After my post called “Democracy v. Oligarchy in a Pandemic,” Jane Q. Public asked: I need to answer this question in parts. This is Part I. The problem is: A political earthquake The solution: Mail-in voting (To implement the solution: We’re already more than halfway there.) Stick with me here. I have some strings to …
In dealing with a pandemic, a democratic leader would base success on how many lives are saved. A would-be oligarch, on the other hand, bases success on whether he maintains power. That is the clue to what is happening now. Two main issues have brought us here: #1: Trump has been systematically dismantling the federal …
A few days ago I wrote a lengthy post debunking the cherished theory on Twitter that the GOP leadership kowtows to Trump because Trump holds blackmail material on them. I received a few follow-up questions and comments. (Note: Some of this will be familiar to long time readers, and I apologize for the repetition). Cheryl …
A Twitter Peep asks: How could an entire political party forsake oath, conscience, and country over a flawed guy? The answer: They prefer Cult of Leadership to Rule of Law. GOP leadership ran for office—not to further the aims of liberal democracy—but to subvert it. Don’t be surprised. This is precisely how fascism takes over. …
There’s a theory on Twitter (and perhaps elsewhere) that the GOP bows to Trump and does his bidding because they are being blackmailed. Proponents of this theory point to the fact that the Russians also hacked the GOP computers but never released stolen information. They point to Sen. Lindsay Graham’s abrupt turnaround after a golfing …
This latest bit of Republican absurdity came from Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick: Later Glen Beck got in on the act: This is evil. And wrong. And crazy. I. Evil First, let’s talk about the evil part. They are so scared of a stock market crash that they literally want people to die to prevent …
Jae Gregory asked: It’s mostly incompetence. Fascist leaders are not equipped to deal with a real crisis. They only know how to deal with a manufactured crises. In a totalitarian society, the leadership would never be held accountable or blamed because they would control all information. The people would believe what they were told. In …
Rick Wilson and others explain that much of the GOP leadership is afraid of Trump. They dislike him, but they’re afraid to go against him. A follower asked: It works like this: Trump controls his base. His base is a majority of the Republican Party. A Republican cannot get elected without Trump’s base. If they …
Trump’s Sharpie was back. This time he used it to cross out “corona” and replace it with “Chinese” to describe the virus. That should finally persuade everyone that Trump is doing it on purpose: He is trying to keep people outraged. Consider what he accomplishes. Each time he does something outrageous, he: keeps his base …
The coronavirus could throw a wrench into the Fox-Trump-Koch-Murdoch-GOP propaganda machine by demonstrating: how the lies hurt people, and why a well-funded functioning government is necessary. Until now, the Trump-FOX-GOP willingly embraced Trump’s lies because they knew the lies destroyed and they wanted to destroy. If you’re a new follower, see my Slate article on …
