Their brand is cruelty
May 8, 2021 11:54 PM Subscribe
Out of power in Washington, Republicans pursue hard-right agenda across the country - "In Florida, Oklahoma and Iowa, Republican legislators passed bills granting immunity to drivers who hit protesters, part of a wave of Republican-led legislation aimed at cracking down on public protests of the kind that followed the police killing of George Floyd. Across the country, a bevy of states have passed bills preventing transgender athletes from playing high school sports." (previously)
Texas is latest U.S. state to advance Republican-backed voting limits - "The Texas House bill gives more access to partisan poll watchers and bars election officials from sending unsolicited mail-in ballot applications to voters, among other restrictions. The Senate bill includes limits on early voting and would prohibit 24-hour polling sites and drive-through voting, both changes that Harris County made last year during the coronavirus pandemic."
Florida governor signs Republican-backed law imposing new voting curbs - "Florida Republicans used mail-in voting slightly more than Democrats in the 2014, 2016 and 2018 general elections. But in November, Democrats submitted 2.2 million mail-in ballots compared with 1.5 million from Republicans, state records show, after Trump falsely asserted for months that mail voting was rife with fraud."
Crist's run for Florida governor complicates Democrats' House prospects - "Crist joined an exodus of prominent House Democrats from competitive districts as the party fights to keep its narrow six-seat majority in next year's midterm congressional elections."
U.S. census hands more House seats to Republican strongholds Texas, Florida - "Texas, Florida and North Carolina are among the states that will gain congressional seats based on new population data from the U.S. census, a shift that could boost Republican chances of recapturing the U.S. House of Representatives from Democrats in next year's midterm elections." (Which States Won — And Lost — Seats In The 2020 Census?)
Republicans Can Govern Without Winning A Majority. That Threatens Our Entire Democracy - "In the United States, the deck is often stacked to favor Republicans. In the U.S. Senate, House and other institutions, Republicans can govern without winning the most votes, effectively allowing minority rule."
Advantage, GOP - "Why Democrats have to win large majorities in order to govern while Republicans don't need majorities at all."
also btw...
Texas is latest U.S. state to advance Republican-backed voting limits - "The Texas House bill gives more access to partisan poll watchers and bars election officials from sending unsolicited mail-in ballot applications to voters, among other restrictions. The Senate bill includes limits on early voting and would prohibit 24-hour polling sites and drive-through voting, both changes that Harris County made last year during the coronavirus pandemic."
Florida governor signs Republican-backed law imposing new voting curbs - "Florida Republicans used mail-in voting slightly more than Democrats in the 2014, 2016 and 2018 general elections. But in November, Democrats submitted 2.2 million mail-in ballots compared with 1.5 million from Republicans, state records show, after Trump falsely asserted for months that mail voting was rife with fraud."
Crist's run for Florida governor complicates Democrats' House prospects - "Crist joined an exodus of prominent House Democrats from competitive districts as the party fights to keep its narrow six-seat majority in next year's midterm congressional elections."
U.S. census hands more House seats to Republican strongholds Texas, Florida - "Texas, Florida and North Carolina are among the states that will gain congressional seats based on new population data from the U.S. census, a shift that could boost Republican chances of recapturing the U.S. House of Representatives from Democrats in next year's midterm elections." (Which States Won — And Lost — Seats In The 2020 Census?)
Republicans Can Govern Without Winning A Majority. That Threatens Our Entire Democracy - "In the United States, the deck is often stacked to favor Republicans. In the U.S. Senate, House and other institutions, Republicans can govern without winning the most votes, effectively allowing minority rule."
Advantage, GOP - "Why Democrats have to win large majorities in order to govern while Republicans don't need majorities at all."
also btw...
- Young adults' relocations are reshaping political geography - "Once solidly conservative places such as Texas have seen increasingly large islands of liberalism sprout in their cities, driven by the migration of younger adults, who lean Democratic. Since 2010, the 20-34-year-old population has increased by 24% in San Antonio, 22% in Austin and 19% in Houston, according to an Associated Press analysis of American Community Survey data. In November's election, two states that also saw sharp growth in young people in their largest cities — Arizona and Georgia — flipped Democratic in the presidential contest."
- The Pointlessness of Bribing People to Move to West Virginia for $12,000
- Apple announces 1st East Coast campus in North Carolina
- Our governance problem in a nutshell - "The only way to durably restore legitimate government is to restructure our political system so that it ceases to do at least one of two bad things: 1) Sort us into legible, divergent, cohesive factions (which we now aptly describe as 'tribes'). 2) Divide the country roughly 50:50."[1]
- The Priority of the State Is Democracy - "I'm once again struck by FDR's characterization of democracy not simply as a procedure for electing leaders, but as a deep and pervasive ideology that could and should define all aspects of society. This is something I think we've lost, and need to regain: Democracy as a way of life, not just a process of elections. Democracy in social relations, democracy in business, democracy in culture."[2,3,4,5,6,7]
That's the thing, ain't it Robster; we have to fight every election like the lives of our families are on the line, because they are; the far right 'jokes' about 'helicopter rides' are in fact thinly veiled fantasies about what they hope to achieve.
But I don't resent any American for emigrating while the getting is good. Though I'd counsel such folks that they are apt to find the fight will be coming to their doorstep in their lifetime, whether they flee to Canada or New Zealand or Europe. So maybe considering staying to fight while you still have the energy for fighting.
posted by LeRoienJaune at 12:32 AM on May 9, 2021 [41 favorites]
But I don't resent any American for emigrating while the getting is good. Though I'd counsel such folks that they are apt to find the fight will be coming to their doorstep in their lifetime, whether they flee to Canada or New Zealand or Europe. So maybe considering staying to fight while you still have the energy for fighting.
posted by LeRoienJaune at 12:32 AM on May 9, 2021 [41 favorites]
The situation in the US feels like a ticking bomb.
Seen from the outside, it is so confusing: why can't the Democrats win the States? Why is Trump so popular? Or just: what is wrong with you all? (But I know I shouldn't blame the good people of metafilter for what their crazy aunts and uncles and cousins are doing, and my own sister here in Europe is developing a Trumpian streak)
posted by mumimor at 3:41 AM on May 9, 2021 [25 favorites]
Seen from the outside, it is so confusing: why can't the Democrats win the States? Why is Trump so popular? Or just: what is wrong with you all? (But I know I shouldn't blame the good people of metafilter for what their crazy aunts and uncles and cousins are doing, and my own sister here in Europe is developing a Trumpian streak)
posted by mumimor at 3:41 AM on May 9, 2021 [25 favorites]
Trump's line of BS is so popular because it's so easy. You don't have to read anything, you don't have to understand anything, you don't have to encounter anyone who disagrees with you or tries to make you explain your beliefs. You are a patriotic American based on a few lazy factors which are mostly about which party you vote for, and all you have to do is whatever "the libs" say you shouldn't do, as filtered through Tucker Carlson's show. And if anyone tries to tell you that you're subverting democracy, you've got a canned line for that: "We're not a democracy, we're a republic, libtard. Read a book."
posted by 1adam12 at 3:59 AM on May 9, 2021 [72 favorites]
posted by 1adam12 at 3:59 AM on May 9, 2021 [72 favorites]
A huge part of the problem is Fox News and other hate media. Something needs to be done about them, and I’m not sure what we do without also empowering Republicans to destroy the First Amendment as soon as they get enough power back.
I have watched my dad have his mind poisoned beyond all reason by watching Fox News constantly during his retirement. I can’t reach him. Our families are being taken from us.
posted by Fleebnork at 5:21 AM on May 9, 2021 [66 favorites]
I have watched my dad have his mind poisoned beyond all reason by watching Fox News constantly during his retirement. I can’t reach him. Our families are being taken from us.
posted by Fleebnork at 5:21 AM on May 9, 2021 [66 favorites]
There’s a real market in state and local politics that seems to like those Republicans just fine. People and companies are moving to Texas, North Carolina and Florida in droves. The only reason we aren’t seeing massive population declines in California and New York is that for historical reasons (themselves slowly diminishing) they are big arrival points for immigrants.
However, nothing the Republicans are winning at puts a finger on what Democrats are winning - which is complete control over corporate c-suites. Biden can propose massive corporate and investment tax hikes and CEOs can’t seem to say anything about it. All the companies moving to Florida and Texas won’t amount to any of their senior executives endorsing Desantis or Abbott for re-election next year.
posted by MattD at 5:34 AM on May 9, 2021 [4 favorites]
However, nothing the Republicans are winning at puts a finger on what Democrats are winning - which is complete control over corporate c-suites. Biden can propose massive corporate and investment tax hikes and CEOs can’t seem to say anything about it. All the companies moving to Florida and Texas won’t amount to any of their senior executives endorsing Desantis or Abbott for re-election next year.
posted by MattD at 5:34 AM on May 9, 2021 [4 favorites]
I'm certain others here can better illuminate this and correct any errors I've made, but I feel it's important to have a more specific grasp of what I believe to be the Right's underlying motivation. Merely calling it "hate" oversimplifies the issue.
