If the Republicans really “want to Stop Communism” they need to start at the Top…Impeach the President and his Cabinet via Article 2 Section 4 due to “his/their” close relationships with a “real” Communist, Putin. Not to mention Pin from China.
That "Red Scare" is so 50's. That there are people out there who really fall for this... Fortunately, I don't think it's going to play this time. I mean those times I hid under my desk to avoid nuclear annihilation, I thought it was pretty stupid.
I would take this effort more seriously. There are many states controlled by MAGA Republicans. Before you realize it, they will pass bills against Communism and define which people are the threat. It's not far off from all the anti-LGBTQ laws that have been passed or being considered at the state and local leaves over the past few years.
Exactly. Look how easily he won over half the country in 2016. He wants to do it again, pull himself out of 35 percent approval back to the good ol' days when he had all those folks in flyover country eating out of his hand. Stephen Miller knows Trump's been swimming in the toilet since last winter and will engineer a new fear to bring the defectors back to the fold.
Actually it goes a good bit further back than that. Try the 1890’s. As I’ve noted elsewhere, Das Kapital was the greatest gift the American right ever got. I doubt if most of them have ever actually read it, or even know what it said. But they continue to drag its corpse out every election.
I hid under my desk too, even as we heard about our neighbors digging shelters in their back yard and arming themselves against the rest of us who might want to share them.
But of course under out desks, even as kids we knew how futile it all was. ‘Bend over and kiss your sweet ,,, goodbye"
They're dusting off an old trope because it worked then. Remember Vietnam? Remember the firearms industry? Remember how America put Japanese Americans into concentration camps?
Worth noting is that Trump’s ludicrous invocation of communism is the kind of thing that one might expect an ignorant eight year-old to blabber about. I think it’s worth making fun of this, well as yes,at the same time taking his arrangement seriously. As you’ve already noted, Auto Democrats are especially upset with parody.
The Cuba report bears a remarkable resemblance thematically to the Heritage Foundation's Project Esther, right down to excerpts from the first chapter and summary. They both make the same bad faith argument. Project Esther asserts a widespread conspiracy to support Hamas, and therefore terrorism. According to its logic, anyone critical of Israel, its brutal occupation, its genocide in Gaza, or standing up for the human rights of Palestinians is accused of supporting Hamas and terrorism. Project Esther was used as the blueprint for NSPM-7, Trump's directive to further criminalize dissent in the U.S. NSPM-7 declares “anti-americanism, anti-capitalism, anti-Christianity, anti-fascism," "extremism on migration, race, and gender," and opposition to “traditional American views on family, religion, and morality” to be potential indicators of domestic terrorism. The same spurious reasoning Project Esther uses to criminalize dissent (dissent=support for terrorism).
The Cuba report builds on Project Esther and NSPM-7, it's the third generation of the Trump regime/Heritage Foundation plan to criminalize dissent. In the Cuba report, Cuba plays the same role Hamas plays in Project Esther: any criticism of the U.S. government's policies, especially towards Cuba, is cast as support for terrorism—just like how criticism of Israel's policies towards Palestine is cast as support for Hamas. The Cuba report asserts a widespread leftist conspiracy to support Cuban terrorism. It's the same bad faith argument, rewritten to create a new blacklist of political dissidents in the U.S., to lay the groundwork for political repression, criminalization of dissent, and likely the denial of due process. That's the primary purpose of the (bad faith) terrorism designation, to suspend due process rights of the accused. Think Guantanamo.
This threat is worth taking seriously, though. There is a significant portion of the population that believes this propaganda, and the integrity of information available is sometimes questionable, compromised, or both.
Well, perhaps Kash Patel will tell us how to beat communism after he gets back from Russia. Anyone remember Trump and Putin in Helsinki? Unfortunately, Trump supporters will be happy to focus on his latest claim, no matter how ironic and phony.
I found Rubio’s speech terrifyingly effective. I think that the effort to impoverish the public education system has paid off for these folks and I experienced the speech as the platform from which many many AI generated terror videos are likely to be launched. If the Dems were smart RIGHT NOW they’d be launching their own education campaigns with Rubio’s speech sitting beside those of other fascists and their minions. They’d be warning about what this messaging is all about. If they wait to play defense the game will be over, as it has been since Trump re-entered the White House.
Stephen Miller's speech (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1jMMY1yv9FU) at the recent Resurgence of Political Terrorism conference is extremely chilling. It is terrifying that these words were spoken by a high level U.S. official--the man who serves as the White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy and the Homeland Security Advisor in the Trump administration.
At least Miller is generally viewed as a ghoul, which undoubtedly lessens the impact of his statements. He’s certainly a monster but is known to be a monster while Rubio is enough of a shape-shifter that his comments are more likely to land, I think. Miller is most effectively dangerous behind the curtain while Rubio appears familiar.
These recent speeches have been chilling because they are not trying to hide their blatant fascism anymore. The mask has come off and we're seeing the monster behind it.
