Generally agree with everything you said. But stop with the biggest threat is the complicit Democratic Party! The biggest threat is the people doing the harm. Not the people failing to stop it. Some are trying. Some are not. But stop laying the blame for all of this at the party that isn’t actively doing it. Trump and everyone enabling him are responsible.
Yes Dems signed on to horrible crime bills and talked about super predators. It’s awful. But there is one party right now tearing this place down. It’s maga.
100%. The Dems have to be bolder and better about follow through. But the last administration was the boldest in decades. Huge infrastructure investment, tons of new jobs, union support, rural broadband, investment in clean energy. Tons of stuff was done. Was it enough? No. Did we better secure democracy? No. We need to be bold. But you cannot possibly blame our crumbling on the party not crumbling our democracy.
One of the things I write about a lot, though is that the systems themselves are broken and dysfunctional. That’s why all of the investments from the Biden administration that you’re describing have not yielded results in a meaningful way. Whether it’s investments in healthcare manufacturing broadband of the like the problem is is that we dump trillions and trillions of dollars into corrupted and broken, private markets.
The larger issue of play here is that without direct government intervention in the markets itself as a producer as a supplier of many of the restorative components we need in our economy. Things just won’t get done. Right now, businesses are focused on the easiest ways and easiest paths to making profit and that is not building things or accomplishing goals.
Hello Corbin... The Biden Administration could also be accused of Political Malpractice... It took them how long to start filing Charges against DJT for Insurrection?... 3-years?... The Investments is Infrastructure would not yield Results until AFTER the 2024 Election if ever... In this Time of Social Media, and Information Silos, one has only two years to show Results...
Agree with this. Part of the reason a lot of the investments haven't yielded results is that Trump and DOGE cancelled mass quantities of projects that were in the works. But part of it is the way the government partners with private markets. Public private partnerships MUST work going forward. The government doesn't bring in enough money to do it all on its own and private industry can be very helpful if regulated and implemented in a way that actually serves the people (and the private enterprise, of course).
I agree with you. Trump reversed much of what Biden did that was beneficial. We are in danger now unlike anything we had in the past. We must stop the maniac in DC or Mar-a Lago(usually).
Seriously? Every time I hear someone defending Dems like this I want to scream. It’s the same damn thing MAGA does with their orange idol. Two things can be true at the same time; the Biden administration accomplished some things, yes, tell me which of them matters now, which of them are helping us out of this hell we’re living through? What they FAILED to do was recognize and act on the obvious threat that trump had already demonstrated, they dragged their feet in building a case against him, running out of time to prosecute, and rather than giving a damn about the rest of the country, a man as feeble and cognitively questionable as trump was encouraged to believe “only he could win”, where have we heard that crap before?? I believe Dems are more faithful to the concept and requirements of democracy but their previous bout of holding power was an abject failure for the country, where the ball was completely dropped and we are all going to pay for their mistakes of hubris for a long, long time. This all or nothing defense against calling out their obvious failings does nothing to help the party get their damn act together when we’re desperately looking for strong opposition and effective, skillful leadership.
you are kind of making my point. I'm not all or nothing defense of the Dem party. I called out what they failed to do and what they did. You are blaming Dems for what the GOP is doing and allowing to happen. Dems are far from perfect. You seem to be claiming that I'm all full throated defense and black or white. I'm not. You are. Why minimize what the Dems did last cycle. They keep getting shit for "abandoning the middle class" and that's why Trump won. I just shared the most audacious support of the middle class in generations. We were somehow supposed to better secure our democracy? Every time Kamala talked about Democracy she caught shit for not addressing "the people". Ridiculous. People will twist themselves into knots blaming all of what is happening now on Dems. Yes, Dems are far from perfect and allowed bad shit to fester for too long. But why are we gaslighting the world into believing what is happening right now is the fault of anyone other than Trump and the GOP?? THEY are doing it. THEY are breaking the law and stealing from the people and taking over sovereign countries and disappearing citizens and legal residents alike, lying to the people, vilifying the free press. THEY are doing all of this. And only Dems will look at all of this and point the finger at the Dems. Ridiculous and gaslighting. Dems are far from perfect but one party is doing all that is happening now and it ain't the Dems. The circular firing squad is what keeps getting us here. And when you can read someone's comment who says we are far from perfect but not the cause and you only see refusal to criticize our own party and compare me to the MAGA cult, you have lost your way.
You are participating in the circular firing squad here, and yes, you are in a cult. This is class warfare, capitalism at its heart and soul, and you want to make it tribal warfare. No politics but class politics.
“Liberals had nine years to decipher Mr. Trump’s appeal — and they failed. The Democrats are a party of college graduates, as the whole world understands by now, of Ph. D.s and genius-grant winners and the best consultants money can buy. Mr. Trump is a con man straight out of Mark Twain; he will say anything, promise anything, do nothing. But his movement baffled the party of education and innovation. Their most brilliant minds couldn’t figure him out.”– Thomas Frank
@megindurti: “If you are someone who was able to overlook the genocide and cast a vote for Kamala Harris, then you already understand how a conservative was able to overlook Trump’s extremism to vote for him.”
No politics but class politics.
“As Benjamin Franklin was leaving the Constitutional Convention in 1787, a woman asked: “Well Doctor, what have we got a republic or a monarchy?” Franklin’s retort has been passed down through history: “A Republic, Madame, if you can keep it.”
Fast forward: A hundred years ago, H.L. Mencken observed:
“As democracy is perfected, the office of president represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people. On some great and glorious day, the plain folks of the land will reach their heart’s desire at last and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron.”
As it turns out, both statements were prescient.“ - James C. Nelson
No politics but class politics.
".... every socialist experiment in the 20th century - without exception - has been crushed, overthrown or invaded or corrupted, perverted or destabilized or otherwise had made life impossible for it, by the US. Not one socialist gov't or movement ... was permitted to rise or fall on its own merits; not one was left secure enough to drop its guard against its all powerful enemy abroad and freely and fully relax control at home.
It's as if the Wright brothers first experiments with flying machines all failed because automotive interests sabotage each test flight. And, then the good, God-fearing folk of the world looked upon them, took notice of the consequences, nodded their heads and wisely intoned solemnly 'man will never fly' " .. This is from Wm Blum "Killing Hope: US military and CIA Interventions since WWII" 2004
“The so-called consumer society and the politics of corporate capitalism have created a second nature of man which ties him libidinally and aggressively to the commodity form. The need for possessing, consuming, handling and constantly renewing the gadgets, devices, instruments, engines, offered to and imposed upon the people, for using these wares even at the danger of one’s own destruction, has become a ‘biological’ need.”– Herbert Marcuse
No politics but class politics.
“The fact that Eugene Debs, for instance, is either completely unknown or considered a kook by many who have merely overheard his name in bogus conversations about kooks and somebody like Theodore Roosevelt is immediately recognized and considered a hero for giving birth to both modern-day Imperialism and the Teddy Bear is truly indicative of a system deliberately structured to guarantee subordination of any group or class preferring social justice and pluralism over the politics of the Big Stick, state propaganda, and the sort of rugged individualism that discourages the formation of any organized form of self-government capable of nurturing a meaning of life unrelated to the stock market or the status quo.” - Mr. Fish
“The founders of our nation understood this well and tried to create a form of government — a republic — that would prevent this from occurring. But the combination of huge standing armies, almost continuous wars, military Keynesianism, and ruinous military expenses have destroyed our republican structure in favor of an imperial presidency. We are on the cusp of losing our democracy for the sake of keeping our empire. Once a nation is started down that path, the dynamics that apply to all empires come into play — isolation, overstretch, the uniting of forces opposed to imperialism, and bankruptcy. Nemesis stalks our life as a free nation.”