The hate-filled base might not know or care, but the root of this movement is a scholar named Leo Strauss. He taught that, for a society to thrive, it basically has to have three things: a standard and universally-enforced religion/nationalism; a clear, ongoing existential enemy and crisis; and a cohesive and 'wise' ruling class that publicly gives the appearance of following the religion/nationalist ideology while privately acting (and partying) orthogonally to the rules they've laid out. The (stupid, unworthy) masses are kept collectively unified and preoccupied with the crisis, the enemy and carrying out the goals of the rulers.
A liberal/progressive society, by comparison, offers an individualistic, relativistic 'do your own thing' kind of freedom that Strauss believed has no direction or purpose, and will rot and eventually destroy society.
(Source) 'In... Leo Strauss and the American Right, Drury noted several dominant themes that course through Strauss’s philosophy: importance of religion; necessity of nationalism; language of nihilism; sense of crisis; friend or foe dichotomy; hostility towards women; rejection of modernity; nostalgia for the past; abhorrence of liberalism.
'What Strauss offered his disciples is something that Left academic theory—deconstruction, critical theory, cultural studies, postmodernism, etc.—doesn’t: a Weltanschauung, a comprehensive concept of the world and humans’ relationship to it, as well as exposure to this “wisdom” and a dispensation of moral restraints demanded of all others."'
He had - and still has - a lot of followers.
I'm just waiting for one of them to stand up like Khan and say "We're offering the world, order". KHAAAAAN! Oops, I meant NEEEEEEEWT!
posted by zaixfeep at 6:00 AM on May 9, 2021 [12 favorites]
The hate-filled base might not know or care, but the root of this movement is a scholar named Leo Strauss. He taught that, for a society to thrive, it basically has to have three things: a standard and universally-enforced religion/nationalism; a clear, ongoing existential enemy and crisis; and a cohesive and 'wise' ruling class that publicly gives the appearance of following the religion/nationalist ideology while privately acting (and partying) orthogonally to the rules they've laid out. The (stupid, unworthy) masses are kept collectively unified and preoccupied with the crisis, the enemy and carrying out the goals of the rulers.
A liberal/progressive society, by comparison, offers an individualistic, relativistic 'do your own thing' kind of freedom that Strauss believed has no direction or purpose, and will rot and eventually destroy society.
(Source) 'In... Leo Strauss and the American Right, Drury noted several dominant themes that course through Strauss’s philosophy: importance of religion; necessity of nationalism; language of nihilism; sense of crisis; friend or foe dichotomy; hostility towards women; rejection of modernity; nostalgia for the past; abhorrence of liberalism.
'What Strauss offered his disciples is something that Left academic theory—deconstruction, critical theory, cultural studies, postmodernism, etc.—doesn’t: a Weltanschauung, a comprehensive concept of the world and humans’ relationship to it, as well as exposure to this “wisdom” and a dispensation of moral restraints demanded of all others."'
He had - and still has - a lot of followers.
I'm just waiting for one of them to stand up like Khan and say "We're offering the world, order". KHAAAAAN! Oops, I meant NEEEEEEEWT!
posted by zaixfeep at 6:00 AM on May 9, 2021 [12 favorites]
A huge part of the problem is Fox News and other hate media. Something needs to be done about them, and I’m not sure what we do without also empowering Republicans to destroy the First Amendment as soon as they get enough power back.
Continued dissolving of bundling on cable services would go a long way toward limiting FoxNews' reach. If it weren't a part of every basic cable package -- if it was an optional add-on for extra money -- it would not be in as many homes as it is.
posted by hippybear at 6:20 AM on May 9, 2021 [29 favorites]
Continued dissolving of bundling on cable services would go a long way toward limiting FoxNews' reach. If it weren't a part of every basic cable package -- if it was an optional add-on for extra money -- it would not be in as many homes as it is.
posted by hippybear at 6:20 AM on May 9, 2021 [29 favorites]
they are apt to find the fight will be coming to their doorstep
omelas: the ones who stay and fight[1] (transnational fascism)
He had - and still has - a lot of followers.
"Crowd here in The Villages, FL awaiting the arrival of @mtgreenee and @mattgaetz who are set to speak tonight as a part of the 'America First' tour."[2]
posted by kliuless at 6:32 AM on May 9, 2021 [2 favorites]
omelas: the ones who stay and fight[1] (transnational fascism)
He had - and still has - a lot of followers.
"Crowd here in The Villages, FL awaiting the arrival of @mtgreenee and @mattgaetz who are set to speak tonight as a part of the 'America First' tour."[2]
posted by kliuless at 6:32 AM on May 9, 2021 [2 favorites]
Just want to continue to say that despite scandal a day, 300,000 dead (at the time of the election), unemployment, widely preventable misery, running out of fucking morgue trucks, and truly blatant political chicanery by people who will never face justice (Barr, et al), catching COVID himself, and the million little things that I’ve been trying to forget:
Trump lost by 60,000 votes spread across Arizona, Michigan, and Georgia. Sixty thousand fucking votes.
Every election is a fight for our lives now but 2022 will let us know if Trumpism without Trump is as popular with the voting public as I’m afraid it is.
posted by Slackermagee at 6:50 AM on May 9, 2021 [19 favorites]
Trump lost by 60,000 votes spread across Arizona, Michigan, and Georgia. Sixty thousand fucking votes.
Every election is a fight for our lives now but 2022 will let us know if Trumpism without Trump is as popular with the voting public as I’m afraid it is.
posted by Slackermagee at 6:50 AM on May 9, 2021 [19 favorites]
To be fair, Strauss and Lenin and Castro were advocating similar things about what makes for their ideal society.
posted by PhineasGage at 6:53 AM on May 9, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by PhineasGage at 6:53 AM on May 9, 2021 [2 favorites]
I choose to believe Trump was a once in a lifetime confluence of many factors, a idiotic hurricane of hate, and will lose steam. But that doesn't mean we still don't have to fight like hell.
posted by tiny frying pan at 6:54 AM on May 9, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by tiny frying pan at 6:54 AM on May 9, 2021 [2 favorites]
Florida Republicans rushed to curb mail voting after Trump’s attacks on the practice. Now some fear it could lower GOP turnout.
posted by robbyrobs at 7:00 AM on May 9, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by robbyrobs at 7:00 AM on May 9, 2021 [2 favorites]
People and companies are moving to Texas, North Carolina and Florida in droves. The only reason we aren’t seeing massive population declines in California and New York is that for historical reasons (themselves slowly diminishing) they are big arrival points for immigrants.
Citation please; I live in California and our current housing market does not reflect this description at all.
The hate-filled base might not know or care, but the root of this movement is a scholar named Leo Strauss.
For this iteration, sure, but selfish worldviews and ideologies are just looking for any rationale, justification or "philosophy" to allow them to simply seize power and act selfishly. It's all post-hoc rationalization, and trying to challenge Republicans by arguing against Leo Strauss (or Ayn Rand or etc.) will change none of their current actions or strategies at all. They'll just laugh at us for wanting to read and talk more while they do more stuff. Karl Rove, well over a decade ago:
Citation please; I live in California and our current housing market does not reflect this description at all.
The hate-filled base might not know or care, but the root of this movement is a scholar named Leo Strauss.
For this iteration, sure, but selfish worldviews and ideologies are just looking for any rationale, justification or "philosophy" to allow them to simply seize power and act selfishly. It's all post-hoc rationalization, and trying to challenge Republicans by arguing against Leo Strauss (or Ayn Rand or etc.) will change none of their current actions or strategies at all. They'll just laugh at us for wanting to read and talk more while they do more stuff. Karl Rove, well over a decade ago:
We're an empire now, and when we act, we create our own reality. And while you're studying that reality - judiciously, as you will - we'll act again, creating other new realities, which you can study too, and that's how things will sort out. We're history's actors... and you, all of you, will be left to just study what we do.posted by LooseFilter at 7:00 AM on May 9, 2021 [21 favorites]
Every election is a fight for our lives now but 2022 will let us know if Trumpism without Trump is as popular with the voting public as I’m afraid it is.
Yeah, with the complicating factor that Trump himself is not as gone as we might hope - various pols are still making visits to Mar-A-Lago to kiss the ring, he's doing what he can without Twitter & other social media to weigh in on R's he approves of or deems RINOs, and he might be back on FB and/or Twitter by the time the '22 elections roll into high gear.
posted by soundguy99 at 7:01 AM on May 9, 2021 [2 favorites]
Yeah, with the complicating factor that Trump himself is not as gone as we might hope - various pols are still making visits to Mar-A-Lago to kiss the ring, he's doing what he can without Twitter & other social media to weigh in on R's he approves of or deems RINOs, and he might be back on FB and/or Twitter by the time the '22 elections roll into high gear.
posted by soundguy99 at 7:01 AM on May 9, 2021 [2 favorites]
Seen from the outside, it is so confusing: why can't the Democrats win the States? Why is Trump so popular? Or just: what is wrong with you all? (But I know I shouldn't blame the good people of metafilter for what their crazy aunts and uncles and cousins are doing, and my own sister here in Europe is developing a Trumpian streak)
Seen from the inside it is pretty weird, too. People I know who are objectively very smart people are spouting things that are so stupid and obviously factually wrong that it ls like an art project or something, not real life.
