Democrats need to stop saying "Republicans need to condemn this political violence." Instead, Democrats need to clearly state that Republicans support political violence and that this isn't about politics as usual.
“This is fascism. They support it. Act accordingly.”
This is a bold statement of moral clarity which, of course, leads to dramatic actions. Can the nation survive or do we become another Yugoslavia destined to shatter into irreconcilable shards of violence and resentment? Does moral clarity demand an inevitable moral response? I am envisioning the partitioning of India and the disastrous suffering and carnage that resulted and the murderous animosities still roiling today. Will another wall have to be built between “Red” and “Blue” Americas?
I was stationed in Germany in the 60s and witnessed the progress of Allied “denazification” still a work in progress 20 years after the end of the war. It was an amazing act of moral clarity that allowed no ambiguity in the focus of its purpose. Still today, it is against the law in Germany to support fascism. Nazi fascism was defeated and rooted out by authoritarian martial law. Is a Civil War and martial law the inevitable outcome of embracing moral clarity? My eyes seach the horizon to find a less volatile exit ramp but none are in sight…
They have been taught to hate democrats since Reagan said ‘the L word” and Rush Limbaugh called us ‘libtards’. We’ve been at this for 40 years. They know.
I do think this is true of many. I like to think not all. Part of the problem is that some of the reasons for them supporting Trumps actions have merit (the reasons not the actions). The Left truly did cross the line with transgender kids, COVID policies, and lax immigration policies (Republicans did too but their rhetoric masked this). I think if we are going to get past this both sides will need to make concessions.
Meanwhile both sides are supporting a Genocide and ethnic cleansing in Gaza. When the becomes acceptable over THERE what is to stop us from treating any immigrant or Democrat like Palestinians HERE. Relegated to 2nd class citizens or worse, non-Citizen labor and subject to Military Rule. Hyperbole? Maybe.
Americans have shown themselves to be willing to accept lies and deny abominable acts since 9/11 and the subsequent wars, waterboarding, etc. healthy young people were locked down and a poorly tested vaccine using new technology was forced on the young for a virus which didn't affect them much.
Those who chose not to vaccinate were kicked out of schools, could not travel or eat out and attend certain venues. Family members would refuse them entry into their home. Children were masked and social distance in schools, playgrounds and beaches were closed. The anger these policies caused created a reaction that we are dealing with now even though it was Trumps NSC which created many of these policy guidelines.
It was not just COVID though. The neoliberal economic policies that began under Reagan and were adopted by Democrats as well have gutted the middle and working class. Trump capitalized on this economic reality by blaming other countries and justify a trade war and tax increase (tariffs) that will be born mostly by the middle and working class.
So yeah, people want change .Unfortunately by backing Trump and his Dark Maga thugs they are supporting change that will bring on a dystopian hell.
You've just provided a masterclass in precisely the sophisticated enabling I described. Let me walk you through what you've done here.
You begin by acknowledging that fascist gaslighting is 'true of many'—but not all, of course. You're too sophisticated for such broad generalizations. Then you proceed to demonstrate exactly the rationalization process I outlined: elaborately justifying support for ethnic cleansing because you have policy disagreements with Democrats.
COVID lockdowns were too strict? Fair enough. Immigration policy needs reform? Reasonable position. Economic inequality is real? Absolutely.
Your response? Support mass deportation raids against American cities.
Do you hear yourself? You're treating policy disagreements as equivalent to constitutional demolition. You're suggesting that because some people felt inconvenienced by public health measures, mass deportation of families is a proportional response.
This isn't analysis—it's apologia. You're performing exactly the intellectual gymnastics I warned about, where legitimate policy concerns become elaborate justifications for supporting the unjustifiable.
'Both sides will need to make concessions,' you say. What exactly should the 'concession' be to ethnic cleansing? Should we deport families only on weekends? Should we use gentler language while separating children from parents?
