Ever since Reagan, the slippery fool, said that "government is the problem," those on the right have been enjoying a paroxysm of rage against anything that made society fairer for everyone, whether that be health insurance, taxation, or housing. Now, Trump has done one thing that pleases them no end: he has raised both of his tiny middle fingers toward our Constitution, and his posse is ecstatic. I don't share your optimism that because Trump is shallow his movement is too. There are deep pockets of dark money ready to be spent to make sure we think that screwing ourselves is in our ultimate best interests. Alas, as Adlai Stevenson noted when an aide told him that every thinking American will vote for you, Sir, "Yes, but we need a majority."
Well, David, this MM reads like a dirge, which I presume is your intent; and after reading the Scotus majority decision in the Alabama redistricting case — a decision that shat all over an opposite finding by the same Court only two years ago — that in fact returns us to a Jim Crow South, there is no other recourse but to write an obituary for ca. 65 years of successful struggle to attain even a modicum of democratic representation for Black people in the former Confederacy.
Hoods on, the Old South shall rise again!...and so it has.
Two points, perhaps separate, but totally consistent with each other come from your splendid writing today. David Duke is the spiritual and ideological forefather of the modern Republican Party. I first saw him in full Nazi regalia on the LSU Campus circa 1970. Nobody thought much about it, probably because he isn’t Palestinian. He dominated New Orleans and Louisiana politics, constantly a news story for a long time and Duke inspired a long legacy of followers, only one of which admitted that he wanted to be David Duke without the baggage. He’s now the Majority Leader of the House. I last saw Duke getting on a Southwest Airlines flight 20 years ago. He had undergone heavy plastic surgery. Again he was ahead of his time…with his early mar a lago effect, he could have been Secretary of Homeland Security or Mrs Bezos, or Elon Musk, today.
As for the supremes, it’s no longer if they will do something shocking, it’s when. Debating reforms that they will weasel around or out of, isn’t as productive as making the grifters and insurrectionists resign through sustained public pressure.
So painful to read, so shocking, unbearable the despicable, unfathomable blows every day. This nightmare must end, and it will. There still are too many humans of good will, connected by the power of true values and meaningful ideas in the United States of America. Eventually, they will prevail.
Anyone who thinks this regime is NOT working through “the grind of consolidating and entrenching its power through bureaucracy and structural advantages” has not been paying attention to what is happening with 1) SCrOTUS decisions, or 2) DHS ignoring court orders, or 3) the DOJ becoming the executive’s law firm. Either that, or they are trying to obfuscate what is really happening and gaslighting their readership.
This regime is ABSOLUTELY consolidating their power in every imaginable method available to them. The only pushback they are currently experiencing is by the lower courts and justices that still adhere to the Constitution.
If only RBGinsburg and Schumer had said screw comity, this is war, and taken action decisively at various inflection points in the last 27 years. Gore v Bush should have been the wakeup call that the GOP intended to remake the country via the Supremes. RBG should have retired to ensure her legacy. So many decisions could have been prevented. And we should have punished and eradicated the J6ers when we had the chance. Meanwhile Private Equity and techbros have taken advantage of weak government to turn our country into a inequitable wealth distribution to rival a feudal society. The mealy mouth mainstream press weakly bleats the news and counts their shekels.
This obit stands on its own. Not detracting from its clarity and power with this comment. My ultimate [?] fear is that not enough people do see that many powerful parts of US are running the fascism. It is not only 'trumpism' , as destructive and revolting as it is. MM recognizes that last night the bought and paid for roberts court dismissed the 14th amendment, as though not part of the Constitution. 'color-blind', then 'gender-blind', 'religion-blind' and on. The interventionist court will continue the coup we first saw in 2000 in upcoming elections - to lock in 'republican' rule. Are enough eyes open and enough plans made??
Well said, Mr. Kurtz. I always enjoy reading your writing, but today's post got me in the gut.
