Thank you for these examples. We must focus & make it past the midterm election goalposts. Continue even-keeled conversations with other taxpayers, especially those outside of immediate circle.
Koch's radical Libertarianism is one step away from fascism. The Koch bros connection with James Buchanan (the guy who helped write the Pinochet constitution) is not that well known. Koch reminds me of Henry Ford and Prescott Bush, both of whom wanted fascism here.
People don't see the train coming down the tracks.
It would be great if Hollywood writers could increase the exposure of this threat.
Even thru humor in commercials showing absurdities that get people talking. I had a few interesting conversations after the Super Bowl ads with people who lean right. We were forced to talk race, gender-role issues & the Planters mixed nut ad -- jabbing fun at how we constructing stuff to argue over. Jim Careys cable man updating his technology from a professional/ homeowner Black woman. And then all of a sudden you're talking immigration. People have to start talking intertwining, laughing together and enjoining circles of different folks.
Thank you Ruth. I have been anxiously awaiting your thoughts on what is taking place in MY country - a country that I felt in my heart would be severely impacted by what is happening in YOUR country - I just never thought things would spiral out of control so fast.
Many people at my work and in my extended family thought I was “Cassandra like” in my view of how democracy is dying. They have chastised me and called me alarmist. I believe this is really just the beginning. Now that the Federal Government is enacting a newfangled version of the War Measures Act, those folks who were around in 1970 (or studied the history) will think to themselves: like father, like son. Just Google FLQ crisis.
The next few days will be a feeding frenzy for the far right. The demonstrators moved quietly in Toronto - but I have a gut feeling it’s not going to be the same in Ottawa. When you are in a death cult and have been manipulated AND you feel you have nothing to lose - that’s when things can turn very ugly.
I have been studying extremism for 4 decades. I knew that things would eventually wind up coming to Canada…I just didn’t expect it to happen so quickly.
Perhaps the actions of the protesters will finally convince people who have felt that democracy in Canada is not something you can just take for granted. Maybe now they will start to really understand was is going on and take action.
THANK YOU Ruth for speaking truth to power and for your efforts on educating people on the true horror of strongmen and the people who fall under their spell.
Thanks Ruth. I guess what feels absolutely the worst is knowing that depending on their media diet, many of my fellow Canadians are getting sucked into the very silos that many of your fellow citizens are part of.
I always believed that the US lurch towards authoritarianism would eventually suck Canada in. But I never thought the “Anschluss” would be so digital in nature - or so swift.
I saw things happening pretty much how they unfolded in Austria in 1938. But here we are - Fox along with other right wing media are covering this story like crazy. The number of Canadians getting bombarded with this insane propaganda is serious cause for alarm.
The vast majority of people in Ottawa (and throughout Canada) are absolutely appalled at what is happening to our democracy.
The rapidity of (mis)information is swirling into multiple tornadoes.
With respect for free speech ... there has to be some greater monitoring or regulation on the internet.
Reminds me of lack of regulation (federal) with savings & loan industry being let loose.
Regulations are the guardrails of society. Lawlessness begets lawlessness. It is now cool to be gin things up, smoothly cheat others. I see it in how people are transacting business ... what they laugh at.
I try to add in a neutral tone of voice, "Corruption or public corruption we all pay$ later" No body should be chuckling.
Thank you Ruth. If these convoys do appear in DC, a city still recovering from the horror of Jan. 6. the Metro Police, and any other directly affected agency, need to beat the truckers at their own game. Perform detailed inspections of every truck, every log book, every load, and write up every violation no matter how trivial. Neither the owner/operator nor the trucking company will want to deal with those fines. Inspect every truck for weapons caches, given the example found in Alberta and the easier access to guns in the USA, there will certainly be more than one. Impound the trucks for illegal parking. Cite the trucks for idling. You get my drift. We know that Fox News and the Republicans will scream about freedom and free speech, but they will do that regardless. Ignore them. Crack down. End the right wing bullying before it has a chance to metastasize futher.
Because of the increasing threat they create by their actions, the scanning of the contents of these mobile otherwise empty, or unloaded, shells will have to evolve along with the threat. Just as Ukraine should not have to have their peace destroyed by unkind people displaying aggressive behavior in their backyards, so too should Americans not have to have our peace destroyed by Trojan convoys, fueled and financed by folks far from the flames. Whose garden was this?
I think "prosecute them" is a solution. For me, a Sec 3 of the 14th Amendment action against Arizonans Andy Biggs, Paul Gosar, Debbie Lesko, and David Schweikert is a way to fight back. Their vote to overturn the election results disqualifies them from serving in elective office.
Arizona is loaded with Trump clones. They are willing to burn down the house and start over again. Their politics are fascist and it seems as though they want to establish that form of government here. They speak of chaos, victimhood and vengeance. It's as if mass psychosis has taken over the Arizona right wing. For me, fascism is the politics of lunacy, as most fascist nations have been led by a sociopath. Hearing Kari Lake, Karrin Robson, Mark Brnovich and Finchem speak, is quite frightening and quite insane. They are abusing the right of free speech to push their authoritarian take-over. Do we allow freedom of speech that advocates the destruction of our quasi-democracy? We should not.
