Has U.S. Democracy Been Trumped?

[y66]

From Jonathan Bernstein at Bloomberg:

 

If you are at all like me, you’ve barely begun to process what we’ve just lived through in the last week in Jeffersontown, Kentucky; in Pittsburgh; and in the attempted assassinations of a number of prominent Democrats. Single episodes of hate or madness are, alas, something we’ll always have, but this feels different — because it really is different.

 

We can’t specifically connect individual actions to the overall political atmosphere, just as we can’t specifically conclude that a specific hurricane is the consequence of climate change. Perhaps the bigots in Kentucky and Pittsburgh would have acted anyway; perhaps in a different political climate, the attempted bomber would have found other targets.

 

What we can do, however, is face the climate honestly. And the truth is that people who watch the news within the Republican-aligned media, and listen to Republican politicians including the president of the United States, are being fed a nonstop diet of crazy conspiracy theories and phony scare stories. Adam Serwer has a good piece detailing exactly what the Fox News audience was hearing about a migrant caravan making its way through Mexico.

 

And a lot of people believe that those crazy conspiracy theories and phony scare stories are true. Why wouldn’t they? Most of us grew up in a media atmosphere in which programs that looked like the news mostly told the truth. We didn’t all grow up believing that presidents told the truth, of course, but we’ve never had a president who has such a total disregard for the truth. We certainly haven’t had a president — at least not in the modern communications era, when you can see and hear him saying it — call the news media “enemies of the people” and encourage the idea that his political opponents should be locked up. Dahlia Lithwick is quite correct: “The point is that people who hate Jews and immigrants and minorities believe that when they commit violence against these people, they are behaving as the followers their president wants them to be” (and see too Rick Hasen and my Bloomberg Opinion colleague Cass Sunstein).

 

Donald Trump bears the greatest responsibility for the political atmosphere right now, because after all, he is president. Whether because he deliberately wants to stir up hatred or if it’s just the way he is, presidents have more to do with how all of us think about politics than any other individual. It’s a huge mistake, however, to think this is just about Trump. The strain of this kind of politics goes back within the Republican Party to Joe McCarthy, to Richard Nixon and Spiro Agnew, and most decisively to Newt Gingrich, who explicitly trained an entire generation or two of Republican politicians to emphasize division and animosity, and is still at it today.

 

Even worse, it’s institutionalized and spread by the Republican Party-aligned media, so much so that I suspect a lot of perfectly sane, perfectly well-intentioned Republicans at the elite level wind up believing a lot of garbage because it’s constantly being talked about by everyone around them as if it were real.

 

The impulses toward conspiracy theories and hatred know no political or ideological affiliation. There are plenty of crazy conspiracy theories circulating among Democrats and liberals now, just as there always have been. What’s different is that for the most part, most of the time, Democratic Party leaders shoot those stories down or ignore them. There were crazy conspiracy theories about, for example, both George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush and various nations in the Middle East. But there were no House special committees to fan the flames of those phony stories. Nothing like the (multiple, seemingly endless) investigations of Vince Foster’s suicide or the disaster in Benghazi. There were no nutty theories when Bill Clinton and Barack Obama met normal resistance from the bureaucracy that it was all a Koch brothers or Sheldon Adelson plot. Well, there probably were — but the Democratic Party-aligned media (much less the “neutral” media) and leading Democratic politicians mostly ignored them, at least in public. They certainly didn’t obsess over them for months or years without evidence or even logic to back them up.

 

Trump, to be sure, is an outlier even among Republicans. He’s personally responsible for amplifying dozens of phony stories: Just last week, outside all the craziness about the caravan, he also claimed that there were riots in California having to do with sanctuary cities. There were, of course, no riots. His recent slogan is “jobs not mobs” — there are, of course, no mobs. I could go on.

 

None of this is to hold Donald Trump or the Republican Party or any party actor specifically responsible for the terrible events of the past week. Only those who committed those acts bear that responsibility. What Trump and his allies are responsible for, however, is what they’ve done and said.

So, Mr. Bernstein suspects that a lot of perfectly sane, perfectly well-intentioned Republicans at the elite level wind up believing a lot of garbage because it’s constantly being talked about by everyone around them as if it were real. Perhaps that accounts for Mr. Gelernter's op-ed and many of the posts by perfectly sane, perfectly well-intentioned Republicans here in the water cooler.

