The Suppression Of Trump Voters Will Not Create Long Term Stability
Someone at CNN was tasked with writing a thrilling story about a brave democratic congressman who did not shy away from confronting the Capitol intruders.
How a swift impeachment was born under siege
Rioters were still ransacking the halls of the US Capitol when two Democrats stuck in lockdown together in the House office buildings across the street started drafting the impeachment resolution that led to the unprecedented second impeachment of President Donald Trump almost exactly one week later.California Rep. Ted Lieu was forced to evacuate his office in the Cannon Office Building as insurrectionists converged on the Capitol. Grabbing a crowbar in his office, Lieu said he and his chief of staff called the top aide to Rhode Island Rep. David Cicilline while wandering the halls and asked if they could hunker down in Cicilline's office in the Rayburn House Office Building. ...
Shortly after the story was published someone (a fact checker?, Lieu?) most have notified CNN that a crowbar is an unlikely instrument to be found in a representative's office.
The story was implausible and had to be changed. That done a correction was appended to it.
bigger
The crowbar was replaced with a product placement, a "ProBar energy bar".
That is only one example of the ghastly reporting about the Trump impeachment by the 'librul' media.
They completely miss the point:
Michael Tracey @mtracey - 6:14 UTC · Jan 14, 2021
Virtually none of the corporate media coverage even bothers to remark on the radicalism of what occurred today. "Snap" impeachment with a total of two hours of debate, charging as a "high crime" that the president engaged in political speech.
The anti-Trump campaign, from Russiagate to Ukrainegate to this 'insurrection' nonsense, has likely done more damage to the U.S. than Trump managed to do during his four years in office. The hostility the Democrats have shown will create a huge backlash. Do they really believe that can suppress 74 million Trump voters?
As M.K. Bhadrakumar diagnoses:
For the outside world Trump Impeachment 2.0 can only appear as a kangaroo trial.
...
This ongoing project to impeach President Donald Trump for a second time in a little over a year is farcical. ...What happened in Washington, DC, on January 6 was by no means an insurrection. Of course, US citizens were behind the Capitol Building siege. But the parallel ends there. There was no way they could have usurped power in America last Wednesday. In fact, even the vandalism was entirely due to the ineptness of the security personnel deployed there.
...
What is the guarantee that another Trump will not arise from outside the cabals that preside over politics in America and reaches out to the people directly? The fact of the matter is that Trump’s support base still remains the envy of any American politician. Seventy million Americans voted for him last November. That massive support base will feel further disenfranchised or disempowered by what the cabals are perpetrating on the Capitol Hill.The real paradox is that the “mob” who besieged the Capitol building was largely drawn from the American middle classes — the petite bourgeoisie or the ‘transitional class,’ as Karl Marx described them ...
...
Make no mistake, this class is here to stay in America and if the post-pandemic economic recovery does not go brilliantly well or is mismanaged, its ranks will swell further. That is going to be Biden’s real challenge even if Pelosi were to dispatch Trump into political wilderness.
The backlash from this Trump impeachment will be huge. It may come in rare events of real domestic terrorism. But it is more likely to swell up through smaller acts of civil disobedience. There is a lot that the petite bourgeoisie can sabotage. The CIA has published volumes of advice, meant for people in other countries, on how to do that.
Feisal al-Istrabadi فيصل الاسترابادي @FIstrabadi - 00:03 UTC · 14 Jan 2021Joy Reid just spoke on MSNBC of the necessity for “de-Baathifying” the Republican Party to rid it of Trumpian influences.
An excellent precedent. It has worked just great in Iraq.
The Democrats aren't stupid. They know that they are provoking more strife. They will use that to roll out authoritarian measure that will serve the powerful.
It is a suppression strategy that has, at times, worked in other countries.
But it does not lead to long term stability.
Posted by b on January 14, 2021 at 17:45 UTC | Permalink
next page »The Democrats aren't stupid. They know that they are provoking more strife. They will use that to roll out authoritarian measure that will serve the powerful.
Their not stupid, they just don’t have time in their side.
As Alastair Crooke noted in that article you posted
The Blue state has ousted Trump; and Blue has taken everything across ‘the board’, and are ready to implement the ‘Re-set’ – the ultimate subjugation of Red by main force, achieved by the preponderance of wealth, ruling institutional leverage, and military power. A social ‘woke’ revolution, as well as a political transformation. The full outcome would likely reconstitute the constitutional order, in ways unrecognizable to most Americans today.
To me Red=Nationalist and Blue=Globalists.
Not for nothing did Biden talk of a dark winter coming during his presidential campaign.
Posted by: Down South | Jan 14 2021 18:03 utc | 2
The events on Jan. 6th was a carefully orchestrated trap set in place by democrats and republicans, at least at leadership positions, to get rid of Trump and his brand once and for all. Of course, Trump and his MAGA clowns were too stupid to see this and this kind of stupidity should have consequences.
And now that he is deserting his follower on a daily basis, he will be forgotten soon. But I’m afraid the discontent is here to stay and soon we will see an uprising. Then, remains the terrifying future prospects of this new government. Either way, living in US will be hell for the next two years.
US political scene is so poisoned, and trust is at such a non-existent level that only a quasi revolution will be able to put an end to politics as we know it. Revolution not in a traditional sense perhaps, but a political/social awakening. This will need abandoning this Democrat/Republican circus show and start being Americans. Otherwise, we will allow ourselves to be pons in this sick charade for years to come.
Sadly, smart money will be on complacency and status quo after the uprising has been extinguished.
Posted by: Alpi | Jan 14 2021 18:25 utc | 3
This is obvious to the 75+million.
More importantly the rest of the world clearly sees the hypocrisy of what the US says and does. Take note that it is just not US voters that will turn away, it will be other countries.
Twitter hypocrisy?
Pelosi's 2017 tweet where she claimed “Our election was hijacked. There is no question” resurfaces
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/56183.htm
Outside the USA, the first things that will be done is that everyone will have to have control over their own social media and internet. NO MORE trust in the USA Big Tech to play fair - that is gone!
Fragmentation will gather speed and ultimately lead to greater chaos as no one can trust what anyone says anymore and voting is just about who counts the vote - not the votes themselves.
Russia was correct in saying the USA is "agreement incapable". Agreements will be meaningless and we will have to go back to the system of "Exchanging Hostages or Family Members" to ensure agreements are kept.
In the USA it is probable that the Republicans will split, with most joining the Dems to form a one party state. This will last for some time until a revolutionary leader comes along to challenge the Emperors of the repressive one party state.
In the interlude there will certainly be individual and isolated acts of rebellion, which will just create new edicts, greater cooperation with big tech to identify suspects and ever more repression.
Vengeance does not make peace, and Nancy & Hillary will have their vengeance!
Posted by: James | Jan 14 2021 18:28 utc | 4
Turnabout is fair play
In a prior thread I mentioned my suspicions about Democrats over-reach. And now we have this:
Georgia Rep Pledges To File Articles of Impeachment Against Joe Biden
If Biden is impeached for his conduct as Obama's Vice President then (as with Trump) only a majority is needed to disqualify him from holding future office. And as his Presidency is a future office (because it comes after his Vice Presidency). . . that might effectively mean that he is not POTUS and any actions taken as POTUS are null and void.
The matter would likely be taken to the Supreme Court.
<> <> <> <> <>
Can a president be impeached after he leaves office, and what penalty would he face if convicted?
“The Constitution gives Congress the authority to impeach and remove the President, Vice President, and all federal civil officers for treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors.”“Judgment in cases of impeachment shall not extend further than to removal from office, and disqualification to hold and enjoy any office of honor, trust or profit under the United States.”
Biden doesn't need to be removed from the Vice Presidency. An impeachment for his conduct as Obama's Vice President would [theoretically] disqualify him from holding any office after the office for which he is impeached. And only a simple majority vote is needed.
TBD: would that make Kamala President or invalidate the 2020 Presidential election?
!!
Posted by: Jackrabbit | Jan 14 2021 18:31 utc | 5
"Do they really believe that can suppress 74 million Trump voters?"
And why not? While the 'educated' classes love to make a stink and know how to do it, the proles typically aren't all that active in politics.
Some addition to various militias, maybe. But they're all probably well under control, since the 90s.
And anyhow, as drug dealers are going free, some people will have to take their place in all those for-profit prisons...
Posted by: Mao Cheng Ji | Jan 14 2021 18:35 utc | 6
Posted by: James | Jan 14 2021 18:28 utc | 4
Republican politicians might turn democrat, but not necessarily republican voters, and possibly not even many progrssive democrats today may remain in the arty after the #forcethevote fiasco and the exposure of the corporate controlled #fraudsquad.
Posted by: Blue Dotterel | Jan 14 2021 18:44 utc | 7
Anyone who thought voting in Biden was going to end the circus is sadly mistaken. The refusal of a large section of the population to recognise Trump as President has merely set the tone for a large portion of the population to think of Biden as illegitimate. If Biden uses domestic terrorism legislation to try to control the opposition it won't end well. Bring on the lions and Christians and any other unpopular section of the country.