This is what I’ve always believed and it’s scary to see it coming to fruition. PANDORA’S BOX never went away, it’s just that Trump had a unique and rather devious way of opening it. It’s actually Pandora’s Box PLUS Whack a Mole because there is now an onslaught of fascists and white supremacists hitting county, city, state and FEDERAL levels of government. Once one is outed for their insane beliefs, another is there to fill the spot.
I've expressed my concern in the past, but the danger seems even greater today. While authoritarianism is the immediate and increasingly hardened reality in the near term, the unleashing of anarchy by the GOP in their crazed grab for power will soon be uncontrollable. Unlike other regimes that harnessed such forces to seize power, these anti-government groups are well-armed and increasingly unhinged. Their aims are wildly divergent from the authoritarian aims of the GOP. If anything, the GOP will have far less success in controlling the Frankenstein they have unleashed, as these groups will recognize (at last) that those they viewed as allies were using them as pawns.
The recent Nazi demonstration in Orlando Jan. 29 & 30th seems to fit in with your thesis. Trump enabled them in so many ways (Charlottesville, the Insurrection, the documented rise in hate crimes after Trump rallies, etc.) and the murder of 11 innocent souls in synagogue massacre in Pittsburgh. The GOP's pawns have awoken.
It's hard not to call these actions fascist. Trump's encouragement of these actions is a part of his sociopathic behavior known as narcissistic triangulation. He gets his obsequious followers to do his dirty work for him; leaving no blood on his hands.
Which might change (his followers rabidly doing his bidding) if our DOJ and FBI actually held him legally responsible. When you show those who engage in such behaviors that it will be met with the full force and intent of our laws you show others contemplating such behavior what to expect. Tragically, we do not have that here.
Our lawmakers need to pass a law banning fascist speech that has been used to encourage fascist actions. Had we passed such a law, Trump's Jan 6th speech at the Ellipse would not have taken place.
I agree, but there is also a big overlap now between anti-govt extremists and some of the more extreme GOP lawmakers (also, sovereign sheriffs, militias, etc were all at Jan 6 next to GOP officials, active duty military). Trump created a "big tent" for everyone to find their place. in alaska, as I note in my piece GOP officials were the instigators. That's the big worry.
Perhaps we're debating the same point. The active duty/former veterans bought into the idea that freedom means freedom from rules they deem salient. Most GOP officials are playing a game...most don't believe in anarchy, but they're happy to gin up the base to win power and remake the US into an authoritarian power (as long as the GOP remains in charge). Some of the most extreme GOP officials are interchangeable with the anarchist base, but most are just riding the grifting wave. Trump's big tent is particularly dangerous because every faction believes that the other factions will fall in line with a common purpose. The real power rests in the base, which will turn on the grifters and playacting politicians once they understand that authoritarianism vs anarchy were the stakes all along.
When trump rode down that escalator and gave his hate filled speech to a cheering crowd I emailed friends and family - “this is going to get extremely ugly and take decades to undo - he’s giving every far-right extremist not only approval but full on encouragement to get loud and act out”. I was told to stop being an alarmist and an anxious woman. After he was elected I was told “oh, our government will reign him in” and then after the Republican Party joined the cult “our institutions will hold”. Now it’s “well, maybe it won’t be so bad to have just one party” from those who didn’t join the cult. Those who did are full on supporters of having trump declared dictator. (No one has yet said “I guess you were right”.)
Same here...I also heard the phrase 'when things get bad enough, the people will mass protest for democracy'. Apparently nearly 1 million Americans dead from Covid, rampant voter suppression, weekly mass shootings, spiraling levels of income inequality, and widespread psychotic propaganda aren't 'bad enough'.
I think that mass protests no longer occur not just because of multiple reasons like extreme fatigue to all things political due to 4 years of the relentless onslaught of bad news from trump & his minions but also the relentless media coverage of Manchin & Sinema’ s bullshit which resulted in nothing good but because the Republican Party has accepted that ignoring us works. Whether that is in emails, calls, letters, protests and even mass protests (no offense intended at all to the wonderful turnout - but what did the Women’s March actually accomplish with regard to laws and policies?), all they do is ignore us and do what they want. It works for them.
Democrats still listen to a degree - look at Pelosi’s recent flip-flop from defending Congress owning financial investments to backing reforms on such but they too ignore most of us most of the time.
It doesn’t really matter what the citizenry want and support if those with the authority to make the changes won’t do so.
The GOP and its media allies are the fifth column, the enemy within. Psyops, economic sabotage are part of their ongoing and escalating attacks on American democracy.This is war, this is an insurgency. Some say don't worry our institutions are strong and if we remain vigilant democracy will survive.
This is an historic moment in American history like the 1850s. Our country is so deeply divided and on the knifes edge of falling over into autocracy and authoritarianism. Can Joe Biden rise to the challenge, can we the people rise to the challenge to save our country's democracy?
It has been beckoning for years but they aren’t paying attention. I venture that they aren’t because of multiple reasons (in denial, complicit, too intellectually challenged to grasp what is happening [seems nicer than saying stupid], incompetent, mentally unable) but the end result is the same - they aren’t meeting this moment in history with all the seriousness and intent it requires.
