There's little if any real mystery (to me) related to the quadrennial circus and the conditions that we see with respect to. Those conditions include the fact that it is now 'normal' to have possibly the worst / most unfit candidates possible from the two halves of what some call the duopoly; and the absolute, frenzied certainty by their partisans that the only possibly rational choice is THEIR candidate, who will, of course, "save" democracy, America, freedom, etc. No, this is all pretty easily understood especially when we witness the degree of narrative control, and even thought control, that is now so ubiquitous.
Still, while it's no mystery to me, I admit, it hurts my head to try to get my mind fully around it to the point where I can accept this mass ... hysteria? delusion? willingness to suspend all critical thinking? I note the words and expressions of so many within my familial and social circles, with a degree of shock but more than that, sheer horror at what has happened to people of normal to above average intelligence.
Their only fear is of the other side. They seem incapable of seeing the systemic dysfunction itself, much less of addressing it in any meaningful way.
One such friend posted a meme with "Peace, Love and Joy", in flowery/psychedelically-tinged background, with Harris' face in the middle.; and when I saw it, I almost said aloud, "PEACE???" Do they have any clue at all about where she stands on that? Do they not understand that she represents the continuation of a genocide that forces us to recall another horrific fascist government that sparked a World war? Do they not understand that she will all but certainly try to continue, at the neocons' direction, the sacrifice of any remainder of Ukrainian lives to inflict a bit more cost on Russia? Do they not understand that Peace is anathema to the very people who are her strongest backers?
No, none of it is mystery. But it is a shocking tragedy.
I got away with about 20 years of actually being appreciated for teaching critical thinking, because I was at a rez school in a community that values the truth so much that a circle of 15 people playing 'telephone' are able to make a message come out the way it went in. But the admins were either incompetent or incapable of fostering the symbiosis of whole language philosophy with the education of empowerment within remnant culture like I was able to do. Last week, the staffers of the Harris/Walz campaign assaulted people without cause attending a campaign event in Window Rock just for displaying 'Free Palestine' on a sash belt. Settler-colonial politicians don't play well in Navajoland when they act like that. A week after Biden made his lame apology for a century of oppressive and culturally genocidal boarding schools. You can't make this stuff up.
Appreciate your insight and post Paul. We shouldn't be at all surprised by the results that we're getting. This is a racist, sexist, classist, fascist and deeply ignorant society built on the stolen land of the indigenous people that were annihilated.
When I was listening to you, what came to mind was that it's like the real life version of the movie Idiocracy, but more like a horror movie. It's disturbing to bear witness to. You ever feel like your the only sane person in an insane asylum?
That film has frequently come to mind especially during the run up to the election; but even during prior ones, and of course, in between! It has seemed to me that for a few elections, that the D's and R's have put out the absolute worst people possible as candidates.
Maybe the hypothesis of some, that the Dems really don't want to lead but instead prefer to raise money from the sidelines as putative "opposition", should be given more weight.
I often wonder where the sane/moral people are here in Blutopian Santa Fe -- where criticizing Democrats is never welcome = no reform necessary evidently because the other guise is worse. Now we have that other guy. No questions will be asked about how pathetic D's could possibly lose once again.
Yes, that is to me a significant part of the tragedy, John. From the partisans and other liberals, there'll be endless crying that the loss was just because "America isn't ready for a female President", or that Russia or Musk or ..., (pick one) overcame 'democracy'; or that "the other side" is too stupid to recognize Trump's narcissism and moral lacks, etc.
Few other than astute writers like Paul Street and a host of others that the establishment try to disappear will ever engage in any serious introspection that even begins to touch on the actual causes why, for example, the Democrats have willingly abandoned much of their traditional base and in the process, democracy itself.
“… (capitalism) creating various crises, environmental crises, epidemiological crises, obviously economic crises, bus circles, military crises, all kinds of upheavals and crises, I'm beating that word to death, that do require big government intervention.
But when democracy is delegitimized in the minds of people, they turn to a leader, a one leader. It says, I alone can fix it. It just, it opens the door for authoritarianism…”
I wanted to see that again instead of listening.
I’m a slow learner.
You explained it well: capitalism has institutionalized bribery and made our democracy illegitimate.