Unfortunately, most of the paranoid MAGA will be sucked into this vortex of fantasy.
It's the "go for broke" phase of the Trump regime. Trump's approval numbers are in the toilet so they've got nothing to lose. I've seen Trump call progressive Democrats "communists" several times over the years, which is typical Trump - he introduces propaganda slowly until it catches on. Remember, strongmen always need an enemy or a threat to justify what they do, whether it's putting innocent people in jails or starting wars, and of course the loss of personal freedom.
After withdrawing from Obama's nuclear deal with Iran, claiming to obliterate Iran's nuclear enrichment facilities twice over, claiming we won in the 1st hour & bragging that “only" 18 US soldiers have died so far, who's he going to blame for $4+ gas, spiking diesel, jet fuel, fertilizer, critical chemicals & global economic calamity? Some imaginary welfare fraudster & radical left commie scum of course.
The so called "Centrist" or "Moderate" Democrats are using this in their attacks on truly progressive Dems. They have a long list of supposed sins: Communist, Socialist, Antisemitic (confused with opposed to genocide)...
Here in Colorado conservative money has realized that our batpoop republicans can't win here anymore so they support Moderate (do nothing) Dems both to win but also to divide the Democratic Party. We'll be fine but it will be a challenge. I'm certainly learning things about people I thought I knew.
Thank you, Ruth. For making your talk available, for upcoming guests, for your upcoming essays you are working on. I will return to Strongmen and look at Communism.
You present us with such important and intelligent information. We must circulate this information far and wide. I am of an age that I remember some of the cold war times and certainly learned about the evils of communism in school but I highly doubt younger people today have been educated about it or about dictatorships.
An absolutely first rate lecture series by Professor Timothy Snyder (the whole curriculum for his course at U of Toronto) is on this subject. It is brilliantly and clearly explained. On YouTube and free.
If the Republicans really “want to Stop Communism” they need to start at the Top…Impeach the President and his Cabinet via Article 2 Section 4 due to “his/their” close relationships with a “real” Communist, Putin. Not to mention Pin from China.
That "Red Scare" is so 50's. That there are people out there who really fall for this... Fortunately, I don't think it's going to play this time. I mean those times I hid under my desk to avoid nuclear annihilation, I thought it was pretty stupid.
I would take this effort more seriously. There are many states controlled by MAGA Republicans. Before you realize it, they will pass bills against Communism and define which people are the threat. It's not far off from all the anti-LGBTQ laws that have been passed or being considered at the state and local leaves over the past few years.
Agree!
Exactly. Look how easily he won over half the country in 2016. He wants to do it again, pull himself out of 35 percent approval back to the good ol' days when he had all those folks in flyover country eating out of his hand. Stephen Miller knows Trump's been swimming in the toilet since last winter and will engineer a new fear to bring the defectors back to the fold.
Actually it goes a good bit further back than that. Try the 1890’s. As I’ve noted elsewhere, Das Kapital was the greatest gift the American right ever got. I doubt if most of them have ever actually read it, or even know what it said. But they continue to drag its corpse out every election.
I hid under my desk too, even as we heard about our neighbors digging shelters in their back yard and arming themselves against the rest of us who might want to share them.
But of course under out desks, even as kids we knew how futile it all was. ‘Bend over and kiss your sweet ,,, goodbye"
They're dusting off an old trope because it worked then. Remember Vietnam? Remember the firearms industry? Remember how America put Japanese Americans into concentration camps?
I also remember that we re-activated the old Adams-like Alien and Sedition acts during WWI.
Trump is close to his goal of completely closing the borders. It's as though they've been activated once again.
Worth noting is that Trump’s ludicrous invocation of communism is the kind of thing that one might expect an ignorant eight year-old to blabber about. I think it’s worth making fun of this, well as yes,at the same time taking his arrangement seriously. As you’ve already noted, Auto Democrats are especially upset with parody.
I meant to say, autocrats not Auto Democrats! Sometimes, voice to text is as absurd, or almost as absurd, as Trump‘s statements
The Cuba report bears a remarkable resemblance thematically to the Heritage Foundation's Project Esther, right down to excerpts from the first chapter and summary. They both make the same bad faith argument. Project Esther asserts a widespread conspiracy to support Hamas, and therefore terrorism. According to its logic, anyone critical of Israel, its brutal occupation, its genocide in Gaza, or standing up for the human rights of Palestinians is accused of supporting Hamas and terrorism. Project Esther was used as the blueprint for NSPM-7, Trump's directive to further criminalize dissent in the U.S. NSPM-7 declares “anti-americanism, anti-capitalism, anti-Christianity, anti-fascism," "extremism on migration, race, and gender," and opposition to “traditional American views on family, religion, and morality” to be potential indicators of domestic terrorism. The same spurious reasoning Project Esther uses to criminalize dissent (dissent=support for terrorism).