-Chalmers Johnson
At the federal level, and increasingly in the states, politicians, of both major parties, are bought and paid for. We have had a corporate coup in America, and both parties enabled it. Get out of your silo, and vote, and act, to support those candidates who best align themselves as socialists; as favoring cooperation over competition. That means voting for a Ralph Nader or Jill Stein, even if you doubt their ‘electability’. Otherwise, we will continue to circle the drain.
Eugene Debs: “I’d rather vote for something I want and don’t get it, than vote for something I don’t want and get it.”
“As for who you should vote for, why turn to me for the answer? You already know what you need to know, and now it is up to you to face yourself in the privacy of the ballot box, just as the faithful are, in the end, alone with their own conscience. But the problem is that the metaphor of one’s vote as a matter of the lesser or greater evil is, for too many Americans, simply a metaphor. How many Americans will choose the lesser evil and recognize that it is not a metaphor but is, in fact, evil? And will then choose to fight not only the greater evil but the lesser evil as well? Fighting a greater evil provides reassuring moral and political clarity. Fighting the lesser evil would mean recognizing the ultimate unity of the Quiet American and the Ugly American, archetypes of this country from its very origins, when settlers arrived in the Garden of Eden and imagined themselves as Adam and Eve, when they were, in fact, the serpent.”
– from “Lesser of Two Evils? Our Fight Is Against Both, No Matter How We Vote”, an essential read, by Pulitzer Prize Winner Viet Thanh Nguyen
I don't disagree that it's all class politics (or theoretically is - Trump made it about cultural war issues as he continues to fuck them every way imaginable). Denmark is a democratic socialist state. Sure much smaller and homogeneous than ours but that's a pretty great model. the one imperative thing we have that many countries don't is the innovation - so much medical progress and so much of our wealth (just needs to be spread out more/taxed reasonably) - but innovation is a good thing and some form of capitalism seems necessary to keep that going. Maybe I'm wrong. Not wedded to it. But abandoning the innovation and progress that moves us forward in many ways would lose us a lot (and gain us something else). Not sure why you think I don't agree (unless you are a straight up socialist, then you are right, I'm really not)
I didn’t compare you to the MAGA cult and the absolute thing I am certain of is that I most definitely have not lost my way. What I’m also certain of is that while obviously the Republican cult brought the current insanity to bear, the Dems talked incessantly about the “threat to democracy” and yet apparently weren’t worried enough to admit to the country that Biden wasn’t capable of running or winning until it was essentially too late. If the threat to our democracy was so concerning one would have thought that they would have made trump’s prosecution the most pressing agenda item, instead we find ourselves praying we somehow survive this. Even now what I routinely hear from Dems, and virtually all of them text and email me daily, is send $ - no action plan or advice to avert a nervous breakdown included. I’m not arguing that Dems aren’t more moral and truer to their oath of office or that they have no laudable accomplishments. I certainly intend to continue to work for and support them, but I can also recognize and call out their failings and mistakes at the same time - I don’t post essays criticizing them but there’s a ton of frustration among a lot of the base at the moment and people ought to be able to voice that without being accused of party infidelity. I don’t insist on having it my way or I withhold my vote but I don’t know how the status quo improves if pointing out mistakes and room for improvement is considered heresy.
great. we agree. both able to criticize the party and both recognizing its important to continue to support them and to continue to push them to do better. Awesome.
Robert Reich is a Democrat who's warned the party for years to steer clear of the dominance of big money and the inequality it creates. I agree with him that it's what (besides AIPAC) keeps the party from a full-throated confrontation with Republicans. Much as people complain about Biden, I think he was better than both Clintons and Obama when it came to confronting corporate greed. Look at all the former "Democrats" who threw money at Trump.
I would love for Dr. Reich to get a little more vocal about the decisions he saw being made in the Clinton White House. He was labor secretary after all. It was during the deregulation and offshoring periods. Could be a powerful thing to hear receipts and mea culpa if required.
I read Robert Reich every day, and I think he has covered that topic adequately. But clearly, Bill Clinton cleaned out all the manufacturing in the Appalachian hill country where I grew up. The Democratic party there was led by a powerful corrupt attorney, and after he died, Marjorie Taylor Green came in and scooped up the dregs. She seems to be feeling some remorse. Finally.
Remorse? Maybe. More likely shes getting out before becoming bogged down by the doofus in chief! I believe its more shes looking out for her bottom line. As many of these "retirees" are.
Reich and Penny Pritzger (of the corrupt Chicago Pritzger family) introduced Obama to the world, knowing he would be a "player," which he definitely is. Obama languishes in multi-million dollar mansions brought to him by bailing out the big banks in 2008, and allowing millions of homeowners to be foreclosed. Reich is just another corrupt Democrat. Obama, in payment to Pritzger, appointed her to assistant secretary of commerce. It's a nice, cozy club for the rich, and by the rich.
there certainly would have been consequences to not bailing out the big banks. I hate them and refuse to participate (credit unions for me, only). But you can't act like he just chickened out and there was a much better path to be taken. Obama, also not perfect, but let's not pretend he had a lot of good options. He's another Dem president who had to come in and clean up the mess the GOP president before him caused.
Let's not forget what a heavy lift it was for a Black man to get elected to the nation's highest office. I still remember what a high that was, but much like New York's new mayor Mamdani, Obama was brilliant but untested. Trump might not have had the nerve to run if Obama hadn't poked fun of him by decorating a model of the White House that foretold almost exactly what he's done to gild it. None of us is perfect, but we're messing with a malignant narcissist here. We just need to make sure that if we ever get a shot at another election, we're more savvy. And that we spend our campaign money on principled proposals rather than greedy consultants.
It's been said over and over and over, including in Simpsons episodes: Two Party System. We'd actually be better off if political parties were illegal. Not ideal, but better off...
The baby and the bathwater, Corbin. You are so solid, so clear, so assertive, like responsible persons need to be. Take note, I have never had a political party. Never. Always DTS. Why? IMO, parties are cults. They demand allegiance conformity. Not free thinking, limited thinking. I usually am Forced to vote the D brand, because all the other potential choices are far worse. There is no parliament, no identification of the citizenry as multi-faceted. Yes, we need union, but not singularity, which is another word for Death. Nothing moves, it just sits and rots, like Right Now. To blame to D brand is to just blame another addiction to another cult. Want to vote? Most believe they must choose some side, which, IMO, casts them to the side of the road, while different blades cut the borrow ditch. I was raised hyper-conservative, but Never Felt It Had Legitimacy. There is no such thing as freedom. E Pluribus Unum - out of many, one. We all are connected, no freedom, just responsibility, humility, awareness that without agreement, there is only conflict. Sacrifice is a dinosaur right now, and it needs a rebirth. We as a nation are spoiled rotten and as selfish as the 3 year-old fighting for toys in the kiddy room. We have been trained and brainwashed and coerced and forced into this system by the parasitism of capitalism. Consume or be expunged. But ALL must sacrifice, which is not freedom, it is aware responsibility in order to achieve, as Lincoln said, 'a more perfect union.' But not yet perfect, and not yet a union.
Yes, the Democratic party must change but it's not the only player on the field. There are more Independent voters than there are Dem's, or Repub's. It's time to build something that has no party label. I am calling them patriots, a word that needs to be reclaimed, a word that shows commitment to the Constitution and its promise of continuously improving government to better establish equal rights under the law, and a more perfect union. The opposite of patriots is fascists, or MAGAts (synonymous terms).
Parliaments are the only way I see, other than Athenian democ., including women and 'slaves,' to dis-engorge the parasites from our guts. A full heave, and then wormwood. Walnut oil as a chaser. Face facts. The human animal is a failed biological experiment, as decent as many humans are. Fear is the greatest fear, and we are addicted to it, and run from it as fast as consumption and bigotry will fuel the sprint. As ugly as it is, we must let this miasma crush itself, and us, with it. No balm in Gilead.
