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The Stupidity is a Feature, Not a Bug: Saturday's GNR [1]
['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']
Date: 2023-08-19
A really interesting article (I think in the Atlantic) during the Trump years pointed out that the cruelty of Trump wasn’t a bug, but a key feature of Trump’s appeal. I think it was called something like “the cruelty is the point.” People liked trump, it argued, because he was cruel. They liked that.
As disgusting as that is, it isn’t wrong. For at least some of his fans, his cruelty is the point. It is what they like.
Another thing you frequently hear about Trump is “Thank God he and his crew aren’t smart. Imagine the damage they could do if they were actually competent.”
Well, that is missing a point as well. Because the stupidity isn’t a bug, it is a feature.
Check out this 2 minute clip from Gov Pritzker’s commencement speech
The cruelty might be the point, but the cruelty is highly tied with being stupid.
You don’t get Trump without stupid. You don’t get Giuliani without stupid.
Stupid is trump being unable to understand decency and sacrifice and community.
Even evil leaders throughout history who people have assumed were smart. Those people were often brought down by decisions that showed that they were unable to really put themselves in the shoes of other folks and really understand how people would react to their actions.
Cruelty comes with a kind of idiocy.
Democrats are great
Eye on China, Biden Pulls Japan and South Korea Closer
President Biden hopes to cement the nascent improvement in relations when he hosts Prime Minister Fumio Kishida of Japan and President Yoon Suk Yeol of South Korea at the Maryland presidential retreat. It will be the first time that leaders of the three nations have ever met outside the context of a larger summit, as well as the first time that Mr. Biden has invited world leaders to Camp David. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken said this week that the meeting would give the three heads of state a chance to talk about concrete steps toward maintaining regional peace and stability. That’s diplomatic speak for “the need for a response to the challenges coming from China,” said Tetsuo Kotani, a senior fellow at the Japan Institute of International Affairs. With that in mind, one of the meeting’s key goals is to embed mechanisms of cooperation “in the DNA” of the three governments and to “create a new normal” that will be difficult to reverse, Rahm Emanuel, the U.S. ambassador to Japan, said in a recent interview.
Philip Stephens of Financial Times today pointed out how much global politics has changed since 2016. That was the year of Brexit and Trump, when those calling for national sovereignty and iron-bound borders seemed to have the upper hand, and it seemed we were entering a new era in which nations would hunker down and international cooperation was a thing of the past. . But now, just seven years later, international cooperation is evident everywhere. Stephens pointed out that a series of crises have shown that nations cannot work alone. Migrants fleeing the war in Syria in 2015 made it clear that countries must cooperate to manage national borders. Then Covid showed that we must manage health across political boundaries, and then Russia’s invasion of Ukraine proved that European nations—and other countries on other continents—must stand together militarily in their common defense. . That embrace of cooperation is in no small part thanks to President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who have focused on bringing together international coalitions. . The new global stance is on display in the U.S. right now as President Biden hosts the first-ever trilateral summit with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida of Japan and President Yoon Suk Yeol of South Korea. This is not an easy meeting—Japan and South Korea have a long history of conflict—but they are working to mend fences* to stand firm against North Korea, including its missile tests, and to present a united front in the face of Chinese power. . Cooperation between Japan and South Korea “helps us promote peace and stability and furthers our commitment to the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. It advances our shared values and helps uphold principles of the UN Charter like sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity. It allows us to even more expand opportunity and prosperity.” . In squeezing Russia, international cooperation has again been vital. The Swiss corporation Société Internationale de Télécommunications Aéronautiqes (SITA), which is responsible for booking, flight messaging, baggage tracking, and other airline applications, announced in May that it will leave Russia this autumn. Russian carriers are scrambling . In his remarks to reporters on Tuesday, Blinken defended the administration's withdrawal from Afghanistan almost exactly two years ago, saying the decision to withdraw was “incredibly difficult” but correct. “We ended America’s longest war,” he said. “For the first time in 20 years, we don’t have another generation of young Americans going to fight and die in Afghanistan. And in turn, that has enabled us to even more effectively meet the many challenges of our time, from great power competition to the many transnational issues that we’re dealing with that are affecting the lives of our people and people around the world.” . He noted that the U.S. continues to be the leading donor of humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan, contributing about $1.9 billion since 2021, and that the U.S. continues to work to hold the Taliban accountable for the rights of women and girls.
