Spot The Bully

 

Scarlett Lewis, whose six-year-old son Jesse was killed in the Sandy Hook shooting took the stand in Alex Jones's civil trial. She said Jones is the “biggest bully I've ever faced”.

Of course he’s a bully. He portrays himself as a “tough guy” to con and frighten his dupes into giving him their money. His hateful rhetoric and participation in Trump’s coup also make him a bully. Have you noticed how bullies are almost always the people with authoritarian personalities? They’re arrogant, pushy, bossy, intimidating and rude whenever it suits their ego and agenda.

There are other indications that reveal the bullies.

How an entertainer or speaker responds to hecklers reveals their composure, or lack thereof. It also reflects the degree of decency, humor, and tolerance they may have.

How someone deals with a heckler can also indicate the presence of an authoritarian personality.

We can compare the former president and our current president for contrast in character, personality and composure.

See if you can spot the authoritarian personality, or the fascist, or if you feel neither term applies, the bully.

Biden:

“Let him go. Look, everybody’s entitled to be an idiot.”

“They’re entitled to be outrageous, this is a democracy. Good manners is nothing they’ve ever suffered from, but history and common sense tell us that opportunity, liberty and justice for all are most likely to come to pass in a democracy.”

Trump:

“Get him out! Try not to hurt him. If you do, I’ll defend you in court. Don’t worry about it.”

“I’d like to punch him in the face!”

“If you see somebody getting ready to throw a tomato, knock the crap out of them. I’ll pay the legal fees.”

“Throw them out into the cold. Don’t give them their coats. No coats! Confiscate their coats.”

Bonus response to an unruly violent audience:

After watching them beat cops and terrorize Congress for THREE hours on TV, Trump PRAISED his thugs.

"You're very special. We love you."

The same person endorsed Massachusetts gubernatorial candidate Geoff Diehl with this statement:

"Geoff is a proven fighter who successfully pushes back on the ultraliberal extremists, He'll rule your state with an iron fist, and he'll do what has to be done."

"Iron fist." Cruelty is the point. Bullying is their tactic.

In 1944 George Orwell asked, What is Fascism?

Of all the unanswered questions of our time, perhaps the most important is: “What is Fascism?”

Why, then, cannot we have a clear and generally accepted definition of it? Alas! we shall not get one — not yet, anyway.

Except for the relatively small number of Fascist sympathizers, almost any English person would accept ‘bully’ as a synonym for ‘Fascist’. That is about as near to a definition as this much-abused word has come.

Can’t argue with that. All fascists are bullies, by their authoritarian nature.

Constitution, Not Con-stitution

 

With the kind indulgence of the reader, I’d like to continue my analysis of the radical Right mentality.

Our friend Darrell says in his "Constitution Day" post he loves the Constitution, and agrees it is wise that it not be “re-written”, or amended. He believes anyone who wants to do this now is deemed a “leftist who hates America”.

Let’s remember the ideals of the founders, and how they understood the need for amending the Constitution “to form a more perfect union”.

Let’s also remember the founding ideal of “consent of the governed”, and that it was horribly mitigated by systemic inequalities and anti-democratic flaws written into our Constitution. Slavery, limited right to vote, the Electoral selection for president, and the disproportionate unrepresentative Senate that obliterated the concept of one man/ one vote for our federal government.

These passages will be our reference for discussion:

Declaration of Independence, second paragraph:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.

Preamble to the US Constitution:

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

As I previously noted, traditional definitions of words may not be accepted, and are unilaterally redefined, by the radical Right. I appended some definitions to help clear up their muddy views.

Darrell’s “Constitution Day” post quoted a conservative college’s pitch for donations:

Underlying these efforts to destroy our Constitution is the movement in American schools and universities to push a false and dishonest account of American history. This account portrays our nation as essentially racist and irredeemably unjust.

It’s no surprise, then, that a recent Rasmussen poll found that over half of President Biden’s strong supporters think the Constitution “should be mostly or completely rewritten.” 

This is outrageously dishonest radical Right dogma. Only the Right are banning and burning books, banning the teaching of the history of slavery and racism as “Marxist CRT”, and banning words referring to non-heterosexual persons. Yes, the hypocritical “victims of cancel culture” want to cancel not only educators, but the votes of 81 million Americans who voted against Trump.

An Anonymous comment informed Darrell that Thomas Jefferson agreed with over half of Biden’s supporters:

Constitution Day is the perfect time to remind everyone that Thomas Jefferson said we should rewrite the Constitution every 20 years.