I appreciate your direct response to Corbin. And I am glad that there is a balm, still present for all. As you said, we must wake to responsibility, humility, and the recognition that we are all in this together.
The Democratic Party will never change because it is part of the "snake with two heads." Except for a few cultural issues, there are virtually no differences. I don't believe the Democratic Party is capable of being reformed, but they love keeping us down, slinging mud at one another, and they are really good at it.
to say there are no difference between the party that is destroying america and the party that has failed to stop them is ludicrous. And so very Dem. Circular firing squad.
Be sure your only voting for Progressive candidates because they don't take special interest money..if a Dem candidate or incumbent belongs to the DNC or DCCC they're no better than repukes..unfortunately if a Dem candidate does belong to those orgs & they end up being the nominee against a repub nominee then we don't have a choice to vote for them because the alternative is so much worse.
Hello Corbin... Renee Good did not deserve to be shot in the Face... It looks like Renee panicked when ICE tried to enter her Vehicle, and then pull her out of it... When Renee tried to drive away she came close, but did not hit ICE Officer, Christopher Ross(?)... If you watch his feet, you can see him jump out of the way... There was no reason to shoot, and then reject on-site Medical Aid... I watched Ross walk away, there was no sign of Remorse... To me, at the least it looks like Manslaughter....
Assassination. Not murder. The punk was never in danger, he was eager to shoot to kill. A white supremacist who hates other whites who he sees as traitors. The two females clearly identified themselves as peaceful doubters of the nihilistic MO, and said so. this is why the driver is dead and the other heartbroken and the dog homeless and the children lost forever in the swamp of the indigestibles. Could we just stop giving any excuses of any kind for TERROR?
OK... But you forgot to mention that, in a three branch Government - the snicker - "pride of the free world" - the Damnacrats [SP] are more interested in saying the right words, as usual, than they are in stopping it.
Hair splitting. A party that claims to represent us failing to do so is huge danger. Who cares if they come in second place? What heck does that matter. The right is doing what the right says it believes in.
The right wing of the Democratic Party that self-anoints as "centrist" or "moderate" takes our votes, our donations, our energy and pours it down the drain. They are frauds. 24hour of Booker flapping his jaws and raising $10 million off of that performative stunt? What actual policies was he proposing? What legislation did he rise to put into the legislative process? Hakeem Jefferies saying he is thinking maybe he might impeach the dead-eyed Noemi? What kind of leadership is that?
The way that they are dangerous is that they crush real progressive without a second thought taking the energy that is necessary to turn things around.
We are not Trump. We are not MAGA. It talking that talk more important than walking the walk? Biggest danger or second biggest danger? Who cares? They are an enormous danger as they siphon off the money and energy that should be directed towards pulling together and creating a legislative platform to make change happen.
Dems are almost as guilty..Especially Dems that belong to the DNC & DCCC bcuz they take donations from the same special interest groups as magats do..unlike Liberal reps AOC & Bernie Sanders..Dems have been to weak for to long. If we don't get down & dirty soon repukes will keep pushing America towards fascism & authoritarianism. We need to boot that super wimp Chuck Schumer OUT of office! He's ruined to many chances Dems had to change things.
The two party battle is a copout and futile...It's UNDOUBTEDLY a uniparty. As Mr. Corbin so articularly wrote in his last report (paraphrased): The only difference is; the current pubs are doing what the dems have been doing all along, but far more brazenly....in your face.
You are wrong. The Democratic Party failed by being passive to the power play by the GOP Magas. They did not fight them as they could have. That is why I am now an Independent. If we don't stand up to them we will be enslaved!
The same points can be made about us out here in liberal California. We love to virtue signal about the problems of affordability and equality as long as it doesn’t get in the way of our $8 lattes
I'm southern. I needed the reminder of who most of us are without the msm, maga bullhorn screaming the idiocy from the worst of us.
The best of us are now required to resist this characterization. Some of the best humans I know are southern. Rise up and show the world who we really are.
"Trained to hate" needs to be educated into everyone.
Trained to hate, then they continue to choose it.
Zero discernment, unless there's something in it for their greedy selves.
And when we vote out of greed or because we like them and their charisma, instead of choosing people of integrity and action who have no interest in being celebrities ... we get cowards when the going gets tough - as we are witnessing, now.
We have been and are ripe for a takeover.
And it's on us - especially on every person who looked the other way instead of doing what was right, regardless of cost.
Ah. You mean like the lovely, educated, compassionate woman and the kind, experienced midwestern governor who ran against the pure evil of the administration they voted for? Gotcha.
When the only person promising radical system change is a convicted felon, rapist and traitor, well, that tells you everything about how badly Democrats have failed. Stunts like Cory Booker’s 19th century filibustering or Schumer’s sternly worded memos to the president aren’t just a joke, it’s all they have. Just not being Trump wont get you elected. You’ll actually have to do something hard like, present ideas and a plan that will appeal to Trump VOTERS… I haven’t heard anything from the democrats aside from: “Can you give me $20 to help me keep my phony baloney job?”… And I keep thinking to myself, “What did I get for my money from the democrats last election?” Oh yeah, Trump.
I think the answer is identity politics, i.e. the invocation of tribal membership and the specter of being banished from the tribe. When Republican operatives saw how clannish Southerners are, they saw an opportunity. They began to market symbolism, sentimentality and sneering at outsiders to mimic the ties that bind Southerners together.
They took that suspicion of outsiders and of the federal government and they misled people into making Republican priorities their priorities. Trump gave them a simulation of a leader who was one of them. One of the most common reasons working class whites gave for following him is "he talks like me".
I'm from Texas. I was very surprised to see Trump worship here when he is literally, the very embodiment of a Yankee. It's the tribalism. Trump convinced rural Texans he was their peer. Once that happened, it became extremely important to maintain membership in the tribe. And their peers enforced it. There are social and economic penalties for failing to demonstrate sufficient approval of Trump in rural Texas.
The only way to break this bond is to undermine and discredit Trump as a stand-in for people's group identification and personal identity. Mr. Trent's invocation of the contrast between Southerners' traditional distrust of outsiders and of the federal government and how Trump's actions contradict that particular identity is a step in the right direction.
Ultimately, it is going to require more authentic, ethical and uplifting leaders who will provide Southerners a chance to take on an identity which doesn't blacken their hearts with sin. An identity which doesn't force them to make the wrong choices just to maintain membership in their community of peers.
I agree with your assessment. When the gop saw that the "people's party" had succumbed to the same monied interests they aligned with they knew the door had opened wide.
This democracy was a beautiful dream, but it never became a reality for every single American citizen.
Both parties have caused this decline. This administration easily- too easily- put that decline on warp speed.
Excellent point. When Democrats stopped giving the working-class effective representation, they left them to the tender mercies of Republicans. Political parties represent themselves as organizational structures for democratic representation of the people. But, instead they both succumb to corporate capture and perpetuating the party’s power instead of the people’s power.
Case in point - Texas, my state. Zero, zilch, nada local Democratic operational structure in this state since GW Bush was elected. I mean, both state and national Democrats just walked away. Now, as I get going as precinct chair under a new, young progressive state party chair, I realize that the way people discipline party leadership against their tendency to ignore real people is to have robust local Democratic clubs and state party operations. As a precinct chair, we can demand accountability from the state and national leadership.
Instead of working to recruit precinct chairs, the state party just filled itself with placeholders who drew salaries and only went through the motions. But, note to Democratic Party leadership - we’re back!
I couldn't agree more. Please, please, please fight to save our country & our planet. I did it in the 70's... now it's the youth of America's turn to carry the torch.
My perception from outside Texas is that the situation might be improving slightly. You have Talerico running for senate and he impresses me. I have also seen mentioned that you have contested races in every district for these midterms.
Funny you should mention the Democrats on the ballot. I just got back from block walking for Democrats. The battle has begun.
