#spineless republicons

[antidrumpfs]

“Wow! Former A.G. Bill Barr, who let a lot of great people down by not investigating Voter Fraud in our Country, has just Endorsed me for President despite the fact that I called him ‘Weak, Slow Moving, Lethargic, Gutless, and Lazy’ (New York Post!),” Trump wrote on Truth Social late Wednesday.

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The Trump sycophants can't wait to line up and be humiliated by the corrupt orange buffoon. - Antidrumpfs

[feelingbluepolitics]

Why We Need "PC" or a Replacement

For several reasons, it's too bad Republicons usurped the meaning of "PC."

Republicons acknowledge that "PC" has referred to "political correctness," and they really don't like it. They arrived at this loathing through a tortured process that is described in this outstanding, highly recommended article:

"PC" has been effectively repurposed by the Right. As the Right was losing the culture wars, outflanked, uncomfortably cornered, and showing their true color as white supremacists, this term became a popular verbal sword to fight back.

"Political correctness," as used by a Republicon who is hostile to "PC," now means "I am a racist, misogynistic, vicious bigot, and I won't tolerate anyone making me feel bad about it."

Given that "political correctness" was originally an effort to refine language and policies that attempted to avoid offense or disadvantage to members of particular groups in society, we've lost the battle on this phrase.

"In principle, political correctness intends to contribute to greater social equality and fairness. Yet this notion of PC has become obscure in contemporary political discussions. In this situation, it is harder than ever for the idea of PC to win hearts and minds. However, one thing seems to be apparent: those who would like to stick with the ideals of political correctness, should consider giving a new name to their cause."

However, it needn't be a new term. The Left can, and should, unmistakably claim concepts currently under attack by the Right, including "truth," "justice," and "decency." As it happens, decency was the underpinning concept anyway. We can cede the Right's perversion of both "political" and "correctness" in this context, and we can simply revert to the Left as standing for social and common decency. It is the Blue voters who represent this decency.

With that sorted semantically, a problem remains, because ideally we need the acronym "PC" for another purpose.

We have a far more serious semantic mess. We say "Democracy!" The Right says "Republic!" Of course, neither side is going to carry the day with this, because America is technically designed as a democratically elected constitutional republic, because the key problems to avoid on the original drawing board were mobs and autocratic rulers.

America has got way off track, mainly because Republicons for years have been attacking democracy in the forms of our voting and election systems. Now under the sway of trump, Republicons are emboldened to attack not just individual constitutional rights, but the entirety of the Constitution altogether.

Currently the most effective blade being wielded by Republicons is the old but freshly sharpened cry of "socialism." Republicons have reverted to fear mongering based on claims of socialism again and again.

"Conservatives have attempted to tack 'socialism' on policies that today enjoy majority support, such as universal health coverage (supported by 70.1% of respondents in a recent Reuters/Ipsos poll) or free college tuition (supported by 60%).

"The truth is that the 'socialism' taunt is among the oldest and most discreditable of political chestnuts. It’s been used by conservatives to smear Democratic or progressive policies they don’t like (which is most of them) since the 1930s."

The fact that conservatives lost again and again is why we have Social Security, and fire departments, and...Wait. It's a really, really long list. See, for example,

However, this track record of conservative losses regarding trumpeted cries of "socialists!" does not mean we can relax. Far from. And in part we on the Left have helped hone this blade and given new strength to this Republicon parry.

Everyone is now going to think of our current favorite catalyst on both sides, Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, Democratic Socialist.

But AOC is an incremental and misunderstood personification of this also misunderstood stand on the Left, referenced by the catch-all phrase "late stage capitalism."

"According to a 2017 article in The Atlantic, the term "late capitalism" is again in vogue to describe modern business culture, although with a semantic change or an ironic twist. "Late capitalism" has become a catch-all term for various phenomena that express capitalism's distortions of human life, and it is often used in critique and satire. This usage also conveys a sense that contemporary capitalism cannot go on like it does forever - simply because the problems created by business are getting too large and unmanageable." *

See also:

“Late capitalism,” in its current usage, is a catchall phrase for the indignities and absurdities of our contemporary economy, with its yawning inequality and super-powered corporations and shrinking middle class."

But we are in the defining political fights of our lifetimes. We may well need a catch-all message, but we can ill-afford one that derives from ironic, semantic twists.

Ask Republicon-leaning voters what socialism is, and they'll say it's a system likely to be run by their enemies that defines everything in their lives and limits everyone, and takes away freedoms and the possibilities of better lives.

(Yes. The irony here is palpable.)

The term "late stage capitalism" causes problems on the Left as well. "Late stage" sounds like it must mean "terminal," and that until evil capitalism is killed, we are just wasting our time with spineless measures and policies instead of kicking all the losers into the midst of a glorious revolution, right now!

