In a recent article titled “The New Rasputins,” , Anne Applebaum argued something I’ve long believed: the words “right” and “left” are not remotely accurate descriptors of the political world we currently inhabit.
Believe it or not, I was long considered–and long considered myself–a conservative. During those years, the term was defined as someone concerned with fiscal prudence, respect for legal tradition and the rule of law, and for conserving the rights protected by the Bill of Rights. Fidelity to what used to be seen as conservative principles now label me “progressive” or “liberal” or–for MAGA folks–a “commie.”
As Applebaum correctly noted, “left” and “right” are outmoded descriptors of today’s GOP and Democrats. The GOP is currently a White Christian Nationalist cult with a corporatist (crony capitalist) economic agenda. The Democratic Party has been left with a nearly-impossible-to-corral amalgam of Americans ranging from center-right conservatives and former Republican “never Trumpers” to actual Leftists. And everyone in-between. We are experiencing the downside of a two-party system–it cannot function properly when one party goes off the rails.
The current misuse of terminology matters, because when language loses its connection to reality, political life is threatened. Authoritarianism thrives when the words citizens use are insufficient to convey an accurate meaning. Worse, when terminology is not just inadequate but misleading, we fail to recognize the reality we inhabit and the nature of the threats we face.
Applebaum’s point was expanded upon by Jennifer Rubin in the new publication Contrarian (link unavailable).
Contrarian contributor Ruth Ben-Ghiat has written: “[A]uthoritarians turn language into a weapon, as well as emptying key words in the political life of a nation such as patriotism, honor, and freedom of meaning. We are well on our way in America to what I call the ‘upside-down world of authoritarianism,’ where the rule of law gives way to rule by the lawless; where those who take our rights away and jail us pose as protectors of freedom; where the thugs who assaulted the Capitol on Jan. 6 are turned into patriots; and where ‘leadership requires killing people,’ as Tucker Carlson recently put it, justifying Vladimir Putin’s killing of Alexei Navalny.”
We cannot accept MAGA terminology. Since an “executive order” denotes a proper, legal exercise of power, that term should certainly not be applied to President Trump’s cascade of executive pronouncements (most over-reaching and unconstitutional, others just meaningless). They may be “edicts” or ‘bogus decrees,” as historian Jonathan Alter noted in our recent Talking Feds podcast. But they do not dignify the term “executive order.”
“Pro-life,” is another example, in that it no way defines a movement that supports forced birth laws that kill women and have increased infant mortality. In the abortion arena, the right-wing comes up with non-words like “post-birth abortion”)to express fantastical charges. And while we are at it, “abortion ban” is not nearly descriptive enough. Laws robbing women of bodily autonomy and forcing them to go to term with a pregnancy should properly be called “forced birth.”
For years, the culture warriors of the GOP have used coded and inaccurate language to hide their true identity, which is anything but conservative. It is radical and reactionary, irredeemably racist and misogynistic. To label these people “conservative” is to deprive that term of all meaning.
Those of us who are appalled and terrified by the coming administration are constantly asking ourselves: “What can I do?” At the recent Hoosiers 4 Democracy rally, the “call to action” identified a number of organizations we can join and/or support. But there’s one thing everyone can do–even people unable to volunteer or donate: we can refuse to use inaccurate language. We can call fascism what it is.
And it sure isn’t “conservative.”
Yes. The amalgam of what’s left in rational politics … What shall that party be called. Todd calls our politics the uniparty. Pretty close when one considers that the off-the-rails party is careening toward its own destruction – or the nation’s, whichever comes first.
But to put numbers on those “edicts”: The single C-17 flight to Columbia with 80 – 90 undocumented immigrants cost the U.S. taxpayer over $800,000. Oh, and Columbia refused to let the plane land. So, the threat of tariffs brought Columbia’s president to his knees. Bullying the world is part of the plan, right?
If the rest of the world re-discovered its collective backbone and refused all these immigrant flights, all the tariffs in the universe wouldn’t fix anything regarding the deportation theater, er, plan. But the U.S. taxpayer will again be on the hook for the psychosis president’s visceral hatred for anybody not him. Oh. Wait. And how about those renewed tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans and corporations? Is anyone doing the math here?