x Beginning this week, 804,000 federal student loan borrowers received emails from their servicers with the subject line "Your student loans have been forgiven."
The notices came as part of the Biden admin's previously announced efforts to cancel debt for qualifying borrowers. — Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) August 17, 2023
The Georgia Trump Indictments Started a Fight That Democrats Will Win
The point is not to persuade the haters (which is usually impossible) but to persuade the “movable middle” that you are more reasonable than they are. I was reminded of this basic activist principle hearing the pro-Trump right’s responses to the State of Georgia’s indictment of Donald Trump. And I say: Bring it on. Because while those responses are red meat for the MAGA base, they are also profoundly unreasonable to anyone not already in their camp. This is good for America—and for Democrats. It’s one thing for liberals to chant the words “Big Lie” over and over, but it’s quite another for the gory details of said Lie to get raked over in public
Biden and America’s Big Green Push
A year ago, defying predictions that President Biden’s agenda was dead in the water, Congress passed the Inflation Reduction Act The I.R.A. is sort of the Holy Roman Empire of legislation — as in being neither holy, nor Roman, nor an empire. That is, it isn’t actually about reducing inflation; it’s mainly a climate bill, using tax credits and subsidies to encourage the transition to a low-emission economy. And it’s a big deal. Along with the CHIPS Act — Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors — the federal government is suddenly engaged in large-scale industrial policy, promoting particular sectors as opposed to the economy as a whole. Biden’s policy also seems to be producing a Big Green Push, catalyzing a wave of private investment much bigger than you might have expected from the size of government outlays alone.
Bad Guys in Big Trouble
Trump’s Bid to Sink the Manhattan DA’s Case Has Already Made It Stronger
Donald Trump’s attempts this summer to drag his porn star-hush money case away from New York’s state courts and once again hide behind his presidential credentials has given Manhattan prosecutors a little-noticed ace in their pocket—one they can now use to bolster their case. For months, critics of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg Jr.’s case have called it weak because the case criminally charges Trump with faking business records—a lowly misdemeanor only bumped up to a felony on a technicality. Except that Trump’s ploy to move the case to federal court gave a judge there the opportunity to take the first swing. And he used that opportunity to make it clear that the case against Trump is far more serious than it otherwise seems—and that the burden for proving that Trump’s alleged falsification of business records are felonies is low.
Republicans Get Desperate for a Senate Candidate in Wisconsin
Wisconsin Republicans need someone to run against Sen. Tammy Baldwin: a two-term incumbent who’s up for re-election in the swing-state of Wisconsin next year. But, for now, they’re getting crickets. The remaining four Republican Wisconsin Reps.—Bryan Steil, Derrick Van Orden, Scott Fitzgerald, and Glenn Grotham—have all also said no for their own variety of reasons. Former House Speaker Paul Ryan has also passed. Republicans will of course eventually find someone—even if it’s a sacrificial lamb candidate. But going this far down the list, getting this far into the cycle, it’s making the chances of flipping Wisconsin, which the Cook Political Report rates as a “Lean Democratic,” harder.