But it is equally weird and confusing watching some politics overseas. Brexit is the easy example of people voting (by a majority, but not an avalanch) to hurt themselves out of meanness, basically. There are successful politicians and political parties across many European countries saying such directly racist and bigotted things that even the US Republicans still have to rely on euphemism and dog whistles.
I'm not trying to make exact comparisons (for example, I'd say four years of Trump and his continued popularity are way worse than having a small fringe political party that is Nazi in all but name), just that there is a real desire by a significant number of voters on both sides of the Atlantic for terrible politicians promoting terrible things.
posted by Dip Flash at 7:04 AM on May 9, 2021 [9 favorites]
Seen from the inside it is pretty weird, too. People I know who are objectively very smart people are spouting things that are so stupid and obviously factually wrong that it ls like an art project or something, not real life.
But it is equally weird and confusing watching some politics overseas. Brexit is the easy example of people voting (by a majority, but not an avalanch) to hurt themselves out of meanness, basically. There are successful politicians and political parties across many European countries saying such directly racist and bigotted things that even the US Republicans still have to rely on euphemism and dog whistles.
I'm not trying to make exact comparisons (for example, I'd say four years of Trump and his continued popularity are way worse than having a small fringe political party that is Nazi in all but name), just that there is a real desire by a significant number of voters on both sides of the Atlantic for terrible politicians promoting terrible things.
posted by Dip Flash at 7:04 AM on May 9, 2021 [9 favorites]
The twitter ban is a permanent status, according to @jack. The FB situation is something else entirely, and I doubt Z has the guts to make it permanent.
posted by hippybear at 7:04 AM on May 9, 2021 [4 favorites]
posted by hippybear at 7:04 AM on May 9, 2021 [4 favorites]
Citation please; I live in California and our current housing market does not reflect this description at all.
Cite. The housing market right now is nuts everywhere, and largely due to lack of inventory, with some of the reason for that being COVID.
posted by LionIndex at 7:07 AM on May 9, 2021 [2 favorites]
Cite. The housing market right now is nuts everywhere, and largely due to lack of inventory, with some of the reason for that being COVID.
posted by LionIndex at 7:07 AM on May 9, 2021 [2 favorites]
Cite.
Thanks, much appreciated. That's a pretty small number, though, is there any reliable evidence as to why? Republicans claim it's because of taxes, but at this point that's just a convenient assumption, as far as I can tell. (Without data or evidence, it's just as likely that a bunch of tech companies told employees that they can permanently work remotely, so those folks are moving where housing and cost of living are cheaper. Which is problematic, but not due to taxes. 40 million people still live here, so there is no mass exodus. Maybe it's more this: "The average sale price of a single-family home in California hit a record $758,990 in March, a 23.9% increase from a year ago.")
posted by LooseFilter at 7:18 AM on May 9, 2021 [1 favorite]
Thanks, much appreciated. That's a pretty small number, though, is there any reliable evidence as to why? Republicans claim it's because of taxes, but at this point that's just a convenient assumption, as far as I can tell. (Without data or evidence, it's just as likely that a bunch of tech companies told employees that they can permanently work remotely, so those folks are moving where housing and cost of living are cheaper. Which is problematic, but not due to taxes. 40 million people still live here, so there is no mass exodus. Maybe it's more this: "The average sale price of a single-family home in California hit a record $758,990 in March, a 23.9% increase from a year ago.")
posted by LooseFilter at 7:18 AM on May 9, 2021 [1 favorite]
Personally, I left California because of my ex's work, but we were happy to do it because of housing costs, and I know a couple other people who have left for the same reason. Once I got divorced, I stayed where I was rather than moving back because of housing costs. So, there's something to it, especially over the last 10 years as a whole - the increase over the last year is the covid-inventory thing driving it.
posted by LionIndex at 7:29 AM on May 9, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by LionIndex at 7:29 AM on May 9, 2021 [1 favorite]
Another angle to conider... John Dean and Bob Altemeyer surveyed these folks last year and came to some clear conclusions regarding support for authoritarianism. Their book is Authoritarian Nightmare: Trump and His Followers.
For example, 'Altemeyer’s “RWA” scale measures how much someone believes in right-wing authoritarianism based on their responses to various statements. For example: “Our country desperately needs a mighty leader who will do what has to be done to destroy the radical new ways and sinfulness that are ruining us.” RWA followers strongly agree with this statement.'
Links: Psychology Today article / WaPo book review
posted by zaixfeep at 7:37 AM on May 9, 2021 [13 favorites]
For example, 'Altemeyer’s “RWA” scale measures how much someone believes in right-wing authoritarianism based on their responses to various statements. For example: “Our country desperately needs a mighty leader who will do what has to be done to destroy the radical new ways and sinfulness that are ruining us.” RWA followers strongly agree with this statement.'
Links: Psychology Today article / WaPo book review
posted by zaixfeep at 7:37 AM on May 9, 2021 [13 favorites]
For example: “Our country desperately needs a mighty leader who will do what has to be done to destroy the radical new ways and sinfulness that are ruining us.” RWA followers strongly agree with this statement.'
That particular wording probably plays especially well with conservative evangelicals.
posted by Thorzdad at 8:01 AM on May 9, 2021 [10 favorites]
That particular wording probably plays especially well with conservative evangelicals.
posted by Thorzdad at 8:01 AM on May 9, 2021 [10 favorites]
Biden can propose massive corporate and investment tax hikes and CEOs can’t seem to say anything about it.
Uh, you mean raising the corporate tax rate from 21% to 28%? And still lower than the 35% it was before Trump's tax cuts in 2017?
Or maybe increasing the income tax rate on people earning 400k+ from 37% to 39.6%.
Wow, massive. It's like we got the love-child of Mao and Castro running things. (/sarcasm)
posted by Saxon Kane at 8:52 AM on May 9, 2021 [30 favorites]
Uh, you mean raising the corporate tax rate from 21% to 28%? And still lower than the 35% it was before Trump's tax cuts in 2017?
Or maybe increasing the income tax rate on people earning 400k+ from 37% to 39.6%.
Wow, massive. It's like we got the love-child of Mao and Castro running things. (/sarcasm)
posted by Saxon Kane at 8:52 AM on May 9, 2021 [30 favorites]
What Happens When Republicans Simply Refuse to Certify Democratic Wins?
posted by LindsayIrene at 8:53 AM on May 9, 2021 [9 favorites]
posted by LindsayIrene at 8:53 AM on May 9, 2021 [9 favorites]
That particular wording probably plays especially well with conservative evangelicals.
What is god to them other than a paternalistic father figure who rights wrongs by smiting unbelievers? Doesn't matter how draconian the punishment is. Not ideal to god? Drown the world. Look back? Turn to a pillar of salt.
Wearing a wool linen blend? Well let's not go too far.
posted by Your Childhood Pet Rock at 8:53 AM on May 9, 2021 [5 favorites]
What is god to them other than a paternalistic father figure who rights wrongs by smiting unbelievers? Doesn't matter how draconian the punishment is. Not ideal to god? Drown the world. Look back? Turn to a pillar of salt.
Wearing a wool linen blend? Well let's not go too far.
posted by Your Childhood Pet Rock at 8:53 AM on May 9, 2021 [5 favorites]
I'm pretty sure that Biden is part of the last, wheezing gasp of democracy in the U.S. Republicans have already demonstrated to us that they want to win by any means necessary, and right now they're putting the legal machinery in place to overthrow elections. This was my fear as soon as these laws started to come up. There is literally no reason to think there is a line they won't cross.
I'm still baffled that so much of the media attention is on voting restrictions and not election certification processes. Voting restrictions are bad but if Republicans start overthrowing elections, it makes efforts to overcome those restrictions meaningless. I keep hoping it's because I'm missing something and my fears are overblown.
The question is what non-Republicans will do - whether that's Democrat politicians, or people like me, voters who are not politicians.
posted by Kutsuwamushi at 9:20 AM on May 9, 2021 [14 favorites]
I'm still baffled that so much of the media attention is on voting restrictions and not election certification processes. Voting restrictions are bad but if Republicans start overthrowing elections, it makes efforts to overcome those restrictions meaningless. I keep hoping it's because I'm missing something and my fears are overblown.
The question is what non-Republicans will do - whether that's Democrat politicians, or people like me, voters who are not politicians.
posted by Kutsuwamushi at 9:20 AM on May 9, 2021 [14 favorites]
Speaking of emigration, I had to let my boss know that there was a nonzero chance I would have to move out of Texas by September. You see, there's a bill in the Texas legislature that would make my support of my minor child's transition a crime---felony child abuse. Staying and fighting would not be an option in that case. And even if that doesn't pass there's another bill that would disallow insurance for the providers prescribing her meds. And the therapist supporting her.
posted by emjaybee at 9:24 AM on May 9, 2021 [57 favorites]
posted by emjaybee at 9:24 AM on May 9, 2021 [57 favorites]
1. Reality is extremely complex and complicated, and there are problems and situations that affect us all.
2. As humans, we need to know who is at fault.
3. The easy and far more acceptable answer is not us (whatever group you feel a part of), it’s them (any group you feel you’re not a part of.)
