I’m old enough, as the youth of today say, to remember when the pardoning of Nixon in Watergate was a disillusioning moment. Nixon destroyed the dignity, integrity, and unassailability of the office and forced us to admit that we had presidents — we already knew about the corruption in lesser offices — who would put their own interests above those of the country. By being so corrupt and ham-handed about it, Nixon set the new norm of reporters investigating presidential behavior and the media publishing it.
PRE-NIXON, as I recall, many aspects of the presidency were off limits to reporters and publication.
POST-NIXON, it was find and publish what you could before some other bastard did. but it was the deal of getting Nixon out of office with the promise of a pardon that destroyed our trust in the probity, sincerity, and morality of our government.
It was the cynicism borne of Watergate, the fear of “putting the country through that” — like the country was some tender snowflake that couldn’t take seeing a former president indicted and tried for criminal behavior — that enabled the modern Republican Party to successfully defend all of the Republican presidents since then from impeachment even though they all thoroughly deserved it. Additionally, it allowed Republicans to bring trumped up impeachment charges based on a politically driven fishing expedition against Bill Clinton, and a thirty year smear campaign against Hillary Clinton.
Had we faced up to reality and prosecuted Nixon, impeached the increasingly senile Reagan for Iran-Contra, impeached Poppy for covering up Iran-Contra, impeached W for war crimes and allowed him to be prosecuted for them, we wouldn’t be in this predicament.
But — there’s always a butt, isn’t there? — we didn’t. Instead we allowed ourselves to lulled into a fast food fueled somnambulance and maintained by MTV, fast fashion, and, now, the Interwebs.
However, with the indicatement of one Donald “Jenius” Trump by the district attorney’s office in New York City, we are slowly beginning to right the wrongs that REPUBLICANS have inflicted upon us over the past fifty years. We’ve allowed them to cover their shitty selves with a thin veneer cheap gold paint by claiming patriotism and family-values when instead all they were doing was transferring the wealth of nation to global corporations and skimming off of the top.
To all those who say that this isn’t a moment for the nation to celebrate, I say they’re wrong. I say this is a watershed moment. It is another step in turning back the tide of fascism and authoritarianism and classism and racism in our country. It is punching the dark tetrad personality characteristics infused Republican Party in the face. It is a moment we need to remember no matter what happens next.
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Image Attribution
“Donald Trump” by Gage Skidmore is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0. Alterations were made by me using Outlook PowerPoint.
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Categories: Politics
The Psy of Life 
I am responding to ..”However, with the indicatement of one Donald “Jenius” Trump by the district attorney’s office in New York City, we are slowly beginning to right the wrongs that REPUBLICANS have inflicted upon us over the past fifty years…”
I would like to say that with what appears to be a chronic case of procrastination on the part of those persons who have the power to move the most serious investigations of Trump ahead, ala Merrick Garland, and with the battery of Trump-appointed judges all across the country (To spring him from any trouble he might get himself into) there is reason to think that Republican wrongs have no chance in Hell of being righted.
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Howdy John!
I go back and forth on the Merrick Garland thing. I listen to several podcasts and read several legal blogs to help myself stay informed about all of the legalities that seem to be in the news the past few years. The lawyers keep pointing out that what passes for evidence in social media doesn’t always in a court of law. On the other hand, they also say that from what they’ve seen in the media, there is ample evidence to bring a case.
I do agree, however, that the Republicans continue to stack the deck in their favor so that they avoid accountability from voters or any department of justice. They want to take us back to the 1880’s and the boom-and-bust unregulated economy. They want a pseudo-democratic single-party autocratic government.
This is a fight that is as old as government itself. Who does government serve? There has always been a side that says it serves those with the most money. And, until the Enlightenment, there really wasn’t another side. Now, we have those who say it serves the average person.
We will see who wins this fight, but fight we must.
Huzzah!
