Let’s “get real,” as the kids might say. MAGA is the embodiment and resurgence of the Confederacy–a less geographically-bound version of the South that is determined to rise again. And this time, the war isn’t limited to Black folks–it includes all “others”–gays, women, Muslims, Jews…
The evidence is overwhelming.
The New York Times noted that Trump had made no statement about Juneteenth, the federal holiday that commemorates the end of slavery in the United States, despite the fact that lesser occasions routinely garner official proclamations.
On the day the Supreme Court ruled against gender-affirming care for transgender youth, the Trump administration ended specialized support for LGBTQ callers to the national suicide prevention hotline.
The Atlantic recently opined that
Five years ago, as the streets ran hot and the body of George Floyd lay cold, optimistic commentators believed that America was on the verge of a breakthrough in its eternal deliberation over the humanity of Black people. For a brief moment, perhaps, it seemed as if the “whirlwinds of revolt,” as Martin Luther King Jr. once prophesied, had finally shaken the foundations of the nation. In 2021, in the midst of this “racial reckoning,” as it was often called, Congress passed legislation turning Juneteenth into “Juneteenth National Independence Day,” a federal holiday. Now we face the sober reality that our country might be further away from that promised land than it has been in decades.
The administration’s frantic effort to defeat “woke-ism” and DEI–which it characterizes as bias against White Christian men–gives the game away. They aren’t trying to level the playing field–they are trying to return White men to social dominance. Consider just some of what this administration has done.
Trump’s Executive Order 14151 (“Ending Radical And Wasteful Government DEI Programs”) terminated DEI units, removed references to minority achievements, and purged employees involved in diversity efforts. Another Executive Order
Issued on the same day revoked LBJ’s historic affirmative action order, and stripped federal agencies of the authority to enforce non-discrimination in federal contracting.
Agencies like NASA, DOE, HHS, NIH, DOD, CIA, FBI, NSF, and DOE have all removed so-called “DEI content” from webpages and other materials. We’ve seen ships carrying the names of LGBTQ figures and women renamed. (That renaming is in line with Trump’s announced intention to restore the names of Confederate traitors to the army bases that shed them.)
The current EEOC Chair has followed Trump’s directives and “deprioritized” discrimination cases related to gender identity and pushed agencies to investigate and pressure law firms and corporations with DEI programs. The Department of Justice has been directed to probe corporate DEI policies criminally and has withdrawn previous civil rights settlements tied to equity.
The Pentagon has removed content honoring Blacks, Indigenous individuals, women, and LGBTQ+ service members. Examples include the Navajo Code Talkers, Jackie Robinson, and Harvey Milk. And it isn’t only Juneteenth; agencies have also canceled or muted celebrations of other identity-based holidays like Pride Month and Black History Month.
Trump canceled more than 2,100 NIH grants totaling an estimated ten billion dollars that the administration deemed tied to diversity and inclusion. (A judge has ruled those cuts illegal and discriminatory.)
There’s more, but the pattern is unmistakable. Scholars attest that the removal of content celebrating minority achievements and history mimics the classic white supremacist tactic of erasing the narratives of marginalized groups. The historical parallels are striking: analysts and historians have drawn comparisons between Trump’s policies and Reconstruction-era actions by white supremacists, not to mention 1930s-era, fascist efforts to control historical narratives and redefine “meritocracy.”
We are once again in a contest between tribalism and universalism, between racism and humanism. Tribalism, however, is the essence of anti-Americanism. Ours is not a “blood and soil” country, like Nazi Germany, with its ideal of a racially defined national body.
MAGA, with its version of White Christian male supremacy, is today’s Confederacy. It wants to restrict who can be considered authentically American, and applauds Trump’s efforts to reclassify those despised “others” as–at best–guests of those entitled to the title. It is an effort that demeans what is truly “exceptional” about the United States–the philosophical base on which the country rests.
The nation established by the Founders–admittedly all White guys (albeit not all traditional Christians)–was something new to our quarrelsome globe: it was an IDEA. And over time, most of us who occupy this land have come to realize that the proper definition of an American is anyone–of any gender, color or belief– who accepts and endorses that Idea.
