Our supposed fair main stream media has been doing a heck of a lot of backstabbing even more than the Dems have. Almost as if they want djt to be successful.
I hope you watched the entire interview of Biden by lester holt. Holt made it clear (in my opinion) that the main point was gotchas! Biden did not let him get away with that. It absolutely got his points across.
Holt proved everything that is wrong with the MSM. I loved when he tried to say they have covered Trump and Biden said no they hadn't and wouldn't, and Holt had no response.
Isnt that the way that interview came across? It seemed obvious to me, but then I'm so fed up with the "kick Biden out" campaign, I'm not very objective.
Honestly, this whole thing sure feels like media instigated it & is encouraging it. Either because of the corporate owners OR because drama feeds clicks.
Watching politicians following along - whether from fear of their own losses OR what?? coverage?
Solid post from the font lines Victoria Brown. There's more 'incoming' as Biden reportedly has been diagnosed Covid 19. There's no reliable medical/epidemiological data on the precise sub-variant, virus load and/or other vital patient data. But, this is BIDEN's 3rd CV19 diagnosis. The President's physician did confirm BIDEN is taking Paxlovid & has "mild" symptoms.
BIDEN has returned to his Delaware home which has been confirmed by the BBC at 0.22 AM earlier this morning.
PLEASE spare us all from heroic and/or disastrous spins. Harris is already on the Dem Ticket which solves a number of state based Dem nomination legalities. Kamala and Dem party leaders must step up to the realities of the 2024 Campaign.
important UPDATE on 7/18/24 : One of the few reliable Covid19 data sources is "YLE', "Your Local Epidemiologist" (YLE).
****I This morning YLE reports "Summer CV19 Wave". *****
Yes. I live in AR where a subvariant of C19 is on the rise. 1 of my granddaughters
has had Covid 3 times and my daughter 2 times. They are both vaccinated to the hilt, except for the latest booster. Both are in the medical profession.
The Hofstadter quote cannot be reprinted often enough. It ought to be taped up in the cubicle of every journo in DC and NYC.
Has Heather Cox Richardson addressed Hofstadter’s framework? I’d be curious how she would synthesize her historical view with his psychosocial approach.
Good question. I know she talks about William F. Buckley in the 1950’s - but I think that he and National Review would have problems with today’s MAGA scene. Just had a look at NR which seems to be concerned about Democratic weakness.
Given that Buckley actively defended Jim Crow and racial segregation and said the White South had all the justification it needed to operate an apartheid system because it was the "superior civilization," I doubt that racist pig would have had the slightest difficulty with MAGA. He was very good about whitewashing his pro-Nazi America First beliefs. I've always been amazed how he snookered liberals into thinking he was a "reasonable conservative." If you want more of the truth about him, go read Jacob Heilbrunn's "America Last," the real history of the American Right.
I actually hadn't known much about the extent of Buckley's flat-out, unapologetic racism until, say the last fifteen years or so. I'd only watch his show if he had someone like James Baldwin on. and that show he did with Allen Ginsberg in which Allen read his fabulous "Wales Visitation" was something everybody should see. the poem sure shut Buckley up. in fact, it knocked him out.
but I never found anything "reasonable" about any part of the whole Buckley enterprise.
one oddball fact is that when Murray Kempton put his big anthology together, he dedicated it to Buckley who had, Kempton said, a "gift for friendship." go figure.
They'd have problems with MAGA because the Republicans have taken their advice in the wrong direction. Buckley et al. wanted the elite, esp. the economic elite, to call the shots. The MAGAs are shooting in all directions without (as far as I can tell) a coherent program.
Hofstadter was right in so many ways but IMO he was missing something that's consistently missed by most of us: who's behind all this. I very much see the hands of the billionaires, mega-multi-millionaires, and wannabe oligarchs. They don't have the votes, so their only route to power is by manipulating "the masses." They're doing a pretty damn good job, and it's scary as hell. Most USians don't think in terms of economic power. The white southern oligarchs sure as hell did, though: see Heather Cox Richardson's HOW THE SOUTH WON THE CIVIL WAR. I didn't really get this till I lived in the UK in the mid-1970s. Do you ever wonder why the U.S. doesn't have a labor party? Do you ever wonder why everything that suggests economic justice gets trashed as "socialism"? That's what this is about. I think the GOP has overplayed its hand, but I'm very afraid that the U.S. electorate won't get it.