Posted by: Ramon Zarate | Jan 14 2021 18:54 utc | 8
A half century of downward mobility — crippling of the real economy in which productivity was rewarded — and neglect causing deterioration of infrastructure (including meeting basic human needs like health care), have brought the U.S. to a state of collapse. Almost everyone seems to sense this and we feel powerless to rectify the situation through accepted channels, thus some people believe they have a ‘patriotic’ duty to use other means. The combination of disenfranchised minorities and disgruntled middle class becomes dangerous (to the established order) as soon as both groups realize they can’t win by blaming and fighting each other. We haven’t reached that stage yet, judging from the comments I’ve read in the mainstream media, however it’s just a matter of time until they do. The divide-and-rule political game keeps people attached to ideology of left vs right until it becomes clear that we all lose by adhering to this mode of thinking. The war racket and a whole range of other exploitative financial policies are driven by the top echelon of elites, who also control the narratives through media propaganda. Their game is failing and they’re resorting to draconian control measures to prop it up, but this can’t continue much longer. As I see it, the collapse of the Western financial system could happen suddenly or gradually, or it could bring the ultimate destruction of human civilization. In any case, I believe our degradation of the natural world will be the real catalyst leading either to human extinction; or else if we’re lucky and smart enough, will induce us to massively downsize our population and industrial activity in order to let the ecosystem heal itself.
Posted by: norecovery | Jan 14 2021 19:05 utc | 9
Giraldi's current essay hits on numerous points already brought forth by b and barflies, and IMO is a very well balanced look at the outcome and possible road that lies ahead. The citation he opens with IMO gets to the heart of the matter of what's been building since the 2000 election and its Judicial Coup:
"In a recent article Catholic University professor Claes G. Ryn wrote [Link at original] “Few people are really open to persuasion in any case—not just on political subjects but on any subject about which they care and on which they have adopted certain views. Diehard partisans for a certain outlook will refuse to have their beliefs questioned, and so will many others. They will be no less dismissive of a document challenging their opinions if it is full of footnotes and appendixes. Such a document will, indeed, make them resist it even more. As for the relatively few people who are truly open-minded, they will not find another person’s observations dispositive. They will, as they should, want to consider the evidence on a contested matter for themselves.”
We experience the above daily here at MoA. IMO, economic reality will alter the equation once the eviction and foreclosure restrictions end unless some very enlightened legislation is proposed and enacted.
Whether or not the Trump voters will be surpressed doesn't matter (anymore). The fact is and remains that A LOT OF US citizens are unhappy. And that will create more and more unrest in the (near) future. Both the Democratic and the Republican party have become establishment parties who don't care about the petite bourgeoisie and/or the average Joe Sixpack.
Posted by: Willy2 | Jan 14 2021 19:33 utc | 11
Trump will play this for all it’s worth and go down as a martyr, he is the wrong guy to nail to a cross. Impeaching him in his last days of office is going to completely backfire.
Posted by: Turk 152 | Jan 14 2021 19:34 utc | 12
The man who took a laptop from Pelosi office has just been Gary Webbed
On January 13th, a man who took part in the Capitol building storming allegedly killed himself.
The death was reported by his wife, who found his corpse after he had allegedly shot himself in the chest.
Christopher Stanton Georgia was already arrested and charged by police in connection with the insurrection at the Capitol on January 6th.
Posted by: gary mckinnon | Jan 14 2021 19:38 utc | 13
Republicans still control most states, and conservative Democrats will still be in the majority. Joe Manchin may be flipping a coin right now to decide whether he switches parties. The claim Trump voters are being suppressed is a lie.
The failure of the rioters to actually capture or murder Pelosi et al. is not proof there was no effort at an autogolpe. This would be an incredibly stupid thing to say, except any excuse for the indefensible has to serve the unscrupulous lackeys no matter how foolish.
The filthy campaign of deliberate racist backwardness, religious bigotry, viciously reactionary anticommunist mythology, politics of personal slander, creeping authoritarianism in the laws, relentless whittling away of government services, and political instability undermining majority rule has been an ongoing process spearheaded by the Republican Party, like Reagan and Trump, and other conservatives (yes, including Democrats.) Impeaching Clinton for a frivolous lawsuit meant solely to embarrass him politically was more destabilizing even than the first Trump impeachment. The demented twaddle about email servers and Benghazi and Clinton Ca$h and Pizzagate caused more damage than Russiagate nonsense. Only a whining loser complains when the opposition copies your tactics.
What really destabilizes this country is the unstable and declining economy. It's failure is bipartisan, decades long in the making. The OP may agree with the Trumps that doing away with the New Deal remnants is the greatest thing in the world, but nobody with both a heart and brain does. Trump failed in his imaginary nationalist program. The partial recovery after the crisis of 2009 was never a great thing, and only craven stooges brag it up. The crisis began before covid and blaming the economic collapse on covid is merely more sycophancy.
The bottom line is simply this: Suppressing the majority is what the OP stands for. This is shameful.
Posted by: steven t johnson | Jan 14 2021 19:44 utc | 14
Unfortunately I am not reading you to the extend you deserve. You are a master observer, Bernhard.
Posted by: lux | Jan 14 2021 19:44 utc | 15
IMO this second house impeachment without going to senate for the trial, before the inauguration is like the Damocles sword to keep him DT from igniting more demonstrations and instability during the inauguration. I don’t think the trail will be before the inauguration and if it does will not have the 2/3 vote to pass senate. Is just a leash on him, obvious by his televised speech yesterday that incidentally was allowed on Twitter. In Persian his video message is called Goeh Khordan meaning Eating (his own) Shit, he really did if he start disturbing again full senate will convict him in 1 hour
Posted by: Kooshy | Jan 14 2021 20:03 utc | 17
Rep Jason Crow (Dem Colo) "I had a lot of conversations with my Republican colleagues. ... A couple of them broke down in tears ... saying that they are afraid for their lives if they vote for this impeachment."
The only thing they (RINO's, the non Trumpers) are afraid of loosing is their seat on the gravy train express. They are afraid of loosing their seat at the sleaziest brothel in the world, totally bought and controlled by powerful interest groups and foreign governments with Israel being by far the biggest one that controls that chamber. There, fixed it for you Mr. Crow. Rep Crow could well end up eating crow when this is all over.
Posted by: Tom | Jan 14 2021 20:06 utc | 18
IMO a large number of his supporters like Pat Lang don’t care much for him or his policies specially his Israel first policies, majority are America first conservative nationalist they will look for someone else to lead and reorganize, that’s when this divide will become dangerous and scary. IMO that is the only reason they really didn’t damage the building or even hide themselves behind mask they are not afraid of being identified.
That is even more scary for those who hope there wouldn’t be a civil uprising challenge the establishment .
Posted by: Kooshy | Jan 14 2021 20:13 utc | 19
"The hostility the Democrats have show will create a huge backlash. Do they really believe that can suppress 74 million Trump voters?"
They don't have to suppress 74 million Trump voters. They don't have to suppress any of the Trump voters. They just have to hold on to the 81 million Democratic voters, and will probably be joined by a relative handful of Republicans who, out of disgust and anger at Trump, will cross over and join the Democrats.
Of course, if the mass of everyday, relatively uninvolved Democratic voters finds out the truth about the true past and about the true intents and purposes of the Biden-Harris wrecking crew, it's possible that some small percentage of them will stop voting and/or switch to minor parties, but it's unlikely that such a small desertion will swing any election to the Republicans, especially if the Biden administration is smart enough and loose-fisted enough to toss a few financial crumbs to the mass of unfortunates who are staring homelessness and starvation in the face.
One result of the eight-year Obama administration was a small group of Democrats who did exactly that -- they walked away while the vast majority of registered Democrats ignored Obama's long list of crimes and misdemeanors and pretended not to see or to know of his lies and betrayals of the working class. So the principled deserters are already gone, and those left in the party are hard-core, thick-headed party-above-principle-in-all-things grifters and groupies who will stick to the party through all manner of thick and thin circumstances. They're not going to participate in any "backlash."
Posted by: AntiSpin | Jan 14 2021 20:14 utc | 20
The Democrats have proven themselves complete idiots for years and years and years. The Republicans are batshit crazy. The last election from the Democratic POV was to remove what they perceive as an existential threat to 'democracy' which is another word for 'deep state.' It is no wonder the rush to judgment to confirm what they already believe about DJT. Critical thinking and common sense are not attributes the elite political class possess. They are all vainglorious grifters.
The USA is FUBAR and none of the king's horses and none of the king's men etc. etc. etc.
Posted by: gottlieb | Jan 14 2021 20:17 utc | 21
I am one of the outlier heathens. We will not so easily conform, reform or deform into the highly suppressed shapes and tiny spaces TPTB insist we all must passively retreat into. We are more than their obedient, mindless consumer droids or random points of collected data, to be unceremoniously herded, harvested and then, casually discarded when they are satisfied that there is little to nothing left of 'value' for them to wring out of our collectively ransacked consumer carcasses.
Yet...We Are Legion!
Posted by: Dee Plora Belle | Jan 14 2021 20:19 utc | 22
I'm finding the anti anti-Trump featured here tedious. I liked the foreign policy critiques and analysis of the intelligence service activities but the apparent swallowing of Trumpian story telling and myth creation is regrettable and ultimately counter productive. Just my opinion of course.
