In the wake of Joe Biden’s decision to withdraw from the Presidential campaign, media attention turned from the just-concluded Republican convention to the Democratic ticket. While that’s understandable, it’s also important to revisit the fantasies promulgated at that GOP lie-fest. I particularly liked one of those reviews, penned by David French in the New York Times, because French is a conservative former Republican, whose analysis cannot fairly be attributed to progressive ideology.
French-who was a Mitt Romney delegate at the 2012 Republican convention– noted that this year’s event “was the first that revolved entirely around a fundamentally false premise: that in our troubled time, Donald Trump would be a source of order and stability.” As he noted, if past performance is any indication, a second Trump term would be as chaotic as the first.
To bolster their case, Republicans misled America. Speaker after speaker repeated the claim that America was safer and the world was more secure when Trump was president. But we can look at Trump’s record and see the truth. America was more dangerous and the world was quite chaotic during Trump’s term. Our enemies were not intimidated by Trump. In fact, Russia improved its strategic position during his time in office.
Convention speakers emphasized the same themes that Hoosiers saw in the GOP’s primary fight–especially ominous warnings about crime and crime rates. These arguments reek of what Yiddish speakers call “chutzpah,” because acceptance of GOP arguments about public safety requires swallowing a Republican “alternate reality.”
As French notes,
The most egregious example of Republican deception centered around crime. The theme of the second night of the convention was “Make America Safe Again.” Yet the public mustn’t forget that the murder rate skyrocketed under Trump. According to the Pew Research Center, “The year-over-year increase in the U.S. murder rate in 2020 was the largest since at least 1905 — and possibly ever.”…
It’s particularly rich for Trump to claim to be the candidate of order when the crime rate rose during his presidency and is plunging during Joe Biden’s. In 2023, there was a record decrease in the murder rate, and violent crime, ABC News reported, “plummeted to one of the lowest levels in 50 years.”
French also reminded readers of Trump’s utterly unAmerican approach to international relations, which consisted of dumping on the country’s longtime allies and cozying up to autocrats and dictators–especially Putin.
Trump’s argument about foreign policy is also fundamentally deceptive. Throughout the convention, we heard variations of the same theme: Russia didn’t invade any other country under Trump, and Iran was broke and powerless. But again, this is misleading. Far from being frightened and intimidated by Trump, both Russia and Iran directly attacked American troops when he was president.
In 2018, Russian mercenaries and their Syrian allies assaulted an American position in northern Syria, leading to a four-hour battle during which American forces deployed artillery and airstrikes to beat back the attack. In 2020, Iran fired a volley of ballistic missiles at American troops in retaliation for our strike against Qassim Suleimani and injured more than 100 American service members.
In both instances, our forces handled themselves with courage, professionalism and skill, but if Russia and Iran were so frightened of Trump, why did they attack Americans?
Trump enabled Iran to restart its nuclear program, and ordered a precipitous withdrawal from northern Syria that abandoned our Kurdish allies, creating an opening for Russia. (Russians filmed themselves occupying an abandoned American base.)
Trump’s obvious disrespect for our allies harmed American interests then, and if he wins they’ll harm American interests again. At the end of Trump’s term, Russia was stronger, Iran was unbowed, and America’s relationship with our key allies was more tenuous. Trump had even threatened to yank the United States out of NATO, our most important alliance, an act that would fulfill one of Putin’s fondest hopes.
As French concludes, Trump wants voters to empty their minds of the past so that he can fill it with his own “alternative facts.”
The Republican National Convention was one long exercise in creating memories of a Trump term that never existed. The real Trump term was chaotic and dangerous from start to finish, and if Americans’ memories don’t improve soon, the voters who seek peace and stability will instead bring us violence and tears.
The problem is, for the MAGA cult, reality is irrelevant. Climate change is a hoax, NATO isn’t worth supporting, Brown immigrants are all criminals…the list goes on, and at its base is the real glue holding the cult together–White Christian Nationalism and nostalgia for a (largely non-existent) past in which White men dominated the government and the culture.
A Republicans vote is a vote for the Confederacy.
I received my new “For the love of God; anyone but Trump 2024” yard sign and chanced falling due to my disability to plant it firmly in my front flowerbed. My “Fuck Trump” tee shirt is back out of the laundry and ready to wear today; it was a birthday gift from my son about 5 years ago but I hesitated dropping the “F-bomb” till SCOTUS gave him immunity. That message on my tee shirt is now also for SCOTUS and my Trump supporting neighbors…who outnumber me and some are armed.