“The Party of Putin springs from three sources; the first is some flat-out hate fetishism; there is a cohort of MAGA Republicans who believe Vladimir Putin represents a leader whose government is white, Christian, and hates LGBT folks in the same way they do.”
Thank you for this. Maybe it explains why, for more than a few years, every time I see Republican Conservative on a campaign sign, I puke a little. All the while thinking, that’s the biggest joke ever. I see nothing conservative with this bunch of cretins. They have destroyed that word. They are soft (or hard) racists, hypocrites, greedy hogs, misogynistic macho caricatures, and just plain haters of the Rush ilk. “The pseudo conservative is a man who, in the name of upholding traditional American values and institutions and defending them against more or less fictitious dangers, consciously or unconsciously aims at their abolition.” Best description of Rush Limbaugh and his ilk. And nicer than anything I could say about this whole segment of our society. They are not people with different political issues, they are destroyers…of their friends, neighbors, and their country. Pass this on to some Dems; Adlai seems to be the last one (after Truman) who nailed them.
"The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness."
Yep, the GOP is like the dinosaur that supposedly had two brains…the head is dying but the hindquarters haven’t got the word yet as its tail keeps lashing at anything that gets near it. The GOP doesn’t want to adapt to a changing society where its underlying philosophy and message of white supremacy are becoming irrelevant, so it is doomed to die as its power base of middle-aged and elderly voters continues to dwindle. And that lashing tail will cause lots of damage as the GOP slowly croaks, unfortunately…
What if the dinosaur brain is, and has been for a long time, the corporate and wealthy interests that want above all for 'the government" to stop messing with their right to do whatever they want?
How I wish the GOP would simply rest in peace. Instead, they’ve morphed into a zombie apocalypse, complete with torches, and Nazi chants. I suffered cognitive whiplash Monday night listening to first Amber Rose, then Sean O’Brian both as keynote speakers the first night of the convention. I’m truly baffled and utterly horrified.
Thank you, Tom for this slice of history. I have always thought that those who are concerned that the "whiteness (actually pale beige) of their skin is threatened" or those who fear homosexuality are in reality people who have such low self esteem they need to constantly pumped up (validated). The same attitude as men who distrust women (except bimbos) especially those who display a modicum of intelligence. Same with the "fundamental religionists" who insist everyone believe EXACTLY as they believe.
People who are this needy, insisting on constant validation are the ones most likely to disappear when the going gets tough. They have so little reliance on their own virtues (if any) that they need to lash out at anyone or anything they find inferior to themselves. Not being a psychiatrist or even a psychologist I have no idea what to do about them. I divorced the first one I married and made damned sure my second was a real man, sure enough of himself that I presented no threat to him (his only mistake was dying).
I wonder if it is that underground destructive and chaotic strain in such "conservatives" that make them love the strongman so much. HE will be sure you don't give way to the impulses, which would obviously upset a placid and ordered way of life, and because he feeds on adoration, all you have to do to NOT get the bullet in the back of the neck is praise him.
Thanks for this extraordinarily informed piece. On a purely personal note, after many decades, having just re watched LeRoy’s Golddiggers of 1933 only a few days ago, I deeply resent that man Vance’s hijacking of The Forgotten Man. 🔥
as usual, I love it when you break out the Hofstadter. I had to read "The American Political Tradition" for AP American History in '64, but back then, I had no idea how radical it was.
"The Paranoid Style" is a lot more measured, but its very lack of hysteria and clarity (we can take the accuracy for granted...it could been written last week). and yeah, he got it back then. but even back then, it was actually already an old story...
