If it weren’t for racism, and if the right actually embraced their previous ideology, the Republican Party would be an obvious choice for many foreign born citizens who tend to be socially conservative.
At the risk of sounding like a Pollyanna the utter debasement of the Banana Republicans may actually backfire on them. The only people in the electorate who are eating this crap up are the extremist base and the crazier they get the more that those swing voters, upon whom most elections rest, maybe disinclined to vote for the crazies in spite of inflation, crime and other issues.
For example most people (who don't live in border states) the immigration "crisis" doesn't exist. Sure most of us are aware of immigrants peripherally but their presence doesn't affect us on a daily basis in a direct way. Only the extremists are consumed with concern about immigration because they have been told to be concerned. So the Banana Republican base will light their hair on fire about the "invasion" through Mexico. But suburban voters? Meh. And so it goes on many issues the Banana Republicans are buzzing about.
The crazier Banana Republicans get the more appealing merely conventional Democrats might become to "normal" people. Especially in that Republicans are merciless in their criticism of Democratic leadership on real issues (like the economy) but offer nothing as a policy alternative other than culture war nothing burgers.
I also think we live in an era when NO President will ever again be popular beyond the occasional blip in the polls according to what is in the news on the day the poll is taken. Minute to minute over-polling makes the polls less predictive than they once were. Banana Republicans are actually making this next election less and less a referendum on Biden (as is normal) and more about who is actually capable of governing.
Haven’t the Dems bought into the Great Replacement argument too? For decades, they’ve been raving about whites soon being a minority and how this means the Dems will forever run the country.
It's interesting that you mentioned Elise as being Harvard educated. I believe Ted Cruz also went to Harvard and JD Vance and DeSantis to Yale.
Given the horror stories coming out of these schools, apparently having morphed into North Korean-style totalitarian states, my suggestion is that we require all schools with an endowment per capita over a certain amount to be converted into tax-paying for-profit institutions.
Also, these wealthy schools should be banned from receiving taxpayer money of any kind, either in the forms of loans to students or grants to researchers. The college cost inflation seems to be a result of everyone trying to compete in the rankings with these schools that are sitting on top of $40 to $50 billion dollar endowments while continuing to receive grant and student loan money from hardworking taxpayers.
Considering the societal nonsense and immoral people coming out of these schools, such as the geniuses (not) running today's Republican Party, it's time to cut them off from government funds altogether and start taxing them at the maximum rate.
Nearly half of Republicans believe in Replacement Theory. That didn't happen over night, not even as recently as the Tremendous Orange God Emperor's inauguration 20 Jan 2017. The intellectual rot began decades ago, and Republicans who knew better (like me) didn't do enough to resist the rise of the militantly ignorant.
Maybe it originated with the Birchers who just went into hibernation when Buckley's brand of conservatism won out (or seemed to have). However, I'd place the beginnings during the 1980s when the Christian Right began to flex its power within the Republican Party with the Creationism debates over high school biology textbooks. Too few Republican politicians pushed back against that, so anti-intellectualism gain a beachhead in the party. Over time, Republican politicians have learned to meekly follow the lead of their anti-science constituents.
Going forward, Republicans are only going to try to outdo each other in seizing the low ground. Stefanik is cleverer than most, and apparently unencumbered by a moral conscience, so she's ahead of the pack.
Remember when we all laughed at the idea of Trump as President? I've just looked at some registration data. You want to really do this again and end up with Senator Barnette?
"How, precisely, is diversity our strength? Since you’ve made this our new national motto, please be specific as you explain it."
The motto in question is E pluribus unum. It is not a new national motto. It is on the Great Seal of the U.S., put there by act of Congress in 1782. Proposed in 1776 by John Adams, Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson. That's history, a subject Mr. Carlson is not familiar with.
I see no need to explain it. It is self-explanatory, and manifestly true, since the U.S. has been the most diverse nation on earth since the colonial era. More than any other North or South American colony, it had a diverse mixture of native Americans and people from England, France, Germany and other European countries, and Africa. It has long been the strongest, so it seems this diversity gave it strength. Or at least, it caused no harm.
