Politics of Hate category archive
Rageaholics 0
At the New York Times, Emory University Professor Carol Anderson explores how racism and bigotry infuse the politics and political tactics of Donald Trump and his dupes, symps, and fellow travellers. Here’s a snippet; follow the link for the rest.
The guiding principle in Mr. Trump’s government is to turn the politics of white resentment into the policies of white rage — that calculated mechanism of executive orders, laws and agency directives that undermines and punishes minority achievement and aspiration.
Afterthought:
I recently purchased a Sunday-only print subscription to the New York Times, and I’m glad I did. Although I adhere to the “why would anyone want a newspaper that doesn’t have comics” school of thought, it really is darned good reading (except for David Brooks’s column, which is mindless piffle why they keep someone who is always wrong on the payroll is beyond me).
I must say I’m quite impressed with their customer support. The first paper was supposed to arrive last Sunday and did not. When I called the number in their “Did You Enjoy Your First NYT” email, their Automatic Lady was without question the best Automatic Lady I’ve dealt with on a toll-free number. Automatic Lady credited my account without question and suggested I call back during normal business hours on Monday.
I did so and I was talking to a courteous and competent Real Live Human Being in fewer than 30 seconds. And my Sunday Times was there on the doorstep this morning.
I reckon reading it will take me all week.
The Panderers’ Party (Updated) 0
In the Portland Press-Herald, Roger Bowen reflects on the Republican Party’s denial of objective facts. He starts with Republicans’ denial of climate change, when is already affecting Maine’s lobster industry, and moves on to other issues. Here’s a bit (emphasis added):
No surprise – America’s voting public is polarized, and partisan stances on climate change is but one example. . . .
To deny climate change is to repudiate the former president, much in the same way as to deny the beneficial effects of Obamacare, such as providing health insurance for the poor, is seen as an opportunity to reverse Obama’s success. If today’s Republican Party stands for anything, it stands for undoing Obama’s contributions to advancing the public good.
Tales of the Trumpling: Snapshots of Trickle-Down Trumpery 0
The Sacramento Bee reports that the number and frequency of racist verbal attacks on California officials has escalated dramatically since January (gee, what happened in January?). Here are a few examples from the report; follow the link for more.
A fervent group of Trump supporters, who disrupt Democratic town halls and other political forums in Southern California, called de León an “anchor baby” and “illegal alien scumbag” at a Latino summit in May at UC Riverside, where academics and community leaders gathered to strategize ways to fight Trump’s agenda. The protesters continue to post YouTube videos of themselves heckling politicians.
“In my mind there’s no doubt that Donald Trump has opened up this Pandora’s box,” de León said. “There’s no question about it because he’s done nothing as president of the United States to temper it down or heal the nation.”
Cavalcade of Crazy 0
Thom rounds up a few stories that haven’t gotten much notice in the furor over healthcare.
In Contempt of the (Scout) Law 0
Daniel Ruth parses Donald Trump’s speech to the Boy Scouts. A snippet:
Much more at the link.
Real Big Men, Uncivil Discourse Dept. 0
Elise Viebeck discusses the bullying behavior of the macho, macho men of the Republican Party and their nasty, nasty attitudes towards women Republican. A snippet (follow the link for the rest):
The language of retribution increasingly adopted by Republican men reflects Trump’s influence and underscores the challenges Republican women can face when opposing the consensus of their party, which remains dominated by men, outside experts said.
I think an argument can be made that the bullying impulses have always been there in the party of family values. What has changed is that the bullies now believe Donald Trump’s ascendency has given them permission to be what they always have been.
The Court Is in Sessions 0
If the facts don’t agree with your prejudices, just make stuff up.
Still Rising Again after All These Years 0
Warning: Language.
Trumpling the Rule of Law 0
Dick Polman reminds us that it can happen here and that, if it does, it’s our own damn fault for not paying attention, as a polity, to the politics. A snippet:
In a way I don’t even blame Trump, because he doesn’t know any better. A poseur with Louis XIV pretensions (“L’etat c’est moi,” said the French king – “I am the state”), Trump has no concept of checks and balances, no respect for America’s enduring democratic institutions, and he’s been dodging accountability his whole life. His one mode is attack; long-dead Roy Cohn, his thug mentor, appears to be dispensing advice via his tooth fillings.
Wingnut Synergy 0
Leonard Pitts, Jr., notes that it’s a thing:
More at the link.
The New Populism 0
We often hear the term “populism” applied to right-wing political movements. Frankly, I don’t think “populist” is an accurate term. These movements appeal to the fears of the populace, often embracing nationalist and racist themes to stoke those fears.
They are not “populist” in the same way the American political movement called “Populism” was; that was a movement of farmers and workers, primarily in the upper Midwest, which wished to limit the power of industrialists a century ago. I suspect the news media have adopted the term “populist” as a gentler alternative to “fascist” or, perhaps more descriptive, “fascistic.”
At the Boston Review, Rogers Brubaker explores the appeal and spread of these movements. Here’s a bit:
The weakening of parties and party systems and changes in the relation between media and politics have fostered a kind of generic populism, a heightened tendency—shared by both the left and the right—to address “the people” directly. Party membership and loyalty have plummeted, and in many countries parties that had long dominated the political system have collapsed. This has encouraged politicians to appeal to the people as a whole rather than to specific social constituencies represented by parties.
The pervasive “mediatization of politics,” the intensifying commercialization of the media, and the accelerated development of new communications technologies have likewise made politicians less dependent on parties and more inclined to appeal directly to “the people.” They have also encouraged a populist style of communication, characterized by dramatization, confrontation, negativity, emotionalization, personalization, visualization, and hyper-simplification.
Tales of the Trumpling–Snapshots of Trickle-Down Trumpery 0
Hospitality suit (emphasis added).
Dyne Suh, a 26-year-old law clerk, had booked Tami Barker’s mountain cabin in Big Bear, California, for a skiing weekend with friends in February, but Barker canceled the reservation by text message minutes before they arrived,stating: “I wouldn’t rent it to u if u were the last person on earth” and “One word says it all. Asian”.
(snip)
When Suh said she’d complain to Airbnb about the racist remark, Barker replied: “It’s why we have Trump … and I will not allow this country to be told what to do by foreigners.”
Alternate Universe 0
Der Spiegel takes a in-depth look at American bigotry that parades under the “alt-right” label. Here’s a snippet:
The alt-right has everything a movement needs: its own echo chamber, primarily on the internet, its own symbols, myths, martyrs and stories and even its own vocabulary. It is the first protest movement that is taking full advantage of digital technology and one that would be inconceivable without the internet. One of its primary tactics, internet trolling, is the practice of insulting and provoking political enemies online until they lose their composure.