This wasn’t an accident. It was the point. It’s what MAGA was built on—a message to the white, the bitter, and the fearful that their ginned up anger is a rallying cry, a political stance, and a weapon. It's a promise that America belongs to them and no one else. It’s why Trump’s rallies don’t even try to reach beyond his hardcore base. The sad part is that, for as many reasonably-minded people as he'll lose because of this abomination, he'll gain just as many who want nothing more than a fourth Reich.
An Open Letter to Your Friend or Relative Planning to Vote for Trump: Your Vote for Trump Is an Endorsement of Bigotry, Cruelty, and the Erosion of Rights—No Matter the Reason You Give.
I’m currently reading Dr. Wilhelm Reich's “The Mass Psychology of Fascism,” which he wrote while living in Germany in the 1930s. At the risk of oversimplifying his work, I gather that Reich views fascism as a movement characterized by a blend of rebellious emotions within masses of people (which describes the post-WW1 German citizenry) with reactionary social ideas. And Hitler's plan for control of Germany began by appealing to the emotions of the disaffected German citizens instead of any sort of sober reasoning.
He appealed successfully to the masses by exploiting their religious phobias, their economic fears, their fierce nationalistic pride, their distrust of non-Germans, and their reactionary definition of normal sexuality; once the masses had given Hitler and his National Socialist party control of the country, he was free to abandon the people he’d championed and exploit them shamelessly.
Tя☭mp and Vance have resurrected the Hitler playbook: appeal to religious phobias (“America is a CHRISTIAN nation, and the Democrats hate real Christians”); economic fears (“Biden and Harris have wrecked the American economy!”); nationalistic pride (“America First!”); fears of all immigrants (“Immigrants are taking Black jobs, raping and killing American citizens, trafficking children, and eating our pets!”); and their reactionary views of normal sexuality (“Trans women are men who compete in women's sports!”/ “Gay marriage will lead to the exploitation of children!”/ “Women who have abortions are sluts and baby murderers!”).
It’s frightening what’s happening. There seems to be no other defense for America and the Constitution except to flood the polls with votes and send Tя☭mp and his supporters back to the sewers that spawned them.
10 star TFN today Mr. Larsen. From the history lesson from '39 to the reminder that we are all immigrants to inviting discourse rather than trying to silence it. I boil that so few people paid attention in history class, that the movie industry spent more time glamorizing Nazis rather than showing the footage that General Eisenhower forced the military to film AFTER the war of what they did to people that they churned up like refuse. Each day another spouting off by him of what he is 'going to do'. Hell is coming for him and for all the damage he is doing. The sooner the better. Sidenote: Why is it never pointed out in all the ads, campaigning etc how much money his antics have cost everyone in this country? From the pathetic 4 years of him doing nothing but watching TV instead of doing his job, to the cost of his election fraud voter registration lies that led to an crazy spending of money on voter 'safety' that wasn't needed. And throw in January 6th, destruction to OUR government buildings, all the lawsuits, all the time, money ALL WASTED, totally WASTED because of his big lying mouth. Where is MY refund from HIM for that? He needs to be gone, period.
Why if he thinks America's a garbage Country would be want to be in charge ? He's such a lying fascists bastard , he'll say anything and do anything to stay outta jail . He's been the one person who's brought in and underpaid more immigrants than any other personal business . He's the one who's sold us out to more rich Saudis and Russians ogilarchs than any other slumlord. He's the one who's married and impregnated more immigrant women than any one else in our American history of lying baffoons. He's the one that has wasted more American tax payers dollars than any other PERSON IN AMERICAN HISTORY . YEA ,Don-old ,has done this as well as killed 100,000 innocent people with his ignorance and lies of a virus that was deadly ,not just a fly bug as he says . I take this personal .....because of him .. my brothers in laws Tommy , Larry, Bob , are dead. My niece Terri , my Mom Donna , my nephews C.J., and Chris are dead . My niece Maddie and her unborn child are dead . All good decent Democrats who wore Masks but are DEAD ..Because of this I hate tRump ....like a criminal that murdered people ,he's the lowest of humans because I blame him .. and he deserves nothing especially any second chance ....when he did so much damage and corruption the first time,that he only won by his deception to the US citizens .. FUCK TRUMP
Wow. This one I’m restacking/forwarding far and wide. Thank you Jonathan!
Last night in chicago I saw a new production of Rhinoceros, the Ionesco play about fascism (but I also saw a mass-extinction-climate-change trope in it for the first time). It was breathtaking. A production of Theatre Y, which has put down roots in Lawndale, a distressed ‘hood west & south of downtown that despite its distress has little available street parking, but is sporting signs of a renaissance and, where am I going with this? Maybe just to say that tickets were free(-will-donation)? Stellar (local) cast, five-week run, I may go again just to see how it evolves.
Anyway after the show the audience & players sat around talking and while I felt jolly, there was an air of despair when talk turned to the pending election. So once again, I repeat, it’s not over!
Also, how can the MSG rally NOT turn against TFG? All those trades running lights, cameras, sound…gotta be a loose connection there somewhere, no es verdad? I guess we’ll see.
Ps is it just me or does (do?) the NYT/MSM seem to be running more Harris-Walz friendly content lately? But maybe that’s irrelevant anyway?
Thanks for the Emma Lazarus poem reference- those words settle next to other reporting from today- the description of a party boat ferrying trump and Epstein (and others) affording close-ups of the Statue of Liberty (while men below deck were taking liberties with underage wannabe models)
Now we have the two images of Madison square garden- 1939 and Sunday.