Am I being obtuse, or does anyone else see a direct line from the lionization of Kyle Rittenhouse on Fox News to the brutal slayings in Buffalo this weekend?
We know how damned hateful they are, Stefanik and Carlson and Ingraham and Hannity and the 3 Percenters and the J6 jackals and the Oath Keepers. We know they would do a happy dance if the civil war they actively promote came true. We know this.
But how do we stop them? "Get to the polls" doesn't work. How do we put this monster back in its cave so it doesn't kill everyone, and how do we keep the monster's creators from doing it again?
"Russia, if you're listening, I just hope that you can release the 30,000 emails that are missing."
"I just want to find 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have."
"Mike Pence didn't have the courage to do what should have been done to protect our Country and our Constitution."
^All the times Trump used the principles of Stochastic Terrorism messaging to get people to do things he wanted them to do without legally instructing them to do so
After reading the variety of comments thus read, I offer a comment Abraham Lincoln made in 1855 to his law partner Joshua Speed:
"When it comes to this (reference to the twisted Southern concept of "heritage" with wrapping in American values) I should prefer emigrating to some country where they make no pretense about loving liberty -- to Russia for instance, where despotism can be taken pure without the base alloy of hypocrisy."
We would not be here even witnessing the slowly crumbling of the American Experiment if it weren't for the following presidents. Let's face it, they all had their faults, but each had the common premise of wanting to ensure the widest variety of people had opportunity for the bounty being created.
George Washington - whose military abilities allowed the country to be born. While a slave owner in the highest echelon of Virginia society, he saw that the "yeoman" were the bedrock of the society.
Thomas Jefferson - (albeit a slaver) had the immeasurable intellectual ability to create philosophical platitudes and the uncanny ability to infused them into the dirty-dealing of early Republic party politics supporting the everyday American.
Abraham Lincoln - whose intellect, wit, and uncanny political abilities, was the country's salvation that held the experiment together.
Theodore Roosevelt - as the patrician "traitor," he fully understood that the "haves" cannot tread on the liberties of the "have-nots", thus being the first president who pushed from a variety of protections.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt - also a patrician "traitor," was the consummate politician, who wanted to wield his power, not for his (or his caste's) personal gain, but for the betterment of the country.
Lyndon Baines Johnson - fully understanding the plight of the down and out, used his amazing political party skills to keep the powers-that-be at bay, while he worked incessantly to ensure "those without" could at least have a small piece of the American Grandeur.
Ronald Reagan - The demi-God of the Conservatives. I'll let current political conservatives make the case for how Ronnie preserved or furthered the notion of America as a great inclusive nation. I submit Reagan's beliefs leaned much more toward Trumpism than did George Herbert Walker Bush.
Read in the 2020 census that around 73% of Americans are white and only 13 % are black. There are slightly over 329 million people in the US so we need to add about 40 million non whites to make it even and it still wouldn't be replacing all of the whites. So this theory makes no sense.
“Some strategists say the [Democratic] party needs a ‘radical departure’ from its longstanding reliance on demographic changes to give Democrats a stable hold on political power.”
“For more than a decade, the Democratic Party has assured itself that ‘demographics is destiny’ — that a … more diverse electorate will inevitably propel Democrats to stable national majorities.”
By doing that, Tucker was stoking fear that Democrats intend to change our politics by replacing more conservative demographics with more leftist ones - especially through immigration. This resulted in Charlottesville and now the shooting in Buffalo.
Shameful. He has blood on his hands.
One note, though. It wasn’t actually Tucker Carlson who said that. It was the New York Times, repeating what the Times, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and other prominent Democrats have been saying openly and ad nauseum for over a decade. Up until right now.
She’s a sellout that that POS with orange day glow paint.
If it weren’t for racism, and if the right actually embraced their previous ideology, the Republican Party would be an obvious choice for many foreign born citizens who tend to be socially conservative.
