Ignoring what Trump says won’t work. Constant outrage is not a viable strategy either. We must find a more productive way to engage Trump’s dangerous outlandishness
I would add one more question: Who benefits from Trump's policies? Which of his supporters, allies and benefactors would benefit from ownership of, if not increased access, to Greenland?
Here is a list of metals found in Greenland: Copper; Iron Ore; Gold; Lithium: a crucial component in batteries, contributing to its importance in the green energy transition; Titanium: which has applications in aerospace, defense, and other industries; and Lead. a metal with applications in batteries, construction, and other industries.
I think that trump is a vehicle, a means to an end to what ultimately is a white supremacists goal to shape the United States and the world in that view. We have no real, solid opposition to maga and their capture of pretty much all of our institutions, government and otherwise. Those of us who oppose this movement are merely reacting to maga and it's an untenable position to be in. We have to be on the offense and I think mass media is a large part of that effort. As we're seeing now, our social media channels are run by individuals who go wherever the wind blows and it has become increasingly clear that social media should be a public utility and should never be owned by individuals. The mainstream media, as it were, is also very much like a weather vane and should never be that. All I want, as I'm sure a lot of others want, is a media that simply disseminates facts, nothing more, nothing less. The problem with "left" media, as I see it or the reason why it's not a money maker is because reality and/or facts are boring and right wing media offers nothing but fantasy and conspiracy and those things are fun to engage in but are entirely detrimental to our society. Anyway, just putting in my two cents.
I would submit that Trump's outlandishness is the point. It both misdirects, sending media, opponents and even his own people spinning and turning and wasting resources, as well as it informs, creating possible policy narratives no matter how improbable that resonate with his base(despite none of the benefits ever falling their way). During Trump 1.0 he claimed many things and accomplished precious little, but the key thing is he kept the base engaged and the wealthy profiting 'tremendously' as he likes to say. He didn't build a wall, didn't lower pharma prices, didn't get 6% GDP growth, didn't kill Obamacare or get cheaper better healthcare, and never even got to infrastructure week. What he did do is get a huge tax cut passed of which 80% went to the wealthiest. He cut regs allowing corps to pollute, weakened regs to protect unions and their pays, screwed workers with mandatory arbitration rulings, filled remaining regulators with Wall St. friendly people. I could spend a day listing the ways he hurt every day Americans, but that is the end goal here. Billionaires made off with Trillions. Workers were universally weakened. I would submit that if we need to find more productive way to engage with the Oligarchy, it would be to start there. As for his imperialism, history tells us many leaders have used this ploy to keep their citizens' focus away from their own diminishing margins. It doesn't need to succeed, it only has to direct their focus away. If his first term was any indication, he will fail repeatedly and his propaganda arms will work overtime to blame others. Outrage as a response isn't enough. Pols who think decorum is more important doing isn't enough. But I do think that itemizing, repeating, and focusing attention on his failures, how they hurt the many and profit the few, is a starting position against the now overwhelming odds.
I appreciate the analysis and historic context--I really value Thomas' work and perspective. I generally feel well informed, well educated and as a communications professional, thought I had a good handle on how messages have been framed by the right. I didn't/don't. The degree of polarization here in the US shocks me. What I thought were periodic anomalies in the American experiment turn out to be real differences in our values and beliefs - what I thought were shared values and beliefs shaping a pluralistic democracy are actually real, sustained differences in how we view 'community' and our relationship with our fellow humans. The 'anomalies' turn out to be fundamental differences in our views of what it means to be an American and the cultural fragmentation seems to be heading toward an apex. Any means seems to justify the end. "I could shoot someone and not lose voters" turns out to be true.
It is easy for those of us who are watching the far-right dominate our political, legal, religious, corporate and cultural institutions to feel depressed, to wring our hands, to feel dismay and sadness. I am experiencing all of those feelings; however, many of us (50%?) have a different view of how we want to live, how we want to govern and how we treat our fellow citizens across the globe. We need to re-assert our values. It would be helpful for historians, social psychologists and experts in political movements to help us steer the conversations and our actions toward strategies and tactics that counter the MAGA movement. We also need leadership- at best our Pro-democracy movement is a weak coalition of stunned advocates. Maybe a discourse on historically successful efforts to oppose authoritarian and far-right movements will help us re-create our shared values and leadership. We don't have a lot of time.