Make America Hate Again
This wasn’t an accident. It was the point. It’s what MAGA was built on—a message to the white, the bitter, and the fearful that their ginned up anger is a rallying cry, a political stance, and a weapon. It's a promise that America belongs to them and no one else. It’s why Trump’s rallies don’t even try to reach beyond his hardcore base. The sad part is that, for as many reasonably-minded people as he'll lose because of this abomination, he'll gain just as many who want nothing more than a fourth Reich.
An Open Letter to Your Friend or Relative Planning to Vote for Trump: Your Vote for Trump Is an Endorsement of Bigotry, Cruelty, and the Erosion of Rights—No Matter the Reason You Give.
https://substack.com/home/post/p-150725410?r=4d7sow&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
How many times since that famed Nazi rally has the DNC held its National Convention at MSG? I think it was 6 but maybe 7?
I’m currently reading Dr. Wilhelm Reich's “The Mass Psychology of Fascism,” which he wrote while living in Germany in the 1930s. At the risk of oversimplifying his work, I gather that Reich views fascism as a movement characterized by a blend of rebellious emotions within masses of people (which describes the post-WW1 German citizenry) with reactionary social ideas. And Hitler's plan for control of Germany began by appealing to the emotions of the disaffected German citizens instead of any sort of sober reasoning.
He appealed successfully to the masses by exploiting their religious phobias, their economic fears, their fierce nationalistic pride, their distrust of non-Germans, and their reactionary definition of normal sexuality; once the masses had given Hitler and his National Socialist party control of the country, he was free to abandon the people he’d championed and exploit them shamelessly.
Tя☭mp and Vance have resurrected the Hitler playbook: appeal to religious phobias (“America is a CHRISTIAN nation, and the Democrats hate real Christians”); economic fears (“Biden and Harris have wrecked the American economy!”); nationalistic pride (“America First!”); fears of all immigrants (“Immigrants are taking Black jobs, raping and killing American citizens, trafficking children, and eating our pets!”); and their reactionary views of normal sexuality (“Trans women are men who compete in women's sports!”/ “Gay marriage will lead to the exploitation of children!”/ “Women who have abortions are sluts and baby murderers!”).
It’s frightening what’s happening. There seems to be no other defense for America and the Constitution except to flood the polls with votes and send Tя☭mp and his supporters back to the sewers that spawned them.
10 star TFN today Mr. Larsen. From the history lesson from '39 to the reminder that we are all immigrants to inviting discourse rather than trying to silence it. I boil that so few people paid attention in history class, that the movie industry spent more time glamorizing Nazis rather than showing the footage that General Eisenhower forced the military to film AFTER the war of what they did to people that they churned up like refuse. Each day another spouting off by him of what he is 'going to do'. Hell is coming for him and for all the damage he is doing. The sooner the better. Sidenote: Why is it never pointed out in all the ads, campaigning etc how much money his antics have cost everyone in this country? From the pathetic 4 years of him doing nothing but watching TV instead of doing his job, to the cost of his election fraud voter registration lies that led to an crazy spending of money on voter 'safety' that wasn't needed. And throw in January 6th, destruction to OUR government buildings, all the lawsuits, all the time, money ALL WASTED, totally WASTED because of his big lying mouth. Where is MY refund from HIM for that? He needs to be gone, period.
Why if he thinks America's a garbage Country would be want to be in charge ? He's such a lying fascists bastard , he'll say anything and do anything to stay outta jail . He's been the one person who's brought in and underpaid more immigrants than any other personal business . He's the one who's sold us out to more rich Saudis and Russians ogilarchs than any other slumlord. He's the one who's married and impregnated more immigrant women than any one else in our American history of lying baffoons. He's the one that has wasted more American tax payers dollars than any other PERSON IN AMERICAN HISTORY . YEA ,Don-old ,has done this as well as killed 100,000 innocent people with his ignorance and lies of a virus that was deadly ,not just a fly bug as he says . I take this personal .....because of him .. my brothers in laws Tommy , Larry, Bob , are dead. My niece Terri , my Mom Donna , my nephews C.J., and Chris are dead . My niece Maddie and her unborn child are dead . All good decent Democrats who wore Masks but are DEAD ..Because of this I hate tRump ....like a criminal that murdered people ,he's the lowest of humans because I blame him .. and he deserves nothing especially any second chance ....when he did so much damage and corruption the first time,that he only won by his deception to the US citizens .. FUCK TRUMP
Wow. This one I’m restacking/forwarding far and wide. Thank you Jonathan!
Last night in chicago I saw a new production of Rhinoceros, the Ionesco play about fascism (but I also saw a mass-extinction-climate-change trope in it for the first time). It was breathtaking. A production of Theatre Y, which has put down roots in Lawndale, a distressed ‘hood west & south of downtown that despite its distress has little available street parking, but is sporting signs of a renaissance and, where am I going with this? Maybe just to say that tickets were free(-will-donation)? Stellar (local) cast, five-week run, I may go again just to see how it evolves.
Anyway after the show the audience & players sat around talking and while I felt jolly, there was an air of despair when talk turned to the pending election. So once again, I repeat, it’s not over!
Also, how can the MSG rally NOT turn against TFG? All those trades running lights, cameras, sound…gotta be a loose connection there somewhere, no es verdad? I guess we’ll see.
Ps is it just me or does (do?) the NYT/MSM seem to be running more Harris-Walz friendly content lately? But maybe that’s irrelevant anyway?
Ps as a poet I also laud the close reading of Emma L’s “Colossus.” Brilliant.
Great column!
Thanks for the Emma Lazarus poem reference- those words settle next to other reporting from today- the description of a party boat ferrying trump and Epstein (and others) affording close-ups of the Statue of Liberty (while men below deck were taking liberties with underage wannabe models)
Now we have the two images of Madison square garden- 1939 and Sunday.
You guys are The Best.
No. Better than that.