I was a bit depressed last night, after having checked in on the three local newscasts to see what they had to say about Bannon's creep into South Carolina last night. It is not so much what they said, but the fact that he was here, infecting our air and our youth, that had me down. There was a great peaceful protest, and it was well-covered by the media. But still.
And then I woke up. The sun was shining bright and the air was crisper than I like it, and clear. And I realized what had been wrong about my assessment of last night's events.
Bannon wasn't talking about taking back the country anymore, so much as taking back the republican party. It was young, naive republicans that had invited him to speak. In light of the Women's Movement, Indivisible, and Tuesday's election results, they are worried. They are worried about their identity and their place. They are so worried that they are turning to the loudest voice in the room for the answer. We should be glad about that.
Remember Karl Rove? Otherwise known as "Bush's Brain?" Wasn't so long ago that he had us cowering in fear of his power. True, they did horrible things to our democracy while in power, but these days we are seeing Bush as a softer, gentler version of Trump, someone who could be stupid but laugh at himself as well. And Rove? Rove is one of the vocal anti-Trumpers. And Bush junior and senior supported Hillary. Who could have seen that coming?
So we all need to calm down. If one of Bannon's goals is to scare the shit out of his -- and I do mean "his" -- opponents, he is doing it in an attempt to ward off failure, not merely to assure success. More than Rove to Bush, Bannon is Trump's alter ego, the guy in control that has a brain. But, as did Rove, he has become so entangled in the need for his own victory that he is going to fail to see what will turn Americans against him. He is going to make faulty assumptions about his infallibility, and he is going to assume that Americans care more about him than about ourselves, our families, and the future of our democracy.
He is going to assume that we are all stupid, and willing to be led. But he is wrong.
In the light of day, it is indeed comical to reflect on the republican patsies who are running for governor showing up last night for the purpose of seeking his favor. It was sad to see our young republicans looking to him for solutions. But make no mistake: if they do buy Bannon's sales pitch, they may in fact take back the republican party, but Americans will walk away, in droves.
Tuesdays victories across the country proved that the majority of Americans reject hate. We are not so terrified of change that we will sign on to harm innocents because they are different than us.
The Women's March said it all. We are all in this together, and united we do not need to be afraid. We come together for each of us, and coming together we will defend American values.
The counter-protesters in Charlottesville tell that story as well. There are more of us than there are of Bannon's paranoid haters. We will show up. And our power will be in our numbers, and our message. Eight weeks after the initial rally, there was a second rally. Forty white nationalists showed up, stayed for ten minutes, and went home.
So let us all be proud of our power, and our purpose. Keep showing up. And continue to stand together.
Showing posts with label Steve Bannon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Steve Bannon. Show all posts
Saturday, November 11, 2017
Monday, September 4, 2017
The Ironic Cherry Reads about Steve Bannon...
...so you don't have to
The Devil's Bargain: Steve Bannon,
Donald Trump, and the Storming
of the Presidency
by Joshua Green
Reading Devil's Bargain was a dirty job. In light of what has happened, how our worst fears have come true, the details of the meeting of these two evil minds -- one stupidly evil and the other brilliantly so -- was like reading about Hitler and World War II if it had had a different ending. So many people hurt, with more devastation to come.
But it is also important information. We need to understand just who these people are and how this fouling of American democracy was allowed to happen in order to fight it. Because 2018 is here.
Steve Bannon may look like something the cat dragged in, but this is part of his look, a cultivated don't-give-a-damn appearance. He reminds me of a mirror-image Antonin Scalia, in that both came from immigrant backgrounds and were raised in strict Catholic families, with strong education in classics and history. Where Scalia's father was a professor in romance languages and made education a priority, Bannon grew up in a blue collar family and neighborhood; he was scrappy and a fighter, taking on the rich prep school kids. Scalia clung to law-and-order by virtue of a right-wing philosophy and the pursuit of law. Bannon went right-wing into the Virginia Military Institute, followed by of all things a degree at Harvard Business School and a career at Goldman Sachs, followed by of all things Hollywood and the movie industry, using his Goldman Sach education to invest and take over failing businesses. Through all their pursuits, both worked their asses off, determined never to quit, to work their way to the top.
Scalia's path took him towards the most extreme radical Catholic beliefs, Bannon's education nurtured his political paranoia, hardening nationalist philosophies that he had held since his youth. Business speculation and internet coincided when Bannon's interests discovered the gaming universe -- and the realization that more than money, there were networks of gamers and message-board inhabitants looking for a challenge... and a way to blow up the status quo.