The New Confederacy will go the way of the old one. We the People–all people– just need to step up the Resistance…
Heather Cox Richards book “How the South won the Civil War” is a great read if you want to understand how, in part, we got here.
JustgotbackfromGettysburg.Yourwordsringsoture.
Our original sin is steeped in unregulated capitalism taken to immoral extremes. Add to that the total screw-up of reconstruction – thanks to Lincoln being killed and Andrew Johnson throwing up on himself. And here we are.
The racists and their hateful brethren have always been with us, but as with so much of the current horror show in Washington, Trump has given permission to the hateful, the bigoted and the moronic to be all they ever wanted to be. Now, we see that inside the DOJ, the concept of lying in court and figuratively telling judges “f*** you”, we have the capstone of gangster government.
Making America Great, to these ugly people means doing whatever the hell the gangster wants. Oh, and Mike Johnson just urinated on the Constitution too by saying that the intent of the framers was NOT to have Congress interrupt the president’s will. So much for Article II.
So, it’s more than just a reiteration of the confederacy; those guys couldn’t have imagined what we’re seeing today. It’s about pure evil fascism being abetted and favored by not very smart people.
The further we go with MAGA the more we can see the similarities between the current iteration of the US and countries like Russia and Iran. I can’t believe that a voting majority of Americans want anything like what we have. Our elected representatives are mostly a disgrace to our history and it is clear from their words and actions they are not qualified to hold office. Yes I’m talking about Jefferson Shreve, Jim Banks and Todd Young, Victoria Sparta, etc.
As time moves on, you can see the capitulation of Democrats to MAGA. Just an example would be Fetterman who has been praising the action against Iran.
The media has really sided with the state. I guess they’ve read history books. Gleefully extolling the power of the military. And how they demolished another weak sibling.
The idea being accepted now, is one of power! Unrestrained and uncaring. It’s like many of these folks have hooks in their jaws, being pulled in like fish on a line. Except being reeled in, means prepared to be slaughtered! After all, who reels in the fish and gives it a kiss and lets it go?
No issue with comparisons to the Confederacy; however, there is lots of history of MAGA-like values and behavior all across the US, not just in the South.
Fever in the Heartland by Timothy Egan will give you shivers on a hot day.
A simple fact about what started the Civil War was that South Carolinian white, Christian, male, wealthy, plantation owners (The Chivalry) felt the need to protect what they felt was their exceptionally fragile “honor”. They, at Fort Sumter, felt the need to challenge Abe Lincoln (an extraordinarily honorable president) to a virtual duel. They fired on a fort belonging to the People and destroyed it.
Now, exceptionally dishonorable white, Christian males have renewed that duel with the people. It’s you or we who represent the Union.
We have spent a lot of time trying to understand how and why we are where we are. Analysis is great, but we’ll get a more complete view after we’ve sent them all home for good.
Experience has taught me that when three or more people form a committee they will analyze the issue and come to agreement on what to do. After that, they will continue with talking about the issue until the end of the meeting, at which time they will table a resolution. Every committee needs someone who is responsible for putting the ideas into a resolution and calling for a vote.
The Dems seem to have this problem every day. If you want to kill an idea, send it to a committee. It’s past time to stop analyzing and start doing.
Sheila…I’m GOBSMACKED by this brilliant insight! Once again…you’ve seen something in a very different light and helped us see it too. Thanks!
The crisis facing the country today can be boiled down to two questions. 1. How do we restrain and overtake MAGA? 2. What do we do with renewed power to run the government?
The left seems to be stymied by both questions. Until we can make a real plan and see a way forward we will continue to watch as our nation collapses into dictatorship.
The statement “the Cold War is now over, but in a tragic sense” can be found in a February 5, 1996, entry in the Congressional Record, which attributes the quote to an unnamed speaker:
“The Cold War is now over, but in a tragic sense, the world has now been made safer for ethnic, tribal, and religious vengeance and savagery. . . . We have watered down our moral standards to the point where many of our youth are confused, discouraged and in deep trouble. We are reaping the harvest of parental neglect, divorce, child abuse, teen pregnancy, school dropouts, illegal drugs, and streets full of violence. It’s as if our house, having survived the great earthquake we call the Cold War, is now being eaten away by termites.”