First time I could vote. I joined a group heckling Agnew. All idealistic for McGovern. Protested Vietnam … then Nixon, Reagon(omics) ;knew Republicans were real trouble, not at all surprised with the steal of HangingShadBush… well yes Gore/Dems did not fight back with the, “intent of voter should be counted”! No real fight from Dems since then. Nader can’t get on Ballot. Bernie stops his Independent race, went to Dem side. Hell Bernie and Obama grew silent amidst these goings on, now 9 yrs.( especially as of 2020) in the MAGA takeover in your face ! That group I went to in protesting Agnew was organized by Students for Democratic Society. The FBI came to my friend Rick’s house to question ANY affiliation. We gave them a party (cake&ice cream, they as the real men in black, refused) ! So yes hate/bigotry is a helluva talking point here and mixed with all the F’n money needed. During Nixon, that Joe McGinness book ‘ The Selling of the President’ was a prediction! MAGA/GOP=Hate$bigotries=Fascism. We are all complacent: Dems (ought to have, fought back for real and truly had led us). Now we all wait AGAIN …for midterm voting - lol!
Worst case scenario for CNN, MSNBC et. al. I really appreciate "What's the mystery?" analysis This is helpful grounding as we proceed forward and collectively figure out how to wrench a truly emancipatory future out of this s...show. Interesting phenomena not only that 71-72 million voted for Trump, but that only 64-65 million voted for Kamala. That will need to be dug into too. I plan on sharing this podcast along with "NO ELECTION CAN LEGITIMIZE FASCISM! WE REJECT A TRUMP FASCIST AMERICA! WE NEED AND WE DEMAND: A WHOLE NEW WAY TO LIVE, A FUNDAMENTALLY DIFFERENT SYSTEM" very broadly. No one ever said it would be easy :)
Upon waking up today - coffee then this commentary - how refreshing to hear Paul talk about how we got here - VERY REFRESHING commentary in this Land of the Casi Libre.
There's little if any real mystery (to me) related to the quadrennial circus and the conditions that we see with respect to. Those conditions include the fact that it is now 'normal' to have possibly the worst / most unfit candidates possible from the two halves of what some call the duopoly; and the absolute, frenzied certainty by their partisans that the only possibly rational choice is THEIR candidate, who will, of course, "save" democracy, America, freedom, etc. No, this is all pretty easily understood especially when we witness the degree of narrative control, and even thought control, that is now so ubiquitous.
Still, while it's no mystery to me, I admit, it hurts my head to try to get my mind fully around it to the point where I can accept this mass ... hysteria? delusion? willingness to suspend all critical thinking? I note the words and expressions of so many within my familial and social circles, with a degree of shock but more than that, sheer horror at what has happened to people of normal to above average intelligence.
Their only fear is of the other side. They seem incapable of seeing the systemic dysfunction itself, much less of addressing it in any meaningful way.
One such friend posted a meme with "Peace, Love and Joy", in flowery/psychedelically-tinged background, with Harris' face in the middle.; and when I saw it, I almost said aloud, "PEACE???" Do they have any clue at all about where she stands on that? Do they not understand that she represents the continuation of a genocide that forces us to recall another horrific fascist government that sparked a World war? Do they not understand that she will all but certainly try to continue, at the neocons' direction, the sacrifice of any remainder of Ukrainian lives to inflict a bit more cost on Russia? Do they not understand that Peace is anathema to the very people who are her strongest backers?
No, none of it is mystery. But it is a shocking tragedy.
Thank you for this reflection.
I feel the same way Roger - WTF ? Here in Blutopian Santa Fe the shock of the genocide backer losing to the idiot is monumental.
I sent this to 10 of my liberal friends on fb messenger.
Cool. Yeah they need to seriously confront what this system has produced.
I got away with about 20 years of actually being appreciated for teaching critical thinking, because I was at a rez school in a community that values the truth so much that a circle of 15 people playing 'telephone' are able to make a message come out the way it went in. But the admins were either incompetent or incapable of fostering the symbiosis of whole language philosophy with the education of empowerment within remnant culture like I was able to do. Last week, the staffers of the Harris/Walz campaign assaulted people without cause attending a campaign event in Window Rock just for displaying 'Free Palestine' on a sash belt. Settler-colonial politicians don't play well in Navajoland when they act like that. A week after Biden made his lame apology for a century of oppressive and culturally genocidal boarding schools. You can't make this stuff up.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXW27SZieRk
It's 10:34 pm in Chicago and I'm turning in and it looks like Trump. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/11/05/us/elections/results-president-forecast-needle.html
Appreciate your insight and post Paul. We shouldn't be at all surprised by the results that we're getting. This is a racist, sexist, classist, fascist and deeply ignorant society built on the stolen land of the indigenous people that were annihilated.