Edmund Burke would not recognize what the GOP is calling conservatism today, and he's its grandpa. Originally the conservative ethos was centered on a spirit of community, but I dare anyone to find it in today's GOP, and merely wearing maga merch does not mean community because after the rallies the magas all go home and hate their neighbors. As for Buckley, I think his Catholic elitism is all he had, and he would not have abided Falwell or the fundamentalists because their tenets were too childlike for him.
I will share parts of Hofstader, Wilson and Cleaver because there's much to chew on here and in the comments. The parts about the foundations of identity explain a lot. This is where Biden's messages about women, labor, and minorities is key. This democracy is an orchestra wherein even the triangle player is important. The anti-DEIs just undermine the very thing that would satisfy their own subconscious yearnings.
If the Democratic party is the
real example of conservatism,
they better get their shite
together and quit stabbing
Biden in the back. And that
goes for Pelosi, Schif, Obama
and a few others.
Y'know, Biden has been there
for each of the named above
and helped fund raise for
their campaigns. He was their
choice in 2020 and again
2024. They should STFU and
and stand shoulder to shoulder with him, or quietly
withdraw into obscurity!
Exactly right.
Our supposed fair main stream media has been doing a heck of a lot of backstabbing even more than the Dems have. Almost as if they want djt to be successful.
I hope you watched the entire interview of Biden by lester holt. Holt made it clear (in my opinion) that the main point was gotchas! Biden did not let him get away with that. It absolutely got his points across.
Holt proved everything that is wrong with the MSM. I loved when he tried to say they have covered Trump and Biden said no they hadn't and wouldn't, and Holt had no response.
I used to like Lester, but gave up on NBC a while back. Fight back, Joe.
Yeah - and the way he clamped his mouth shut & refused to answer/comment when Biden said that. That happened a couple times.
Almost as if he'd had his orders on how and what to question Biden.
Which really irked me.
one of those legends in his own mind. it seems to happen a LOT with those "main guys" on TV. in recent decades, this feels especially true of NBC.
Isnt that the way that interview came across? It seemed obvious to me, but then I'm so fed up with the "kick Biden out" campaign, I'm not very objective.
Honestly, this whole thing sure feels like media instigated it & is encouraging it. Either because of the corporate owners OR because drama feeds clicks.
Watching politicians following along - whether from fear of their own losses OR what?? coverage?
Solid post from the font lines Victoria Brown. There's more 'incoming' as Biden reportedly has been diagnosed Covid 19. There's no reliable medical/epidemiological data on the precise sub-variant, virus load and/or other vital patient data. But, this is BIDEN's 3rd CV19 diagnosis. The President's physician did confirm BIDEN is taking Paxlovid & has "mild" symptoms.
BIDEN has returned to his Delaware home which has been confirmed by the BBC at 0.22 AM earlier this morning.
PLEASE spare us all from heroic and/or disastrous spins. Harris is already on the Dem Ticket which solves a number of state based Dem nomination legalities. Kamala and Dem party leaders must step up to the realities of the 2024 Campaign.
important UPDATE on 7/18/24 : One of the few reliable Covid19 data sources is "YLE', "Your Local Epidemiologist" (YLE).
****I This morning YLE reports "Summer CV19 Wave". *****
************************************************************
24 States have "high" or "very high" infection rates. YLE has a LINK to check your state.
Note, HAWAII has already hits peak infection rate which is now subsiding.
YLE recommends, "Keep that indoor moving" & "wear a mask"!
Habla Espanol? YLE diga, "Si quiere leerla version español pulse el azul ( the blue link).
NOTE, I work a mask to a restaurant yesterday & sat comfortably outside on a warm 82F evening.
Stay Connected Stay Safe All.
Yes. I live in AR where a subvariant of C19 is on the rise. 1 of my granddaughters
has had Covid 3 times and my daughter 2 times. They are both vaccinated to the hilt, except for the latest booster. Both are in the medical profession.
I am staying safe and aware.
Spot on VICTORIA BROWN 🎯
The Hofstadter quote cannot be reprinted often enough. It ought to be taped up in the cubicle of every journo in DC and NYC.
Has Heather Cox Richardson addressed Hofstadter’s framework? I’d be curious how she would synthesize her historical view with his psychosocial approach.