So, uhm. Yeah. As it turns out, what many Americans really do want is not the inequality of runaway capitalism, and it's also not an overthrowing revolution to bring about socialism with unclear parameters.

But capitalism tightly regulated and taxed to serve the public good is neither the stuff of fear mongering, nor is it either political extreme (which now includes the entire Republicon party), nor is it the pernicious, conscience-impaired, useless grid-locking, both-sides-ism of what currently passes for political "centrists."

Capitalism tightly regulated and taxed to serve the public good is...good. In fact, it is urgently needed common sense, and it represents the survival of our national and global economies, as well as the survival of our nation and the planet.

Think about it, putting other political baggage aside. What we need is energetically socialized capitalism. But Republicons have got the drop on "socialism" as a terrifying bad thing, while on the Left we are stuck trying to explain what we mean to people who aren't listening except to grab hold of the word "socialists!" and scream it louder.

Meanwhile, speaking of old arguments, we are still locked in Left-Right, progressive-conservative fighting about Democrats for democracy and Republicons for the Republic. But our reality is not there anymore.

Republicons have wrought terrible damage to our American democracy through vote suppression, extreme gerrymandering, dark money, voting list purges, voter and registration intimidation, and more.

Meanwhile, our Republic, particularly as far as elected Republicons, is absolutely not representative of elected officials who are supposed to represent we, the people.

Our democratic constitutional republic is nearly crushed and gone.

Here's where "PC" could have been helpful.

A "plutocracy" is government by the rich. An "oligarchy" doesn't necessarily refer to the wealthiest people; it just means government by the "few". To describe America, where the wealthy few have overwhelmingly influenced and now bought power, we have a plutocracy and oligarchy at the same time.

This is the 1% forming a "plutarchy." Like "tur-ducken," a plutarchy is a hideous and wrong excess with a few keen proponents. There are those very few people inside a layer of overwhelming power encased in the largest component, money. That's a "plutarchy."

That gives us a "P."

However, we need to acknowledge the utterly destructive role of uncontrolled capitalism in America, creating unsustainable, flashpoint inequality which has made us dangerously partisan, unhappy, and angry, attacking each other.

"Corporatocracy" is an economic and political system governed or controlled by corporations and corporate interests. That is clearly a core part of America's problems, which is another way of saying Republicon taxation and deregulatory policies, combined with anti-worker policies from health care to immigration to suppressed wages, are key forces of destruction.

In other words, the late stage, or fully developed and entrenched corporatocracy is the critical component we are facing as * "the problems created by business are getting too large and unmanageable."

Corporatocracy gives us a "C."

It should be clear that America is currently a plutarchic corporatocracy - unfortunately "PC" for short - which Blue voters and their candidates are solely positioned to fight back against.

It would be handy if, when Republicons fear monger by yelling that Democrats are pushing socialism, we could simply say, "No. We are fighting the Republicon "PC" that is destroying Americans and America."

("CP" also is already taken for another fight against a type of life-threatening cerebral attack.)

Can someone smarter and more creative please figure out how to package this critical messaging? It needs to be better than Republicon C-orporatocracy R-uling A-s P-lutarchy.

[antidrumpfs]

We'll Name Them

Some Republicans want to sunset Social Security and Medicare. We’ll name them.

Rick Scott Mike Lee Ron Johnson Lindsey Graham Mike Waltz

[antidrumpfs]

Cartoon by Mike Luckovich

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Cartoon by Pat Byrnes

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Cartoon by Bill Bramhall

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Cartoon by Jack Ohman

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Cartoon by Clay Jones

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Cartoon by Pat Bagley

Cartoon by Jack Ohman

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Cartoon by Drew Sheneman

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Cartoon by Monte Wolverton

"The terrible, cold, cruel part is Wall Street. Rivers of gold flow there from all over the earth, and death comes with it. There, as nowhere else, you feel a total absence of the spirit: herds of men who cannot count past three, herds more who cannot get past six, scorn for pure science and demoniacal respect for the present. And the terrible thing is that the crowd that fills the street believes that the world will always be the same and that it is their duty to keep that huge machine running, day and night, forever." ~ Federico Garcia Lorca

[antidrumpfs]

Cartoon By Dave Whamond

[antidrumpfs]

Statistics from the Federal Bureau of Investigation show that crime in the U.S. decreased between 2022 and 2023. In fact, according to crime researcher and AH Datalytics co-founder Jeff Asher, violent crime is at one of its lowest levels since 1950, with significant declines in murder and gun violence. Nevertheless, Fox News has consistently downplayed and disputed these statistics, placing more emphasis on peoples’ feelings about crime than on actual crime rates. 

[antidrumpfs]

[antidrumpfs]

“When the Republicon party sends its people, they’re not sending their best”

TRUMP: 91 FELONY CHARGES

SANTOS: 23 FELONY CHARGES