[Al_U_Card]

More than enough to change the south from solid blue to overwhelmingly solid red. If you want an estimate, google 99-44/100%

I am having trouble finding names to match your assertion...but I will keep looking unless it is the 56/100

[Winstonm]

From Jonathan Bernstein at Bloomberg:

 

 

So, Mr. Bernstein suspects that a lot of perfectly sane, perfectly well-intentioned Republicans at the elite level wind up believing a lot of garbage because it’s constantly being talked about by everyone around them as if it were real. Perhaps that accounts for Mr. Gelernter's op-ed and many of the posts by perfectly sane, perfectly well-intentioned Republicans here in the water cooler.

 

Critical thinking skills have been lost.

 

“The ability to think critically is more important now than it has ever been,” urges Kris Potrafka, founder and CEO of Music Firsthand. “Everything is at risk if we don’t all learn to think more critically.” If people cannot think critically, he explains, they not only lessen their prospects of climbing the ladder in their respective industries, but they also become easily susceptible to things like fraud and manipulation.

 

Conservative columnist Max Boot explains:

 

There is partisanship on both sides of the political spectrum, but no left-wing outlets propagate extremism as successfully or widely as conservative media do. A new study of “Network Propaganda” by three Harvard researchers notes that liberals, by and large, get their news from sources such as The Post, the Times, NPR and CNN that, regardless of any political bias, also engage in rigorous fact-checking. Conservatives, by contrast, are being brainwashed by right-wing media that are an “echo chamber” for “rumor and conspiracy theory.”

[Winstonm]

For anyone who is still denying the relationship of support for this president and racial bias, there is this, offered by Daryl Johnson, former Department of Homeland Security analyst: (emphasis added)

 

DARYL JOHNSON: We’ve had almost eight years of far-right groups recruiting, radicalizing and growing in strength. Typically during Republican administrations we see a decrease in activity. But under this administration they continue to operate at a heightened level. One reason why is the rhetoric coming from Donald Trump.

 

Building a border wall, deporting immigrants, a travel ban on Muslim countries — these are themes discussed on white-nationalist message boards and websites for years, now being endorsed and talked about at the highest levels of the government. He’s retweeted messages about Muslims from conspiracy sites. What keeps these groups energized and active is the fact that the administration has mainstreamed their message and tried to put it forth as policy.

[Winstonm]

I hope your view is correct, but fascism is on the rise from Australia to most of Europe. Look at Austria, Germany, France, and Italy which are at the forefront of the movement.

 

Along these line, this article from The Atlantic is valuable.

 

I recently analyzed about 30,000 Twitter accounts that self-identified as alt-right, or followed someone who did, for vox-Pol, the European academic network studying extremism on social media. The results were illuminating.

 

The alt-right is often described as a movement or ideology. It is better understood as a political bloc that seeks to unify the activities of several different extremist movements or ideologies. While it is international in reach, its center of gravity can be found in the United States. Because the alt-right is a bloc, it has to be understood by mapping its components and analyzing how they overlap and how they differ. (Not everyone who associates with the bloc online self-identifies as alt-right.)....This, more than anything else, was the glue that held the alt-right social network together. Support for Trump was shared by virtually all parts of the network and was reflected in nearly every metric, including tabulations of the most-followed, most-retweeted, and most-influential accounts; the most-used words in Twitter profiles; and in the top two hashtags (#maga, which outperformed all other hashtags by a wide margin, and #trump).

[awm]

I'm baffled by David Gelernter's assertion in his October 21 WSJ Op-Ed titled The Real Reason They Hate Trump

 

Despite peoples' assertions that Trump doesn't really have an agenda and "just wants to do what works", his policies since the election have been right out of the conservative Republican playbook, including a big budget-busting tax cut (mostly helping the owners of large privately-owned businesses), appointing judges hostile to abortion rights to the courts, attempting to repeal the Affordable Care Act with no real replacement plan, and rolling back environmental protections. So it's perfectly legitimate to dislike Trump for policy reasons.