Your observation about the US domination of the Americas is correct. We have a long and ugly history of meddling and overthrowing governments in the Americas we disliked. This isn’t an approval of the governments of Venezuela or Cuba, but simply an observation that our meddling has done real harm, and that Venezuela and Cuba might have had better governments had we not felt free to meddle in their governments.
Reportedly, billionaire Ronald Lauder suggested Trump try to acquire Greenland. I personally think Lauder was being facetious, but Trump takes everything seriously.
You can call them "paleo-conservatives, but what they actually are plain old fashion American white supremacists.
I'm pretty much convinced mockery is the best tactic. It's all just stupid shit by stupid people playing at stupid kayfabe games in trying to outdo each other in outrageous statements.
Laughing at them is one thing they cannot stand. What was the high point of the Harris campaign? Waltz laughing at them. It was so effective, the Democratic consultants immediately squashed it because it was hurting the wingnuts feelings.
Imagine if every Democratic spokesperson on CNN panels with Scott Jennings just laughed at him and said "that's the stupidest thing i ever heard" everytime he said something.
Glad to land here via a reference from a friend. You’ve done a great job outlying the risks that Trump and his direct cheerleaders could present and I agree it can’t be ignored out of hand.
However, I think this piece in some ways entirely reinforces why Trump is a thing at all. He didn’t rise up by his own inspiration and intent to be POTUS. He was literally dismayed immediately after his first electoral win. The answer to “why is Trump a thing?” is nothing more complex than because he’s a useful tool of distraction for corporate interests and associated absurd individual wealth class who prop him up. Interests and individuals who are happy to stay in the shadows while we wring our hands about the carnival side-show and provocative spectacle. Now they’ve added a side-clown corporate interest distraction in the form of Elon Musk to keep our attention off the actual corporate interests pulling the strings.
If Trump attempts to do anything threatening to the interests of the actual power, he’ll evaporate as quickly or faster than he was conjured in 2015. The threats aren’t about what Trump thinks or wants. He’s happy just to have round two of his ego-feeding, staring role in a reality show.
What we must attend to are the things that really matter to Trumps’ puppeteers. Corporate and high wealth tax cuts, corporate deregulation, and continued stacking of the courts. That’s all they care about, all that really matters, and the most likely tangible outcomes of the coming Trump administration. Meanwhile progressives will hardly notice because they won’t be paying attention.
We need to spend less time watching “The Apprentice 2025 Edition” and more time attending to what gets covered on C-Span.
Classic instance of both-and. Yes he is a useful diversion for the plutocrats. But also yes to a commitment to develop power and expand wealth in his own right.
Trump is the world biggest Troll. Once he officially becomes President he will have too many other things to worry about, like the Ukraine war. Both the Atlantic magazine and Wapo have published pieces warning of the dangers of Ukraine collapsing, in order, I'm convinced, to nudge Trump into actively supporting Ukraine against Putin. With the proper military support Ukraine can win this war, and if they did, Russia would likely collapse into smaller states - a huge win for the United States and Europe. That could put a big feather in Trump's hat, appealing to his vanity. It is worth the effort to persuade Trump to do this, as the alternative is too catastrophic to bear.
I wrote all of my elected reps this morning, including the local ones. I'm not going to get outraged at TRUMP each time he's off the rails, but frankly Rs who either agree or are silent and fine with him behaving like this need to be called out, too. He's not MY party leader--he's theirs, and I'm very determined to ask each of them, including nonpartisan local ones, questions, for example, about whether they believe there's really lots of fraud in our elections. Politicians from both parties sometimes hide behind their party--they are each responsible for their lying and/or other outrageous behavior and their willingness to accept others'. Here's the letter I sent, also as a letter to the editor to my Dallas paper and several other Texas papers. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1dGSdbl5nGRuvqqzBWUi1dInPX7oQUUsgpnO3gZP2QlE/edit?usp=sharing
Even though Trump isn't President yet, his words are affecting the world. If America can put up with Trump talking about annexing Greenland, courting a war with our NATO allies and breaking numerous treaties, then China can assume he won't fight them taking Taiwan and perhaps other nearby countries. Other expansionist authoritarian leaders are likely taking notice. Trump has already destroyed the trust around the world in the US as a consistent supporter of freedom and democracy. China is already tightening relationships with Latin America.
The oligarchs who have bought him and put him in power are not getting what they bargained for, unless they were hoping for chaos.
Key point: which Rs will say ‘no’ to TFG - if any. Incoming civics class on the role of Congress, and the Separation of Powers Doctrine.
Outstanding writing and read on history. This was my first essay by you. I look forward to reading many more. Thank you!