I didn’t watch any of the RNC convention; viewing the news films was more than enough to recognize that 2024 is an escalated version of 2016 and Trump’s 2024 version of the Carpetbaggers invasion of the south. Escalated from the post Civil War version to encompass the entire nation with its takeover by mercenaries when “White men dominated the government and the culture.” of the south to fully destroy the people who survived the war. They now depend on those southern states and its people to return Trump to OUR White House and finish his job of destroying democracy, Rule of Law and cancelling the Constitution of the UNITED States of America.
Has the Democratic internal war ended in time to save us from the Republican Confederacy Sheila warns us of? Vice President Kamala Harris’ strong voice in the Senate was strong enough to take her to this position as the Democratic (presumptive) presidential nominee. But are the Democrats strong enough to take her to the White House in only 104 days on November 5th.
VOTE BLUE NO MATTER WHO! Now we know who!
It’s nice to see the Democratic enthusiasm for VP Harris. It’s also nice to know that there are some office holders who still have dignity and respect for the Constitution.
Remember that this is far from over. The attacks will come fast and furiously. They will be brutal and they might even seem true. They will, of course be nonsense, but too many people will think they just might have some truth to them.
What worries me most is what happens after the voting. We must have big enough numbers to convince the lower level of the opposition that they can believe what they see. We know the highest level won’t accept a loss, because he’s already told us that.
This is a great posting today in view of the campaign for Harris just now starting. Exposing Trump’s lies with facts and the egregious, fascist screed, Project 2025, will be the most important we “little people” can do.
Christian Nationalism is a hoax and a lie. Donald Trump is a psychopath. J.D. Vance is a back-stabbing fraud. The Republican intent to destroy our government and Constitution is the worst nightmare doomsday authors have had coming true.
Yes, it’ll get worse from the sewers of Trump, Vance and other surrogates on FOX, because it’s all they have. Their donors INSIST on it, and those craven idiots will dutifully follow the money. Sick.
French writes, “If Russia and Iran were so frightened of Trump, why did they attack Americans?”
For one, we assassinated an Iranian General, and we’re stealing oil from Syria while occupying Northern Syria illegally. Assad didn’t invite us and does not want us in Syria. Russia forced the US out of Syria during Obama. Putin called our bluff, and we retreated from all of Syria but the northern oil fields.
Biden allowed a genocidal war criminal to speak in the People’s House. Bibi is charged with mass murdering and starving women and children with the US as an accomplice. Under Biden, we are closer than we’ve ever been to nuclear armageddon. French is delusional.
He’s correct about Trump’s chaotic term as president, and it will happen again if he wins in November. Trump is a reactionary leader—he flies by the seat of his pants. He can’t implement P2025 because following a detailed plan is beyond his capabilities.
Biden has followed the MIC plans to perfection. His proxy war in Ukraine is a massive failure and is genocide against the Ukrainian people – men specifically. Whenever Zelenskyy clamors about peace due to manpower shortages, Congress approves more money for weapons. Biden is too weak to put his foot down with the MIC and Bibi Netanyahu.
Biden couldn’t even put his foot down against corporate price-gouging allowing inflation to cripple the middle class and working poor. Since artificial demand picked up after COVID, Wall Street has punched those on fixed incomes in the teeth. Biden’s sanctions and tariffs have also caused inflationary pressure.
When the Eastern Elites spoke, Biden was gone. Even Russia is lamenting about the lack of democracy in what happened. Harris’s ability to govern the country is questionable and primarily unknown. If she handles things like she dealt with the Southern border issue, we will be in deep trouble.
Assuming no COVID Part 2 in the next four years, Trump will get to pump out daily whims. Nobody could have handled the national crisis worse than Trump. One piece of P2025 most people are not talking about is the appointment of vetted conservatives willing to implement the detailed plans. If Trump wins and then follows the script and recommendations in January 2025, it will be a very long four years for Americans.
Thank you for this post. Everything French mentioned I had forgotten. (The IQ45 term is four years I’d like to forget).
I’m amazed at how powerful Harris’s rise of support has come. It’s unleashed a stampede of money and endorsements that surpasses anything I could have imagined. I am skeptical about how IQ45 is dealing with the sudden change and it makes me cackle loudly about his loss to President Harris come November. I can’t wait until we have a full week of IQ45’s name never reaching the media again. I am so sick of him.