There is a huge web of denizens of the "alt-right," those who have been motivated by their paranoia to network, some with great success. Breitbart would naturally lead to Bannon, which would inevitably lead to Trump.
At this point, we all know way too much about Donald Trump. A man of privilege, who like Bannon, set his sights high. He is not intelligent, but his insecurity has given him a fine-honed instinct for who has power that he can use, and who can be bullied and manipulated. Trump always seeking to be the news, Bannon knowing how to get that done. Both enjoying the heady feeling of controlling the message, and both seeking yet greater power.
The similarities aren't as interesting as the differences. Bannon fought his way up, had to prove himself at every turn. Trump was handed his fortune and his career. Bannon had to be smart to make it where Trump only had to be a con artist. To be a con artist Trump had to be front and center; Bannon grew his power in the shadows. A perfect fit.
If anyone believes that letting Bannon go was Trump's idea, and that Bannon and Trump are no longer a thing, they have truly underestimated Bannon's power over Trump. The White House may have a lot of ears, but there are still lots of terrifying lines of communication open to a president who doesn't give a shit about the national security he bleated about on the campaign trail. We know Trump can't keep his tiny fingers off Twitter, neither can he stay off the phone. He needs constant reassurance, and that is what has made him vulnerable. But Bannon is the real go-to guy when Trump needs that reassurance, and Bannon isn't going to let those calls leak.
And Bannon's goal continues to be to blow up civilization, to bring about chaos while claiming anarchy is libertarianism. With Trump as his mouthpiece, no doubt he has spent hours gleefully rubbing his hands together, as the rest of the country runs headfirst into each other trying to make sense out of what could be impending apocalypse. Steve Bannon is not going to allow Trump to stray too far from his influence, and Donald Trump needs Bannon's conviction to continue to batter the nation in order to remain king.
The grown-ups in the room may continue to work to contain Trump's madness and narcissism, but Steve Bannon is the one the angry toddler goes to for fun and games when the grown-ups aren't around.
At this point, we all know way too much about Donald Trump. A man of privilege, who like Bannon, set his sights high. He is not intelligent, but his insecurity has given him a fine-honed instinct for who has power that he can use, and who can be bullied and manipulated. Trump always seeking to be the news, Bannon knowing how to get that done. Both enjoying the heady feeling of controlling the message, and both seeking yet greater power.
The similarities aren't as interesting as the differences. Bannon fought his way up, had to prove himself at every turn. Trump was handed his fortune and his career. Bannon had to be smart to make it where Trump only had to be a con artist. To be a con artist Trump had to be front and center; Bannon grew his power in the shadows. A perfect fit.
If anyone believes that letting Bannon go was Trump's idea, and that Bannon and Trump are no longer a thing, they have truly underestimated Bannon's power over Trump. The White House may have a lot of ears, but there are still lots of terrifying lines of communication open to a president who doesn't give a shit about the national security he bleated about on the campaign trail. We know Trump can't keep his tiny fingers off Twitter, neither can he stay off the phone. He needs constant reassurance, and that is what has made him vulnerable. But Bannon is the real go-to guy when Trump needs that reassurance, and Bannon isn't going to let those calls leak.
And Bannon's goal continues to be to blow up civilization, to bring about chaos while claiming anarchy is libertarianism. With Trump as his mouthpiece, no doubt he has spent hours gleefully rubbing his hands together, as the rest of the country runs headfirst into each other trying to make sense out of what could be impending apocalypse. Steve Bannon is not going to allow Trump to stray too far from his influence, and Donald Trump needs Bannon's conviction to continue to batter the nation in order to remain king.
The grown-ups in the room may continue to work to contain Trump's madness and narcissism, but Steve Bannon is the one the angry toddler goes to for fun and games when the grown-ups aren't around.
Monday, January 30, 2017
Searching for the Democratic Party
If you haven't thrown your hat in the ring for the position of Chair of the Democratic Party, apparently it is not too late. Yesterday I saw yet another candidate being interviewed on MSNBC and I yelled at the television, "And who the hell are YOU?"
While puppet Donald Trump is turning our government over to Vladimir Putin and Steve Bannon, while Americans are protesting the horrors of the promised anti-immigration decrees, our Democratic Party is still debating who will run it.
You may not recall that in Florida, the National Democratic Party last year chose not to waste its time throwing support behind Patrick Murphy, even though Marco Rubio had been scalded during his run for president, and Murphy was a solid candidate. Had they put some energy into that campaign, it might have given us another senator; it might also have helped Hillary win Florida. Just sayin'.