Speaking of math … how many C-17 flights will it take to remove those 12 million undocumented “aliens”? At $800,000 a pop? Okay. How many of those darling white boys and girls will work in the hot sun for $5 an hour so their mommies and daddies can buy groceries? Any ideas? Or will Suzie Blueyes be heading to the local motel for a job changing sheets and cleaning rooms? Will her little brother eagerly visit the local restaurant so he can wash dishes or bus tables as he builds his stock portfolio? Then there is the need for skilled construction workers to re-build L.A. as well as finish that dream McMansion for all those tech bros. looking to look better than they really are. Who is going to finish those homes before the wood frames start to warp?
Yeah. Make America Great Again. Talk about words bearing false witness against reality ….
Almost everyday I attempt at commenting, however I am so worried I will use the wrong words in the wrong context I delete the comment. This is my 2nd attempt.
The Constitution has been removed from the White House website. That’s neither metaphor nor euphemism.
Let’s recognize Trump’s victory for what it is, a resurgence of the KKK on a national scale.
Im forever who holds the line In spending! Ha.
The rights a bunch of white nationalist Christians and the left are woke radicals Bill maher cant accept!
The rewriting of Title IX and teaching our kids about sex and gender all the way to kindergarten? Wow!
Reforms on both sides?
As many of us head into retirement we see the nation al debt as the back door tax creating higher prices.
A $5 might have helped a homeless person. Its not worth squat these days….
MTV (Musk, Trump, Vance) (Musk bought his way in, Trump talked his way in, Vance was a fortunate bystander) are each trying to tear down 250 years of building, maintaining, and adapting a successful government that has allowed those of us fortunate enough to be born here to be among the safest, most comfortable humans ever to exist. They hope to replace it with the dreams of the culture they were raised in.
Musk, born wealthy and entitled, with dreams of power, white, South African, big on ego, short on knowledge, a believer in apartheid.
Trump, spoiled rich kid, big on ego, short on knowledge, raised by a domineering father who favored him among his siblings from whom Donald stole from his family a half-billion dollar NYC real estate empire.
Vance, dirt poor, competing with Trump’s son Eric, a dysfunctional hillbilly matriarchal family from which he escaped by joining the Marines and leveraging that into a Harvard law degree.
We know that building progresses slower than tearing down, and dictators move faster than democracy, so sycophants are seeing rapid progress in the destruction of the country’s most valuable asset and shared reality.
And the congregation said “amen”. The rest of us are horrified at seeing lives ripped apart.
This is not the first time these means have been observed, and the results have always been disastrous.
The divide between Democratic and Republican parties became wider and wider till it reached the current abyss we are now attempting to shout across but are failing miserably to be heard. What began as some differences of opinions with the ability of both parties to work together to resolve problems has now become humanitarian vs. inhumane and an unworkable situation. The Democratic party became narcistic within the party and handed the 2024 election to the inhumane minority with their lack of loyalty to their own candidate and America at large.
“Words Fail…” to pull the party back into a United condition as the vast collection of racist MAGA based groups joined hands and are rapidly destroying all semblance of democracy by outlawing Rule of Law and ending the Constitution of the UNITED States of America. Trump rules and you can see the change in his facial expressions and his body language if you know to look for it; he now mirrors Putin and memories of Hitler’s knowledge of control and power.
I’m still asking myself why I should support the Democratic party who did not support themselves or this nation and are no longer loyal to humanitarianism?
“Words Fail…” Trump has now ordered CDC to cease all contact with WHO; those words herald the end of medical research information, health care on all levels and we can expect RFK, Jr. to quickly be appointed and then wait for the next Pandemic to begin.
That surpasses party foundations by whatever words are used to describe their goals. I have seen complaints on news broadcasts that whatever Trump’s latest action and EO has been is against the law. WHAT LAW? He has ended Rule of Law; to quote an old Elvis song, let’s see, “A Little Less Talk, A Lot More Action” and maybe words won’t fail.
