And when Ronna started whining, perhaps the CNN host should have said "if you don't want Republican's violent rhetoric to be linked to an assassination attempt on the target of that rhetoric, perhaps you should dial down the violent threats against your political opponents". But that would be far too much to ask of our access driven, Republican loving, corporate media, and would get in the way of a continuing quest to normalize the MAGA horde and return Trump to the WH.
You said it so well. They are “groomed” like children. Because if you were to ask them why they hate Nancy they couldn’t give you a straight answer. Same with Hillary. It’s frightening there are so many of them and they can vote.
You are correct . He wasn’t armed w a gun. I had been mistaken. I think some part of my brain thought ‘weapon’ (gun) but we know it was a hammer. Thank you
Here we go into another election season and the other side is once again showing their true colors. The right says the left hates and wants to destroy our country, but who is actually showing the hate and who is it who supports and enacts policies that hurt people? Every potential voter needs to ask themselves a few questions like this before they go to the polls. And please educate yourselves on the players in the local races, with special attention paid to the judges, since they often slip in under everyone's radar.
Judd, you provide a critical service to my way of thinking. I have and will continue to spread the word about Popular Information. Especially since the musky one from SA has taken Twitter and now is busy twisting it to suit his needs.
Most of them have dropped out of political pursuit out of fear that their families could be killed or injured. There's the example that it's not limited to Nancy Pelosi. Then, there's Adam Kinzinger, who has lost his district and cannot run there. Liz Cheney has stood up to Trump over and beyond expectations. Other Republicans have developed The Lincoln Project, such as George Conway (Kelly Ann Conway's husband) and Steve Schmidt. None of them are running for office.
Same. I’ve been having nightmares about the results of the election. All the hate & anger is really getting to me. I mute the TV ads but it’s not enough anymore.
Just read (via Snopes) that Thomas Edison said, 'Our Greatest Weakness Lies in Giving Up.' His whole life was a multi-faceted demonstration of fighting against that. Thank you, Judd, for carrying on...no matter what!
Well, here are the questions: Why WOULD the Republicans express any contrition for their rhetoric? Why WOULD they apologize? Polls show that they are paying just about no price for doing what they are doing. They look set to gain an increasingly large majority in the House, as the public forgets about the Dobbs decision, and may very well retake the Senate. In short, why would you change your behaviour when voters seem set to say "Hey, that's okay by me!" to them?
Well said Ian. They watch for YEARS as no consequences are vetted out. I am so angry about that! Our system is NOT protecting it’s real patriots and citizens!
I suggest a change in Democrat "behavior" to learn how to present the truth. For example, we all know that the inflation is NOT Biden's fault, but so many people who work long days or several jobs and/or have children who want attention do not spend their time leaning what we have the time and incentive to do. The less well-informed believe the Republican message, and unfortunately that includes many in the Hispanic community. There is work to do.
That was and is a problem. Some try to position themselves as "moderate" or "progressive," but they all work in concert, to undermine what progress this nation has made.
Adam, to me this is indeed our new American fascism, with a demagogic leader promising simple solutions to complex problems, using the politics resentment to stir up resentment and anger and hatred (not "for the people" but for his own narcissistic needs), draping it all in hyper-nationalism and religious fundamentalism (like Adam says, in patriotic colors with a Bible attached), and then attacking democratic institutions (the press is the "enemy of the people," judges are part of the Deep State, elections are "rigged" and "stolen" and people should "take back their country")
But with leaders like McConnell and Kevin McCarthy (Profiles in Cowardice) and Marjorie Taylor Greene (the new "star of the Republican Party") coming into power, I felt the need to fight back with my vote and my voice, so at age 76 I started writing a substack newsletter (Neo-Fascism: A Warning) about the dangers hiding behind the once-respectable cloak of the Republican Party.
It's free and I welcome anyone's feedback and comments (from opponents as well as supporters) because i think the only way out of this volatile mess is through honest discussion and dialogue.
Well said and done Mr. Washington. Thank you. I'll b e looking at your substack. Do you send emails from a mailing list? If so, I'll be sure to get on it please & thank you.