Then, after the election, when the country was shocked at the "victory" of Donald Trump and looking for a way out, the Democrats were nowhere to be found in Louisiana's December runoff for Senate between republican John Kennedy and Democrat Foster Campbell. Unlike a game of Where's Waldo? the Democratic Party wasn't even hiding in the crowd; meanwhile both Trump and Pence were out stumping for what was pretty much an assured win. Here's the thing: it may not have resulted in a win for Campbell, but it would have proven that the Democratic Party wasn't going down without a fight. BECAUSE IT WAS JUST THAT IMPORTANT.
And in Georgia, we now have Rep. Tom Price who is likely to be confirmed for Secretary of Health and Human Services on Tuesday. Two issues here: Price is an animal. He is a physician who wants physicians and pharmaceutical companies to be able to set prices for services under Medicare until, that is, he takes down Medicare. And by the way, he is determined to rid us of the Affordable Care Act once and for all. With Donald Trump's blessing he will fulfill the dream of Speaker Paul Ryan. Number two is that he is leaving an opening on the House of Representatives.
In a district where Donald Trump won by only one percent, there will be a special election for a House seat.
As a Democrat I can barely conceal my excitement. This is an opportunity we surely can't pass up. Can we?
At a time in our country when Americans are more dissatisfied and suspicious of their president then they have been since the end of the Nixon years, and for good reason, the Democratic Party should be front and center of this fight. Instead, I heard one Democrat saying that the people were taking care of things with their protests. WHAT???
Democrats RIGHT NOW have the opportunity to save the country. They should be educating and confronting the media constantly about the freedoms that are at stake in the abomination that is called the Trump administration. There should not be a day when there is not a pronouncement by members of the Democratic Party in our major newspapers and our nightly news.
This is not a time to try to appear reasonable. There are enough reasons for outrage over the actions of this illegitimate president. The author of that uncompromising assessment, John Lewis, is a true leader of the party and the country. But after his comments about Trump's legitimacy, he was invited to meet with Trump. As he answered questions about that upcoming meeting, I was horrified to hear caution instead of outrage, if not actual walking back, a measured, "we'll see." Which, by the way, is how the Trump power game works.
I don't believe I have ever had a criticism about Elizabeth Warren, until now. Apparently, being incompetent is not a reason for a no vote for a cabinet position. She defended her vote for idiot savant Ben Carson in something that sounded like, "at least he hasn't said he wants to get rid of the department he has been appointed to lead." She didn't actually say that, but I am hearing what I've never heard from Warren, compromise and a willingness to accept the low bar of the Trump administration.
Again, to all the Democrats that are trying to appear reasonable by voting for Trump appointees that are not total Nazis: it is not about whether they could be trusted to not destroy the department they will be heading. It is not even about competence. It is about the fact that they are being appointed by a president who is indeed illegitimate.
At this time, Democrats should be refusing to cooperate with republicans until there is "extreme vetting" of this clown president and his minions. Steve Bannon is now running the Oval Office. And in the latest move to privatize and take over the White House, Trump has given Bannon the power to reorganize the National Security Council. The first of these measures will be to remove the Director of National Intelligence and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, among others, from NSC meetings. The excuses given are the intention to reduce the bloated council and to free up principals' time. We can also look at it as the logical conclusion by a man who gets bored at Daily Briefings. But this actually represents the consolidating of control of Trump's White House under Steve Bannon, the brains behind the bully. And the exclusion of any members of the security team that might present arguments or opposing views. Or who might feel the need to inform members of Congress or the American people when something is going very wrong.
Democrats, it is absurd that you are still fighting over control of the party when our democratic process is being dismantled. Now is the time to get in the face of the republican Congress and challenge them to investigate -- immediately -- if not impeach -- Trump. This is the time to hound the media constantly about what is going on behind closed doors.
Members of Congress have taken to leaving their mailboxes full and sneaking away from angry constituents. Bernie Sanders, who is no longer a Democrat but an Independent, has sent out the following message:
If you're getting a full voice mailbox when calling your senator or congressman, Sen. Bernie Sanders wants to know about it. His office is tracking these, as it appears that some of these full mailboxes remain that way intentionally. Reach his D.C. office at 202-224-5141.
Why are the Democrats not all over this? Perhaps it is because they are still spinning over what is wrong with the Party? Let me suggest that this, in fact, is the answer.
While puppet Donald Trump is turning our government over to Vladimir Putin and Steve Bannon, while Americans are protesting the horrors of the promised anti-immigration decrees, our Democratic Party is still debating who will run it.