4. Blame them and do whatever you can to repress/oppress/remove them from the scene.
This way of thinking is quite a part of our and most other cultures. It’s easy, requires little or no actual thought or reflection and is easily communicated and accepted by those in the “us” category. The power lies in the shift of responsibility to the “other.” And it works for awhile, but since the problems themselves never get fixed, it ultimately fails. The real tragedy lies in whatever happens in #4. But whoever is left standing can just find an “other” to blame for that. And the cycle continues. Until we can take responsibility for all our decisions and actions and stop othering people to shift the blame, this will continue.
posted by njohnson23 at 10:12 AM on May 9, 2021 [7 favorites]
2. As humans, we need to know who is at fault.
3. The easy and far more acceptable answer is not us (whatever group you feel a part of), it’s them (any group you feel you’re not a part of.)
4. Blame them and do whatever you can to repress/oppress/remove them from the scene.
This way of thinking is quite a part of our and most other cultures. It’s easy, requires little or no actual thought or reflection and is easily communicated and accepted by those in the “us” category. The power lies in the shift of responsibility to the “other.” And it works for awhile, but since the problems themselves never get fixed, it ultimately fails. The real tragedy lies in whatever happens in #4. But whoever is left standing can just find an “other” to blame for that. And the cycle continues. Until we can take responsibility for all our decisions and actions and stop othering people to shift the blame, this will continue.
posted by njohnson23 at 10:12 AM on May 9, 2021 [7 favorites]
My grim assessment during the Trump years still seems true to me; I don't see how any democracy survives for long when 40 percent of the population are all in for authoritarianism. And no matter how vile or incompetent or dangerous Trump was, his numbers never dipped much below 40.
posted by tavella at 11:19 AM on May 9, 2021 [17 favorites]
posted by tavella at 11:19 AM on May 9, 2021 [17 favorites]
Something about Strauss, mentioned above. Strauss was developing his theory as a Jew in exile, while the Nazis were taking over first Germany and then most of Europe. I find it very difficult not to see his work as the desperate and futile attempt of a brilliant scholar to bring order into the cruelest chaos. His work was embraced by another generation who faced a breakdown of values, the neoconservatives, who were originally stalinists who struggled with all of the chaos of the Civil Rights/Vietnam/feminist/hippie era and decided they were actually conservative, which is not as far a leap from stalinism as some might think.
Strauss was persuaded by his experiences in Germany (and probably also in the US) and his interpretation of the Athenian democracy and Socrates/Plato, that the general public were not able to handle democracy and inevitably would embrace populist, racist dictatorship. This is part of why he lauded "the noble lie". To be far more blunt and banal than Strauss would ever accept, the lie was there to protect the Jews and other oppressed people. This made a lot of sense to the neoconservatives. I'm not defending them, because I believe the whole theory is fundamentally, completely wrong*.
I'm not saying the Trumpists are not at all influenced by the neoconservatives and Straussism, but when they use terms and ideas from the neoconservatives, they have heard of them through a very longwinded game of telephone and basically they have no idea what it is all about. It makes more sense to say that they have observed the "noble lies" of the Bush administration and decided that lies might as well be ignoble.
An example of a neoconservative "noble lie" is the claim that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction and had supported Osama bin Laden. The idea was that the lie was "noble", because the greater purpose was to reshape the Middle East. We all know how that turned out.
*While Strauss was still alive, he was refuted by Karl Popper in "The Open Society and its Enemies" I have often wondered wether it made a difference that Strauss was exiled in the US and Popper in New Zealand. The Open Society and its Enemies was a huge influence on the people who built the welfare societies post WW2. Obviously, Strauss opined that Popper was an uneducated moron.
posted by mumimor at 11:20 AM on May 9, 2021 [12 favorites]
Strauss was persuaded by his experiences in Germany (and probably also in the US) and his interpretation of the Athenian democracy and Socrates/Plato, that the general public were not able to handle democracy and inevitably would embrace populist, racist dictatorship. This is part of why he lauded "the noble lie". To be far more blunt and banal than Strauss would ever accept, the lie was there to protect the Jews and other oppressed people. This made a lot of sense to the neoconservatives. I'm not defending them, because I believe the whole theory is fundamentally, completely wrong*.
I'm not saying the Trumpists are not at all influenced by the neoconservatives and Straussism, but when they use terms and ideas from the neoconservatives, they have heard of them through a very longwinded game of telephone and basically they have no idea what it is all about. It makes more sense to say that they have observed the "noble lies" of the Bush administration and decided that lies might as well be ignoble.
An example of a neoconservative "noble lie" is the claim that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction and had supported Osama bin Laden. The idea was that the lie was "noble", because the greater purpose was to reshape the Middle East. We all know how that turned out.
*While Strauss was still alive, he was refuted by Karl Popper in "The Open Society and its Enemies" I have often wondered wether it made a difference that Strauss was exiled in the US and Popper in New Zealand. The Open Society and its Enemies was a huge influence on the people who built the welfare societies post WW2. Obviously, Strauss opined that Popper was an uneducated moron.
posted by mumimor at 11:20 AM on May 9, 2021 [12 favorites]
Until we can take responsibility for all our decisions and actions and stop othering people to shift the blame, this will continue.
I'll take responsibility for my tacit support of global capitalism. I'll take responsibility for my contributions to pollution and climate change. I'll even cop to not fighting systemic racism and sexism as vehemently as I should, in order to protect my own comfort.
But the people actively passing laws to hurt trans kids? The actual Nazis actually marching in the actual streets, actually chanting "You will not replace us"?
Hell, no. My people don't do that. I'm not taking the blame for this.
posted by Faint of Butt at 12:16 PM on May 9, 2021 [40 favorites]
I'll take responsibility for my tacit support of global capitalism. I'll take responsibility for my contributions to pollution and climate change. I'll even cop to not fighting systemic racism and sexism as vehemently as I should, in order to protect my own comfort.
But the people actively passing laws to hurt trans kids? The actual Nazis actually marching in the actual streets, actually chanting "You will not replace us"?
Hell, no. My people don't do that. I'm not taking the blame for this.
posted by Faint of Butt at 12:16 PM on May 9, 2021 [40 favorites]
1. Reality is extremely complex and complicated, and there are problems and situations that affect us all.
2. As humans, we need to know who is at fault.
3. The easy and far more acceptable answer is not us (whatever group you feel a part of), it’s them (any group you feel you’re not a part of.)
4. Blame them and do whatever you can to repress/oppress/remove them from the scene.
Nah, more like:
1. There are people trying to erase the lives of people they don't like
2. Those people are dangerous
3. The easy thing to do is just be quiet if you're not one of the people they're trying to erase
4. Justice requires standing up for those in danger of being erased
posted by Lyme Drop at 1:06 PM on May 9, 2021 [7 favorites]
2. As humans, we need to know who is at fault.
3. The easy and far more acceptable answer is not us (whatever group you feel a part of), it’s them (any group you feel you’re not a part of.)
4. Blame them and do whatever you can to repress/oppress/remove them from the scene.
Nah, more like:
1. There are people trying to erase the lives of people they don't like
2. Those people are dangerous
3. The easy thing to do is just be quiet if you're not one of the people they're trying to erase
4. Justice requires standing up for those in danger of being erased
posted by Lyme Drop at 1:06 PM on May 9, 2021 [7 favorites]
the neoconservatives, who were originally stalinists
This is not an alternate history with which I'm as yet familiar?
posted by eviemath at 1:33 PM on May 9, 2021 [4 favorites]
This is not an alternate history with which I'm as yet familiar?
posted by eviemath at 1:33 PM on May 9, 2021 [4 favorites]
Nah, more like:
1. There are people trying to erase the lives of people they don't like
2. Those people are dangerous
3. The easy thing to do is just be quiet if you're not one of the people they're trying to erase
4. Justice requires standing up for those in danger of being erased
Respectfully disagree, I think Njohnson23 has it right.
What's interesting about the "Nah more like" edit is that these words, indeed, quite a lot of what appears above, could easily turn up verbatim in comment threads on the other side of the political spectrum.
This is not an alternate history with which I'm as yet familiar?
Serious question? Stalinist or Trotskyites. There's a lot written on this subject. Check it out, see what you think.
posted by BWA at 1:39 PM on May 9, 2021 [1 favorite]
1. There are people trying to erase the lives of people they don't like
2. Those people are dangerous
3. The easy thing to do is just be quiet if you're not one of the people they're trying to erase
4. Justice requires standing up for those in danger of being erased
Respectfully disagree, I think Njohnson23 has it right.
What's interesting about the "Nah more like" edit is that these words, indeed, quite a lot of what appears above, could easily turn up verbatim in comment threads on the other side of the political spectrum.
This is not an alternate history with which I'm as yet familiar?
Serious question? Stalinist or Trotskyites. There's a lot written on this subject. Check it out, see what you think.
posted by BWA at 1:39 PM on May 9, 2021 [1 favorite]
This is not an alternate history with which I'm as yet familiar?