Mark Small said “The Constitution has been removed from the White House website. That’s neither metaphor nor euphemism.” I had never been to the WH website, just looked – as your comment astounded me. But it is true (not that I doubted you). Appears there is not ONE THING on the website that predates 1/20/25. Does every new Pres purge the WH website of all history? Everything there is pro-DJT propaganda… Nothing else.
Everyone thinks this last election was based upon the economy — the revival of Carville’s “it’s the economy, stupid!” But we know that wasn’t true at all… “it’s the cruelty, stupid!” Far too many are enjoying this cruelty. Far too many. I have been on a news diet for several months now and until today, I hadn’t heard Tucker Carlson’s comments on his ‘killing as leadership’ theory. I can’t help to be reminded of two characters talking in Watchmen: “But the country’s disintegrating. What’s happened to America? What’s happened to the American dream?” …”It came true. You’re lookin’ at it.” Yep, we are all just looking at it. The people wanted this.
Another over used and misinterpreted word that the MAGA world has totally flipped is “woke”.
Another over used and misinterpreted word that has been totally flipped is “woke”.
Please do so for those who haven’t read the Americans for Prosperity “prospectus” for their supporters, which was linked in yesterday’s Guardian article. Talk about an “upside-down world.” Koch has hired astute public relations staff to write this propaganda. There is no way the average American will detect that it’s pure unadulterated bullshit.
One note on the above comment: Navalny was not killed by Putin or the Russians. He died of heart failure, according to Ukrainian intelligence. The US government and our flailing media over-responded to a Nazi wannabe because he was a CIA asset. There is still a large contingent of Russian haters in the CIA and the Pentagon. Victoria Nuland and her hubby come to mind. Kaja Kallas, hired by the CIA to control the EU, is another, but she’s dumber than a box of rocks. She wants to “invade Russia and break it up into smaller regional pieces.” LOL
Right and Left are 100% divide-and-conquer strategies used by the oligarchic rulers. And for JoAnn, the Democratic Party’s embrace of genocide and proxy wars turned off young voters. Most every “leftist” I know is anti-war, but the financial and military oligarchy controls the DP. Somehow, BlackRock was able to get the cokehead leader (Zelenskyy) of Ukraine to change the Constitution allowing for foreign ownership of land. LOL
An oligarchic structure, like a corporation, is run by a CEO at the top and a hierarchy below. If you listen closely to most GOPers, they want to run the government like a business, but how many companies do you know that can print their supply of money?
China’s AI progress has disrupted the stock market, showing that Tech Bros have overvalued their contribution to society. The more you listen to Musk and read about him, the more you realize he’s a fraud, just like Trump. Donny is a creation of the entertainment industry and their media. I read Petro’s post about the airplanes full of migrants shackled inside those military planes. He told Trump he rejected them because they had dignity and should be treated better. The US didn’t want to drive Colombia deeper into the arms of China, so the media made it sound like Trump bullied his way into getting what he wanted—pure propaganda. Colombia is run by a genuine “leftist” instead of a fascist like they have for decades. The country was called the Israel of South America or a landing strip for the US Military. They were just another US banana republic. Not now! 😉
This is probably the Contrarian link Sheila mentioned:
https://contrarian.substack.com/p/jen-rubin-interviews-ruth-ben-ghiat
Some of Contrarian content is available to all, some is paywalled, I think.
Republicans here in Florida have realized that their guy (Ronnie Whiteboots) won’t be President in their lifetimes. He called for a special session of the legislature to address several issues, including condominium rules and referendas – he wants to end them.
The legislature came to order, stated that the things Ronnie wanted could be addressed in the regular session. They adjourned and opened the special session that they wanted. They moved immigration from the governor’s perview and gave it to the Ag Secretary. Next up, they overrode a veto of the legislative support budget item.
It’s fun to watch what happens when even the Republicans admit that the emperor has no clothes.
JoAnn. I understand your frustration at the idea of donating yet more money to the Democratic Party. I suggest that you switch your financial support to an organization such as the ACLU that is working through the courts to support the rule of law.