You may not recall that in Florida, the National Democratic Party last year chose not to waste its time throwing support behind Patrick Murphy, even though Marco Rubio had been scalded during his run for president, and Murphy was a solid candidate. Had they put some energy into that campaign, it might have given us another senator; it might also have helped Hillary win Florida. Just sayin'.
Then, after the election, when the country was shocked at the "victory" of Donald Trump and looking for a way out, the Democrats were nowhere to be found in Louisiana's December runoff for Senate between republican John Kennedy and Democrat Foster Campbell. Unlike a game of Where's Waldo? the Democratic Party wasn't even hiding in the crowd; meanwhile both Trump and Pence were out stumping for what was pretty much an assured win. Here's the thing: it may not have resulted in a win for Campbell, but it would have proven that the Democratic Party wasn't going down without a fight. BECAUSE IT WAS JUST THAT IMPORTANT.
And in Georgia, we now have Rep. Tom Price who is likely to be confirmed for Secretary of Health and Human Services on Tuesday. Two issues here: Price is an animal. He is a physician who wants physicians and pharmaceutical companies to be able to set prices for services under Medicare until, that is, he takes down Medicare. And by the way, he is determined to rid us of the Affordable Care Act once and for all. With Donald Trump's blessing he will fulfill the dream of Speaker Paul Ryan. Number two is that he is leaving an opening on the House of Representatives.
In a district where Donald Trump won by only one percent, there will be a special election for a House seat.
As a Democrat I can barely conceal my excitement. This is an opportunity we surely can't pass up. Can we?
At a time in our country when Americans are more dissatisfied and suspicious of their president then they have been since the end of the Nixon years, and for good reason, the Democratic Party should be front and center of this fight. Instead, I heard one Democrat saying that the people were taking care of things with their protests. WHAT???
Democrats RIGHT NOW have the opportunity to save the country. They should be educating and confronting the media constantly about the freedoms that are at stake in the abomination that is called the Trump administration. There should not be a day when there is not a pronouncement by members of the Democratic Party in our major newspapers and our nightly news.
This is not a time to try to appear reasonable. There are enough reasons for outrage over the actions of this illegitimate president. The author of that uncompromising assessment, John Lewis, is a true leader of the party and the country. But after his comments about Trump's legitimacy, he was invited to meet with Trump. As he answered questions about that upcoming meeting, I was horrified to hear caution instead of outrage, if not actual walking back, a measured, "we'll see." Which, by the way, is how the Trump power game works.
I don't believe I have ever had a criticism about Elizabeth Warren, until now. Apparently, being incompetent is not a reason for a no vote for a cabinet position. She defended her vote for idiot savant Ben Carson in something that sounded like, "at least he hasn't said he wants to get rid of the department he has been appointed to lead." She didn't actually say that, but I am hearing what I've never heard from Warren, compromise and a willingness to accept the low bar of the Trump administration.
Again, to all the Democrats that are trying to appear reasonable by voting for Trump appointees that are not total Nazis: it is not about whether they could be trusted to not destroy the department they will be heading. It is not even about competence. It is about the fact that they are being appointed by a president who is indeed illegitimate.
At this time, Democrats should be refusing to cooperate with republicans until there is "extreme vetting" of this clown president and his minions. Steve Bannon is now running the Oval Office. And in the latest move to privatize and take over the White House, Trump has given Bannon the power to reorganize the National Security Council. The first of these measures will be to remove the Director of National Intelligence and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, among others, from NSC meetings. The excuses given are the intention to reduce the bloated council and to free up principals' time. We can also look at it as the logical conclusion by a man who gets bored at Daily Briefings. But this actually represents the consolidating of control of Trump's White House under Steve Bannon, the brains behind the bully. And the exclusion of any members of the security team that might present arguments or opposing views. Or who might feel the need to inform members of Congress or the American people when something is going very wrong.
Democrats, it is absurd that you are still fighting over control of the party when our democratic process is being dismantled. Now is the time to get in the face of the republican Congress and challenge them to investigate -- immediately -- if not impeach -- Trump. This is the time to hound the media constantly about what is going on behind closed doors.
Members of Congress have taken to leaving their mailboxes full and sneaking away from angry constituents. Bernie Sanders, who is no longer a Democrat but an Independent, has sent out the following message:
If you're getting a full voice mailbox when calling your senator or congressman, Sen. Bernie Sanders wants to know about it. His office is tracking these, as it appears that some of these full mailboxes remain that way intentionally. Reach his D.C. office at 202-224-5141.