I've never seen anything from her that mentions Hofstadter.
I'm not sure she needs to. See comment elsewhere (which I'm about to write <g>).
Good question. I know she talks about William F. Buckley in the 1950’s - but I think that he and National Review would have problems with today’s MAGA scene. Just had a look at NR which seems to be concerned about Democratic weakness.
Given that Buckley actively defended Jim Crow and racial segregation and said the White South had all the justification it needed to operate an apartheid system because it was the "superior civilization," I doubt that racist pig would have had the slightest difficulty with MAGA. He was very good about whitewashing his pro-Nazi America First beliefs. I've always been amazed how he snookered liberals into thinking he was a "reasonable conservative." If you want more of the truth about him, go read Jacob Heilbrunn's "America Last," the real history of the American Right.
I actually hadn't known much about the extent of Buckley's flat-out, unapologetic racism until, say the last fifteen years or so. I'd only watch his show if he had someone like James Baldwin on. and that show he did with Allen Ginsberg in which Allen read his fabulous "Wales Visitation" was something everybody should see. the poem sure shut Buckley up. in fact, it knocked him out.
but I never found anything "reasonable" about any part of the whole Buckley enterprise.
one oddball fact is that when Murray Kempton put his big anthology together, he dedicated it to Buckley who had, Kempton said, a "gift for friendship." go figure.
I never had ANY use for William F. Buckley. He was a legend in his own mind.
The party weakness. The grassroots is very strong and
is constantly undermined and
ignored.
The party has lost touch with
their constituents. Biden hasn't.
Buckley would likely have kicked the MAGAts to the curb, but he did have a soft spot for the “Christian elites”
They'd have problems with MAGA because the Republicans have taken their advice in the wrong direction. Buckley et al. wanted the elite, esp. the economic elite, to call the shots. The MAGAs are shooting in all directions without (as far as I can tell) a coherent program.
Hofstadter was right in so many ways but IMO he was missing something that's consistently missed by most of us: who's behind all this. I very much see the hands of the billionaires, mega-multi-millionaires, and wannabe oligarchs. They don't have the votes, so their only route to power is by manipulating "the masses." They're doing a pretty damn good job, and it's scary as hell. Most USians don't think in terms of economic power. The white southern oligarchs sure as hell did, though: see Heather Cox Richardson's HOW THE SOUTH WON THE CIVIL WAR. I didn't really get this till I lived in the UK in the mid-1970s. Do you ever wonder why the U.S. doesn't have a labor party? Do you ever wonder why everything that suggests economic justice gets trashed as "socialism"? That's what this is about. I think the GOP has overplayed its hand, but I'm very afraid that the U.S. electorate won't get it.
“The Party of Putin springs from three sources; the first is some flat-out hate fetishism; there is a cohort of MAGA Republicans who believe Vladimir Putin represents a leader whose government is white, Christian, and hates LGBT folks in the same way they do.”
Yes,Rick Wilson is one of the best observers…
Rep admits GOP is homophobic on FL House floor:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E39jVsZRQcQ
Thank you for this. Maybe it explains why, for more than a few years, every time I see Republican Conservative on a campaign sign, I puke a little. All the while thinking, that’s the biggest joke ever. I see nothing conservative with this bunch of cretins. They have destroyed that word. They are soft (or hard) racists, hypocrites, greedy hogs, misogynistic macho caricatures, and just plain haters of the Rush ilk. “The pseudo conservative is a man who, in the name of upholding traditional American values and institutions and defending them against more or less fictitious dangers, consciously or unconsciously aims at their abolition.” Best description of Rush Limbaugh and his ilk. And nicer than anything I could say about this whole segment of our society. They are not people with different political issues, they are destroyers…of their friends, neighbors, and their country. Pass this on to some Dems; Adlai seems to be the last one (after Truman) who nailed them.
Truman was spot on. "The only good Republicans are pushing up daisies." The best I can figure out conservative is just a long word for greed.
"The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness."