Trump’s indictment bounce may well be a ‘sugar high’
On Sunday, The New York Times published a front-page article titled “How Trump Benefits From an Indictment Effect.” As the Times wrote, “Donors sent checks. Fox News changed its tune. The party apparatus rushed to defend Mr. Trump. And the polls went up — and up.” But while former President Donald Trump is seeing a bump now, it could be just akin to the now-debunked idea of a “sugar high.” And at some point, Trump will likely suffer a “sugar crash.” In fact, the signs are there that he is already beginning to see the sugar high wear off. The Times is correct in noting Trump has seen a spike in GOP support since he was first indicted back in April. But Trump is not running simply to be king of the GOP base. He needs to win in the general election in November 2024, yet reality suggests these indictments likely will become an albatross around his neck.
x And now, despite every conceivable warning sign that this is going to lead them into electoral disaster, the Republican Party will continue to ride the Trump Train to their bitter end. — Ron Filipkowski (@RonFilipkowski) August 15, 2023
x Incredibly this is still up
https://t.co/5YQO8445HK — Keith Edwards (@keithedwards) August 15, 2023
This Indictment of Trump Does Something Ingenious
When the Fulton County, Ga., district attorney, Fani Willis, filed criminal charges against Donald Trump and over a dozen of his allies for their attempt to overturn Georgia’s 2020 presidential election results, she did something ingenious. In contrast to the special counsel Jack Smith’s latest laser-focused federal indictment of Mr. Trump, Ms. Willis charges a wide range of conspirators, from people in the Oval Office to low-level Georgia G.O.P. functionaries, and is the first to plumb the full depths, through a state-focused bathyscaph, of the conspiracy. Her case also provides other important complements to the federal matter: Unlike Mr. Smith’s case, which will almost certainly not be broadcast because of federal standards, hers will almost certainly be televised, and should Mr. Trump or another Republican win the White House, Ms. Willis’s case cannot be immediately pardoned away. It offers transparency and accountability insurance. As she said in her news conference on Monday night, “The state’s role in this process is essential to the functioning of our democracy.” But the indictment stands out, above all, because Georgia offers uniquely compelling evidence of election interference — and a set of state criminal statutes tailor-made for the sprawling, loosely organized wrongdoing that Mr. Trump and his co-conspirators are accused of engaging in. It is a reminder of the genius of American federalism: When our democracy is threatened, states have an indispensable part to play in protecting it.
no one showed up to protest this week’s indictment 😆
x As the Fulton County grand jury votes on whether to indict Trump and his co-conspirators, here's a shot of Trump's supporters outside the court. pic.twitter.com/vxpLchtkUw — Mark Elliott (@markmobility) August 15, 2023
Giuliani struggling under massive legal bills after defending Trump
Rudy Giuliani is staring down hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal bills and sanctions amid numerous lawsuits in addition to the new criminal charges – related to his work for Donald Trump after the 2020 election. In court on Monday, the former New York City mayor said the legal quagmires have left him effectively out of cash. He even appears to have responded to some of the money crunch by listing for sale a 3-bedroom Manhattan apartment he owns for $6.5 million. Not including standard legal fees, Giuliani faces nearly $90,000 in sanctions from a judge in a defamation case, a $20,000 monthly fee to a company to host his electronic records, $15,000 or more for a search of his records, and even a $57,000 judgment against his company for unpaid phone bills. “These are a lot of bills that he’s not paying,” Giuliani attorney Adam Katz told a New York state court on Wednesday. “I think this is very humbling for Mr. Giuliani.”
Broke Lawyers Rudy Giuliani and Jenna Ellis Prove Trump Will Never Run Out of Marks to Con
Trump’s New Indictment Could Hurt the Georgia GOP for Years
When Donald Trump stands trial in Georgia for his attempt to overturn the 2020 election, it won’t only be his fate in the hands of jurors: the state’s Republican Party will be on trial, too. The indictment released on Monday by Fulton County prosecutors makes clear that, more so than perhaps any other state party in the country, the Georgia Republican Party apparatus is bound to Trump and his desperate effort to throw out 2020 election results. In Georgia, some Republicans were quick to identify their home state GOP officials’ outsized role in the case—and to give an early assessment of the impact. “I think the biggest damage is to the organization of the Georgia Republican Party itself,” Jason Shepherd, the former chairman of the Cobb County GOP, told The Daily Beast. Inundated with legal bills to support Shafer and others involved in the Trump fake elector scheme, the Georgia GOP already paid out more than half a million dollars in legal expenses even before the indictment dropped. “That number’s only going to climb,” said Shepherd, who once challenged Shafer for the state chairman post and is now a professor of political science at Kennesaw State University.