The news yesterday is that the Tarrant County Republicans just contested our Tarrant County Democratic Judge candidates. If they succeed in disqualifying them from the ballot (our rules for getting on the ballot are intricate and difficult to comply with in order to suppress voting), then all the judges in Tarrant County on the general election ballot will be uncontested, meaning automatic win for Republicans.
Additionally, Texas sent our voter registration data to the Trump administration, so look for purges of Democrats.
This is not a reason to lose hope. Not at all. I see it as panic on the part of Republicans. And so it begins. When Republicans do stuff like this, it means they have identified their own vulnerabilities.
Colbert had Rachel Maddow on! She explained that when protests hit about 3.5% of the population, dictatorships are on the verge of collapsing!! And we're almost there!! (Thought I'd add a little "glass half full" here.)
That is a misunderstanding of what that 3.5% statistic represents.First, it is correlational not causal. And maybe more important is considering the sample size and its relationship to America. Finally, 10%-15% of the population turned out for Black Lives Matter protests and nothing changed.
Way to spoil my happy vibe! Did you let Rachel Maddow know? What do you suggest we do instead? Or are you saying we should just give up because we're doomed?
I don't know if we're doomed and I'm definitely not giving up. I am for fairminded critical analysis and evaluation of the problem (elitism) so that we can form an effective strategy and tactical interventions for building a just society on a foundation of Universal Human Rights. I'm trying to think about what is happening and analyze it rather than jumping reactively onto misguided bandwagons.
Now you've got a point!! In her defense, EVERYBODY was going, "RUSSIA! RUSSIA! RUSSIA!"! On the other hand she's very accurate, very factual, and she's actually kind of a history buff. I mostly blame Hillarity [SP], her minions, and our wonderful intelligence community for propagating that Russia thing. I certainly haven't forgotten! I was snickering at that too. And now that they're done exonerating Hillarity's loss and Russia has invaded Ukraine, you suddenly don't hear all that Russia stuff anymore. It's backwards...
I have to say - it frosted my butt to listen to people tell how "he knew how they felt" - all I could think was seriously? This millionaire who never earned a dime of his own, never did an actual days work with his lily white little hands - never lived anywhere except in whatever version of a mansion he held - six bankruptcies, couldnt even make a go of casinos! Obviously I could go on and on and on but all of us here are well aware of exactly what and who this doofus IS.
I've been around way longer than I ever expected to be - at this point, I just hope we all make it beyond this BS - NOT, as Corbin says, to "back to normal", but just possibly maybe bring this country back to where it should be - for ALL of us who live here.
Hapless Dems are making things worse. Evil men are harming and killing American citizens and immigrants. We haven’t hit bottom yet but we’re already profoundly sobered. And, yes, people can be enthralled with hateful lies and behave as if they were true. After all, isn’t that what’s at the root of slavery systems? But we struggle on for a better way. As the climate crisis worsens, we will learn that all of us ordinary people are in this together.
Powerful and on point. There are so many broken people in this country who revel in violence and destruction and deny the truth right in front of them because it contradicts their narrative that they are the victims of everyone not exactly like them. They thrive on "othering" and advocate for the oppression of those "others". How do we fix that?
Great question. I think the answer is in education and organizing. We need a widespread shared understanding of the facts of our history and ourselves on which to build a truly just society. There is no quick fix.
Trump does and always has said what he wants and will do. What amazes me is that Americans are shocked or surprised. You all do understand the English language, right?
For some of us Trump was never concealed i pat myself on the back for that but I dont go so far as to villify those who were apparently taken hostage by something in trumps performance that needs some reflection on their part. The thing is now is the time for forming alliances not divisions because if I see this right we are on the knives edge. No more fence riding.
Hidden and protected by the msm, oligarchs, pedophiles and our bought and paid for congress on both dodes of the aisle. O and don't forget our illegitimate scotus. Several should never have been confirmed. The gop didn't do that by themselves.
Our country worships money above all else. That is paving the way for our downfall.
Aw come on. The Southern myth rises! When has Appalachia or any other place in America ever been a beacon of caring about anyone else being abused? Maybe when Appalachia was singularly Cherokee country? The South was where the poorest White person openly took pride in saying, “at least I’m not a n***.” They knew no matter how bad it got, no matter how they were abused by society, they still had more rights, protections, and privileges than the richest Black or non-white person, which was government doing its job properly. "Don’t tread on ME, but I might tread on you" is our domestic and international policy. We can't fix anything if we keep shielding our dubious virtues from reality.
We fought for the union, started and housed the Highlander center, had lots of union organizing, and had civil rights activists. There’s more than meets the eye in Appalachia. It’s not a monolith.
Tennessee was the last state to secede and the first to rejoin the Union AFTER the Civil War, when it finally outlawed slavery. Memphis is where a White mob destroyed in 1892 Ida B. Wells’ print press because she was exposing lynching (including a Black store owner who’s business was too successful for White tastes) and other forms of discrimination, effectively running her out of town on a rail. You are correct Appalachia is not monolith. Every locality, city, state, within this country is a mix of well-meaning but effectively self-centered people who leverage whatever advantages they can acquire, resisting social justice and equity every step of the way. The Southern myth you seem to resurrect, ignores and perpetuates the negative impacts underlying that narrative. Looking in the mirror, we cannot improve if we ignore or downplay our blemishes.
That being said, the Cherokee possessed slaves i.e. Joseph Vann, John Ross, and Major Ridge just assuredly as their white neighbors perhaps in an effort to assimilate into European norms, its arguable but what isnt arguable is that there is a resistance bent in the Appalachians that is intolerant of cowardice and intimidation, coopted by the MAGA that needs to be recovered and quickly IF we are to coalesce around any formidable counter measure to the nazi metastases happening right now.
No segment of humanity anywhere is free of the taint of slavery. Here in America we just industrialized it and raised the level of abuse to its greatest heights. The acceptance of institutionalized slavery in Appalachia and elsewhere is about as cowardly and intimidating as it gets.
Where are your brethren? You ARE so right about so many things!
However here is the point that people seem to forget. Driving away or trying to should not = being shot in the face!
They have the term excessive force for a reason. Terms like does the punishment fit the crime?
J walking is wrong
Running away is wrong
Imagine if a cop shot an American citizen for this. But this is essentially what she did. She tried to run, she left in an improper way. Did she “ram” anyone like they have? That seems to be there MO.
The way the system is designed is “they” (ICE, FBI, Law Enforcement…) do their job and find her name and get her license plate and charge her with the appropriate crime.
What they did was lazy
What they did is act like judge and jury
What they did is put an “ICE” agent who had trauma from a past experience of being dragged by a car and weaponized him.
Did they even do a psych evaluation after his incident.
Was he cleared mentally stable / capable?
I agree with you that there should not be immunity!
There needs to be justice! I pray for the next 2-3 years we can survive this nightmare and corruption and threat to our democracy because I truly believe in the constitution and the experiment that is the USA.
Wow. Truth from the heart and soul. And from history and experience. Thank you.
Generally agree with everything you said. But stop with the biggest threat is the complicit Democratic Party! The biggest threat is the people doing the harm. Not the people failing to stop it. Some are trying. Some are not. But stop laying the blame for all of this at the party that isn’t actively doing it. Trump and everyone enabling him are responsible.
Yes Dems signed on to horrible crime bills and talked about super predators. It’s awful. But there is one party right now tearing this place down. It’s maga.
If the party doesn’t change we won’t reverse this situation. That’s the only hope I see. The only path I see. So I’ll keep at it.
100%. The Dems have to be bolder and better about follow through. But the last administration was the boldest in decades. Huge infrastructure investment, tons of new jobs, union support, rural broadband, investment in clean energy. Tons of stuff was done. Was it enough? No. Did we better secure democracy? No. We need to be bold. But you cannot possibly blame our crumbling on the party not crumbling our democracy.