Hi Adam, yes, it's always free, and subscribing just means you'll get an email notification of the weekly Sunday article. Yesterday I just posted a profile of Marjorie Taylor Greene. I don't want anyone's money, I do look forward to hearing people's feedback and comments.
Idk how anyone on the left can look at this crap and not want to fight back. Start putting out ads that say the same. The only good democrat ad I've seen is from Tim Ryan here in Ohio and Vance's campaign already responded with a good ad for their side too. Stop trying to play nice on the left. Put out ads demonizing the right. They supported stimulus checks for criminals. BLAST THAT ON TELEVISION. Show their votes. "The party that claims they want to 'fund police' is literally funding the criminals they put away. McConnel and McCarthy will lie to your face and say they love the police but then will vote to send stimulus checks to criminals behind closed doors. They love crime and hate the police. They prove it with their votes" - there's a commercial. I don't understand why the left always pulls punches. There won't be a country left to defend after the right wing effectively kills democracy.
I'm disheartened we are still surprised by the GOPs response. Why are we surprised - they are consistent with their lies, hate speech and turning a blind eye to violence? It's exhausting and demotivating reading about it without a strong Dem counter-offensive.
I'd rather and hear what Dems are doing to counter and get on offense with the good legislation passed (infrastructure, climate etc), how they will fight crime (gun control), support women (abortion rights), protect seniors (SSA), protect our democracy (voting rights and elector laws), etc.
Not sure we can win by only focusing on the egregious acts and words the GOP is 'doing' to Dems...want to see Dems FIGHT BACK with facts, simple talking points on policy proposals helping the working class and contrasting vs GOP plans and how they voted against and will overturn what Americans want!
Judd, I will be leaving Twitter also. I will absolutely double down on efforts to get you advertised. I don’t usually send friends too many links as it can become annoying. But this is different.
My anger is focused on DOJ and every avenue blocking the arrest of these maniacs. I know we have the number of votes to win and I stay positive. Remember, only these 30% fringe maniacs buy this well advertised BS. HOWEVER!, if this giant coup takes place, we must prepare for a revolution that will ultimately defund Twitter. It cannot be solely supported by the freaks.
We must prepare to shut companies and the nation down and embrace massive non-compliance. It is time to get real patriots..former military, FBI etc who are incensed at this to fight. I will not live in their Fascist women-demeaning, LGBTQ+ - hating, dark-skinned American-hating world.
No one wants violence but it will end up inevitable if they continue the coup. Imagine what Iranian women felt taking their head scarves off IN PUBLIC even though they faced murdering Taliban!
We must draw a line. No more whimpering about fear of their made-up fairy tales.
We need Judd Legum, Robert Reich, Rachel Maddow, Thom Hartmann and others to remain visible!
I am sad to leave Twitter. I will do so in the next month after DM ing a few people I want to stay connected with.
Perhaps get a subscription to these authors for holiday gifts!
I'm not a huge fan of Nancy Pelosi, but this goes beyond the pale. The Right absolutely has blood on their hands. Jan 6. was a herald of the type of threat they've created with their rhetoric. Like Frankenstein's monster, it's promising to be something dangerously out of their control.
While DePapa is obviously mentally ill, the continual smears and threats to women in high ranking political positions, and of course on Jews and BPOC (a given now) seem now to be a catalyst for many of the violent reactions we see today. Republicans cry ‘mental health’ as responsible for all mass shootings their loose take on the 2nd permits, yet their rhetoric appears to be the thing tipping the mentally ill over the edge. This attack on Mr Pelosi draws a direct line from a guy who was a little ‘weird’ but good, to a man who is now drowning in cult madness and acted on it. We’re all familiar with the tropes and conspiracies espoused daily, we saw Jan 6 with our own eyes, now imagine the insane things we may not actually hear or see. If Republicans truly believe Americans mental health is an issue, they can prove that by discontinuing and discouraging this hate speech. In ads (some are deranged), in their online presence, wherever the MAGA crowd gathers. And put a stop to the election fraud insistence-it’s been 2 years and they’ve offered no evidence. If they’re not following a fascistic playbook by muddying minds and smearing non white males, then veer from it. PROVE to all Americans they’re not the cause or catalyst of mentally deranged acts. Otherwise we have no choice but to call them out as directly responsible. And it’s time the lawmakers of this country help put a stop to it.
