Category: GOP Defections

Labels, Soros, and Right-Wing Insanity

Libtard. Snowflake. SJW (social justice warrior).  Sheep. Sheeple. The folks on the right have an endless stream of put-down labels for those of us on the left. The latest one, which I learned about in a NY Times story, is NPC, which stands for “NonPlayable Character.” The phrase is “borrowed from the world of video games, for a character that is controlled by the computer rather than by a player.” In other words, in the real world an NPC is someone who is incapable of independent thinking. And that’s how millions of conservatives see us.  As the article explains, conservatives believe, “Liberals… join the anti-Trump crowd not because they are led by independent thought or conscience to oppose President Trump’s policies, but because they’re brainwashed sheep who have been conditioned to parrot left-wing orthodoxy.” Yes, Fox “News” and social media posts throw those labels around frequently, and always in that context – that we are “brainwashed.”

They “know” that we are sheep led by the nose by Saul Alinsky, George Soros, and Nancy Pelosi. We cannot see the “truth” they see.

How ironic. How stupid.

In their closed minds, they refuse to acknowledge what we see every single day:

·       Tax cuts for the rich with little for the middle or lower class

·       Stagnant wage growth

·       A massively ballooning federal budget deficit (which was what the Tea Party fought against!)

·       No healthcare alternative to the ACA

·       Dismantling of protections of our air and water

·       Crumbling roads and bridges with no plan in sight

·       Rampant racism and sexism

·       Attacks on our closest allies while cozying up to Putin and other brutal dictators

·       The very real march towards fascism

·       The daily attacks on the Free Press

·       The attacks on the FBI and our Intelligence agencies

·       The daily deluge of LIES about everything

·       The stunning hypocrisy of the spineless “leaders” in the Republican party

·       The huge number of prominent Republicans who have left the party

·       Blatant conflicts-of-interest by Trump and his family

·       The unraveling of our national moral fiber.

Trump supporters see none of this. They fall back on mindless labels and personal attacks.

The Right’s disconnect from reality is not imaginary. As I posted on Facebook (“Follow” me on Facebook!) on 10/5/18,

“Senator Grassley was asked on Fox News if George Soros was “behind all this…paying these people to get in elevators and get in your face?”

“I tend to believe it,” he said.

And this, a radio interview with Senator David Perdue (R) where he said the people protesting Kavanaugh are “paid activists…This is a George Soros conspiracy.”  Plus, incredibly, he says Soros and his group pumped “$32 billion, billion! into this effort.”

That bizarre statement was from a US Senator!

It’s all so demonstrably insane; it’s what your right-leaning neighbors are listening to, all day, every day. And it’s killing our country.

The Right has gone crazy. In their own paranoia, fueled by Fox “News” and other propaganda outlets, they see only what they want to see, hear only what keeps them comfortable. They label us NPCs or snowflakes, while remaining steadfastly blind to reality and to their own best interests. The issues cited above are imaginary to them, while the preposterous idea that Soros tells me what to think is accepted as truth.

It’s bizarro world. It’s frightening. And if you care about America, understand that the only way to resist the madness is via the ballot box. Please support rational thinking! Do whatever you can.

Vote. Contribute. And spread the word.

Thanks for caring about the truth.

Ken

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Five Ways to Destroy Democracy

Steve Schmidt, a life-long Republican and Senior Campaign Strategist for John McCain’s presidential campaign, can no longer abide Trump’s daily lies and non-stop attacks on our most venerated institutions. So he did what many other high-profile Republicans have done – he firmly renounced his affiliation with the Republican party.

Then he went further. A few days ago on MSNBC he delineated five specific ways Trump is destroying our democracy. Here’s my annotated version of his passionate warning…

One, he incites fervor in a base through constant lying.

There are now thousands of documented lies. It’s to the point that just about every sentence he utters or tweets is laced with half-truths, distortions, and full-blown lies. TRUST NOTHING TRUMP SAYS.

Two, he scapegoats minority populations and he affixes blame for complex problems to them and them alone.

Among his favorite targets are Muslims, Mexicans, Democrat politicians, educated people (the “elites”) and journalists (‘the worst people in the word,” “your enemies”). Every problem is their fault, nothing is his fault.

Three, he alleges conspiracies that are hidden and nefarious and linked to those scapegoated populations.

Paranoia infests his world view. The FBI, Robert Mueller, the Obama/Hillary team, the Intelligence community, the (imaginary) Deep State are all, according to his warped mind, out to get him. He’s made outrageous allegations against Obama, with zero evidence. There seems to be no conspiracy theory that he finds outlandish.

Four, he spreads a sense of victimization among those fervent supporters.

“They’re taking your jobs … they’re murderers, they’re rapists.”  You might recognize this tactic – it’s straight out of the playbook of the worst dictators in history. He’s saying, in effect, “get them before they get you.”

And five, he asserts the need to exert heretofore unprecedented power to protect his victim class from the conspiracies and the scapegoated populations.

As Trump proclaimed at the Republican Convention in 2016, “I alone can fix” America’s problems. In his view Congress, the judiciary, the free press and even the Constitution are nothing more than impediments to his consolidation of power. And it’s going to get worse as he feels ever more threatened.

Through all of history, (if) you understand totalitarianism, you understand how democracies fall. You will find those five behaviors (in Trump).

For sure, that’s no bull, Schmidt. It’s just scary.

Thanks for caring about the truth.

Ken

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