One of the things I write about a lot, though is that the systems themselves are broken and dysfunctional. That’s why all of the investments from the Biden administration that you’re describing have not yielded results in a meaningful way. Whether it’s investments in healthcare manufacturing broadband of the like the problem is is that we dump trillions and trillions of dollars into corrupted and broken, private markets.
The larger issue of play here is that without direct government intervention in the markets itself as a producer as a supplier of many of the restorative components we need in our economy. Things just won’t get done. Right now, businesses are focused on the easiest ways and easiest paths to making profit and that is not building things or accomplishing goals.
Hello Corbin... The Biden Administration could also be accused of Political Malpractice... It took them how long to start filing Charges against DJT for Insurrection?... 3-years?... The Investments is Infrastructure would not yield Results until AFTER the 2024 Election if ever... In this Time of Social Media, and Information Silos, one has only two years to show Results...
And still suffering fever dreams of “WE GOT HIM NOW!"
Agree with this. Part of the reason a lot of the investments haven't yielded results is that Trump and DOGE cancelled mass quantities of projects that were in the works. But part of it is the way the government partners with private markets. Public private partnerships MUST work going forward. The government doesn't bring in enough money to do it all on its own and private industry can be very helpful if regulated and implemented in a way that actually serves the people (and the private enterprise, of course).
Those with the money are only interested in making more money not investing in the country.
I agree with you. Trump reversed much of what Biden did that was beneficial. We are in danger now unlike anything we had in the past. We must stop the maniac in DC or Mar-a Lago(usually).
Seriously? Every time I hear someone defending Dems like this I want to scream. It’s the same damn thing MAGA does with their orange idol. Two things can be true at the same time; the Biden administration accomplished some things, yes, tell me which of them matters now, which of them are helping us out of this hell we’re living through? What they FAILED to do was recognize and act on the obvious threat that trump had already demonstrated, they dragged their feet in building a case against him, running out of time to prosecute, and rather than giving a damn about the rest of the country, a man as feeble and cognitively questionable as trump was encouraged to believe “only he could win”, where have we heard that crap before?? I believe Dems are more faithful to the concept and requirements of democracy but their previous bout of holding power was an abject failure for the country, where the ball was completely dropped and we are all going to pay for their mistakes of hubris for a long, long time. This all or nothing defense against calling out their obvious failings does nothing to help the party get their damn act together when we’re desperately looking for strong opposition and effective, skillful leadership.
you are kind of making my point. I'm not all or nothing defense of the Dem party. I called out what they failed to do and what they did. You are blaming Dems for what the GOP is doing and allowing to happen. Dems are far from perfect. You seem to be claiming that I'm all full throated defense and black or white. I'm not. You are. Why minimize what the Dems did last cycle. They keep getting shit for "abandoning the middle class" and that's why Trump won. I just shared the most audacious support of the middle class in generations. We were somehow supposed to better secure our democracy? Every time Kamala talked about Democracy she caught shit for not addressing "the people". Ridiculous. People will twist themselves into knots blaming all of what is happening now on Dems. Yes, Dems are far from perfect and allowed bad shit to fester for too long. But why are we gaslighting the world into believing what is happening right now is the fault of anyone other than Trump and the GOP?? THEY are doing it. THEY are breaking the law and stealing from the people and taking over sovereign countries and disappearing citizens and legal residents alike, lying to the people, vilifying the free press. THEY are doing all of this. And only Dems will look at all of this and point the finger at the Dems. Ridiculous and gaslighting. Dems are far from perfect but one party is doing all that is happening now and it ain't the Dems. The circular firing squad is what keeps getting us here. And when you can read someone's comment who says we are far from perfect but not the cause and you only see refusal to criticize our own party and compare me to the MAGA cult, you have lost your way.
You are participating in the circular firing squad here, and yes, you are in a cult. This is class warfare, capitalism at its heart and soul, and you want to make it tribal warfare. No politics but class politics.
“Liberals had nine years to decipher Mr. Trump’s appeal — and they failed. The Democrats are a party of college graduates, as the whole world understands by now, of Ph. D.s and genius-grant winners and the best consultants money can buy. Mr. Trump is a con man straight out of Mark Twain; he will say anything, promise anything, do nothing. But his movement baffled the party of education and innovation. Their most brilliant minds couldn’t figure him out.”– Thomas Frank
@megindurti: “If you are someone who was able to overlook the genocide and cast a vote for Kamala Harris, then you already understand how a conservative was able to overlook Trump’s extremism to vote for him.”
No politics but class politics.
“As Benjamin Franklin was leaving the Constitutional Convention in 1787, a woman asked: “Well Doctor, what have we got a republic or a monarchy?” Franklin’s retort has been passed down through history: “A Republic, Madame, if you can keep it.”
Fast forward: A hundred years ago, H.L. Mencken observed:
“As democracy is perfected, the office of president represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people. On some great and glorious day, the plain folks of the land will reach their heart’s desire at last and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron.”
As it turns out, both statements were prescient.“ - James C. Nelson
No politics but class politics.
".... every socialist experiment in the 20th century - without exception - has been crushed, overthrown or invaded or corrupted, perverted or destabilized or otherwise had made life impossible for it, by the US. Not one socialist gov't or movement ... was permitted to rise or fall on its own merits; not one was left secure enough to drop its guard against its all powerful enemy abroad and freely and fully relax control at home.
It's as if the Wright brothers first experiments with flying machines all failed because automotive interests sabotage each test flight. And, then the good, God-fearing folk of the world looked upon them, took notice of the consequences, nodded their heads and wisely intoned solemnly 'man will never fly' " .. This is from Wm Blum "Killing Hope: US military and CIA Interventions since WWII" 2004
“The so-called consumer society and the politics of corporate capitalism have created a second nature of man which ties him libidinally and aggressively to the commodity form. The need for possessing, consuming, handling and constantly renewing the gadgets, devices, instruments, engines, offered to and imposed upon the people, for using these wares even at the danger of one’s own destruction, has become a ‘biological’ need.”– Herbert Marcuse
No politics but class politics.
“The fact that Eugene Debs, for instance, is either completely unknown or considered a kook by many who have merely overheard his name in bogus conversations about kooks and somebody like Theodore Roosevelt is immediately recognized and considered a hero for giving birth to both modern-day Imperialism and the Teddy Bear is truly indicative of a system deliberately structured to guarantee subordination of any group or class preferring social justice and pluralism over the politics of the Big Stick, state propaganda, and the sort of rugged individualism that discourages the formation of any organized form of self-government capable of nurturing a meaning of life unrelated to the stock market or the status quo.” - Mr. Fish
“The founders of our nation understood this well and tried to create a form of government — a republic — that would prevent this from occurring. But the combination of huge standing armies, almost continuous wars, military Keynesianism, and ruinous military expenses have destroyed our republican structure in favor of an imperial presidency. We are on the cusp of losing our democracy for the sake of keeping our empire. Once a nation is started down that path, the dynamics that apply to all empires come into play — isolation, overstretch, the uniting of forces opposed to imperialism, and bankruptcy. Nemesis stalks our life as a free nation.”
-Chalmers Johnson
At the federal level, and increasingly in the states, politicians, of both major parties, are bought and paid for. We have had a corporate coup in America, and both parties enabled it. Get out of your silo, and vote, and act, to support those candidates who best align themselves as socialists; as favoring cooperation over competition. That means voting for a Ralph Nader or Jill Stein, even if you doubt their ‘electability’. Otherwise, we will continue to circle the drain.
Eugene Debs: “I’d rather vote for something I want and don’t get it, than vote for something I don’t want and get it.”
