Bret Stephens is a conservative columnist for the New York Times. He recently penned an essay titled “Democracy Dies in Dumbness”–a take-off the Washington Post’s slogan “Democracy Dies in Darkness.” That essay made two points I’ve tried to convey here.
Genuine conservatives, like Stephens, are appalled by what is being done by the MAGA radicals who are routinely identified as conservative. MAGA, Trump and Musk are anything but, and to label them such is an affront to actual conservatives. The second point–and the one amply documented in Stephens’ essay– is that the most obvious element of this horrific administration is its profound stupidity.
A lot of people, especially well-meaning “libruls,” strain to find some nefarious logic to the disasters Trump is perpetrating in Washington–some evidence that he’s an “evil genius,” or at the very least operating with some sort of intent, misplaced though it may be. To this I say bullfeathers! He’s ignorant, very stupid and also very clearly mentally ill. (I leave it to each of you to decide what that says about those in his devoted MAGA base.)
Stephens detailed much of the ignorance:
It used to be common knowledge — not just among policymakers and economists but also high school students with a grasp of history — that tariffs are a terrible idea. The phrase “beggar thy neighbor” meant something to regular people, as did the names of Senator Reed Smoot and Representative Willis Hawley. Americans broadly understood how much their 1930 tariff, along with other protectionist and isolationist measures, did to turn a global economic crisis into another world war. Thirteen successive presidents all but vowed never to repeat those mistakes.
Until Donald Trump. Until him, no U.S. president had been so ignorant of the lessons of history. Until him, no U.S. president had been so incompetent in putting his own ideas into practice.
Stephens labels Trump “a willful, erratic and heedless president,” and says he’s prepared to risk both the U.S. and the global economy “to make his ideological point.” I disagree with him only on his evident belief that Trump has an “ideological point.” I really doubt that Trump could spell ideological, let alone that he possess an articulable “point” he wants to make. He acts solely out of grievance, racism, anger and an insatiable desire for attention–as the inconsistency of his impulsive and damaging actions show, there is no coherent belief system motivating any of this.
Stephens does take on the obvious stupidity:
The Department of Government Efficiency won’t end well. It is neither a department nor efficient — and “government efficiency” is, by Madisonian design, an oxymoron. A gutted I.R.S. work force won’t lower your taxes; it will delay your refund. Mass firings of thousands of federal employees won’t result in a more productive work force; it will mean a decade of litigation and billions of dollars in legal fees. High-profile eliminations of wasteful spending (some real, others not) won’t make a dent in federal spending; they’ll mask the untouchable drivers of our $36 trillion debt: Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security and defense.
Just as you don’t cure cancer by shutting down cancer research, walking away from NATO won’t achieve greater security for anyone, including ourselves. What passes for Trumpian foreign policy has already done incalculable damage. His “policy”– centered on cozying up to Russia– is monumentally stupid; as Stephens notes, what Trump has achieved internationally is a Russia that sees even less reason to settle, a Europe that sees more reason to go its own way, a China that believes America will eventually fold, and a once-again betrayed Ukraine that will have even less reason to trust international guarantees of its security.
In his last paragraph, Stephens makes a point with which I entirely agree.
Trump’s critics are always quick to see the sinister sides of his actions and declarations. An even greater danger may lie in the shambolic nature of his policymaking. Democracy may die in darkness. It may die in despotism. Under Trump, it’s just as liable to die in dumbness.
I just hope that there will be a government to salvage when we finally eject Trump, Musk, the clown show they’ve assembled and the sorry bunch of Christian Nationalists and elected invertebrates who continue to enable them.
It is greed for profit, not unselfish concern for one’s fellowman. Tariffs are one incarnation that has caused bankers And their political brethren to lend and or dock enormous funds to countries that cannot pay them back. And the Bible roundly condemns such profiteering. (Nehemiah 5:1-11; see also Exodus 22:25.) It is greedy self-interest that prevents the nations from cooperating together and working out a solutions to life grieving issues. Governments really don’t want to hear redress of grievances by those at the bottom, it just complicates the greed.