Why are the Democrats not all over this? Perhaps it is because they are still spinning over what is wrong with the Party? Let me suggest that this, in fact, is the answer.
Tuesday, January 10, 2017
How to Fight a Shitstorm
One of Trump's successful ploys is to throw so much shit at the fan that no one -- not the media, not the politicians, not we the American people -- can know where to begin to clean it up. So if you are feeling overwhelmed, welcome to 2017.
But the worst thing we can do is ignore and avoid. The quality of our lives will be far worse than we have seen before. I have been refreshing myself by reading Joe Conason's biography of post-presidential Bill Clinton. While I have been happily surprised at just how much good he has done (and again dismayed at how the right wing conspiracy has created doubt in Clinton's actions and motives), the book also is a narrative of Clinton trying to do good against the shitstorm that was the Bush presidency. In my anger I am also finding some inspiration.
I don't do resolutions, but since the new year I have asked myself what would I like to accomplish, and answered with some actual practical goals.
First, I need to continue to educate myself. While I was away, nothing changed, but the momentum of our enemies has grown. I would be no happier if I did not know that right now the truly evil Speaker of the House Paul Ryan was following through on his plan to rid millions of Americans of their health care. I need to know that Trump has continued to move on his plan to move Jared Kushner right into the White House so that he and Steve Bannon can each have one of his ears. And I need to be aware of how the media is covering all this, as well as anytime a Democrat pops out of hiding to take a stand.
Second, I will do my best to pass on what I have learned. Knowledge is going to be the way we arm ourselves in these days when the Trump Swamp is twisting the meaning of things like "fake news" as soon as we have grasped the fact that it exists. We need to share what we know as quickly and widely as possible. We need to find ways to share our knowledge with people with whom we don't normally communicate, and in a way that they are willing to hear us.
That does not mean that we should back away from the Democratic values we held during the presidential campaign. When we try to compromise by giving up any part of what we believe, we fail. That is what has given the right-wing power. Rather, we need to recognize, as did Bernie, that most of us have the same concerns -- job security, health care, safety -- and we need to find ways to persuade others that we are all in this together. That when the rich get richer, we all get poorer. That when a woman's right to reproductive health care is taken away, men and children also suffer. That when we attack someone because they are different, we jeopardize all our rights to pursue freedom and happiness. So, my third goal is to persuade.
To that end, I am not going to beat on myself for not making phone calls, or going to demonstrations, or visiting my representative, or running for office. These are really important jobs and we need lots more people to take them on. And there are people out there who will, and some that have not yet but would do it with some information and encouragement. Because we definitely need people to do all those things. What I am going to do is continue to write. I am going to blog, and post on Facebook, send letters to the editor, and learn how to more effectively use Twitter.
There is still a lot of shit hitting the fan, because Trump is a disorganized personality, and a bully, and now he has not just wealth but the power of the presidency. He has loaded his cabinet and his staff with truly deplorable people, and his media contacts from Fox News to the National Enquirer will continue to paint false pictures of what is going on in Washington. But we all can keep on top of this. There may be multi-million dollar media corporations and members of Congress who can be bought with Trump's infamous combination of threats and flattery. But if we really believe in democracy (and I do) we the people outnumber all them. We can't change the mind of the angry or truly stupid Trump supporter, but there are a lot of them that were lulled into believing a master con artist, and they will soon recognize the con and be looking to understand what happened and looking for alternatives. And if we do this right, progressives and Democrats will be there to offer a better choice.
But the worst thing we can do is ignore and avoid. The quality of our lives will be far worse than we have seen before. I have been refreshing myself by reading Joe Conason's biography of post-presidential Bill Clinton. While I have been happily surprised at just how much good he has done (and again dismayed at how the right wing conspiracy has created doubt in Clinton's actions and motives), the book also is a narrative of Clinton trying to do good against the shitstorm that was the Bush presidency. In my anger I am also finding some inspiration.
I don't do resolutions, but since the new year I have asked myself what would I like to accomplish, and answered with some actual practical goals.
First, I need to continue to educate myself. While I was away, nothing changed, but the momentum of our enemies has grown. I would be no happier if I did not know that right now the truly evil Speaker of the House Paul Ryan was following through on his plan to rid millions of Americans of their health care. I need to know that Trump has continued to move on his plan to move Jared Kushner right into the White House so that he and Steve Bannon can each have one of his ears. And I need to be aware of how the media is covering all this, as well as anytime a Democrat pops out of hiding to take a stand.