Posted by: Mike Adamson | Jan 14 2021 20:36 utc | 23
Sorry, B:
The attack on the Capital, while it was certifying Biden's win, is insurrection, something Trump encouraged for months, and specifically that day.
There's not really a debate about Trump's guilt.
Now, you're correct there could be a backlash, but Biden could actually choose to help average citizens and largely avoid a backlash.
Posted by: Jay | Jan 14 2021 20:47 utc | 24
Let’s not conflate Trump voters with those who planned and carried out the break-in and riot at the US Capital. Those people who committed crimes should be punished. That may include Trump.
While you claim it wasn’t a coup attempt, I’d bet my life savings that some of the people who planted and participated in the riot believed it was a coup attempt. While the coup wasn’t effective, its goals were to have Trump declared the winner of the 2020 election by Congress and installed as president. An inept and unsuccessful coup attempt is still a coup attempt and should be punished. However, there is no need to punish the participants for insurrection or other anti government crimes. Assault, battery, breaking in and murder all occurred during the riot. Charges related to those crimes will be sufficient.
As for Trump voters, if the Democrats don’t measurably improve their lives, the Dems will be quickly out of power. We will see what happens next.
Posted by: TimmyB | Jan 14 2021 20:49 utc | 25
Biden, Ds, reneging on $2K stimulus promise. Contortionist language is already being employed by Biden even before he becomes POTUS, which should surprise nobody, and provides plenty of I told ya so for Red America.
As I previously calculated, much more than $2K is needed to stave off very dire economic hardship and further deepening of Great Depression 2.0. But for any stimulus to be effective for small and medium businesses, operating restrictions related to the pandemic need to be greatly eased; and even then, it's projected that 1/3 of businesses already closed will remain closed regardless. That reality constitutes a huge blow for small businesses were seen by many as a way out of the never ending downsizing and offshoring of decent paying jobs.
"The Democrats aren't stupid."
I am not sure about that.
Russiagate, Ukrainegate and now Insurrectiongate convinced a lot of Americans - and not just Trump supporters - that the system is broken.
If they keep up with this lunacy, people will conclude that the system is - not just broken but - irrevocably broken.
At that point, even police state suppression won't help them.
Posted by: Mike from Jersey | Jan 14 2021 21:20 utc | 28
You quote a guy:
"There was no way they could have usurped power in America last Wednesday. In fact, even the vandalism was entirely due to the ineptness of the security personnel deployed there."
I fancy myself to be as much of a realist as most people here. It's easy to sit back and speculate about possible outcomes, and to lace that with chuckles over this level of disruption of a government that is the Great Disruptor.
But in this context blaming the victim due to compromised security is idiotic. The point is not whether it could have succeeded -- the military wasn't on board, capital is pretty happy, etc. The point is that it was attempted. And attempted it was. Trump incited a mob to try to disrupt the confirmation of the election by the national legislature. Members of both parties who were present had good reason to fear for their safety. That is a violation of limits on his office as established in the Constitution. Unlike the first go round, in which obstructing aid to a fascist-riddled government loom larged, this is an impeachable offense.
Posted by: dadooronron | Jan 14 2021 21:24 utc | 29
Mr. Kooshy
The Trump supporters do not care that he is a murderer and a scoundrel as well as yet another US President that started yet another war against a Muslim country.
They think that US can survive a centuries-long war against Islam.
That is a major flaw in their estimation of US power and fragility of what they have in the United States.
1.2 billion Muslims, 1.2 billion Chinese, and a 130 million Russians believing that the United States is their enemy.
No amount of domestic political change in the United States can address this.
In 1976, a 17-year old American boy could travel alone in Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, etc. without any fear; he would be welcome because of the correct foreign policy of the United States.
Americans have lost that and are discussing the deck arrangements on Titanic.
Posted by: fyi | Jan 14 2021 21:24 utc | 30
Mr. Jay:
I agree.
Mr. Trump had prepared his supporters for this revolt against the results of the voting by repeatedly insinuating that he be not the winner, it would be due to cheating.
He had prepared the ground.
He also would have attacked Iran - in my opinion - had he won since he had been thwarted and frustrated in his project to destroy Iran and the Shia power.
His murder of the national hero of Iran, achieved through a trap set by himself, is clear indication of were his Iran policy was going.
God saved Iran.
Posted by: fyi | Jan 14 2021 21:29 utc | 31
@fyi | Jan 14 2021 21:24 utc | 30
In 1976, a 17-year old American boy could travel alone in Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, etc. without any fear; he would be welcome because of the correct foreign policy of the United States.
In Laos, Vietnam or Cambodia the "correct foreign policy of the United States" was in full display. The US was always a murderous monster. The only difference is that it has turned on itself.
Posted by: Norwegian | Jan 14 2021 21:30 utc | 32
I have to pause and wonder,
Do these clowns realize that there actually is such a thing as a rational and honest human being?
Has the thought crossed what passes for their minds that there may very well be more than one or two such rational and honest human beings,
You know,
Like, on this planet,
Like, right now?
Anyway,
It's a certainty that they will try to continue their clown show,
But, what end do those idiots truly believe awaits them, you know, in reality?
Mr. Norwegian
I do not disagree.
And as time has passed, they have added more and more countries and peoples to those who despise the United States.
Ho Chih Minh wanted to work with the United States, the young men died on the field of battle shouting "independence".
But something deep in the psyche of the American people compels them to walk down this path.
They seem to have a deep need for war and confrontation.
Posted by: fyi | Jan 14 2021 21:39 utc | 34
dadooronron @29
No, there was no attempt at insurrection by the protesters at the Capitol building. You imaging that there was an insurrection attempt is just a symptom of hysteria, like your imaging the Russians were taking over for the last four years. It is an indication that your rational mind has failed and that you are overcome with fight-or-flight fear-based emotional reactions, with that fear being implanted in your head by the corporate mass media in order to remote-control your behavior.
You should probably turn off your TV.
Posted by: William Gruff | Jan 14 2021 21:41 utc | 35
“The Trump supporters do not care that he is a murderer and a scoundrel as well as yet another US President that started yet another war against a Muslim country.”
As you know this is not unique to trump supporters for as long as I have experienced this a fundamental group think in America. Americans from early school days are thought the you are “special” and “indispensable “
And “exceptional” they are thought never to accept or believe defeat never agree or accept “mistake” never agree or accept “lack of knowledge “ this not just Trump is the entire nation’ by now this group think is injected in sole of the nation on hourly bases. This people are just beginning to doubt or question their government’ sincerity and its design while middle easterners never trust the government. It will eventually become more difficult for US governments to govern under the mistrust that is building up. New honest deal will be needed.
Posted by: Kooshy | Jan 14 2021 21:41 utc | 36
Mr. Josh:
I do not think they understand that there are people on this planet that cannot be bought or coerced; men like Ayatollah Khamenei (or the late Ayatollah Khomeini) are beyond their ken.
They live, in my opinion, in a Godfather Movie fantasy.
Posted by: fyi | Jan 14 2021 21:41 utc | 37
Finally an official opinion from Russia:
"Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on her Facebook page:
"The decision by US Internet platforms to block the accounts of the head of state can be likened to a nuclear explosion in cyberspace. The aftereffects are worse than destruction. A blow has been dealt to the democratic values professed by Western society. Both darknet apologists and the advocates of harsh censorship have instantly gained a substantial argument. The media market has begun to be reshaped and a massive digital migration is afoot."
That's a very fair observation of the facts that avoids politics and skillfully stated by Ms. Zakharova.
Mr. Kooshy
Yes, another (late) Saddam Hussein.
هر که با آل علی در افتاد، بر افتاد.
Posted by: fyi | Jan 14 2021 21:52 utc | 39
@ 28
"At that point, even police state suppression won't help them."
Their hate-mongering and police state suppression may not work for them forever, but it sure might be going on for a long time. Decades, possibly.
Back in the 1950s it was going on for a decade, and they didn't have the technologies they do now.
Posted by: Mao Cheng Ji | Jan 14 2021 21:52 utc | 40
So we have gone from "Davy Crockett takes the Capitol" to Senators pulling "light sabres from under their desks" - Star wars "ProBar energy rods". Now for the chase and the final "shoot-out" at the KO corral.
All very distracting. Which it is meant to be, while the new masters make their play. One thing that can easily be forgotten is that when the USSR disintegrated, it is the speed at which it happened that was surprising. It may have been building up to a "finalé" but the final collapse was in one or maximum two months.
Most if not all of the Capitol caper was forseen, and possibly some of it organised in advance. (Question are surfacing about the death of Aliha Babbitt)
The real power play wasn't there.
1) The first to arrive was the Social Media control over speech. (Free or not)
2) The next will be the Financial Empires stabilizing the situation in their own interest, with trillions in play. (Karmala's new "second" will be an (ex?) director of Blackrock ie. Fund manager of about 9 trillion dollars, the largest in the US)
3) Money, if it has any meaning left, will be restricted to the rich, the others will just have to make ends meet. Virtuous bits of bitcoin.
