There is an upshot to all this. Trump brought together Democrats like myself who never for a second thought I'd be breaking bread metaphorically with Bill Kristol and Charlie Sykes, let alone subscribing. The Bulwark has become my political Xanax, and this morning is no exception.
Sometimes I think I’m going to scream if I read one more unattributed quote from some Trump “advisor” who supposedly counseled him not to meet with some awful person, as if that’s really not who Trump is. These advisors seem to want people to believe that they are somehow honorable and that Trump is not a racist or anti-Semite or authoritarian but that he just ends up consorting with these people by accident. Oh please. These people are enablers. They are as guilty of trying to destroy our democracy as Trump is.
"The muscle memory of cowardice" pretty much sums up what I think of anyone left in the Republican party who makes excuses for TFG. As Charlie and the rest of the anti-Trumpers have pointed out for years, the repubs have had so many off ramps to unload this guy and still refuse. And they wonder what happened to their red wave. I'm more than than happy to hang this albatross around their necks in 2024 and know there are millions who feel as I do.
Take out your own trash is my new answer to every silent R. Stop being lazy and hoping the Democrats use the 14th amendment, stop silently hoping for a Big Mac heart attack, stop saying you didn't hear about the dinner / tweet / incendiary remark, stop looking for the Justice Department to save you from yourselves. TAKE OUT YOUR OWN TRASH. Stop making excuses for his behavior. Stop being silent (complicit). Stop pretending that he will somehow 'go away'. Stop pandering to him and the base with election lies. Stop "just asking questions". Stop waiting for FoxNews to "turn" on him. Stop doing nothing. TAKE. OUT. YOUR. OWN. DAMN. TRASH.
History rhyming again. I've just discovered Rachel Maddow's podcast, "Ultra," which lays out in detail the fascist movement of the 30's & 40's... Just the same hate-the-Jews & bravo to fascists as we see today. Incredible history. Highly recommended!
Trump says he doesn't know who this Nick F. guy is. Maybe so, since he can't take his attention off of himself long enough to learn. But it also doesn't say much about his vetting process. Apparently anyone can walk through the gates of his palace as long as they say nice things about him. His lack of good judgment also would be an issue if we hadn't already seen a thousand and more examples of it, far more than enough to know that whatever boundaries of decency exist for the rest of us don't apply to him, because there never is sufficient accountability in his case.
Since reaching Trump is a lost cause, the real issue for us remains that Nick is a symptom, not the disease. There are other Nicks out there. He's simply the one willing to say it out loud, in the hope that it will lead him to wealth, fame, wealth, power, and wealth in the end. Our role remains to ferret out and marginalize those like him who hide in the shadows and are dangerous enough to act upon the bigoted, hate-filled words. Watch Nick's audience carefully and take names.
As for the lack of GOP reaction to the Summit of Hate and Grievance, I can't get too worked up about that. I'd have to care first. They died to me a long time ago and are beyond redemption, so I can't get emotionally invested in their (in)action anymore. Instead I'll play the long game. Life is cyclical, and the bill will come due when, as MAGA fades, they will want and need my votes and my money, neither of which they ever will get again as long as my memory functions. Filed under: Choices and Consequences.
All of this stuff--all of it, from the MAGA base up to pols like Gosar/Trump--comes back to the refusal of the GOP to accept America as a multicultural society. That refusal didn't start yesterday--or even in 2016, it started during the Bush Administration when Bush wanted to make a grand bargain on immigration that the GOP base refused to accept because they didn't believe America was a multicultural society, they believed it was a white/christian/heterosexual society with a few outsiders that were let in *only* by the generosity of *true* white/christian/hetero Americans.
That's the real dividing line in American politics--even beyond education and geography: whether or not one accepts America as a *multicultural society* or a white/christian/hetero society with a few outsiders allowed to partake by the graces of the white/christian/hetero "true Americans." If you believe the former, chances are you're either a liberal or a moderate conservative. If you believe the latter, you are MAGA and used to be proto-MAGA during the Bush years.
RE: We've been here before, but having a chatty lovefest with neo-Nazi Nick Fuentes "does seem a bit *next level*, no?":
No. No, it does not.