Nobody wants to beholden to their fellow man, because historically, that’s one of the biggest drivers of war. It’s also, one of the biggest drivers of grievance. Folks want to believe that they have a certain amount of freedom in this world. That they can carve out a path, carve out a destiny, carve out a panacea for themselves. But in the end, it’s just striving after the wind. They are at the mercy of those who are in the seat above them. Those who came earlier. Those newbies, the nanescent climbers, who are at the bottom of the profiteering greedmongers. They do the dirty work and might gather some scraps. Now, many of those who have nothing, or not much of anything, those scraps might seem desirable. But in the end, there’s only so much to go around. And it’s going to cause great distress, and a scripture says, “they will stab themselves all over with many pains.”
I also find it fascinating that those who throw their lot in with conservative dogma, find it so distasteful or detestable to point out scriptural evidence of wrongdoing concerning their conduct for those who are completely at the mercy of the caste system. They are at the bottom! And there is no effort to try to elevate them. There is no rising tide to lift their boat. But many times there is a heel pushed into the chin as they’re trying to climb the hill. They’re always has to be a bottom. That’s the human way!
Conservative, liberal, Republican, Democrat, it’s all the same. So,100 years ago, the ideals of all of these parties reversed 180°. So who has the real dogma, who has the real empathy?
Is all of this because of concern for their fellow man? Is all of this because they love their neighbor? Something that Christ commanded? Of course not, it’s because of greed and power. Something that Christ condemned. So they can’t be on the side of Christ, they can’t be a follower, ie Christian, so then no matter what, who are they? Who are these leaders who claim they can fix everything? When you have a person who is considered a god, the Pope that is, who are above the angels, even above Christ! Because, the Pope is aware that there is someone above Christ! And all of the bologna that they’ve spewed over the millennia, they knew was false, but they just continued to so fear and resentment to keep control of the people. So the people could continue to empty what little they had from their pockets into the collection plate.
If those at the very echelonic pinnacle, keep the disillusionment, confusion, malediction, turpitude, flowing into society through somewhat trusted political systems or religious systems, those at the bottom of that totem pole, can never gather their bearings to mount a response. So they’re disillusionment just increases, and those at the pinnacle of their echelonic ruling class, have succeeded in subduing everything.
It’s the way the world operates, this system of human control, is an illusion of competence, by the incompetent. But it does serve its purpose for those seeking the power and authority over everything. But, it absolutely will not make one immortal. Everyone will get a disease and everyone will die. So all the greed is for not.
Stephens say : they’ll mask the untouchable drivers of our $36 trillion debt: Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security and defense.
I submit that we need to collect taxes from all. NO MORE tax cuts for the rich. Everyone needs to contribute. The ceiling on FICA Contributions needs to be raised or eliminated. The programs are not the problem.
“…very clearly mentally ill.” As a retired psychotherapist, I completely agree. I have just started reading “The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump”, a collection of essays by leading mental health experts. They roundly decline to diagnose him due to the “Goldwater Rule”, with which I’m unfamiliar. Isn’t there any way to disqualify a severely mentally ill person from being President?
Revenge against gov’ment seems to be a primary driver among us, the safest, most comfortable homo sapiens ever. Go figure. Safe and comfortable people, or at least up to the level that a nation’s resources can afford, is a primary purpose of government.
“Genuine conservatives, like Stephens, are appalled by what is being done by the MAGA radicals who are routinely identified as conservative.”
Those “Genuine conservatives” among sitting Republicans in Congress are no longer being heard from; teamed with the sitting Democrats they would have the numbers to take action through the Judicial system brave enough to file charges to stop Trump and Musk. Instead they “sit” mute and idle and watch the destruction of America and our entire government imploding from within.
IF IT IS THIS EASY TO DESTROY TWO AND A HALF CENTURIES IN ONLY TWO MONTHS; HAVE WE BEEN LIVING UNDER A SCAM FOR THOSE TWO AND A HALF CENTURIES???
Keeping “informed” of our day to day situation now means watching America being destroyed. I’m tired of living in fear and fear of loss of my income along with my civil and human rights. Doing right, except for a few minor infractions, for 87 years, 88 years in April, proves that old adage, “Good guys finish last.” So do we “good gals” who stood behind the guys for decades till we forced our way to the front of the action. Trump includes us in the DEI grouping and now even military histories of women, living and dead, are being removed from records in Arlington Cemetery and the Pentagon. Will the birthright citizenship of all female genders be removed next?
Alan, a little independent research helps to define psychopathy in the openly exhibited personality dysfunction of Trump. Goldwater rule be damned. Nobody will ever get Trump into that kind of scientific analysis.
