Vaclav Havel described the old, bygone Warsaw Pact, where the acceptance and proliferation of lies became a way of life. As Havel sees it, lies need not be accepted as truth to have a toxic effect:
Individuals need not believe all these mystifications, but they must behave as though they did, or they must at least tolerate them in silence, or get along well with those who work with them. For this reason, however, they must live within a lie. They need not accept the lie. It is enough for them to have accepted their life with it and in it. For by this very fact, individuals confirm the system, fulfil the system, make the system, are the system.
You ask what can induce a handful of congressional Republicans to rebel against MAGA. I have a simple answer. Count Democratic voters' preferences among Republicans.
As an example, in 2020, Marjorie Taylor Greene won the general election with over 75% of the vote. However, earlier that cycle, she won her primary against John Cowan with less than 60% of the vote. How many of the voters who opted for her Democratic opponent in November do you think would have preferred her over Cowan? Simply counting those voters' preferences between Greene and Cowan would assure that no one worse than Cowan gets elected. Further, it would mean that anyone in office would have nothing to worry about from upcoming primaries.
Counting Democratic preferences among Republicans is as simple as adopting the following voting system: all voters rate all candidates. The candidates run head to head against all other candidates with the candidate winning all pairs winning the election.
Just wanted to get this off my chest: The Kennedy Center being used to promote "Christ at Christmas" is surely a violation of the Establishment Clause. Fight me.
Firing of federal employees is not an isolated issue. It increases the unemployment rate as people are out of jobs, it will affect local businesses, less sales, less savings, thus depressing the economy. We will make "America Great Again" by creeping back to the 70’s… remember those days. I hope you enjoy those expensive eggs and the high cost of gas!
As a Bulwark member from Wisconsin I hope you can end the negative SC ads against Susan Crawford on the Bulwark live feeds. Surely you can find better sponsors.
If we want to have any chance to complete our nearly quixotic quest to win the 2028 election in the face of the authoritarian hurricane blowing in our faces, Democrats must nominate someone not moderate and *authentic*, warts and all. You and I may love strait-laced Whitmer, Buttigieg or Shapiro or the fire of an AOC, but those strategies will fail. We need someone willing to break liberal convention on occasion, who will take sides on internal liberal debates rather than Harris-like mealy mouthing everything, and is not a career politician.
Thank you Tim for your comments about Matt Gaetz’s cheap shot. Hegseth wears nice clothes, but he is a known drunk who is a joke in his new position. Is that better than Sam Brinton, who I have not heard one word about him not being qualified for his job? Clothes do not make the man!
Where is the vengeful God of the Old Testament who would strike down those who oppose His chosen people? OMG I forgot, He saved D's fat axx so tRump the Terrible is really the chosen one?
The rest of us are just chumps - sitting ducks for whatever the Delon division of the MAGA Party throws at us?
And NO motion to impeach! Where is the Opposition's MTG when we need one like her? I decline to dignify the Democrats as "opposition" until I see some real action - not just WORDS, damn, damn WORDS.
I sort of sadly had to "laugh" (because getting mad wouldn't help) at the phrase "...all we need is 4 GOP senators or 2 House members..." How many times has this "all we need is (fill in the blank) GOP Senators or House member" been cited. Hope is NOT a strategy.
Separately Tim's X post about Gaetz's DEI/merit hypocrisy.. Being “equitable" toward extreme ideological positions is NOT DEI, even when there is no experience/competence/merit. Because DEI is only when gender or racial “equities” are involved apparently?
I don't get it. Patel lied at his confirmation and in meetings and somebody is still surprised by it? MAGA lies. About everything. All of the time. There should be an L in the title. Same with the SCOTUS candidates. Same with every single person Trump selected. And same with Trump and Musk? Why is anyone surprised? Why not simply assume they're lying and deal with that?
True. But those people were nothing like the group we have now. Todays Republicans have taken lying mainstream. It’s just another form of communication with them. They must have been taught at an early age by their parents, and are passing that trait onto their children. Generations of liars. Something to be proud of.
Be interesting to see if t***p once again sides with Musk as he did on the H1B visas. I am guessing that he will. t***p is in deep to musk and he needs the chaos as a distraction to what he is doing to Ukraine and with Russia and very soon China and North Korea. Congress has to act now or it is going to be too late.
Vaclav Havel described the old, bygone Warsaw Pact, where the acceptance and proliferation of lies became a way of life. As Havel sees it, lies need not be accepted as truth to have a toxic effect:
Individuals need not believe all these mystifications, but they must behave as though they did, or they must at least tolerate them in silence, or get along well with those who work with them. For this reason, however, they must live within a lie. They need not accept the lie. It is enough for them to have accepted their life with it and in it. For by this very fact, individuals confirm the system, fulfil the system, make the system, are the system.