Here here! Most definitely. IF they truly cared about mental health and were not merely engaging in performative gestures to fool the unwise and unwary.
But of course contrary to Bonnie’s “if,” Republican politicians ARE “following a fascistic playbook by muddying minds and smearing non white males.” Why are Republican voters so willing to accept that is my real question!
One thing I think is important to mention whenever the right says talks about "lone wolves" or lone actors is that the lone wolf strategy is a coordinated strategy of white supremacists to avoid being investigated as one single organization and easily prosecuted and brought down. I tried searching for the author of a great book on this topic, but I can't remember the title or her name. If anyone happens to come across it, please let me know. Otherwise I'll pop back in when it eventually pops into my head.
Ruth Ben-Ghiat is a historian and commentator on fascism, authoritarian leaders, and propaganda — and the threats these present to democracies. An MSNBC Opinion Columnist and author or editor of six books, with over 100 op-eds and essays in CNN , The New Yorker, and The Washington Post , she brings historical perspective to her analyses of ..
Haha, I finally found it. The author is Kathleen Belew and the book is Bring the War Home: The White Power Movement and Paramilitary America. It's focused less on fascism as a whole and more on white power groups. I first found out about the book through an interview she gave where she talked about the myth of the lone wolf.
Hitler had his Brown Shirts. What does Trump call his thugs and his rhetoric that put them on the streets? Seems the same to me. Life in the US has gotten truly frightening.
The Republican politicians are disgusting in their insistent indecency and willingness to talk up violence, even while sometimes (a la McConnell and Youngkin) supposedly denouncing it. Our democracy cannot withstand this. And yet so many good, pro-democracy candidates and politicians, most but not quite all Democrats, are running into major Republican opposition. This demonstrates that a HUGE number of Americans favor the violent and demonizing rhetoric of the right, or at least accept it as their view of what is best. Can anyone who's not a Democrat dogmatist seriously explain this? It's not as though these Republican politicians are being rejected -- they're often winning! What the heck?!
And when Ronna started whining, perhaps the CNN host should have said "if you don't want Republican's violent rhetoric to be linked to an assassination attempt on the target of that rhetoric, perhaps you should dial down the violent threats against your political opponents". But that would be far too much to ask of our access driven, Republican loving, corporate media, and would get in the way of a continuing quest to normalize the MAGA horde and return Trump to the WH.
What a pitiful herd of miscreants these republican leaders are..
Each one more obtuse than the rest.
They play the most dangerous game of verbally assaulting Nancy Pelosi’s name.
They have continued this miserable , nasty tirade even after her husband was attacked and seriously injured in their home in San Francisco .
This deranged gunman was looking to kill Nancy Pelosi, who wasn’t home at the time .
But he’d been groomed to hate for the sake of hating and killing political opponents of the Republican party..
This has been created by attack rhetoric, that flows freely from their mouths.
These are not a few twisted characters of their cult. It is the leaders of this tawdry gang that carry this message of pure hate.
They know who they are and they know what their words mean and the damage they cause.
Talk to the folks at The Southern Poverty Law Center.
Ask them about the statistics on violent crime
You said it so well. They are “groomed” like children. Because if you were to ask them why they hate Nancy they couldn’t give you a straight answer. Same with Hillary. It’s frightening there are so many of them and they can vote.
The attacker appears to be deranged, but was he armed with a gun?
You are correct . He wasn’t armed w a gun. I had been mistaken. I think some part of my brain thought ‘weapon’ (gun) but we know it was a hammer. Thank you
Here we go into another election season and the other side is once again showing their true colors. The right says the left hates and wants to destroy our country, but who is actually showing the hate and who is it who supports and enacts policies that hurt people? Every potential voter needs to ask themselves a few questions like this before they go to the polls. And please educate yourselves on the players in the local races, with special attention paid to the judges, since they often slip in under everyone's radar.
Judd, you provide a critical service to my way of thinking. I have and will continue to spread the word about Popular Information. Especially since the musky one from SA has taken Twitter and now is busy twisting it to suit his needs.
