris also won the state of Minnesota, in spite of Trump dominance in most rural areas, with about 51% of the vote.
What Vern said…it’s getting old!
Todd’s vicious attacks continue. I know him only through reading his comments on this platform over the last few years but I have noticed his habitual denigration of anyone who disagrees with him. He sees in black and white, ignoring the shades of gray in any complex subject. He also seems to enjoy making outrageous comments, apparently just to incite fear and anger. He rarely (never?) suggests any rational actions for solving our nation’s problems. I can’t remember an instance when he admitted to making a mistake, much less apologized for one. In these ways, he reminds me of Donald Trump.
Why Robert Reich as CenterPoint read next four years? In response to a question as to what to recommend to the incoming president regarding a fair and sustainable income and wealth distribution, Reich said: “Expand the Earned Income Tax Credit—a wage supplement for lower-income people, and finance it with a higher marginal income tax on the top five percent. For the longer term, invest in education for lower income communities, starting with early-childhood education and extending all the way up to better access to post-secondary education.”
I would like to see more details about this call to action or rally. I will check out the Sponsors and see what they are about. Thank you for mentioning it.
Everything you said is spot-on, Sheila, but, IMHO, the biggest factor in putting Trump over was what I call “MAGA media”–started by billionaires for the sole purpose of pushing back against mainstream media, convincing the gullible, chronically angry, non-college educated, mostly whites that mainstream media lies, covers up the “Biden Crime Family”, that the FBI really started January 6 just to make Trump look bad, and so forth. They ignore Trump’s endless lies and gaffes, and pile on everyone Trump attacks, like Dr. Fauci, and lately, Judge Merchan. They get people like law professor Jonathan Turley to emphasize their made-up claim that Democrats went after Trump with what they call “lawfare”–meaning using the law as a form of “warfare”–that his 34 felony convictions are not only wrong, but immoral, that Judge Merchan should be ashamed, and, of course, he defends Alito, Thomas, Kavanaugh and Coney-Barrett.
Some of their other themes: Kamala Harris is stupid, she screwed men to get where she is, she is a crook, and so is every other prominent Democrat, especially those who might run for president some day, like Adam Schiff and Gavin Newsom. The American oligarch class invested in MAGA media to get Trump elected so he could roll back consumer and environmental protections, cut their taxes, and do everything to eliminate DEI, programs the oligarchs don’t like, such as SNAP, school lunch programs, the Department of Education, because it monitors equity in college admissions and backs up loans so disadvantaged people can attend college, and, importantly, NOAA, which not only tracks climate change with statistics, but tells us how much longer we have before it is irreversible. This is why the fossil fuel industry invested heavily in the malignant narcissist–they own him–and he has promised that NOAA will go away. And, how ironic, given the CA wildfires.
I happen to live with someone who watches MAGA media incessantly, and it’s hard to stomach even for the purpose of personal research on the kinds of fecal matter they spew. Some current topics: the CA wildfires were set deliberately, that FEMA is out of money (not true–Congress just appropriated billions more), that DEI is responsible for the fires because the LA Fire Chief is not only female, but a lesbian! Then, there are the attacks against Karen Bass, LA Mayor–who happens to be black, so the fires are her fault, too. They even try to blame Gov. Newsom and Joe Biden. Some Trump lies that MAGA media published: that Gov. Newsom refused to sign a “water restoration” bill–there never was one. That CA is out of water–not true–some hydrants, especially in higher elevation areas, had low water pressure because so many other hydrants were running. That Newsom diverted water to protect “smelt”–a worthless fish–another big, fat lie that MAGA media puts out.
The inconvenient truth is that climate change caused heavy spring rains that made excess foliage grow this past spring and summer. Then, in the fall, there was a terrible drought–no rain for weeks on end– that dried up the foliage, creating fuel. Climate change also caused the hot, dry Santa Ana winds to be hotter, drier, and stronger. There was a spark somewhere that started a fire, and the strong winds caused it to grow and sparks flew, up to 2 miles in all directions–this is how these fires started and got out of control. LA had never before experienced a wild fire of this magnitude. Climate change is responsible.
Trump has not returned Gov. Newsom’s call, and there is fear that he will withhold FEMA funds just out of spite. MAGA media helps clear the way for this to be acceptable by spreading lies about the cause of the fire and blaming everything but climate change. IMHO, MAGA media is one of the biggest threats to American democracy and our future. MAGA media has people like Jonathan Turley to defend “freedom of speech”, which, in the case of MAGA media, includes freedom to spread lies. Trump’s second “presidency” is the product of lies–one of the biggest being that he will “immediately” bring down the cost of groceries. 78% of voters said that was the biggest issue for them–and it was a lie. Fasten your seat belts because it will be a bumpy 4 years.
Suzanne–and others who may be interested: the rally will be at University Park between 10 and noon on the 20th. Co-sponsors with Hoosiers4Democracy are ACLU Indiana, ReCenter Indiana, Common Cause Indiana, Women4Change Indiana, American Association of University Women and the League of Women Voters Indiana.
Thank you Sheila. I did see that info on your post. I had not heard of ReCenter Indiana or Women4Change Indiana and they both look like organizations that I would support. I’d like to be more involved with local politics because it seems like poor decisions are being made in different areas and I would feel better knowing I spoke up when it was time to speak up instead of after the damage has already been done. I do sign good petitions when they come my way whether they are local or national.