Published today on the Daily Koz.
Here’s a taste.
I used to wonder how people in other countries with functioning democracies could so easily surrender their rights and freedoms to authoritarian rulers (Weimar Germany in the past; more recently, countries like Hungary, Turkey, the Philippines, and India). How could a citizenry succumb so foolishly to an obvious demagogue? How could a nation’s independent legislature and judiciary cower to a strongman without a fight? Having grown up in America, with its long, stable history of self-government, I found that backsliding hard to imagine.
Now I understand.
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It’s been a long time coming….So maybe the Democrat Party shouldn’t have continued to supply the Israeli military with weapons to commit genocide with—- but they did. Maybe the Democrat Party shouldn’t have had Benjamin Netanyahu as guest speaker for Congress— but they did. Maybe members of the official Democratic Party should have demanded that their own party act with a conscience.—— but they DIDNT.” Mitton
Well, in fact, the invitation to Netanyahu to speak to the congress came from House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican and an active ally of Trump. And prominent members of the Democratic Party, including Nancy Pelosi, have rightly called Netanyahu a war criminal and publicly refused to attend.
You beat me to the fact check. Thanks.
As one who lived on the mainland in the early sixties and felt the whip of racism discrimination, I, early on, concluded that democracy only applied to white folk and the rest were there to serve them without question. So, the america I never believed in has finally shown its color. What made me laugh at the victory celebration trump platform was that all the colored folk had been erased, it was strictly for palefaces. Hah!
Ian: Fear and hate are the strongest human emotions. Trump is an evil genius who exploits insecurities as do many authoritarians. Its also directly from the Nazi propaganda techniques. That many folks succumb to demogoguery is a historical phenomenon. Unfortunately we are in a period of right-wing shifting worldwide.
The media folks like you must continue to shed light on this fascist trend. The LA Times owner and Bezos are shameful examples of anticipatory self censorship that will feed into the road to authoritarianism.
Thanks for your good work. I also like your cat stories we have two of them.
Hitler caused the death of 80 Million people and tried to exterminate an entire race. Trump lowered taxes and hurt some people’s feelings. Bringing up Nazi comparisons and calling the competitor a fascist is just but one of the many things voters were sick of hearing and acted upon. If journalists keep their trend going, it will solidify many more years of Republican Presidents to come.
If trump is an “evil genius”, then america has certainly set the intelligence bar very low. Sad to say now he wants to do away with the US department of education and let the states handle their individual educational direction, yeah, fifty states going every which way when it comes to intellectual pursuits with the redneck states dumbing down to born again superstition. Hah, again!
All this hand wringing and overly dramatic tears that the world will be ending soon is just a bit much. Even for you Ian. Trump was President from 16 to 20. Biden/Harris was President from 20 to 24. The American people had a clear comparison to make their choice. Trump won by a landslide with the electoral college AND by nearly 5 million with the popular vote. What am I missing? The left will continue to sink into oblivion if they continue to call 80 million people Nazis because they want a better economy and border control. Bernie Sanders said it best: The Dems abandoned the working class and the working class abandoned them. It’s really that simple. BTW 36% Trump vote in Hawaii was impressive. True?
IAN,
Harris raised $1 billion and Trump raised $450 million and she still lost. What does that say about Hawaii Clean Elections?
Manipulating for money even with evil acts like sexual crimes against women, using false accounting to obtain financing, dividing our communities by promoting outrageous lies about various “minorities”; just a handful of things, some true, some not, are promoting by the Orangeman. What is really disappointing is that a majority of voters close their eyes and ears. And according to the pundits, these voters are more interested in their standard of living. But even then, this was only vaguely mentioned by both sides with very little reference to the actual economic conditons and what should or could be done to remedy our spiralling economy. What is to be done?
It’s the failure of the Democrats to hear the frustration of the voters and Trump’s demagoguery that put him in the White House. It’s the lack of understanding how markets work, alliances and trade work. And it’s the desire to believe that the country was broken because things changed, not going their way. Belief is powerful. Remember TMT and Maunakea? They changed the name of the mountain, mixed up New Age with cherry picked history and folklore, and generated activists who criticized the very Kupuna that saved the language and culture. Demagoguery and fear, it works everywhere and every time.
Why were voters not given equal exposure to 3rd party candidates?
Why did so many voters change party affiliations, like Cheney’s?
Why have Dems gone right and Reps gone left in many policies?
Why is legacy media failing ?
Why did >1/2 voters think those who supported Harris didn’t see same demagoguery?
Citizens want out of wars, support for local businesses and workers, transparency and true representation in government, and respect for the earth that gives us all life.
Dr. Jill Stein’s platform.
I believe many if not most people who voted for Trump did not do so because they admired him. They believed him dishonest, a misogynist and an egotist., among many other character and other flaws. Rather they did so because the Democratic Party lost its way.
The Dems were no longer the party, of the working man/woman. It has become the party of celebrities and identity politics. Instead of being the party of equality of all and equal opportunity it identifies with the promotion of LGBTQ , college admission based on race, defunding the police, shouting down and quieting those with contrary opinions, among other things based on a person’s identity. This is contrary to well accepted anthropology maxim that there is no relationship between physical characteristics and intellectual ability. I. e. MLK: judge a person based on the content of his/her character not the color of skin.
Many of these same Trump voters saw the massive waves of illegal immigrants as taking away jobs and using massive amounts of U.S. taxes for support, housing and other expenses.
Chat gpt on the give us Barabbas claim touted by college professors:
In invoking “the crowd called out ‘Give us Barabbas!’” the professor draws a scathing comparison to today’s political landscape, suggesting that the electorate, in a fit of misguided fervor, has chosen a candidate as unworthy as Barabbas—a figure who panders to base instincts rather than embodying true leadership or integrity. The implication is clear: voters, swayed by populist theatrics and empty promises, have abandoned principle and reason, favoring a candidate who embodies the very failings that threaten societal decay. This choice, the professor implies, is not just misguided but emblematic of a deeper moral failure among the electorate.
Dim stuff.
Kos writer thinks we are all fascists?
Why is he not in a concentration camp?
I can only think of one answer.
He must be a collaborator.
Do you know what we do to collaborators around here?
Women outnumber men.
The result in this election shows American women were not ready for a woman to be president.
It’s as simple as that for me.
Women stayed home and allowed a convicted felon to be elected as our next president. A truly sad day for our country.
I agree. Sorry, but if any party wants to see a woman elected president, they better give us a much better candidate than Kamala Harris. Take a moment to examine some women who rose to head their nations — Golda Meir, Margaret Thatcher, Indira Gandi, Benazir Bhutto, Corazon Aquino, Angela Merkel. Kamala Harris is not remotely qualified to stand in their company.
Agreed. And hence, the result that ensued.
Harris was a long shot at best. She didn’t help her cause by coming across as all giggly and wanting to be everyone’s aunt.
That will not work. Has never worked. Will never work.
But she’s fun at parties.
“There are two great tragedies in life. The first is not getting what you want. The second is getting it.” –Oscar Wilde. This will interesting; although, I would find it more so some distance removed from the U.S. Trump may well corrupt the data-gathering agencies so that we won’t have accurate measurements of the depredations he will be inflicting on the economy.
Hi Ian, regarding the autopsy of the election being commented on in your blog, I recommend NY Times Maureen Dowd’s Nov. 9 column “Democrats and the Case of Mistaken Identity Politics”.