Donald Trump lives and operates at the same level. Sewer level. Always has, always will. The only variable is the particular type and amount of excrement he chooses to bathe himself in at any given time, whether it's in his private septic tank down in Florida or anywhere he shows up to stink up the place with his *brand*.
A twisted, fearful, unworthy man proving the old saw about birds of a feather, these particular birds being of the flightless variety and unable to change their level, destined to tread the same stinking environs as long as they're around. Ostriches with their heads planted not in the sand but in a personal space in which they can best breath in the aroma of that which sustains them.
There is no up and no down with Trump. Only slightly varying degrees of stench.
Can I point out that Jesus himself was Jewish and did Himself come to the Jews specifically first of all? Us Gentiles are a graft. Xns believe He perfectly followed Jewish beliefs and according the Xn orthodoxy, God’s chosen people are the Jews, not the Americans.
(I’m pretty sure I didn’t actually have to point this out but reading these people invoking Jesus’ name dismayed me.)
You know what's really gonna be the final indignity (for me and possibly for him)? When/if his fervent disciples just .... walk away and wash their hands of Trump .... successfully. You read the Maureen Dowd annual "Kevin's side" NY Times article, and Kevin (formerly fervent disciple) is ready to move on with a casual, "well, he did a lot of good, now it's time for DeSantis." And I'm reading this elsewhere.
Shouldn't there be a dark night of the soul for these people? Shouldn't they be either 1) fighting on in their bunkers on behalf of God-annointed Trump; or, 2) asking themselves and writing columns on "what made me fall for this phony?" Don't they need a somewhat longer and more fraught period of rationalization than "oh, some good things happened, now let's move on?" I don't need apologies, but a LITTLE self-reflection, please!
And that's the indignity for me. All this effort to understand the appeal, to communicate effectively with Trumpist relatives, to find the right words - and, in the end, they just walk away. And I feel the same sympathy for the Bulwark crew, who put even more effort into all this only to find that their target audience moved on with only the most passing rationalizations and no remorse. Or, Bulwarkers, do you think that your hard work and your personal sacrifices and insights were in fact successful, and that some of this "Trump in the rear-view mirror" vibe is due to your patient efforts?
(*Of course, maybe we'll see Trump come roaring back in front of his supporters again, in which case, I'm wrong again.)
Kanye West and Nick Fuentes get along... who knew!
I mean, a nazi and a black man united by Jew hatred. Who woulda thunk it.
Btw, if I were in charge of the Democratic party, I would taunt DeSantis until he gives a full-throated denunciation of nazis and Fuentes''s Proud Boys. I'd bet that he wouldn't.
DeSantis and the Republican leadership are afraid to condemn white nationalists and bigots precisely because that's a good chunk of their base.
Ron DeSantis and Trump are exactly the same in their unwillingness to denounce Fuentes.
I’ve heard people say that Trump isn’t an anti-Semite. He’s an opportunist. I reject this. If you use and manipulate anti-semitism for your benefit, it means you devalue the Jewish people. You see their lives as less important than your ambitions. That is anti-Semitism. Now it’s true that Trump devalues everyone besides himself. It doesn’t mean this behavior isn’t anti-Semitic. He is also racist for the same reason. The GOP, by not calling this out immediately, is guilty of the same thing.
We can now see the Trump's re-election plan is to get out in front early with the "good people" who will show up and vote in the GoP primaries.
Look for this to get worse, especially if he actually comes under pressure.
And the GoP will remain silent--because that is what they do because they live in fear.
If our presidential election system wasn't FUBAR and the popular vote actually won, then we wouldn't be seeing a mess of this degree... because if you wanted to win you would actually have to be... popular?
Seen this movie before. When DJT first ran for office, the reichwing bigots including David Duke supported him enthusiastically, calling him "God Emperor", and DJT lied that he didn't know who DD was. Trump will never denounce anyone who kisses his ample behind because his mental illness makes him desperate for any affirmation, regardless of whence it comes.
