Political Theatre category archive
Gag Order 0
Heaven Trump forbid that federal agencies charged with protecting the health of the populace be allowed to have the unmitigated gall to warn persons of dangers to their health and well-being.
A Tune for the Times 0
From the Youtube page:
In case you were wondering who the new Secretary of Homeland security would be, Kristi Noem, the South Dakota Governor of “I shot my dog’, fame is one step away from taking over that position. She still has to be approved by the full body of the Senate but that looks increasingly likely. The Freedom Toast and Cinebot Video made this video back when she was being considered for VP. It’s a good reminder.
Dis Coarse Discourse 0
Steven Stosny argues forcefully that one of the forces coarsening dis coarse discourse is that shaming has replaced discussing. A snippet:
I think his article is worth your while.
Just look around.
The Clueless Crew 0
Methinks my old friend from my Philly days has pretty much put his finger on major part of the problem.
The Grift of Grab, Reprise 0
Seth tells us what we can expect for the next four (only four, if we’re lucky) years.
Facebook Frolics 0
At Psychology Today Blogs, Michael Patrick Lynch argues that, given the reach of Facebook and its sister “social” media apps, the Zuckerborg’s decision to eschew fact-checking has serious implications for the future of democracy. He cites Hanna Arendt:
Follow the link for his arguments.
Signings of the Times, Rule of Lawless Dept. 0
I don’t think it’s much of a stretch to say that, if Donald Trump thinks he can single-handedly amend the Constitution by executive order, the rule of law may be on shaky ground under his sewership.
Along those lines, AL.com’s Roy S. Johnson looks at Donald Trump’s Inauguration Day executive order signature spasm and finds himself less than impressed. A snippet:
I’m not sure any single signature made us better — let alone great.
He renamed a body of water and a mountain (snore); contradicted his own “efficiency” quest by ordering all federal workers into the office; poured white-out over all references to diversity, equity and inclusion in the federal government, resuscitated the government-sanctioned murder (the death penalty); did a Simone Biles-backflip with TikTok; yanked us from vital international organizations; tried to pour more white-out on the birthright constitutional amendment; and pen-swiped a lot of jargon-salad decrees declaring “protection,” “America first,” and various “emergencies” allowing him potentially to weaponize the U.S. military against, well, any of us.
Broligarchy, Reprise 0
At AL.com, Kyle Whitmire sees a precedent–and it ain’t a pretty one.
Why Did Trump Win? 0
At Psychology Today Blogs, Nilanjana Dasgupta tries offers some thoughts. I don’t know that I agree with everything she says, but I do think her piece is a worth-while read. Keep in mind that she is discussing voters’ perceptions of reality, not reality itself.
Here’s a bit of her piece:
The social class gap in opportunity isn’t recent. It has been widening since neoliberalism became the dominant ideology in the 1980s, shaping political and economic policies. A good society, according to neoliberalism, is one that privatizes public resources and property, privileges free market and trade, reduces government spending on social safety nets, and minimizes regulation of businesses (Harvey, 2005). Decades of neoliberal policies have been associated with yawning inequalities in income, health, and education, crushing middle- and working-class people whose pent-up despair and rage was recognized and used by Trump.
Missing from the analysis and, indeed, from Trump voters’ perspectives, is another crucial fact. Donald Trump’s track record of keeping his wor–oh, never mind.
Aside:
The irony is that the neoliberalism she refers to leans to the right and, indeed, has served as cover for Republicans’ gutting many of the programs instituted by Democrats from FDR to LBJ.
“History Does Not Repeat Itself, but It Often Rhymes”* 0
Kean University Professors Christopher M. Bellitto and Frank Argote-Freyre hear a rhyme from over the millennia.
We are sad to report that our modern republic – like Rome at that moment – is not well. The era of Trump offers interesting parallels with the reign of the dictator Sulla (138-78 BCE), who marched on Rome from exile in 82 BCE and slaughtered his enemies.
Follow the link for their parsing of parallels.
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*Mark Twain.