In a letter written to James Madison from Paris just after the French Revolution had broken out, Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826) argues that any Constitution expires after 19 years and must be renewed if it is not to become “an act of force and not of right”:

“The question Whether one generation of men has a right to bind another, seems never to have been started either on this or our side of the water… (But) between society and society, or generation and generation there is no municipal obligation, no umpire but the law of nature. We seem not to have perceived that, by the law of nature, one generation is to another as one independant nation to another… On similar ground it may be proved that no society can make a perpetual constitution, or even a perpetual law. The earth belongs always to the living generation… Every constitution, then, and every law, naturally expires at the end of 19. years. If it be enforced longer, it is an act of force and not of right.”

Darrell ignored Jefferson’s words, and defended the permanence of outdated provisions of the Constitution. Once again his extremely biased views required factual italicized corrections.

Darrell’s response to Jefferson:

~~~~

 Anonymous, Madison and our other founders provided a way to change that constitution through the amendment process when necessary. It was intentionally made to be rather difficult so it would not be altered for light and transient reasons based on foolish trends or fashions of the moment.

(Ironically Darrell borrows terms from the Declaration of Independence: “Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed.”

Are his ideas of “Light and transient reasons based on foolish trends or fashions” like abolition of slavery, equal rights for Blacks, voter rights for Blacks and Women, popular vote for Senators, Equal rights for women? All these “Light and transient reasons based on foolish trends or fashions” were strongly opposed by conservatives. THIS is why they love having our Constitutional changes dependent upon the minority power of the Senate and lily white conservative state governments. They have NEVER supported equal rights, and fair representative by the majority of voters in elections. They bitterly resent those who demand such reforms. This is also why they support the treasonous lies and attacks on our democracy by Donald Trump.)

Further, the constitution itself was written so as to LIMIT government, while enshrining citizens' rights. (Wrong. It outlined government duties and processes. The authors enshrined the rights of wealthy white people as “citizens”. NOT all Americans.) ONLY those things written in the constitution are the responsibilities of the government. (OK, yes. Just ignore the parts about Constitutional taxes, regulation of commerce, and provision for the general welfare, amirite?) All other rights and responsibilities belong with the states or the people. (Those words are NOT from the Constitution. “States rights” are what allowed slavery, discrimination, systemic racism, and denying women their reproductive freedom. Conservatives have ALWAYS wanted to limit the rights of minorities and women. That’s NOT what the 9th Amendment protects.

The US Constitution: Amendment 9

The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.)

No wonder the left wants to "re-write" and scrap our constitution. (See what I mean? The Constitution has been historically “re-written” by amendments to abolish slavery, allow fair representation, direct vote for senators, civil liberties, voter rights, and civil rights. All were OPPOSED by conservatives.)

It restricts leftism. (“Leftism” means protected rights, democracy and equality. It also supports Constitutional taxes, regulation of commerce, and provision for the general welfare that Darrell calls “hating America”.)

As Obama said, it is a document of "negative liberties". Negative, because it restricted him from using government to do much more than what it was legally entitled to do. It was a impediment to him "fundamentally transforming America".

(“Negative liberty is the absence of obstacles, barriers or constraints. One has negative liberty to the extent that actions are available to one in this negative sense. Positive liberty is the possibility of acting — or the fact of acting — in such a way as to take control of one’s life and realize one’s fundamental purposes.” 

Obama was referring to precedent, and what the Warren Supreme Court interpreted. Darrell also voted for the criminal who said Obama was a foreign usurper. What Obama said:

“The Supreme Court never ventured into the issues of redistribution of wealth, and of more basic issues such as political and economic justice in society… [The Supreme Court] didn’t break free from the essential constraints that were placed by the Founding Fathers in the Constitution, at least as it’s been interpreted, and the Warren Court interpreted in the same way, that generally the Constitution is a charter of negative liberties. [It] says what the states can’t do to you. [It] says what the federal government can’t do to you, but [it] doesn’t say what the federal government or state government must do on your behalf.”)

Nowadays we ignore it altogether. (No evidence provided.) That is why a charlatan and crook accepting bribes in the form of business transactions from China, Russia, and Ukraine can sit in the White House now. (No evidence cited.) It is just one of myriads of reasons why he should be impeached too. (Again, no evidence. Darrell forgot about “Russia, if you’re listening...” Trump Tower Moscow, Deutsche Bank, illegally paying off porn stars, cronies meeting with Russians, giving secrets to Russians in the Oval Office, siding with Putin in Helsinki, extorting Ukraine to interfere against his opponent, lying about winning the election, inciting an angry mob to obstruct a Constitutional proceeding, to overturn the election, and praising his thugs for terrorizing Congress and brutally beating cops. Never mind the billions Kushner got from the Saudis and millions raked in by “advisor” Ivanka. Trump paid his daughter Ivanka $747,622 for 'consulting,' then deducted it from his taxes. All noble and pure in the Trump Cult.)

Indeed I can respect and support "liberals" as defined by the current usage of the term, even when I disagree with them. It is the leftists that HATE our country and want to dismantle it; not liberals. Leftists have no use for liberals that are not fully supportive of their agenda, while us conservatives are deemed as outright fascists. (Darrell initially condemned, and then refused to condemn, Trump for inciting a violent mob to interfere with Congress and beat cops, and after watching them for three hours doing just that on TV, praising his violent mob of thugs. How is that  NOT fascist?  It’s those “leftists” that are the real fascists in his disordered mind.)