At the risk of sounding like a Pollyanna the utter debasement of the Banana Republicans may actually backfire on them. The only people in the electorate who are eating this crap up are the extremist base and the crazier they get the more that those swing voters, upon whom most elections rest, maybe disinclined to vote for the crazies in spite of inflation, crime and other issues.
For example most people (who don't live in border states) the immigration "crisis" doesn't exist. Sure most of us are aware of immigrants peripherally but their presence doesn't affect us on a daily basis in a direct way. Only the extremists are consumed with concern about immigration because they have been told to be concerned. So the Banana Republican base will light their hair on fire about the "invasion" through Mexico. But suburban voters? Meh. And so it goes on many issues the Banana Republicans are buzzing about.
The crazier Banana Republicans get the more appealing merely conventional Democrats might become to "normal" people. Especially in that Republicans are merciless in their criticism of Democratic leadership on real issues (like the economy) but offer nothing as a policy alternative other than culture war nothing burgers.
I also think we live in an era when NO President will ever again be popular beyond the occasional blip in the polls according to what is in the news on the day the poll is taken. Minute to minute over-polling makes the polls less predictive than they once were. Banana Republicans are actually making this next election less and less a referendum on Biden (as is normal) and more about who is actually capable of governing.
Haven’t the Dems bought into the Great Replacement argument too? For decades, they’ve been raving about whites soon being a minority and how this means the Dems will forever run the country.
It's interesting that you mentioned Elise as being Harvard educated. I believe Ted Cruz also went to Harvard and JD Vance and DeSantis to Yale.
Given the horror stories coming out of these schools, apparently having morphed into North Korean-style totalitarian states, my suggestion is that we require all schools with an endowment per capita over a certain amount to be converted into tax-paying for-profit institutions.
Also, these wealthy schools should be banned from receiving taxpayer money of any kind, either in the forms of loans to students or grants to researchers. The college cost inflation seems to be a result of everyone trying to compete in the rankings with these schools that are sitting on top of $40 to $50 billion dollar endowments while continuing to receive grant and student loan money from hardworking taxpayers.
Considering the societal nonsense and immoral people coming out of these schools, such as the geniuses (not) running today's Republican Party, it's time to cut them off from government funds altogether and start taxing them at the maximum rate.
Nearly half of Republicans believe in Replacement Theory. That didn't happen over night, not even as recently as the Tremendous Orange God Emperor's inauguration 20 Jan 2017. The intellectual rot began decades ago, and Republicans who knew better (like me) didn't do enough to resist the rise of the militantly ignorant.
Maybe it originated with the Birchers who just went into hibernation when Buckley's brand of conservatism won out (or seemed to have). However, I'd place the beginnings during the 1980s when the Christian Right began to flex its power within the Republican Party with the Creationism debates over high school biology textbooks. Too few Republican politicians pushed back against that, so anti-intellectualism gain a beachhead in the party. Over time, Republican politicians have learned to meekly follow the lead of their anti-science constituents.
Going forward, Republicans are only going to try to outdo each other in seizing the low ground. Stefanik is cleverer than most, and apparently unencumbered by a moral conscience, so she's ahead of the pack.
Remember when we all laughed at the idea of Trump as President? I've just looked at some registration data. You want to really do this again and end up with Senator Barnette?
Tucker Carlson asks:
"How, precisely, is diversity our strength? Since you’ve made this our new national motto, please be specific as you explain it."
The motto in question is E pluribus unum. It is not a new national motto. It is on the Great Seal of the U.S., put there by act of Congress in 1782. Proposed in 1776 by John Adams, Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson. That's history, a subject Mr. Carlson is not familiar with.
I see no need to explain it. It is self-explanatory, and manifestly true, since the U.S. has been the most diverse nation on earth since the colonial era. More than any other North or South American colony, it had a diverse mixture of native Americans and people from England, France, Germany and other European countries, and Africa. It has long been the strongest, so it seems this diversity gave it strength. Or at least, it caused no harm.