I would add one more question: Who benefits from Trump's policies? Which of his supporters, allies and benefactors would benefit from ownership of, if not increased access, to Greenland?
Here is a list of metals found in Greenland: Copper; Iron Ore; Gold; Lithium: a crucial component in batteries, contributing to its importance in the green energy transition; Titanium: which has applications in aerospace, defense, and other industries; and Lead. a metal with applications in batteries, construction, and other industries.
I think that trump is a vehicle, a means to an end to what ultimately is a white supremacists goal to shape the United States and the world in that view. We have no real, solid opposition to maga and their capture of pretty much all of our institutions, government and otherwise. Those of us who oppose this movement are merely reacting to maga and it's an untenable position to be in. We have to be on the offense and I think mass media is a large part of that effort. As we're seeing now, our social media channels are run by individuals who go wherever the wind blows and it has become increasingly clear that social media should be a public utility and should never be owned by individuals. The mainstream media, as it were, is also very much like a weather vane and should never be that. All I want, as I'm sure a lot of others want, is a media that simply disseminates facts, nothing more, nothing less. The problem with "left" media, as I see it or the reason why it's not a money maker is because reality and/or facts are boring and right wing media offers nothing but fantasy and conspiracy and those things are fun to engage in but are entirely detrimental to our society. Anyway, just putting in my two cents.
I would submit that Trump's outlandishness is the point. It both misdirects, sending media, opponents and even his own people spinning and turning and wasting resources, as well as it informs, creating possible policy narratives no matter how improbable that resonate with his base(despite none of the benefits ever falling their way). During Trump 1.0 he claimed many things and accomplished precious little, but the key thing is he kept the base engaged and the wealthy profiting 'tremendously' as he likes to say. He didn't build a wall, didn't lower pharma prices, didn't get 6% GDP growth, didn't kill Obamacare or get cheaper better healthcare, and never even got to infrastructure week. What he did do is get a huge tax cut passed of which 80% went to the wealthiest. He cut regs allowing corps to pollute, weakened regs to protect unions and their pays, screwed workers with mandatory arbitration rulings, filled remaining regulators with Wall St. friendly people. I could spend a day listing the ways he hurt every day Americans, but that is the end goal here. Billionaires made off with Trillions. Workers were universally weakened. I would submit that if we need to find more productive way to engage with the Oligarchy, it would be to start there. As for his imperialism, history tells us many leaders have used this ploy to keep their citizens' focus away from their own diminishing margins. It doesn't need to succeed, it only has to direct their focus away. If his first term was any indication, he will fail repeatedly and his propaganda arms will work overtime to blame others. Outrage as a response isn't enough. Pols who think decorum is more important doing isn't enough. But I do think that itemizing, repeating, and focusing attention on his failures, how they hurt the many and profit the few, is a starting position against the now overwhelming odds.
I appreciate the analysis and historic context--I really value Thomas' work and perspective. I generally feel well informed, well educated and as a communications professional, thought I had a good handle on how messages have been framed by the right. I didn't/don't. The degree of polarization here in the US shocks me. What I thought were periodic anomalies in the American experiment turn out to be real differences in our values and beliefs - what I thought were shared values and beliefs shaping a pluralistic democracy are actually real, sustained differences in how we view 'community' and our relationship with our fellow humans. The 'anomalies' turn out to be fundamental differences in our views of what it means to be an American and the cultural fragmentation seems to be heading toward an apex. Any means seems to justify the end. "I could shoot someone and not lose voters" turns out to be true.
It is easy for those of us who are watching the far-right dominate our political, legal, religious, corporate and cultural institutions to feel depressed, to wring our hands, to feel dismay and sadness. I am experiencing all of those feelings; however, many of us (50%?) have a different view of how we want to live, how we want to govern and how we treat our fellow citizens across the globe. We need to re-assert our values. It would be helpful for historians, social psychologists and experts in political movements to help us steer the conversations and our actions toward strategies and tactics that counter the MAGA movement. We also need leadership- at best our Pro-democracy movement is a weak coalition of stunned advocates. Maybe a discourse on historically successful efforts to oppose authoritarian and far-right movements will help us re-create our shared values and leadership. We don't have a lot of time.
Your observation about the US domination of the Americas is correct. We have a long and ugly history of meddling and overthrowing governments in the Americas we disliked. This isn’t an approval of the governments of Venezuela or Cuba, but simply an observation that our meddling has done real harm, and that Venezuela and Cuba might have had better governments had we not felt free to meddle in their governments.