You invoke Gaza—correctly noting the horror there—then somehow use it to rationalize identical horrors here. 'What's to stop us from treating immigrants like Palestinians?' you ask, while describing your understanding of why people support exactly that treatment.
Your entire response is the shell game in literary form: acknowledge the horror while providing eighteen different reasons why supporting it is actually quite reasonable given the circumstances.
Every fascist movement in history has exploited legitimate grievances. Economic anxiety built the Nazi base. Cultural displacement fueled ethnic cleansing across continents. The existence of real problems has never—NEVER—justified authoritarian solutions.
You know what's not a legitimate response to being asked to wear masks? Supporting federal troops against civilians.
You know what's not a proportional reaction to disagreeing with vaccine mandates? Cheering ethnic cleansing.
You know what doesn't justify mass deportation raids? Literally nothing.
Stop performing sophisticated analysis while enabling fascism. Stop treating constitutional democracy as just another policy preference to be negotiated away when you're unhappy with other policies.
Some things don't have two sides. Some positions don't deserve intellectual respect. Some choices reveal character rather than just political preference.
Supporting ethnic cleansing because you didn't like COVID policies isn't reasonable. It's monstrous. And dressing it up in 'both sides' rhetoric doesn't make it less monstrous—it just makes you complicit in making it seem normal.
In no way can my comment be construed as supporting this dystopia. I tried to simply explain how we got here. Fascism does not occur out of nowhere. Like with the Weimar Republic it arose from legitimate grievances and scapegoating, fueled by anger and hate with a strong man cult leader to follow.
Glad it uses the word “perceived” because that proves what I already know, their perception is not based in reality. All those things you mentioned are manufactured issues by the GOP and the MSM.
You have to admit the science behind COVID Policies and Transgender is pretty weak, and there is no excuse for the number of illegals beyond a desire to give corporations access to cheap labor and suppress wages.
You have to admit that the hysteria about the response to a pandemic that took more lives here than anywhere else in the world was pretty weak (a million lives) especially considering our government lied about it for over a month and the guy in charge kept downplaying it. You also have to admit that the hysteria about less than 1% of the population’s lifestyle and who just want to live their own way (you know that thing we call freedom) is pretty weak. And you also have to admit that the hysteria about immigrants pouring across the border only when certain people are the President is pretty weak. Especially considering that one party has been calling it a crisis for 20 years without evidence and uses it to scare weak minded people.
Finally, anyone that calls other human beings “illegal” is clearly morally depraved and weak.
The COVID Policies were developed by Trumps NSC and arguably cost as many lives as the virus in 2020. The virus had an IFR of 0.26% (Omicron is much lower <0.04%), higher in seniors and very low among the under 60’s. In the first wave the deaths occurred mostly in a dozen or so states and up to 40% of deaths in some locations were from those who were nursing home residents. The damage from that first nation wide lockdown which were more extended in blue states was beyond measure and added 5 trillion to the debt.
The rushed to market Warp Speed vaccine using new mRNA technology was inadequately tested and was promoted as stopping infection, something the trial was not designed to detect. Never have so many deaths been reported for a single vaccine and this may have accounted for a non-significant portion of excess deaths. Studies have shown the vaccine temporarily suppresses the immune system leading to higher COVID infection rates. Introduced during the early stages of the 2nd wave to those most susceptible no doubt excerbated the deaths ,
In the first 1 1/2 years the experts denied the virus was transmitted by aerosols, which it clearly was and this is now accepted. They said its transmission was only from droplets and fomites. Masks and Social distancing could potentially reduce transmission from droplets but not aerosols. At no time during this period did anyone suggest increased ventilation
Masking children who are hardly ever effected by COVID unless they have gross comorbidities were forced to mask at school, assuming they were even allowed to attend school, despite no long term studies of the effects of prolonged masking on children’s health and development
Despite no treatment recommendations for someone who tested positive for COVID patients were told to go home and not come back until they could not breathe, and they were not allowed to take approved drugs off-label which many tests and studies have shown may have a beneficial effect. Drugs like HCQ and Ivermectin are safe drugs. Whats the harm. Maybe even a placebo effect. No recommendations to take Vitamin C and D. Whats the harm. Its like they wanted to perpetuate fear. Even those who obtained a prescription from an open minded Doctor could not get prescriptions filled at many pharmacies.