 

But I suspect a lot of the revulsion (or love) for Trump on a personal level has to do with peoples' experience with bullying. If you were a bully in school, or you wish you could behave like a bully but feel held back by societal expectations, you probably adore Trump. If you think people who are bullied probably brought it on themselves in some way, or that they're a bunch of whiners and being bullied is just part of life, then you're probably okay with Trump.

 

If you were victimized by a bully in school, or you're close to someone who was, you probably despise Trump. If you feel like we should follow the "golden rule" and treating people with respect is just part of being a good person, you probably can't stand Trump.

 

Even Trump's fans accept that he's a bully, and insults people all the time. They're just okay with it (and in some cases even like him for it).

[Winstonm]

Is there no shame left with these people? How can you use such tragedy to spin hate to try to make yourself sound righteous to the religious voters?

 

In a Monday morning appearance on Fox News, Kellyanne Conway suggested “anti-religious” late-night comedians fostered an environment for the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting to take place.

 

“The anti-religiosity in this country that is somehow in vogue and funny to make fun of anybody of faith, to constantly be making fun of people that express religion — the late-night comedians, the unfunny people on TV shows — it’s always anti-religious,” Conway said, without naming particular hosts

 

Let's get this straight. Antisemitism inflamed by radicalizing alt-right propaganda was at the heart of this horrible event in Pittsburgh.

[ggwhiz]

Let's get this straight. Antisemitism inflamed by radicalizing alt-right propaganda was at the heart of this horrible event in Pittsburgh.

 

Gillum was right not only about DeSantis but the entire GOP when he said "I'm not accusing you of being racist but racists believe you are".

[ldrews]

Gillum was right not only about DeSantis but the entire GOP when he said "I'm not accusing you of being racist but racists believe you are".

 

So it appears that Gillum depends on racists for his information regarding racists. Does he also use them for other policy input?

[johnu]

So it appears that Gillum depends on racists for his information regarding racists. Does he also use them for other policy input?

 

Once again, a mediocre try by you, but again, no cigar. B-) Gillum is just 1 person out of millions who recognizes racists because most racists can't avoid highlighting themselves by their own words and actions. BTW, are you intentionally being gullible or are you just clueless in not recognizing that Gillum was just trying to be somewhat civil in not directly saying DeSantis is a racist?

[ggwhiz]

So it appears that Gillum depends on racists for his information regarding racists. Does he also use them for other policy input?

 

What part of David Duke and the Daily Stormer being Trump and GOP super fans did you sleep through?

[ldrews]

What part of David Duke and the Daily Stormer being Trump and GOP super fans did you sleep through?

 

What does David Duke and Daily Stormer have to do with the subject under discussion?

[ggwhiz]

Gillum was right not only about DeSantis but the entire GOP when he said "I'm not accusing you of being racist but racists believe you are".

 

Ummm Duh?

[hrothgar]

What does David Duke and Daily Stormer have to do with the subject under discussion?

 

Sorry, just need to check, are you claiming that Duke and the Daily Stormer are not racist?

[ldrews]

Sorry, just need to check, are you claiming that Duke and the Daily Stormer are not racist?

 

David Duke is racist, I am not familiar with Daily Stormer. But, again, what do they have to do with the subject of Gillum and Desantis?

[ggwhiz]

Gillum was right not only about DeSantis but the entire GOP when he said "I'm not accusing you of being racist but racists believe you are".

 

Name a racist and they have enthusiastically endorsed Trump and the GOP. The Proud Boys showing up at GOP events and the lot of them gaining influence in primaries etc. and bragging about it.

 

And getting away with it because of additional support from a) closet racists and b) ignorant as an eggplant enablers. You appear to be a b)

[barmar]

Is there no shame left with these people? How can you use such tragedy to spin hate to try to make yourself sound righteous to the religious voters?

And of course, it's not really true that the comedians are anti-religious. Bill Maher is, but I don't think any of the rest are (Stephen Colbert occasionally talks about when he was an altar boy). Of course, they all make jokes about pedophile priests -- it's a statement about those horrible people, not about religion. Of course, K-A C can't see the difference.

[Winstonm]

And of course, it's not really true that the comedians are anti-religious. Bill Maher is, but I don't think any of the rest are (Stephen Colbert occasionally talks about when he was an altar boy). Of course, they all make jokes about pedophile priests -- it's a statement about those horrible people, not about religion. Of course, K-A C can't see the difference.

