Bob,
I think the situation is a lot more complex. Trump Is the opening wedge. But
behind him, there are a lot of powerful corporations, organizations, and
individuals, and many of them are Fascist. They are not representative of a
large sector of our population. The election of Trump has given them an
opening. Many people can't differentiate between them and the usual right
wing Republican positions, So many of the Trump supporters, didn't realize
whom they were actually supporting. The other problem is that a lot of the
organizations which appear to represent the liberal point of view and which
are opposed to the Republicans, like The Center for American Progress, are
actually fronts for the Clinton political machine and Neoliberalism. Tony
Podesta, the brother of John Podesta who heads CAP and who ran Hillary's
campaign, is a lobbyist who represents interests like Saudi Arabia and the
like. It's very difficult for those of us on the Left to differentiate
between the people who truly represent our interests and those who just
sound as if they do. It is really very discouraging because it is such a
complicated muddle. But I doubt that there will be a civil war. What appears
to be happening is that the administration is encouraging a criminalization
of dissent. Note that it was reported that there is a presidential order to
federalize the National Guard and use it to quash demonstrations. Lawss
criminalizing demonstrations have already been passed in several red states.
If that presidential order is allowed to stand, what will follow is that
demonstrators will be slaughtered by the military and militarized police in
order to prevent the formation of a meaningful opposition movement.
Miriam
From: blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Bob Hachey
Sent: Saturday, February 18, 2017 12:21 PM
To: blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [blind-democracy] Re: On the Fight Against Trump
Hi Frank,
Point well taken. Heres my take. Until the election of Trump there is no
doubt that the right was making far more noise than was the left. Now, it
looks like both sides are making lots of noise. The right-wingers and
Trumpers will beep right on Trumpin. I see three possibilities moving
forward at this point.
1. The left loses energy and capitulates to the right.
2. Trump either loses all credibility or gets impeached or,
3. Civil war. Right now I think number three is most likely. These are the
times that try our souls.
Bob Hachey
From: blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Frank Ventura
Sent: Saturday, February 18, 2017 7:00 AM
To: blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [blind-democracy] Re: On the Fight Against Trump
Bob, the problem here is the we (regulars to this list) wrap ourselves in
what we want to hear, For example left leaning articles and TV (i.e.
Meadow). Although I hope I am wrong, I sometimes wonder if we are the ones
living in the cocoon of our own dreams. I am on a few mainstream message
boards and I hear nothing but right wing ideal ology. So who is the vocal
minority us or them?
Frank
From: blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Bob Hachey
Sent: Friday, February 17, 2017 11:02 AM
To: blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [blind-democracy] On the Fight Against Trump
Hi Frank,
I have encountered numerous sources including the article pasted below my
name that leads me to believe that protests and calls to members of Congress
are not trailing off as you indicated the other day. And, its not just in
blue states. Many red state Republicans are feeling the same kind of heat
that democrats felt from the tea party back at the beginning of the Obama
Administration. This is so even in deep red states like Utah.
Rachel Madow indicated similar evidence in her Thursday night show. Also,
thanks to Madow, democratic leadership has finally decided to actually help
Georgia Democrats in their efforts to take Tom prices seat. Good for Rachel
for doing her job as a member of the press. But she said that the wimpy
leadership of the party was very upset at her report on how they didnt seem
to care about that race. IMHO, only after her report did Democratic leaders
decide to take this race seriously. That tells me that Democratic leaders
have not learned the lessons of the 2016 election. ITs time for the old
guard of the Democratic Party to step aside and let younger folks and others
newer to the party such as Bernie sanders take over the reigns of control.
If I were Sanders, Id give Democrats the following ultimatum. Either you
idiots grow a pair or Im leaving to form a more energetic third party.
Bob Hachey
For love of country, not money Renée Graham Renée Graham . By Renée Graham
Globe Columnist . How would one go about hiring protesters that Republicans
insist are getting paid to do what, in fact, they are eagerly doing for
free? Perhaps there's an app where you can order them up like a combination
platter: a few dozen middle-aged guys to say, "I'm a Republican, but . . .
"; a bunch of millennials who now realize there is a difference between the
two major political parties; a dollop of citizens who finally understand
that Obamacare and the Affordable Care Act are the same thing; a sprinkling
of the intense silent types who can glare for hours; and a heaping side
order of those who relentlessly spew like volcanoes at the political object
of their disaffection. Do you find them on Craigslist? (Nah, I already
checked.) At your local big-box hardware store? Could they be actors waiting
tables while dreaming of their big chance to emote "Dump Trump"? Certain
that their management of the country is going well, President Trump and some
GOP members are trying to convince anyone who'll listen that all those
people with their signs, chants, and bottomless indignation are being paid
to stir up dissension and opposition. This is an "alternative fact" or, as
those of us grounded in reality would call it: a lie. Not surprisingly,
Trump, who loves taking credit for things that have absolutely nothing to do
with him, doesn't want anything to do with this one. Yet it's his
historically dysfunctional, ruinous presidency that's compelling people in
the streets and online. Last week, when voters lambasted Representative
Jason Chaffetz during a town hall in his Utah district, he told reporters
that the boisterous crowd was "more of a paid attempt to bully and
intimidate" him and was not indicative of his constituents' true feelings.
Chaffetz refuses to believe voters could be upset that he, chairman of the
House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, spent months hounding
Hillary Clinton about her private e-mail server but can't muster the same
fervor in going after Trump's conflicts of interest. So far, Chaffetz seems
more willing to go after underlings than the president himself. He claims he
sought "guidance" from the Office of Government Ethics on what to do about
senior counselor Kellyanne Conway hawking Ivanka Trump products on TV. The
OGE is now recommending that Conway be disciplined by the White House. Yet
hours after Michael Flynn resigned as the president's National Security
Adviser, Chaffetz was asked whether there should be further investigation
into Flynn's knotty Russian connections. His reply: "It's taking care of
itself. In other words, "Nothing to see here, folks, let's all just move
along, OK? (Several GOP senators aren't as convinced, and are pushing for a
probe into connections between Trump and Russia.) This is why Trump and his
minions work so hard to undermine agitators, even within his own party. Like
the "fake news" charge leveled against any journalist or news organization
that exposes Trump's lies, "paid protesters" is just another pejorative term
meant to delegitimize opposition. When Stephen Miller, Trump's White House
policy advisor, eerily warned Sunday that the "powers of the president . . .
are very substantial and will not be questioned," it was like chum for the
protesters circling this unsettling administration. Protesters will not be
deterred by presidential insults or attempts to sow mistrust and confusion
among them. They will continue to contest every challenge to their civil
rights and liberties, and to the Constitution. Unlike Trump, the millions
protesting against him aren't motivated by money. They're driven by an often
difficult, but fierce love for this country, and will guard it against all
enemies, even the one inhabiting the White House. And that devotion to
protecting the well-being of this nation, a cause bigger than any
individual, is something this president will never experience or understand.
Renée Graham can be reached at renee.graham@xxxxxxxxx. Follow her on Twitter
@reneeygraham