JoAnn, Todd will once again remind us of the impact of the oligarchs on our politicians. To a major degree, he is correct. Once again, we can trace that influence back to a Reagan-appointed Justice, Antonin Scalia and those who clerked for him. “Jiggery-Pokery” is what Scalia used to help define that money is speech and corporations are people in the egregious Citizens United v. FEC decision. That opened the floodgates for the oligarchs to legally bribe politicians.
I’m just surprised that it took this long to finally destroy our democracy. I guess the oligarchs didn’t realize how cheaply these creatures would go for.
patmcc, you are 100% spot on.
I disagree with Stephens’ view of foreign policy. If the US weren’t “protecting the financial interests” of its oligarchy abroad, there wouldn’t be any conflicts or wars. I could list one example after another of how our interference abroad has caused international upheaval, conflicts, and wars. Blinken is now being targeted for the undemocratic conflict in Romania, which involved tossing out the election results. And guess who financed it? #USAID #NED #InterNews
The media calls it “soft power,” but it’s corruption. We are influencing the governments to ensure a West-friendly ruler who will allow our oligarchs to plunder their resources.
Why not Trump? Why not Musk?
For God’s sake, we allowed a geriatric genocidal maniac to run the country from a nursing home. How beneficial was it to terrorize all of Europe by sabotaging a multi-billion dollar pipeline carrying cheap gas from Russia to Germany? Have you noticed that not one European leader has held the US accountable? Not even Scholz from Germany has the guts to hold the US accountable. How is having dozens of banana republics across Europe helping those countries succeed?
We should have abandoned NATO in the 1990s and left Europe alone. American Imperialism has not benefitted anyone.
Trump just offered $500 billion of US taxpayer dollars to become the AI leader; one week later, China pointed out DeepSeek, which was created with a few million dollars.
Let that sink in…
I don’t think “intelligence” has been related to US leadership since the 1950s and 1960s. We praised Bill Clinton, but he is just as disgusting as Trump, and they both ran in the same circles with Epstein and laundered money for Russian oligarchs and the underworld. Both made deals with the devil!
As John Sorg pointed out, the American Way has nothing to do with intelligence or morality. It has everything to do with wealth and power. Those who have it want more. Those who have it oppress others. Even our “humble beginnings” were all about genocide and oppressing others. I still remember the mouthy conservative claiming, “We did the American Indians a favor because they were underutilizing the land.” Don’t many folks believe that the Southern Plantation owners did black people a favor?
We are going to have a difficult time fighting back against oppression until we destroy all the myths that are tying us in knots.
One thing that no one has mentioned yet is ego. We have, in Orange Jesus one of the dumbest men of our era, equipped with one of the greatest egos in history. Delusional? You bet!
What is amazing to me is the people who buy into his delusions. What causes “Little Marco” to abandon long held beliefs, to sit so tightly wound through the bullying of an ally? It does seem that since that event he has become more at ease with his role.
Courage can’t be taught. It comes with the realization that everybody is scared, but there is a goal that must be achieved. Ergo, I have to do something to accomplish that goal. Maybe, in addition to civics, we ought also to teach logic
if ya see trump as a pyscho well, hes been in that style of buisness since i first heard of him back when he convinced everyone in Atlantic city and Jersey goverment his shit didnt stink. after eminate domain that ate up all the best property,around AC and nowhere near AC. and kushner and friends had a condo party that locked out the public from most of the Jersey shore line. fact,hes a scam artist floating and exploiting every aspect the goverment had at the time. like i said before here, i grew up across the river from this asswipe. if ya didnt pay attention,well this is what ya got..but at the same time, reagan was gutting the working class and thats when the games started. fact is, the republican party is the maker of this scam. try and go back to the roots of it. the media buyups of small town radio. cumulus media would be a start. and the people who are now in power,are the ones who did this.moving to farm country from the big city,i got a front row seat. i even met a few posse comitatus members,like the dad(and my neighbor back in 1987)of scott faul,who shot up the us marshalls with gordon kahl. they are dangerous and carry guns with impunity. now, where ya been..im in the ditches now with people who i guess would like to see me dead and im actully standing up and looking at them in the eye. thanks,for dragging our country down withya trumper,time will pay you back sonny..