Where are the sane and ethical Republicans?
No, where are the sane, moral and ethical human beings amongst us?
If we have to ask the question, perhaps they don't exist?
🎯
If they exist, they're signed on to this madness. All of the "sane" republicans have left the party after the trumpian years.
Most of them have dropped out of political pursuit out of fear that their families could be killed or injured. There's the example that it's not limited to Nancy Pelosi. Then, there's Adam Kinzinger, who has lost his district and cannot run there. Liz Cheney has stood up to Trump over and beyond expectations. Other Republicans have developed The Lincoln Project, such as George Conway (Kelly Ann Conway's husband) and Steve Schmidt. None of them are running for office.
Exactly. Hence "sane" republicans are thin on the ground.
There aren’t any…maybe fewer than a handful…stop pretending they exist.
Thanks Judd as always for your in-depth commentary & reporting. I'm losing hope..
Still I Rise
BY MAYA ANGELOU
You may write me down in history
With your bitter, twisted lies,
You may trod me in the very dirt
But still, like dust, I'll rise.
Does my sassiness upset you?
Why are you beset with gloom?
’Cause I walk like I've got oil wells
Pumping in my living room.
Just like moons and like suns,
With the certainty of tides,
Just like hopes springing high,
Still I'll rise.
Did you want to see me broken?
Bowed head and lowered eyes?
Shoulders falling down like teardrops,
Weakened by my soulful cries?
Does my haughtiness offend you?
Don't you take it awful hard
’Cause I laugh like I've got gold mines
Diggin’ in my own backyard.
You may shoot me with your words,
You may cut me with your eyes,
You may kill me with your hatefulness,
But still, like air, I’ll rise.
Does my sexiness upset you?
Does it come as a surprise
That I dance like I've got diamonds
At the meeting of my thighs?
Out of the huts of history’s shame
I rise
Up from a past that’s rooted in pain
I rise
I'm a black ocean, leaping and wide,
Welling and swelling I bear in the tide.
Leaving behind nights of terror and fear
I rise
Into a daybreak that’s wondrously clear
I rise
Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave,
I am the dream and the hope of the slave.
I rise
I rise
I rise.
Same. I’ve been having nightmares about the results of the election. All the hate & anger is really getting to me. I mute the TV ads but it’s not enough anymore.
I share your fear/pessimism.
Where would African-Americans be if they had given up hope?
Just read (via Snopes) that Thomas Edison said, 'Our Greatest Weakness Lies in Giving Up.' His whole life was a multi-faceted demonstration of fighting against that. Thank you, Judd, for carrying on...no matter what!
Well, here are the questions: Why WOULD the Republicans express any contrition for their rhetoric? Why WOULD they apologize? Polls show that they are paying just about no price for doing what they are doing. They look set to gain an increasingly large majority in the House, as the public forgets about the Dobbs decision, and may very well retake the Senate. In short, why would you change your behaviour when voters seem set to say "Hey, that's okay by me!" to them?
Well said Ian. They watch for YEARS as no consequences are vetted out. I am so angry about that! Our system is NOT protecting it’s real patriots and citizens!
I suggest a change in Democrat "behavior" to learn how to present the truth. For example, we all know that the inflation is NOT Biden's fault, but so many people who work long days or several jobs and/or have children who want attention do not spend their time leaning what we have the time and incentive to do. The less well-informed believe the Republican message, and unfortunately that includes many in the Hispanic community. There is work to do.
That was and is a problem. Some try to position themselves as "moderate" or "progressive," but they all work in concert, to undermine what progress this nation has made.
Valerie, the right wing own almost every single major media conglomerate as well as hundreds of tv stations.
The Democrats progress and messaging is shut out.
There are no left wing major media sources, they are all small scale.
Messaging isn’t going to change without imploding the chokehold of propaganda that ultra right wing spews out.
That's exactly how they are being signalled. Fascism? Sure if it comes in patriotic colors with a bible attached, then that's just the thing for me!
