#498 Musings Beyond the Bunker (Wednesday November 2)
Good morning,
Random thoughts on the attack…
ELECTION DENIAL AND GLORIFICATION OF VIOLENCE
Next week, Americans will be going to the polls to decide who controls Congress, Governorships, and state legislatures. This vote will be based largely upon the economy (which the president doesn’t control), feelings of grievance, and the “big lie” of election denial. Much of the political advertising characterizes the election as war against those challenging “traditional American values.” A rising star in the Republican party, Marjorie Taylor Greene, says of Democrats that “they hate America and they hate god.” Untold numbers of political ads show Republican candidates holding, firing or praising guns, while using inflammatory rhetoric or images to glorify attacks on adversaries.
WILLING TO LOOK THE OTHER WAY
Many voters will, by and large, ignore unqualified candidates running in Arizona, Pennsylvania, Georgia and elsewhere, opting instead to show their anger on gas prices, control the Senate, resist Biden’s perceived “far-left agenda,” and stop the alleged indoctrination of kids at school. They will trade this anger for the further decline of our democracy, as we slip slowly into authoritarianism and permanent minority rule.
Those people who claim Joe Biden didn’t win, and those who support these candidates, are okay with liars and conspiracy theorists who don’t seem to care about recounts, court rulings, or absence of evidence and, instead, will allow “feelings” about fraud guide certification of future elections.
The result of this election (regardless of who controls the Senate) will make it that much easier for the next election certification to be interfered with or reversed by partisan election officials, as some of these folks will be elected as state legislators, governors and secretaries of state.
One would think it important to save our democracy first and disagree on policy thereafter. People can legitimately disagree on policy. But that can happen only after democracy is preserved, the rhetorical temperature is dialed down, and the “slow coup” toward voter disenfranchisement, and imposition of permanent minority control, can be arrested.
WHAT DOES TRUMP THINK AND WHAT BEHAVIOR DOES HE MODEL?
Of course, Mr. Trump remains silent. I have rarely quoted someone as extensively as the following. It is excerpted from a post by John Taylor, the Episcopal Bishop for Los Angeles Diocese and former Chief of Staff for Richard Nixon:
“#AmericanCoup Occupant of the White House for four years, frontrunner for the GOP nomination in 2024’s Electoral College race, Trump, as of Saturday afternoon, hasn’t uttered a public word about the vicious attack on Paul Pelosi, spouse of the speaker of the House…
The suspect shouted “Where is Nancy?”, just as members of Trump's mob did on Jan. 6. For over two hours on that day, he was silent. What are we to make of his silence, then and now?
…Blaming him for putting politicians in danger [on January 6th] misses the worse part of the story. Those most at risk were his supporters. Their being killed or wounded, their blood flowing in the Capitol, would have given him an excuse to invoke the Insurrection Act, setting the stage for tyranny. Coolly, methodically, Trump had positioned his credulous supporters as cannon fodder.
…How does Trump express sympathy to the Pelosi family without his core supporters thinking he’s gone soft? His political imperatives preclude decency. For seven years, Trump’s every word and deed were for the sake of a small, hard cadre of nativist voters in swing states, key to his Electoral College strategy. Pelosi hatred is their gospel. Lord have mercy, but a tiny number may even wish the assailant had reached her, as a legitimate act of political expression. If Trump is to seize power in 2024, he can’t risk offending these folks. He’s willing to let them die for him, as on Jan. 6. But while they’re still alive, he needs their votes. He understands that some of his people need him to signal that the Pelosi attack was okay. By his silence, he has.
Trump has held us hostage since 2015. Experts love to diagnose him from afar… He’s not a narcissist or sociopath. That lets him off the hook. People who know him say he’s kind to family and friends. If a golf buddy’s spouse had been attacked at their house, he’d be on the phone in a minute, like a normal human being…Trump’s not unfeeling. He’s a vengeful tyrant-in-waiting making careful, wicked choices that put his supporters, the elites they hate, and the whole American experiment at mortal risk for the sake of reclaiming power. He's our Mussolini, or worse. And he's getting better at it every day.”
POLITICAL VIOLENCE
It’s not just coming from the right. A conservative friend of mine cites “Chuck Schumer standing on the steps of the Supreme Court building, screaming that if the Court were to overturn Roe v. Wade: ‘I want to tell you, Gorsuch. I want to tell you, Kavanaugh. You have released the whirlwind and you will pay the price.’ Then I was reminded of the title and principal lyric of a popular Gloria Estefan song from the 80s, ‘It' cuts both ways.’”
So true. It is unconscionable from any source against any elected leader or appointee. Everyone, from all sides, must unite in condemning these sorts of attacks.
A DREADFUL SILENCE AND MOCKERY
Yet, many Republicans want to avoid talking about this particular attack, by a guy who professes antisemitic beliefs, wanted to knee-cap the Speaker, and was encouraged by hate rhetoric on the internet, on the airwaves and from political leaders. Why not actively condemn the violent attack? Because the more radical elements of the base would see it as a sign of weakness, as a concession to the enemy in a war. This unwillingness to share empathy would be bad enough. But it goes further. After the attack, people started openly mocking Mr. Pelosi, make outrageous claims about a relationship with the assailant. Donald Trump, Jr. posted a picture of Pelosi carrying the hammer. After Mr. Pelosi was hit in the head several times with a hammer, U.S. Representative Clay Higgins posted a picture of Nancy Pelosi covering her eyes, with this caption: “That moment you realize the nudist hippie male prostitute LSD guy was the reason your husband didn't make it to your fundraiser.”
GLORIFICATION OF VIOLENCE
Only one party is posting glorification of guns in their political advertising. This must stop. We must demand that it stop—but voting many of them out is the only way to change behaviors more broadly.
Have a great day,
Glenn
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