Quote of the Day -- On Today's Republicans

"The D.C. press corps has operated under one basic assumption: both Democrats and Republicans, whatever their ideological differences, ultimately believe in the norms of America’s constitutional government..."

"...Sadly, this assumption is no longer a given." --Dan Rather @DanRather

Quote of the Day -- Important Presidential Edition

 

During World War II, there was a very real and rational fear that American democracy would not survive. The danger was obvious, visceral, and violent. It was promulgated by tanks, bombs, and battleships. It was measured on maps that traced the march of armies, the swarming of navies, and the decimation of cities by aerial assault. America sat within her borders and could feel a world of madness and hatred closing in.

Since the attack came from the outside, the human inclination was to rally within one's own community for safety. That community was riven with its own violent injustices of segregation and the ugliness manifested against its citizens of Japanese ancestry. But the threat from outside was so great and would be likely so unsparing that America hardened its resolve with nearly miraculous levels of selflessness and sacrifice to the cause of survival. The cost was great in blood, particularly of the young overseas, and in treasure.

It is likely that many of you have a sense of where this is going, the comparison I seek to make.

American democracy is once again under a dire threat. Once again there is death at a scale that is incomprehensible. But the threat is of such a different nature that it may be too convenient to deny the full level of danger. This threat comes from within, a civil cleaving that instead of uniting the nation is dividing it. Perilously so.

This is not a violent threat, at least not yet despite some low-level skirmishes. That could change, but there is nothing approaching the reckoning of Nazi forces sweeping into Paris or a Japanese strike on Pearl Harbor. Meanwhile, the mass death we face doesn't lend itself to the visceral images of war. Our killer doesn't have a face or a flag. It is invisible. Instead of sending our young off to battle overseas, we have medical professionals, grocery store clerks, farmhands, and many others commuting daily into danger. We are mostly aware of what takes place within our four walls of isolation and the looming specter of hunger and homelessness for many of our fellow citizens.

But there is of course another deep worry pervasive in this country. It is about America's heretofore unbroken peaceful transfer of power between presidents. It is the notion that all of us, regardless of party, play by and revere the same democratic ideal that we the people have the power to fire our leaders in free and fair elections. This election has revealed a president who doesn't believe any of that, and a party and base that is eager to go along with him. This is not fringe; it is a movement that encompassess tens of millions of Americans. And to defeat it and preserve American democracy will require resolve, patience, ingenuity, and grit.

I believe that the nature of this threat to American democracy is not being taken nearly seriously enough. And in an odd way I find some comfort in that. I still do not believe most Americans want our ideal of representative government by majority rule to end, not by a long shot. It is tempting to laugh off the outrageousness of the court challenges and see a pathetic man desperate to hold on to fleeting power. There is truth in all of this, and I suspect Donald Trump will struggle to own the national conversation as much as he hopes once he loses his perch behind the presidential podium.

Yet the fissures laid bare by this election, and its shameful aftermath, are not going away. And every Republican official who signed their name, or even spoke by their silence, bears responsibility for what has been the most serious attempt to wreck our union internally since the Civil War. I hope, and pray, we as a nation can walk back from the ledge, that the passions can cool, and a new administration can steer our American ship of state back into the safer harbors of our democratic traditions. The struggle will not be easy, but if victory for American democracy does emerge, and I believe it will, we can resolve to make it much more secure so that this doesn't happen again.

In the dark days of World War II, it was almost impossible to imagine a bright and happy future. But that did happen. Today, we have a vaccine coming and a new government. There is danger still ahead, but hope is possible. It is a hope that must be built on hard work and action. But I would go so far as to say a realization of hope is the likely outcome. I have seen America tested many times, and usually we end up in a better place than where we started.

Steady.

--Dan Rather

Quotes of the Day -- Presidential Election Edition

Dan Rather  @DanRather

Dude. You lost.

Bill Kristol  @BillKristol

If only Republicans cared as much about America's well-being as about Trump's feelings.

#Concede

#Throwthebumout

On the RNC---From Dan Rather

 

Chilling. 

That is the sentiment that sticks with me this morning as I reflect on day 2 of the Republican National Convention. Even to call it a convention is to miss the point. This was propaganda, the pageantry, power, and symbolism of our federal government - OUR government, we the people - exploited by a president who feels unbound by the constitution in his desperate desire to hold on to power.

A secretary of state from foreign soil pledges sycophantic fealty to his boss with hopes of bolstering his own standing in a political party that has become a personality cult. Immigrants are used as props in the White House by a president who has demonized, restricted, and mistreated even legal immigrants and asylum seekers. Uniformed military personnel are employed in this charade. A first lady, who is an unrepentant birther, mouths teleprompter platitudes in front of an unmasked crowd of true believers during a deadly mismanaged pandemic in a re-imagined rose garden and is heralded by some for her tone. 

