The White House from Washington, DC, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
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Featuring the Fabulous Dadbots: Dave S., Mark M., Mark O., Dennis C., Paul C., and Geoff Carter
Bots,
Now that perfect weather is secure here in the upper Midwest…and… Mark M. is busy doing field work–his longitudinal cross-section study of Americana, I thought I’d end the dearth and own up to, my, (shrewd J), but erroneous prediction that Ron wouldn’t run. Popular wisdom says that all these non Don’ers simply split up the sane right vote, making it easy pickens for Don’s still sizable cult following to carry the day to nomination day. But not so fast, says the Economist, (attached), and presents some basis for why Ron might rise. I’ve attached the article—a one pager, hopefully the words, not just the tortoise/hair unflattering image of both, zoom up. (The E mostly supports the ‘conventional wisdom’ with many stories but I found this one more interesting—much is broad historical brushing and jumps to its surmises…but..I did appreciate basic info: Ron: Harvard, served in Iraq, (3) terms in congress. This does give him street cred, unlike a “born with a silver pacifier and moneyed/bully pulpit” Don.
I’ll be curious to see if Ron, (Nikki, Tim, others—(my dark horse is Glenn Youngkin–some ‘bots who read my crap with a highlighter in hand may recall (VA governor), are actually able to make platform politics—the good ‘ol days—matter. The Economist, in the attached, states Ron’s platform is “culture wars”, which is not exactly a platform—IMO—but, whatever, it is working in the sunshine state. It is a concern, as it wreaks of first amendment infringement. What? Are our public schools supposed to “skip the civil war”? Well, they are not saying that, but DEI is shockingly and quickly becoming taboo. Huh?
Initial reads of Tim Scott, echo similarly…not so much real platforms but either the anti-Don (“hey I’m serious”), but still preying upon fear, not addressing issues with any substance/plans. One exception being abortion—there the plan is to quickly back step…mollify…soften…given November tallies.
I’m hopeful that the “Florida experiment” will not pass the greater national muster test and that once it’s vacuous, xenophobia hot button are exposed, it will die on the vine.The portrait painted in the attached—the attack on institutions, is real and alarming. The vote in Michigan last fall gives me hope to predict its short life. Not everyone out there is thirsty for Kool-aid. But ya never know…Adolph was effective, Joe McCarthy was perhaps the father of populism…..Donald was/is charismatic… Will Ron be able to convey ‘cerebral’?
The Economist, /2023/05/24/desantis-is-a-truer-believer-if-a-lesser-politician-than-trump
-Dave
DeSantis’ campaign efforts had been, and continue to be, inept and klutzy. I detect an underlying unwillingness to actually take Trump on. For this reason, I had also bought into RWR (Ron Won’t Run).
A conservative pundit, Amanda Carpenter, asserts that DeSantis is running only as an understudy. That is, he is really waiting in the wings until Trump’s legal troubles DQ the Orange front runner. At that point, DeS will present himself as the next best thing–a Trumpian culture warrior w/o the baggage. I buy this, and I think DeS is doing this—possibly unconsciously.
We do get caught up in the national polls, which show T with a major lead among the Republican masses. But that’s not how a candidate is chosen! We actually choose candidates state by state, beginning (for the GOP) with the Iowa caucus. Evangelicals are strong there, and Trump’s squishiness on a total or 6-week ban doesn’t play well for those in the army of Jesus. Note also that, w the Dem caucus shit canned, there are something like 170,000 Iowa Dems who can quite easily participate on the GOP side. And they won’t be supporting Trump!
So that possibly bodes well for DeS, the king of the anti-woke. Possibly. Hey, I am not going to be any more definitive than the Economist!
Heading note (in the E article): “Every Day He Rewrites the Book”. Is this homage to Elvis Costello?
–MM
Bots,
Whatever…let’s now examine Elvis C.
Kidding good take—‘specially ‘bout the poll worship. Everytime someone mentions polls, that thunderous guitar riff from the Who (Won’t Get Fooled, (yet again and again and again), should drown out the poll info. A ‘bots poll is just as accurate. The Economist is in the habit of rock references in their headings.
I did click on the Elvis link….which—but of course—sent me to other EC greats. Never knew the story behind Oliver’s Army. Having listened to a great LA public radio Nick Lowe interview recently I found the above, lovely. Nick and ABBA piano bit catapulted it…..hmmm….ok….roight….the whole Belfast bit….the English rivers to explain the easy pickens recruitment….brilliant and all news to me…and apparently many others—deaf minds—per the song fact notes. The goofy “MTV—esque” Youtube I watched distracts one from the heady lyrics….renders it pure pop/whimsical…thus the deaf minds effect.
-D.