“As for who you should vote for, why turn to me for the answer? You already know what you need to know, and now it is up to you to face yourself in the privacy of the ballot box, just as the faithful are, in the end, alone with their own conscience. But the problem is that the metaphor of one’s vote as a matter of the lesser or greater evil is, for too many Americans, simply a metaphor. How many Americans will choose the lesser evil and recognize that it is not a metaphor but is, in fact, evil? And will then choose to fight not only the greater evil but the lesser evil as well? Fighting a greater evil provides reassuring moral and political clarity. Fighting the lesser evil would mean recognizing the ultimate unity of the Quiet American and the Ugly American, archetypes of this country from its very origins, when settlers arrived in the Garden of Eden and imagined themselves as Adam and Eve, when they were, in fact, the serpent.”
– from “Lesser of Two Evils? Our Fight Is Against Both, No Matter How We Vote”, an essential read, by Pulitzer Prize Winner Viet Thanh Nguyen
Last time - No politics but class politics.
I don't disagree that it's all class politics (or theoretically is - Trump made it about cultural war issues as he continues to fuck them every way imaginable). Denmark is a democratic socialist state. Sure much smaller and homogeneous than ours but that's a pretty great model. the one imperative thing we have that many countries don't is the innovation - so much medical progress and so much of our wealth (just needs to be spread out more/taxed reasonably) - but innovation is a good thing and some form of capitalism seems necessary to keep that going. Maybe I'm wrong. Not wedded to it. But abandoning the innovation and progress that moves us forward in many ways would lose us a lot (and gain us something else). Not sure why you think I don't agree (unless you are a straight up socialist, then you are right, I'm really not)
I didn’t compare you to the MAGA cult and the absolute thing I am certain of is that I most definitely have not lost my way. What I’m also certain of is that while obviously the Republican cult brought the current insanity to bear, the Dems talked incessantly about the “threat to democracy” and yet apparently weren’t worried enough to admit to the country that Biden wasn’t capable of running or winning until it was essentially too late. If the threat to our democracy was so concerning one would have thought that they would have made trump’s prosecution the most pressing agenda item, instead we find ourselves praying we somehow survive this. Even now what I routinely hear from Dems, and virtually all of them text and email me daily, is send $ - no action plan or advice to avert a nervous breakdown included. I’m not arguing that Dems aren’t more moral and truer to their oath of office or that they have no laudable accomplishments. I certainly intend to continue to work for and support them, but I can also recognize and call out their failings and mistakes at the same time - I don’t post essays criticizing them but there’s a ton of frustration among a lot of the base at the moment and people ought to be able to voice that without being accused of party infidelity. I don’t insist on having it my way or I withhold my vote but I don’t know how the status quo improves if pointing out mistakes and room for improvement is considered heresy.
great. we agree. both able to criticize the party and both recognizing its important to continue to support them and to continue to push them to do better. Awesome.
Slo Joe Biden brought 9% inflation and pissed away money on The New Green Deal while he autoPenned his way into ignominy.
Robert Reich is a Democrat who's warned the party for years to steer clear of the dominance of big money and the inequality it creates. I agree with him that it's what (besides AIPAC) keeps the party from a full-throated confrontation with Republicans. Much as people complain about Biden, I think he was better than both Clintons and Obama when it came to confronting corporate greed. Look at all the former "Democrats" who threw money at Trump.
I would love for Dr. Reich to get a little more vocal about the decisions he saw being made in the Clinton White House. He was labor secretary after all. It was during the deregulation and offshoring periods. Could be a powerful thing to hear receipts and mea culpa if required.
I read Robert Reich every day, and I think he has covered that topic adequately. But clearly, Bill Clinton cleaned out all the manufacturing in the Appalachian hill country where I grew up. The Democratic party there was led by a powerful corrupt attorney, and after he died, Marjorie Taylor Green came in and scooped up the dregs. She seems to be feeling some remorse. Finally.
Remorse? Maybe. More likely shes getting out before becoming bogged down by the doofus in chief! I believe its more shes looking out for her bottom line. As many of these "retirees" are.
Reich and Penny Pritzger (of the corrupt Chicago Pritzger family) introduced Obama to the world, knowing he would be a "player," which he definitely is. Obama languishes in multi-million dollar mansions brought to him by bailing out the big banks in 2008, and allowing millions of homeowners to be foreclosed. Reich is just another corrupt Democrat. Obama, in payment to Pritzger, appointed her to assistant secretary of commerce. It's a nice, cozy club for the rich, and by the rich.
there certainly would have been consequences to not bailing out the big banks. I hate them and refuse to participate (credit unions for me, only). But you can't act like he just chickened out and there was a much better path to be taken. Obama, also not perfect, but let's not pretend he had a lot of good options. He's another Dem president who had to come in and clean up the mess the GOP president before him caused.
Let's not forget what a heavy lift it was for a Black man to get elected to the nation's highest office. I still remember what a high that was, but much like New York's new mayor Mamdani, Obama was brilliant but untested. Trump might not have had the nerve to run if Obama hadn't poked fun of him by decorating a model of the White House that foretold almost exactly what he's done to gild it. None of us is perfect, but we're messing with a malignant narcissist here. We just need to make sure that if we ever get a shot at another election, we're more savvy. And that we spend our campaign money on principled proposals rather than greedy consultants.
It's been said over and over and over, including in Simpsons episodes: Two Party System. We'd actually be better off if political parties were illegal. Not ideal, but better off...
The baby and the bathwater, Corbin. You are so solid, so clear, so assertive, like responsible persons need to be. Take note, I have never had a political party. Never. Always DTS. Why? IMO, parties are cults. They demand allegiance conformity. Not free thinking, limited thinking. I usually am Forced to vote the D brand, because all the other potential choices are far worse. There is no parliament, no identification of the citizenry as multi-faceted. Yes, we need union, but not singularity, which is another word for Death. Nothing moves, it just sits and rots, like Right Now. To blame to D brand is to just blame another addiction to another cult. Want to vote? Most believe they must choose some side, which, IMO, casts them to the side of the road, while different blades cut the borrow ditch. I was raised hyper-conservative, but Never Felt It Had Legitimacy. There is no such thing as freedom. E Pluribus Unum - out of many, one. We all are connected, no freedom, just responsibility, humility, awareness that without agreement, there is only conflict. Sacrifice is a dinosaur right now, and it needs a rebirth. We as a nation are spoiled rotten and as selfish as the 3 year-old fighting for toys in the kiddy room. We have been trained and brainwashed and coerced and forced into this system by the parasitism of capitalism. Consume or be expunged. But ALL must sacrifice, which is not freedom, it is aware responsibility in order to achieve, as Lincoln said, 'a more perfect union.' But not yet perfect, and not yet a union.
Yes, the Democratic party must change but it's not the only player on the field. There are more Independent voters than there are Dem's, or Repub's. It's time to build something that has no party label. I am calling them patriots, a word that needs to be reclaimed, a word that shows commitment to the Constitution and its promise of continuously improving government to better establish equal rights under the law, and a more perfect union. The opposite of patriots is fascists, or MAGAts (synonymous terms).
Parliaments are the only way I see, other than Athenian democ., including women and 'slaves,' to dis-engorge the parasites from our guts. A full heave, and then wormwood. Walnut oil as a chaser. Face facts. The human animal is a failed biological experiment, as decent as many humans are. Fear is the greatest fear, and we are addicted to it, and run from it as fast as consumption and bigotry will fuel the sprint. As ugly as it is, we must let this miasma crush itself, and us, with it. No balm in Gilead.
I appreciate your direct response to Corbin. And I am glad that there is a balm, still present for all. As you said, we must wake to responsibility, humility, and the recognition that we are all in this together.
The Democratic Party will never change because it is part of the "snake with two heads." Except for a few cultural issues, there are virtually no differences. I don't believe the Democratic Party is capable of being reformed, but they love keeping us down, slinging mud at one another, and they are really good at it.
to say there are no difference between the party that is destroying america and the party that has failed to stop them is ludicrous. And so very Dem. Circular firing squad.
