Thank you for the scope of the summary and how Well done. Consider “You can’t fix some thing at the level of abstraction that it was created at, you have to take a step up in your abstractions.” Or “Create a new reality that makes the old one obsolete.” Fixing the world out there is only more of the same, creating your own world within that then show out there, one that’s a continual delight, and surprise to yourself is moves us onward. Surprizingly, getting your world working sorts out the outer world as fallout or downstream.
And now, for a bit of a tweak, though I'm sure you've already recorded your interview with Shenker-Osorio: we need to stop talking about the attack on "the Capitol," which is a building. A beautiful building, but a building. Who cares about a building?
Damnit, man, Trump and his conspirators and the mob attacked CONGRESS, OUR ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES.
Great summary. My only quibble is not listing among Trump’s most egregious acts his administration instituting the formal policy of intentional psychological torture (child separation) as a migration deterrent. Everyone involved in that deserved being hauled up on charges of crimes against humanity.
Trump ought to be convicted and prevented from running for office. This said, it is gravely immoral to vote for Joe Biden and his regime under any circumstances that include his continued financial support and encouragement of the ongoing genocide in Gaza. I agree Trump presents a very real risk to American democracy. But this democracy, which under even a progressive regime, is unable to refrain from supporting genocide (not a question of preventing genocide, also a duty, but even refraining from supporting one!). Such a democracy has no moral right to exist whatsoever, and to claim otherwise is the equivalent of saying democracy is some intrinsic moral good over and above the holocaustal violence it can and does permit and perform.
Some of have been active in trying to save democracy, including Michael Podhorzer. As an activist I am finally having success recruiting more volunteers. We are again pulling out all stops.
The incumbent president promised to be transitional yet is running again. And Democrats are notoriously poor at messaging and driving the media narrative. Democrats have not put forward other high profile candidates to compete with President Biden in primaries. So it looks like he will be our candidate.
“Serious people” have said we voters must defeat MAGA, not the courts. There are more of us if we light fires under the butts of those who sit out elections. I would like to see the author’s analysis of who they are and how to get them to wake up and vote.
As to the media: I did a Google Search of "iowa caucus" and "landslide". It returned 656,000 results. Obviously I didn't look at all of them, but the first page was full of news reports using the word, including basically all the MSM.
This "landslide" was actually of around 8-14 % of Iowa REPUBLICAN voters. The vast majority stayed home. The only takeaway from the Iowa Caucus is "who the hell knows what Iowa Republicans want other than not to go out in the cold to express themselves."
The "horse race" mentality has completely buried media thought. It's as if Secretariat beat a bunch of glue-factory-ready nags and the headlines all read "Secretariat wins stunning victory."
I managed to digest most of this and I completely agree with the Monty Python analogy. The stump of democracy demands our attention. The MAGA philosophy has been in play for years even before they found the lowest common denominator of a human being to be their leader. For me, overturning Roe was the final straw. And much more mischief is afoot regarding Chevron. THANK YOU, Michael, for this call to arms! Literally . . .
Thank you, and yes, you (and Jamelle Bouie and a whole bunch of other commentators) are dead right.
I hope that in a future newsletter you'll talk about the likely Turducken of Corruption, the immunity defense claims of Trump currently at the 4th Circuit panel, and surely hitting SCOTUS. The duck, of course, is the "if it walks like a duck" of Clarence Thomas as an obviously corrupt justice who will not recuse. The chicken is the remarkably flexible "originalist doctrine" that happens to result in whatever decision the conservative justices want. And the turkey is the entire Roberts Court's set of decisions that say, "No, public, you can't convict politicians of corruption without a Unicorn Smoking Gun of intent, you can't limit corporate influences on campaigns, and we'll turn a blind eye to gerrymandering."
Thank you for the scope of the summary and how Well done. Consider “You can’t fix some thing at the level of abstraction that it was created at, you have to take a step up in your abstractions.” Or “Create a new reality that makes the old one obsolete.” Fixing the world out there is only more of the same, creating your own world within that then show out there, one that’s a continual delight, and surprise to yourself is moves us onward. Surprizingly, getting your world working sorts out the outer world as fallout or downstream.
Really good summary of where we are right now, and I love a good Monty Python reference. "Come back here, I'll bite your legs off!"
Thank you for this critical summary.
I am a lifelong student of history but I do not know what “23-F” refers to. Explain please.
And now, for a bit of a tweak, though I'm sure you've already recorded your interview with Shenker-Osorio: we need to stop talking about the attack on "the Capitol," which is a building. A beautiful building, but a building. Who cares about a building?
Damnit, man, Trump and his conspirators and the mob attacked CONGRESS, OUR ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES.
Great summary. My only quibble is not listing among Trump’s most egregious acts his administration instituting the formal policy of intentional psychological torture (child separation) as a migration deterrent. Everyone involved in that deserved being hauled up on charges of crimes against humanity.
Trump ought to be convicted and prevented from running for office. This said, it is gravely immoral to vote for Joe Biden and his regime under any circumstances that include his continued financial support and encouragement of the ongoing genocide in Gaza. I agree Trump presents a very real risk to American democracy. But this democracy, which under even a progressive regime, is unable to refrain from supporting genocide (not a question of preventing genocide, also a duty, but even refraining from supporting one!). Such a democracy has no moral right to exist whatsoever, and to claim otherwise is the equivalent of saying democracy is some intrinsic moral good over and above the holocaustal violence it can and does permit and perform.
Some of have been active in trying to save democracy, including Michael Podhorzer. As an activist I am finally having success recruiting more volunteers. We are again pulling out all stops.
The incumbent president promised to be transitional yet is running again. And Democrats are notoriously poor at messaging and driving the media narrative. Democrats have not put forward other high profile candidates to compete with President Biden in primaries. So it looks like he will be our candidate.
“Serious people” have said we voters must defeat MAGA, not the courts. There are more of us if we light fires under the butts of those who sit out elections. I would like to see the author’s analysis of who they are and how to get them to wake up and vote.
As to the media: I did a Google Search of "iowa caucus" and "landslide". It returned 656,000 results. Obviously I didn't look at all of them, but the first page was full of news reports using the word, including basically all the MSM.
This "landslide" was actually of around 8-14 % of Iowa REPUBLICAN voters. The vast majority stayed home. The only takeaway from the Iowa Caucus is "who the hell knows what Iowa Republicans want other than not to go out in the cold to express themselves."
The "horse race" mentality has completely buried media thought. It's as if Secretariat beat a bunch of glue-factory-ready nags and the headlines all read "Secretariat wins stunning victory."
I managed to digest most of this and I completely agree with the Monty Python analogy. The stump of democracy demands our attention. The MAGA philosophy has been in play for years even before they found the lowest common denominator of a human being to be their leader. For me, overturning Roe was the final straw. And much more mischief is afoot regarding Chevron. THANK YOU, Michael, for this call to arms! Literally . . .
Thank you, and yes, you (and Jamelle Bouie and a whole bunch of other commentators) are dead right.
I hope that in a future newsletter you'll talk about the likely Turducken of Corruption, the immunity defense claims of Trump currently at the 4th Circuit panel, and surely hitting SCOTUS. The duck, of course, is the "if it walks like a duck" of Clarence Thomas as an obviously corrupt justice who will not recuse. The chicken is the remarkably flexible "originalist doctrine" that happens to result in whatever decision the conservative justices want. And the turkey is the entire Roberts Court's set of decisions that say, "No, public, you can't convict politicians of corruption without a Unicorn Smoking Gun of intent, you can't limit corporate influences on campaigns, and we'll turn a blind eye to gerrymandering."