~~~~

Definitions for grounding in reality:

“Liberalism” from Oxford:

1. willingness to respect or accept behaviour or opinions different from one's own; openness to new ideas.

2. a political and social philosophy that promotes individual rights, civil liberties, democracy, and free enterprise.

 

“Left (Ideology)” from Britannica:

Left, in politics, the portion of the political spectrum associated in general with egalitarianism and popular or state control of the major institutions of political and economic life. The term dates from the 1790s, when in the French revolutionary parliament the socialist representatives sat to the presiding officer’s left. Leftists tend to be hostile to the interests of traditional elites, including the wealthy and members of the aristocracy, and to favour the interests of the working class (see proletariat). They tend to regard social welfare, governmental programs that provide assistance to those in need, as the most important goal of government. Socialism is the standard leftist ideology in most countries of the world; communism is a more radical leftist ideology.

“Right (Ideology)” from Britannica:

Right, portion of the political spectrum associated with conservative political thought. The term derives from the seating arrangement of the French revolutionary parliament (c. 1790s) in which the conservative representatives sat to the presiding officer’s right. In the 19th century the term applied to conservatives who supported authority, tradition, and property. In the 20th century a divergent, radical form developed that was associated with fascism.

To simplify, the American Left is the democratic socialism of Bernie Sanders. The American radical Right is the fascism of Donald Trump.

Authoritarian Authority

 

If you take a broad overview of their propaganda, you'll find the radical Right authoritarians will routinely and arrogantly assume the unilateral authority to redefine any term to fit their agenda.

Slime merchant and sleazy husband Newt Gingrich and propagandist Frank Luntz made it their standard operating procedure.

African Americans used the term "woke" to mean awareness of racial injustice and inequality. It is just the latest word the radical White Right stole and redefined as a slur.

A few more examples:

Estate tax = "Death tax"

Journalists and News media = when “liberal media” wasn’t sufficient, "fake news" and “enemy of the people”.

Progressive = "communist"

Democrat ="Socialist/communist/fascist"

Constitutional taxation = "Theft/Tyranny”

Constitutional provision for the general welfare =  "socialism/communism”

Constitutional public education = "Socialism"

Constitutional public healthcare = "socialism/communism"

Constitutional regulation of commerce =  "socialism”

Constitutional safety nets, Social Security, Medicare, etc. =  "socialism/communism”

Fair elections =  "Rigged elections"

Democracy = "Mob rule"

Masks and vaccinations = "Fascism"

“Woke”= Anything that annoys the radical Right, especially discussions of racial injustice and inequality.

In August 2020, Luntz was asked what the defining principles of the Republican Party were, to which he responded, "You know, I don’t have a history of dodging questions. But I don’t know how to answer that. There is no consistent philosophy."

I would suggest an answer.

Yes, there is a consistent “philosophy”.

Coddling the rich, pandering to religious bigots, and undermining truth, elections, democracy and the will of the majority. 

As with the terms above, examples abound.

Fascist Fantasies

My old buddy Darrell Michaels is back to blogging.

Readers may remember when Darrell banned me from his blog for saying “hateful” things. (It was fine for someone to call me a “racist commie”, though.)

I admit to being snarky in response to his outrageous claims. I must have angered him, or made him uncomfortable with facts.

But I admit I missed Darrell. He always inspired me. I’m so happy he’s back to vent his anger, resentments, scapegoating and misunderstanding of almost every issue.

He’s rather upset by President Biden calling election-denying, rioting Trumpists “semi-fascists”.

Mah stars! This triggered a pandemic of pearl-clutching. Please pass the smelling salts.

So Darrell had to respond to this outrage, and expounded on the hypothetical idea, “If I Were a Fascist Bent on Destroying America...”

He means Democrats. As everyone on the far Right will tell you, “Democrats are destroying America”.

He’s so upset, he’s taken a new direction in his attacks on Democrats. For he is a righteous man

Democrats are no longer communists, but fascists. Or they are fascists, socialists, communists, anarchists, arsonists, or are of any other ideology that hates America, or opposes Trump. It’s all the same thing to them.