Sorry, they were former Trotskyists. My bad.
posted by mumimor at 1:39 PM on May 9, 2021 [2 favorites]
Sorry, they were former Trotskyists. My bad.
posted by mumimor at 1:39 PM on May 9, 2021 [2 favorites]
No harm no foul.
posted by BWA at 1:42 PM on May 9, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by BWA at 1:42 PM on May 9, 2021 [1 favorite]
I guess we should have had respect for Howard Dean’s 50-state strategy, back when we had a chance. The Republicans certainly seem to have appreciated it. Remind me who was in charge of the DNC back then - wasn’t it Tim Kaine, Hillary’s VP?
posted by mmiddle at 1:42 PM on May 9, 2021 [7 favorites]
posted by mmiddle at 1:42 PM on May 9, 2021 [7 favorites]
What's interesting about the "Nah more like" edit is that these words, indeed, quite a lot of what appears above, could easily turn up verbatim in comment threads on the other side of the political spectrum.
Politics has content as well as form. That right-wing assholes can mouth (generally badly, and without an understanding of their meaning) the words that form the language of justice does not discredit justice, nor the language of justice. This isn't a new concept! Jesus says it! To Satan!
posted by Pope Guilty at 1:56 PM on May 9, 2021 [11 favorites]
Politics has content as well as form. That right-wing assholes can mouth (generally badly, and without an understanding of their meaning) the words that form the language of justice does not discredit justice, nor the language of justice. This isn't a new concept! Jesus says it! To Satan!
posted by Pope Guilty at 1:56 PM on May 9, 2021 [11 favorites]
Sorry, they were former Trotskyists. My bad.
That Jacobin article describes Kristol and Himmelfarb as 'flirting' with Trotskyism. The president of the college Republicans at one school I attended described himself as an environmentalist, yet most definitely was not. The men who loudly proclaim themselves to be feminist yet do not act in feminist ways are numerous enough now to be a trope. Etc. Is there more background or evidence that neoconservative thought specifically grew out of Kristol's college intellectual flirtations, beyond the argumentative affect described? What about other neocons beyond the two mentioned? Was Strauss a Trotskyist or Stalinist, and I've somehow also missed hearing about that detail before?
Just, given how loudly the dudes I know who had some very vaguely less conservative affiliation in their past like to overstate their shift from being some form of leftist to being some form of conservative, I am quite surprised to have never heard anything about any communist foundations of neoconservatism before. And the intellectual link so far sounds weak. (Which is not to say that, eg., Stalinism isn't also quite authoritarian. Or that some historic strains of anarchism don't have a tendency toward a sort of individualism that is more bordering on capital-L Libertarianism in nature. Etc. Correlation is not causation though - common features don't a priori mean that one political philosophy grew out of another; one needs a little more direct evidence of the thread of intellectual development.)
posted by eviemath at 2:10 PM on May 9, 2021 [4 favorites]
That Jacobin article describes Kristol and Himmelfarb as 'flirting' with Trotskyism. The president of the college Republicans at one school I attended described himself as an environmentalist, yet most definitely was not. The men who loudly proclaim themselves to be feminist yet do not act in feminist ways are numerous enough now to be a trope. Etc. Is there more background or evidence that neoconservative thought specifically grew out of Kristol's college intellectual flirtations, beyond the argumentative affect described? What about other neocons beyond the two mentioned? Was Strauss a Trotskyist or Stalinist, and I've somehow also missed hearing about that detail before?
Just, given how loudly the dudes I know who had some very vaguely less conservative affiliation in their past like to overstate their shift from being some form of leftist to being some form of conservative, I am quite surprised to have never heard anything about any communist foundations of neoconservatism before. And the intellectual link so far sounds weak. (Which is not to say that, eg., Stalinism isn't also quite authoritarian. Or that some historic strains of anarchism don't have a tendency toward a sort of individualism that is more bordering on capital-L Libertarianism in nature. Etc. Correlation is not causation though - common features don't a priori mean that one political philosophy grew out of another; one needs a little more direct evidence of the thread of intellectual development.)
posted by eviemath at 2:10 PM on May 9, 2021 [4 favorites]
To get back to the main subject here (I don't think the neocons are a derail, because I think they are part of the problem), in my experience, Republicans and globally conservatives are struggling with how to align their fundamental perception of the world with reality, and politics within that perception. I'm as surprised by this as I was by the collapse of socialism after 1990. Which means I am really bad at politics, and also that we might be witnessing the collapse of Reaganism. If we are lucky.
Reaganism is explicitly based on racism. All the talk about taxes and regulative overreach ends up in the bin whenever those taxes and regulations serve conservative purposes. Thatcher reintroduced the poll tax. Here, shaking hands with public officials during citizenship ceremonies was mandated before COVID (in order to deter Muslims from seeking citizenship). There are literally thousands of examples of how racism trumps reaganomics.
My own racist relatives are struggling with reality because the more diverse society is closing in on them. From hiding our Jewish roots when I was a teenager to now, when a considerable part of our family are from several different cultures, the racists have less and less to hold on to. They don't want to alienate their children or loose contact with their siblings or grandchildren. But they still feel it is a grave problem that people of color have equal rights. So they turn to the absurd. They can't disagree with anything factual.
I live in a country where corona has been managed very well. There is no excess mortality. Only a few have suffered economically, and certainly not the racist uncles and aunts. We all miss restaurants and games, but know they will be back. So how can you attack the government? You can't, unless you turn to the grotesque, untrue, and unreal.
posted by mumimor at 2:11 PM on May 9, 2021 [5 favorites]
Reaganism is explicitly based on racism. All the talk about taxes and regulative overreach ends up in the bin whenever those taxes and regulations serve conservative purposes. Thatcher reintroduced the poll tax. Here, shaking hands with public officials during citizenship ceremonies was mandated before COVID (in order to deter Muslims from seeking citizenship). There are literally thousands of examples of how racism trumps reaganomics.
My own racist relatives are struggling with reality because the more diverse society is closing in on them. From hiding our Jewish roots when I was a teenager to now, when a considerable part of our family are from several different cultures, the racists have less and less to hold on to. They don't want to alienate their children or loose contact with their siblings or grandchildren. But they still feel it is a grave problem that people of color have equal rights. So they turn to the absurd. They can't disagree with anything factual.
I live in a country where corona has been managed very well. There is no excess mortality. Only a few have suffered economically, and certainly not the racist uncles and aunts. We all miss restaurants and games, but know they will be back. So how can you attack the government? You can't, unless you turn to the grotesque, untrue, and unreal.
posted by mumimor at 2:11 PM on May 9, 2021 [5 favorites]
BWA, linking to google search results is bad form. At least link to Let Me Google That For You, but only if you are intending to be snide.
posted by eviemath at 2:14 PM on May 9, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by eviemath at 2:14 PM on May 9, 2021 [1 favorite]
Etc. Is there more background or evidence that neoconservative thought specifically grew out of Kristol's college intellectual flirtations, beyond the argumentative affect described? What about other neocons beyond the two mentioned? Was Strauss a Trotskyist or Stalinist, and I've somehow also missed hearing about that detail before?
it's my bedtime, so I hope someone else will weigh in here with links.
But: most of the neocons were seriously communist when they were young, you cannot trust their own (or conservative) reports for obvious reasons.
Strauss was absolutely not in any way or form communist when he lived in the US, he was strongly against communism and socialism.
During the last 10-12 years, a lot of young people have become interested in communism, anarchy and socialism and have new perspectives on these ideologies. I'm not going to put them down, they might find the way to make it work and I strongly support that. But I do have a visceral reaction to the idolization of Sanders and Corbyn, because I remember how they ignored or even defended the crimes of totalitarian regimes in the name of equality.
Acknowledging the fact that the neocons came out of a communist background is important if you want to restart the critique of capitalism.
posted by mumimor at 2:26 PM on May 9, 2021 [1 favorite]
it's my bedtime, so I hope someone else will weigh in here with links.
But: most of the neocons were seriously communist when they were young, you cannot trust their own (or conservative) reports for obvious reasons.
Strauss was absolutely not in any way or form communist when he lived in the US, he was strongly against communism and socialism.
During the last 10-12 years, a lot of young people have become interested in communism, anarchy and socialism and have new perspectives on these ideologies. I'm not going to put them down, they might find the way to make it work and I strongly support that. But I do have a visceral reaction to the idolization of Sanders and Corbyn, because I remember how they ignored or even defended the crimes of totalitarian regimes in the name of equality.
Acknowledging the fact that the neocons came out of a communist background is important if you want to restart the critique of capitalism.
posted by mumimor at 2:26 PM on May 9, 2021 [1 favorite]
Look, in my experience, neocons are the consummate Cold Warriors (and I thought of them more as being affiliated with the Chicago School). Of course, Trotskyists were ultimately persecuted by Stalin, but by the time neoconservatism came to exist as a political trend, its proponents were most decidedly not any form of communist. So what I'm asking is, if they (or at least some of the early, influential ones) started out as some form of communist, how did they get from there to neoconservativism? What were the links? And if it's super well known that neocons were originally Trotskyists (which general Americans very much associate with communism and the Soviet Union, not really understanding the sometimes very significant political differences between different groups of communists), to the point that BWA at least seems to think that I'm arguing in bad faith or something for never having heard that before and finding it unlikely on first mention, how did they get political power and influence in the US during the Cold War? These seem like important and useful details to understand, in addition to being a bit mind-boggling to me at present.
posted by eviemath at 3:06 PM on May 9, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by eviemath at 3:06 PM on May 9, 2021 [2 favorites]
That's a pretty small number, though, is there any reliable evidence as to why? Republicans claim it's because of taxes, but at this point that's just a convenient assumption, as far as I can tell.