4) The military
5) Restricted Food supply (as well as cost)
6) and of course Covid and the identification of those that blindly obey and those that don't. (I'll write about in another post some other time, but it includes the "Green fluorescence" added to Pfizer vaccins for .....what? Identification of the willing?)
7) The other "surprises" that are planned.
b is right in that it will be along time before we see stability. but whose "stability" will it be?
Posted by: Stonebird | Jan 14 2021 22:03 utc | 41
thanks b.... always interesting...
thanks karlof1....
i liked the giraldi article... here is a quote - "Free speech in America will become as dead at the Dodo and the United States would become effectively two nations with the increasingly impoverished helot “deplorables” under the heel of the empowered social justice warriors. It won’t be pretty, and it won’t be stable." like you say @ 27... you can see it happening even here on the moa channel....
@ william gruff...
i would like to 2nd your recommendation - "You should probably turn off your TV." i wonder if these people are not bright enough to consider that??
Posted by: james | Jan 14 2021 22:15 utc | 42
Posted by: karlof1 | Jan 14 2021 21:49 utc | 38
The early return of Navalny is linked to the content of that statement, before losing all value as a foreign asset he is going to play maybe his last ace under the sleave, if he is detained gains as victim, if he's not, his rivals are weak.
I'm reading an interesting article that has cost a senior fellow of the Cato institute to lose his job. The title is Reichstag Fire '21. Some Illarionov, a former Putin economic adviser working with the Cato for over 15 years.
It won't be pleasurable to machine read it, but give it a try, might be interesting as part of the big "migration" taking place, digital and analog.
https://aillarionov.livejournal.com/1215661.html
Posted by: Paco | Jan 14 2021 22:46 utc | 43
james @42, gruff @35,
I always felt fortunate to quite literally shove my television out the door onto the sidewalk in the late 1970’s. Didn’t participate in “tv culture” for over twenty years, especially since learning that television (at that time) was specifically designed to shorten the viewers attention span: an “event” - a scene change, camera angle, sound cue, something - was scheduled every seven seconds or so so the consumer would become more or less hypnotized by this rhythmic pulse. Being in the next room with the sound off was very instructive, as the slow motion strobe was quite evident. Pop...Seven second...Pop...seven seconds...Pop.
That’s when my set hit the street, and I never regretted it.
Posted by: NotBob | Jan 14 2021 23:04 utc | 44
Stonebird @41--
As to the stability of the "Financial Empires" of your #s 2&3, most of their hidden away assets are denominated in dollars, and when the dollar falls the value of those assets falls with them--a point Hudson has made several times. A Bretton Woods 2.0 that replaces the dollar as the reserve trading currency will solve the crisis of dollar hegemony and the petrodollar but will generally create many losers and very few winners and is a reset in itself. A host of commodities are advancing versus the dollar as it declines and soon it will be impossible for the Outlaw US Empire to lie about the real rate of inflation, which was just under 10% for 2020 in a worse than stagnating economy. The real possibility of Stagflation recurring has the Fed very worried since it can't raise interest rates like Volker did because the Parasites are all addicted to free credit. Neoliberal economic mismanagement since the end of WW2 has created a massive problem that can't be solved without lots of pain. Obama could've put an end to it in 2009 by jailing the fraudster bankers and nationalizing the entire financial system at a nominal cost to the overall populous, but that chance is long gone now. The manipulative, illegal accounting and other issues that surfaced at the end of Clinton/Gore were the tip of the current iceberg. But genuine blame resides with Volker, Reaganomics, Greenspan, and the Wall Street Parasites from the Greed is Great administration.
You're right to ask about stability. I'd invest in non-perishable foodstuffs and food storage items like pint and quart jars, the latter being in very short supply during Fall of 2020. And if you don't own a pressure canner, I'd buy one cause you need one to can meats and other non-acidic foods. Yesterday for the first time ever I noted that an all copper penny's melt value is now more than a dime's, which is an indication of the depth of watering/debasing the currency's undergone. Rubles are rather cheap still, which is odd since they're probably the most solvent currency on the planet currently.
"Republican politicians might turn democrat.." Blue Dotterel
A large part of the Republican Party came out of the Democratic Party in the wake of the Civil Rights legislation. The Solid South, hitherto solidly Democratic and capable of compromising with progressives, became solidly Republican and reactionary.
The hope was that the influx of black congressmen and a solid black vote would lead to the consolidation of the 'progressive' forces in the Democratic Party. After all, black voters always poll as the most in favour of welfare state measures, peace and equality.
Counterintuitively however the black caucus and the black vote has become a major force in consolidating neo-liberal policies. Despite the fact that these are policies which directly damage black communities and working class interests, most black congressmen support them. The last set of primaries in which Sanders was soundly beaten in the southern states while Biden with his baggage of racism, harshness towards drugs and opposition to Medicare for All, which something like 70% of blacks support, owes his nomination to black vote blocs.
This is the other side to the white supremacist appeal- just as they did in the 1890s, black voters, forced by history to stick together just to be allowed to vote, vote Democratic because pastors and other community leaders lead them in that direction. Identity politics works for the black leadership which can sell its support to the highest bidders- Big Pharma, for example, the Banks and the Arms industry. And Israel, too.
The basis for a third party in the States certainly exists- most of the people hardest pressed by the increasingly bad economic situation feel no loyalty to either party, for obvious reasons. But before a Third Party can reach the critical mass needed to mount a real challenge it is necessary to enrol the black electorate and to be able to do so without defining white working class people as enemies. To do this people have to get rid of the middle men in politics-the machines which not only can get 97% of the vote but can get it for obvious enemies such as Clinton and Biden.
Posted by: bevin | Jan 14 2021 23:08 utc | 46
'even the vandalism was entirely due to the ineptness of the security personnel'
Is it...possible that it was due to the vandals and the demagogue that incited them, refused to disperse them for hours, and told the vandals he loved them?
The same goes for the cop those terrorists beat to death. His death was 100% the fault of Trump and his thugs, not the fault of the 'ineptness of the security personnel.'
The convoluted contrarian bullshit deployed here to run interference for Trump is staggering.
Posted by: Sigil | Jan 14 2021 23:28 utc | 47
It's really the Jews calling the shots.
The main difference between American Jews and Goy Americans is the Jewish Americans put Jewishness first and Americanity second, whereas Goy Americans put Americanity first and their ethnic origins second.
This means Jews try to shape America to serve Jewish ends, whereas goyim surrender(and even betray) their original identities(with roots going back many centuries, even millennia) to serve Americanism.
But as Jews gained control of American media, academia, courts, and whore politicians, they get to revise and re-code what Americanism is all about: "Is It Good for the Jews?"
With Americanism rebranded as Jewish-Firstism and with Goy Americans favoring Americanism uber alles(including their own identities of origin), the goyim effectively become Jewish-Firsters.
In a way, one could say the Least Loyal People took over America and exploited the Most Loyal Peoples, the patriots. Jews, least loyal to America, gained power and made the most loyal Americans, the goyim, serve America-rebranded-as-slave-to-Jews-and-Israel.
In another way, one could say Jews are the most loyal people and goyim are the least loyal people. After all, Jewish identity goes back 3,500 yrs whereas America is only 250 yrs old. So, Jews were profoundly loyal in refusing to surrender their ancient roots and loyalties in favor of loyalty to the US, an upstart nation. In contrast, goyim were more than willing to betray their ancient roots and adopt Americanity as their main identity mainlyi because 'muh money' and 'muh liberty' became more important than 'my deep history and culture'.
Lesson: Those with deep loyalties win over those with shallow loyalties.
And Jews control the gods:
https://dailyandreaostrov.blogspot.com/2021/01/jews-who-control-gods-control-big-tech.html
Posted by: Andrea Ostrov | Jan 14 2021 23:39 utc | 48
Paco @43--
That's one big Humdinger of a listing!! My auto-translate got me to point #13 before it was overloaded, but that was more than enough for me to see his point. Too bad if he was fired from his job for compiling the Truth. His point #12 presents a huge problem for the Ds. IMO, there's only one way to restore election integrity and that's to implement "Democray's Gold Standard". But I see very few politicians demanding that be done.
@ NotBob | Jan 14 2021 23:04 utc | 44.. thanks... your comment reminds me of how i can't watch music videos... every second or sooner, the picture changes.. it is mind boggling how anyone would watch any of these videos... shortening peoples attention spam seems to be the intention - yes!
Posted by: james | Jan 14 2021 23:58 utc | 51
"The Democrats aren't stupid. They know that they are provoking more strife. They will use that to roll out authoritarian measure that will serve the powerful."
What could they do?? HHMMMM... How about shut down the economy and lock healthy people up for a virus that kills old sick people in nursing homes? Not enough? Hysterical mask mandates with no end in sight as a momenta mori and a reminder to shut your mouth? Been there, done that...got the shirt....
Posted by: maskholes | Jan 15 2021 0:09 utc | 52
The Saker:
"...So who won?
Well, look who is celebrating and who is now demanding that punitive and even repressive measures be taken against Trump supporters:
The Democrats
The united legacy corporate ziomedia
The letter soup agencies and their top officials
Most of the GOP leaders
The War Lobby (including lots of ex Cold Warriors)
Big Money (MIC, Oil, Pharma, Jails and Prisons, etc.)