Confused? Don’t be. The radical Right has always assumed authority to unilaterally define terms to suit their mood and agenda. Democracy is now a bad thing for a republic. Minority rule that denies rights is better than majority rule with minority rights. Trump is an honest, but very unfairly persecuted, patriot. White conservatives are the real victims of racism, etc.

With my remarks italicized, let’s learn how the radical Right Trump Cult views “fascism”.

~~~~

If I Were a Fascist Bent on Destroying America

If I were a fascist or even a semi-fascist and wanted to destroy our democratic republic and eradicate the freedoms that our constitution was formed in order to protect, how could I best go about doing so?

Well, I would first want to take over our education system in order to indoctrinate our kids into believing that they live in an unjust and racist nation that brings nothing but ruin to others throughout the world. (Not happening. The straw man fallacy is his friend.) I would ignore teaching them of the United States history where we overcame so many great sins, like slavery and women’s inequality in rights.(The radical Right is banning teaching the history of slavery and racism, falsely labeling it “CRT”)  I would bury the truth of how the United States fought and buried hundreds of thousands of men in defense against the true fascism of Nazi Germany, Imperial Japan, and Mussolini’s Italy. (Where is WWII history “buried”?) I surely wouldn’t tell of the largesse in charity and foreign aid given to nations throughout the world, especially in times of disaster.  No, that would go against the woke narrative.(He thinks the “woke narrative” opposes financial aid?)  Oh, and I’d erase college debt for the rich that went to college and put the burden on the tax payers that chose not to go, as they couldn’t afford it. (He thinks public education is “fascism”?)

I would champion that I was a member of the party of science (Because pollution contributes to climate change?)  and then explain how gender is fluid and boys can actually be women and dominate girls’ sports, walk around naked in girls’ shower rooms, and any complaining about that or the man’s ability to menstruate or become pregnant would immediately be mocked and shut down with cries of transphobia. (Can he name ONE Democrat proposing boys take showers with schoolgirls?)

Which leads to the next thing that I would do, which would be to weaken and eventually destroy the traditional nuclear family. (Because Newt Gingrich, Rush Limbaugh and Trump and their TEN wives exemplify the “traditional nuclear family”?)  It is just another form of patriarchal oppression designed to keep women and children in their places, even though I would ignore the fact that my supreme court justice would be unable to define what a woman was. (The women on the court actually know they are women.)

Next, I would raise taxes on the “rich” and on corporations that “don’t pay their fair share” in order to appease the ignorant and greedy among us.  (For “defense against true fascism”: In 1944-45, “the most progressive tax years in U.S. history,” the 94% rate applied to any income above $200,000, $2.4 million in 2009 dollars, given inflation. In World War Two, tax law revisions increased the numbers of “those paying some income taxes” from 7% of the U.S. population (1940) to 64% by 1944. ) I sure wouldn’t let it be known that the top 1% of income earners pay nearly 40% of the federal tax burden while only making 20% of the national income.  I would never tell that the bottom 50% of income earners pay 3% of the overall federal tax burden.  Oh, and I wouldn’t let the foolish know that corporations simply pass the cost of corporate taxes onto their customers via higher prices for their goods and services.  I’d certainly never point out the waste, fraud, and abuse of our federal revenues by our congress and president to fund things never intended and often forbidden in our constitution.  But I would definitely add 87000 more IRS agents to bring in additional revenue anyway. (So Constitutional taxation is also “fascism?)

I would abandon our non-woke allies, (What is “non-woke” anyway?) especially those that have fought and died beside us, like the myriads of good people we left behind in Afghanistan along with not too few Americans.  I would ignore the only stable democracy and friend in the Middle East and champion the creation of a terrorist state right beside Israel with a divided Jerusalem as their respective capitals. (Never happened. The US has always supported Israel. In September 2016, under Obama, the two governments signed a new ten-year Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on military aid covering FY2019 to FY2028.)  I would give the terrorist mullahs of Iran whatever they wanted in exchange for proven empty promises of not building nuclear weapons. (Diplomacy for arms reduction with monitoring is fascism?).

I would sacrifice America’s energy independence by fiat so that inefficient and woefully inadequate “green technologies” could be subsidized by tax payers and thus create enormous inflation in energy costs.  (Because Biden is to blame for global inflation, and climate change is a “hoax”?) Of course, those cost would be transmitted on down to the necessary goods we need as the price of creating them and transporting them to market skyrocket accordingly.(Corporate profits, especially energy, are at record highs.)