First of all, a little context: "...the state lost more than 182,000 residents [in 2020]...That represents a 0.46% drop." (Emphasis added.) As to why:
First of all, a little context: "...the state lost more than 182,000 residents [in 2020]...That represents a 0.46% drop." (Emphasis added.) As to why:
More than half of the decline -- a loss of about 100,000 residents -- was attributed to federal immigration restrictions, the report said, while deaths stemming from the Covid-19 pandemics accounted for the loss of about 51,000 residents, about 19% above the average death rate for the preceding three years.posted by kirkaracha at 3:10 PM on May 9, 2021 [5 favorites]
I want to second Kutsuwamushi above. I hope against hope that the Democrats are taking the not certifying Democratic wins scenario seriously.
I naively assumed Biden didn't really think that the Republicans were going to go easy on him once Trump was gone, but that he was saying nice things for political purposes. But recent stories lead me to believe he was serious. How he could possibly have thought that after his experiences during 8 years of Obama is a mystery to me.
It is difficult to be supportive of Democrats when they seem to be unwilling or unable to start taking seriously these Republican strategies that seem never ending. Or, perhaps, maybe predicting what the R's are going to do rather than always being in reaction mode.
Are Manchin and Sinema comfortable with losing majority status? Is the filibuster really more valuable than being in the majority in the Senate?
posted by wittgenstein at 3:12 PM on May 9, 2021 [5 favorites]
I naively assumed Biden didn't really think that the Republicans were going to go easy on him once Trump was gone, but that he was saying nice things for political purposes. But recent stories lead me to believe he was serious. How he could possibly have thought that after his experiences during 8 years of Obama is a mystery to me.
It is difficult to be supportive of Democrats when they seem to be unwilling or unable to start taking seriously these Republican strategies that seem never ending. Or, perhaps, maybe predicting what the R's are going to do rather than always being in reaction mode.
Are Manchin and Sinema comfortable with losing majority status? Is the filibuster really more valuable than being in the majority in the Senate?
posted by wittgenstein at 3:12 PM on May 9, 2021 [5 favorites]
I naively assumed Biden didn't really think that the Republicans were going to go easy on him once Trump was gone, but that he was saying nice things for political purposes. But recent stories lead me to believe he was serious. How he could possibly have thought that after his experiences during 8 years of Obama is a mystery to me.
When people show you who they are, believe them. Biden has been bragging about being able to work with segregationists for 40 years. He fundamentally doesn't understand the existential threat to democracy that today's Republican Party poses.
posted by Gadarene at 3:38 PM on May 9, 2021 [4 favorites]
When people show you who they are, believe them. Biden has been bragging about being able to work with segregationists for 40 years. He fundamentally doesn't understand the existential threat to democracy that today's Republican Party poses.
posted by Gadarene at 3:38 PM on May 9, 2021 [4 favorites]
Anger and hate are the engines which drive every political "conservative" movement around the world these days. These angry people are just so incredibly hate-filled, and hate will always do a better job of riling people up and getting them to the polls (or the city council meeting, or the online message board, etc.) than appeals to love thy neighbour ever will. It's hard to get my mind around. I mean, I hate Trump and I hate his supporters and followers, but even after everything that has happened and is still happening, I don't think I hate them *anywhere* near as much as they hate the people they hate.
Anyway, unless he dies or is severely incapacitated by natural causes between now and then I fully expect Trump to "win" the next election, in part because the Democrats have gone back to to the card table and are playing like it's a normal game, even though their opponents and the dealer are all openly telling them that they're constantly stacking the deck.
posted by The Card Cheat at 3:38 PM on May 9, 2021 [15 favorites]
Anyway, unless he dies or is severely incapacitated by natural causes between now and then I fully expect Trump to "win" the next election, in part because the Democrats have gone back to to the card table and are playing like it's a normal game, even though their opponents and the dealer are all openly telling them that they're constantly stacking the deck.
posted by The Card Cheat at 3:38 PM on May 9, 2021 [15 favorites]
in part because the Democrats have gone back to to the card table and are playing like it's a normal game, even though their opponents and the dealer are all openly telling them that they're constantly stacking the deck.
posted by The Card Cheat at 6:38 PM on May 9
Eponysterical.
posted by Melismata at 6:24 PM on May 9, 2021 [9 favorites]
posted by The Card Cheat at 6:38 PM on May 9
Eponysterical.
posted by Melismata at 6:24 PM on May 9, 2021 [9 favorites]
Ultimately — although they won't credit Mao for it — Republican cities, counties, and states are legislating that political power grows out of the barrel of a gun:
Do pro-gun "Second Amendment sanctuaries" threaten a constitutional crisis? Hundreds of localities have passed pro-gun "sanctuary" resolutions, suggesting "language of armed insurrection", Salon, Jon Skolnik, 4/20/2021.The state of Montana has decreed that local law enforcement shall not enforce Federal gun laws:
Over the past several years, the U.S. has seen a new kind of a sanctuary movement rising — from the far right. Borrowing language from the sanctuary movement that began in the 1980s, in which U.S. cities declared themselves safe havens for undocumented immigrants, Republican-led states and localities throughout the nation are now declaring themselves "Second Amendment sanctuaries," adopting resolutions that express opposition to any form of firearms regulation.
The term "Second Amendment sanctuary" was apparently coined in 2013 by the Board of Commissioners in Carroll County, Maryland — a relatively conservative area northwest of Baltimore in an overwhelmingly Democratic state — in response to the Maryland State Firearms Act, which instituted a series of gun reforms. From those modest beginnings, the Second Amendment sanctuary movement has seen exponential growth in recent years. According to the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence, since 2018 nearly 270 counties across the country have passed resolutions declaring themselves part of the movement. Last year, The Trace found that 400 municipalities in 20 states had drafted resolutions — and the numbers have only risen since then.
More recently, the movement has seen support from entire state governments. Earlier this month, Texas Gov. Rick Abbott, a Republican, vowed to make the entire Lone Star State a Second Amendment sanctuary following President Biden's announcement of executive actions addressing "ghost guns," or unregistered firearms that can be assembled at home. Biden's announcement also provoked Nebraska's passage of a similar resolution last week, in which the state promised to "stand up against federal overreach." Last month, the Arizona legislature also passed its own resolution, declaring that the state will, as an Arizona Republic op-ed put it, "ignore any federal gun law it doesn't like."...
Montana governor signs bill to protect Second Amendment from federal gun restrictions., Fox News, Brie Stimson, 4/24/2021:posted by cenoxo at 7:31 PM on May 9, 2021 [3 favorites]
"Today, I proudly signed Rep. [Jedediah] Hinkle's law prohibiting federal overreach into our Second Amendment-protected rights, including any federal ban on firearms," Gianforte, a Republican, wrote on Twitter [link]. "I will always protect our #2A right to keep and bear arms."
...signed into law House Bill 248 [text*] to prohibit the enforcement of any federal ban or regulation of firearms, magazines, ammunition, ammunition components, or firearm accessories.
*"...A peace officer, state employee, or employee of a political subdivision is prohibited from enforcing, assisting in the enforcement of, or otherwise cooperating in the enforcement of a federal ban on firearms, magazines, or ammunition and is also prohibited from participating in any federal enforcement action implementing a federal ban on firearms, magazines, or ammunition. An employee of the state or a political subdivision may not expend public funds or allocate public resources for the enforcement of a federal ban on firearms, magazines, or ammunition."
For eviemath: the elite movement from the radical left to the radical right was so normal during the 1970s and 1980s that almost everything I can find online just takes it as a given, a normal thing. I too remember it as something that just happened everywhere. As in, when I started in university, there was a department called M (for Marxism), and when I started on my third year, they had changed their name to B, and started propagating radically right-wing issues. The professors even changed their clothes style from corduroy and sweaters to skinny black pants and jackets. We laughed at them, but they gathered quite a large following.
These guys liked power and authority, and while Marxism was big at universities during the sixties and early seventies, it gradually waned as the economy went from amazing to catastrophic after 1972. So at my university, the authoritarians followed the power.
The neocons followed a similar trajectory. They were mostly intellectual elite and their ambition was to transform university power into political power. At some point they must have realized that Marxism could not lead to political power in Cold War USA, and Strauss provided useful inspiration that fitted with their mindsets, not least with his emphasis on esoteric thinking and "the noble lie", concepts that rhymed with their interpretation of Marxism. There were other inspirations, too. By 1990 you would think that no one had ever had anything to do with marxism, judging by the ways people were talking about it. Another big lie.
But to cut a long story short, the wikipedia page is good.
posted by mumimor at 1:26 AM on May 10, 2021 [1 favorite]
These guys liked power and authority, and while Marxism was big at universities during the sixties and early seventies, it gradually waned as the economy went from amazing to catastrophic after 1972. So at my university, the authoritarians followed the power.