There is an upshot to all this. Trump brought together Democrats like myself who never for a second thought I'd be breaking bread metaphorically with Bill Kristol and Charlie Sykes, let alone subscribing. The Bulwark has become my political Xanax, and this morning is no exception.
Sometimes I think I’m going to scream if I read one more unattributed quote from some Trump “advisor” who supposedly counseled him not to meet with some awful person, as if that’s really not who Trump is. These advisors seem to want people to believe that they are somehow honorable and that Trump is not a racist or anti-Semite or authoritarian but that he just ends up consorting with these people by accident. Oh please. These people are enablers. They are as guilty of trying to destroy our democracy as Trump is.
"The muscle memory of cowardice" pretty much sums up what I think of anyone left in the Republican party who makes excuses for TFG. As Charlie and the rest of the anti-Trumpers have pointed out for years, the repubs have had so many off ramps to unload this guy and still refuse. And they wonder what happened to their red wave. I'm more than than happy to hang this albatross around their necks in 2024 and know there are millions who feel as I do.
Take out your own trash is my new answer to every silent R. Stop being lazy and hoping the Democrats use the 14th amendment, stop silently hoping for a Big Mac heart attack, stop saying you didn't hear about the dinner / tweet / incendiary remark, stop looking for the Justice Department to save you from yourselves. TAKE OUT YOUR OWN TRASH. Stop making excuses for his behavior. Stop being silent (complicit). Stop pretending that he will somehow 'go away'. Stop pandering to him and the base with election lies. Stop "just asking questions". Stop waiting for FoxNews to "turn" on him. Stop doing nothing. TAKE. OUT. YOUR. OWN. DAMN. TRASH.
History rhyming again. I've just discovered Rachel Maddow's podcast, "Ultra," which lays out in detail the fascist movement of the 30's & 40's... Just the same hate-the-Jews & bravo to fascists as we see today. Incredible history. Highly recommended!
And this guy can’t get a date. Go figure.
Trump says he doesn't know who this Nick F. guy is. Maybe so, since he can't take his attention off of himself long enough to learn. But it also doesn't say much about his vetting process. Apparently anyone can walk through the gates of his palace as long as they say nice things about him. His lack of good judgment also would be an issue if we hadn't already seen a thousand and more examples of it, far more than enough to know that whatever boundaries of decency exist for the rest of us don't apply to him, because there never is sufficient accountability in his case.
Since reaching Trump is a lost cause, the real issue for us remains that Nick is a symptom, not the disease. There are other Nicks out there. He's simply the one willing to say it out loud, in the hope that it will lead him to wealth, fame, wealth, power, and wealth in the end. Our role remains to ferret out and marginalize those like him who hide in the shadows and are dangerous enough to act upon the bigoted, hate-filled words. Watch Nick's audience carefully and take names.
As for the lack of GOP reaction to the Summit of Hate and Grievance, I can't get too worked up about that. I'd have to care first. They died to me a long time ago and are beyond redemption, so I can't get emotionally invested in their (in)action anymore. Instead I'll play the long game. Life is cyclical, and the bill will come due when, as MAGA fades, they will want and need my votes and my money, neither of which they ever will get again as long as my memory functions. Filed under: Choices and Consequences.
All of this stuff--all of it, from the MAGA base up to pols like Gosar/Trump--comes back to the refusal of the GOP to accept America as a multicultural society. That refusal didn't start yesterday--or even in 2016, it started during the Bush Administration when Bush wanted to make a grand bargain on immigration that the GOP base refused to accept because they didn't believe America was a multicultural society, they believed it was a white/christian/heterosexual society with a few outsiders that were let in *only* by the generosity of *true* white/christian/hetero Americans.
That's the real dividing line in American politics--even beyond education and geography: whether or not one accepts America as a *multicultural society* or a white/christian/hetero society with a few outsiders allowed to partake by the graces of the white/christian/hetero "true Americans." If you believe the former, chances are you're either a liberal or a moderate conservative. If you believe the latter, you are MAGA and used to be proto-MAGA during the Bush years.
RE: We've been here before, but having a chatty lovefest with neo-Nazi Nick Fuentes "does seem a bit *next level*, no?":
No. No, it does not.
