Donald Trump is a demagogue. He is a danger to our democracy. If you doubt this, read his remarks at a “campaign rally” in Melbourne, Florida. (He has already filed for his 2020 re-election campaign, meaning that his tenure in office will be an endless campaign).
Trump said that the press is not just his enemy, they are the enemy of the American people.
This is a direct attack on the First Amendment. This is an attack on freedom of the press. This is Trump’s attempt to intimidate the free press. These are the unhinged rants of a demagogue. This is a direct attack on our democracy.
Fortunately, not every Republican grovels at Trump’s feet. Senator John McCain said it: this is how authoritarianism begins.
John McCain is one of 52 Republican senators. Where are the other 51? Do they agree that a free press is the enemy of the American people? Do they applaud as Trump calls a press conference and demands “friendly” questions? Do they smirk when he falsely claims to have won the greatest electoral college victory since Ronald Reagan? Do they care that he was corrected in public and all he could say was that “someone gave him that information,” without acknowledging that it was not true? Were they concerned when he repeated this outright lie at his campaign rally the very next day? Is there any other Republican senator willing to stand up to this pathological liar and con man?
If the Republican Party swallows this self-degradation without a murmur, they disgrace themselves and their party.
If they watch in silence as Trump keeps up his calculated and demented attacks on the free press, this we know: This is how democracy begins to die.
We can’t let this happen. We must organize, join forces, work together to save our democracy from this egomaniac.
Join with your allies. Go to your Congressman’s town halls. Call his or her district office. Join demonstrations. Protest. Resist. Do not rest until this ignorant narcissist is returned to private life, free once again to cheat his fellow citizens.
It is time to take back our country and restore our democracy.
Start here, with The Indivisibles Guide, written by former Congressional staff members, who know how the system works.
Join the American Civil Rights Union.
Join People for the American Way.
Here is a list of groups fighting against Trump’s attacks on civil rights and civil liberties.
If you want to fight for public education, join the Network for Public Education.
Whatever you do, get involved.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
One thing we can do is translate code on the spot when it is used.
For instance, “Fake news” is code for: “Truth that I don’t like.”
LikeLike
Trump says a DISHONEST PRESS is the enemy of the people and that is correct. He has no problem with press disagreeing with him, but to much of the press these days think they are the fourth branch of the government and should be dictating what people think. That is the problem most people have with the press these days.
To many press people these days write opinion pieces. Opinion pieces are fine if that is what the reader knows you are doing, but they should not be provided under the cloak of journalistic fact. They do NOT report facts in an unbiased way so the individual can make up their own mind. Shaping what the public thinks is called PROPAGANDA, not information.
LikeLike
Linda,
Part of the definition of a malignant narcissist is that he projects what he is doing on others. Trump is a pathological liar. He relies only on fringe websites for his “information.” He lies and lies, and even when he is corrected (e.g., his lies about the greatest electoral college victory since Reagan, his false claims that millions of illegals voted), he repeats the lies.
LikeLike
Then why, in one of his final press conferences, did Obama respond that it was okay for illegals to vote … That they WOULD NOT BE ARRESTED?
LikeLike
Find the quote, Linda. I never heard Obama say that illegals could vote. He taught Constitutional law. Where did you learn this disinformation? Infowars? Breitbart?
Source, please.
LikeLike
Linda Giffin: You approve of all his constant lying? He claimed that there had been a terrorist attack in Sweden on Friday. It did NOT happen. This type of lying and fabrication goes on all the time with Trump and his mouthpieces. But it’s not just the lying, it’s his hideous cabinet appointments and his terrible financial policies which will set us up for another economic meltdown worse than 2008.
LikeLike
Joe,
There was a massive terrorist attack in Baghdad the other day, and Trump said nothing about it (correct me if I am wrong). I suppose he was silent because the victims were Iraqis and Muslim, not Americans and Christians. Meanwhile, the Iraqi army is fighting to drive ISIS out of Mosul, and Iraqis who worked faithfully for the US military for years were banned from entering our country during the short life of his Muslim ban. He promised at his zany press conference to revise the wording of his ban so the courts (all of which are composed of “so-called judges”) won’t block the new version.
Another lie: he claimed that the four judges who rejected his ban were ALL appointed by Democrats. In fact, the District Court judge in Washington state was appointed by George W. Bush. Of the three appellate court judges, two were appointed by Democrats. Of the four judges who froze his ban, two were appointed by Republicans, two by Democrats.
LikeLike
There was a terrorist attack in Somalia within the past few ours. Will Trump say anything about it?