I would collude with like-minded fascist politicians, media outlets, and social media CEOs to ensure that only my narrative of the good I am doing was promulgated to the ignorant masses.  I would ensure that any contrary opinion, especially if backed by evidence, was censored at best or ridiculed as false information and ironically as propaganda at worst. (Hmm. The old “Fake News!” whine. Regurgitating only pro-Trump and GOP propaganda by FOX(R), OAN. NewsMax would meet that standard.)

Continuing, I would point out that the constitution is a “document of negative liberties” that restricts the benevolence of our federal government from taking the steps necessary to take care of us all from womb to the tomb.  Assuming one makes it out of the womb alive, that is. (Actually the Constitution LITERALLY provides for federal taxes, regulation of commerce, and provision for the general welfare.)

I would find non-existent rights in the constitution to kill our unborn and decry the ruin of democracy as the court sends the issue back to the people of the United States to actually vote on the issue. ( Women’s reproductive freedom be damned, ALL must follow MY religion.) All the while, I would take firmly existing rights that the constitution clearly states are rights of all Americans and restrict them to my own benefit.  Freedom of speech would be curtailed if it was offensive and be branded as hate speech. (Death threats should be legal, or it’s “fascism”?)  Owning any firearm greater than a musket would be curtailed as a tool of violent extremists, (Straw man again. Modern assault weapons for racists, teenagers and untrained idiots is the issue.) while ignoring the actual violent extremists who burn down our neighborhoods in mostly peaceful protests. (BLM and Floyd protests were largely peaceful, data confirms. In CCC data collected from May 2020 to June 2021, 94% of protests involved no participant arrests, 97.9% involved no participant injuries, 98.6% involved no injuries to police, and 96.7% involved no property damage.) I’d defund the police too, but ensure that a social worker shows up to handle any hostile but misunderstood ne’er do well. (Um. Fascism is by nature a police state.) Religious liberties would continue to be ignored and restricted. (Because the Constitution demands everyone must conform to a conservative’s religion?)

I would ensure that laws were enforced and evidence fabricated against my enemies while turning a blind eye to the law breaking by those whom agree with my fascism. (Trump’s coup was “legitimate political discourse, NOT a fascist Putsch?) I’d weaponize the FBI and make sure that those with the temerity to rise up against me would be brought low with the full might of the federal government. (Like firing the FBI director for investigating foreign interference in an election? Like hiring his replacement for condemning the investigation? Like telling the FBI to interfere with an election by lying, “Just say it was corrupt and leave the rest to me and the Republican representatives”?)

While I understand that America is a fascist, racist, sexist, homo-phobic nation,(Meaning Proud Boys, Oath Keepers, and anti-immigrant Trumpists?) I would still open the borders to those foolish enough to still want to come here. (Last I checked people are still being turned away, and record amounts of drugs seized.)  I wouldn’t ask about their vaccination status, let alone their criminal record as I welcome the drug traffickers, human smugglers, and terrorists into our nation with open arms. (Who does this? Another straw man.)  This does not excuse citizens from not being vaccinated as per my fascist mandates, mind you!  (Aha! I knew it! Vaccinations are the same as Hitler’s Final Solution!)

I would do all of this to unite this nation while pointing out that those that disagree with me are violent extremists bent on destroying our way of life. (From the guy who cannot blame Trump for sending an angry mob to overturn our election. He sees Trump as a “patriot” after he watched TV and waited for THREE hours, as his mob terrorized Congress  and beat cops. And only when he saw them fail to overturn the election, did he repeat his Big Lie and PRAISE his thugs with, “You’re very special. We love you”. Fascists love projection.)

Yep, if I were a fascist extremist this is the very formula I would use to take this country down a few notches as I sought to fundamentally transform it, so help me God. 

Oops… just and expression.  God has no place in this Amerika.  I’d continue to make sure of that too. (Again, Americans must obey only conservative religious beliefs, regardless that it is specifically proscribed in our Constitution and First Amendment.)

Euripides said, “Those whom the gods destroy, they first make mad.”  Well, I don’t know if Biden is mad or just in the final throes of dementia and terminal senility.  All of that said, if I am a semi-fascist according to him, one cannot help but wonder what that makes him. Complete destruction of our liberties in this great American experiment cannot come fast enough for the real fascists in our government evidently. (Darrell must ignore Trump and the violent mob he PRAISED for trying to overturn the election for him. Ignore his demonizing immigrants, Mexicans and Muslims. Ignore him saying “Like it or not, we are becoming a communist country. That’s what’s happening. The radical left democrat communist party.” Ignore Trump for saying, “Hitler did some good things.” Hitler banned abortion too. Ask the vast majority of American women if they agree with Trump, the Radical Right, and Hitler.)

~~~~

Yes indeed. The radical Right has always assumed authority to unilaterally define terms to suit their mood and agenda.