I had to add this since we just talked about it recently: due to the SCOTUS decision on homelessness (due to the billionaire co-founder of Palantir), Gavin Newsome ordered the clearing of homelessness encampments off state-owned land. He also gave orders to local CA officials, but they don’t have to follow the orders.
https://apnews.com/article/california-homeless-encampment-newsom-7d4478801de6e9f8a708c7c7c6ef3e5f
Hey Todd,
Remember the saying, ” deal with the devil you know”?
There really is no panacea in politics. And fortunately, Kamala Harris has a good shot at winning because she’s going to invigorate the youth as it stands right now. But things can change.
I still feel odd and not trusting of the situation concerning, the attempted assassination of DT. You can bet there’s going to be an attempted payback by the Looney tunes.
This entire political Kabuki has gotten way out of hand. And it needs some sort of respite. But I doubt respite is in the cards.
You can’t rebuke history because it does no good, and not going down the same path that has been worn deep into the ground over the millennia, you have to be proactive, and not reactive!
Barney Fife, that sage from Mayberry, used to say, “nip it in the bud.” Kill it before it blooms. Like weeds, if you can catch them before they go to seed, the next year is going to be easy weeding. But if you wait, you’re not proactive, you’ll be reacting all year pulling weeds that are choking out your flower gardens and beds.
Now that Biden is not worried about a second term, he could actually throw out some very interesting executive orders and not worry about election issues. There are possibilities if they are taken.
So, Todd, why don’t you go further back in history to dissect the horrors of executive failures? Maybe start with Calvin Coolidge while you’re at it. Then, you’ll qualify to become part of Trump’s information gathering team. I’m sure if they read your screed today they’d see you’re qualified to help them.
French, a conservative, is a thoughtful and careful man, one who is willing to see and reflect on what he sees. This column is one of his best. No surprise that Sheila would feature this column as she, with French, sees and reflects.
Todd. When President Biden stepped aside I wondered how long it would be before you resumed throwing your feces at him and stepping up your attacks on VP Harris. Now I know. Not long. No surprises today.
Todd, California has so many homeless because people who can’t or won’t compete for their places there are being being pushed out. If they were rational, they would relocate to a less expensive place. But, as we know, the right wing economic theories that favor competition over cooperation assume rational actors, and in fact humans are anything but. The homeless in California don’t want to leave for whatever reason, but they can’t afford to stay, so they live outside. A similar if less severe problem exists all over the U.S. The fundamental issue, as you know, is that without an imposed solution in a competitive economy, losers lose. Blaming the Dems for doing something about it when the cities in California are being degraded by this phenomenon and the Republicans nationally refuse to address the issue is like blaming a monopoly player for quitting the game when the other players refuse to stop cheating. The cheaters are the problem. The Republicans are the problem. Your focus on disparaging the left when the left isn’t left enough for you, while ignoring the ruthlessness of the right and the political realities of shared power is, on your part, a refusal to acknowledge reality.
Vern,
I can’t think of anything negative about the Republican author of the Roaring Twenties! 😉
He did a much better job of not running for reelection than #GenocideJoe. Also, if it wasn’t for Coolidge, we might not have got FDR. Think about it.
Todd, just so you will know in the future, the Speaker of the House is the person with the authority to invite people to speak in the Congress. The President can’t do it. Remember that when someone invites you to march to the Capitol and fight like hell.
I have thought about it, Todd, and actually did some research. Herbert Hoover rode the Coolidge coattails and his operating philosophy of hands-off economics. Your idiotic reference to Biden really embarrasses you to rational people. Think of something else disparaging. It should only take a minute.
JoAnn — you are one brave lady!! You go, girl!!
Todd — I am amazed you continuously post here. I don’t think you’ve had one comment of praise in the entire time of been reading Sheila’s blog (several years now). If nothing else, you’re persistent!
Just remember – a President Trump could call anyone – opponent or not – a spy to justify killing us (not that he’d need justification), and the Supreme Court has said no evidence to prove otherwise can be used to hold him accountable. It would be his official business, and as such, he’d be immune from criminal consequences.
Far fetched? Not at all. He’s said – repeatedly – that he’s running to take retribution.
So all of us here are at risk unless we all convince some folks to register and turnout to vote for Kamala Harris.
We continue to learn all magats from birth to death are liars, no exceptions.
Joann, where do you get your signs/shirts?