The neocons followed a similar trajectory. They were mostly intellectual elite and their ambition was to transform university power into political power. At some point they must have realized that Marxism could not lead to political power in Cold War USA, and Strauss provided useful inspiration that fitted with their mindsets, not least with his emphasis on esoteric thinking and "the noble lie", concepts that rhymed with their interpretation of Marxism. There were other inspirations, too. By 1990 you would think that no one had ever had anything to do with marxism, judging by the ways people were talking about it. Another big lie.
But to cut a long story short, the wikipedia page is good.
posted by mumimor at 1:26 AM on May 10, 2021 [1 favorite]
I think it's easy to over-state the effect of intellectual movements on actual politics. Are many of the jetski dealers and local property crooks doing nasty things in state legislatures secret Straussians or are they just doing what they want to do out of cruelty and greed? To what extent did Thatcher develop her ideas based on reading Hayek's Constitution of Liberty and to what extent did it just happen to match what she already thought as the ambitious daughter of the provincial petit bourgeoisie? Certainly the people voting for her did so for the latter and not the former reason.
Biden, Obama, and Bill Clinton put a lot more time into creating a shared imaginary vision of America to unify behind (very Straussian) than the divisive populist Trump. Questioning the outcome of a presidential election in public (even if you genuinely believe it was stolen) is absolute anathema to Straussian thinking because it threatens the collective belief in a coherent and absolutely sovereign nation state.
posted by atrazine at 3:54 AM on May 10, 2021 [6 favorites]
Biden, Obama, and Bill Clinton put a lot more time into creating a shared imaginary vision of America to unify behind (very Straussian) than the divisive populist Trump. Questioning the outcome of a presidential election in public (even if you genuinely believe it was stolen) is absolute anathema to Straussian thinking because it threatens the collective belief in a coherent and absolutely sovereign nation state.
posted by atrazine at 3:54 AM on May 10, 2021 [6 favorites]
A huge part of the problem is Fox News and other hate media
It's not just hate media. The non-hate media keeps searching for some nonexistent center from which to observe "both sides".
NPR is still referring to Trump's dangerous, anti-democratic lies about the election as "false statements" same as all those "false statements" he made about the severity of the pandemic. Nothing matters anymore. No one in the media cares. The same President who let hundreds of thousands of Americans die by purposefully lying about an imminent threat to protect his political career and then went on to order a violent mob to attack the Capitol with the intent of disrupting the peaceful transfer of power has largely gotten away with it beyond a few neutral statements about how "unprecedented" or "unconventional" it was from the Fourth Estate.
I'd like to believe that there's some huge expose on Trump being edited right now that will bring about his "have you no shame" moment, but I'm not holding my breath.
posted by RonButNotStupid at 4:47 AM on May 10, 2021 [12 favorites]
It's not just hate media. The non-hate media keeps searching for some nonexistent center from which to observe "both sides".
NPR is still referring to Trump's dangerous, anti-democratic lies about the election as "false statements" same as all those "false statements" he made about the severity of the pandemic. Nothing matters anymore. No one in the media cares. The same President who let hundreds of thousands of Americans die by purposefully lying about an imminent threat to protect his political career and then went on to order a violent mob to attack the Capitol with the intent of disrupting the peaceful transfer of power has largely gotten away with it beyond a few neutral statements about how "unprecedented" or "unconventional" it was from the Fourth Estate.
I'd like to believe that there's some huge expose on Trump being edited right now that will bring about his "have you no shame" moment, but I'm not holding my breath.
posted by RonButNotStupid at 4:47 AM on May 10, 2021 [12 favorites]
I think it's easy to over-state the effect of intellectual movements on actual politics.
It's not insignificant, though, especially amongst conservatives who have built a whole network of think tanks and publications that are important in both originating and disseminating tactics and strategies.
Case in point - this Daily Beast article from 2017 where never-Trump conservative Sol Stern gives a bit of his own journey from Marxist/socialist to conservative while discussing his compatriot David Horowitz's slide into Trumpism. Note that the article starts with the point that Horowitz is a long time associate of Steve Bannon and mentored Stephen Miller.
So these conservative "intellectuals" aren't just blathering away in their ivory towers - at the very least they're often common points of contact between different conservative journalists and writers and activists and lawyers and professional political staffers and operatives.
posted by soundguy99 at 4:55 AM on May 10, 2021
It's not insignificant, though, especially amongst conservatives who have built a whole network of think tanks and publications that are important in both originating and disseminating tactics and strategies.
Case in point - this Daily Beast article from 2017 where never-Trump conservative Sol Stern gives a bit of his own journey from Marxist/socialist to conservative while discussing his compatriot David Horowitz's slide into Trumpism. Note that the article starts with the point that Horowitz is a long time associate of Steve Bannon and mentored Stephen Miller.
So these conservative "intellectuals" aren't just blathering away in their ivory towers - at the very least they're often common points of contact between different conservative journalists and writers and activists and lawyers and professional political staffers and operatives.
posted by soundguy99 at 4:55 AM on May 10, 2021
It's not insignificant, though, especially amongst conservatives who have built a whole network of think tanks and publications that are important in both originating and disseminating tactics and strategies.
And promote that worldview. Take a vacation in the Lakes Region of New Hampshire and you'll find the free tourist newspaper the Weirs Times. Every week it provides information on events, attractions, goings on, and also a slew of bile form syndicated conservative columnists because the paper is owned by the same guy as the Funspot arcade and the owner views it as a platform to spread his personal politics far and wide.
posted by RonButNotStupid at 5:37 AM on May 10, 2021 [1 favorite]
And promote that worldview. Take a vacation in the Lakes Region of New Hampshire and you'll find the free tourist newspaper the Weirs Times. Every week it provides information on events, attractions, goings on, and also a slew of bile form syndicated conservative columnists because the paper is owned by the same guy as the Funspot arcade and the owner views it as a platform to spread his personal politics far and wide.
posted by RonButNotStupid at 5:37 AM on May 10, 2021 [1 favorite]
That's a pretty small number, though, is there any reliable evidence as to why? Republicans claim it's because of taxes, but at this point that's just a convenient assumption, as far as I can tell.
Housing prices and taxes seem as good a guess as any. CA might have lost small amounts of population, but it's numbers really represent a population shift, with the lower income residents being forced out and higher income residents moving in.
Also, it grew, but at a slower rate than most of the rest of the US, which is why it lost a Congressional seat.
Also, I think hate has something to do with it, but I'd also say that the upper middle class white lifestyle is among the most luxurious, most comfortable, most 'free' in the world, so it totally makes sense why they fight for it, but the perplexing thing is that lower middle class whites also do the fighting for them, and their life isn't really that comparable.
posted by The_Vegetables at 7:35 AM on May 10, 2021 [1 favorite]
Housing prices and taxes seem as good a guess as any. CA might have lost small amounts of population, but it's numbers really represent a population shift, with the lower income residents being forced out and higher income residents moving in.
Also, it grew, but at a slower rate than most of the rest of the US, which is why it lost a Congressional seat.
Also, I think hate has something to do with it, but I'd also say that the upper middle class white lifestyle is among the most luxurious, most comfortable, most 'free' in the world, so it totally makes sense why they fight for it, but the perplexing thing is that lower middle class whites also do the fighting for them, and their life isn't really that comparable.
posted by The_Vegetables at 7:35 AM on May 10, 2021 [1 favorite]
American federalism is a failure. From gerrymandering to voter suppression to states threatening to not certify elections that don't go their way, all of these issues could be solved if the federal government had an independent org that ran federal elections. But no, you can't have that. Instead, there's this colonial fantasy that each state is its own little independent pseudo-country. Think about how many of America's historical problems and failures all revolve around "states right."
posted by thecjm at 7:35 AM on May 10, 2021 [4 favorites]
posted by thecjm at 7:35 AM on May 10, 2021 [4 favorites]
soundguy99, that Daily Beast link is still a bit short on details, but a little bit more like what I was looking for; thanks.
posted by eviemath at 7:43 AM on May 10, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by eviemath at 7:43 AM on May 10, 2021 [1 favorite]
It's utterly baffling to me that the U.S. doesn't have something akin to Elections Canada.
posted by The Card Cheat at 8:31 AM on May 10, 2021 [4 favorites]
posted by The Card Cheat at 8:31 AM on May 10, 2021 [4 favorites]
Is there a name for states that go blue for their own executives and red for the country? NC put Roy Cooper in the Governor's mansion by a margin of like 300,000 votes; but put Thom Tillis back in the Senate with < 100,000. (and went for Trump by <100,000 votes too)
I'm sure the answer is "it's complicated" but is it gerrymandering? Pandering? Something else? All of the above?
posted by adekllny at 11:17 AM on May 10, 2021
I'm sure the answer is "it's complicated" but is it gerrymandering? Pandering? Something else? All of the above?
posted by adekllny at 11:17 AM on May 10, 2021
Nah, more like:
1. There are people trying to erase the lives of people they don't like
2. Those people are dangerous
3. The easy thing to do is just be quiet if you're not one of the people they're trying to erase
4. Justice requires standing up for those in danger of being erased
posted by Lyme Drop at 1:06 PM on May 9 [6 favorites −] Favorite added! [!]