The Cuba report builds on Project Esther and NSPM-7, it's the third generation of the Trump regime/Heritage Foundation plan to criminalize dissent. In the Cuba report, Cuba plays the same role Hamas plays in Project Esther: any criticism of the U.S. government's policies, especially towards Cuba, is cast as support for terrorism—just like how criticism of Israel's policies towards Palestine is cast as support for Hamas. The Cuba report asserts a widespread leftist conspiracy to support Cuban terrorism. It's the same bad faith argument, rewritten to create a new blacklist of political dissidents in the U.S., to lay the groundwork for political repression, criminalization of dissent, and likely the denial of due process. That's the primary purpose of the (bad faith) terrorism designation, to suspend due process rights of the accused. Think Guantanamo.
Link to Project Esther.
https://www.heritage.org/sites/default/files/2024-10/Project%20Esther.pdf
This threat is worth taking seriously, though. There is a significant portion of the population that believes this propaganda, and the integrity of information available is sometimes questionable, compromised, or both.
No more duck and cover; come out from under your desks, stand up and resist tyranny.
Well, perhaps Kash Patel will tell us how to beat communism after he gets back from Russia. Anyone remember Trump and Putin in Helsinki? Unfortunately, Trump supporters will be happy to focus on his latest claim, no matter how ironic and phony.
Ruth Ben ghiat standing up for democracy, thanks
I found Rubio’s speech terrifyingly effective. I think that the effort to impoverish the public education system has paid off for these folks and I experienced the speech as the platform from which many many AI generated terror videos are likely to be launched. If the Dems were smart RIGHT NOW they’d be launching their own education campaigns with Rubio’s speech sitting beside those of other fascists and their minions. They’d be warning about what this messaging is all about. If they wait to play defense the game will be over, as it has been since Trump re-entered the White House.
Stephen Miller's speech (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1jMMY1yv9FU) at the recent Resurgence of Political Terrorism conference is extremely chilling. It is terrifying that these words were spoken by a high level U.S. official--the man who serves as the White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy and the Homeland Security Advisor in the Trump administration.
At least Miller is generally viewed as a ghoul, which undoubtedly lessens the impact of his statements. He’s certainly a monster but is known to be a monster while Rubio is enough of a shape-shifter that his comments are more likely to land, I think. Miller is most effectively dangerous behind the curtain while Rubio appears familiar.
These recent speeches have been chilling because they are not trying to hide their blatant fascism anymore. The mask has come off and we're seeing the monster behind it.
Unfortunately, most of the paranoid MAGA will be sucked into this vortex of fantasy.
It's the "go for broke" phase of the Trump regime. Trump's approval numbers are in the toilet so they've got nothing to lose. I've seen Trump call progressive Democrats "communists" several times over the years, which is typical Trump - he introduces propaganda slowly until it catches on. Remember, strongmen always need an enemy or a threat to justify what they do, whether it's putting innocent people in jails or starting wars, and of course the loss of personal freedom.
tRump's Machiavellianism is toxic. He has typical Dark Tetrad Personality behavior and has surrounded himself with similar misfits.
Trump's Doha Accord in 2020 deferred surrender to the Taliban until the spring of 2021 & Biden got the blame for the mandated withdrawal. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States–Taliban_deal
After withdrawing from Obama's nuclear deal with Iran, claiming to obliterate Iran's nuclear enrichment facilities twice over, claiming we won in the 1st hour & bragging that “only" 18 US soldiers have died so far, who's he going to blame for $4+ gas, spiking diesel, jet fuel, fertilizer, critical chemicals & global economic calamity? Some imaginary welfare fraudster & radical left commie scum of course.
https://paulkrugman.substack.com/p/4-gasoline-is-less-than-half-the?utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-xt9-D4XkY
But rolling out the red carpet for one of the top "communists", Putin, in Alaska...
The so called "Centrist" or "Moderate" Democrats are using this in their attacks on truly progressive Dems. They have a long list of supposed sins: Communist, Socialist, Antisemitic (confused with opposed to genocide)...
Here in Colorado conservative money has realized that our batpoop republicans can't win here anymore so they support Moderate (do nothing) Dems both to win but also to divide the Democratic Party. We'll be fine but it will be a challenge. I'm certainly learning things about people I thought I knew.
Thank you, Ruth. For making your talk available, for upcoming guests, for your upcoming essays you are working on. I will return to Strongmen and look at Communism.
You present us with such important and intelligent information. We must circulate this information far and wide. I am of an age that I remember some of the cold war times and certainly learned about the evils of communism in school but I highly doubt younger people today have been educated about it or about dictatorships.
Gin: Great comment! Yes, you are right, as I see it, on every point.
An absolutely first rate lecture series by Professor Timothy Snyder (the whole curriculum for his course at U of Toronto) is on this subject. It is brilliantly and clearly explained. On YouTube and free.
McConnell admitted that Trump was guilty but said it was up to voters to vote against him in 2024.
Dear Ruth,
Do you think they'll try to prevent the elections from taking place, and if so, and they're successful, what should be our response?