Meanwhile, in the real America, there is death, desperation, depression, hunger, and heartbreak. Once again a Black family is thrust into the national spotlight by a police shooting. And scenes of violent protests and counterprotests sweep across our national discourse, encouraged by a president who sees personal gain in racial division.

The polls tighten, or do they? What is hitting with the public and what isn't? How are these speeches playing? These are questions for the mechanics of the horse race. They are the comfortable grooves into which campaign reporting usually falls. They are hard to resist. But they do not accurately see the full scope of the moment. 

A line of attack on Joe Biden is that he would be a captive of the far left, that he is somehow a socialist. Nevermind that many of the policies of even the more liberal members of the Democratic Party would be considered mainstream center left in most European democracies. But what one doesn't hear enough in our media coverage is the term "far right." Racist and antisemtic authoritarian conspiracy theories are waved off by Republican politicians who know very well what they are about and how they are fueling support for Donald Trump. The trappings of the state are used for naked power politics. Corruption reigns. Foreign dictators are coddled. The rule of law is undermined. Voting is suppressed. This all isn't theoretical. This is happening now. All of it. And in plain sight. 

With all of this power, it is rather amazing that Donald Trump isn't assured re-election. It is a testimony to the strength and durability of the majority of Americans, across a diverse political spectrum, who see the threat for what it is. Yes, this is a fight for democracy. But do not underestimate the strength and power of those who stand in opposition. Time and again, America has withstood threats - external and internal - in its uneven march to a more perfect union. And time and time again, courageous and energetic mass movements have signed up for service to this nation's higher ideals. This is a moment of testing, to be sure. It is, as I said, chilling. But it cannot be defeated unless it is clearly seen for what it is. 

Know how to get your vote in, and make sure it is counted. See how you can help others have their voices heard at the ballot box. There is so much to despair about, but despair and demoralization is being weaponized by those who seek to cynically hold on to their power. Instead, try to be inspired by a movement of tens of millions across this nation who are determined that this shall not be the definition of America.

--Dan Rather

 

August 26 at 9:35 AM  · 

__________________________________________________________

Vote, folks.

Be sure to vote.

And vote blue.

86 45

BYEDON

Tweets of the Day: RNC Presidential Edition

Bill Kristol  @BillKristol
·Aug 22

"Mr. Trump...now plans to directly address the nation in prime-time on each of the convention’s four nights." It's not a party. It's a cult.

Bill Kristol  @BillKristol

The Republicans, in 2020, for the first time, have no platform. Instead: "RESOLVED, That the Republican Party has and will continue to enthusiastically support the President’s America-first agenda." It's no longer the Republican party. It's a Trump cult.

Dan Rather  @DanRather

I am confident that every other president in my lifetime would be speaking forcefully in support of the pro democracy protesters in Belarus. This is a shameful abdication of American leadership.

Dan Rather  @DanRather

I cannot remember a time when political journalists so needed backgrounds in criminal law.

And finally, what I think is probably the social media quote of the day.

Dan Rather  @DanRather

There are times I get online, see the latest news, and wonder how we are living in a world where Kafka writes for the Twilight Zone starring the Marx Brothers.

God help us, folks.

God and the heavens help us get to November 3.

And then January 20.

Vote!

VOTE BLUE!!

#BlueWave2020

Quote and Question of the Day

But hey, thanks, Mr. President!

Thanks, Republicans!

This President Trump's re-election slogan:

Trump 2020!

What ELSE have you got to lose?

On This President, His Political Party and Voting

From the interwebs today.

And if this is your political party's positions, you basically don't want fellow Americans, fellow countrymen, fellow taxpayers, to vote and again, your political party is atrocious. The party is for themselves and their donors, the already-wealthy and corporations, not the people.

Thanks, Republicans.

Response Number One to Trump's Attack On the People of Puerto Rico Today

From reporter, writer, Dan Rather, today:

Excuse me, Mr. President but your tantrum tweet storm this morning attacking the mayor of San Juan, a fellow American citizen dealing with a real-time life and death struggle for hundreds of thousands of her constituents on an island of millions in crisis, is not only far below the dignity of the office you hold. It fails even the most basic test of humanity.

Did she have harsh words for your Administration's response to the aftermath of Hurricane Maria? Yes. It's called a reality check, and one that conforms to every firsthand account coming out of Puerto Rico no matter how much you try to deflect with your "Fake News" epithets. To take this personally is to put ego before country. And you also blame the Puerto Ricans themselves? That they want "everything done for them"? No. They just expect to be treated as any other American would.

I have seen more than my share of wretched desperation over the course of my career. I have reported from crisis zones where matters of life and death hang moment to moment in the balance between action and inaction, where communication is limited, and the sense of panic is building. I have seen the most steadfast of leaders feel the crushing weight of responsibility as they survey a landscape of almost incomprehensible need.

It does not take a saintly amount of compassion or empathy to feel for those who are struggling to stay alive, who are worried for the fate of family and friends, and who have seen so much that they have known and loved blown and washed away. You swore to "faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States" and that means a responsibility to look out for all Americans, even if they live on an island in the ocean, or look different or even speak a different language than what you think is America.