We are all grieving each day's losses. Thank you for putting it into words
Ever since Reagan, the slippery fool, said that "government is the problem," those on the right have been enjoying a paroxysm of rage against anything that made society fairer for everyone, whether that be health insurance, taxation, or housing. Now, Trump has done one thing that pleases them no end: he has raised both of his tiny middle fingers toward our Constitution, and his posse is ecstatic. I don't share your optimism that because Trump is shallow his movement is too. There are deep pockets of dark money ready to be spent to make sure we think that screwing ourselves is in our ultimate best interests. Alas, as Adlai Stevenson noted when an aide told him that every thinking American will vote for you, Sir, "Yes, but we need a majority."
Well, David, this MM reads like a dirge, which I presume is your intent; and after reading the Scotus majority decision in the Alabama redistricting case — a decision that shat all over an opposite finding by the same Court only two years ago — that in fact returns us to a Jim Crow South, there is no other recourse but to write an obituary for ca. 65 years of successful struggle to attain even a modicum of democratic representation for Black people in the former Confederacy.
Hoods on, the Old South shall rise again!...and so it has.
Two points, perhaps separate, but totally consistent with each other come from your splendid writing today. David Duke is the spiritual and ideological forefather of the modern Republican Party. I first saw him in full Nazi regalia on the LSU Campus circa 1970. Nobody thought much about it, probably because he isn’t Palestinian. He dominated New Orleans and Louisiana politics, constantly a news story for a long time and Duke inspired a long legacy of followers, only one of which admitted that he wanted to be David Duke without the baggage. He’s now the Majority Leader of the House. I last saw Duke getting on a Southwest Airlines flight 20 years ago. He had undergone heavy plastic surgery. Again he was ahead of his time…with his early mar a lago effect, he could have been Secretary of Homeland Security or Mrs Bezos, or Elon Musk, today.
As for the supremes, it’s no longer if they will do something shocking, it’s when. Debating reforms that they will weasel around or out of, isn’t as productive as making the grifters and insurrectionists resign through sustained public pressure.
So painful to read, so shocking, unbearable the despicable, unfathomable blows every day. This nightmare must end, and it will. There still are too many humans of good will, connected by the power of true values and meaningful ideas in the United States of America. Eventually, they will prevail.
Anyone who thinks this regime is NOT working through “the grind of consolidating and entrenching its power through bureaucracy and structural advantages” has not been paying attention to what is happening with 1) SCrOTUS decisions, or 2) DHS ignoring court orders, or 3) the DOJ becoming the executive’s law firm. Either that, or they are trying to obfuscate what is really happening and gaslighting their readership.
This regime is ABSOLUTELY consolidating their power in every imaginable method available to them. The only pushback they are currently experiencing is by the lower courts and justices that still adhere to the Constitution.
If only RBGinsburg and Schumer had said screw comity, this is war, and taken action decisively at various inflection points in the last 27 years. Gore v Bush should have been the wakeup call that the GOP intended to remake the country via the Supremes. RBG should have retired to ensure her legacy. So many decisions could have been prevented. And we should have punished and eradicated the J6ers when we had the chance. Meanwhile Private Equity and techbros have taken advantage of weak government to turn our country into a inequitable wealth distribution to rival a feudal society. The mealy mouth mainstream press weakly bleats the news and counts their shekels.
Well said and true of me. I take some comfort that others are sharing these feelings because there is power in numbers.
This obit stands on its own. Not detracting from its clarity and power with this comment. My ultimate [?] fear is that not enough people do see that many powerful parts of US are running the fascism. It is not only 'trumpism' , as destructive and revolting as it is. MM recognizes that last night the bought and paid for roberts court dismissed the 14th amendment, as though not part of the Constitution. 'color-blind', then 'gender-blind', 'religion-blind' and on. The interventionist court will continue the coup we first saw in 2000 in upcoming elections - to lock in 'republican' rule. Are enough eyes open and enough plans made??
Suggestions???? Solutions?
Good reminder that four GOP senators with a lot of hard feelings could put an end to this presidency immediately. If they chose to: https://goodadviceforshittytimes.substack.com/p/the-four-senators-to-stop-the-apocalypse