Thursday, December 17, 2020

This Is Who They Are

 

Featured guest at last week’s pro-Trump, “Stop the Steal,” Proud Boils rally in D.C., Reich-wing radio hero Alex Jones had this to say: “We will never back down to the satanic pedophile globalist new world order and their walking-dead reanimated corpse Joe Biden. And we will never recognize him. So I don’t know who’s going to the White House in 38 days, but I sure know this: Joe Biden is a globalist, and Joe Biden will be removed one way or another.”

“One way or another.” Subtle as an NDA for a prostitute. And the armed and strutting delusionists cheered. After hearing much the same from Mike “I beg your pardon” Flynn, Trump’s first-born National Security Adviser and current Qanon acolyte (only the best people), the engorged deplorables roved through D.C., burning BLM flags and other displays from Black churches. “Very fine people,” Trump once called them. “Stand back and stand by,” he’d signaled. For this moment, evidently.

It’d be wrong to suggest that everyone who buys into or remains silent about Trump’s flagrant election-fraud mendacity approves of those dishonorable, democracy-hating discards. But their acquiescence empowers and allows what’s left of the Republican Party to become synonymous with them. And if acquiescence is empowering, what of the majority of House Republicans, including Kevin “no relation but you’d never know it” McCarthy, who signed onto Texas A.G. Paxton’s seditious attempt to overturn the results of a free and fair election? They may as well have been wearing “Make America Colonial Again” hats.

Under investigation for various crimes, Paxton justified his pardon-pandering performance, thus: “[there] are legitimately good constitutional arguments that don't depend on actually proving every little instance of fraud." Right. “Every little instance.” No need to prove it. Say it enough, and they’ll believe. In fact, sixty-some lawsuits later, not a single instance has been proved. Irrelevant. (Okay, there was one: a Republican submitted a ballot from his dead mother.)



Undead lies notwithstanding, Biden’s win is now official. Not because of the Electoral College, mind you, but because Moscow Mitch McConnell, who congratulated Trump one day after the 2016 election but waited six weeks this time around, finally did so for President-Elect Biden, incurring Trump’s wrath. Mitch waited for Vladimir Putin, whose man in Washington lost, but who’s happy, at least, that Trump “burned the US” on his way out. 

Swindled Trumpists continue plying him with millions upon millions for his personal use. And because it’s who he is and what he does, he’s keeping the money he’s “raising” for the Georgia runoff, too. Grifters gotta grift. Suckers gotta suck. 

History reminds us that when Trump lost the popular vote by three million in 2016, he empaneled a commission, headed by world-class vote-suppressor Chris Kobach, to prove there were that many fraudulent votes. Many months and much money later, they found nothing. And we recall how, during the impeachment, Republicans’ mantra was “Let the voters decide in November.” Had too much faith in their ability to suppress opposition voters, evidently, or to carry out their own fraud. In any case, it should be obvious by now that voter fraud, massive enough to turn an election, no longer exists in the US, if it ever did. Even Bill “I’ll sign it, don’t fire me” Barr said so. 

Seeing how uninformed the average American is about how our government works, or about science, or how to separate fact from fiction, one may wonder what is the level of such ignorance at which an open society fails. Put another way, what’s the minimum number of smart people required to keep it afloat? And since it’s immigrant kids who seem to be winning the prizes lately, how much less likely does Trumpic xenophobia make it?

The flipside is this: how many of the aforementioned, hate-infused, reality-denying marauders does it take to destroy a democracy? They get the headlines, but how many are there, really? Not enough, surely, to threaten a literal coup. But between them and the millions who still believe the election was stolen, the system is on the brink. Absent trust in the process, there is no process. Evidently, Trump and his enablers and excusers believe eliminating that trust is in their personal interest. Robbing us of a viable future, though, it’s in the interest of no one else.

Soon we’ll learn if it’s possible to reestablish trust and, more critically, whether the Republican Party will divest itself of anti-democratic, reality-rejecting Trumpism and return to the table where they once belonged. So far, it’s not looking good.

19 comments:

  1. New meme: Banana Republicans

    And I really have to wonder why we haven't seen something about this in the Herald: https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/prepare-for-war-a-local-gop-official-goes-all-in-with-election-conspiracy-theories/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Glad to see this in today's Herald:

      https://www.heraldnet.com/opinion/editorial-enough-with-rabble-rousing-allegations-of-a-coup/

      Delete
  2. I'm still chuckling about Proud Boils. Not that they themselves are funny in any way, but a little moment of levity in the face of their evil is a good pause for guffaws.

    I take my glimmers of hope not only from my fellow Democrats who are not easing their vigilance against lies and propaganda but also Republican--true Republican--defectors like Steve Schmidt and Jennifer Horn of the Lincoln Project. Schmidt has actually registered as a Democrat, stating that ours is the only major party that represents American ideals. There is another Congressman leaving the Republican party too, albeit, on his way out the door, since he retired. It represents a teeny bit of courage and in the current state of our nation, even teeny bits are welcomed.

    Perhaps I was too hopeful to think that, freed from Trump, the Republicans would find their spines and brains again. I don't know what it will take but we are in for a long haul, I fear.

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    1. Party switching is not a new thing.
      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_party_switchers_in_the_United_States
      I agree there is significance to the switchers now, after the reign of crap we've had for so many years, spanning Presidents even.
      But, I wouldn't put much faith into the process, especially given the divisiveness of the two-party system these days.
      The only good news we have is the idiot is only 4-1/2 weeks away from disappearing from politics, not that he won't still work to influence things.

