How the Trump administration has dismantled constitutional democracy—and why the deeper crisis is one of shared reality, moral clarity, and civic courage.
I am old, I am tired, and my days are numbered due to a biological entity called malignancy. Yet, I will not go silently into the night. Mike B., you are a brilliant writer. But I have never questioned 2+2 =4 or the existence of 24 hours in a day (at least on this planet). I listened to Gov. Pritzker’s speech and heard his interview with Jen Psaki yesterday on MSNBC. All of what you, Mike, have said in 100 Days of Collapse: A Reckoning of Meaning, and what Pritzker said in his speech and interview are spot on, but they are late in this deadly game. As I said, “I am old,” but I am mentally more calloused by the years than you and Pritzker. Below is my “seasoned” analysis of the 2+2 = 4.
I listened to Pritzker, and his words are familiar to my son, Adam, and me, given that we have been saying the same thing since we started writing about Trump in books, songs, emails, and commentaries. See What We Must Demand For Our Democracy to Survive on Amazon "books" at http://tinyurl.com/2j4b3acd.
Pritzker’s alert, an SOS, comes late. The Ship of State and its Captain Ahab are close to reaching their desired “port,” spelled out clearly with DOGE (Destroy Our Great Experiment). A puppet of Vladimir Putin is now leading a fascist administration. As wild as this sounds, it is only one of two possible causations to explain Trump’s presidency.
#1. Trump is a psychopath who has always been enamored with tyrants. His role models are Stalin, Mussolini, Hitler, Kim Jong Un, and Vladimir Putin. He is so far gone, so off-the-rail in his megalomania that his lust to be part of this feral fraternity of fanatics has occurred despite his being instrumental in destroying the very country that elected him. I believe the first part of the above, but not the latter.
#2. Trump is a Russian operative or a “useful idiot” of Putin. I believe this is the case. Trump’s psychopathy is classical. He has been described by others and by me as “the posterboy for malignant narcissism.” But similar to bidding in a poker game with “I'll see you and raise you two,” Trump’s overwhelming narcissism is conflated with sociopathic behaviors, and what Dee Hock calls the “Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse:” Ego, Envy, Avarice, and Ambition. Part of Trump’s flawed self is his need for projection. He’s told the citizenry and the world who he is and what he intends to do, but the human element hears what it wants to hear. Trump called Biden the “Manchurian candidate.” This is what Trump is. Trump talks now about deporting U.S. citizens to foreign prisons. He has done this. Yesterday, Trump mentioned the use of the military to take action against citizens; he will do this. Mark my words. So far, I have batted 100% on predicting what Trump will do and seeing this occur.
What we have, folks, is a problem in understanding ourselves—the human element (Hu). Like Kübler-Ross’s “five stages of grief,” we have processed Trump’s words and foul deeds similarly, with these four stages: normalization, rationalization, realization, and causation. We have taken too long to reach the third stage, realization, but we still have to come to “causation.”
Sadly, most People, and all our political parties, have been and remain more into one or more of the “four horsemen” and remain blind to causation.
We have a fascist president, and he has appointed to political offices of power those who have sold their soul to ego, envy, avarice, and/or ambition.
We are living, at this moment, in a fascist country.
The message from Pritzker is closer to causation, but “no cigar.” With apologies to Al Jolson, “you ain’t seen nothin’ yet.”
We are in the midst of the world’s most horrid coup; to use Trump’s words, “like you’ve never seen before.” The Trump “circus” is a deadly one with a ringleader that rivals in abhorrence with Mussolini, Hitler, and Putin.
Pritzker’s speech ended with “Are you ready for the fight?”
The “fight” must be the Impeachment of Donald Trump and most of his cabinet for “treason, bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors,” since they have violated the Constitution of the United States. “The Fight” must be that the people of this country demand the House of Representatives bring articles of impeachment against Trump and the involved individuals, approve such articles, and have the Senate hold a trial to determine conviction and removal from office.
