I talked recently to several Republican folks who were so impressed with the rising stock market and low unemployment rate, that all else did not matter. Trump said that if he had not been elected, the market would have crashed — ignoring the fact that the market rose steadily under President Obama. Obama took over when the US economy was a disaster and Trump benefited from Obama’s successful recovery program.
The scary thing is that many people look at the world in a superficial way and just accept what leaders like Trump tell them. Several years ago, before he became President, I wrote in a blog that Trump’s worst trait is the rewriting of history, so his terrible record is obscured. This makes it possible for him to form a political “base,” with lies about his successes.
Several of my blogs have detailed the dangerous policies of Trump and the reasons why he must not continue is office. He is clearly moving towards a tyranny. These previous blogs are most relevant:
171. Why We Must End Trump Now.
170. 1000 Prosecutors Can’t be wrong.
169. In the USA, an Emerging Tyranny?
Here are the most important ideas from the above and some of his current actions. It is important for people to recognize the gradual progression towards tyranny, so that they can fight these dangerous steps.
Here are the usual steps in the transition from president to king. Trump has done all of the following:
Step 1. Form a “base” of poorly-educated gullible citizens that can be manipulated. Trump’s base was formed by exploiting already existing racism and scapegoating. The base can be violent and aggressive, to create fear and submission by others. Later, better-educated opportunists may join the base.
Step 2. Get elected, using the base, intimidation, scams, illicit coalitions and whatever else works. Trump benefited from help by Russians.
Step 3. Make the appointments of all government leaders, judges, generals and admirals based on loyalty rather than competence. This cadre of loyal officials helps to keep a tyrant in office, but produces serious mistakes.
Step 4. Change the law to benefit rich friends. An example is a reduction in pollution safeguards that help manufacturers, but put the citizens at risk.
Step 5. Fight all actions against you. This can be done by attacking and limiting the press, by re-writing history, emphasizing your successes, suppressing investigations, ignoring subpoenas, and other negative legal actions. Trump viciously attacks political rivals like Hillary (“lock her up”).
Step 6. Most dangerous is any attempt to increase term limits or in any way prolonging the stay in office. All of the worst despots were able to find an illicit way to win elections or abolish elections so that they remain in power indefinitely. He has proposed that the first two years of his office were ruined by investigation and he should be given an extra two years to compensate. Thoughts like this are vile and dangerous.
As this pathway continues, the abuses increase and can be devastating.
Here are some very recent facts. The Mueller Report finds 10 examples of Trump’s obstruction of justice. Mueller stated in a speech that his report did not exonerate the President in any way. Trump attacked four female House Reps of color (the squad) and told them to go back to where they came from. He attributed to all four, the questionable and inexperienced statements of House Rep. Omar. Trump claims transparency, but ignores subpoenas and will not release tax records. Perhaps worst of all, he still is not supporting vital efforts to limit global warming. Although the US is only about 15% responsible for the world-wide production of greenhouse gases, it can make a big difference in leadership and financial support of relevant climate research.
148. MSNBC: The “Shining Network on Air”
22 FebWe have all heard about the “shining city on a hill,” which represents a noble goal. I see MSNBC as that kind of beacon of hope — sensibility in the bizarre and dangerous world of Trump.
I watch MSNBC almost every day, usually for several hours. I also read the internet NY Times, WashPost, other newspapers, tweets, TED, Daily Kos, and many other types of info, for enjoyment, curiosity, and to prepare my blogs and tweets. I sometimes watch good programs on CNN and see Fox at times to view the negatives. But, the MSNBC commentators often are really enjoyable to listen to and many feel like genuine friends. In the spirit of rewarding people that do great work, I want to present my evaluations. I have listed the highly functioning MSNBC people and after much thought decided not to list and criticize those that disappoint me.
Outstanding and enjoyable are L. O’Donnell, Brian Williams, Kasie Hunt, and Katy Tur. Williams often avoids expressing controversial opinions, but his little side remarks and humor are fun. O’Donnell and Tur do their job very intelligently. Kasie Hunt does her job well, is a joy to watch, and brings real humanity to the programs she runs.
Quite competent are: Andrea Mitchell, Joy Reid, Mika Brzezinski, and Chris Hayes. Steve Kornacki presents statistics well and does a good job in other roles.
Michael Steele is notable in this list for being a Republican. He speaks well and makes good Repub arguments. Often he agrees with the Democrat positions. If all Repubs were like Steele, we would be living in a much better world.
Rachel Maddow often provides very valuable and exclusive info. I would listen to her more if her presentations were less dramatic and less “wordy.” Most of her hours could be condensed down to 15-min and would be more interesting for me.
Joe Scarborough is notable for his blatant honesty, which I really like. But sometimes, he does drift off topic a little. I often watch “Morning Joe” in the early hours.
Chris Mathews often has valuable info from real experiences. But he would do better by forgetting the “hardball” crap and listen more. Probably because he is older, he tends to drift off topic a little.
Chuck Todd does the current “Meet the Press.” He has a tough job and sometimes misses opportunities for better questioning. He often appears uncertain and drops his voice level. He does a good job, but could improve. “Meet the Press” always seems a bit bland, as if someone ordered them to be neutral.
I want to emphasize one more point. Looking at all the experts, commentators, and anchors that have appeared on MSNBC, a small number stand out for their unrestrained honesty and bravery. These are: Lawrence O’Donnell, Joe Scarborough, Steve Schmidt, Robert Reich, and Bill Maher (and probably a few others that did not come to mind).
The above I consider the best and most interesting commentators. A few not mentioned are competent, and a few other regulars are either less interesting, less effective, or awkward at times. Not mentioned are the many experts in different areas that make great contributions when called upon. This blog is about MSNBC, but in all fairness, CNN should be mentioned for its contributions, and I do like Fareed Zakaria.
Tags: Commentators, Morning Joe, MSNBC, politics, The Press