It appears “fascism” means exactly the same thing as “woke” to the radical Right. ANYTHING that annoys them, and EVERYTHING they disagree with, is “woke fascism”. And it’s the exact same thing as communism and democratic socialism.

By now it’s clear. There is only One Rule for the Right. It’s OK if they do it. They expanded their rule from Nixon’s adage, “It’s not illegal if the president does it.”

Now “It’s OK if you’re a Republican”, or IOKIYR.

Trump can do no wrong. He can only be wronged.  

If you’re against Trump, you’re a fascist. Or communist. Or whatever. This is how simplistic, hateful and willfully ignorant this Trump cult mentality has become.

Now if I were a fascist:

I would refuse to rent to Black people and demand the death penalty for exonerated Black men charged with murder for being in Central Park.

I would tell angry white people the Black President wasn’t born a real American, and was an illegitimate president. I would certainly demonize journalists, educators, Blacks, Mexicans, Muslims and immigrants.

I’d called for the imprisonment of my 2016 election opponent and lie about winning in 2020.

I would accuse any news media that didn't praise and support me as being "fake news" and the "enemy of the people".

I would summon an angry mob to Washington DC to obstruct Congress from their Constitutional duty to certify the election.

I would welcome an armed crowd, saying, “They’re not here to hurt me”. I would tell the mob I would march to the capitol with them and “fight like hell to stop the steal”.

I would then watch my mob terrorize Congress and beat cops, sending dozens to the hospital.

I would watch them for three hours on TV and do nothing to stop them until I knew they would fail to overturn the election.

I would then tell my thugs "We had an election that was stolen”, and PRAISE them by saying, “You're very special. We love you." 

I’d praise Kim Jong Un and Xi Jinping.

I would idolize Putin, and praise him as a “genius” after he invaded Ukraine and slaughtered human beings to make Ukraine part of Russia.

I would also make sure I stole some national secrets to buy favors or to sell to interested parties.

There seems to be a pattern here.

But when Putsch comes to shove, what do I know about being a fascist?

The "Only One"

President Biden has recently been calling out the radical Right extremism infecting the country, specifically naming MAGA Republicans. He made it clear he was not talking about all Republicans.

MAGA Republicans would be a polite term for them, far more decent than the words they use to describe others.

I prefer the shorter term for these delusional, racist, raging radicals. MAGAts. Yes, they hate it. But they hated the likes of me long before they found their messiah. They would call me a "racist commie" and actually say people like me "hate America".

These are Trump’s fanatic followers who embrace his Big Lie about the election being stolen from him. Many are crazed to the degree they see him as the savior of America, sent by Jesus. We have seen how they would lie, fight, kill and die for their Dear Leader.

Trump and his sycophantic enablers define their reality for them. They are conditioned by their leader and his propagandists to never have the curiosity, or willingness, to listen to anyone who disagrees with their Trumpist indoctrination. By any standards it is a cult, with a deep reverence for their infallible leader.

The true believers praise, regurgitate, and obey Trump’s every word. They surrender their decency, their capacity to reason, their values, and their conscience to the will and whim of Donald Trump.

The radical Right knows minority rule is their only path to power. They know their road to minority rule is paved by aggravating resentments, anger and fear in enough conservative, or confused, white people to win elections. They will exploit and blend patriotism and religion into their deceptions and schemes.

To disagree with them or Trump is to hate America. To them Trump IS America.

They are being actively indoctrinated to fear and hate Democrats, to distrust elections, and to oppose democracy itself

They love to insist, "The US is a republic, not a democracy", to justify their war on fair elections and fair representation.

Of course there can be no republic without fair elections and fair representation. There is no republic when elections and the will of the voters are rejected and denied.

They don't want to hear that.

We can tell them the facts, but they will be rejected with extreme prejudice. They invented "alternative facts" and "fake news" to demonize the press as "enemies of the people".

They were told by Trump, "I'm the only one who can fix it.”  And, "I'm the only one that matters".

And they believed.

He’s the “only one” alright, but not the only one who can fix anything, and not the only one who matters.

Trump was the “only one” in almost every way a good president would not be. He may just be the "only one president" to be indicted for crimes.

In the meantime:

Only ONE president lost the popular vote twice.

Only ONE president hosted Russians in the Oval Office and shared top secret intelligence.

Only ONE president had a secret conversation with Putin and suppressed a transcript.

Only ONE president was impeached twice.

Only ONE president lied about a “stolen election”.

Only ONE president invited people to Washington DC to help overturn an election, promising “It will be wild”.

Only ONE president terminated our proud history of peaceful transfer or power, by inciting a bloody coup on January 6, 2021.

Only ONE president watched his violent mob terrorize Congress for over three hours on TV, hoping they would overturn the election for him.

