One of the hallmarks of Democracy is the peaceful transfer of power from one elected administration to the next. This is especially important when the outgoing and the incoming administrations are from opposing parties. It is, of course, difficult to lose a hard-fought contest, but the mature response is always for the loser to stand … Read more
Now that the Biden/Harris transition has begun, there is talk about what will or should happen to Donald Trump after his presidency. The conversation ranges from those who want Trump, his family, his supporters, (and half of Congress!) in prison as soon as possible, to those who advocate “reaching out,” to his supporters and “moving … Read more
If we do not have the capacity to distinguish what’s true from what’s false, then by definition the marketplace of ideas doesn’t work. And by definition our democracy doesn’t work. We are entering into an epistemological crisis.” Barack Obama Information is only as good as the quality of your sources. Social media in particular is … Read more
The American public generally doesn’t really know what goes on at a Trump rally. Progressives dismiss them as circuses for lunatics. The mainstream media tend to report only on crowd size and the one most outrageous soundbite of the day. Old-style conservatives excuse the rallies as “just Trump being Trump.” Most people actually pay almost … Read more
An important way to understand Trump and Trumpism is as an assault on reality. At issue is the attempt to control, to own, immediate truth along with any part of history that feeds such truth. Robert J. Lifton The desire to control reality is typical of authoritarianism, religious zealotry, and cultism. If you control a … Read more
In August, 1941, Harper’s Magazine published an essay by journalist Dorothy Thompson entitled, “Who Goes Nazi?” The essay walks the reader through descriptions of the various attendees at a fictional dinner party and speculates about which of them would “Go Nazi” given the proper social or political circumstances. Some historical background To put the article … Read more
Donald Trump represents an authoritarian movement and a cultural force. Trumpism is not merely or just a set of political policy preferences. Like other authoritarian cultural movements Trumpism promises a national-cultural transformation, psychological uplift, group superiority, personal salvation, and a sense of membership and belonging in an exclusive community for its members and other supporters. … Read more