The Israel Lobby (especially the ADL – see here and here)
The Russia-hating Lobby
Antifa/BLM/etc
The many freaks of nature leading various “minorities”
Big Tech megacorporations a la Google and Amazon
The list is longer, of course, and it includes pretty much all the folks afflicted with the now famous Trump Derangement Syndrome (TDS).
Our list looks like a cocktail of very different actors, but is that really the case?
I submit that if we look closely at this list of possible “winners” we can quickly see that we are dealing with a single social category/group whose “diversity” is only apparent. Here is what all these groups have in common:
They are numerically small, definitely a minority
They are very wealthy
They are very close to the real centers of power
They share the same narcissistic (Neocon) ideology of self-worship
They are driven by the same hate-based ideology of revenge
They don’t care about the people of the USA
They want to dismantle the US Constitutional order
On the basis of these common characteristics, I believe that we can speak about a social class united by a common ideology.
Now, of course, in the plutocratic oligarchy (which the United States in reality is), the notion of “class” has been declared heretical and it has been replaced by identity politics – the best way for a ruling class to a) hide behind a fake illusion of pluralism and b) to divide the people and rule over them..."
https://thesaker.is/the-mob-did-not-win/
Posted by: Mario | Jan 15 2021 0:10 utc | 53
re #48 and the 'jews' - Frankly I think the basic points are well taken. We see where the loyalty-challenged Trump is in ruins, even while surrounded by the very loyal Jared Kushner.
The problem is the designation of all Jews as The Jews as though Jews are a people. It seems that notion plays into the Zionist notion that hides behind the skirts of Judaism.
Perhaps a better designation might be Jewish Power. There are certainly Jewish supremacists that enjoy great wealth and power. And I understand many Jews who don't belong to the Jewish People still have some fear of the collective punishment they could suffer in association with the Jews Who Run The World by the silly goy who oppose them (sarcasm here) but I have met many Jews in my life, some successful, some not, some very self-conscious about their Jewery and some not, but I have yet to meet anyone who is part of The Jews of which you speak.
Posted by: gottlieb | Jan 15 2021 0:31 utc | 54
What could they do?? HHMMMM... How about shut down the economy and lock healthy people up for a virus that kills old sick people in nursing homes? Not enough? Hysterical mask mandates with no end in sight as a momenta mori and a reminder to shut your mouth? Been there, done that...got the shirt....
Posted by: maskholes | Jan 15 2021 0:09 utc | 52
_---------------
I have no idea who the persons are in the video below, nor the account which tweeted it, but it claims to have been videoed in "Spring 2020" and i have no reason to doubt it. (No doubt some resident-genius will pipeup to tell me the speaker is a transgressor of some sort and can be safely ignored by all right thinking moral people)
The predictions made be the guy speaking turned out to be 100% correct.
https://mobile.twitter.com/ZNeveri/status/1349460356595376133
Club des Cordeliers Retweeted
Zol Neveri
@ZNeveri
CLIP FROM LAST YEAR IN THE SPRING OF 2020.THIS AGED VERY VERY WELL
Posted by: Triden | Jan 15 2021 0:51 utc | 55
Mr. Trident
We are all then slaves in Iran as the government subsidizes our water, fuel, food, gas, cars, newspapers, books, roads, schools, universities, airlines, airports, ports, and healthcare. And now also direct cash hand outs.
Posted by: Fyi | Jan 15 2021 0:59 utc | 56
James: In the USA it is probable that the Republicans will split, with most joining the Dems to form a one party state. This will last for some time until a revolutionary leader comes along to challenge the Emperors of the repressive one party state.
----
Nay. USA is a federal states, and right now, states may be controlled by Republican political machines, by Democratic political machines and "divided government". Pennsylvania has divided government, both houses of Legislature have Republican majority, Governor is a Democrat. Republican pols have huge incentive to stick together, regardless of who, however barely, controls levers of powers in DC. The same is probably everywhere, although one may wonder how it will work in Georgia and California where primaries are non-partisan. There the problem remains: are there enough "undecided centrists" to sufficiently help the turncoats.
Perhaps the best hope of anti-Trumpists is that they will rile Trump so much that he will simply die. There were cases like that. Relying on "correct attitude" of Lords of Social Media is chancy at best. For example, Pennsylvanian Republicans already have their own social network. That does not allow to "monetize" posts, but this is something that people are ready to suffer. But Twitter etc. loose their cut in "monetization", so the may reconsider.
Last thing to consider is that Democrats got the "trifecta", House, Senate, and Presidency, but each very barely. Presidency hinged on four states with less than 1.2% difference in the vote for candidates, Dems got all four, jolly for them, a reversal of 2016. Democrats had a big success increasing their electorate, the proportion of potential voters who registered reached lowest point in two decades in 2016, and it increased by ca. 15% in 2020 (a reason for so-called "statistically impossible results"). Further spectacular gains of that kind may be hard.
In short, the tectonics (demographics) are perfect for a huge reversal in 2-4 years. Democrats need appealing politics. Do the gerontocrats in charge even know what does it mean? Time will tell, "impeachment" does not bode well.
Posted by: Piotr Berman | Jan 15 2021 1:01 utc | 57
In another way, one could say Jews are the most loyal people and goyim are the least loyal people. After all, Jewish identity goes back 3,500 yrs whereas America is only 250 yrs old. So, Jews were profoundly loyal in refusing to surrender their ancient roots and loyalties in favor of loyalty to the US, an upstart nation. In contrast, goyim were more than willing to betray their ancient roots and adopt Americanity as their main identity mainlyi because 'muh money' and 'muh liberty' became more important than 'my deep history and culture'.
Posted by: Andrea Ostrov | Jan 14 2021 23:39 utc | 48
I would be careful with "3500 years", you may place the beginning of Jewish identity before the beginning of the world (according to Jewish religion)". More seriously, Zionism is a copy-cat ideology from late 19-th century when all ethnic groups in east-central Europe, large and small, were inventing nationalisms (Latvians as a nation with unique experience and all such). Being dominant, American ZIonists are also fractious, Democrat Zionists having mutual hatred with Republican Zionists (both detest non-Zionist Jews with passion). The have their peculiarities, including support of Israel etc., but they do not differ much from other Americans.
Posted by: Piotr Berman | Jan 15 2021 1:24 utc | 58
@b
The Democrats aren't stupid. They know that they are provoking more strife. They will use that to roll out authoritarian measure that will serve the powerful. It is a suppression strategy that has, at times, worked in other countries.
The forceful suppression works for long -- repeat, for long -- only if the country's military is supported and supplied by an external force. This is the case in many banana republics; the US is often the foreign force that's supporting the local tyranny. What more powerful external force is going to supply the US military? Russia? China?
Posted by: Cyril | Jan 15 2021 1:37 utc | 59
I know that I am not the first with the following rumor, but here it is. Some Democrats have not been in on the 'Reichstag Fire' at the US Capitol Building thus they were concerned if the US military would be on their side, especially the National Guard to be deployed into the building (were they inviting those who will arrest them inside?). Apparently, the military/guard leadership declared that they did not care about Trump but that they want a preventative war against China within the next four years or never. The US military do not want to have to "defend" (attack) once the Chinese can park 4-5 of their new and very modern aircraft carriers (building one per year and thanks to the latest technology more modern than any of the US ones) 25 miles off the two US coasts just as US has been doing to others since WW2. Chinese lead in quantum computing may give such carriers some degree of protection against future US hypersonic anti-ship missiles. When the Chinese reach that level of power then the US military will not be able to overwhelm. They want this confrontation whilst they can clearly still win instead of being sacrificed later.
I had a good laugh with my friends, because to win the US leadership would obviously have to get Russia to remain neutral in this fight (P. Buchannan's point). We suggested that the Russians should send Gorbachev to negotiate an agreement with the agreement-incapable US, because he was the only one who believed US that it would not move NATO one inch forward. In other words, the Russians would never be naive to think that they would not be next right after China, even if all the Democrats' Russia-gate would suddenly disappear.
Therefore, any attack on China is guaranteed to turn into a WW. There is simply no possible solution for US to remain the global hegemon, that ship has sailed away forever.
Posted by: Kiza | Jan 15 2021 1:55 utc | 60
The transition from "Bring on the empty horses" out of the Golden Years of Hollywood era, to "Bring on the headless chickens" can only get bumpier.
Posted by: Hoarsewhisperer | Jan 15 2021 2:03 utc | 61
w.h. auden Epitaph on a TyrantMy mother warned me about the perils of romanticizing evil when I was young. Neither the outgoing nor the incoming president deserve to have some kind of mythos sketched around their careers. They are both mediocre politicians and examples of the sclerotic leadership that is to be expected of an empire in the depravity of its sunset years.
Perfection, of a kind, was what he was after,
And the poetry he invented was easy to understand;
He knew human folly like the back of his hand,
And was greatly interested in armies and fleets;
When he laughed, respectable senators burst with laughter,
And when he cried the little children died in the streets.
