Martin Eden
Martin Eden's JournalThe media environment is not conducive to rational choices
A large segment of voters are not very well informed and/or approach voting like deciding which shows to watch on TV. Unless really attracted to something, they switch channels or just tune out.
Certainly not an adult approach of taking seriously the privilege and responsibility of a citizen engaged in representative government.
Of course, this observation does not apply to everyone who waffles between parties or not voting. One size does not fit all.
After the unprecedented Jan 6 assault on our nation's Capitol, I thought Trump’s political career was at an end. What decent or rational person would vote for him after that? Maybe I shouldn't have been surprised, because I thought GW Bush was finished after no WMD was found in Iraq and the occupation turned into a bloody fiasco.
Of one thing I'm certain: perception trumps reality in politics. During the Vietnam war GW's connections got him a cushy post with the Texas air national guard (which he didn't even finish), while John Kerry volunteered for two tours in the most dangerous assignment in the Navy and was highly decorated -- yet his service record ultimately was a negative in the campaign. He got "swift-boated" by the rightwing noise machine, which is very effective at shaping public perception.
The Biden administration engineered a great economic recovery from COVID. Inflation was a global phenomenon, but was improving in the US in 2024. The Economist magazine (by no means a liberal publication) called the US economy under Biden "the envy of the world" -- but the rightwing noise machine and Trump in particular constantly characterized it as an unmitigated disaster.
History has shown that a big lie repeated often enough -- especially echoed by major media like Fox News -- is perceived by many voters (not just diehard MAGAts) as the truth.
And yet, it still amazes me that so many otherwise normal adults can be fooled into thinking the Republican Party actually looks after the economic interests of folks struggling to get by, despite their long record of opposing policies that actually help people while providing the wealthy with massive tax breaks and financial legislation which has led to the ever widening chasm between the rich and everyone else.
Well, FAFO is really going to bite those easily fooled voters in the a$$ this time. Will they be able to connect the dots to Trump, and remember in future elections that the Republican Party does NOT serve their interests?
I'd like to think so, but recent history does not give me confidence. All we can do is try to help them open their eyes, without turning them away by venting our anger at them.
"the Universe has a sense of justice tinged with irony"
Reminds me of:
The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice.
I think we may agree the bending requires effort by those who truly value moral justice.
Others who pay no heed to the moral universe will subvert institutions of justice to do their bidding, as we are now witnessing.
Flipsides of human nature. Both have long existed. There is no end in sight to the bending of the moral arc. Evil regimes rise and fall, in a seemingly endless cycle.
Which will gain the upper hand .... which of The Two Wolves does mankind feed the most?
The answer may involve paying heed to the wisdom of Frederick Douglass:
It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.
For every good story like this, how many tragic ones?
If the Trump administration really wanted to expel dangerous undocumented criminals, it would partner with and provide additional resources to local governments.
Instead, I.C.E. agents are terrorizing communities including legal residents and citizens. They are committing brutal acts of violence, abducting law abiding people contributing to our economy.
Their strategy is not to quell violence, but to provoke it. They are itching to declare martial law before the midterm elections. Trump and his cohorts who tried to overturn the 2020 presidential results intend to sieze the ballots in 2026, under the guise of "election integrity."
The highest priority of every authoritarian regime is to maintain its grip on power. They will do ANYTHING to ensure one-party rule next year and beyond.
Trump will put on an ostentatious display of patriotism to commemorate the 250th anniversary of America's great experiment in democracy, while utterly destroying it.
Bill Maher is a smug prick who's not nearly as smart as he thinks he is
I used to enjoy watching his show despite the man's flaws and his friendship with creatures like Ann Coulter, but I finally started getting fed up a few years ago when he had Steve Bannon on for his opening interview guest.
Bill had what he thought would be some "gotcha" questions, but Bannon responded with a rapid stream of rightwing spin and logical fallacies for which Maher was totally unprepared. He would just say "OK" then go on to the next question and get totally outclassed again by his evil guest who was clearly more intelligent. All that Bill Maher accomplished was to provide a platform for Steve Bannon and undermine his own ostensible cause.
The final breaking points were his war against woke and college students who are genuinely and justly appalled by the wanton slaughter of Palestinian non-combatants, women, and children by the Netanyahu regime.
Maher essentially reinforced Republican talking points by ascribing the most extreme elements of woke culture warriors and the pro-Palestine movement to the broad spectrum of good people who care about justice and human rights. He thusly characterizes the entire "Left" -- and by extension the Democratic Party and major universities -- by the handful of bad examples he loves to feature on his show.
Essentially, Bill Maher is carrying water for the political operatives who made possible the rise of Donald Trump. Either his "sane voice on the Left" has intentionally been a false flag all along, or his brain is too calcified to realize he's become a useful idiot for the fascist Right.