1. There are people trying to erase/end the lives of people they don't like
2. Those people are dangerous
3. The easy thing to do is just be quiet if you're not one of the people they're trying to erase
4. Justice requires standing up for those in danger of being erased/murdered/legislatively repressed
5. Listen to the mountains of evidence that one side is going way, way, way further in deliberate cruelty, othering, election stealing, uprisings, and laws banning simple health care and treatment for minors and ponder if just maybe, false equivalence isn't the right answer
6. Own your own issues, work on them, but always be aware that #1 and 2 are extremely real points, and they very well might apply to you or people you know.
posted by Jacen at 1:20 PM on May 10, 2021 [5 favorites]
1. There are people trying to erase the lives of people they don't like
2. Those people are dangerous
3. The easy thing to do is just be quiet if you're not one of the people they're trying to erase
4. Justice requires standing up for those in danger of being erased
posted by Lyme Drop at 1:06 PM on May 9 [6 favorites −] Favorite added! [!]
1. There are people trying to erase/end the lives of people they don't like
2. Those people are dangerous
3. The easy thing to do is just be quiet if you're not one of the people they're trying to erase
4. Justice requires standing up for those in danger of being erased/murdered/legislatively repressed
5. Listen to the mountains of evidence that one side is going way, way, way further in deliberate cruelty, othering, election stealing, uprisings, and laws banning simple health care and treatment for minors and ponder if just maybe, false equivalence isn't the right answer
6. Own your own issues, work on them, but always be aware that #1 and 2 are extremely real points, and they very well might apply to you or people you know.
posted by Jacen at 1:20 PM on May 10, 2021 [5 favorites]
Again with the "forty percent". Again with the elections. Again with "lol how can anarchism / socialism / leftist ideas ever work in the rilly real world??"
Socialism has been working all over the world, for generations, in the same way it always has worked: piece by piece. "The revolution" is modular. Build a socialism too big and it gets coopted by authoritarians seeking to enhance their own power.
Some of the largest, most influential projects, manufacturing entities, and organizations started out as communes, co-ops or anarchists' mutual-aid organizations. Some of those are still that. Others got coopted by authoritarians seeking to enhance their power.
Authoritarians will try any trick to get power. They don't care about anything else but power. It's an addiction, same as any other but more insidious: an authoritarian on a bender will gaslight you and make it stick. They can justify threatening or killing anyone who interferes with their fix as "protecting" something important. Apple pie and motherhood or whatever.
USA's elections are fundamentally flawed (FTTP, unsecured infra, gerrymandering, etc) and have never reflected the popular will. The polls are all over the place depending on who runs them (Rasmussen consistently polls differently from Gallup. Ever wonder why that is?)
We are already at the point of "no justice no peace". They have brought the battle to us. Fascists literally came to my town and actually physically attacked people.
People I knew personally have been killed. There have been many suspicious accidents.
The elections and the polls are meaningless bullshit. They always have been, for many of us. The difference is that now some white folks are also feeling the squeeze. When you get squeezed you knuckle under, you push back, or you slip away.
Unless you are a very canny militia, pushing back is contraindicated. I have no doubt USA contains many such groups, but I don't have access nor inclination to participate in that way.
Giving in to the authoritarians is not a choice many of us can make. We will die if we do. They have repeatedly shown a willingness to summarily murder us. They know that reveal makes things harder for them, so they do what they can to make their victims look like a threat to you.
The "normal world" of rent, employment and policing is an abusive situation. You can leave or you can perpetuate it. If you stay for comfort, know that your comfort is endangering others' lives in order to benefit those who mean to deprive you of that comfort.
posted by Rev. Irreverent Revenant at 1:28 PM on May 10, 2021 [5 favorites]
Socialism has been working all over the world, for generations, in the same way it always has worked: piece by piece. "The revolution" is modular. Build a socialism too big and it gets coopted by authoritarians seeking to enhance their own power.
Some of the largest, most influential projects, manufacturing entities, and organizations started out as communes, co-ops or anarchists' mutual-aid organizations. Some of those are still that. Others got coopted by authoritarians seeking to enhance their power.
Authoritarians will try any trick to get power. They don't care about anything else but power. It's an addiction, same as any other but more insidious: an authoritarian on a bender will gaslight you and make it stick. They can justify threatening or killing anyone who interferes with their fix as "protecting" something important. Apple pie and motherhood or whatever.
USA's elections are fundamentally flawed (FTTP, unsecured infra, gerrymandering, etc) and have never reflected the popular will. The polls are all over the place depending on who runs them (Rasmussen consistently polls differently from Gallup. Ever wonder why that is?)
We are already at the point of "no justice no peace". They have brought the battle to us. Fascists literally came to my town and actually physically attacked people.
People I knew personally have been killed. There have been many suspicious accidents.
The elections and the polls are meaningless bullshit. They always have been, for many of us. The difference is that now some white folks are also feeling the squeeze. When you get squeezed you knuckle under, you push back, or you slip away.
Unless you are a very canny militia, pushing back is contraindicated. I have no doubt USA contains many such groups, but I don't have access nor inclination to participate in that way.
Giving in to the authoritarians is not a choice many of us can make. We will die if we do. They have repeatedly shown a willingness to summarily murder us. They know that reveal makes things harder for them, so they do what they can to make their victims look like a threat to you.
The "normal world" of rent, employment and policing is an abusive situation. You can leave or you can perpetuate it. If you stay for comfort, know that your comfort is endangering others' lives in order to benefit those who mean to deprive you of that comfort.
posted by Rev. Irreverent Revenant at 1:28 PM on May 10, 2021 [5 favorites]
Is there a name for states that go blue for their own executives and red for the country? NC put Roy Cooper in the Governor's mansion by a margin of like 300,000 votes; but put Thom Tillis back in the Senate with < 100,000. (and went for Trump by )
Those three races are all state wide so gerrymandering doesn't play a role. While "it's complicated" is definitely true I think the defining characteristic is in each of those three cases is the incumbent got the most votes. Never discount the power of incumbency.
posted by mmascolino at 2:17 PM on May 10, 2021 [1 favorite]
Those three races are all state wide so gerrymandering doesn't play a role. While "it's complicated" is definitely true I think the defining characteristic is in each of those three cases is the incumbent got the most votes. Never discount the power of incumbency.
posted by mmascolino at 2:17 PM on May 10, 2021 [1 favorite]
Cooper is a case in NC where politics continue to be strange as we move from an agriculturally-driven state to one funded by finance, film, tech, and tourism. My colleagues in law enforcement really liked what Cooper did as AG, a post he held for many years, and that spurred many people who voted a split ticket. Cunningham lost the senate race that was his because he made a pretty stupid decision. Burr has A LOT of connections. Another example is Mike Causey being elected as insurance commissioner. He’s been attempting to curb the the fire inspectors’ reach and move certain code enforcement aspects to other trades; this pisses off people who would traditionally vote for him. He’s also jacked up NCOSFM even worse than it was under Goodwin, a democrat. This is aggravating to your conservative and conservative-leaning public safety personnel.
In conclusion, NC politics is a land of contrasts.
posted by sara is disenchanted at 6:08 PM on May 10, 2021 [1 favorite]
In conclusion, NC politics is a land of contrasts.
posted by sara is disenchanted at 6:08 PM on May 10, 2021 [1 favorite]
The Antidemocratic Turn - "Attacks on democratic institutions are spreading faster than ever in Europe and Eurasia, and coalescing into a challenge to democracy itself."
posted by kliuless at 10:39 PM on May 10, 2021 [5 favorites]
posted by kliuless at 10:39 PM on May 10, 2021 [5 favorites]
28% of Montana's state revenue comes from Federal sources, making it the 9th most dependent State in the union.
Of course, there'd have to be consensus in Congress to take advantage of that outsized differential in their respective 'power of the purse.'
posted by snuffleupagus at 7:03 AM on May 11, 2021 [2 favorites]
Of course, there'd have to be consensus in Congress to take advantage of that outsized differential in their respective 'power of the purse.'
posted by snuffleupagus at 7:03 AM on May 11, 2021 [2 favorites]
How The Republican Push To Restrict Voting Could Affect Our Elections
Republican efforts to pass new voter restrictions have been so aggressive and widespread that their effects are hard to predict. Elections, moreover, don’t run themselves; they’re run by people. And these new laws point to an even more troubling problem that threatens to undermine our democracy: the GOP’s eroding commitment to democratic values, like free and fair elections. In many ways, the most concerning change our elections face may not be any one law, but rather the GOP’s increased willingness to take such anti-democratic actions...posted by kliuless at 10:14 PM on May 17, 2021
Collectively, these developments point to the democratic backsliding we’ve already seen in Republican-controlled states over the past couple of decades. From 2000 to 2018, the most significant predictor of eroding democratic health in a state was whether Republicans ran the state government, according to a study by Jacob Grumbach of the University of Washington. And in the aftermath of the 2020 election, we’ve only seen this come into clearer focus, as Republicans in states Biden carried sought to void the results or proposed legislation to make that possible in the future.
In fact, the V-Dem Institute at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden released data last year aggregating political scientists’ measures of the democratic commitment of political parties around the world. As the chart below shows, in the U.S., the GOP has moved entirely in the wrong direction over the past half century.
The GOP’s eroding commitment to democracy
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posted by lock robster at 12:06 AM on May 9, 2021 [37 favorites]