Only ONE president did nothing to stop his angered and incited mob, as they beat, maced, kicked, and brutalized the police with flag poles and clubs.

Only ONE president repeated his Big Lie after it was certain his coup would fail.

Only ONE president PRAISED the same thugs after they beat cops and sent them to the hospital.

Only ONE president declared, "We had an election that was stolen” followed by, “You're very special. We love you." 

Only ONE president stole top secret documents, including nuclear weapons program documents and loosely kept them at his resort, unsecured beyond accountability.

Only ONE ex-president would continue to condone the violence and support his “very special” thugs.

On September 1, 2022 Trump coddled his “very special” thugs with, “I will tell you, I will look very, very favorably about full pardons.”

On August 31, 2022 a far more decent president would finally say, “Don’t tell me you support law enforcement if you won’t condemn what happened on the sixth. For god’s sake, whose side are you on? You can’t be pro-law enforcement and pro-insurrection. It wasn’t dissent… It was insurrection. It was riot and mayhem. It was radical and chaotic. It was unconstitutional. And maybe most important, it was fundamentally un-American.”

Yes, only ONE president turned millions of duped Americans into hateful, lying, sore loser crybabies.

And they whine, “Waah! Sleepy basement commie Joe Brandon stole the election and hurt my feelings….he has mean words!”

One Question

 

On September 21, 2021 FBI director Christopher Wray, appointed by Trump, warned the Senate about Domestic Violence Extremists.

From:

Statement Before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee

September 21, 2021

Threats to the Homeland: Evaluating the Landscape 20 Years After 9/11

Individuals who commit violent criminal acts in furtherance of social or political goals stemming from domestic influences—some of which include racial or ethnic bias, or anti-government or anti-authority sentiments—are described as domestic violent extremists (DVEs)... The top threats we face from DVEs are from those we categorize as racially or ethnically motivated violent extremists (RMVEs) and anti-government or anti-authority violent extremists.

History is watching as the country learned just how deadly Domestic Violence Extremists can be when the Oklahoma City federal building was blown up by one of them. The nation would witness racist mass shootings in temples and shopping centers. Election-denying white supremacists and white nationalists are running for office, and winning, as Republicans.

Let’s review a little actual history for context.

Trump lost the 2020 election to Joe Biden. It is a fact backed by all the evidence.

Every state certification, every recount, and even every partisan “audit” confirmed Biden won.

Trump refused to accept the election results and refused to concede. Then he lied about the election being stolen by massive voter fraud.

He was on track to commit a string of crimes to overturn the election.

He would pressure Georgia Secretary of State Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to “find 11,780 votes” for him to win the state.

He would pressure the FBI to “Just say it was corrupt and leave the rest to me and the Republican congressmen".

He would send his crooked lawyers to 60 courts with allegations of fraud they had no evidence to support.

His cronies would pressure states to send “alternative electors” to overrule the will of their voters.

He would ultimately summon a fanatic and angry mob to Washington DC on January 6, 2021, and incite them to riot and storm the Capitol.

 “Be there, will be wild!”The BIG Protest Rally in Washington, D.C., will take place at 11.00 A.M. on January 6th. Locational details to follow. StopTheSteal! “

Trump’s Attorney General William Barr told Trump Biden won, and the U.S. Justice Department had uncovered no evidence of widespread voter fraud that could change the outcome of the 2020 election.

Barr told ABC News reporter Jonathan Karl.“If there was evidence of fraud, I had no motive to suppress it. But my suspicion all the way along was that there was nothing there. It was all bullshit.”

Barr wrote in the Wall Street Journal:

In the weeks after the election, accusations of major fraud centered on several specific allegations. I had asked the Justice Department office heads around the country, working with the FBI, to look into these and a number of similar claims. Some turned out to be patently frivolous; others just were not supported by the available evidence. I had repeatedly informed the president through his staff that the department was looking at substantial claims of fraud but so far hadn’t found them to have merit...

...“Why would you say that?” he demanded, his voice rising. “Because it is true, Mr. President,” I replied. “The reporter asked me what the department had found to date, and I told him.”

“But you did not have to say that!” he barked. “You could have just said, ‘No comment.’ This is killing me—killing me. This is pulling the rug out from under me.” He stopped for a moment and then said, “You must hate Trump. You would only do this if you hate Trump.”

“No, Mr. President, I don’t hate you,” I said. “You know I sacrificed a lot personally to come in to help you when I thought you were being wronged.” The president nodded, almost involuntarily conceding the point. “But over the weekend, you started blaming the department for the inability of your legal team to come up with evidence of fraud. The department is not an extension of your legal team. Our mission is to investigate and prosecute actual fraud. The fact is, we have looked at the major claims your people are making, and they are bullshit.”