At first I thought his non to pathetic responses to those creating laws to thwart elections, to the trump administration’s massive system wide corruption, to the insurrectionists, and so on was perhaps due to him having a painfully slow but thorough method of investigation. I no longer think that at all but instead believe he was deliberately chosen for his obsequiousness to what Biden wanted - which is pretty much a weak response to it all. For the optics I imagine. That and living in denial. Also, ego. History will hold them accountable for their spineless reactions to all this but that won’t help those of us ground down by the upcoming authoritarian takeover.
Ruth: I hope you're wrong about the convoy's motivation (Far-right activists can be opportunistic creatures. Their ultimate aim is to destabilize liberal democracies, creating an appetite for authoritarian forms of government, and they will support any cause that furthers the goal.) I'm against postulating motivations but since you mentioned it, I would hope that their motivation is that they believe the liberal agenda is harmful and that they protest to attempt to establish THEIR way of doing things, no matter how ill-founded they seem to the Left.
Unfortunately, Ruth is not wrong. They are being funded. We have proof of that, emails and foreign propaganda platforms. Timing is impeccably planned. It could be trucks, voting machines, campaigns, restrictions on voting. All, lead to their objectives. All, are being led by Black Psy Ops. Check out Jenny Cohn, Anne Nelson, Olga Lautman, Jane Mayer. They have written on this. Jason Stanley, Federico Finchelstein, Sarah Kendzior and so many others have written extensively supporting Ruth’s conclusions. Beyond that, Ruth is an expert who sees clearly. “Their motivation” is destruction of our democracy. Words lie, behavior doesn’t.
Another installment of truth from Truth-Warrior Ruth Ben-Ghiat. The fact that I have let Ruth into my wallet is just another manifestation of my "misogyny" as charged by Fascist enabling NPR operative Tamara Keith recently when I caught her nodding her head in silent agreement as Amy Walter lied about the 1/6 committee, saying it is just "more of the usual squabbling between the Ds and the Rs and the American people are tired of it". To paraphrase Canadian Gordon Lightfoot: Names are for calling when you can't mount an intelligent fact-based rebuttal. If you are giving money to NPR/PBS you are, to paraphrase Canadian writer Stephen Marche, braiding the rope you will be hung with. Give your money to Truth Warriors like Ruth.
I was struck by your description of the opportunistic nature of far-right activists. Almost any grievance, real or imagined, will do. This reminded me of what many people call the "kick the dog syndrome." This is where a person is upset about something that they don't feel they can complain about openly. That frustration finds an exit in some other, less proscribed way such as kicking the dog or becoming argumentative about something else or joining a protest unrelated to the root dissatisfaction.
Addressing unarticulated dissatisfactions individually or collectively is difficult work. Helping those affected by these things to find more effective and constructive ways to cope might be the more productive approach. We need to stop kicking the dog and start dealing with or adjusting to the actual roots of our malaise. We need tools and techniques not currently in hand.
What are those tools and techniques and how do we promulgate adoption among the pandemic widened audience upon whom the anti-democratic fifth columnists feed?
Thank you for this explanation of how this tool (chaos/crazy-ass behavior) of wannabe authoritarians is put to use. I want to focus on this part of the chaos equation - “Populist perceptions of being victimized by corrupt elites (democratic politicians, vaccine makers or scientists, etc.) also draw many in.”
I am an American who currently lives in a crimson red town in an equally crimson red state - IN. I am not a Republican. Nor am I a Democrat even though I am forced to register as one here because the state doesn’t allow anything except D or R for voting registration. I am an Independent and before the elections of 2016 I used to vote split-ticket, taking the time to study candidates from the three groups - R, D & I and choosing the ones I thought would best serve in ways similar or equal to my own political beliefs. I served my country honorably for ten years. I am not anywhere near being in the 1%. I am part of the disabled veteran community, living solely on my veteran’s disability compensation which puts me at the bottom on the economic ladder. (Being immune compromised means waiting until the pandemic is over to return to a part-time job that works with my military caused disabilities.) I will never vote split-ticket again. Not after watching the Republican Party throw itself head first into what is now the trump/republican fascist party/cult. Nor will I ever give my allegiance to such a party or group, even if that comes to mean prison time or a bullet.
Yet, I can see exactly how easy it is to draw people to the chaos crowd due to the “populist perceptions of being victimized by corrupt elites”. Why? Because this is a true statement in America in many ways. Unfortunately and tragically so.
Does America have robust social services to help equal out society so no one has to go hungry? Or so no one has to lose their home due to predatory landlords and banks? Or to receive enough on unemployment to help them start over as is instead of going deeper and deeper into debt trying to buy food and pay for medical care while their rent or mortgage payments and the late fees bury them? Do people here suffer in daily life and/or die from lack of medical care? Do people here have to resort to buying their food from a Dollar General because the closet grocery store with actual fresh food is miles away? Do people here lack a universal, well-rounded, history grounded childhood education that prepares them to become fully engaged citizens? Do people here lack education opportunities due to easily accessed higher education - in classes, books, study materials (pens, pencils, paper & a basic tablet or laptop) available to all, in good food during class schedules, in safe, reliable transportation to and from class? Do veterans receive enough disability compensation to pay all their basic bills and live beyond month to month? Do those who receive SSI and other Social Security payments? Are corporations, politicians, bosses, and judges held to strict standards of compliance to laws of ethics and fair behavior? Can every citizen count on being treated fairly in school, at work, at leisure and under the law? Can our active duty service members live on their paychecks without resorting to food stamps and other measly social services for help? Do our active duty service members and their families live in well constructed and healthy housing? Does this country have safe, enriching child care available to all workers?