Reportedly, billionaire Ronald Lauder suggested Trump try to acquire Greenland. I personally think Lauder was being facetious, but Trump takes everything seriously.
Well said, well said!
You can call them "paleo-conservatives, but what they actually are plain old fashion American white supremacists.
I'm pretty much convinced mockery is the best tactic. It's all just stupid shit by stupid people playing at stupid kayfabe games in trying to outdo each other in outrageous statements.
Laughing at them is one thing they cannot stand. What was the high point of the Harris campaign? Waltz laughing at them. It was so effective, the Democratic consultants immediately squashed it because it was hurting the wingnuts feelings.
Imagine if every Democratic spokesperson on CNN panels with Scott Jennings just laughed at him and said "that's the stupidest thing i ever heard" everytime he said something.
MAGA hearts are rolling and rocking
At whatever he says that's most shocking
His MAGAsty's flailing
He's gone off the railing
And you want us confined just to mocking??!!
Thanks for posting this. I've always struggled to develop schematics for how to understand/engage with Trump and this is a good one.
Glad to land here via a reference from a friend. You’ve done a great job outlying the risks that Trump and his direct cheerleaders could present and I agree it can’t be ignored out of hand.
However, I think this piece in some ways entirely reinforces why Trump is a thing at all. He didn’t rise up by his own inspiration and intent to be POTUS. He was literally dismayed immediately after his first electoral win. The answer to “why is Trump a thing?” is nothing more complex than because he’s a useful tool of distraction for corporate interests and associated absurd individual wealth class who prop him up. Interests and individuals who are happy to stay in the shadows while we wring our hands about the carnival side-show and provocative spectacle. Now they’ve added a side-clown corporate interest distraction in the form of Elon Musk to keep our attention off the actual corporate interests pulling the strings.
If Trump attempts to do anything threatening to the interests of the actual power, he’ll evaporate as quickly or faster than he was conjured in 2015. The threats aren’t about what Trump thinks or wants. He’s happy just to have round two of his ego-feeding, staring role in a reality show.
What we must attend to are the things that really matter to Trumps’ puppeteers. Corporate and high wealth tax cuts, corporate deregulation, and continued stacking of the courts. That’s all they care about, all that really matters, and the most likely tangible outcomes of the coming Trump administration. Meanwhile progressives will hardly notice because they won’t be paying attention.
We need to spend less time watching “The Apprentice 2025 Edition” and more time attending to what gets covered on C-Span.
Classic instance of both-and. Yes he is a useful diversion for the plutocrats. But also yes to a commitment to develop power and expand wealth in his own right.
Trump is the world biggest Troll. Once he officially becomes President he will have too many other things to worry about, like the Ukraine war. Both the Atlantic magazine and Wapo have published pieces warning of the dangers of Ukraine collapsing, in order, I'm convinced, to nudge Trump into actively supporting Ukraine against Putin. With the proper military support Ukraine can win this war, and if they did, Russia would likely collapse into smaller states - a huge win for the United States and Europe. That could put a big feather in Trump's hat, appealing to his vanity. It is worth the effort to persuade Trump to do this, as the alternative is too catastrophic to bear.
I wrote all of my elected reps this morning, including the local ones. I'm not going to get outraged at TRUMP each time he's off the rails, but frankly Rs who either agree or are silent and fine with him behaving like this need to be called out, too. He's not MY party leader--he's theirs, and I'm very determined to ask each of them, including nonpartisan local ones, questions, for example, about whether they believe there's really lots of fraud in our elections. Politicians from both parties sometimes hide behind their party--they are each responsible for their lying and/or other outrageous behavior and their willingness to accept others'. Here's the letter I sent, also as a letter to the editor to my Dallas paper and several other Texas papers. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1dGSdbl5nGRuvqqzBWUi1dInPX7oQUUsgpnO3gZP2QlE/edit?usp=sharing
Even though Trump isn't President yet, his words are affecting the world. If America can put up with Trump talking about annexing Greenland, courting a war with our NATO allies and breaking numerous treaties, then China can assume he won't fight them taking Taiwan and perhaps other nearby countries. Other expansionist authoritarian leaders are likely taking notice. Trump has already destroyed the trust around the world in the US as a consistent supporter of freedom and democracy. China is already tightening relationships with Latin America.
The oligarchs who have bought him and put him in power are not getting what they bargained for, unless they were hoping for chaos.
https://www.programmablemutter.com/p/were-getting-the-social-media-crisis?triedRedirect=true