Other Great News
Federal Judge Strikes Down Portions of Texas Voter Suppression Law S.B. 1
On Thursday, Aug. 17, a federal judge struck down portions of Texas’ 2021 omnibus voter suppression law, Senate Bill 1, for violating the Materiality Provision of the Civil Rights Act. The Materiality Provision protects against disenfranchisement on the basis of trivial errors unrelated to a voter’s eligibility. Today’s order invalidates provisions of S.B. 1 that required clerks to reject mail-in ballot applications and completed mail-in ballots if they did not include a voter identification number — either a voter’s driver’s license number or the last four digits of a Social Security number — that matched the identification number used on an individual’s original voter registration application.
From Detroit to Hollywood, New Union Leaders Take a Harder Line
Shawn Fain is not a typical president of the United Automobile Workers union. Mr. Fain recently declined a symbolic handshake with the chief executives of the major Detroit automakers, a gesture that traditionally kicks off contract negotiations. He is seeking an ambitious 40 percent wage increase for rank-and-file members — in line, he says, with the pay gains of those corporate leaders over the past four years. And in a video meeting with members this month, Mr. Fain threw a list of proposals from Stellantis, the maker of Chrysler and Jeep, into a wastebasket, saying it belonged in the trash “because that’s what it is.” the forces that swept Mr. Fain into power are the same ones that have borne down on unions across a variety of industries: a feeling among members that they have spent years enduring out-of-touch leaders, meager wage growth and concession-filled labor agreements, which forced some to do similar jobs as co-workers for less pay. “We kept being told, ‘This is a good contract,’” said Shana Shaw, a U.A.W. member who has worked at a General Motors plant in Missouri since 2008. “And our members are saying, ‘It’s not a good contract!’” The long-simmering rage helps explain why, in addition to Mr. Fain, several prominent unions are now in the hands of outspoken leaders who have taken their membership to the brink of high-stakes labor stoppages — or beyond.
These kids sued over climate change — and won
The decision impacts the implementation of the Montana Environmental Policy Act (MEPA). Prior to the ruling, the state government was not permitted to consider the impact of climate change when approving energy projects, but now that process will likely change. The judge also ruled that a change to MEPA earlier this year made by the state legislature is unconstitutional. The decision reads, in part: “Montana’s [greenhouse gas emissions] and climate change have proven to be a substantial factor in causing climate impacts to Montana’s environment and harm and injury to the Youth Plaintiffs.” Do citizens have a right to a healthy environment? In Montana they do. The state constitution reads, “The state and each person shall maintain and improve a clean and healthful environment in Montana for present and future generations.” And a group of young people are using that language to sue the state over its energy policies. In one of the country’s first climate change lawsuits, a group of 16 young people in Montana alleges that the state has violated their constitutional right to “a clean and healthful environment.” The plaintiffs are arguing that the state government’s ongoing support of the fossil fuel industry in Montana is disproportionately harming them
On The Lighter Side
What can you do to save democracy?
Here are some ideas:
We here at the GNR have set up a fundraising ActBlue account where you can donate and have it evenly distributed between 24 races that will be key to winning the House in 24!
Go ahead and donate at this link:
More worried about keeping tfg out of the WH? You could:
Looking for something else? Maybe something that doesn’t involve donating? GREAT! Here are some other ideas:
So pick just one and get to it!
I am so lucky and so proud to be in this with all of you 💓💚💛🧡✊🏻✊🏽✊🏾✊🏿✊❤️🧡💛💚
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