I worry that whoever has your ear has not adequately impressed upon you the gravity of this situation, or even the political price you are likely to pay (although that can be no where near the top concern at the moment). Or perhaps you have been told and haven't listened.

Regardless, what Puerto Rico needs now is not rhetoric but help, not a bumbling response, but the precision and competence we expect of our government. I do not believe "blame the victim" is what Americans expect of their president.

Meanwhile, Mr. Trump can't be bothered. He's off at his New Jersey property today, this weekend.

Golfing.

The Teflon Candidate?

Years ago, it used to be said that President Ronald Reagan was the "teflon President." It seemed, no matter what happened, no matter what he did or didn't do, rightly or wrongly, for good or bad, nothing stuck to him. The people liked him, regardless, and his ratings stayed positive.

Now, we seem to have a candidate for the presidency in one Donald Trump, who is impervious to negative downturns, to an extent. Things he's said or done that, in the past, if said or done by any other candidate, wouldn't have kept them in the political race.

Presently, we're at a moment when Mr. Trump is recorded as saying horrendous, ugly, sexist, actually exploitative things about a woman and about women, yet there are plenty of people still supporting him. Heck, even Evangelical ministers and leaders have announced in the last 24 hours, since this news story broke, that they're still behind him.

Newsman Dan Rather, today on Facebook, said it well, I think.

What does it take to knock Donald Trump out? You would think that the latest obscene, vile, repulsive audio leak would be an electoral haymaker that has him on the canvas for good. In any other election, with any other candidate, this might well have been the equivalent of a spontaneous combustion. And it might be for Donald Trump, but I have thought that many times before.

Calling Mexicans rapists and murderers? Trump went there and it set him on the path to the GOP nomination. Running over John McCain's war record? Barely a speed bump for the Trump campaign bus. Mocking the disabled? Check that off the list and Trump bounces back. Disrespecting the parents of a fallen American soldier? It seems like in the end it was merely a flesh wound for the Donald. And there were so many more instances that likely would have proven fatal to any other candidate in any other election.

Clearly Trump has a floor of support that would condone almost anything. But perhaps this is different and we will see a chipping away at his numbers. Perhaps we will see more of a free fall, although I doubt it. And yet it is also clear that his floor is not enough for Trump to capture the White House. I can't see this adding any voters to his totals, except maybe the villains of the movies from the 1980s.

If you want to see how this plays out, listen to Republicans running for election this fall. Every one of them is going to be asked this weekend to defend Trump's comments. What will they do? Will the knives come out for the party's nominee from his fellow Republicans? Will they begin to run from him, rather than with him? Will this final wave finally sink the Trump campaign?

I must add that while the severity of the latest audio is particularly disgusting, any elected official who expresses surprise must surely be feigning it. Look at Trump's Twitter feed. Listen to his statements from the past. Did you really think this kind of language was beyond him?

This election is not only about the presidency, but about who will lead in Congress and the state houses. How toxic does Trump become? Can he bounce back yet again, even if the polls seem to be moving against him? Will this doom the GOP in 2016, or even beyond? Will it realign our political system?

So many questions, but we will get answers. And we will be the ones who will give them when we go to the polls. There are few times in my career when I have been more at a loss for what I could expect for the future of my country.

Regardless, at this point, as I wrote and posted yesterday, there is no possible way Mr. Trump is winning this thing. It's just stunning he's still considered a viable candidate.

More thoughts on last night's Plaza mess

There was just too much of what happened last evening on the Plaza to not have some more thoughts on it so here goes:

I'd really like to not see it referred to as a "riot" because that seems wrong for several reasons.

Calling it a riot seems to imply that it was organized and it patently wasn't--the only thing that may have been organized was converging in one place and raising cane.

This didn't have any real goals, it doesn't seem. It was just anarchy and chaos for entertainment's sake, I think and believe, unless and until someone can prove differently.

Finally, an "internet friend" of mine here in Kansas City (from the Kansas side, as a matter of fact), one Dr. Ernest Evans (no relation) wrote me the following today and I found it very true, of course and illuminating:

"Dan Rather has said that all journalists in the US live in terror of the "Racism Police" of the liberals and the "Patriotism Police" of the conservatives.

I hadn't heard this quote. It surprised me I hadn't.

And it's very applicable here. I think the local news organizations--the TV stations and the Star--will be very careful reporting on last night's melee'.

City government will be the same way, I think, for the same reasons but we need to do some serious, fast research on this and find out the following:

--Why two of these, to date, have happened--are they, in fact, chaos and anarchy for entertainment's sake?;

--How they're starting;

--Who is starting them;

--Finally, what needs to be done to have them stopped immediately?

Think about it. If we don't find out these last four things, above, and right away, I think everyone will expect this to happen again next Saturday evening.

For that matter, what's to keep it from happening again, tonight, after dark?

The answer is: nothing at all.