The answer to all these questions show exactly how unequal, unjust and unfair American society is. The only people who matter here are the 1% - and out of that group I would say only the white 1% matters. Corruption not only reigns supreme here it is celebrated and openly bragged about. The non-1% are indeed victimized by the corrupt elites here. Since the trump administration that corruption has been openly, blatantly and even gleefully displayed. (This would be a good thing if our justice system (DOJ, FBI, the now far-right Supreme Court, etc) actually did anything about it.)
A few examples -
Until about 2 weeks ago Pelosi was in favor of politicians and their families being able to make financial investments while they held positions of authority in directly influencing financial laws and policies. The only reason she changed her publicly displayed tune is because the tide turned against her.
Manchin refuses to consider social programs that would help citizens live better lives because he has the political power to do so. He doesn’t give a rat’s ass about helping anybody but himself and his immediate family with tax cuts he’s happy to vote for and with continued damage to the climate that affects everyone because doing so brings in more money for him to spend on yachts and Maseratis. His modus operandi can be summed up as “Fuck you, that’s why” and he’s hardly the only politician to hold such an MO.
Biden continues to praise himself for sending out a single payment of $1400.00 and for a child tax care credit that no longer exists. Does he use the full power and influence of the office he holds to take to task the money-grubbing and corrupt politicians? No. Does he inform the public about the authoritarian state we are all headed for? No. Has he directed the DOJ to open a wide-reaching investigation into the previous administration’s astonishing levels of corruption? No. Does he take the military serious when they do extensive research on the failures of a military operation he ordered (Afghanistan)? No and not only that, he publicly dismisses it and insults everyone who served and died during that operation. (Does this make me, a veteran, believe in him or think he is capable of acting as the Commander in Chief? Absolutely not - his ego matters more to him than facing reality.)
The Republican Party refuses to vote for voting rights to ensure that every citizen has clearly defined and easily accessed voting rights.
People of color cannot, and have never been able to, rely on fairness and justice being applied to them in any part of American society.
Women of all races know that in American society they are still considered second class citizens, as chattel in some groups and even as merely objects to be commented on and physically assaulted. Sexual predators by and large not only go unpunished here but are celebrated - and repeatedly elected to positions of authority.
Child abuse is still swept under the rug or considered “the family’s business”.
MST (military sexual trauma which includes everything from verbal harassment to rape) is as big a problem in 2022 as it was decades ago. The military still thinks they should be able to investigate themselves on this matter. (The new proposed changes still lack legal teeth and will be worked around by those in charge.)
Health care in America is strictly a for-profit business. If you can’t or your increasingly strict insurance company won’t pay then it’s “too bad sucker - if only you were rich or had better insurance”.
Here in America citizens are constantly victimized by corrupt elites. That is a fact. It is very easy for those with unscrupulous intentions to take advantage of that. The most egregious and disgusting part is that those taking advantage are the usually the ones who put and keep such policies and laws in place. Many of those who are stirred up and incited into chaos aren’t part of the conspiracy nuts or the overthrow-the-government groups or the science-sucks group initially but they feel and live the unfairness and inequality so keenly, so deeply, every minute of every day that it is easy to latch onto or fall into a group that promises change. It is only after all the chaos fades and even more rights (and eventually lives) are lost that reality sets in for those who were trying to achieve fairness and equality.
Much of the dire conditions we see today, stem from early 1970's action or lack of it. Lobbying was one of these, where bribery was acceptable. Another major one was the defeat of the Burke-Hartke act in 1973, where the proposed law was to limit corporations from outsurcing as much as they do today. Had it been passed, the US would not have been deindustrialized and the standard of living would be much better. Our corporate community made an all out effort to block this law, and with its blockage, ruined the nation. The advent of neoliberal economics and the rise of the neoliberal order made a roadmap for corporate domination that we still suffer from today. Together, these three actions ruined the nation, bringing about a vile megalomaniacal sociopath to power, AKA Trump.
Great post Robert - I’d very much like to connect
Possible.
Like Trump Org losing their accounting firm. Leaves them stranded like a "sitting duck" now. Whose going to pick up that nasty account?
Thank you for these examples. We must focus & make it past the midterm election goalposts. Continue even-keeled conversations with other taxpayers, especially those outside of immediate circle.
Koch's radical Libertarianism is one step away from fascism. The Koch bros connection with James Buchanan (the guy who helped write the Pinochet constitution) is not that well known. Koch reminds me of Henry Ford and Prescott Bush, both of whom wanted fascism here.
People don't see the train coming down the tracks.
It would be great if Hollywood writers could increase the exposure of this threat.