Then we had those stupid tests. Studies show 95% of those testing positive did not have replication competent virus because the Ct threshold <40 was way too high. So case counts exploded justifying more lockdowns or absence from work/school, and of course fear.
Then of course came the various vaccine mandates. Those in Military and providers of health care for Medicare. Universities mandated them. Many corporations mandated the vaccine. Businesses denied service to those without a vaccine card. You could not travel to the US without proof of vaccination to visit relatives. Madness
As for Transgender there is no biological evidence this exists beyond a psychological belief made possible by schools teaching its existence. While the number who proceed to change gender is low , up to 3% went on to identify with a different gender which schools facilitating name changes, dress and bathroom accommodations.
Those who sought professional help would be put on puberty blockers which were prescribed off-label and not approved for use. The approved use for early puberty was based on a clinical trial with only 30-40 participants and no long term follow up.
As for immigration, putting aside politics, this could have been addressed with heavy penalties for businesses or banks providing services for illegals, something neither side pushed. An illegal is anyone in the country without a proper visa and has not applied for asylum. Republicans overuse the term
I’m not going to debate this nonsense because your premise is completely false demonstrating clear bias and ignorance. The same COVID vaccines were used in several other countries around the world and they had less deaths because people did not have a leader who had no clue what they were doing in handling a crisis and undermined his own people. The cause of death in America is because we have lots of uneducated morons who believe lies. For example, believing that COVID would just go away instead of listening to the scientists like Dr. Fauci who was villainized as some kind of monster when he provided clear guidance on how to save people, and believing lies like the response to dealing with COVID was some kind of totalitarian takeover, which it was not.
All your assertions are based on lies which gives you the false perception I was talking about.
As an American living in Taiwan I can tell you that 99% of COVID deaths here occurred after vaccination despite being highly vaxxed (over 90% had 2 shots and 80% were boosted). Explain that.
Excess deaths are still high despite few COVID deaths.
More deaths occurred in US after the vaccination program began. Anyways, you are beyond reach. Good luck
I could but that would take some time on my phone (1 finger tapping). So ChatGBT weighs in
The “line” that some people believe has been crossed with transgender kids, COVID policies, and lax immigration often refers to a perceived breach of traditional norms, parental rights, bodily autonomy, national sovereignty, or social cohesion. Here’s a breakdown of what that might mean in each context:
⸻
1. Transgender Kids
Perceived Line: Intervening in childhood development and parental rights.
Some feel the line is crossed when:
• Schools or doctors affirm a child’s gender identity without parental consent.
• Children are prescribed puberty blockers or hormones while still minors.
• They believe society is encouraging irreversible decisions before adulthood.
Underlying concern:
That institutions (schools, medical providers, government) are overriding parental authority or promoting ideological positions about gender that may influence vulnerable children before they can fully understand the implications.
⸻
2. COVID Policies
Perceived Line: Government overreach into private life and personal medical decisions.
Some feel the line is crossed when:
• Lockdowns and mandates infringe on individual freedoms and livelihoods.
• People are pressured or required to get vaccinated, especially children.
• Alternative viewpoints on treatment or virus origins are censored or discredited.
Underlying concern:
That the pandemic justified a level of government control (on movement, speech, health choices) that sets a dangerous precedent and erodes civil liberties.
⸻
3. Immigration
Perceived Line: Loss of control over national borders and rule of law.
Some feel the line is crossed when:
• Large numbers of people enter illegally and are allowed to stay.
• Immigration enforcement is weakened or politicized.
• Social services are strained or cultural integration is not prioritized.