Unfortunately, my experience with donating to the Democratic Party was that they spent more $ than I donated on mailings, phone calls, emails and texts harassing me for yet more money.
Since then, I advocate the following. If you want to reduce the influence of money in politics, stop putting money into it. If you don’t want your elected officials to be for sale, stop trying to buy them. Unless you are one of the super wealthy, they will just take your money and do whatever works best for them, not you. Not that I’m suggesting the Republican Party isn’t doing exactly the same. They are even worse as is amply demonstrated by Musk’s outright purchase of the White House.
Sharon; I did renew my ACLU membership, member since 2008; also renewed my DNC membership. Follow Indivisible posts on my E-mail daily.
This morning I received an E-mail from DocuSign thanking me for signing up with them. I not only did NOT sign up with them I have never heard of them but know what it is and am deeply concerned about this issue. There was no way to Unsubscribe so I sent it to SPAM but haven’t found it listing in my SPAM folder and am more concerned with receiving it. I have not signed on to receive anything for months so assume this is from Trump and MAGA; has anyone else received this E-mail or post or know anything about who originated this group? I understand what they do, that is in their title; to me it is an open call to “come hack my financial information”.
Hey, did George Orwell write this?
JoAnn,
The DocuSign emails are scammers and go into your spam folder. I get them all the time in spam. Yes, don’t open the emails or click on any links.
Oh, for all you Constitutional scholars out there, what do you think will happen when Trump “pauses” funding approved by Congress? Legally, he can’t do that, so what is he trying to accomplish?:
“Because they (pausing funding) are actually the most lawless, brazen, unconstitutional actions that this administration has yet taken, and if sanctioned by a conservative Supreme Court, they would amount to a full disbanding of our system of government.”
https://prospect.org/politics/2025-01-28-trumps-most-lawless-action-yet/?
Question for you smart folks—all of these Executive orders–are they legal and to they have to be acted on? I ask because I guess another one of these orders has halted HIV funding—I guess all ”global health funding” which includes HIV efforts abroad.
Just curious since right now it seems we no longer have a Congress but an Executive just signing executive orders every evening at midnight.
JoAnn,
Docusign is a legitimate company that handles legal electronic signing of documents. But anyone can make a document and send it to you through Docsign for you to sign. So your document came from Docsign, but the document that it contained was likely from some scammer.
If I was frightened before reading todays posts & comments
am now terrified. Trying to get some brains back in Democratic policy’s is not working. & MAGA is running full steam off the tracks. Thanks always Shelia
& J Green is reading my confused mind. Can we think our way out of this mess????
Watch out my fellow Hoosiers – recently elected Sen Jim Banks’ (aka chief p.o.s. christian nationalist from IN) deputy chief of staff just got promoted to a much higher nepo maga position. As of yesterday, Tucker Carlson’s son Buckley was hired as Deputy Press Secretary for VP JD Vance.
The extremely evil Jim Banks just hit the political lottery with this access to the white house. Banks has been a loyal Fox Spews interviewee for years and hired Tucker Carlson’s son to obtain easy access to Fox in order to continuously spread maga lies to their viewers.
Very timely and thoughtful post, Shiela. Inspired me to dive deeper into political science research and found this space helpful:
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/07393148.2022.2121135?scroll=top&needAccess=true
Neo-facism describes motive to leverage government interference by stalling/prohibiting Neo-liberalism movements interference with high end wealth capital expansion. Very interesting thesis.
Unfortunately, we have ignored language for decades. The Press, and the Republicans have thrown around “socialist” and “radical” since before Nixon’s
“pink lady” comment. Nobody called him a “reactionary” for promising the South that they could ‘go back’ to the Jim Crow era, nor did they label Reagan as such for wanting to return to the ‘Gilded Age’, but that political description has been around for just such purposes. Clinton and Obama were not “liberals”, but the term was used as a pejorative to describe them.
And nobody used words like “liar” or “lies” to describe the modern GOP’s pronouncements and Trump’s constant drivel.
Just saying – we’ve been asleep at the wheel for decades.