Even thru humor in commercials showing absurdities that get people talking. I had a few interesting conversations after the Super Bowl ads with people who lean right. We were forced to talk race, gender-role issues & the Planters mixed nut ad -- jabbing fun at how we constructing stuff to argue over. Jim Careys cable man updating his technology from a professional/ homeowner Black woman. And then all of a sudden you're talking immigration. People have to start talking intertwining, laughing together and enjoining circles of different folks.
Thank you Ruth. I have been anxiously awaiting your thoughts on what is taking place in MY country - a country that I felt in my heart would be severely impacted by what is happening in YOUR country - I just never thought things would spiral out of control so fast.
Many people at my work and in my extended family thought I was “Cassandra like” in my view of how democracy is dying. They have chastised me and called me alarmist. I believe this is really just the beginning. Now that the Federal Government is enacting a newfangled version of the War Measures Act, those folks who were around in 1970 (or studied the history) will think to themselves: like father, like son. Just Google FLQ crisis.
The next few days will be a feeding frenzy for the far right. The demonstrators moved quietly in Toronto - but I have a gut feeling it’s not going to be the same in Ottawa. When you are in a death cult and have been manipulated AND you feel you have nothing to lose - that’s when things can turn very ugly.
I have been studying extremism for 4 decades. I knew that things would eventually wind up coming to Canada…I just didn’t expect it to happen so quickly.
Perhaps the actions of the protesters will finally convince people who have felt that democracy in Canada is not something you can just take for granted. Maybe now they will start to really understand was is going on and take action.
THANK YOU Ruth for speaking truth to power and for your efforts on educating people on the true horror of strongmen and the people who fall under their spell.
As an ex-pat, I feel your pain and appreciate your warning. I'm sending it to everyone I know in Canada.
Thank you so much we're all just sitting here wondering what the next thing will be
Thank you for your thoughts, Michael. Tough days ahead.
Thanks Ruth. I guess what feels absolutely the worst is knowing that depending on their media diet, many of my fellow Canadians are getting sucked into the very silos that many of your fellow citizens are part of.
I always believed that the US lurch towards authoritarianism would eventually suck Canada in. But I never thought the “Anschluss” would be so digital in nature - or so swift.
I saw things happening pretty much how they unfolded in Austria in 1938. But here we are - Fox along with other right wing media are covering this story like crazy. The number of Canadians getting bombarded with this insane propaganda is serious cause for alarm.
The vast majority of people in Ottawa (and throughout Canada) are absolutely appalled at what is happening to our democracy.
The rapidity of (mis)information is swirling into multiple tornadoes.
With respect for free speech ... there has to be some greater monitoring or regulation on the internet.
Reminds me of lack of regulation (federal) with savings & loan industry being let loose.
Regulations are the guardrails of society. Lawlessness begets lawlessness. It is now cool to be gin things up, smoothly cheat others. I see it in how people are transacting business ... what they laugh at.
I try to add in a neutral tone of voice, "Corruption or public corruption we all pay$ later" No body should be chuckling.
Thank you Ruth. If these convoys do appear in DC, a city still recovering from the horror of Jan. 6. the Metro Police, and any other directly affected agency, need to beat the truckers at their own game. Perform detailed inspections of every truck, every log book, every load, and write up every violation no matter how trivial. Neither the owner/operator nor the trucking company will want to deal with those fines. Inspect every truck for weapons caches, given the example found in Alberta and the easier access to guns in the USA, there will certainly be more than one. Impound the trucks for illegal parking. Cite the trucks for idling. You get my drift. We know that Fox News and the Republicans will scream about freedom and free speech, but they will do that regardless. Ignore them. Crack down. End the right wing bullying before it has a chance to metastasize futher.
Proactive strategies needed. We're locked in a game of chess. Winner take all. We cannot be playing defensively.
What can we average citizens do other than continuing to listen to others' views and try to guide them to center?
Because of the increasing threat they create by their actions, the scanning of the contents of these mobile otherwise empty, or unloaded, shells will have to evolve along with the threat. Just as Ukraine should not have to have their peace destroyed by unkind people displaying aggressive behavior in their backyards, so too should Americans not have to have our peace destroyed by Trojan convoys, fueled and financed by folks far from the flames. Whose garden was this?
I think "prosecute them" is a solution. For me, a Sec 3 of the 14th Amendment action against Arizonans Andy Biggs, Paul Gosar, Debbie Lesko, and David Schweikert is a way to fight back. Their vote to overturn the election results disqualifies them from serving in elective office.
Arizona is loaded with Trump clones. They are willing to burn down the house and start over again. Their politics are fascist and it seems as though they want to establish that form of government here. They speak of chaos, victimhood and vengeance. It's as if mass psychosis has taken over the Arizona right wing. For me, fascism is the politics of lunacy, as most fascist nations have been led by a sociopath. Hearing Kari Lake, Karrin Robson, Mark Brnovich and Finchem speak, is quite frightening and quite insane. They are abusing the right of free speech to push their authoritarian take-over. Do we allow freedom of speech that advocates the destruction of our quasi-democracy? We should not.
This is what I’ve always believed and it’s scary to see it coming to fruition. PANDORA’S BOX never went away, it’s just that Trump had a unique and rather devious way of opening it. It’s actually Pandora’s Box PLUS Whack a Mole because there is now an onslaught of fascists and white supremacists hitting county, city, state and FEDERAL levels of government. Once one is outed for their insane beliefs, another is there to fill the spot.