And that process, amidst a fascist like Trump, coupled with the slowness and feeble behavior of “our” Congress and Supreme Court justices, has betting odds that to these old eyes seem a longshot.
Thank you for this essay on moral clarity in the face of a relentless drive to lawless, immoral, authoritarianism on the part of this catastrophic regime. The purpose of tool fpotus is to implement an agenda to destroy the democratic republic of the US. By allowing a billionaire oligarchial, technocratic class to impose toxic capitalism upon the 98% of us non-millionaires, via despotism. Reducing us to obedient serfs scrambling for scraps left over by the greedy moguls eager to plunder our labor and our resources to enrich themselves. It is a moral Imperative for each of us to resist this coup any way we can.
Spot on and very well done. All we can do is the best we can each day, one step at a time.
I have stepped away from 40 plus year friendships. Not terminating them. I let them know that I took an oath to our constitution and I can’t be around people who are ok with overthrowing it- they are all ok with revocation of birthright citizenship and eliminating due process (at least as long as it’s not effecting them) at the whim of this dictator who was elected as president.
At a minimum, I think we need to let people know which side we are on. This has not been easy. I engaged with these people on a weekly basis. no more, not until this is reconciled. It’s only been about 30 days and I think most of them think I will get over it, but I fervently pray I hold onto my oath and my principles.
I have also participated in my first rallies/protests. And yet I feel I should be doing more. If I figure what else that is, if it helps us regain our republic and it’s within my power, rest assured I will be doing it.
What we must all insist on is accountability from all of these people violating our laws and our constitution. Anything short of that will be failure and leave us at risk of any falling short of any meaningful recovery.
So many of us avoided conversation of political views because we didn't want to upset our maga friends and family members. It's time we start talking to people in everyday normal situations about our political views. Not to engage in debate or tell that person they are wrong; but to express how stupid Trump and his dumb ass kissers are destroying the country.
Say the things in the casual conversations that we've been careful to avoid talking politics. It's amazing how many folks will agree now. We are nice people and our silence to avoid conflict in the past is nice. Now we talk, be nice but firm about what a fucked up situation we are in. Let's normalize maga and Trump as stupid assholes doing bad things to everyone.
The days of intellectual pontification are over. In essence, the rubber has hit the road. Critical thinkers, philosophers, and other theoreticians must now shift to practical application. I have also adjusted myself postponing writing projects to assist the masses to understand 2+2=4.
I agree that the days of pontification should be over, yet I did not hear anyone address the specifics of this. Is it because we think Trump and his fellow assassins will get wind of what others could do to thwart their complete fascist takeover of America? Let’s not be naive about the machinations of Trump, Bannon, and his “think” tank of conspirators. Trump will do what he has said vis-à-vis projection: he will use the military in fascist style to subvert anyone, including citizens voicing their First Amendment guarantee of free speech. There must be a demand from those in the House and Senate to impeach Trump and those in his cabinet who have violated the Constitution.
“This is why insisting on simple, verifiable truths matters now more than ever.”
They matter a lot. The problem is this means all truths. Few Americans internalize that their country has long been less democratic, less free, with less equality than they realized. Now that these realities are increasingly visible, we react as if some new evil is present. No, uncomfortable reality is still reality.
The 200 plus year-old American “democratic” structures ( read as money) doom us to a never-ending whipsaw political fight that rarely addresses the core issues. The group of citizens that we classify as apathetic now contain a growing number of declinists that believe there is no sense saving the patient.
Instances of nation-state self awareness leading to successful transformation are rare, require much sacrifice, and ultimately produce copious amounts of pain. We saw one such process in 1945 with Japan.
America cannot expect political actions alone to result in new realities. And further, these realities are impossible without chaos and pain.