As for the Democrats – change them – I have spent my political life doing that, starting when I was 16 backing a pro-civil rights, pro-equal rights candidate in Detroit (1960s) against the UAW’s candidate. Four years later I didn’t change, but the UAW did and they backed a true “liberal”. After the Obama campaign, an organization I started ran 15 candidates for Precinct Committee Person. We won 14 and the county party took notice. Small changes from a small group of people, but if everyone got involved in their own “small” way, we can achieve much larger change.
Shiela, you have identified the mission of the Democratic Party organization for these next few years. Democrats need to declare a hiatus on our admittedly-important policy concerns for now and instead step into the role of being the one party of democracy left in America. Setting aside progressive objectives for the moment, we need to welcome in the true conservatives and moderates who stand with us for democratic basics like freedom to vote, government that works (a functional healthcare system, Medicare, Medicaid, a Postal Service, a properly-funded IRS that actually collects taxes from billionaires, etc etc.), revising the tax code to tax the wealthy and corporations at equitable rates at least equivalent to the rates imposed on the middle class, revising the immigration system so that the emphasis is not on keeping people out but on integrating the people who are already here into becoming citizens with language and civics classes, etcetera.
Saving democracy needs to be the mission for us “Democrats” for now. We need to welcome in those on the conservative side to defeat the Fascist menace first.
Then we can split in two later to be Progressives and Conservatives, or whatever the new party names need to be to restore a healthy democracy.
In today’s posting, Shiela has identified the mission of the Democratic Party organization for these next few years. Democrats need to declare a hiatus on our admittedly-important policy concerns for now and instead step into the role of being the one party of democracy left in America. Setting aside progressive objectives for the moment, we need to welcome in the true conservatives and moderates who stand with us for democratic basics like freedom to vote, government that works (a functional healthcare system, Medicare, Medicaid, a Postal Service, a properly-funded IRS that actually collects taxes from billionaires, etc etc.), revising the tax code to tax the wealthy and corporations at equitable rates at least equivalent to the rates imposed on the middle class, revising the immigration system so that the emphasis is not on keeping people out but on integrating the people who are already here into becoming citizens with language and civics classes, etcetera.
Saving democracy needs to be the mission for us “Democrats” for now. We need to welcome in those on the conservative side to defeat the Fascist menace first.
Then we can split in two later to be Progressives and Conservatives, or whatever the new party names need to be to restore a healthy democracy.
Just an FYI for the women writing here in Indiana. You might want to come to the Statehouse on Wednesday February 11th from 11-1:00pm (on the 4th floor) to write your legislator to Stop SB-171 from passing if you care about women’s bodily autonomy.
Whoops I mean February 12th
We’ve already been told that lying is legal in politics. So, we can complain about all of this, but he is not violating the law. And that’s on all politicians, because none of them want to give up that particular guardrail or safety net, where they can spew bogus theorems and conspiracies, with impunity.
Talk about shock and awe, maybe more like a schlock and aw shucks! I have to laugh on these pop-up trash ads that claim DT is a genius, or has an extremely high IQ. Without his Mafia lawyer teaching him the ropes, he would have been in prison by now. DT is the MacGyver of lies.!. He is also the Mcjiver and Con-nivor of deception and deceit, The word Satan means deceiver, I can’t think of anyone more fitting to hold that title than DT.
During the 2016 political campaign for POTUS between Trump & Clinton a long time close conservative friend (now deceased) observed to left of center me that Trump who likes to project an image of being a political “conservative” which is grounded in the notion “to conserve”, “to preserve” that which is good & effective, marked by one who incarnates traditional norms of taste, style & manners. Trump is not a “conservative”, the only noun/verb Trump desires to “conserve” is himself.
Ten years later, if alive, I’m confident my life long active Republican friend would advocate a main reason Trump ran again in 2004 for President is he desperately craves the protective power of the Presidency to stay out of ‘jail’.
Most definitely, the meaning of words change over time. A classic example is the word – conservative. Trump is NOT a conservative. As long as the press defines him as a conservative – they are changing the meaning of the word. I make this comment as a democrat (definitely ‘left of center).