LikeLike
So he said Sweden instead of Pakistan. Have you never had a misspoke moment. But, it didn’t cost taxpayers anything like it did when Obama claimed IF YOU LIKE YOUR DOCTOR, YOU CAN KEEP YOUR DOCTOR. Obamacare was never designed for people to keep their doctor according to the designers and Obama knew it.
LikeLike
Trump has been in office for only a month and Politifact reports that most of what he has said is not true. A full 50% of his statements are either False or Pants on Fire false.
By comparison, only 14% of Obama’s statements were rated False or Pants on Fire false.
LikeLike
Linda Giffin: Then Trump must be all-okay–because Obama either misspoke or killed his children’s dog.
LikeLike
Give us some examples please to back up your assertion.
I am not saying that every thing the press reports is 100% accurate . Nor am I saying that the editorial position of papers and media does not enter into play when news is reported. Like education many issues are far more complex than papers or TV Media want to report .
But please show us examples from the guy who give us examples . Of fake news about Trump.
The guy screaming fake news uses a schmuck who says Sandy Hook was staged as a source of news. Alex Jones Info Wars . Uses the National Enquirer as a source. Do You
https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwj908b2tpzSAhWHYiYKHde6CqAQjRwIBw&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pinterest.com%2Fpin%2F310678074267383098%2F&psig=AFQjCNEeH3rOA_mKb60Ewv6iysCvkf_9PA&ust=1487602910349170
LikeLike
This should be better.
LikeLike
This is a comment directed to an anonymous reader who calls himself or herself “The Real One.” I will never post any comments you send that insult me. Guess what? The free press does not print every letter it receives. For every letter they get, they choose a few to print. I have a few fairly simple rules that I require of all people who send commenters:
#1: do not insult me. This is my blog, my living room. If you insult me, you get evicted. If you find that too hard to comply with, I’m sorry. That is Rule 1.
LikeLike
To Trump, literally anything reported that is opposed to what he BELIEVES is true is considered fake news. Reporters stating facts that he doesn’t like or quoting his own words are considered the enemy. Those are not opinion pieces he is attacking. He is openly hostile to our country’s free press. He wages a daily war against them. He is the propagandist!
LikeLike
Trump creates his own fake news. Disgusting for someone with power.
…………………..
Donald Trump refers to non-existent refugee ‘incident’ in Sweden during rally
the Telegraph
Adam Boult
19 FEBRUARY 2017 • 11:43AM
Donald Trump appeared to invent an attack on Sweden during a rally in Florida on Saturday
Appearing before an audience of supporters in Melbourne, Florida, the US president spoke out in defence of his administration’s travel ban and the need to restrict immigration in the interest of national security.
He said: “When you look at what’s happening in Germany, when you look at what’s happening last night in Sweden – Sweden! Who would believe this? Sweden! They took in large numbers, they’re having problems like they never thought possible.”
However, there was no such incident in Sweden on Friday night….
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/02/19/trump-r…
LikeLike
I just saw that a few minutes ago. One of m friends on facebook lives in Sweden and was laughing about it. He’s absurd and dangerous. It’s a shame his followers can’t see that.
LikeLike
The sad fact is that probably 95% of the people at the rally have now idea where Sweden even is, much less anything about the nation or actual news. Might as well say it’s in Switzerland, Swaziland, or Swinefluvania.
LikeLike
no idea
LikeLike
Clearly a huge box checked on the “Fascism Checklist” when he quite clearly is working to destroy the press.
The fact is that he isn’t talking to us….college educated, within 100 miles of an ocean, readers…..he was talking precisely to his base. He was talking to roughly 30-40% of the country….and they agree with and believe him.
That’s just about what it takes to get a nice, thoroughgoing fascist-authoritarian regime going.
When was the last time the world was scourged with fascist-authoritarianism?
1930s-1940s.
How was it defeated?
Organized, deep anti-fascist movements and a global war.
If we are to make inroads and have any hope of removing the gnarly polyp of fascism called Trump, our movements and protests and organizing MUST become consciously anti-fascist. A generalized lefti-ish push back will not work. It must be consciously anti-fascist. The first step towards doing that MUST be in acknowledging that in fact “it IS happening here” and that we are facing what truly is a rise to fascist authoritarianism. We cannot be generalists here. We must organize around a specific threat and call it by its proper name.
LikeLike
Please do not group all those of us who live >100 miles from an ocean as like-minded people. 200,000 of my neighbors and I participated in a local Women’s March after Inauguration Day. I live in a town with Republicans and Democrats, just as you do. A friend of mine in New Jersey voted for Dear Leader. Stereotyping does not advance our cause and convince those who may be wavering in their support for Dear Leader to join us.