While I can appreciate Pam’s comment, this is, really, not new news…sad as that is.
Yes, John, it was over in a tragic sense, but the rest of the quote is malarky. It is reminiscent of Benjamin Franklin’s statement that the next generation was going to the dogs.
The KKK has been a shadow of its former self, but never have its ideas perished. The MAGA fear that their mastery of the culture was/is at risk is real, because, in one sense, it should be. That is exactly the issue with tribalism and universalism.
The Confederate tribal folk have been passing their “ideals” down through the generations, since the Civil War’s end, which is really no surprise, it’s what tribal folk, what ANY cultures always do. The issue is about how much their view of what an “American” should look like, and how HE should behave is at issue with the actual ideals of the rest of “We the people.”
My earlier comment is out for consideration, but one might be able to confine it to this one quote from Anais Nin:
“It is a sign of great inner insecurity to be hostile to the unfamiliar,”
Mitch D. – Your quote explains both our culture and politics – that “inner insecurity” comes from high-speed change to technology, work, demographics, religion, values – everything! How KINGS happen….
I’ve been reading A People’s History of the World by Chris Harman. Such excursions into history remind me to take a longer view of the problems we face. The long view helps me cope with the daily craziness and maintain hope for continuing progress. Then I can reenter the resistance with determination instead of despair.
Hang in there, friends!
MAGA: Maniacs Are Governing America
The disrespect and unjust treatment the Maga regime show for most Americans is on full display in broad daylight. It’s red meat for the Maga base and cover for trumps main goal of fortifying personal power and robbing U.S. blind. It’s a positive that Maga’s dirty laundry is on display for everyone to see, and to feel and recognize the negative ramifications from it directly in our own Lifes.
trump and company (including opportunists foreign and domestic) have taken advantage /liberties with U.S. Democracy to degrade and make it obsolete.
There is a lot of outrage by Americans who look ahead and see where this movement is going in our homeland. The resistance is strong, and I think trump is shook up by it. By thumping his chest and bombing selected targets in Iran looks like he’s trying to reenforce an unrealistic strong man image he desires for himself. As HCR pointed out trump is up against a reality that doesn’t work the way his outdated ideas direct him.
Authoritarianism has many weaknesses in its set up and Americans are lawfully going after those. Democrats are holding the line in Congress and keeping their powder dry so their strategy can be effective. War time strategy isn’t always broadcast news. Hope they can stop or put a dent in the big ugly bill. Contempt of court is a civil way to deal with trump’s disregard for the rule of law and needs to stay. Hope the Parliamentarian can make her case, and our show of support puts weight/consequence behind it. Tearing down US government in front of Americans is a weakness and Americans are finding strength in unity against this deceitful, hateful and inhumane regime.
They fear change of any kind, especially when they believe that their share of the pie is decreased when others get an equal share. It is racist, misogynist, xenophobic and homophobic, rooted in religious patriarchy.
A recent conversation between Heather Cox Richardson and Pete Buttigieg about change struck me as increasingly becoming reality. He posited that change, as significant as the industrial revolution, is happening not in increments of 10 or 20 years as has been the case for the last half of the 20th century, but in 5 years.
He stated that he believes AI will be revolutionary in our economy, likely most profoundly in white collar jobs. His remarks are available on youtube if you search for HRC’s podcasts.
The efforts of MAGA to keep straight white Christian men in control is a direct response to the power brokers’ awareness of what is coming. They use fear of change in the most direct way by attacking women and minorities. Why is there a prohibition on states’ ability to regulate AI in the BBB? They don’t fear the change but see it as a tool to greater wealth and power, unchecked and global.
If there are truly free and open elections ever again in this country, maybe We, the People, will actually learn to protect our freedoms instead of selling them to the highest bidder.
Let us hope, having never gone away, it dies a final ignominious death it deserves at last.