Am I being obtuse, or does anyone else see a direct line from the lionization of Kyle Rittenhouse on Fox News to the brutal slayings in Buffalo this weekend?
Is it true that Dinesh D'Souza is now working on a sequel to his previous documentary, one to be titled "2000 Mules for Sister Stefanic"?
We know how damned hateful they are, Stefanik and Carlson and Ingraham and Hannity and the 3 Percenters and the J6 jackals and the Oath Keepers. We know they would do a happy dance if the civil war they actively promote came true. We know this.
But how do we stop them? "Get to the polls" doesn't work. How do we put this monster back in its cave so it doesn't kill everyone, and how do we keep the monster's creators from doing it again?
"Russia, if you're listening, I just hope that you can release the 30,000 emails that are missing."
"I just want to find 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have."
"Mike Pence didn't have the courage to do what should have been done to protect our Country and our Constitution."
^All the times Trump used the principles of Stochastic Terrorism messaging to get people to do things he wanted them to do without legally instructing them to do so
Absolutely outstanding Morning Shots today. Thank you, Charlie!
After reading the variety of comments thus read, I offer a comment Abraham Lincoln made in 1855 to his law partner Joshua Speed:
"When it comes to this (reference to the twisted Southern concept of "heritage" with wrapping in American values) I should prefer emigrating to some country where they make no pretense about loving liberty -- to Russia for instance, where despotism can be taken pure without the base alloy of hypocrisy."
We would not be here even witnessing the slowly crumbling of the American Experiment if it weren't for the following presidents. Let's face it, they all had their faults, but each had the common premise of wanting to ensure the widest variety of people had opportunity for the bounty being created.
George Washington - whose military abilities allowed the country to be born. While a slave owner in the highest echelon of Virginia society, he saw that the "yeoman" were the bedrock of the society.
Thomas Jefferson - (albeit a slaver) had the immeasurable intellectual ability to create philosophical platitudes and the uncanny ability to infused them into the dirty-dealing of early Republic party politics supporting the everyday American.
Abraham Lincoln - whose intellect, wit, and uncanny political abilities, was the country's salvation that held the experiment together.
Theodore Roosevelt - as the patrician "traitor," he fully understood that the "haves" cannot tread on the liberties of the "have-nots", thus being the first president who pushed from a variety of protections.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt - also a patrician "traitor," was the consummate politician, who wanted to wield his power, not for his (or his caste's) personal gain, but for the betterment of the country.
Lyndon Baines Johnson - fully understanding the plight of the down and out, used his amazing political party skills to keep the powers-that-be at bay, while he worked incessantly to ensure "those without" could at least have a small piece of the American Grandeur.
Ronald Reagan - The demi-God of the Conservatives. I'll let current political conservatives make the case for how Ronnie preserved or furthered the notion of America as a great inclusive nation. I submit Reagan's beliefs leaned much more toward Trumpism than did George Herbert Walker Bush.
Read in the 2020 census that around 73% of Americans are white and only 13 % are black. There are slightly over 329 million people in the US so we need to add about 40 million non whites to make it even and it still wouldn't be replacing all of the whites. So this theory makes no sense.
Here’s what Tucker Carlson said:
“Some strategists say the [Democratic] party needs a ‘radical departure’ from its longstanding reliance on demographic changes to give Democrats a stable hold on political power.”
“For more than a decade, the Democratic Party has assured itself that ‘demographics is destiny’ — that a … more diverse electorate will inevitably propel Democrats to stable national majorities.”
By doing that, Tucker was stoking fear that Democrats intend to change our politics by replacing more conservative demographics with more leftist ones - especially through immigration. This resulted in Charlottesville and now the shooting in Buffalo.
Shameful. He has blood on his hands.
One note, though. It wasn’t actually Tucker Carlson who said that. It was the New York Times, repeating what the Times, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and other prominent Democrats have been saying openly and ad nauseum for over a decade. Up until right now.
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/10/us/politics/democratic-voters-demographics.html