When I was listening to you, what came to mind was that it's like the real life version of the movie Idiocracy, but more like a horror movie. It's disturbing to bear witness to. You ever feel like your the only sane person in an insane asylum?
That film has frequently come to mind especially during the run up to the election; but even during prior ones, and of course, in between! It has seemed to me that for a few elections, that the D's and R's have put out the absolute worst people possible as candidates.
Maybe the hypothesis of some, that the Dems really don't want to lead but instead prefer to raise money from the sidelines as putative "opposition", should be given more weight.
I often wonder where the sane/moral people are here in Blutopian Santa Fe -- where criticizing Democrats is never welcome = no reform necessary evidently because the other guise is worse. Now we have that other guy. No questions will be asked about how pathetic D's could possibly lose once again.
Yes, that is to me a significant part of the tragedy, John. From the partisans and other liberals, there'll be endless crying that the loss was just because "America isn't ready for a female President", or that Russia or Musk or ..., (pick one) overcame 'democracy'; or that "the other side" is too stupid to recognize Trump's narcissism and moral lacks, etc.
Few other than astute writers like Paul Street and a host of others that the establishment try to disappear will ever engage in any serious introspection that even begins to touch on the actual causes why, for example, the Democrats have willingly abandoned much of their traditional base and in the process, democracy itself.
“… (capitalism) creating various crises, environmental crises, epidemiological crises, obviously economic crises, bus circles, military crises, all kinds of upheavals and crises, I'm beating that word to death, that do require big government intervention.
But when democracy is delegitimized in the minds of people, they turn to a leader, a one leader. It says, I alone can fix it. It just, it opens the door for authoritarianism…”
I wanted to see that again instead of listening.
I’m a slow learner.
You explained it well: capitalism has institutionalized bribery and made our democracy illegitimate.
First time I could vote. I joined a group heckling Agnew. All idealistic for McGovern. Protested Vietnam … then Nixon, Reagon(omics) ;knew Republicans were real trouble, not at all surprised with the steal of HangingShadBush… well yes Gore/Dems did not fight back with the, “intent of voter should be counted”! No real fight from Dems since then. Nader can’t get on Ballot. Bernie stops his Independent race, went to Dem side. Hell Bernie and Obama grew silent amidst these goings on, now 9 yrs.( especially as of 2020) in the MAGA takeover in your face ! That group I went to in protesting Agnew was organized by Students for Democratic Society. The FBI came to my friend Rick’s house to question ANY affiliation. We gave them a party (cake&ice cream, they as the real men in black, refused) ! So yes hate/bigotry is a helluva talking point here and mixed with all the F’n money needed. During Nixon, that Joe McGinness book ‘ The Selling of the President’ was a prediction! MAGA/GOP=Hate$bigotries=Fascism. We are all complacent: Dems (ought to have, fought back for real and truly had led us). Now we all wait AGAIN …for midterm voting - lol!
Worst case scenario for CNN, MSNBC et. al. I really appreciate "What's the mystery?" analysis This is helpful grounding as we proceed forward and collectively figure out how to wrench a truly emancipatory future out of this s...show. Interesting phenomena not only that 71-72 million voted for Trump, but that only 64-65 million voted for Kamala. That will need to be dug into too. I plan on sharing this podcast along with "NO ELECTION CAN LEGITIMIZE FASCISM! WE REJECT A TRUMP FASCIST AMERICA! WE NEED AND WE DEMAND: A WHOLE NEW WAY TO LIVE, A FUNDAMENTALLY DIFFERENT SYSTEM" very broadly. No one ever said it would be easy :)
Upon waking up today - coffee then this commentary - how refreshing to hear Paul talk about how we got here - VERY REFRESHING commentary in this Land of the Casi Libre.
I can Paul.
Wake up!
Just to be clear, I am in this talk telling people why yes there is mass support for Trump in the USA.