Jack
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I believe that the present government is more interested in serving the interests of the Military/Industrial Complex than anyone … of course I could be wrong…. I am not an expert.
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Howdy John!
Biden is definitely a corporate Democrat. Through lobbying and John “Money Doesn’t Corrupt” Roberts, we’ve sold our government to the corporations. The difference between Democrats and Republicans, is that Democrats still court the goodwill of the people, Republicans, don’t. For any government to remain in place for very long, it has to mollify the average citizen. China’s Xi knows this lesson well. He works hard to keep the Chinese middle class growing and happy. The Republicans have forgotten that lesson.
Huzzah!
Jack
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I believe, but cannot prove for certain, that it has been more or less proven that the Republicans tend to operate on an actual “Measured” intellect level that is less evolved than the rest of society.
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Howdy John!
There have been a number of studies that support your contention. It has been found that conservatives have a lower emotional intelligence and have trouble with critical thinking, so your instinct isn’t too far off the mark.
The biggest problem with MAGA is the phenomena of mass psychosis which occurs in a population that has been living under prolonged duress, which exposes them to stress hormones and chemicals in the brain. These chemicals literally make it harder to think clearly and critically, so that individuals are more willing to believe what they are told, even if it is an absurd transparent lie, and seek simplistic black-and-white solutions to complex problems. Inducing mass psychosis is a page out of the fascist playbook.
Huzzha!
Jack
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add the mass psychosis to mass hysteria and mass hypnosis and you have the perfect setting for a Trump Reich.
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Howdy John!
The only saving grace in that mess is that anyone who can be caught with that particular witch’s brew of fascist propaganda techniques has already been caught. Their numbers aren’t growing. Now, it is all about turnout.
Having gerrymandered their way to false majorities in district elections, we’ll need to turn a substantial number of people against them, but the debt ceiling debacle is a good place to start and DeSantis’ Florida is another. There’s a difference between throwing red meat at the base and legislating it.
Huzzah!
Jack
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Reblogged this on cabbagesandkings524 and commented:
Calico Jack celebrates a Grand Jury decision.
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Amen!
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All the way back to ancient Athens and Rome, clear political thinkers have understood that nothing speeds the path to rampant corruption and tyranny like immunity. This is a much needed beginning, but only a beginning. There’s a long way to go paved by lots more indictments and trials, not just of DJT.
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Howdy Bob!
As a teacher, I know that people will do what they think they’ll get away with. Okay, not all people. There are two types: those that have strong internal rules, motivation, and control, and those that don’t. Those that don’t need boundaries placed on their behaviors in their environment; otherwise, it will be chaos.
Here’s another blog post.
The GOP has effectively attracted a bunch of dark tetrad personalities to its party and removed in guardrails on their behavior all in the hopes of winning elections that they can’t win on their governance record or policy positions. Their emphasis on rugged individualism and personal responsibility — neither of which they embody — probably means that they’ve always been attracting more personality disorders to the party than any other party than the Libertarians, which is the dark tetrad writ into a political party. Anywho, the result is what we’ve got: a political party willing to burn the republic down in order to “win.”
Huzzah!
Jack
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And, the primary way they sell their pyromania to voters is by claiming that the Liberal-Socialist-Subversive Democrats are already burning it down and only they can stop it.
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That’s one of the most confounding things about conservative voters. It is so clear to those who see it clearly, but they are completely blinded by their politicians. Luckily, there does seem to be enough being peeled off of the base to limit their damage.
Jack
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Then, there’s the problem addressed in this article: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/3/31/2143474/-Red-State-paradox-Why-voters-overwhelmingly-favor-liberal-policies-but-not-politicians
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Howdy Bob!
It’s always good to see my analysis confirmed. Maybe I should start submitting articles to KOS.
Huzzah!
Jack
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Well, some of the contributors there are significantly snarky and such. You might fit in.
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I had noticed that. I’ll just have to clean up my syntax some.
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Just a bit. 🙂
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