Be sure your only voting for Progressive candidates because they don't take special interest money..if a Dem candidate or incumbent belongs to the DNC or DCCC they're no better than repukes..unfortunately if a Dem candidate does belong to those orgs & they end up being the nominee against a repub nominee then we don't have a choice to vote for them because the alternative is so much worse.
Hello Corbin... Renee Good did not deserve to be shot in the Face... It looks like Renee panicked when ICE tried to enter her Vehicle, and then pull her out of it... When Renee tried to drive away she came close, but did not hit ICE Officer, Christopher Ross(?)... If you watch his feet, you can see him jump out of the way... There was no reason to shoot, and then reject on-site Medical Aid... I watched Ross walk away, there was no sign of Remorse... To me, at the least it looks like Manslaughter....
Assassination. Not murder. The punk was never in danger, he was eager to shoot to kill. A white supremacist who hates other whites who he sees as traitors. The two females clearly identified themselves as peaceful doubters of the nihilistic MO, and said so. this is why the driver is dead and the other heartbroken and the dog homeless and the children lost forever in the swamp of the indigestibles. Could we just stop giving any excuses of any kind for TERROR?
OK... But you forgot to mention that, in a three branch Government - the snicker - "pride of the free world" - the Damnacrats [SP] are more interested in saying the right words, as usual, than they are in stopping it.
Hair splitting. A party that claims to represent us failing to do so is huge danger. Who cares if they come in second place? What heck does that matter. The right is doing what the right says it believes in.
The right wing of the Democratic Party that self-anoints as "centrist" or "moderate" takes our votes, our donations, our energy and pours it down the drain. They are frauds. 24hour of Booker flapping his jaws and raising $10 million off of that performative stunt? What actual policies was he proposing? What legislation did he rise to put into the legislative process? Hakeem Jefferies saying he is thinking maybe he might impeach the dead-eyed Noemi? What kind of leadership is that?
The way that they are dangerous is that they crush real progressive without a second thought taking the energy that is necessary to turn things around.
We are not Trump. We are not MAGA. It talking that talk more important than walking the walk? Biggest danger or second biggest danger? Who cares? They are an enormous danger as they siphon off the money and energy that should be directed towards pulling together and creating a legislative platform to make change happen.
Dems are almost as guilty..Especially Dems that belong to the DNC & DCCC bcuz they take donations from the same special interest groups as magats do..unlike Liberal reps AOC & Bernie Sanders..Dems have been to weak for to long. If we don't get down & dirty soon repukes will keep pushing America towards fascism & authoritarianism. We need to boot that super wimp Chuck Schumer OUT of office! He's ruined to many chances Dems had to change things.
The two party battle is a copout and futile...It's UNDOUBTEDLY a uniparty. As Mr. Corbin so articularly wrote in his last report (paraphrased): The only difference is; the current pubs are doing what the dems have been doing all along, but far more brazenly....in your face.
You are wrong. The Democratic Party failed by being passive to the power play by the GOP Magas. They did not fight them as they could have. That is why I am now an Independent. If we don't stand up to them we will be enslaved!
Absolutely correct
We’re not voting our way out of this.
The same points can be made about us out here in liberal California. We love to virtue signal about the problems of affordability and equality as long as it doesn’t get in the way of our $8 lattes
I sure want your writing to get out there far and wide. It cuts to the heart.
I'm southern. I needed the reminder of who most of us are without the msm, maga bullhorn screaming the idiocy from the worst of us.
The best of us are now required to resist this characterization. Some of the best humans I know are southern. Rise up and show the world who we really are.
"Trained to hate" needs to be educated into everyone.
Trained to hate, then they continue to choose it.
Zero discernment, unless there's something in it for their greedy selves.
And when we vote out of greed or because we like them and their charisma, instead of choosing people of integrity and action who have no interest in being celebrities ... we get cowards when the going gets tough - as we are witnessing, now.
We have been and are ripe for a takeover.
And it's on us - especially on every person who looked the other way instead of doing what was right, regardless of cost.
Ah. You mean like the lovely, educated, compassionate woman and the kind, experienced midwestern governor who ran against the pure evil of the administration they voted for? Gotcha.
Really? I must have missed that one.
Guess a lot of people did. Turned out rather tragically.
Corbin your insights resonate with me so deeply. I appreciate your voice a great deal.
Thank you for the kind words.
When the only person promising radical system change is a convicted felon, rapist and traitor, well, that tells you everything about how badly Democrats have failed. Stunts like Cory Booker’s 19th century filibustering or Schumer’s sternly worded memos to the president aren’t just a joke, it’s all they have. Just not being Trump wont get you elected. You’ll actually have to do something hard like, present ideas and a plan that will appeal to Trump VOTERS… I haven’t heard anything from the democrats aside from: “Can you give me $20 to help me keep my phony baloney job?”… And I keep thinking to myself, “What did I get for my money from the democrats last election?” Oh yeah, Trump.
I think the answer is identity politics, i.e. the invocation of tribal membership and the specter of being banished from the tribe. When Republican operatives saw how clannish Southerners are, they saw an opportunity. They began to market symbolism, sentimentality and sneering at outsiders to mimic the ties that bind Southerners together.
They took that suspicion of outsiders and of the federal government and they misled people into making Republican priorities their priorities. Trump gave them a simulation of a leader who was one of them. One of the most common reasons working class whites gave for following him is "he talks like me".
I'm from Texas. I was very surprised to see Trump worship here when he is literally, the very embodiment of a Yankee. It's the tribalism. Trump convinced rural Texans he was their peer. Once that happened, it became extremely important to maintain membership in the tribe. And their peers enforced it. There are social and economic penalties for failing to demonstrate sufficient approval of Trump in rural Texas.
The only way to break this bond is to undermine and discredit Trump as a stand-in for people's group identification and personal identity. Mr. Trent's invocation of the contrast between Southerners' traditional distrust of outsiders and of the federal government and how Trump's actions contradict that particular identity is a step in the right direction.
Ultimately, it is going to require more authentic, ethical and uplifting leaders who will provide Southerners a chance to take on an identity which doesn't blacken their hearts with sin. An identity which doesn't force them to make the wrong choices just to maintain membership in their community of peers.
I agree with your assessment. When the gop saw that the "people's party" had succumbed to the same monied interests they aligned with they knew the door had opened wide.
This democracy was a beautiful dream, but it never became a reality for every single American citizen.
Both parties have caused this decline. This administration easily- too easily- put that decline on warp speed.
Excellent point. When Democrats stopped giving the working-class effective representation, they left them to the tender mercies of Republicans. Political parties represent themselves as organizational structures for democratic representation of the people. But, instead they both succumb to corporate capture and perpetuating the party’s power instead of the people’s power.
Case in point - Texas, my state. Zero, zilch, nada local Democratic operational structure in this state since GW Bush was elected. I mean, both state and national Democrats just walked away. Now, as I get going as precinct chair under a new, young progressive state party chair, I realize that the way people discipline party leadership against their tendency to ignore real people is to have robust local Democratic clubs and state party operations. As a precinct chair, we can demand accountability from the state and national leadership.
Instead of working to recruit precinct chairs, the state party just filled itself with placeholders who drew salaries and only went through the motions. But, note to Democratic Party leadership - we’re back!
Youth are at the gates!
Progressives will fight to save our country and our planet.
They have to in order to survive.
Current leadership is blocking the door to future generations. And that future belongs to them.
I couldn't agree more. Please, please, please fight to save our country & our planet. I did it in the 70's... now it's the youth of America's turn to carry the torch.
My perception from outside Texas is that the situation might be improving slightly. You have Talerico running for senate and he impresses me. I have also seen mentioned that you have contested races in every district for these midterms.
Funny you should mention the Democrats on the ballot. I just got back from block walking for Democrats. The battle has begun.