-- John Kenneth Galbraith
Greed/power
Yep, the GOP is like the dinosaur that supposedly had two brains…the head is dying but the hindquarters haven’t got the word yet as its tail keeps lashing at anything that gets near it. The GOP doesn’t want to adapt to a changing society where its underlying philosophy and message of white supremacy are becoming irrelevant, so it is doomed to die as its power base of middle-aged and elderly voters continues to dwindle. And that lashing tail will cause lots of damage as the GOP slowly croaks, unfortunately…
What if the dinosaur brain is, and has been for a long time, the corporate and wealthy interests that want above all for 'the government" to stop messing with their right to do whatever they want?
A lot of damage
How I wish the GOP would simply rest in peace. Instead, they’ve morphed into a zombie apocalypse, complete with torches, and Nazi chants. I suffered cognitive whiplash Monday night listening to first Amber Rose, then Sean O’Brian both as keynote speakers the first night of the convention. I’m truly baffled and utterly horrified.
I want the GOP to go to Dante's lowest circle of hell and be stuck there for eternity.
Wow. Thanks, TC. What a prescient piece.
Thank you, Tom for this slice of history. I have always thought that those who are concerned that the "whiteness (actually pale beige) of their skin is threatened" or those who fear homosexuality are in reality people who have such low self esteem they need to constantly pumped up (validated). The same attitude as men who distrust women (except bimbos) especially those who display a modicum of intelligence. Same with the "fundamental religionists" who insist everyone believe EXACTLY as they believe.
People who are this needy, insisting on constant validation are the ones most likely to disappear when the going gets tough. They have so little reliance on their own virtues (if any) that they need to lash out at anyone or anything they find inferior to themselves. Not being a psychiatrist or even a psychologist I have no idea what to do about them. I divorced the first one I married and made damned sure my second was a real man, sure enough of himself that I presented no threat to him (his only mistake was dying).
My mother told me when I was a child that some people just needed someone else's to look down on to make themselves feel ok.
Yep, and your mother was right. My first husband was like that and so is trump
I wonder if it is that underground destructive and chaotic strain in such "conservatives" that make them love the strongman so much. HE will be sure you don't give way to the impulses, which would obviously upset a placid and ordered way of life, and because he feeds on adoration, all you have to do to NOT get the bullet in the back of the neck is praise him.
Thanks for this extraordinarily informed piece. On a purely personal note, after many decades, having just re watched LeRoy’s Golddiggers of 1933 only a few days ago, I deeply resent that man Vance’s hijacking of The Forgotten Man. 🔥
as usual, I love it when you break out the Hofstadter. I had to read "The American Political Tradition" for AP American History in '64, but back then, I had no idea how radical it was.
"The Paranoid Style" is a lot more measured, but its very lack of hysteria and clarity (we can take the accuracy for granted...it could been written last week). and yeah, he got it back then. but even back then, it was actually already an old story...
To see how old a story it is, read Jacob Heilbrunn's "America Last" the real history of the Right's love affair with actual dictators and wannabe's.
I'm on it, Tom.
Edmund Burke would not recognize what the GOP is calling conservatism today, and he's its grandpa. Originally the conservative ethos was centered on a spirit of community, but I dare anyone to find it in today's GOP, and merely wearing maga merch does not mean community because after the rallies the magas all go home and hate their neighbors. As for Buckley, I think his Catholic elitism is all he had, and he would not have abided Falwell or the fundamentalists because their tenets were too childlike for him.
I will share parts of Hofstader, Wilson and Cleaver because there's much to chew on here and in the comments. The parts about the foundations of identity explain a lot. This is where Biden's messages about women, labor, and minorities is key. This democracy is an orchestra wherein even the triangle player is important. The anti-DEIs just undermine the very thing that would satisfy their own subconscious yearnings.
"Both Hofstadter and Stevenson are still correct 70 years later, only more so."
Amen!
Very interesting piece of history. Thank you.
Trump gets shot. Biden "gets covid". How weird is that?
Weird as Hell. But weird as in meaning fated or is that weird as in fêted by ‘who ever is behind all this’ ? A quote from the comment by Susanna J.
Sturgis above. Cui Bono ?
The same groups that cause your rise control your fall.