It is fair to observe that if Trump were to be impeached for his real crimes; then his rivals, the Democrats, would be implicated in the same evils: the savage and intentional starvation of children in Yemen, or the overt hostility to any socialist society that offers land reform or social safety nets, or universal healthcare to its citizens. There is bipartisan support for the brutal and perhaps lethal captivity of Julian Assange.
US military chiefs have put out a letter to condemn the abortive siege of the Capitol. The authority of the surveillance state and its covert methods continue undiminished. Joe Biden is putting Victoria Nuland and Samantha Power on the pointy end of regime change for any little country that might reject the Empire's edicts.
There are two parts to the story of January 6.
Part 1 is President Trump firing up a crowd of supporters and exhorting them to head over to the Capitol to express their displeasure with the outcome of the election.
Part 2 is Trump (still President) locked in a room by himself sitting in front of a television watching the violent events in the Capitol unfold and ignoring pleas from his staff to "do something." This went on for about several hours until Vice President Pence reportedly gave the OK to call in the National Guard.
If Trump's inaction in the face of a violent takeover of the U.S. Capitol building does not meet the standard of high crimes and misdemeanors that is required for impeachment, then what would.? How about ordering Predator drone strikes on the homes of all Democrat Senators and Congresspeople? Still not enough, well would a low level nuclear attack on New York City meet the standard? The vibe that I am getting from b and other commenters is one of gloating at the slow motion destruction of the American Empire. I can relate to that feeling, but please don't lecture Americans about how they should deal with domestic terrorists and their leader.
Posted by: Rob | Jan 15 2021 2:40 utc | 63
In Germany no one refers to the right wing's periodic efforts to storm the Bundestag as "this 'insurrection' nonsense", and you know this full well, b. Why do you suppose the US right wing fascists are any less dangerous than the fanatics in your own country who have gained a presence in Parliament as the AfD? No one is suppressing the right wing here. The suppression is directed at violence, racism, and anti-immigrant policies. These people are dangerous. Some of them admire Anders Brevic.You're quite sympathetic with these people. "The backlash from this Trump impeachment will be huge." Not so. In your dreams only. As in Germany, the US has now been alerted to the danger from the loonies on the right and they will no longer be permitted to preach violence and racist hatred. This will be suppressed. People like you who are downplaying the seriousness of the assault on the Capital are going to look in the mirror and find much egg on their faces. The elimination of Trump is like lancing a boil from the political body. Those standing too close will get sprayed with puss.
Posted by: jadan | Jan 15 2021 2:42 utc | 64
@ Piotr Berman | Jan 15 2021 1:01 utc | 57
Yes I get it, however 2020 showed that voters mattered less than who is counting them. This will never be allowed to change.
Joe and then Kamala will always have to keep telling everyone that HE/THEY WON THE ELECTION, as it will never be crystal clear. If there will be elections in 2024, the current party machinery will ensure that nothing changes.
If Republican voters get so disgusted with Representatives who do not represent them, then who should they vote for OR better yet, why vote at all?
There will be Republican Reps who only really care about power/money that they will defect (as some have already done). The rest will wither in irrelevance as voters abandon a lost cause of non-representation.
Without a major change, the Dems will become the one party machine in the foreseeable future and all the money & social media Lords have already started heading their way.
As a historical aside, within 3 years of the Ides of March every senator who took down Julius had died. History is written by the victors who ceased control. We do not yet know who this will yet be, but there will be no turning back now - to use another historical Roman reference - too many people/organizations have crossed too many Rubicon rivers to ever be able to back or make things right.
We now officially live in interesting times.
Another Historical PS...I wonder if Trump or Melania had heard of this event in ancient history...... January 18 of the year 532, Constantinople NIKA Riots threaten the empire:
Empress Theodora, says;
"My lords, the present occasion is too serious to allow me to follow the convention that a woman should not speak in a man’s council. Those whose interests are threatened by extreme danger should think only of the wisest course of action, not of conventions.
In my opinion, flight is not the right course, even if it should bring us to safety. It is impossible for a person, having been born into this world, not to die; but for one who has reigned it is intolerable to be a fugitive. May I never be deprived of this purple robe, and may I never see the day when those who meet me do not call me empress.
If you wish to save yourself, my lord, there is no difficulty. We are rich; over there is the sea, and yonder are the ships. Yet reflect for a moment whether, when you have once escaped to a place of security, you would not gladly exchange such safety for death. As for me, I agree with the adage that the royal purple is the noblest shroud."
Posted by: James | Jan 15 2021 3:04 utc | 65
I can relate to that feeling, but please don't lecture Americans about how they should deal with domestic terrorists and their leader.
Posted by: Rob | Jan 15 2021 2:40 utc | 63
------
Why not?
That is after all what yanks constantly do to everyone else.
Posted by: Triden | Jan 15 2021 3:06 utc | 66
Mr. Trident
Americans generally have very thin skins. Yet, their press and their analysts and their leaders are bad-mouthing everyone and every country in the world very often.
Posted by: Fyi | Jan 15 2021 3:31 utc | 67
jadan @Jan15 2:42 #64
Those who took the Capitol apparently didn't plan to keep it. The only plan they appear to have had was to intimidate legislators.
Insurrectionists would have planned for holding the building once they had seized it.
<> <> <> <> <>
Any one concerned about the right should be wary that the Democratic over-reaction could lead to a backlash as I described @Jan14 18:31 #5.
The attack on conservative media and free speech rights is generating much consternation on the right. Some have speculated that the Capitol take-over was allowed to happen so that the liberal establishment could crackdown on the right. The failures of the Capitol police are suspicious. They failed to adequately prepare and failed to call upon additional resources until too late.
!!
Posted by: Jackrabbit | Jan 15 2021 3:34 utc | 68
@ Copeland | Jan 15 2021 2:38 utc | 62... thanks copeland...nice post.. . then there is also the issue of how the dem party brass made sure sanders was nowhere in sight... they had to make sure that any alternative of the people who put down, so there man joe got in power... now maybe he is a really sweet guy and he will be just dandy, but as you note at the end of your post - it looks more like the opposite... oh, and we can get excited about the thought that if joe dies in office, it will be the first women and a black women at that as president of the usa... we can take the dem party machine for that lucky happenstance... have to check all the politically correct boxes, ya know...
and no, trump was bad and i am not making excuses for the fucker.... but as i have said numerous times - voting for team blue or red is a losers game.. it is one that most americans seem content to continue on with too... not much can be said about that, other then that americans seem more into drama and hollywood then into changing the sorry state of affairs that are watching more frequently as the years roll on...
@ 68 jackrabbit.. there is the right, and then their is the right... - unfortunately at this point in the usa - it is all right or far right and no left anywhere in sight..
Posted by: james | Jan 15 2021 4:00 utc | 69
From englander scandal sheet 'PopBitch'
"Now he's had his second dose of the vaccine in the UK, Rupert Murdoch is preparing to make his way to NYC to oversee the difficult post-Trump positioning for Fox News. Should be fun."
Let the auction begin!
Posted by: Debsisdead | Jan 15 2021 4:10 utc | 70
"The Democrats aren't stupid."
I'm not sure about that. Seems to me you can always count on them to overplay their hand. They lack the true artist's sense of when to quit, and they don't trust anyone to draw their own conclusions. So you get these apocalyptic remarks about 'assaulting the very temple of Democracy!' or similar nonsense, when everyone can see it was a bunch of hooligans acting out in a demonstration that got too rowdy.
The smart thing would be to just let it slide - ignore him, treat him as something humorous and irrelevant - and just move on. Treat it like 'this was unpleasant, but we've got more important things to worry about'. In other words, defuse things. The one thing Trump has always tried to be is the center of attention - so the best way of punishing him is to relegate him to obscurity.
It is especially stupid to let the impeachment trial continue past the inauguration - it will compete for attention with Biden's legislative agenda and you can count on Trump to drag it out as long as possible. It is also open to challenge on constitutional grounds.
Posted by: ian | Jan 15 2021 4:16 utc | 71
Posted by: Copeland | Jan 15 2021 2:38 utc | 62
(WH Auden & romanticising Evil)
Thanks for the reminder.
W.H. Auden's Funeral Blues would require only minimal tweaking to become an Epitaph for the imminent demise of "Western Democracy."
The closing paragraph is particularly poignant...
The stars are not wanted now; put out every one,
Pack up the moon and dismantle the sun,
Pour away the ocean and sweep up the wood;
For nothing now can ever come to any good.
Posted by: Hoarsewhisperer | Jan 15 2021 4:29 utc | 72
@Triden (66) "Why not?
That is after all what yanks constantly do to everyone else."
Yeah, but I'm not defending that either. In truth, it is one of the things that I hate most about my country. Why would anyone else want to emulate the same kind of thinking and behavior?
Posted by: Rob | Jan 15 2021 4:42 utc | 73
Posted by: Jackrabbit | Jan 15 2021 3:34 utc | 68
I'm thinking Pelosi & Schumer arranged the invasion. Remember they got themselves vandalized a few days before? That's why she is prancing around like she ate the canary. They outfoxed Trump's attempt to put pressure on the counting.