I've expressed my concern in the past, but the danger seems even greater today. While authoritarianism is the immediate and increasingly hardened reality in the near term, the unleashing of anarchy by the GOP in their crazed grab for power will soon be uncontrollable. Unlike other regimes that harnessed such forces to seize power, these anti-government groups are well-armed and increasingly unhinged. Their aims are wildly divergent from the authoritarian aims of the GOP. If anything, the GOP will have far less success in controlling the Frankenstein they have unleashed, as these groups will recognize (at last) that those they viewed as allies were using them as pawns.
The recent Nazi demonstration in Orlando Jan. 29 & 30th seems to fit in with your thesis. Trump enabled them in so many ways (Charlottesville, the Insurrection, the documented rise in hate crimes after Trump rallies, etc.) and the murder of 11 innocent souls in synagogue massacre in Pittsburgh. The GOP's pawns have awoken.
It's hard not to call these actions fascist. Trump's encouragement of these actions is a part of his sociopathic behavior known as narcissistic triangulation. He gets his obsequious followers to do his dirty work for him; leaving no blood on his hands.
Which might change (his followers rabidly doing his bidding) if our DOJ and FBI actually held him legally responsible. When you show those who engage in such behaviors that it will be met with the full force and intent of our laws you show others contemplating such behavior what to expect. Tragically, we do not have that here.
We need to crack down on this sort encouragement to do crime by right wing leaders. What the hell are we waiting for?
I agree Steve.
Whom do you mean by “we”? And what action do you think would work?
Our lawmakers need to pass a law banning fascist speech that has been used to encourage fascist actions. Had we passed such a law, Trump's Jan 6th speech at the Ellipse would not have taken place.
I agree, but there is also a big overlap now between anti-govt extremists and some of the more extreme GOP lawmakers (also, sovereign sheriffs, militias, etc were all at Jan 6 next to GOP officials, active duty military). Trump created a "big tent" for everyone to find their place. in alaska, as I note in my piece GOP officials were the instigators. That's the big worry.
Perhaps we're debating the same point. The active duty/former veterans bought into the idea that freedom means freedom from rules they deem salient. Most GOP officials are playing a game...most don't believe in anarchy, but they're happy to gin up the base to win power and remake the US into an authoritarian power (as long as the GOP remains in charge). Some of the most extreme GOP officials are interchangeable with the anarchist base, but most are just riding the grifting wave. Trump's big tent is particularly dangerous because every faction believes that the other factions will fall in line with a common purpose. The real power rests in the base, which will turn on the grifters and playacting politicians once they understand that authoritarianism vs anarchy were the stakes all along.
"riding the grift" ... would be a great PSA or bumper sticker
When trump rode down that escalator and gave his hate filled speech to a cheering crowd I emailed friends and family - “this is going to get extremely ugly and take decades to undo - he’s giving every far-right extremist not only approval but full on encouragement to get loud and act out”. I was told to stop being an alarmist and an anxious woman. After he was elected I was told “oh, our government will reign him in” and then after the Republican Party joined the cult “our institutions will hold”. Now it’s “well, maybe it won’t be so bad to have just one party” from those who didn’t join the cult. Those who did are full on supporters of having trump declared dictator. (No one has yet said “I guess you were right”.)
Same here...I also heard the phrase 'when things get bad enough, the people will mass protest for democracy'. Apparently nearly 1 million Americans dead from Covid, rampant voter suppression, weekly mass shootings, spiraling levels of income inequality, and widespread psychotic propaganda aren't 'bad enough'.
I think that mass protests no longer occur not just because of multiple reasons like extreme fatigue to all things political due to 4 years of the relentless onslaught of bad news from trump & his minions but also the relentless media coverage of Manchin & Sinema’ s bullshit which resulted in nothing good but because the Republican Party has accepted that ignoring us works. Whether that is in emails, calls, letters, protests and even mass protests (no offense intended at all to the wonderful turnout - but what did the Women’s March actually accomplish with regard to laws and policies?), all they do is ignore us and do what they want. It works for them.
Democrats still listen to a degree - look at Pelosi’s recent flip-flop from defending Congress owning financial investments to backing reforms on such but they too ignore most of us most of the time.
It doesn’t really matter what the citizenry want and support if those with the authority to make the changes won’t do so.
The GOP and its media allies are the fifth column, the enemy within. Psyops, economic sabotage are part of their ongoing and escalating attacks on American democracy.This is war, this is an insurgency. Some say don't worry our institutions are strong and if we remain vigilant democracy will survive.
This is an historic moment in American history like the 1850s. Our country is so deeply divided and on the knifes edge of falling over into autocracy and authoritarianism. Can Joe Biden rise to the challenge, can we the people rise to the challenge to save our country's democracy?
I don’t think we can or should rely on Joe Biden or the Democratic Leadership Team. They refuse to face the reality we are facing.
I think you're to say we can't rely upon Biden and the Dems to do it for us. But history is beckoning them to play a role..