That said, however, I fully agree that we have to move fast and powerfully to counter this coup. To do that, I believe we have acknowledge the authoritarian power that a Democratic president once held. We have to face that what he did by incarcerating innocent people – Americans – for years in concentration camps was morally wrong. In times of crisis, suspending civil rights can and has been done by both Democrats and Republicans. That does not make it right.
To demonstrate our tendency to view the world through the lens of our biases, my husband just argued that what FDR did to imprison innocent Japanese during WWII was somewhat justified, if only FDR had said publicly that we as a society recognize that 99% of these people are innocent. The argument made no sense, but he was looking through his lens as a Democrat and someone whose family was deeply affected by WWII. These are the types of arguments we have to prepare to listen to, understand, and then counter.
LikeLike
Correction: Japanese-Americans!
LikeLike
Sereia I do get REALLY tired of hearing those who argue that bad acts done by someone from one party cancel out actions by someone from another.party; and now you say it’s from the 1930’s. Good Grief, when will those rabbit-hole journeys end?
I also wonder about what’s going on in someone’s mind when they consistently fail to understand the difference between (a) pointing to an oversight, a mistake, an omission, or even a lie by someone in the press, and (b) setting up the entire institution of the free press as an enemy of the people.
THAT (as just one example of the fallacy of false equivalence) I don’t “get” and never shall, nor should any of us–not if we want to keep the freedoms that are clearly under threat.
Also, about FDR: I do think times were different, but still do not excuse what he did or how he did it, nor the American people who supported it. It’s our job, however, to learn from such travesties of history–and that seems to be what’s missing now.
LikeLike
Our society recognizes that the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War 2 was a terrible injustice. Every American history textbook describes this as a shameful episode in our history. FDR also closed the doors of our country to European Jews trying to escape Hitler. The State Department was notoriously anti-Semitic. A small number managed to get in, but very few countries were willing to take the Jews trying to escape genocide. The most famous incident was a German ocean liner called the St. Louis, which went from port to port in Cuba, the U.S. and Canada; no one would admit the 900 Jews who had paid dearly to save their lives. They were returned to Germany, and many died in Hitler’s gas chambers.
Every president makes mistakes, which are usually recognized at the time by a dissident minority, and eventually recognized by almost everyone. But it is a stretch to say that the misdeeds of other presidents are somehow equivalent to Trump’s attacks on democracy and the First Amendment, on the judiciary, as well as his religiously based travel ban.
LikeLike
A little history is useful here. The governor of California during the internment of Americans—and a strong supporter of the policy—was Earl Warren. He later admitted that it was the worst decision of his life and informed him when he became Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. Arguably the greatest Chief Justice we’ve ever had, under his leadership, civil rights were realized by more Americans before or since.
The defeat of Nazism led to the emergence of the most liberal, open political culture in Europe (and the second oldest federal democracy in the world).
So it’s not just a matter of using that false equivalence of “we did bad things, so let’s not complain so much when they do.” It’s more a matter of what you do to correct the tragic errors when you become aware of your complicity. I see no evidence that the current American fascist regime is capable of recognizing its errors, much less admit them, or doing anything to repent for them.
LikeLike
GregB,
Agreed. And as an American Jew, I was very impressed on the occasions when I have visited Germany by their efforts to confront their past and acknowledge the horrors of the Hitler regime.
LikeLike
This is unprecedented. I could only watch a little bit of his rally, he is nauseating and his adoring mob of “blanks” are also nauseating. He’s a serial liar on an epic and appalling level. He claimed that there had been a terrorist attack in Sweden the night before, not true. His attacks on the press and the media are specious and unrelenting. What’s really shocking to me is that so many people approve of this monster and what he is doing. The GOP has a lot to answer for.
LikeLike
Nauseating, exactly. After just a few minutes, I also hit the off button and turned to some music to reclaim sanity. As this very irrational man continues with these insane campaign rallies, I pray his rhetoric and lies begin to alarm and irritate his base, and more and more gradually awaken to the fact .. this emperor has no clothes.
LikeLike
On this I must agree with Trump! The MSM is owned by corporations who have a financial interest on the news that is reported by their journalists (?) ! We cried foul during the Presidential Primary election to deaf ears when Bernie Sanders was running. Now, it is convenient to be on their (MSM) side when it is against Trump! I’m not a Trump voter, but I think the outrage is too smug! Stay on the education path, Diane, because you are a loud voice for all of us in that area that is so sorely needed!
LikeLike
Vi,
Thanks for the advice but I make a distinction between the editorial content and the news content. Trump lies daily, and the mainstream media calls him on it. If they report that he lied–about the size of his inaugural crowd, about his lack of a popular vote majority, about his electoral vote being “historic”–then he says they are purveying fake news.