Posted by: Bemildred | Jan 15 2021 4:47 utc | 74
I can't speak what progs should do, but perhaps they should think about the coming tech crackdown on alternative media to heart and consider reexamining their distaste for flyover country. Thems a lot of millions if we could all meet together into some kind of inclusive nationalist coalition.
...
For other conservatives, I do want to offer a suggestion: don't forget what DJT did to smoke 'em out and reveal the depth of tyranny in our reigning duopoly. It's all for naught if you fall for what Rethugz are going to do in the next four years to feign outrage with the establishment, meanwhile approving every MIC request that makes its way into congress. Ted Cruz is not our answer. Not by a longshot.
I see Tulsi Gabbard has resigned and is now giving a tell-all speaking tour about how awful the democratic party is to work with. Good for her.
She is eyeing something sneaky.
...
A good way to keep this feeling of defeat fresh so you don't lapse back into apathy and resignation to Big-tech, neoliberal rule come January 21, is to think about Darius the Great, who, upon learning that some backwater people to the far west that he had never heard of had sacked and burned Sardis, ordered a servant to remind him of it every night at dinner. The servant would approach the King and interrupt his eating, speaking into his ear: "Sire, remember the Athenians."
Of course, the deplorables did not have the power of the Great King. But every day I tell myself to Remember the Athenians.
Posted by: NemesisCalling | Jan 15 2021 4:57 utc | 75
@72 Hoarsewhisperer
That is a lovely stanza. Many thanks
@74 Bemildred
That's a nice piece of reasoning. And rather than proactive planning, this was more like the people at a gathering scenting the same possibilities...and seeing how it could all work out in their favor. And given the blindness of perception in the opposing player and his party, so it did.
Posted by: Grieved | Jan 15 2021 5:33 utc | 76
Good, bad, or indifferent, its difficult to see how this impeachment is any more aggravating than the nomination of Amy Comey Bryant to the Supreme Court.
In all likelihood, Trumpsters would be raising a ruckus anyhow.
I wouldn't be surprised if we see something like the Yellow Jackets. But that would happen anyway.
Posted by: Duncan Kinder | Jan 15 2021 5:34 utc | 77
Posted by: Grieved | Jan 15 2021 5:33 utc | 76
Thanks, it's entirely speculative I'm sorry to say, but it's the only thing I can think of that ticks all the boxes, it explains the "odd" events around the invasion (or fakes it anyway). It explains Trumps sudden backtrack and sullen attitude (no, no stop, we love you, no violence). Anyway, people can try it out and see what they think.
Posted by: Bemildred | Jan 15 2021 5:49 utc | 78
Well stated. I will add that during the Nixon Administration when a demonstration happened at the Capitol they called out 20,000 national guard because that’s standard operating procedure. The pentagon called for national guard protection and was ignored. The DC police weren’t even there and could have gotten there. That’s the real scandal, this was allowed to happen. The only way that there was not adequate protection is when it was intentionally scuttled. It played directly into Pelosis hands
Posted by: Dogon Priest | Jan 15 2021 6:06 utc | 79
Ron Unz has weighed in:
American Pravda: Our Disputed Election
Posted by: Bemildred | Jan 15 2021 6:22 utc | 80
@80 Bemildred
Beautiful summation from Ron Unz. Best I've read yet for the overall record. Less than 2,000 words too. Great commentary - highly recommend.
Posted by: Grieved | Jan 15 2021 7:25 utc | 81
In the november 2016 elections the Democrats lost more votae than Trump won votes. On top of that A LOT OF voters voted for Sanders in the primairies and voted for Trump in the presidential election.
Posted by: Willy2 | Jan 15 2021 7:33 utc | 82
Yeah, Mr Unz wrote a decent piece. But still quite superficial, without analyzing the underlying causes.
He's correct describing the current dichotomy as Trumpists vs Trump-haters, but what makes some citizens Trumpists and others Trump-haters?
Donald J Trump was a real president, not a usual figurehead. As such, he implemented protectionists policies not seen in this country for a century. All despite having to fight 'resistance' of the globalist establishment (including multiple coup attempts) every minute of every day for the whole 4 years.
And despite all that, by the end of 2019 -- in just 3 years -- he achieved incredible results: the lowest unemployment rate in 50 years, the highest median real wage in 50 years, median real household income totally off the charts, never seen before.
Incredibly, Donald J Trump hasn't started a single new war, and winded down a couple of wars started by the Obama administration.
That's Trumpism. I can certainly understand the appeal. But what motivate the Trump-haters?
Generous establishment promises of freebies, like the government paying part of student debt (talk about 'tax cuts for rich!') are a recent invention. There was nothing, no alternative plans or policies whatsoever until the D primaries, and yet the segment of Trump-haters was already fully formed well before that.
So, what is their motivation? I can't think of anything other than pure hatred. Irrational hatred induced by the establishment media...
Posted by: Mao Cheng Ji | Jan 15 2021 8:25 utc | 83
karlof1 | Jan 14 2021 23:06 utc | 45
Thanks for the tips about food storage. This is not going to become a side issue.
(Food prices have risen astronomically in the EU recently as well).
Many issues that are kept quiet about at the moment, are all going to collide with reality at the same time. This is almost certainly the result wanted by the "resetters" and those that are in the process of taking control. The Richest want the world to crumble in front of their "evident superiority". (I'm thinking of Zuckerebrg, Dorsey, Bezos et al).
The tectonic shift in general finance is really going to stress the "ever-open-hand mentality". Those who want and need $1400 to make ends meet today, or the Fed handouts for Banks and billionaires (Same attitude really). What of the morrow? The Stocks and share speculators will probably also find that "paper possession" is a very thin safety net when mud gets slung around.
I think we both agree that there is no solution available (to debt, monetary clusterfuck etc.), but I also think that the top 650-700 "rich" families no longer care about finding one. As long as all the assets available are theirs, or under their control, they can dictate and do whatever they please. Sharing is not one of the alternatives they envisage. (Schwab and the "reset" expect to eliminate, they say, 2 billion people. War being only one way of "culling", as they need obedient dregs left for their comfort. More about that some other time)
The principal question is what we (as individuals) can do in the upcoming situation?
Posted by: Stonebird | Jan 15 2021 8:33 utc | 84
Posted by: karlof1 | Jan 14 2021 23:06 utc | 45
Rubles are rather cheap still, which is odd since they're probably the most solvent currency on the planet currently.
The Russian ruble has been ranked the world’s most underrated currency against the US dollar by the 2021 Big Mac Index, which provides an assessment of the purchasing power of currencies compared to each other.
https://www.rt.com/business/512364-ruble-most-undervalued-against-dollar/
https://www.economist.com/big-mac-index
Posted by: Mao | Jan 15 2021 8:35 utc | 85
...here's one relevant chart from Gallup:
...and this Sept 2020, in the middle of establishment-induced economic collapse...
Posted by: Mao Cheng Ji | Jan 15 2021 8:41 utc | 86
Sigil | Jan 14 2021 23:28 utc | 47
You calling that a coup? You say Trump called for violence? Billions of humans are laughing at you, not with you, as many of those billions have experienced what is like to have their country undergo a coup by the west.
Democrat leaders openly encouraged the violence of BLM and Antifa. The result, "BLM “Racial Justice” Riots Result in Record Number of Domestic Terrorism Cases." Pot calling Kettle black me thinks.
Posted by: Andrea Ostrov | Jan 14 2021 23:39 utc | 48
re: Jews calling the shots. I believe Chomsky wrote once about a conversation between Henry Kissinger and Golda Meir, where Golda Meir said Jewishness came before your nationality. Kissinger replied The order of my loyalties is America first then my Jewishness. Meir replied "That's ok Sonny, I read from right to left.
: Sigil | Jan 14 2021 23:28 utc | 47
Posted by: Tom | Jan 15 2021 9:22 utc | 87
Here's some suppression for you: Trump's DoJ just announced (via a special notice in the McAllen Monitor) that they’re suing 149 Texas families to take their land. Eminent Domain, baby. Seizing these family properties to build the border wall. (That Mexico was going to pay for, etc., etc.) And here I thought Republicans/Libertarians were all for property rights of the individual and all.
Posted by: teri | Jan 15 2021 9:52 utc | 88
Posted by: Fyi | Jan 15 2021 3:31 utc | 67
My very own stalker sockpuppet !
This will be fun
Posted by: Triden | Jan 15 2021 10:46 utc | 89
So you get these apocalyptic remarks about 'assaulting the very temple of Democracy!' or similar nonsense, when everyone can see it was a bunch of hooligans acting out in a demonstration that got too rowdy
Posted by: ian | Jan 15 2021 4:16 utc | 71
Everyone but vindictive idiots.
A quick perusal of twitter will indicate that there are a LOT of vindictive idiots out there (plenty here too)
Posted by: Triden | Jan 15 2021 10:53 utc | 90
However this plays out, it should be obvious that US democracy is broken. Electing Trump was in many ways a last desperate gasp, the hope that someone might be able to change things as perceived by the vast mass of unrepresented America. It may not have achieved anything permanent, but Biden will not provide the evolutionary pressure relief needed now. Trump on his departure showed that a good mobbing can create populist support. The MSM can ignore it but it can't be unlearned. Until the US begins to replace plutocracy with democracy, it will increasingly resemble its own failed state solutions. The downfall of an empire is fairly predictable - internal fragmentation, corruption, dissent and structural weakness make it increasingly unable to maintain its foreign policy. The armies stop bringing back the slaves and intellectual property. Hollow.