In the absence of secular explanations I find "these people are guided by Satan and their only love is inflicting agonizing death in any way conceivable" works with just about flawless coherence
I am old, I am tired, and my days are numbered due to a biological entity called malignancy. Yet, I will not go silently into the night. Mike B., you are a brilliant writer. But I have never questioned 2+2 =4 or the existence of 24 hours in a day (at least on this planet). I listened to Gov. Pritzker’s speech and heard his interview with Jen Psaki yesterday on MSNBC. All of what you, Mike, have said in 100 Days of Collapse: A Reckoning of Meaning, and what Pritzker said in his speech and interview are spot on, but they are late in this deadly game. As I said, “I am old,” but I am mentally more calloused by the years than you and Pritzker. Below is my “seasoned” analysis of the 2+2 = 4.
I listened to Pritzker, and his words are familiar to my son, Adam, and me, given that we have been saying the same thing since we started writing about Trump in books, songs, emails, and commentaries. See What We Must Demand For Our Democracy to Survive on Amazon "books" at http://tinyurl.com/2j4b3acd.
Pritzker’s alert, an SOS, comes late. The Ship of State and its Captain Ahab are close to reaching their desired “port,” spelled out clearly with DOGE (Destroy Our Great Experiment). A puppet of Vladimir Putin is now leading a fascist administration. As wild as this sounds, it is only one of two possible causations to explain Trump’s presidency.
#1. Trump is a psychopath who has always been enamored with tyrants. His role models are Stalin, Mussolini, Hitler, Kim Jong Un, and Vladimir Putin. He is so far gone, so off-the-rail in his megalomania that his lust to be part of this feral fraternity of fanatics has occurred despite his being instrumental in destroying the very country that elected him. I believe the first part of the above, but not the latter.
#2. Trump is a Russian operative or a “useful idiot” of Putin. I believe this is the case. Trump’s psychopathy is classical. He has been described by others and by me as “the posterboy for malignant narcissism.” But similar to bidding in a poker game with “I'll see you and raise you two,” Trump’s overwhelming narcissism is conflated with sociopathic behaviors, and what Dee Hock calls the “Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse:” Ego, Envy, Avarice, and Ambition. Part of Trump’s flawed self is his need for projection. He’s told the citizenry and the world who he is and what he intends to do, but the human element hears what it wants to hear. Trump called Biden the “Manchurian candidate.” This is what Trump is. Trump talks now about deporting U.S. citizens to foreign prisons. He has done this. Yesterday, Trump mentioned the use of the military to take action against citizens; he will do this. Mark my words. So far, I have batted 100% on predicting what Trump will do and seeing this occur.
What we have, folks, is a problem in understanding ourselves—the human element (Hu). Like Kübler-Ross’s “five stages of grief,” we have processed Trump’s words and foul deeds similarly, with these four stages: normalization, rationalization, realization, and causation. We have taken too long to reach the third stage, realization, but we still have to come to “causation.”
Sadly, most People, and all our political parties, have been and remain more into one or more of the “four horsemen” and remain blind to causation.
We have a fascist president, and he has appointed to political offices of power those who have sold their soul to ego, envy, avarice, and/or ambition.
We are living, at this moment, in a fascist country.
The message from Pritzker is closer to causation, but “no cigar.” With apologies to Al Jolson, “you ain’t seen nothin’ yet.”
We are in the midst of the world’s most horrid coup; to use Trump’s words, “like you’ve never seen before.” The Trump “circus” is a deadly one with a ringleader that rivals in abhorrence with Mussolini, Hitler, and Putin.
Pritzker’s speech ended with “Are you ready for the fight?”
The “fight” must be the Impeachment of Donald Trump and most of his cabinet for “treason, bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors,” since they have violated the Constitution of the United States. “The Fight” must be that the people of this country demand the House of Representatives bring articles of impeachment against Trump and the involved individuals, approve such articles, and have the Senate hold a trial to determine conviction and removal from office.
And that process, amidst a fascist like Trump, coupled with the slowness and feeble behavior of “our” Congress and Supreme Court justices, has betting odds that to these old eyes seem a longshot.