Please stop with the Bernie whining. Bernie was not unfairly treated by the press. He did a remarkable job in going from 2% to a competitive campaign, but he lost fair and square. He lost the key states, and Hillary won more popular votes and more delegates–without the superdelegates.
Maybe if more Bernie-or-bust voters had voted for her in the general election, we wouldn’t have a man in the White House who is trying to obliterate every social program, build a wall, ban Muslims, and make our nation an international laughing stock.
A million people voted for Jill Stein, who by the way, sat at the same head table in Moscow with Putin and Mike Flynn at the 10th anniversary for RT (Russia Today), Putin’s propaganda outlet. If only 10% of Stein voters had voted for a Hillary, our country would have been saved this disaster.
LikeLike
Not whining, Diane, only remembering where the majority of the people’s thoughts were toward the press just a short year ago. If we forget the past, we are doomed to repeat it. I think the outrage is over-the-top but does show public involvement that has been lacking! Intelligent disagreement used to be called debate! Words we must remember in this volatile time.
LikeLike
Got it, Vi.
LikeLike
Surely you would agree that we are not free of our own propaganda outlets. (It seemed curious to me that congress would lift the ban on ‘domestic propaganda’ five years ago.) Perhaps, we should place restrictions on foreign ownership of media outlets as some other countries do.
LikeLike
JB2: with the exception of the Russian invasion, the problem is not “foreign ownership of media.” The enemy, by-and-large, is homegrown. And before you yell, “but Murdoch,” he is an Australian born American citizen.
LikeLike
There is a cancer in this country and it’s drumph.
LikeLike
It’s possible that the Republicans, except for McCain, are standing by Trump because they are drooling over the prospect of getting the laws they’ve wanted signed: wipe out Planned Parenthood, voucherize Medicaid and Medicare, privatize Social Security, increase voter suppression, get rid of corporate regulations [Dodd-Frank], get rid of the Consumer Protection Agency, tax breaks for the wealthy, get rid of all rules connected with global warming and a cleaner environment, lower wages (national Right to Work) and confirm a Supreme Court Justice who wants to get rid of Roe vs. Wade.
After this has been accomplished, it’s possible that they will come out of their caves and denounce him.
What I don’t get is why anyone with credible information believes Repubs are helping the working class. Why are college grads supporting him? Trump depends upon an ignorant populace and hatred which we are now free to display.
LikeLike
“What I don’t get is why the working class votes for the repubs?” Because they control the narrative- one of the reasons Hillary lost. Google the documentary: Park Avenue Money Power and the American Dream.
LikeLike
The goal of privatization is to shift public money from the poor and put it into the hands of the wealthy. The privatized service is generally less efficient and effective and more costly. As far as pensions go, a defined benefit is far better than any shape shifting Republicans can conjure up. All the buzz words of “modernize, reform, improve, revise,” or if they tell us they want to educate Americans about the “wonders” of investing, are all smoke screens for shifting public money to corporations and the 1%.https://www.thenation.com/article/privatization-disproportionately-hurts-poor-individuals-and-families/
LikeLike
Trump is a fake,
I wish a bunch of people he knows and respects who have been or are now in higher office and are relatively wise would take out a full page gratis from the NY Times and explain to him what he’s doing. Then put their names and signatures below it.
Everyone in both houses should then sign on that his going after those signers is grounds for impeachment, and they will vote him out of office. I guess there would be another page, gratis, for all of those names and signatures.
Draw a line. This is already a political civil war. And democracy is losing, stupidity is gaining ground.
LikeLike
Akademos I’d be careful with that–remember that Bannon WANTS everything to fall apart, so that telling Trump et all “what they are doing” to our country is just another sign that they are succeeding in their plan.
LikeLike
I think it’s somewhat moot what they think, they’re psychotic.
Maybe we need to draw a line with our elected pols instead. But how?
LikeLike
The web link to Trump’s tweet says that about 140,000 people “liked” itsince the first post at about 5 pm on the 17th. That is not a large number, so I’d guess the next round of attacks will repeat and up the prejoritives, calling members of the press “unpatriotic,” spies, who knows.
I was struck by the visual reples to this tweet and the resurrection of Edward R. Murrow, among others who served as whistleblowers some time ago.
I think the silence of Republicans except for McCain is just as carolmalaysia describes it. If there were members on both sides of the aisle who had moral fiber and an ounce of patriotism they would join McCain in calling out Trump’s his latest verbal attack as a part Trump’s non-stop campaign to undermine the integrity of the Constitution and First Amendment…. in addition to the judicial system.
LikeLike
Once again you got IT CORRECT. He is a psychotic lunatic.
LikeLike