Underlying concern:
That open or lax immigration policies undermine national identity, economic security, and public safety—creating a system that rewards law-breaking over legal entry.
⸻
Common Thread Across All Three
People who express concern often feel that core societal boundaries are being erased or ignored:
• Authority (parents, citizens, law) is being bypassed.
• Norms are shifting too rapidly without democratic consensus.
• Institutions (media, government, education) are pushing ideologies or policies without accountability.
To them, the “line” is not just policy-based but moral or existential—a sense that the social contract is being rewritten without input or consent from the broader public.
Points well made, yet there is more: yes, many have been cowed into resignation and fear, without actually believing anything pertinent. On the other hand, "No Kings" has brought out and stiffened resistance and opened a window we need to exploit full-on: that the police power you aptly describe is what brought immigrants here in the first place -- from countries overwhelmed by fascist forces funded by corporations. Please read that sentence again; it is at the heart of of our must-do, at the heart of our responsibility as democrats (small "d") and as Americans. The turnout for rallies across the country is tremendously heartening, and we need to run with it, expound on it, elevate it. We do not need riot police in the streets to contain patriotic celebrations of our First Amendment rights. The only proper reaction to that is "WTF"? The only violence on Saturday was incited by police; the murders in Minnesota were inspired by MAGA. Stand up for the rule of law.
Matt Taibbi comes to mind. You should right an article about him and perhaps Shellenberger and other independent journalists who have an enormous Trump shaped blind spot on their authoritarian radar.
Democrats need to stop saying "Republicans need to condemn this political violence." Instead, Democrats need to clearly state that Republicans support political violence and that this isn't about politics as usual.
This! Because we are long past the point of bi-partisanship and expecting somewhat will never happen only makes us look week.
“This is fascism. They support it. Act accordingly.”
This is a bold statement of moral clarity which, of course, leads to dramatic actions. Can the nation survive or do we become another Yugoslavia destined to shatter into irreconcilable shards of violence and resentment? Does moral clarity demand an inevitable moral response? I am envisioning the partitioning of India and the disastrous suffering and carnage that resulted and the murderous animosities still roiling today. Will another wall have to be built between “Red” and “Blue” Americas?
I was stationed in Germany in the 60s and witnessed the progress of Allied “denazification” still a work in progress 20 years after the end of the war. It was an amazing act of moral clarity that allowed no ambiguity in the focus of its purpose. Still today, it is against the law in Germany to support fascism. Nazi fascism was defeated and rooted out by authoritarian martial law. Is a Civil War and martial law the inevitable outcome of embracing moral clarity? My eyes seach the horizon to find a less volatile exit ramp but none are in sight…
The clearest definition of what I have known in my gut and now my broken heart. Thank you
An honest assessment of where we are as a nation.
They have been taught to hate democrats since Reagan said ‘the L word” and Rush Limbaugh called us ‘libtards’. We’ve been at this for 40 years. They know.
Valuable work.
This is the way.
I do think this is true of many. I like to think not all. Part of the problem is that some of the reasons for them supporting Trumps actions have merit (the reasons not the actions). The Left truly did cross the line with transgender kids, COVID policies, and lax immigration policies (Republicans did too but their rhetoric masked this). I think if we are going to get past this both sides will need to make concessions.
Meanwhile both sides are supporting a Genocide and ethnic cleansing in Gaza. When the becomes acceptable over THERE what is to stop us from treating any immigrant or Democrat like Palestinians HERE. Relegated to 2nd class citizens or worse, non-Citizen labor and subject to Military Rule. Hyperbole? Maybe.
Americans have shown themselves to be willing to accept lies and deny abominable acts since 9/11 and the subsequent wars, waterboarding, etc. healthy young people were locked down and a poorly tested vaccine using new technology was forced on the young for a virus which didn't affect them much.