So "it has to start now" but it's still all about what a tiny number of elite actors should (but probably won't) do.
Bulwark guys I love you and you have done so much good but something is wrong here.
If anyone has got the brains to find the thread again, it's y'all, and I hope you do.
But for now I think us rank-and-file types will have to figure this out on our own.
You ask what can induce a handful of congressional Republicans to rebel against MAGA. I have a simple answer. Count Democratic voters' preferences among Republicans.
As an example, in 2020, Marjorie Taylor Greene won the general election with over 75% of the vote. However, earlier that cycle, she won her primary against John Cowan with less than 60% of the vote. How many of the voters who opted for her Democratic opponent in November do you think would have preferred her over Cowan? Simply counting those voters' preferences between Greene and Cowan would assure that no one worse than Cowan gets elected. Further, it would mean that anyone in office would have nothing to worry about from upcoming primaries.
Counting Democratic preferences among Republicans is as simple as adopting the following voting system: all voters rate all candidates. The candidates run head to head against all other candidates with the candidate winning all pairs winning the election.
Just wanted to get this off my chest: The Kennedy Center being used to promote "Christ at Christmas" is surely a violation of the Establishment Clause. Fight me.
Firing of federal employees is not an isolated issue. It increases the unemployment rate as people are out of jobs, it will affect local businesses, less sales, less savings, thus depressing the economy. We will make "America Great Again" by creeping back to the 70’s… remember those days. I hope you enjoy those expensive eggs and the high cost of gas!
As a Bulwark member from Wisconsin I hope you can end the negative SC ads against Susan Crawford on the Bulwark live feeds. Surely you can find better sponsors.
Otherwise keep up the good work!
If we want to have any chance to complete our nearly quixotic quest to win the 2028 election in the face of the authoritarian hurricane blowing in our faces, Democrats must nominate someone not moderate and *authentic*, warts and all. You and I may love strait-laced Whitmer, Buttigieg or Shapiro or the fire of an AOC, but those strategies will fail. We need someone willing to break liberal convention on occasion, who will take sides on internal liberal debates rather than Harris-like mealy mouthing everything, and is not a career politician.
Thank you Tim for your comments about Matt Gaetz’s cheap shot. Hegseth wears nice clothes, but he is a known drunk who is a joke in his new position. Is that better than Sam Brinton, who I have not heard one word about him not being qualified for his job? Clothes do not make the man!
Where is the vengeful God of the Old Testament who would strike down those who oppose His chosen people? OMG I forgot, He saved D's fat axx so tRump the Terrible is really the chosen one?
The rest of us are just chumps - sitting ducks for whatever the Delon division of the MAGA Party throws at us?
And NO motion to impeach! Where is the Opposition's MTG when we need one like her? I decline to dignify the Democrats as "opposition" until I see some real action - not just WORDS, damn, damn WORDS.
Republican repulsiveness is remarkably repugnant...
I sort of sadly had to "laugh" (because getting mad wouldn't help) at the phrase "...all we need is 4 GOP senators or 2 House members..." How many times has this "all we need is (fill in the blank) GOP Senators or House member" been cited. Hope is NOT a strategy.
Separately Tim's X post about Gaetz's DEI/merit hypocrisy.. Being “equitable" toward extreme ideological positions is NOT DEI, even when there is no experience/competence/merit. Because DEI is only when gender or racial “equities” are involved apparently?
Once the military is crafted in the eye of Trump, we are sunk.
Your protests, townhalls, and letters to Congresional folks are imperative and now!
I don't get it. Patel lied at his confirmation and in meetings and somebody is still surprised by it? MAGA lies. About everything. All of the time. There should be an L in the title. Same with the SCOTUS candidates. Same with every single person Trump selected. And same with Trump and Musk? Why is anyone surprised? Why not simply assume they're lying and deal with that?
There were, e.g., lying Republican SC nominees before MAGA.
True. But those people were nothing like the group we have now. Todays Republicans have taken lying mainstream. It’s just another form of communication with them. They must have been taught at an early age by their parents, and are passing that trait onto their children. Generations of liars. Something to be proud of.
Absolutely.
Be interesting to see if t***p once again sides with Musk as he did on the H1B visas. I am guessing that he will. t***p is in deep to musk and he needs the chaos as a distraction to what he is doing to Ukraine and with Russia and very soon China and North Korea. Congress has to act now or it is going to be too late.
Start by countering Musk in Wisconsin. Donate to
Susan Crawford for Wisconsin
PO Box 811
Madison, WI 53701-0811
Let's all help her win
NB: Kash Patel is not apparatchik, he's nonmenklatura.