Second, I will do my best to pass on what I have learned. Knowledge is going to be the way we arm ourselves in these days when the Trump Swamp is twisting the meaning of things like "fake news" as soon as we have grasped the fact that it exists. We need to share what we know as quickly and widely as possible. We need to find ways to share our knowledge with people with whom we don't normally communicate, and in a way that they are willing to hear us.
That does not mean that we should back away from the Democratic values we held during the presidential campaign. When we try to compromise by giving up any part of what we believe, we fail. That is what has given the right-wing power. Rather, we need to recognize, as did Bernie, that most of us have the same concerns -- job security, health care, safety -- and we need to find ways to persuade others that we are all in this together. That when the rich get richer, we all get poorer. That when a woman's right to reproductive health care is taken away, men and children also suffer. That when we attack someone because they are different, we jeopardize all our rights to pursue freedom and happiness. So, my third goal is to persuade.
To that end, I am not going to beat on myself for not making phone calls, or going to demonstrations, or visiting my representative, or running for office. These are really important jobs and we need lots more people to take them on. And there are people out there who will, and some that have not yet but would do it with some information and encouragement. Because we definitely need people to do all those things. What I am going to do is continue to write. I am going to blog, and post on Facebook, send letters to the editor, and learn how to more effectively use Twitter.
There is still a lot of shit hitting the fan, because Trump is a disorganized personality, and a bully, and now he has not just wealth but the power of the presidency. He has loaded his cabinet and his staff with truly deplorable people, and his media contacts from Fox News to the National Enquirer will continue to paint false pictures of what is going on in Washington. But we all can keep on top of this. There may be multi-million dollar media corporations and members of Congress who can be bought with Trump's infamous combination of threats and flattery. But if we really believe in democracy (and I do) we the people outnumber all them. We can't change the mind of the angry or truly stupid Trump supporter, but there are a lot of them that were lulled into believing a master con artist, and they will soon recognize the con and be looking to understand what happened and looking for alternatives. And if we do this right, progressives and Democrats will be there to offer a better choice.
Friday, December 9, 2016
Another Sleepless Night
It is 5 a.m. and I am lying in bed, and I am crying. This is not me. Or, at least, it is not the person I was before November 8. As I lie in bed, I think, desperately, about my options. I am tempted to clear my DVR of all the MSNBC and CNN news shows I tape regularly; I listen to them during the day and they haunt me at night. I think I might try a couple more Tylenol, or a cup of tea. Then I decide to get up and post.
After a lifetime of being afraid of dying, I find myself relieved that most of my life is past.
I try not to think about my kids.
It is quite amazing, watching our democracy being destroyed. We have seen the wealthy fighting with their many dollars to take over the whole thing for decades now, since they nearly lost the fight in the middle of the last century. They won't let that happen again. Irony is the policy that prevails as Trump lines up an anti-education billionaire to run the department of education, an anti-worker billionaire to head the department of labor, an oil billionaire to run the EPA (into the ground), a billionaire whose life goal is privatizing Medicare to head HHS, a racist to run the department of justice, and for balance, a couple of idiots for HUD and the UN.
And these are not the scary appointments. They are the ones that can take down our programs, but it is the military arm of our new cabinet that will take down our democracy.
Our furor enjoys his Victory Rallies (He wanted to call them "Thank You" rallies, but KellyAnne advised him to tone it down.). He especially likes the cheers he gets when he proclaims General "Mad Dog" Mattis as his choice for secretary of defense. His voice gets all funny when he says, "Mad Dog" and as much as I fight it, I can imagine him lying on his side of the bed getting hot over the thought of the Mad Dog. "Be polite, be professional, but have a plan to kill everybody you meet," is a quote for which Mad Dog Mattis is famous. He has a lot of them.
On our own shores, Trump has picked paranoia and son, General Michael Flynn and Jr., for national security adviser, the latter more in an advisory role. He was pursuing a security clearance for junior, who came close to blowing it by having his crazy tweets implicated in the incident of the nutcase who "self-investigated" the satanic cult hiding in a pizza parlor. I say, came close to blowing it, because we all know that Trump sees the word "no" as only a temporary barrier, a challenge, one that money and influence can easily remove, and these days he has ever more of both.
National security adviser. If you can continue reading after that, there is indeed more. On the foreign front is Mike Pompeo, proposed head of the CIA, who can now continue to investigate Hillary with new purpose and energy. Here on the home front, to head the already creepily named Department of Homeland Security, will be another retired general, John Kelly. He will be in charge of rounding people up: Hispanics, Muslims, and I imagine anybody that gets in the way of his round-up. Maybe journalists and, I don't know, bloggers. There will certainly be investigations of commie groups like the American Civil Liberties Union and the Southern Poverty Law Center. And Kelly is the moderate of the bunch.