 

Don't kid yourself. She is plenty smart enough to see and know the difference but she doesn't care. Her job is to baffle, confuse, and propagate hate and she does it well.

[y66]

Name a racist and they have enthusiastically endorsed Trump and the GOP. The Proud Boys showing up at GOP events and the lot of them gaining influence in primaries etc. and bragging about it.

 

And getting away with it because of additional support from a) closet racists and b) ignorant as an eggplant enablers. You appear to be a b)

He appears to make me puke. BRB.

[Winstonm]

And the beat goes on:

 

An alleged scheme to pay off women to fabricate sexual assault allegations against Special Counsel Robert Mueller has been referred to the FBI for further investigation, a spokesman for the special counsel’s office told The Atlantic. “When we learned last week of allegations that women were offered money to make false claims about the Special Counsel, we immediately referred the matter to the FBI for investigation,” the spokesman, Peter Carr, told me in an email on Tuesday.

 

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2018/10/special-counsel-refers-scheme-targeting-mueller-to-fbi/574411/

[y66]

In the good news department:

 

Trump’s deregulatory efforts keep losing in court. In a running tally of court challenges to Trump-era deregulatory rules, the administration has prevailed in just one case and either lost or abandoned its position in 18 cases. Connor Raso looks at how that could affect future administrations’ ability to deregulate down the road.

[johnu]

Explaining why he didn't cancel rally, Dennison falsely says NYSE opened day after 9/11

 

Another example that nothing is too big, or too small for Dennison to outright lie about. Only in Dennison world is there no record of what happened way back in 2001. Most of his supporters either wouldn't care that he lied again, or would take his word against in person and historical records.

 

Another day, another dozen lies by the pathological liar. Here's another one of them:

 

Dennison says no other country has birthright citizenship. He’s wrong.

 

He will issue an executive order, he said, to override the 14th Amendment, which states that “all persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.”

 

I'm waiting for all those Republican politicians who profess to believe in the sanctity of the constitution as originally written to speak out against this. Just joking, I don't think any of them have the guts to say anything.

[Winstonm]

In the good news department:

 

Trump’s deregulatory efforts keep losing in court. In a running tally of court challenges to Trump-era deregulatory rules, the administration has prevailed in just one case and either lost or abandoned its position in 18 cases. Connor Raso looks at how that could affect future administrations’ ability to deregulate down the road.

 

More Trump "accomplishments".

[Winstonm]

Another day, another dozen lies by the pathological liar. Here's another one of them:

 

Dennison says no other country has birthright citizenship. He’s wrong.

 

 

 

I'm waiting for all those Republican politicians who profess to believe in the sanctity of the constitution as originally written to speak out against this. Just joking, I don't think any of them have the guts to say anything.

 

1) After the attacks on 9-11, the NYSE did not reopen until 9-17.

2) There is some kind of (not-very-good-it-seems-to-me) debate about the 14th amendment, but those arguing against automatic citizenship are making the argument that "under the jurisdiction of" means the same thing as "giving allegiance to". One I saw even argued that the noun form of "subject" (a subject of the king) is what is meant by the adjective form "subjected to", as only the former complies with the "allegiance to" theory of the amendment meaning.

 

Not only does the argument seem (to me) weak, but it bucks precedent:

 

U.S. v. Anthony and examine the operative paragraph from Justice Hunt in its entirety and context:

 

“The fourteenth amendment creates and defines citizenship of the United States. It has long been contended, and had been held by many learned authorities, and had never been judicially decided to the contrary, that there was no such thing as a citizen of the United States, except as that condition arose from citizenship of some state. No mode existed, it was said, of obtaining a citizenship of the United States, except by first becoming a citizen of some state. This question is now at rest. The fourteenth amendment defines and declares who shall be a citizen of the Unite States, to wit, “all persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof.” The latter qualification was intended to exclude the children of foreign representatives and the like. With this qualification, every person born in the United States or naturalized is declared to be a citizen of the United States and of the state wherein he resides.”

[johnu]

For anyone who is still denying the relationship of support for this president and racial bias, there is this, offered by Daryl Johnson, former Department of Homeland Security analyst: (emphasis added)

 

Probably has roots in a legal ploy, but hey:

 

Kansas militia men blame Dennison's rhetoric for planned attack