Those who chose not to vaccinate were kicked out of schools, could not travel or eat out and attend certain venues. Family members would refuse them entry into their home. Children were masked and social distance in schools, playgrounds and beaches were closed. The anger these policies caused created a reaction that we are dealing with now even though it was Trumps NSC which created many of these policy guidelines.
It was not just COVID though. The neoliberal economic policies that began under Reagan and were adopted by Democrats as well have gutted the middle and working class. Trump capitalized on this economic reality by blaming other countries and justify a trade war and tax increase (tariffs) that will be born mostly by the middle and working class.
So yeah, people want change .Unfortunately by backing Trump and his Dark Maga thugs they are supporting change that will bring on a dystopian hell.
You've just provided a masterclass in precisely the sophisticated enabling I described. Let me walk you through what you've done here.
You begin by acknowledging that fascist gaslighting is 'true of many'—but not all, of course. You're too sophisticated for such broad generalizations. Then you proceed to demonstrate exactly the rationalization process I outlined: elaborately justifying support for ethnic cleansing because you have policy disagreements with Democrats.
COVID lockdowns were too strict? Fair enough. Immigration policy needs reform? Reasonable position. Economic inequality is real? Absolutely.
Your response? Support mass deportation raids against American cities.
Do you hear yourself? You're treating policy disagreements as equivalent to constitutional demolition. You're suggesting that because some people felt inconvenienced by public health measures, mass deportation of families is a proportional response.
This isn't analysis—it's apologia. You're performing exactly the intellectual gymnastics I warned about, where legitimate policy concerns become elaborate justifications for supporting the unjustifiable.
'Both sides will need to make concessions,' you say. What exactly should the 'concession' be to ethnic cleansing? Should we deport families only on weekends? Should we use gentler language while separating children from parents?
You invoke Gaza—correctly noting the horror there—then somehow use it to rationalize identical horrors here. 'What's to stop us from treating immigrants like Palestinians?' you ask, while describing your understanding of why people support exactly that treatment.
Your entire response is the shell game in literary form: acknowledge the horror while providing eighteen different reasons why supporting it is actually quite reasonable given the circumstances.
Every fascist movement in history has exploited legitimate grievances. Economic anxiety built the Nazi base. Cultural displacement fueled ethnic cleansing across continents. The existence of real problems has never—NEVER—justified authoritarian solutions.
You know what's not a legitimate response to being asked to wear masks? Supporting federal troops against civilians.
You know what's not a proportional reaction to disagreeing with vaccine mandates? Cheering ethnic cleansing.
You know what doesn't justify mass deportation raids? Literally nothing.
Stop performing sophisticated analysis while enabling fascism. Stop treating constitutional democracy as just another policy preference to be negotiated away when you're unhappy with other policies.
Some things don't have two sides. Some positions don't deserve intellectual respect. Some choices reveal character rather than just political preference.
Supporting ethnic cleansing because you didn't like COVID policies isn't reasonable. It's monstrous. And dressing it up in 'both sides' rhetoric doesn't make it less monstrous—it just makes you complicit in making it seem normal.
In no way can my comment be construed as supporting this dystopia. I tried to simply explain how we got here. Fascism does not occur out of nowhere. Like with the Weimar Republic it arose from legitimate grievances and scapegoating, fueled by anger and hate with a strong man cult leader to follow.
Glad it uses the word “perceived” because that proves what I already know, their perception is not based in reality. All those things you mentioned are manufactured issues by the GOP and the MSM.
You have to admit the science behind COVID Policies and Transgender is pretty weak, and there is no excuse for the number of illegals beyond a desire to give corporations access to cheap labor and suppress wages.
You have to admit that the hysteria about the response to a pandemic that took more lives here than anywhere else in the world was pretty weak (a million lives) especially considering our government lied about it for over a month and the guy in charge kept downplaying it. You also have to admit that the hysteria about less than 1% of the population’s lifestyle and who just want to live their own way (you know that thing we call freedom) is pretty weak. And you also have to admit that the hysteria about immigrants pouring across the border only when certain people are the President is pretty weak. Especially considering that one party has been calling it a crisis for 20 years without evidence and uses it to scare weak minded people.