Also lined up to militarize these United States is David Petraeus, maybe for the big enchilada, Secretary of State. But first they have to figure out what to do about his guilty charge for mishandling classified materials, leaking secrets to his lover. Wonder where Jason Chaffetz and Trey Gowdy are these days? I would think that after all the Sturm und Drang (yeah, I know how appropriate that is) over Hillary's emails, they would at least wake up long enough to make a statement of concern.
Here is the thing. Trump is an insecure, obsessive narcissist who we know is motivated by revenge. And he has -- oh, I haven't mentioned it yet? -- Steve Bannon as his Trump-whisperer. This is how bad Bannon is -- Karl Rove and Glenn Beck have spoken out against him. Bannon is the secular evil to Mike Pence's religious evil. Bannon is Hitler's adviser, and Trump adores Bannon. Bannon knows just the right way to flatter the leader of the once-free world. He also knows how to rile the crowd. Breitbart.com was his trial run for taking over the country.
I know where in Trump's brain the billionaires came from. Helped along by the right-wing GOP and huge donations, those picks were no-brainers. But the military, the military came from the kind of evil that is Steve Bannon.
I am thinking in phrases of 140 characters these days. And hashtags. When I wake up in the middle of the night I find myself thinking of tweets that I could send out like alarms to people who could save us. To the Democrats, who at this point can't even get it together to fight for the one Senate seat up for grabs in Louisiana, much less fight for our democracy. And who continue to want to prove that they aren't obstructionists. To the media, who mostly I think we should give daily, "Most Inane Question" awards to. Just how many times can you ask various Trump minions whether Mitt Romney is still being considered for Secretary of State?
My heart goes out to the Democrats who are smart and courageous enough to see this threat for what it is, and who plan on fighting. And journalists who will in the days to come be risking their careers (maybe even their freedom; remember Judith Miller). I hold great hope for Obama to come forward and fight to maintain the democracy he has already saved from the brink of economic failure. And after a time, Hillary will join the fight. But there may be a day, with all those generals and all those police forces that Trump courted with his vows of "law and order," when imprisoning political enemies in the United States of America becomes a reality.
No, I am not paranoid. I know just enough history to see the signs. Thinking that we are above the fray because we have a strong democracy means that our leaders, from the spineless Paul Ryan to the West Virginia "Democrat" Joe Manchin, would have to fight the abhorrent and extremely telling staff choices Trump has made. And they won't. Biden and Harry Reid have both made conciliatory noises pretending to like some of Trump's picks. Will Dems run scared and choose someone safe to lead their party over progressive black Muslim-American Keith Ellison? Boy, now is not the time to cower, folks. (Note to media: the most pressing issue about Ellison's bid is NOT whether he stays in Congress while he serves as DNC chair.)
Well, the sun is coming up. I had an emergency piece of medicinal chocolate that I smuggled home from Denver before I began my blog, and I am hoping I will be able to escape through sleep for a couple of hours. But we all have to keep returning to the reality of a Trump oligarchy. We have to stop trying to find the good in the turd. We have to keep trying things we've never done before, like appeal to the Electors to dump Trump. We can't use ignorance as an excuse. We can't let Democrats compromise us out of our democracy.
We can't let the generals take over. And we have to #StopBannon.
Trump is an idiot. But he is a rich and powerful idiot, and he knows how to buy smart and powerful people.
After a lifetime of being afraid of dying, I find myself relieved that most of my life is past.
I try not to think about my kids.
It is quite amazing, watching our democracy being destroyed. We have seen the wealthy fighting with their many dollars to take over the whole thing for decades now, since they nearly lost the fight in the middle of the last century. They won't let that happen again. Irony is the policy that prevails as Trump lines up an anti-education billionaire to run the department of education, an anti-worker billionaire to head the department of labor, an oil billionaire to run the EPA (into the ground), a billionaire whose life goal is privatizing Medicare to head HHS, a racist to run the department of justice, and for balance, a couple of idiots for HUD and the UN.
And these are not the scary appointments. They are the ones that can take down our programs, but it is the military arm of our new cabinet that will take down our democracy.
Our furor enjoys his Victory Rallies (He wanted to call them "Thank You" rallies, but KellyAnne advised him to tone it down.). He especially likes the cheers he gets when he proclaims General "Mad Dog" Mattis as his choice for secretary of defense. His voice gets all funny when he says, "Mad Dog" and as much as I fight it, I can imagine him lying on his side of the bed getting hot over the thought of the Mad Dog. "Be polite, be professional, but have a plan to kill everybody you meet," is a quote for which Mad Dog Mattis is famous. He has a lot of them.