Adam, to me this is indeed our new American fascism, with a demagogic leader promising simple solutions to complex problems, using the politics resentment to stir up resentment and anger and hatred (not "for the people" but for his own narcissistic needs), draping it all in hyper-nationalism and religious fundamentalism (like Adam says, in patriotic colors with a Bible attached), and then attacking democratic institutions (the press is the "enemy of the people," judges are part of the Deep State, elections are "rigged" and "stolen" and people should "take back their country")
But with leaders like McConnell and Kevin McCarthy (Profiles in Cowardice) and Marjorie Taylor Greene (the new "star of the Republican Party") coming into power, I felt the need to fight back with my vote and my voice, so at age 76 I started writing a substack newsletter (Neo-Fascism: A Warning) about the dangers hiding behind the once-respectable cloak of the Republican Party.
It's free and I welcome anyone's feedback and comments (from opponents as well as supporters) because i think the only way out of this volatile mess is through honest discussion and dialogue.
https://neofascism.substack.com/
Well said and done Mr. Washington. Thank you. I'll b e looking at your substack. Do you send emails from a mailing list? If so, I'll be sure to get on it please & thank you.
Hi Adam, yes, it's always free, and subscribing just means you'll get an email notification of the weekly Sunday article. Yesterday I just posted a profile of Marjorie Taylor Greene. I don't want anyone's money, I do look forward to hearing people's feedback and comments.
OK, I just subscribed. Thanks Abraham.
Continued comment.....since 2016, since Donald J Trump was elected president . I dare you to ask them about the data they’ve collected.
Idk how anyone on the left can look at this crap and not want to fight back. Start putting out ads that say the same. The only good democrat ad I've seen is from Tim Ryan here in Ohio and Vance's campaign already responded with a good ad for their side too. Stop trying to play nice on the left. Put out ads demonizing the right. They supported stimulus checks for criminals. BLAST THAT ON TELEVISION. Show their votes. "The party that claims they want to 'fund police' is literally funding the criminals they put away. McConnel and McCarthy will lie to your face and say they love the police but then will vote to send stimulus checks to criminals behind closed doors. They love crime and hate the police. They prove it with their votes" - there's a commercial. I don't understand why the left always pulls punches. There won't be a country left to defend after the right wing effectively kills democracy.
I'm disheartened we are still surprised by the GOPs response. Why are we surprised - they are consistent with their lies, hate speech and turning a blind eye to violence? It's exhausting and demotivating reading about it without a strong Dem counter-offensive.
I'd rather and hear what Dems are doing to counter and get on offense with the good legislation passed (infrastructure, climate etc), how they will fight crime (gun control), support women (abortion rights), protect seniors (SSA), protect our democracy (voting rights and elector laws), etc.
Not sure we can win by only focusing on the egregious acts and words the GOP is 'doing' to Dems...want to see Dems FIGHT BACK with facts, simple talking points on policy proposals helping the working class and contrasting vs GOP plans and how they voted against and will overturn what Americans want!
Judd, I will be leaving Twitter also. I will absolutely double down on efforts to get you advertised. I don’t usually send friends too many links as it can become annoying. But this is different.
My anger is focused on DOJ and every avenue blocking the arrest of these maniacs. I know we have the number of votes to win and I stay positive. Remember, only these 30% fringe maniacs buy this well advertised BS. HOWEVER!, if this giant coup takes place, we must prepare for a revolution that will ultimately defund Twitter. It cannot be solely supported by the freaks.
We must prepare to shut companies and the nation down and embrace massive non-compliance. It is time to get real patriots..former military, FBI etc who are incensed at this to fight. I will not live in their Fascist women-demeaning, LGBTQ+ - hating, dark-skinned American-hating world.
No one wants violence but it will end up inevitable if they continue the coup. Imagine what Iranian women felt taking their head scarves off IN PUBLIC even though they faced murdering Taliban!
We must draw a line. No more whimpering about fear of their made-up fairy tales.
We need Judd Legum, Robert Reich, Rachel Maddow, Thom Hartmann and others to remain visible!
I am sad to leave Twitter. I will do so in the next month after DM ing a few people I want to stay connected with.
Perhaps get a subscription to these authors for holiday gifts!