I was pretty upset at the time when Elvis requested that “Oliver’s Army” not be played any more on the radio. It’s such a great song with such a powerful anti-war message. The Songfacts article doesn’t accurately explain the controversy. In fact, Elvis doesn’t use the term “nigger”, he uses the term “white nigger”. The pronoun transforms the noun into a completely different term, which can’t be confused by anyone who cares to understand it. That doesn’t even account for the context of the entire song which obviously has nothing to do with the American black experience. I get that the term can be triggering, but I suspect the outrage from the (snowflake) public is mostly generated by identitarian left influencers who wanted to score some points on Twitter. I don’t believe the public should be held hostage by these opportunists.
MarkO
Hey bots,
You know, concerning “Oliver’s Army” and the like, I have a problem with songs, movies, and other pieces of art being lifted out of their original cultural context and judged by our own standards. It’s not only unfair, it’s a little arrogant. Not that any of us would condone the use of the “N” word or F. Scott Fitzgerald’s anti-semitism or Dashiell Hammett’s anti-Asian scenarios, but that’s where they’re from. Should we reject entire periods of our history because their cultural norms were different than ours? Put a pair of tighty whities on Michaelangelo’s David? Ban To Kill a Mockingbird, Huckleberry Finn, and Lincoln because they use the “N” word (not gratuitously, but as an red flag for racism?).
In terms of the Republican primaries, it’s looking a lot more like a normal election season. Agent Orange is keeping his head down—presumably because of legal problems, but who really knows? He may be planning an invasion of Iran from his New Jersey stronghold. Choosing between Trump or DeSantis is sort of like choosing whether to be guillotined or hung. You’re fucked both ways. In this group, I don’t know… Would Chris Christie be preferable? Nikki Haley? Pence? At least he’s proven he actually respects the governmental process.
I’m more curious to see what Trump does should—or when—he gets indicted for the Mar-a-Lago caper? Once he realizes he won’t be getting away with it, my bet is that he’ll be heading for parts unknown. He has the resources. Maybe he’ll be the new Russian Minister of Propaganda.
Later gators,
Geoff
A very recent instance of cultural weaponization are the charges made by the German government against Roger Waters for his apparel worn during the performance of The Wall in Berlin. The wearing of fascist-ish clothing during a parody of fascism seems necessary to make the artistic statement. How is an audience to know who the evil buffoons are if you don’t visually identify them? The official rationale of the government is that the sight of such uniforms could be traumatic and triggering to some individuals. Hell, I’m triggered a dozen times a day over things I experience or witness. Do I get to cancel all the offenders? Hell no, nor should I have that power.
Of course the real reason is political. The German government tried to ban Waters from playing in Germany completely, since his high profile pronouncements against the Ukraine War. Having failed at that, they are attempting to punish him after the fact. I have no respect for this German regime. Just keep away from my Borussia Dortmund swarzgelben, you meddling krautocrats!
MarkO
That’s true, Mark. Weren’t Devo’s plastic hairpieces offensive to members of the Kennedy family? How dare they! I’m surprised they weren’t sued by Robert Kennedy, Jr. Maybe they will (after he gets done smashing all the vax needles.)
Back to the Republican nomination; I’m (still) genuinely curious to see what will happen should (or when) Trump gets indicted and perhaps convicted but wins the election. Would Congress and the courts let him take office? Could he pardon himself? Would he rule from exile? Would Cuba be his Elba? (Irony intended). I want to say that possibility is too fucking crazy to even discuss, but I said the same thing about the possibility of Agent Orange winning in 2016.
In terms of the field, I don’t know, after Trump and DeSantis, Christie looks like a moderate, almost a liberal compared to the rest of this bunch. I don’t really think he would fight a culture war. Pence is a zealot (although he did refuse to hold up the certification, and recently—finally—stood up to Trump). Are there any sane Republicans left? I would like to see Liz Cheney make a go of it; she’s got more guts than the rest of them put together, but, I don’t know.
Bots? Whaddya think?
G
It seems as though Trump has the Republican base wrapped up. No amount of indictments or bad press is going to shake the base off of their anti-elite hero. Actual convictions could trim some of that support but I don’t know how much. For these reasons, I believe the elites of both parties and the high level deep state actors are desperate to legally disqualify Trump before the election occurs. I think we will see a torrent of indictments in the coming months in the hope that somewhere, somehow, Trump can be convicted of a felony and therefore disqualified from enough state primaries that he doesn’t win the nomination. I suspect with enough stuff thrown at him, something will stick to even Teflon Don. He may get the conviction(s) reversed on appeal, but by then it may be too late and the system will be saved from Trumpism for at least another 4 years.
If Trump doesn’t get the Republican nomination, does he then run as an independent in the general election? That’s very conceivable. The laws vary widely from state-to-state but in most states, convicted, even imprisoned, felons can appear on presidential ballots.
I deeply dislike the man, but this campaign by our ruling elites to retain control of the levers of power through distortion of the legal system is distasteful. The indictments I’ve seen so far, besides being obviously politically motivated, are based on pretty weak cases. The Stormy Daniels case and the classified documents case both seem weak based on precedent. I actually think those cases benefit Trump in that he can fundraise huge amounts based on their “selective prosecution”. Perhaps the Georgia election interference case is stronger and may actually finally bring Trump down.