On our own shores, Trump has picked paranoia and son, General Michael Flynn and Jr., for national security adviser, the latter more in an advisory role. He was pursuing a security clearance for junior, who came close to blowing it by having his crazy tweets implicated in the incident of the nutcase who "self-investigated" the satanic cult hiding in a pizza parlor. I say, came close to blowing it, because we all know that Trump sees the word "no" as only a temporary barrier, a challenge, one that money and influence can easily remove, and these days he has ever more of both.
National security adviser. If you can continue reading after that, there is indeed more. On the foreign front is Mike Pompeo, proposed head of the CIA, who can now continue to investigate Hillary with new purpose and energy. Here on the home front, to head the already creepily named Department of Homeland Security, will be another retired general, John Kelly. He will be in charge of rounding people up: Hispanics, Muslims, and I imagine anybody that gets in the way of his round-up. Maybe journalists and, I don't know, bloggers. There will certainly be investigations of commie groups like the American Civil Liberties Union and the Southern Poverty Law Center. And Kelly is the moderate of the bunch.
Also lined up to militarize these United States is David Petraeus, maybe for the big enchilada, Secretary of State. But first they have to figure out what to do about his guilty charge for mishandling classified materials, leaking secrets to his lover. Wonder where Jason Chaffetz and Trey Gowdy are these days? I would think that after all the Sturm und Drang (yeah, I know how appropriate that is) over Hillary's emails, they would at least wake up long enough to make a statement of concern.
Here is the thing. Trump is an insecure, obsessive narcissist who we know is motivated by revenge. And he has -- oh, I haven't mentioned it yet? -- Steve Bannon as his Trump-whisperer. This is how bad Bannon is -- Karl Rove and Glenn Beck have spoken out against him. Bannon is the secular evil to Mike Pence's religious evil. Bannon is Hitler's adviser, and Trump adores Bannon. Bannon knows just the right way to flatter the leader of the once-free world. He also knows how to rile the crowd. Breitbart.com was his trial run for taking over the country.
I know where in Trump's brain the billionaires came from. Helped along by the right-wing GOP and huge donations, those picks were no-brainers. But the military, the military came from the kind of evil that is Steve Bannon.
I am thinking in phrases of 140 characters these days. And hashtags. When I wake up in the middle of the night I find myself thinking of tweets that I could send out like alarms to people who could save us. To the Democrats, who at this point can't even get it together to fight for the one Senate seat up for grabs in Louisiana, much less fight for our democracy. And who continue to want to prove that they aren't obstructionists. To the media, who mostly I think we should give daily, "Most Inane Question" awards to. Just how many times can you ask various Trump minions whether Mitt Romney is still being considered for Secretary of State?
My heart goes out to the Democrats who are smart and courageous enough to see this threat for what it is, and who plan on fighting. And journalists who will in the days to come be risking their careers (maybe even their freedom; remember Judith Miller). I hold great hope for Obama to come forward and fight to maintain the democracy he has already saved from the brink of economic failure. And after a time, Hillary will join the fight. But there may be a day, with all those generals and all those police forces that Trump courted with his vows of "law and order," when imprisoning political enemies in the United States of America becomes a reality.
No, I am not paranoid. I know just enough history to see the signs. Thinking that we are above the fray because we have a strong democracy means that our leaders, from the spineless Paul Ryan to the West Virginia "Democrat" Joe Manchin, would have to fight the abhorrent and extremely telling staff choices Trump has made. And they won't. Biden and Harry Reid have both made conciliatory noises pretending to like some of Trump's picks. Will Dems run scared and choose someone safe to lead their party over progressive black Muslim-American Keith Ellison? Boy, now is not the time to cower, folks. (Note to media: the most pressing issue about Ellison's bid is NOT whether he stays in Congress while he serves as DNC chair.)
Well, the sun is coming up. I had an emergency piece of medicinal chocolate that I smuggled home from Denver before I began my blog, and I am hoping I will be able to escape through sleep for a couple of hours. But we all have to keep returning to the reality of a Trump oligarchy. We have to stop trying to find the good in the turd. We have to keep trying things we've never done before, like appeal to the Electors to dump Trump. We can't use ignorance as an excuse. We can't let Democrats compromise us out of our democracy.
We can't let the generals take over. And we have to #StopBannon.
Trump is an idiot. But he is a rich and powerful idiot, and he knows how to buy smart and powerful people.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)