The news yesterday is that the Tarrant County Republicans just contested our Tarrant County Democratic Judge candidates. If they succeed in disqualifying them from the ballot (our rules for getting on the ballot are intricate and difficult to comply with in order to suppress voting), then all the judges in Tarrant County on the general election ballot will be uncontested, meaning automatic win for Republicans.
Additionally, Texas sent our voter registration data to the Trump administration, so look for purges of Democrats.
This is not a reason to lose hope. Not at all. I see it as panic on the part of Republicans. And so it begins. When Republicans do stuff like this, it means they have identified their own vulnerabilities.
Let’s go!
We will not back down!
Keep up the good fight!
Colbert had Rachel Maddow on! She explained that when protests hit about 3.5% of the population, dictatorships are on the verge of collapsing!! And we're almost there!! (Thought I'd add a little "glass half full" here.)
That is a misunderstanding of what that 3.5% statistic represents.First, it is correlational not causal. And maybe more important is considering the sample size and its relationship to America. Finally, 10%-15% of the population turned out for Black Lives Matter protests and nothing changed.
Way to spoil my happy vibe! Did you let Rachel Maddow know? What do you suggest we do instead? Or are you saying we should just give up because we're doomed?
I don't know if we're doomed and I'm definitely not giving up. I am for fairminded critical analysis and evaluation of the problem (elitism) so that we can form an effective strategy and tactical interventions for building a just society on a foundation of Universal Human Rights. I'm trying to think about what is happening and analyze it rather than jumping reactively onto misguided bandwagons.
Yea, but they've made everything else that would work, illegal...
Yea, but they've made everything that would work, illegal... Sigh..
Um, you mean the woman who spread the "Russia Gate" lies for two years? I wouldn't trust anything that woman says.
Now you've got a point!! In her defense, EVERYBODY was going, "RUSSIA! RUSSIA! RUSSIA!"! On the other hand she's very accurate, very factual, and she's actually kind of a history buff. I mostly blame Hillarity [SP], her minions, and our wonderful intelligence community for propagating that Russia thing. I certainly haven't forgotten! I was snickering at that too. And now that they're done exonerating Hillarity's loss and Russia has invaded Ukraine, you suddenly don't hear all that Russia stuff anymore. It's backwards...
I have to say - it frosted my butt to listen to people tell how "he knew how they felt" - all I could think was seriously? This millionaire who never earned a dime of his own, never did an actual days work with his lily white little hands - never lived anywhere except in whatever version of a mansion he held - six bankruptcies, couldnt even make a go of casinos! Obviously I could go on and on and on but all of us here are well aware of exactly what and who this doofus IS.
I've been around way longer than I ever expected to be - at this point, I just hope we all make it beyond this BS - NOT, as Corbin says, to "back to normal", but just possibly maybe bring this country back to where it should be - for ALL of us who live here.
I GET IT!! So we need to stop them from getting rich lobbying and playing the stock market and making stupid laws as a result and stuff, right?!?
Just beautiful.
Hapless Dems are making things worse. Evil men are harming and killing American citizens and immigrants. We haven’t hit bottom yet but we’re already profoundly sobered. And, yes, people can be enthralled with hateful lies and behave as if they were true. After all, isn’t that what’s at the root of slavery systems? But we struggle on for a better way. As the climate crisis worsens, we will learn that all of us ordinary people are in this together.
Powerful and on point. There are so many broken people in this country who revel in violence and destruction and deny the truth right in front of them because it contradicts their narrative that they are the victims of everyone not exactly like them. They thrive on "othering" and advocate for the oppression of those "others". How do we fix that?
Great question. I think the answer is in education and organizing. We need a widespread shared understanding of the facts of our history and ourselves on which to build a truly just society. There is no quick fix.
Evil incarnate. All come to life in 13 months.
Trump does and always has said what he wants and will do. What amazes me is that Americans are shocked or surprised. You all do understand the English language, right?
For some of us Trump was never concealed i pat myself on the back for that but I dont go so far as to villify those who were apparently taken hostage by something in trumps performance that needs some reflection on their part. The thing is now is the time for forming alliances not divisions because if I see this right we are on the knives edge. No more fence riding.
Hidden in plain sight for 10 years.
Hidden and protected by the msm, oligarchs, pedophiles and our bought and paid for congress on both dodes of the aisle. O and don't forget our illegitimate scotus. Several should never have been confirmed. The gop didn't do that by themselves.
Our country worships money above all else. That is paving the way for our downfall.
Time to get to work.
And the clock is ticking.
Aw come on. The Southern myth rises! When has Appalachia or any other place in America ever been a beacon of caring about anyone else being abused? Maybe when Appalachia was singularly Cherokee country? The South was where the poorest White person openly took pride in saying, “at least I’m not a n***.” They knew no matter how bad it got, no matter how they were abused by society, they still had more rights, protections, and privileges than the richest Black or non-white person, which was government doing its job properly. "Don’t tread on ME, but I might tread on you" is our domestic and international policy. We can't fix anything if we keep shielding our dubious virtues from reality.
We fought for the union, started and housed the Highlander center, had lots of union organizing, and had civil rights activists. There’s more than meets the eye in Appalachia. It’s not a monolith.
I live on the East Coast - NOT elite - NOT billionaire. Also not a monolith!
That's true all over this country - everywhere.
Agreed.
Tennessee was the last state to secede and the first to rejoin the Union AFTER the Civil War, when it finally outlawed slavery. Memphis is where a White mob destroyed in 1892 Ida B. Wells’ print press because she was exposing lynching (including a Black store owner who’s business was too successful for White tastes) and other forms of discrimination, effectively running her out of town on a rail. You are correct Appalachia is not monolith. Every locality, city, state, within this country is a mix of well-meaning but effectively self-centered people who leverage whatever advantages they can acquire, resisting social justice and equity every step of the way. The Southern myth you seem to resurrect, ignores and perpetuates the negative impacts underlying that narrative. Looking in the mirror, we cannot improve if we ignore or downplay our blemishes.
You are right - we CANNOT improve by lack of education and HISTORY! Those are two issues that this administration wants to wipe out. We cant let them.
That being said, the Cherokee possessed slaves i.e. Joseph Vann, John Ross, and Major Ridge just assuredly as their white neighbors perhaps in an effort to assimilate into European norms, its arguable but what isnt arguable is that there is a resistance bent in the Appalachians that is intolerant of cowardice and intimidation, coopted by the MAGA that needs to be recovered and quickly IF we are to coalesce around any formidable counter measure to the nazi metastases happening right now.
No segment of humanity anywhere is free of the taint of slavery. Here in America we just industrialized it and raised the level of abuse to its greatest heights. The acceptance of institutionalized slavery in Appalachia and elsewhere is about as cowardly and intimidating as it gets.
I agree with a lot of what you’re saying.
Where are your brethren? You ARE so right about so many things!
However here is the point that people seem to forget. Driving away or trying to should not = being shot in the face!
They have the term excessive force for a reason. Terms like does the punishment fit the crime?
J walking is wrong
Running away is wrong
Imagine if a cop shot an American citizen for this. But this is essentially what she did. She tried to run, she left in an improper way. Did she “ram” anyone like they have? That seems to be there MO.
The way the system is designed is “they” (ICE, FBI, Law Enforcement…) do their job and find her name and get her license plate and charge her with the appropriate crime.
What they did was lazy
What they did is act like judge and jury
What they did is put an “ICE” agent who had trauma from a past experience of being dragged by a car and weaponized him.
Did they even do a psych evaluation after his incident.
Was he cleared mentally stable / capable?
I agree with you that there should not be immunity!
There needs to be justice! I pray for the next 2-3 years we can survive this nightmare and corruption and threat to our democracy because I truly believe in the constitution and the experiment that is the USA.
Thank you Jesus. Finally.