It has been beckoning for years but they aren’t paying attention. I venture that they aren’t because of multiple reasons (in denial, complicit, too intellectually challenged to grasp what is happening [seems nicer than saying stupid], incompetent, mentally unable) but the end result is the same - they aren’t meeting this moment in history with all the seriousness and intent it requires.
Completely agree. My only question is whether Garland was chosen precisely because he would avoid confrontation at all costs.
At first I thought his non to pathetic responses to those creating laws to thwart elections, to the trump administration’s massive system wide corruption, to the insurrectionists, and so on was perhaps due to him having a painfully slow but thorough method of investigation. I no longer think that at all but instead believe he was deliberately chosen for his obsequiousness to what Biden wanted - which is pretty much a weak response to it all. For the optics I imagine. That and living in denial. Also, ego. History will hold them accountable for their spineless reactions to all this but that won’t help those of us ground down by the upcoming authoritarian takeover.
Remember too protecting democracy took a big hit when Manchin and Sinema said no to a carve out to the filibuster in order to pass voting rights.
I think you're (right) to say we can't rely upon them.
I so wish I wasn’t. But sadly…
Wishing you well.
Ruth: I hope you're wrong about the convoy's motivation (Far-right activists can be opportunistic creatures. Their ultimate aim is to destabilize liberal democracies, creating an appetite for authoritarian forms of government, and they will support any cause that furthers the goal.) I'm against postulating motivations but since you mentioned it, I would hope that their motivation is that they believe the liberal agenda is harmful and that they protest to attempt to establish THEIR way of doing things, no matter how ill-founded they seem to the Left.
Unfortunately, Ruth is not wrong. They are being funded. We have proof of that, emails and foreign propaganda platforms. Timing is impeccably planned. It could be trucks, voting machines, campaigns, restrictions on voting. All, lead to their objectives. All, are being led by Black Psy Ops. Check out Jenny Cohn, Anne Nelson, Olga Lautman, Jane Mayer. They have written on this. Jason Stanley, Federico Finchelstein, Sarah Kendzior and so many others have written extensively supporting Ruth’s conclusions. Beyond that, Ruth is an expert who sees clearly. “Their motivation” is destruction of our democracy. Words lie, behavior doesn’t.
Another installment of truth from Truth-Warrior Ruth Ben-Ghiat. The fact that I have let Ruth into my wallet is just another manifestation of my "misogyny" as charged by Fascist enabling NPR operative Tamara Keith recently when I caught her nodding her head in silent agreement as Amy Walter lied about the 1/6 committee, saying it is just "more of the usual squabbling between the Ds and the Rs and the American people are tired of it". To paraphrase Canadian Gordon Lightfoot: Names are for calling when you can't mount an intelligent fact-based rebuttal. If you are giving money to NPR/PBS you are, to paraphrase Canadian writer Stephen Marche, braiding the rope you will be hung with. Give your money to Truth Warriors like Ruth.
Interesting take.
I was struck by your description of the opportunistic nature of far-right activists. Almost any grievance, real or imagined, will do. This reminded me of what many people call the "kick the dog syndrome." This is where a person is upset about something that they don't feel they can complain about openly. That frustration finds an exit in some other, less proscribed way such as kicking the dog or becoming argumentative about something else or joining a protest unrelated to the root dissatisfaction.
Addressing unarticulated dissatisfactions individually or collectively is difficult work. Helping those affected by these things to find more effective and constructive ways to cope might be the more productive approach. We need to stop kicking the dog and start dealing with or adjusting to the actual roots of our malaise. We need tools and techniques not currently in hand.
What are those tools and techniques and how do we promulgate adoption among the pandemic widened audience upon whom the anti-democratic fifth columnists feed?
good question!
Thank you for this explanation of how this tool (chaos/crazy-ass behavior) of wannabe authoritarians is put to use. I want to focus on this part of the chaos equation - “Populist perceptions of being victimized by corrupt elites (democratic politicians, vaccine makers or scientists, etc.) also draw many in.”
I am an American who currently lives in a crimson red town in an equally crimson red state - IN. I am not a Republican. Nor am I a Democrat even though I am forced to register as one here because the state doesn’t allow anything except D or R for voting registration. I am an Independent and before the elections of 2016 I used to vote split-ticket, taking the time to study candidates from the three groups - R, D & I and choosing the ones I thought would best serve in ways similar or equal to my own political beliefs. I served my country honorably for ten years. I am not anywhere near being in the 1%. I am part of the disabled veteran community, living solely on my veteran’s disability compensation which puts me at the bottom on the economic ladder. (Being immune compromised means waiting until the pandemic is over to return to a part-time job that works with my military caused disabilities.) I will never vote split-ticket again. Not after watching the Republican Party throw itself head first into what is now the trump/republican fascist party/cult. Nor will I ever give my allegiance to such a party or group, even if that comes to mean prison time or a bullet.
Yet, I can see exactly how easy it is to draw people to the chaos crowd due to the “populist perceptions of being victimized by corrupt elites”. Why? Because this is a true statement in America in many ways. Unfortunately and tragically so.