Using the judiciary and deep state apparati to take down insurgent politicians seems so 3rd world to me. That’s what happens in places like Pakistan, where it is currently happening to Imran Khan, a very popular populist political figure. It’s distasteful if one is serious about the concept of democracy. It gets complicated in the case of Trump, because he is an undemocratic force himself. Either way it turns out, I think our democratic days are behind us.
MarkO
Please identify “the elites of both parties and the high level deep state actors”. In my view, this kind of attribution is Conspiracy Theory 101.
I agree that the NY indictments are weak. But we don’t need to resort to shadowy cabals to understand the motivation. A liberal elected DA in a liberal jurisdiction indicted a guy who is hated by his voters. Not a shock.
The documents case is another story. The dude had secret nuclear plans and he obstructed the govt from getting the docs back. To NOT hold him accountable would indicate a conspiracy.
Note that there is NO connection between the federal and NY proceedings. Unless you can make that connection explicitly. Are they connected? Are shadowy elites pulling the strings? How exactly is the legal system being “manipulated”?
Occam’s Razor sez no. There is a simpler explanation. We haven’t had this kind of 3rd World shit before because we haven’t had a two-bit tinpot dickhead like Trump before.
–MM
Good idea! Let’s all do this—it might be fun and informative for me at least. (Identify the elites of both parties). I’ll start.
But first, I’m clapping at both Marks’ takes. And in order to have a coherent conversation, we need common understanding of the words we use…(I know, I sound like an 8th grade communications teacher.) Deep state is one loaded with buttons, which vary, depending where you sit. I think of it as either the liberal elite or for lack of a better term—The Koch Bros. I’ve used the phrase party elders…or inner circle.
My opinion: I don’t think there is a deeply coordinated lynch mob going after Trump, rather a collective consciousness, (as opposed to collective UNconsciousness), that has a long memory and ain’t gonna forget the various atrocities the two-bit tinpot dickhead (TBTD) performed—IBFD to boot (In Broad F’ing Daylight). People died on 1/6/21. The TBTD could’ve and should’ve prevented it. Life is not something one casually tosses out the window like a cigarette butt or a can of diet coke.
But 1/6 was just one of many felonies.
So, I think the elites of both parties do talk/strategize…do some level of coordination…even if it is “just staying in touch”. I would think most are too paranoid to do more than phone calls and dinners—minimal paper trails—but the stupidity/naivete, (see Hillary..,Benghazi), is still out there. Thus, I don’t think the timing of indictments and other levers are coordinated (that would be a conspiracy to me). And let’s not forget human nature…if so and so went to Middlebury with so and so also went there…of ditto for American University…or UW Madison…and one works at CNN, the other at the Times…and they dug each other but never did it…(or did it but moved on…)—they probably stay in touch.
With that intro, as promised, here are my top of the cranium list of deep state actors on both sides.
- First the dems:
- George Santos…and other similar money boogey man—Michael Bloomberg…(maybe even folks that do a splendid job of staying private: Bill and Melissa….various Si Valley B’s…Mackenzie Scott (Bezos’s ex)…
- The Biden circle
- The Clinton circle
- The Obama circle…??? (not sure they are doing anything…)
- Times/CNN….don’t think we stay in touch with the BBC/Guardian/Economist but ya never know
- The renegades: AOC, Bernie, Gretchen W…..(anyone who is popular)
- Now the ‘pubs:
- Rupert M. & his succession-esque sons
- Fox…and all their various trumpets
- Koch Bros…should’ve been at the top here, per the money boogey man theory. There are dozens if not hundreds more—who’s dude that calls Clarence T. his bitch?
- Some tribal elders….(Newt? …here I’m weak on names but the guys/gals that run campaigns are often pivotal thinkers/networkers.
- The renegades: (Ron De, Josh H, not Ted C. anymore—where did he go? Same question for Mario R. and Paul R. ?)
Okay…ya’ll can do better than that…add to it if so inclined.
-Dave
I’m guessing you’re not fans of Trump either.
I think Dave did a fair job of summing up a roster of political, media and corporate elites, but I don’t think that is the commonly understood definition of the “deep state”. A deep state actor actually needs to be an employee of the state, meaning the USA. That would mean bureaucrats, agents and functionaries of various federal agencies and departments. These would be your alphabet soup agencies including FBI, CIA, IRS, DHS, USAID plus the State Department and top military brass and Joint Chiefs of Staff. I could go on.
I agree with Dave in that no cabal or conspiracy is required in order to have complimentary, if not coordinated, actions. People talk. And they mostly talk with others who have similar backgrounds, interests and goals. That’s how these things happen within and between agencies, branches of government, etc. And it’s how their messages get disseminated through their favored media outlets. And how donors get their way with legislators. It’s not a conspiracy, it’s a racket.
MarkO