There is a book written by Tom Smith called Child 44. It’s a murder mystery set in Russian in 1953 near the end of Stalin’s reign. In it a policeman realizes that children are being murdered along a train line, and when he goes to the authorities, he is told he is wrong, because that couldn’t possibly happen in the Utopia that is 1953 USSR. One of the things that is made clear is just what life is like under an authoritarian government that has it’s own version of reality, and attempts to force everyone to live in that vision. It’s horrifying. The protagonist can trust almost no one, and even with those you think you can trust you can never really be sure. People are nearly all poor and enough so that the will watch for something to report to the government, because they government will pay them for information, and that money helps their survival. I have been reading a religious history, most recently about the reformation. People were being burned at the stake for not believing the orthodoxy, and even for not attending church.
Forget Trump, he’s a figurehead. The real power is with the Christian Nationalists who wrote all of these Executive Orders Trump is signing. And what they want is to destroy the government and replace with a Christian oligarchy. They’ve said this but hardly anyone is talking about it.
And I find Todd’s implied comparison of American Imperialism with what has happened in, for instance, Russian and China disgusting. Our government has been and continues to be to beholden to the rich, especially the oligarchs, but personal freedom and the ability to self define has come so far in the US, and that shouldn’t be discounted. But in the US, so many people have found they way out of Plato’s cave since the 1950s, and the Christian Nationalists are doing everything they can to drag us back in.
Anne, the mention of Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave” from “The Republic” and the affect/effect of Democracy allowing for people to give up the chains keeping them in the shadows and head toward the light is brilliant. Authoritarianism, that never has all the answers for everyone but insists it does, is not progress and hides the nefarious and regressive motives of its leaders.
So now today there’s an executive order signed, to disband and shut the doors of the department of education. A department with tens of billions of dollars dispersed across this country to schools and other educational facilities. They’ve been wanting to privatize it, and the Congress has to sign off on it. You can see that there are growing pangs of distress. It is not for men to direct his own steps. Just like a toddler, he can walk but he might not know where he’s going! The toddler is a follower, just like most men or, most of humanity. Mankind or humankind never has its own best interest at heart, especially for those they deem the lowly ones. That’s where the Canon fodder is, look in the mirror!
Todd Smekens. I think you should read about authoratarian regimes that actually existed before you make any more comparisons of the United States to them. Three books I have read recently should disabuse you of the notions you love to spew on the topic.
I Love Russia by Elena Kostyuchenko,
Stalin’s Daughter by Rosemary Sullivan and
Mao- The Real Story by Alexander V. Pantsov with Steven I. Levine
These are far from the only sources that inform my opinions about the behavior of dictators, but they would be a good starting point for you. At any rate, they would provide you with much more reliable information that your beloved X and social media “experts.”
patmcc, absolutely right. Unfortunately, (most of) the rich don’t agree, and they have the political power. They don’t _need_ to have outsized power, but cases like Citizens United (and others) have made sure that they do.
I’ve long contended that people who try to determine rationale (or strategy, or even tactics) in Trump’s actions is starting in a place so wrong that nothing reasonable is deducible. Trump is driven by base emotions. Besides the factors that Sheila mentioned, a big one is that he loves to bully. It’s the closest thing he has to a tactic to “win.” He thinks it makes him look strong. He thinks it’s the only path to earning respect. He cannot conceive of any other type of strength, and views any other approach as weakness. He likes to describe himself as a great negotiator, but he has neither the knowledge nor the ability to be one. It is simply beyond him.
The point is that to “understand” Trump, you have to approach your analysis from the right place. And most don’t.
Yes, greed and nothing else is the point. Rachel Maddow suggested, the other day, that he has not grown up, and she is right. What she did not say, is that he CAN NOT grow up, being the mentally ill waste of human potential that he is.
There is no ideology, there is only “Me”ness and greed.
In my 65 years of life, when people are caught breaking the law, they are arrested.
Sheila,
I was at the empty seat town hall meeting yesterday at Broadway UMC. Thank you for your inspiring words. I was blown away by all the people in the audience who came up to share their experiences and their thoughts. The whole experience was amazing and inspires me to be more involved with resisting our federal government in the hands of Trump and Musk. Thank you again and I look forward to hearing you again at Broadway UMC on Saturday 12-2 for the next rally/town hall meeting.