The Fall of Democracy in America: An Oral History

“Iraq in its quest for democracy lacks only — only! — what America then had: an existing democratic culture.”

George F. Will, Winter 2004

“As experience in Eastern Europe has shown, democracy doesn’t mean simply holding elections. First, you need a democratic culture, or what is usually called a civil society.”

Los Angeles Times, April 11, 2003

“The assumption is that liberal government can function without a vibrant democratic culture.”

Heritage Foundation, October 21, 2003

“To reshape the political culture, as much as to maintain political order, the rule of law will need to be an urgent priority… Transparency and openness will be vital throughout if a culture of legality and democracy is to be fostered.”

Hoover Institution, April 30, 2003

“This pessimism stems from an appreciation of what causes democracy to flourish in a society. The long-term survival of democratic institutions requires a particular political culture that solidly supports democracy.”

Cato Institute, April 25, 2003

“Democracy takes different forms in different cultures, but successful free societies are built on common foundations of rule of law…”

White House, December 12, 2005

“Pelosi Warns Democrats: Stay in the Center or Trump May Contest Election Results”

New York Times, May 4, 2019

9 Comments

I’m sad to report that Masha Gessen was right: Authoritarian governments grind you down to the point that you lose the capacity for outrage and go numb. It took over two years, but it happened to me. I’m even losing the will 2 snark!

I’m still optimistic about the future, and more importantly donating to Elizabeth Warren’s campaign like our lives depend on it, but I don’t even necessarily think in policy terms anymore. I just want all those GOPnazi Tdumbp-humpers to choke out. A nice, big fat stroke for Shitler that leaves him unable to move anything other than his eyeballs is the ideal outcome now, since our government is incapable of holding these monsters accountable for anything.

@¡Andrew!: I support her too, but to the extent the media ever deigns to cover here, it’s to say “is she more shrill and unlikable than Hillary?”

@SanFranLefty: Funny how that never applies to Prezinazi AntiChrist. He should smile more.

And now for some good news!

The West Coast is Crushing It Against Trump

The West Coast is crushing it against Trump. Using the law to fight a bully, the Constitution to challenge an authoritarian, and facts against Fox News-driven fantasy, California, Oregon and Washington have stalled some of the most despicable of Trump’s retrograde policies.

And this is the place to say that, yes, Trump loathes the rest of Blue America as well, and many of those states are on the front lines against Trump.

But this president has a particular strain of hatred within his tiny dark heart for the Pacific states. And they hate him back. After the wipeout in last year’s congressional elections, only a mere 38-mile strip of the Pacific shore in the Lower 48 states, in Washington, remains in Republican hands.

Talent and capital can go anywhere. It’s drawn to the West Coast, because creativity doesn’t grow well in nurseries of fear and tired thinking. Washington was named the best state for business in 2017, and the best place for workers in 2018.

We’ll soon look west for a replacement for Trump. By moving their presidential primaries up to March, California and Washington have assured that the one-in-seven Americans who live in those two states will have an early say. It’s only fitting, given how much they’ve contributed to the fight against the Trump blight on the Republic.

This will not end well.

Every Liberal in America – March 2003

/worth reading/

Regarding mental health breaks:

How the news took over reality

According to a principle dating back to the Enlightenment, responsible democratic citizens are those who strive to keep informed about the nation and the wider world – a duty that has been held to be especially critical during times of rising authoritarianism. Today, though, this principle is often taken to imply a duty not to turn away from the news. The instinct to look elsewhere is treated as both a sign of privilege and an obliviousness to that luxury. If you’re not outraged, you’re not paying attention. It is increasingly taken as a given that in order to help, or even just signal solidarity with, those most directly affected by the events reported in the news – undocumented immigrants facing the Trump administration’s cruelties, say – it is morally obligatory to remain immersed in the news itself.

It’s becoming clear, however, that there is a problem with this attitude, quite apart from the impact on our personal happiness. There are reasons to believe that a society in which so many people are so deeply invested in the emotional dramas of the news is far from the embodiment of an ideal democracy – that, on the contrary, this level of personal engagement with news is a symptom of the damage that has been done to our public life. This raises a possibility alien to news addicts, committed political activists and journalists alike: that we might owe it not only to our sanity, but also to the world at large, to find a way to put the news back in its place.

https://www.theguardian.com/news/2019/may/03/how-the-news-took-over-reality

Ironic as Nixon’s Southern Strategy focused on the one place that Democracy in US Amercia doesn’t really exist.

A friend of mine describes the phenomena as Southernism rather than allegiance to a party ideology. It explains why the South tends to vote as a bloc rather than splinter based on demographics. Tradition held the Southern racists to the Democratic party till they did the whole Civil Rights Thing.

The Good ChrISIStian Bitches in the Tr666p regime know exactly what Nancy Pelosi’s “I’m praying for him” means, tee hee hee.

@¡Andrew!: Another way of saying, “bless his heart”

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