The president looked defiant. I continued, “I’ve told you that the fraud claims are not supported...And others have also told you this. But your legal team continues to shovel this shit out to the American people. And it is wrong.”

Trump’s own election security chief for Homeland Security Christopher Krebs called the 2020 vote "the most secure in American history" which promptly got him fired.

He urged Republicans to condemn threats and harassment against election officials who rejected baseless claims of widespread fraud.

Krebs testified before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.

"This is not the America I recognize. It's got to stop. We need everyone across the leadership ranks to stand up. I would appreciate more support from my own party, the Republican Party, to call this stuff out and end it. We've gotta move on. We have a president-elect in President-elect Biden."

All of this fell on the deaf ears bracketing the closed mind of a raging narcissist.

On January 6th 2021 Trump urged his mob to march to the Capitol. “We fight like Hell and if you don’t fight like Hell, you’re not going to have a country anymore.”

So his mob followed their orders. They stormed the Capitol and fought like Hell. They would violently assault the Capitol Police who stood in their way.

Trump waited to see if his mob would succeed in shutting down congress, or even overturn the election.

Trump watched his mob for over three hours on TV, as they beat, maced, kicked, and brutalized the police with flag poles and clubs. Dozens of officers were sent to the hospital among over a hundred injured. A delusional woman was shot and killed trying to attack our Congress.

After three hours it was obvious his mob had failed their master’s objective. Only then did Trump tell them to leave.

I know you're hurt. We had an election that was stolen. It was a landslide. But you have to go home now...we love you, you're very special."

He repeated his Big Lie while he PRAISED his thugs.

Now the former president is being revealed as a serial criminal under investigation for a growing number of crimes.

One might think the FBI coming into his home for stolen top secret documents would give him pause.

But he can't help himself. He is what he is.

On September 1, 2022 Trump, said on Wendy Bell Radio:

"I will tell you, I will look very, very favorably about full pardons. If I decide to run and if I win, I will be looking very, very strongly about pardons. Full pardons. We'll be looking very, very seriously at full pardons because we can't let that happen. ... And I mean full pardons with an apology to many."

“I am financially supporting people that are incredible and they were in my office actually two days ago, so they’re very much in my mind. It’s a disgrace what they’ve done to them. What they’ve done to these people is disgraceful.”

~~~

On the same day President Biden finally had this to say

"Too much of what’s happening in our country today is not normal. Donald Trump and the MAGA Republicans represent an extremism that threatens the very foundations of our republic.

Not every Republican, not even the majority of Republicans, are MAGA Republicans.  Not every Republican embraces their extreme ideology.

MAGA Republicans do not respect the Constitution.  They do not believe in the rule of law.  They do not recognize the will of the people.

They refuse to accept the results of a free election.  And they’re working right now, as I speak, in state after state to give power to decide elections in America to partisans and cronies, empowering election deniers to undermine democracy itself.

MAGA forces are determined to take this country backwards — backwards to an America where there is no right to choose, no right to privacy, no right to contraception, no right to marry who you love.

They promote authoritarian leaders, and they fan the flames of political violence that are a threat to our personal rights, to the pursuit of justice, to the rule of law, to the very soul of this country.

They look at the mob that stormed the United States Capitol on January 6th — brutally attacking law enforcement — not as insurrectionists who placed a dagger to the throat of our democracy, but they look at them as patriots.

And they see their MAGA failure to stop a peaceful transfer of power after the 2020 election as preparation for the 2022 and 2024 elections.

They tried everything last time to nullify the votes of 81 million people.  This time, they’re determined to succeed in thwarting the will of the people.

That’s why respected conservatives, like Federal Circuit Court Judge Michael Luttig, have called Trump and the extreme MAGA Republicans, quote, a “clear and present danger” to our democracy."

~~~~

The day before on August 31st Biden made this point:

"So let me say this to my MAGA Republican friends. Don’t tell me you support law enforcement if you won’t condemn what happened on the sixth. For god’s sake, whose side are you on? You can’t be pro-law enforcement and pro-insurrection."

“It wasn’t dissent… It was insurrection. It was riot and mayhem. It was radical and chaotic. It was unconstitutional. And maybe most important, it was fundamentally un-American.”

Biden's right.

MAGA Republicans are the most serious domestic terror threat to the US today. The Proud Boys are still “standing by”. Thousands, if not millions of white nationalists, racists, and other Trump fanatics, would kill their fellow Americans for their beloved infallible savior. All he has to do is give them an order to attack anyone he says are his enemies.

If American voters can't see the difference between right and wrong, between truth and lies, between democracy and fascism, and between decency and dishonor, the fall of the republic is at hand. The election this November comes down to basically one question.

Whose side are you on?