Does America have robust social services to help equal out society so no one has to go hungry? Or so no one has to lose their home due to predatory landlords and banks? Or to receive enough on unemployment to help them start over as is instead of going deeper and deeper into debt trying to buy food and pay for medical care while their rent or mortgage payments and the late fees bury them? Do people here suffer in daily life and/or die from lack of medical care? Do people here have to resort to buying their food from a Dollar General because the closet grocery store with actual fresh food is miles away? Do people here lack a universal, well-rounded, history grounded childhood education that prepares them to become fully engaged citizens? Do people here lack education opportunities due to easily accessed higher education - in classes, books, study materials (pens, pencils, paper & a basic tablet or laptop) available to all, in good food during class schedules, in safe, reliable transportation to and from class? Do veterans receive enough disability compensation to pay all their basic bills and live beyond month to month? Do those who receive SSI and other Social Security payments? Are corporations, politicians, bosses, and judges held to strict standards of compliance to laws of ethics and fair behavior? Can every citizen count on being treated fairly in school, at work, at leisure and under the law? Can our active duty service members live on their paychecks without resorting to food stamps and other measly social services for help? Do our active duty service members and their families live in well constructed and healthy housing? Does this country have safe, enriching child care available to all workers?
The answer to all these questions show exactly how unequal, unjust and unfair American society is. The only people who matter here are the 1% - and out of that group I would say only the white 1% matters. Corruption not only reigns supreme here it is celebrated and openly bragged about. The non-1% are indeed victimized by the corrupt elites here. Since the trump administration that corruption has been openly, blatantly and even gleefully displayed. (This would be a good thing if our justice system (DOJ, FBI, the now far-right Supreme Court, etc) actually did anything about it.)
A few examples -
Until about 2 weeks ago Pelosi was in favor of politicians and their families being able to make financial investments while they held positions of authority in directly influencing financial laws and policies. The only reason she changed her publicly displayed tune is because the tide turned against her.
Manchin refuses to consider social programs that would help citizens live better lives because he has the political power to do so. He doesn’t give a rat’s ass about helping anybody but himself and his immediate family with tax cuts he’s happy to vote for and with continued damage to the climate that affects everyone because doing so brings in more money for him to spend on yachts and Maseratis. His modus operandi can be summed up as “Fuck you, that’s why” and he’s hardly the only politician to hold such an MO.
Biden continues to praise himself for sending out a single payment of $1400.00 and for a child tax care credit that no longer exists. Does he use the full power and influence of the office he holds to take to task the money-grubbing and corrupt politicians? No. Does he inform the public about the authoritarian state we are all headed for? No. Has he directed the DOJ to open a wide-reaching investigation into the previous administration’s astonishing levels of corruption? No. Does he take the military serious when they do extensive research on the failures of a military operation he ordered (Afghanistan)? No and not only that, he publicly dismisses it and insults everyone who served and died during that operation. (Does this make me, a veteran, believe in him or think he is capable of acting as the Commander in Chief? Absolutely not - his ego matters more to him than facing reality.)
The Republican Party refuses to vote for voting rights to ensure that every citizen has clearly defined and easily accessed voting rights.
People of color cannot, and have never been able to, rely on fairness and justice being applied to them in any part of American society.
Women of all races know that in American society they are still considered second class citizens, as chattel in some groups and even as merely objects to be commented on and physically assaulted. Sexual predators by and large not only go unpunished here but are celebrated - and repeatedly elected to positions of authority.
Child abuse is still swept under the rug or considered “the family’s business”.
MST (military sexual trauma which includes everything from verbal harassment to rape) is as big a problem in 2022 as it was decades ago. The military still thinks they should be able to investigate themselves on this matter. (The new proposed changes still lack legal teeth and will be worked around by those in charge.)
Health care in America is strictly a for-profit business. If you can’t or your increasingly strict insurance company won’t pay then it’s “too bad sucker - if only you were rich or had better insurance”.
Here in America citizens are constantly victimized by corrupt elites. That is a fact. It is very easy for those with unscrupulous intentions to take advantage of that. The most egregious and disgusting part is that those taking advantage are the usually the ones who put and keep such policies and laws in place. Many of those who are stirred up and incited into chaos aren’t part of the conspiracy nuts or the overthrow-the-government groups or the science-sucks group initially but they feel and live the unfairness and inequality so keenly, so deeply, every minute of every day that it is easy to latch onto or fall into a group that promises change. It is only after all the chaos fades and even more rights (and eventually lives) are lost that reality sets in for those who were trying to achieve fairness and equality.
Much of the dire conditions we see today, stem from early 1970's action or lack of it. Lobbying was one of these, where bribery was acceptable. Another major one was the defeat of the Burke-Hartke act in 1973, where the proposed law was to limit corporations from outsurcing as much as they do today. Had it been passed, the US would not have been deindustrialized and the standard of living would be much better. Our corporate community made an all out effort to block this law, and with its blockage, ruined the nation. The advent of neoliberal economics and the rise of the neoliberal order made a roadmap for corporate domination that we still suffer from today. Together, these three actions ruined the nation, bringing about a vile megalomaniacal sociopath to power, AKA Trump.
William Astore: "Is Democracy going down?" from TomDispatch. https://tomdispatch.com/americas-disastrous-60-year-war/?utm_source=TomDispatch&utm_campaign=b5c16b279e-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2021_07_13_02_04_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_1e41682ade-b5c16b279e-308811797#more
Chilling.