Finally, anyone that calls other human beings “illegal” is clearly morally depraved and weak.
The COVID Policies were developed by Trumps NSC and arguably cost as many lives as the virus in 2020. The virus had an IFR of 0.26% (Omicron is much lower <0.04%), higher in seniors and very low among the under 60’s. In the first wave the deaths occurred mostly in a dozen or so states and up to 40% of deaths in some locations were from those who were nursing home residents. The damage from that first nation wide lockdown which were more extended in blue states was beyond measure and added 5 trillion to the debt.
The rushed to market Warp Speed vaccine using new mRNA technology was inadequately tested and was promoted as stopping infection, something the trial was not designed to detect. Never have so many deaths been reported for a single vaccine and this may have accounted for a non-significant portion of excess deaths. Studies have shown the vaccine temporarily suppresses the immune system leading to higher COVID infection rates. Introduced during the early stages of the 2nd wave to those most susceptible no doubt excerbated the deaths ,
In the first 1 1/2 years the experts denied the virus was transmitted by aerosols, which it clearly was and this is now accepted. They said its transmission was only from droplets and fomites. Masks and Social distancing could potentially reduce transmission from droplets but not aerosols. At no time during this period did anyone suggest increased ventilation
Masking children who are hardly ever effected by COVID unless they have gross comorbidities were forced to mask at school, assuming they were even allowed to attend school, despite no long term studies of the effects of prolonged masking on children’s health and development
Despite no treatment recommendations for someone who tested positive for COVID patients were told to go home and not come back until they could not breathe, and they were not allowed to take approved drugs off-label which many tests and studies have shown may have a beneficial effect. Drugs like HCQ and Ivermectin are safe drugs. Whats the harm. Maybe even a placebo effect. No recommendations to take Vitamin C and D. Whats the harm. Its like they wanted to perpetuate fear. Even those who obtained a prescription from an open minded Doctor could not get prescriptions filled at many pharmacies.
Then we had those stupid tests. Studies show 95% of those testing positive did not have replication competent virus because the Ct threshold <40 was way too high. So case counts exploded justifying more lockdowns or absence from work/school, and of course fear.
Then of course came the various vaccine mandates. Those in Military and providers of health care for Medicare. Universities mandated them. Many corporations mandated the vaccine. Businesses denied service to those without a vaccine card. You could not travel to the US without proof of vaccination to visit relatives. Madness
As for Transgender there is no biological evidence this exists beyond a psychological belief made possible by schools teaching its existence. While the number who proceed to change gender is low , up to 3% went on to identify with a different gender which schools facilitating name changes, dress and bathroom accommodations.
Those who sought professional help would be put on puberty blockers which were prescribed off-label and not approved for use. The approved use for early puberty was based on a clinical trial with only 30-40 participants and no long term follow up.
As for immigration, putting aside politics, this could have been addressed with heavy penalties for businesses or banks providing services for illegals, something neither side pushed. An illegal is anyone in the country without a proper visa and has not applied for asylum. Republicans overuse the term
I’m not going to debate this nonsense because your premise is completely false demonstrating clear bias and ignorance. The same COVID vaccines were used in several other countries around the world and they had less deaths because people did not have a leader who had no clue what they were doing in handling a crisis and undermined his own people. The cause of death in America is because we have lots of uneducated morons who believe lies. For example, believing that COVID would just go away instead of listening to the scientists like Dr. Fauci who was villainized as some kind of monster when he provided clear guidance on how to save people, and believing lies like the response to dealing with COVID was some kind of totalitarian takeover, which it was not.
All your assertions are based on lies which gives you the false perception I was talking about.
As an American living in Taiwan I can tell you that 99% of COVID deaths here occurred after vaccination despite being highly vaxxed (over 90% had 2 shots and 80% were boosted). Explain that.
