It seems like you’re saying that Democrats need cartoonish, lying clowns to compete with the Republicans. And it’s their fault that they haven’t come up with them. You may be correct, but there is no reason for hope here
It seems like you’re saying that Democrats need cartoonish, lying clowns to compete with the Republicans. And it’s their fault that they haven’t come up with them. You may be correct, but there is no reason for hope here
It's an idea that has been proven to be false. Just ask yourself: which fascist regime was EVER defeated by a clown, offering the people only cynicism and entertainment rather than all the objective facts needed to make the bubble of fascist propaganda explode?
Agree that Germany has done a solid job of tamping down fascism since WW2, albeit utilizing near draconian laws. That stated, and in spite of it, Fascism is rising precipitously there - as you may acknowledge.
South Africa was disgustingly racist, & codified as such - but that literally resembled the USA’s codified racism until the 60’s. (Not fascism, per se.
The Democratic Party mantra has for decades been stuck in the false belief that “objective facts” will protect their place in American political society.
Any example of those "near draconian laws", and why would you call them "draconian"?
And yes, fascism is rising... in EAST Germany. As we know, for decades former dictatorships risk falling back into fascism. That's because its population (1) is still not very politically literate yet, when it comes to how a democracy functions, (2) doesn't immediately see the benefits of democracy yet (corruption tends to persist long after a dictatorship is formally ended, as Greece and Italy also prove, so local politicians tend to not prioritize the well-being of their constituents but their own careers instead, not necessarily because they "are evil" but simply because their personal history has proven that if you don't, you may well end up at the bottom of the pecking order), and (3) has vague memories of certain things that "were better" in the past, so under a fascist regime.
In West Germany (a democracy for almost a century now, except for the Nazi decade) the AfD's poll numbers are in the single digits.
And indeed, there is a difference between codified racism and fascism. The US Constitution is 100% democratic (separation of the three branches of government), whereas South Africa's Apartheid Constitution was not, as far as I remember (it was fascist; to be verified though). Apart from that, both indeed had a form of codified racism.
The difference matters, because today, the GOP is ending "codified democracy" and replacing it with "codified fascism". That is why passing the CR bill was SO vitally important (exceptionally), because it seriously slows down that codification, and the more fascism is codified, the more we reach a point of no return.
As to the Democratic Party: I disagree. They've always been lucid about how fragile a democracy is, and how much the survival of democracy depends on a critical number of citizens having access to the objectively proven truth. These are just basic facts, in and of themselves, regardless of which party believes them or not.
Finally, your last lines seem to fall into the same, cynical trap: if fascist propaganda can take over DC, then somehow we should abandon them altogether? Or somehow, Democrats rigorously avoiding creating their own fake news propaganda machine and coming up with their own clown in chief would have been a BAD idea? Is that what you're saying?
Accepting the gist of your arguments, with some reservations regarding the human nature paradox.
As for the Democratic Party, I was deeply immersed in it for years during the “aughts”.
A delegate to state and national nominating conventions, board member of a large Democratic club, a publicly elected Precinct Committeeman, a hard working, ground pounding campaign canvasser of locations near home and occasionally other states, a licensed security provider (“bodyguard”) for Democratic candidates for local, state and in one case - presidential Primary campaigns (before they qualified for S/S protection).
So I know what Democratic Party “mantra” is, which is exactly why I eventually chose to resign from all of that when it became obvious that the Party could not see the forest for the trees.
And stubbornly refused to consider change.
Oh, I continued to donate to certain Democrats & Liberal pols, and am a so called “Super Voter”.
But that’s where it stopped, until 2024.
As a former military person, whose Oath to the Constitution continues - I’m newly Re-dedicated against the authoritarian cabal known as the “Republican Party”.
That sounds like a subjective argument, no? You imagine that there is a Democratic mantra because that is how you interpret your personal experience inside the Democratic Party.
Even if we'd assume for a moment that we could extrapolate it and show that it's the objective truth about the Democratic Party, my question remains: why would it be false?
You merely repeat that you believe that it's false here, but don't tell us why that would be true. Any idea?
In the meantime: a democracy vitally needs people like you and me (and everyone else) to have real, respectful debates (as we're having here), in which we both assume that we may be wrong and therefore accept to fact-check both our own beliefs and those of others, coming up with objective evidence and arguments. So that IS what "being productive" as a citizen inside a democracy means. We cannot possibly skip that fact. And if there is a democratic (Democratic or not) "mantra", this IS it... . There are no shortcuts. You need a lively debate culture, on the level of society, before a democracy can thrive and can quite easily defeat the constantly looming threat of falling into fascism. To the extent that we ARE today falling into fascism, restoring that culture IS what should be our first priority, and, I'd argue, is tremendously "productive" - productive of the civil society needed to restore democracy asap.
And with that... thank you so much for your service!
It seems like you’re saying that Democrats need cartoonish, lying clowns to compete with the Republicans. And it’s their fault that they haven’t come up with them. You may be correct, but there is no reason for hope here
It's an idea that has been proven to be false. Just ask yourself: which fascist regime was EVER defeated by a clown, offering the people only cynicism and entertainment rather than all the objective facts needed to make the bubble of fascist propaganda explode?