I'm not a huge fan of Nancy Pelosi, but this goes beyond the pale. The Right absolutely has blood on their hands. Jan 6. was a herald of the type of threat they've created with their rhetoric. Like Frankenstein's monster, it's promising to be something dangerously out of their control.
While DePapa is obviously mentally ill, the continual smears and threats to women in high ranking political positions, and of course on Jews and BPOC (a given now) seem now to be a catalyst for many of the violent reactions we see today. Republicans cry ‘mental health’ as responsible for all mass shootings their loose take on the 2nd permits, yet their rhetoric appears to be the thing tipping the mentally ill over the edge. This attack on Mr Pelosi draws a direct line from a guy who was a little ‘weird’ but good, to a man who is now drowning in cult madness and acted on it. We’re all familiar with the tropes and conspiracies espoused daily, we saw Jan 6 with our own eyes, now imagine the insane things we may not actually hear or see. If Republicans truly believe Americans mental health is an issue, they can prove that by discontinuing and discouraging this hate speech. In ads (some are deranged), in their online presence, wherever the MAGA crowd gathers. And put a stop to the election fraud insistence-it’s been 2 years and they’ve offered no evidence. If they’re not following a fascistic playbook by muddying minds and smearing non white males, then veer from it. PROVE to all Americans they’re not the cause or catalyst of mentally deranged acts. Otherwise we have no choice but to call them out as directly responsible. And it’s time the lawmakers of this country help put a stop to it.
Here here! Most definitely. IF they truly cared about mental health and were not merely engaging in performative gestures to fool the unwise and unwary.
But of course contrary to Bonnie’s “if,” Republican politicians ARE “following a fascistic playbook by muddying minds and smearing non white males.” Why are Republican voters so willing to accept that is my real question!
Damn good question but we already know the answer don't we?
One thing I think is important to mention whenever the right says talks about "lone wolves" or lone actors is that the lone wolf strategy is a coordinated strategy of white supremacists to avoid being investigated as one single organization and easily prosecuted and brought down. I tried searching for the author of a great book on this topic, but I can't remember the title or her name. If anyone happens to come across it, please let me know. Otherwise I'll pop back in when it eventually pops into my head.
Could it be: ?
About | Ruth Ben-Ghiat
Ruth Ben-Ghiat is a historian and commentator on fascism, authoritarian leaders, and propaganda — and the threats these present to democracies. An MSNBC Opinion Columnist and author or editor of six books, with over 100 op-eds and essays in CNN , The New Yorker, and The Washington Post , she brings historical perspective to her analyses of ..
I hope that information comes back to you Sean. I'd be interested in knowing who that is and reading their prose.
Hey Sean. Could it have been the person Valerie Meluskey sugested? Inquiring minds NEED to know!
Haha, I finally found it. The author is Kathleen Belew and the book is Bring the War Home: The White Power Movement and Paramilitary America. It's focused less on fascism as a whole and more on white power groups. I first found out about the book through an interview she gave where she talked about the myth of the lone wolf.
Excellent! Thank you Sean. You can get it on Amazon but I am trying to cut ties with them whenever possible. You can also get it here:
https://bookshop.org/p/books/bring-the-war-home-the-white-power-movement-and-paramilitary-america-kathleen-belew/17984302
Hitler had his Brown Shirts. What does Trump call his thugs and his rhetoric that put them on the streets? Seems the same to me. Life in the US has gotten truly frightening.
Why, they're called MAGAT's and Deplorables aren't they?
The Republican politicians are disgusting in their insistent indecency and willingness to talk up violence, even while sometimes (a la McConnell and Youngkin) supposedly denouncing it. Our democracy cannot withstand this. And yet so many good, pro-democracy candidates and politicians, most but not quite all Democrats, are running into major Republican opposition. This demonstrates that a HUGE number of Americans favor the violent and demonizing rhetoric of the right, or at least accept it as their view of what is best. Can anyone who's not a Democrat dogmatist seriously explain this? It's not as though these Republican politicians are being rejected -- they're often winning! What the heck?!
What you do is very important and I will be looking for ways to tell folks! Ghastly how the R's have responded. Got to get FOX off the air!