      Delete
  3. One suggestion for defining the value of living under a democracy as opposed to living under an autocracy should require all public and secular education recipients to know the Declaration of Independence.

    Thomas Jefferson and the signing founders listed all the reasons for seeking separation from autocratic rule by a
    King in this document. The republican party of today, led by Trump's rejection of democratic principles in favor of leadership by dictators and theocrats, has failed to live up to their oaths to protect and defend our unique and strongest system of self governing a nation in human history. We must not revert to rule by dictatorial tyranny.

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    1. I would also like to see the same civics test that immigrants must pass for US citizenship be required for graduation from high school. FYI there are many examples online.

      Delete
  4. This is a nice sentiment...Note it says "Republicans". I wonder how many are being blackmailed.

    “Republicans, it’s time to give up. Your owner [Putin] recognized the outcome.”
    — Evgeny Popov, host of Russia's ‘60 Minutes’

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  5. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IddSx6Dfegk

    Joel Osteen scored 4.4 million bucks in Covid relief.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Only 4.4 million bucks? Paltry.
      Here's the real slime of the world, while pundits sleep in their foibles he's taken over 10 Bill-ion buck$ from the UN-knowledgeable:
      http://www.openinsider.com/screener?s=&o=1043298&pl=&ph=&ll=&lh=&fd=0&fdr=&td=0&tdr=&fdlyl=&fdlyh=&daysago=&xp=1&xs=1&vl=&vh=&ocl=&och=&sic1=-1&sicl=100&sich=9999&grp=0&nfl=&nfh=&nil=&nih=&nol=&noh=&v2l=&v2h=&oc2l=&oc2h=&sortcol=0&cnt=1000&page=1
      Kshama is not strong enough to affect this situation, though it's my "prayer" she gets there. [of course, he'll just move to Bellevue when she does, oh, that's already happening!]
      Keep your eyes on the prize, directly where you're told! For the list of the biggest criminals the world has ever known, uh, today, that is:
      Forbes 400 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forbes_400
      The Givings Pledge - https://givingpledge.org/
      [what a crack-up, he even gets a ".org", people are so naive and he's so brazen]
      There are more lists, but start with these two.

      Delete
    2. People who refuse to wear masks: maskholes

      Delete
    3. https://www.gocomics.com/doonesbury/2020/12/20

      Delete
  6. I thought I'd post this here...It was fun taking this CNN 2020 "new words" quiz.

    https://www.cnn.com/interactive/2020/12/us/new-year-words-slang-pandemic-trnd/index.html?utm_term=160847402687134ca06b35b80&utm_source=cnn_Five+Things+for+Sunday%2C+December+20%2C+2020&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1608474026872&bt_ee=J0KFEdoC7kbH0MfcuME%2F3c4qtMJ6f2RMZs54L7NIuIri%2BQn2yRmM4tIpAa3XCfCY&bt_ts=1608474026872

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    Replies
    1. This shorter link works, too:

      https://www.cnn.com/interactive/2020/12/us/new-year-words-slang-pandemic-trnd/index.html

      Delete
  7. Inequality For All: A Documentary

    To understand the facts is easy. Trying to get others to see the facts is not easy.

    This is why we are here and at 1:04 they get to the fine point. It's easier to control things if you have wealth and the fall of Democracy will happen as a result of economic inequality.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvAFPHLFMa0

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  8. For an explanation to what the Trump he's doing, read Luke 16:1-13. Simple, almost funny, if what is happening could be thought of as funny.
    He even has the strange threesome "supporting" him.
    All one needs do in this world is promise money, and the world beats a path to that door.
    People have such a brief memory. I'll be laughing the day he decides to run on the D's ticket. Don't think he hasn't thought of it! What better way to destroy than within?!

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  9. ...and...if you're wondering what-the-Trump Sudan has to do with the "Covid assistance", simply look at a map of the general area of the Middle East/Mediterranean/Greece/Turkey and connect the dots of the Greece-Turkey conflict, a Pakistan-China oil pipeline now built, a Libya-Turkey "alliance", and a perpetuating humanitarian crisis in Sudan for the last many decades.
    Now, enter Pompeo? ...to "redeem" Sudan? Consider the path around Egypt, whose economy will be devastated when oil tankers no longer traverse the Suez, etc., etc., etc.
    Just chess pieces on the board for the Board of Directors of the true "leaders" of the world. As if any of them care a lick for who the "Bills" of the world hurt. At least they'll give it all away when they die, after a brief 10 year control from the grave that is. (it's all in there too, with the conclusion of all things, too)

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  10. ...look up CPEC, China-Pakistan Economic Corridor; understand that China built/is building coal-fired power plant(s) in Pakistan and wherever else in the world they choose to, and charging the nation(s) for the electricity their plants provide. Using Pakistan coal; such a sweet, sweet deal; in the words of the Twit-maniac(?).
    No wonder China can "sign" the Paris Accords, they're already building these in everyone else's countries where they choose.
    I could go on and on and on, but no one cares about these things in the deception happening in front of their eyes in the promises of this world.
    Conspiracy? Tin-foil stuff? Hey, it wasn't me who said "it's all about the Benjamins". Note where Somalia is on those same maps. :-)

    ReplyDelete

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