“ rather than all the objective facts needed to make the bubble of fascist propaganda explode?”
Not snark: Can you please cite when objective facts made fascist propaganda explode?
History seems to prove that objective facts have little to zero ability to squash fascism, ie, the Democratic Party mantra.
Study the history of South Africa's Apartheid fascism, for instance. Or notice how Germany deals with the truth today.
As to your counterargument: what do you mean by "the Democratic Party mantra"?
Agree that Germany has done a solid job of tamping down fascism since WW2, albeit utilizing near draconian laws. That stated, and in spite of it, Fascism is rising precipitously there - as you may acknowledge.
South Africa was disgustingly racist, & codified as such - but that literally resembled the USA’s codified racism until the 60’s. (Not fascism, per se.
The Democratic Party mantra has for decades been stuck in the false belief that “objective facts” will protect their place in American political society.
To that, allow me to cite, “Res ipsa loquitur”.
Any example of those "near draconian laws", and why would you call them "draconian"?
And yes, fascism is rising... in EAST Germany. As we know, for decades former dictatorships risk falling back into fascism. That's because its population (1) is still not very politically literate yet, when it comes to how a democracy functions, (2) doesn't immediately see the benefits of democracy yet (corruption tends to persist long after a dictatorship is formally ended, as Greece and Italy also prove, so local politicians tend to not prioritize the well-being of their constituents but their own careers instead, not necessarily because they "are evil" but simply because their personal history has proven that if you don't, you may well end up at the bottom of the pecking order), and (3) has vague memories of certain things that "were better" in the past, so under a fascist regime.
In West Germany (a democracy for almost a century now, except for the Nazi decade) the AfD's poll numbers are in the single digits.
And indeed, there is a difference between codified racism and fascism. The US Constitution is 100% democratic (separation of the three branches of government), whereas South Africa's Apartheid Constitution was not, as far as I remember (it was fascist; to be verified though). Apart from that, both indeed had a form of codified racism.
The difference matters, because today, the GOP is ending "codified democracy" and replacing it with "codified fascism". That is why passing the CR bill was SO vitally important (exceptionally), because it seriously slows down that codification, and the more fascism is codified, the more we reach a point of no return.
As to the Democratic Party: I disagree. They've always been lucid about how fragile a democracy is, and how much the survival of democracy depends on a critical number of citizens having access to the objectively proven truth. These are just basic facts, in and of themselves, regardless of which party believes them or not.
Finally, your last lines seem to fall into the same, cynical trap: if fascist propaganda can take over DC, then somehow we should abandon them altogether? Or somehow, Democrats rigorously avoiding creating their own fake news propaganda machine and coming up with their own clown in chief would have been a BAD idea? Is that what you're saying?
Accepting the gist of your arguments, with some reservations regarding the human nature paradox.
As for the Democratic Party, I was deeply immersed in it for years during the “aughts”.
A delegate to state and national nominating conventions, board member of a large Democratic club, a publicly elected Precinct Committeeman, a hard working, ground pounding campaign canvasser of locations near home and occasionally other states, a licensed security provider (“bodyguard”) for Democratic candidates for local, state and in one case - presidential Primary campaigns (before they qualified for S/S protection).
So I know what Democratic Party “mantra” is, which is exactly why I eventually chose to resign from all of that when it became obvious that the Party could not see the forest for the trees.
And stubbornly refused to consider change.
Oh, I continued to donate to certain Democrats & Liberal pols, and am a so called “Super Voter”.
But that’s where it stopped, until 2024.
As a former military person, whose Oath to the Constitution continues - I’m newly Re-dedicated against the authoritarian cabal known as the “Republican Party”.
Gotta be productive now. Have a good weekend!
That sounds like a subjective argument, no? You imagine that there is a Democratic mantra because that is how you interpret your personal experience inside the Democratic Party.
Even if we'd assume for a moment that we could extrapolate it and show that it's the objective truth about the Democratic Party, my question remains: why would it be false?
You merely repeat that you believe that it's false here, but don't tell us why that would be true. Any idea?
In the meantime: a democracy vitally needs people like you and me (and everyone else) to have real, respectful debates (as we're having here), in which we both assume that we may be wrong and therefore accept to fact-check both our own beliefs and those of others, coming up with objective evidence and arguments. So that IS what "being productive" as a citizen inside a democracy means. We cannot possibly skip that fact. And if there is a democratic (Democratic or not) "mantra", this IS it... . There are no shortcuts. You need a lively debate culture, on the level of society, before a democracy can thrive and can quite easily defeat the constantly looming threat of falling into fascism. To the extent that we ARE today falling into fascism, restoring that culture IS what should be our first priority, and, I'd argue, is tremendously "productive" - productive of the civil society needed to restore democracy asap.
And with that... thank you so much for your service!
Have a good weekend.
Post Script: And that may be so, for I am predominantly a soldier in this high stake’s political battle. Not a philosopher. 😉