Special hatred is reserved for the enemy within, who pretends to be our ally while undermining our cause.
Trump was able to capture the Republican Party precisely because of his racism, sexism, and juvenile insults
He beat all contenders in the 2016 primary by breaking norms and crossing boundaries which had maintained the facade of decorum that was already deteriorating with the despicable rhetoric of Gingrich and the thinly veiled racism of the Tea Party.
Donald Trump is a verified pathological liar, but his MAGA cult believes he "tells it like it is" because he speaks directly to their bigotry, fear, and grievance. His rhetoric liberated the expression of vile hatred formerly suppressed by political correctness, and they adore him for it.
The rise of internet trolls like Marjorie Taylor Greene to the US Congress shows that competition in "conservative" politics largely consists of pushing the boundaries of un-civil discourse to garner attention and applause from an increasingly deplorable voting base.
So it should come as no surprise that the private chat among young Republicans entering government ranks and aspiring to leadership is full of the shockingly vile racism and genocidal joy recently revealed.
Or that JD Vance, who could very well become president before long, expressed indignation that they were subjected to such harsh public reprimand for nothing more than youthful indiscretion (though they were of adult age, not teens).
This is where the toxic poison of Trumpism is leading us. The next generation is being groomed to be even worse. American fascism will not automatically die with Donald Trump. The proverbial frog is still in a pot of water slowly being brought to a boil.
But the inflatable frog costumes provide a reason for hope. The MAGA base may be getting more deplorable, but it's shrinking. Most folks are reasonably decent, and not too blind to see what's going on.
Today is an important day for the survival of American democracy -- and it won't be the last. We The People must be the champions of our own freedom, and NEVER give up being actively vigilant.
Republicans have long wanted the dismantling of the regulatory/administrative/welfare state
And Trump is accomplishing that while all previous Republican administrations have failed.
But I doubt most are happy with the tariffs and alienating our closest allies in western Europe and Canada, while coddling up to Putin and other dictators.
I also doubt most are truly "loyal" to Trump. Their relationship is transactional, which goes both ways. They recognize him for the ignorant vindictive egomaniac that he is, but dare not cross him because they fear retribution. Once he verbally targets them, their political careers and their lives are threatened by crazed MAGAts.
Bottom line, they'd rather have the Constitutional republic created by our Founding Fathers crumble into authoritarianism than to give up their policy goals and their party's grip on power. They lack the character and courage to save our Constitutional rule of law -- which they all swore an oath to serve and protect.
The ICE assault last week was an act of criminal terrorism
Busting down doors & ransacking apartments at 1am indiscriminately -- regardless of citizenship, legal status, or evidence of crime -- hauling everyone zip-tied out into the street, clothed or not, even children.
It would be unlawful for the Chicago police to do that. Why should ICE get away with it? We're not under martial law.
Chicago & Illinois authorities don't need to protect ICE; they need to protect the public from ICE.
"The world should be afraid!"
I hope not.
If the current world powers see an emerging sovereign Africa economic powerhouse as a dangerous threat, there is much they can do to exacerbate the obstacles to such progress.
But if they see an emerging Africa as a trustworthy business partner on the road to mutually beneficial prosperity, then the vision outlined in the OP may have a better chance of becoming reality.
Given the history of colonialism and brutal exploitation, there is no reason to trust the world powers. However, prosperity is not and doesn't have to be a zero sum game.
Enlightened leadership is needed in every sphere, developing a rapport based on the realities of this world and how we all need to move human civilization forward into a more peaceful and sustainable future.
He wants what all dictators want: POWER, with no effective opposition
And yes, he wants MARTIAL LAW so he can control or cancel elections.
For all this he needs to divide the country into hostile camps, manipulating one side by pushing the emotional buttons of fear, hate, and long simmering grievance. He depends on the complicity of a major media and a political party to sustain his endless lies for ignorant voters predisposed to believe them.
And a Supreme Court predisposed to rule in his favor, heedless of any honest interpretation of the United States Constitution.
These arrests and inflated charges are intended as proof that serious crime is rampant in DC
They don't care if courts and attorneys are needlessly overburdened. They don't care if defendants are separated from their families and/or lose their jobs due to incarceration for petty non-violent crimes.
They don't really care about public safety. If they did, they would increase funding for local law enforcement instead of cutting it, which they did.
If the health and safety of the American people was a priority, they wouldn't put a deranged crackpot in charge of HHS or destroy FEMA while disasters from catastrophic climate change are on the rise.
We all know what their #1 priority is:
Carry out the dictates of Mad King Donald in an authoritarian consolidation of power intended to last far beyond his reign.
Profile Information
Gender: MaleHometown: Chicagoland
Member since: 2002
Number of posts: 15,130