Thoughts on a Cross-country Flight
As I write this, Delta Flight 996 wings me across the nation to Los Angeles and a few days of meetings. Three thoughts are topmost in my mind today:
South Carolina Isn’t Important But Haley Might Be
The results will be exactly what they’ll be, and we can expect autocratic triumphalism to be the order of the day from Trump’s chorus of toadies, bootlicks, and wannabe appointees. Yes, I wish Nikki Haley could keep bleeding a meaningful part of the GOP away from Trump, but I’m cynical enough to have seen this movie too many times before.
The task at hand is the task at hand, and for every post-SC story about the meat grinder of MAGA base politics doing what it does, it’s time to look at the necessity to go beyond beating Trump in the general.
As I wrote a few days ago, I hope Nikki Haley makes the hardest choice and joins the resistance to Donald Trump. The faction of conservatives who see her as a bridge past Trump were wrong, but it doesn’t mean having her voice continue to deliver a critique of Trump that skips the dumb, consultant-driven “Biden is so awful…” tropes while pinging Donald Trump.
Nikki, if you missed it, Trump is threatening to investigate and jail you if he wins. You have nothing let to lose, even if you don’t believe it yet.
The CPAC Window
The character of the MAGA GOP and America’s emergent fascist party were on full display at the annual CPAC conference this weekend.
From the moment poxy felon and Lenin fanboy Steve Bannon and white nationalist conspiracy nut Jack Posobiec (some day, I’ll tell you How Jack Lost His Security Clearance) set the tone for the weekend, it was clear the MAGA GOP is fully post-conservative, post- constitutional, and post-American.
They want to end democracy and our Constitutional Republic. Over and over again, CPAC speakers from Trump on down gave a Black Mirror future a full airing.
They aren’t joking. They’re not trolling. They’re not just pushing the Overton Window to the right.
Their threat is real, and they aren’t hiding it.
Trump’s Speech Was A Dark Preview
I just clipped a number of quotes from his insane speech, and I’ll translate them for you.
The bar is so low that the outright mania of his threats, lies, slanders, and madness barely rates an eye roll from the media.
I’m skipping some of the ad-lib, off-script lunacy…these are for the most part lines written for him by speechwriters, and reflect a darker and more considered set of threats than his japery.
“For hardworking Americans, November 5th will be our new liberation day. But for the liars and cheaters and fraudsters and censors and imposters who have commandeered our government, it will be their judgment day!”
Translation: I have a hit list, and use the power of government at ever level to punish and imprison my critics.
“Your victory will be our ultimate vindication, your liberty will be our ultimate reward and the unprecedented success of the United States of America will be my ultimate and absolute revenge.”
Translation: The only word that counts is revenge.
“These are the stakes of this election. Our country is being destroyed, and the only thing standing between you and it’s obliteration is me.”
“And in many ways, we’re living in hell right now because the fact is, Joe Biden is a threat to democracy – really is a threat to democracy.”
Translation: Projection is one hell of a drug.
“I stand before you today not only as your past and hopefully future president but as a proud political dissident. I am a dissident.”
“They’ve replaced law, precedent and due process with a rabid mob of radical left Democrat partisans masquerading as judges and juries and prosecutors.”
Translation: After five decades I’m being held accountable for my fraud and criminality in by business life, and for trying to overthrow an election.
“The Stalinist show trials being carried out at Joe Biden’s orders set fire not only to our system of government but to hundreds of years of western legal tradition.”
Translation: Projection is one hell of a drug. Also, elect me and watch my DOJ and IRS punish my enemies.
“They’re coming from Asia, they’re coming from the Middle East, coming from all over the world, coming from Africa, and we’re not going to stand for it. They’re destroying our country.”
“No, they’re killing our people. They’re killing our country. We have no choice.”
“We have languages coming into our country … they have languages that nobody in this country has ever heard of. It’s a horrible thing.”
Translation: White nationalists are my base. Please live in terror of the brown people.
Trump also called his wife Melania “Mercedes.” If Biden had said that, I assure you we’d have nonstop mainstream media coverage about his age and sanity.
Please pardon typos…I’m doing this on my phone on a bumpy plane ride.
One more CPAC note…
We got the trucks out again today and the CPAC goons waiting to see Trump got the new Fred ad
…
The Founders knew precisely the danger of someone like Trump. From the Washington Post:
When they drafted the Constitution, the Founders’ greatest fear was that a populist demagogue would flatter the mob, subvert American democracy and establish authoritarian rule. “The only path to a subversion of the republican system of the Country is, by flattering the prejudices of the people, and exciting their jealousies and apprehensions, to throw affairs into confusion, and bring on civil commotion,” Alexander Hamilton wrote to George Washington in 1792. “When a man unprincipled in private life[,] desperate in his fortune, bold in his temper … is seen to mount the hobby horse of popularity … It may justly be suspected that his object is to throw things into confusion that he may ‘ride the storm and direct the whirlwind.’”
Thomas Jefferson agreed with Hamilton about very little, except for the danger of populist demagogues. After he read a draft of the Constitution, his main concern was that an unscrupulous candidate in the distant future might lose an election and refuse to leave office. “If once elected, and at a second or third election outvoted by one or two votes, he will pretend false votes, foul play, hold possession of the reins of government, be supported by the States voting for him,” Jefferson wrote to James Madison in 1787.
I’m happy Nikki is pinging him, but until she has the balls to stand up and say, “yeah, the 91 indictments against him are warranted” and stop with the “he’s chaos!” Nonsense, she’s not really in the game.
He’s insane and what he’d do in the presidency a second time would be beyond hell, but what I find really disheartening is the GOP who kiss his ass no matter what he vomits out of his pursed little anus-like mouth. (C’mon, you’ve all thought it, his mouth does indeed look like an asshole.)
It’s going to be a long fight.