Thank you for this essay on moral clarity in the face of a relentless drive to lawless, immoral, authoritarianism on the part of this catastrophic regime. The purpose of tool fpotus is to implement an agenda to destroy the democratic republic of the US. By allowing a billionaire oligarchial, technocratic class to impose toxic capitalism upon the 98% of us non-millionaires, via despotism. Reducing us to obedient serfs scrambling for scraps left over by the greedy moguls eager to plunder our labor and our resources to enrich themselves. It is a moral Imperative for each of us to resist this coup any way we can.
Spot on and very well done. All we can do is the best we can each day, one step at a time.
I have stepped away from 40 plus year friendships. Not terminating them. I let them know that I took an oath to our constitution and I can’t be around people who are ok with overthrowing it- they are all ok with revocation of birthright citizenship and eliminating due process (at least as long as it’s not effecting them) at the whim of this dictator who was elected as president.
At a minimum, I think we need to let people know which side we are on. This has not been easy. I engaged with these people on a weekly basis. no more, not until this is reconciled. It’s only been about 30 days and I think most of them think I will get over it, but I fervently pray I hold onto my oath and my principles.
I have also participated in my first rallies/protests. And yet I feel I should be doing more. If I figure what else that is, if it helps us regain our republic and it’s within my power, rest assured I will be doing it.
What we must all insist on is accountability from all of these people violating our laws and our constitution. Anything short of that will be failure and leave us at risk of any falling short of any meaningful recovery.
Best wishes. Stay strong.
It really doesn't get clearer. We are at war as a nation.
It's not an adminstration, it's an occupation. Only and always call it the Trump dictatorship, or regime.
So many of us avoided conversation of political views because we didn't want to upset our maga friends and family members. It's time we start talking to people in everyday normal situations about our political views. Not to engage in debate or tell that person they are wrong; but to express how stupid Trump and his dumb ass kissers are destroying the country.
Say the things in the casual conversations that we've been careful to avoid talking politics. It's amazing how many folks will agree now. We are nice people and our silence to avoid conflict in the past is nice. Now we talk, be nice but firm about what a fucked up situation we are in. Let's normalize maga and Trump as stupid assholes doing bad things to everyone.
Keep Doing Good.
As usual you make me gasp as if bursting forth from drowning to inhaling a life-saving breath of air…which includes tears…
The days of intellectual pontification are over. In essence, the rubber has hit the road. Critical thinkers, philosophers, and other theoreticians must now shift to practical application. I have also adjusted myself postponing writing projects to assist the masses to understand 2+2=4.
I agree that the days of pontification should be over, yet I did not hear anyone address the specifics of this. Is it because we think Trump and his fellow assassins will get wind of what others could do to thwart their complete fascist takeover of America? Let’s not be naive about the machinations of Trump, Bannon, and his “think” tank of conspirators. Trump will do what he has said vis-à-vis projection: he will use the military in fascist style to subvert anyone, including citizens voicing their First Amendment guarantee of free speech. There must be a demand from those in the House and Senate to impeach Trump and those in his cabinet who have violated the Constitution.
“This is why insisting on simple, verifiable truths matters now more than ever.”
They matter a lot. The problem is this means all truths. Few Americans internalize that their country has long been less democratic, less free, with less equality than they realized. Now that these realities are increasingly visible, we react as if some new evil is present. No, uncomfortable reality is still reality.
The 200 plus year-old American “democratic” structures ( read as money) doom us to a never-ending whipsaw political fight that rarely addresses the core issues. The group of citizens that we classify as apathetic now contain a growing number of declinists that believe there is no sense saving the patient.
Instances of nation-state self awareness leading to successful transformation are rare, require much sacrifice, and ultimately produce copious amounts of pain. We saw one such process in 1945 with Japan.
America cannot expect political actions alone to result in new realities. And further, these realities are impossible without chaos and pain.
In the absence of secular explanations I find "these people are guided by Satan and their only love is inflicting agonizing death in any way conceivable" works with just about flawless coherence