Excess deaths are still high despite few COVID deaths.
More deaths occurred in US after the vaccination program began. Anyways, you are beyond reach. Good luck
Generally curious here. What line do you think was crossed with Transgender kids, COVID and lax immigration policies.
Can you provide specific examples with evidence that shows they crossed that line?
I could but that would take some time on my phone (1 finger tapping). So ChatGBT weighs in
The “line” that some people believe has been crossed with transgender kids, COVID policies, and lax immigration often refers to a perceived breach of traditional norms, parental rights, bodily autonomy, national sovereignty, or social cohesion. Here’s a breakdown of what that might mean in each context:
⸻
1. Transgender Kids
Perceived Line: Intervening in childhood development and parental rights.
Some feel the line is crossed when:
• Schools or doctors affirm a child’s gender identity without parental consent.
• Children are prescribed puberty blockers or hormones while still minors.
• They believe society is encouraging irreversible decisions before adulthood.
Underlying concern:
That institutions (schools, medical providers, government) are overriding parental authority or promoting ideological positions about gender that may influence vulnerable children before they can fully understand the implications.
⸻
2. COVID Policies
Perceived Line: Government overreach into private life and personal medical decisions.
Some feel the line is crossed when:
• Lockdowns and mandates infringe on individual freedoms and livelihoods.
• People are pressured or required to get vaccinated, especially children.
• Alternative viewpoints on treatment or virus origins are censored or discredited.
Underlying concern:
That the pandemic justified a level of government control (on movement, speech, health choices) that sets a dangerous precedent and erodes civil liberties.
⸻
3. Immigration
Perceived Line: Loss of control over national borders and rule of law.
Some feel the line is crossed when:
• Large numbers of people enter illegally and are allowed to stay.
• Immigration enforcement is weakened or politicized.
• Social services are strained or cultural integration is not prioritized.
Underlying concern:
That open or lax immigration policies undermine national identity, economic security, and public safety—creating a system that rewards law-breaking over legal entry.
⸻
Common Thread Across All Three
People who express concern often feel that core societal boundaries are being erased or ignored:
• Authority (parents, citizens, law) is being bypassed.
• Norms are shifting too rapidly without democratic consensus.
• Institutions (media, government, education) are pushing ideologies or policies without accountability.
To them, the “line” is not just policy-based but moral or existential—a sense that the social contract is being rewritten without input or consent from the broader public.
Points well made, yet there is more: yes, many have been cowed into resignation and fear, without actually believing anything pertinent. On the other hand, "No Kings" has brought out and stiffened resistance and opened a window we need to exploit full-on: that the police power you aptly describe is what brought immigrants here in the first place -- from countries overwhelmed by fascist forces funded by corporations. Please read that sentence again; it is at the heart of of our must-do, at the heart of our responsibility as democrats (small "d") and as Americans. The turnout for rallies across the country is tremendously heartening, and we need to run with it, expound on it, elevate it. We do not need riot police in the streets to contain patriotic celebrations of our First Amendment rights. The only proper reaction to that is "WTF"? The only violence on Saturday was incited by police; the murders in Minnesota were inspired by MAGA. Stand up for the rule of law.
Matt Taibbi comes to mind. You should right an article about him and perhaps Shellenberger and other independent journalists who have an enormous Trump shaped blind spot on their authoritarian radar.
Well said. Thank you. This message needs to be really internalized widely and if/when it is, we will see more and more "no kings" style resistance.
People need to see the areas that are being targeted and attacked, and defend them.
They are attacking real places and they are the places that fascists have identified as the strongest defense against them.
While Democrats look for swing votes, Republicans are using military forces on the people and neighborhoods which have been Democrats base.
Corporations get what they want, these neighborhoods who have there for the Democrats are about to get the boot to the face.
Ask MAGA when they are going to start obeying like North Koreans.
https://youtu.be/NqPqdi3orzQ?si=Eewp0XOwyHr_oMBi