Posted by: Loftwork | Jan 15 2021 11:06 utc | 91
@Triden, 90
"A quick perusal of twitter will indicate that there are a LOT of vindictive idiots out there (plenty here too)"
Just one small shady component of the establishment influence apparatus, the "Open Society Foundations", is endowed with $19.6 billion, according to wikipedia.
That's 19 billion dollars. Imagine how many hate-mongering trolls could be financed for a small fraction.
Posted by: Mao Cheng Ji | Jan 15 2021 11:24 utc | 92
@b
@ian #72
b said:
The Democrats aren't stupid. They know that they are provoking more strife. They will use that to roll out authoritarian measure that will serve the powerful.
I disagree, although stupid isn't the right word. The Democrats aren't unintelligent - but intelligence is often over-ridden by pride, disdain, outrage and any number of other emotions.
I see the Democrats more in line with HRC's "deplorables" comment - the modern equivalent to "Let them eat cake" in the form of "Learn to code".
Posted by: c1ue | Jan 15 2021 11:28 utc | 93
Bemildred @ 80
Try watching the video embedded in that Unz piece. Notice first that the cop is plainly displaying his gun and waving it around. Cameraman remains steady. No one flinches. Cop shoots lady in the back. Lady who is no threat to him at all. She is entering a small hallway where there are three or more cops with rifles. The situation is completely under control and a lady gets shot in the back.
And still no one is nervous, no one takes cover. They all just stand there. Cop who flouts all rules has just discharged his firearm for no good reason and people five and ten feet away are all quite calm. Then who is the guy in the suit? The good, well tailored suit. And a good haircut. And freaking French cuffs. With a chain around his neck holding a name tag? Notice at end of the short video there is another suit on other side of glass. And both the first suitman and one of the cops are making signals to other side of glass. And a room full of people who just watched another human die and they simply do not react at all. If this were not on video no one could make this up.
Posted by: oldhippie | Jan 15 2021 11:42 utc | 94
@ Posted by: Mario | Jan 15 2021 0:10 utc | 53
FYI, The Saker has banned every comment of mine politely questioning his 'stolen election' narrative, for which he provided Giuliani's questionable rambling presser and lots of unfounded allegations, but no proof or evidence. Ever PCR's latest allegation he had seen local officials' documents provided no such documents. It's just taken as fact now. How is that any different from Russiagate? at least Bush 2000 was a few thousand votes, and Clinton 2016 won the popular vote... Trump is 10 Million votes down and his best argument was that the ballots cast were not 'legal'. His last call to Georgia Governor should be any sane person's final straw.
Very ironic to see those calling out MSM for crushing dissent exercise the exact same censorship of dissenting views on their own platform. Also disappointing.
Posted by: Et Tu | Jan 15 2021 12:28 utc | 95
Posted by: Et Tu | Jan 15 2021 12:28 utc | 95
Saker: He runs a tight ship, places like MoA where you don't have to watch your language too much and yet not everybody is a juvenile moron are "infrequent". Most places are like Saker, Lang, Naked Cap., they have an agenda and they are paying for it and you are not going to mess it up.
Posted by: oldhippie | Jan 15 2021 11:42 utc | 94
The cop leading the mob past the Senate was straight out of a Bruce Willis movie too. Such great acting. I keep asking how many of these people are acting and how many think it's real? Twilight zone ...
Posted by: Grieved | Jan 15 2021 7:25 utc | 81
RE Unz: Yes, his politics are not mine, but a worthy fellow citizen, and a careful thinker. And unlike most of the tech titans, he can actually code.
Posted by: Bemildred | Jan 15 2021 12:53 utc | 96
@ Posted by: Bemildred | Jan 15 2021 6:22 utc | 80
Thanks for the link. Still cross checking all the numbers... but at first glance, interesting analysis so far.
In reference to my other post above, what a difference a bit of latitude can make. Respect to Mr B for allowing genuine exchange of ideas on this blog.. from sensible middle ground to sometimes paranoid extremes, it takes effort to formulate informed opinions and flexibility to update them when new facts present themselves as well. In a matter of minutes my perspective about the election results genuinely changed with just one link.
Such a shame, that could also have happened elsewhere, as that is exactly the sort of exchange of factual information i was asking for.. instead i just got shut out and blocked. All that did was reduce my esteem for certain outlets and entrench my previously held position.
All the more reason why censorship must be resisted no matter what the content, blind partisanship is the death of all truth, knowledge and intellect.
Posted by: Et Tu | Jan 15 2021 13:05 utc | 97
Suppression by the state is expensive and it undercuts productivity. Cyril @59 is correct that state suppression cannot be maintained long term without significant external support; say being backed up by a global hegemon with drones and nukes and control over global finance. No state, no matter how suppressive or oppressive, can exist without the economic wherewithal to support itself. The more suppression the state employs the more personnel it needs to buy off to do the suppressing. The people doing the suppressing must be more generously compensated than the people they are suppressing (usually the working class) to buy their loyalty. Practically all value in capitalist society is created by the working class, but the working class is also the labor pool that the elites have to recruit their enforcers/suppressors from. More suppression personnel means more expense while also meaning less actual productivity.
It is better for big business if you can train the population to suppress themselves. Religion has historically worked pretty good for this with its admonitions to "Give unto Caesar..." and "The meek shall inherit the dirt, probably from some boss's boot grinding their face into it", but in modern societies religion is losing its effectiveness. That's where Identity Politics is intended to take over. The question is can the establishment force that into the heads of 80+ million people?
Well, not if those 80+ million people see themselves as members of a huge demographic. If they see themselves as isolated individuals on the fringes of society, then they can be bullied and gaslit into shouldering the modern equivalent of original sin and learn to identify with their personalized victim status and rely upon "Identity Politics" for solace.
Will this work for the elites? I am thinking probably not. To enforce the isolation necessary social media must be very tightly controlled to eliminate all disagreement with "Identity Politics" and establishment narratives. This will be more difficult than the elites imagine as it is cheap and easy to set up alternatives to Twitter and Facebook. In fact, Mexico is currently making moves towards setting up a national alternative to Facebook/Twitter. Such national infrastructure would be impossible for the business elites to take over or shut down like TikTok or Parler.
“What happens if Twitter says tomorrow that AMLO is publishing things that it doesn’t like? What happens if the president of Twitter censors the democratically elected president of Mexico? As we’ve relinquished our technological sovereignty and left our communication tools, even our information systems, in the hands of multinationals with private interests, we’ve relinquished our [right to] freedom of speech,” Sánchez said.
If Mexico goes forward with this then there will be no technological reason why Americans couldn't also use such a social platform.
Ultimately I think the elites will lose this war they are waging, but they will likely win some battles in the near term. Spicy times ahead!
Posted by: William Gruff | Jan 15 2021 13:20 utc | 98
Mao Cheng Ji | Jan 15 2021 8:25 utc | 83
Going one step further with your question: why do so many Canadians hate Trump? I know of only one person who has had Covid, however practically everyone I know suffers from TDS! Why, when he doesn't even rule Canada?
I'd speculate that it is a case of "circling the wagons". We are a very spoiled society. Part of that is the expectation things will always be like this. Normalcy bias? Trump is so different from the virtual signaling leadership we are used to that people feel threatened by him. What they really fear is reality. They are comfortable with teleprompter leaders. Trump, just by his existence, took them out of their comfort zone.
A second aspect is that we've had political correctness shoved down our throats for so long that it has become part of the norm. Thus seeing a politically incorrect public figure, like Trump, every single day is a shock to people's system. They've become so comfortable with being politically correct that anyone - like a Deplorable or Covididiot - thinking outside the box is a threat. Of course with conformists, anyone who does not conform will always be regarded as a threat.
Finally TDS appears to be the initial symptom to an ailment plaguing much of society. To see so many people embracing authoritarian rule is hard to believe as these people have lived their entire lives in a free society. It's a significant shift which will bring major - and unfortunate - changes to our society. The motivations for these people are as emotional as they are irrational. One cannot reason with such people. You can't change their minds with facts. They have an almost religious belief in their hatred of Trump or their fear of Covid. Nothing else matters to them. Most importantly, they are threatened by anyone not going along with their group think. Which explains their relentless hatred for anyone who dares question what they believe in. A person not thinking Trump is pure evil, makes that person evil as well.
To simplify: it's self righteous people enjoying the opportunity to be "holier than thou". "Live and let live" is a completely foreign concept to such people.
Posted by: EoinW | Jan 15 2021 13:30 utc | 99
Posted by: Et Tu | Jan 15 2021 13:05 utc | 97
Yes, truth is where you find it. If you want to find it, you have to go look, and keep looking. Keep your eyes on the road ahead. Glad I could help.
Posted by: Bemildred | Jan 15 2021 13:34 utc | 100
The comments to this entry are closed.
First!!!!
Posted by: PeterAU | Jan 14 2021 17:56 utc | 1