Donald Trump lives and operates at the same level. Sewer level. Always has, always will. The only variable is the particular type and amount of excrement he chooses to bathe himself in at any given time, whether it's in his private septic tank down in Florida or anywhere he shows up to stink up the place with his *brand*.
A twisted, fearful, unworthy man proving the old saw about birds of a feather, these particular birds being of the flightless variety and unable to change their level, destined to tread the same stinking environs as long as they're around. Ostriches with their heads planted not in the sand but in a personal space in which they can best breath in the aroma of that which sustains them.
There is no up and no down with Trump. Only slightly varying degrees of stench.
If a sentient glob of norovirus like Nick Fuentes declared me his hero I'd seriously re-examine my life choices.
Can I point out that Jesus himself was Jewish and did Himself come to the Jews specifically first of all? Us Gentiles are a graft. Xns believe He perfectly followed Jewish beliefs and according the Xn orthodoxy, God’s chosen people are the Jews, not the Americans.
(I’m pretty sure I didn’t actually have to point this out but reading these people invoking Jesus’ name dismayed me.)
How many more groups can Trump trash?
You know what's really gonna be the final indignity (for me and possibly for him)? When/if his fervent disciples just .... walk away and wash their hands of Trump .... successfully. You read the Maureen Dowd annual "Kevin's side" NY Times article, and Kevin (formerly fervent disciple) is ready to move on with a casual, "well, he did a lot of good, now it's time for DeSantis." And I'm reading this elsewhere.
Shouldn't there be a dark night of the soul for these people? Shouldn't they be either 1) fighting on in their bunkers on behalf of God-annointed Trump; or, 2) asking themselves and writing columns on "what made me fall for this phony?" Don't they need a somewhat longer and more fraught period of rationalization than "oh, some good things happened, now let's move on?" I don't need apologies, but a LITTLE self-reflection, please!
And that's the indignity for me. All this effort to understand the appeal, to communicate effectively with Trumpist relatives, to find the right words - and, in the end, they just walk away. And I feel the same sympathy for the Bulwark crew, who put even more effort into all this only to find that their target audience moved on with only the most passing rationalizations and no remorse. Or, Bulwarkers, do you think that your hard work and your personal sacrifices and insights were in fact successful, and that some of this "Trump in the rear-view mirror" vibe is due to your patient efforts?
(*Of course, maybe we'll see Trump come roaring back in front of his supporters again, in which case, I'm wrong again.)
Kanye West and Nick Fuentes get along... who knew!
I mean, a nazi and a black man united by Jew hatred. Who woulda thunk it.
Btw, if I were in charge of the Democratic party, I would taunt DeSantis until he gives a full-throated denunciation of nazis and Fuentes''s Proud Boys. I'd bet that he wouldn't.
DeSantis and the Republican leadership are afraid to condemn white nationalists and bigots precisely because that's a good chunk of their base.
Ron DeSantis and Trump are exactly the same in their unwillingness to denounce Fuentes.
Democrats should to exploit it.
I’ve heard people say that Trump isn’t an anti-Semite. He’s an opportunist. I reject this. If you use and manipulate anti-semitism for your benefit, it means you devalue the Jewish people. You see their lives as less important than your ambitions. That is anti-Semitism. Now it’s true that Trump devalues everyone besides himself. It doesn’t mean this behavior isn’t anti-Semitic. He is also racist for the same reason. The GOP, by not calling this out immediately, is guilty of the same thing.
We can now see the Trump's re-election plan is to get out in front early with the "good people" who will show up and vote in the GoP primaries.
Look for this to get worse, especially if he actually comes under pressure.
And the GoP will remain silent--because that is what they do because they live in fear.
If our presidential election system wasn't FUBAR and the popular vote actually won, then we wouldn't be seeing a mess of this degree... because if you wanted to win you would actually have to be... popular?
Seen this movie before. When DJT first ran for office, the reichwing bigots including David Duke supported him enthusiastically, calling him "God Emperor", and DJT lied that he didn't know who DD was. Trump will never denounce anyone who kisses his ample behind because his mental illness makes him desperate for any affirmation, regardless of whence it comes.