Political Theatre category archive
The Mess with Texas, Reprise 0
In the Austin American-Statesman, Bridget Grumet reports from the storm and makes an observation:
Presidented 0
At The Japan Times, University of Texas at Austin Professor Michael Lind argues that there is ample precedent for Donald Trump, but it’s not who you may think of first. Here’s a bit (emphasis added).
(snip)
Although Trump is the first true demagogue to be elected to the American presidency, the entertainer or plutocrat who wins office by posing as a champion of the common people has been a staple of mayoral and gubernatorial races for generations. Media celebrity, in particular, has become an increasingly common basis for electoral success in America.
Follow the link for the rest; it’s an interesting take and worth a read.
So Much Winning . . . . 0
PoliticalProf does the math.
In the Face of the Evidence in Their Face 0
Seth sums it up.
The Vice of the Turtle 0
Shorter Steve M.: No surprises here.
A Matter of Trust 0
The writer of a letter to the editor of The Roanoke Times has trust issues.
Left Dangling (on the Hook) 0
E. J. Montini has a idea as to why the previous federal executive did not preemptively pardon the January 6 insurrectionists, despite requests from many of them. He cites two of them:
Likewise, Adam Newbold, a retired U.S. Navy SEAL who boasted on Facebook about “breaching the Capitol,” told ABC News, “I would like to express to you just a cry for clemency, as you understand that my life now has been absolutely turned upside-down.”
Follow the link to see Montini’s theory as to why their pleas were ignored. Methinks he is onto something.
Aside:
Yes, I know that they should have known better than to fall for a pitch from a serial con artist who’s failed at everything he’s ever tried except acting a part on television. But they didn’t.
See below.
The Humpty-Dumpty Defense 0
Shorter Trump defense brief: Words mean what I want them to mean.
Misdirection Play, Cancel Culture Dept. 0
Ravi Chandra, writing at Psychology Today Blogs, looks behind the smoke screen to see what claims of “cancel culture” conceal. A snippet (emphasis added):
Lies and Lying Liars, It’s Bubblicious Dept. 0
At the Las Vegas Sun, Brad Swanson tells the story of a relative who has become a confirmed Trumpette, believing that the recent election was stolen, as well as the other lies trumpeted by Trump and his dupes, symps, and fellow travelers. A snippet (emphasis added):
Why do reasonable people fall for this?
The biggest factor, studies show, is sustained immersion in the sea of fake news, and exclusion from other viewpoints — whether voluntarily, i.e. choosing to live in an “echo chamber,” or involuntarily due to government control of the media, as in Nazi Germany and Rwanda.
No matter how rational we think we are, when we only hear a single perspective time after time, we start to internalize and accept it.
The truth can’t make you free if you can’t (or won’t–ed.) hear it.