I will vote for Joe Biden. I will vote for him with enthusiasm. The alternative is almost too horrible to contemplate.
Donald Trump is a wannabe fascist. Under Mitch McConnell’s direction (or control), Trump is filling the federal judiciary with rightwing extremists and incompetents. Trump is vicious. He has not an ounce of empathy. He is incompetent, and he has surrounded himself with incompetent lackeys, who are determined to dismantle the federal government and break every international institution created since 1945 to assure mutual cooperation. Given another four years, he will utterly destroy whatever is left of our government, ideals, our hopes for a better future, our belief in progress.
Joe Biden didn’t win the nomination because the Democratic establishment backed him. In fact, Biden was written off by the Democratic establishment after his mediocre performance in the early primary states. His campaign was running low on money. He did not have campaign offices in most states. His campaign hit the skids.
But then came South Carolina, where African American voters united behind him and made him the leader of the pack. Most Democrats want to rally around a candidate, and he was the one. His political revival was nothing short of amazing. His campaign was near dead, and now he is the presumptive party nominee.
Bernie Sanders has powerful, passionate, and loyal supporters, and a remarkable fund-raising machine. But after Biden won South Carolina, other candidates dropped out and endorsed Biden, not Sanders.
Let’s face it. Most Democratic voters don’t want a revolution. They want to beat Trump, and they like Biden’s chances. Even with an almost invisible campaign, he’s ahead of Trump in battleground states and national polls.
They like Biden’s decency. He’s kind, not mean like Trump. He’s civil, not vicious like Trump. He has the capacity for empathy, unlike Trump, who is incapable of giving comfort or solace to anyone. Biden has known personal grief and suffering. He is human. He is mainstream and establishment, which Sanders’ followers criticize, but apparently most Democrats find comforting.
Both Trump and Biden are in their 70s. Neither has put forward an electrifying vision for change. We know what Trump stands for: racism, xenophobia, inciting hatred, blaming others for his failures, never taking responsibility, constant boasting, persistent lying, unbridled narcissism.
After more than three chaotic, jarring, frightening, crisis-ridden, and mean-spirited years of Trump, most Democratic voters seem to be looking for stability, a steady hand at the tiller, and competence. That’s what they see in Biden.
Biden offers a return to “normalcy.” Not charisma, or grand promises, or change, but calm. The fact that the country is currently gripped by a public health crisis and a collapsing stock market makes the appeal of calm even stronger to a weary, frightened, and nervous nation.
Let us hope that Biden, if elected, does not restore the failed education policies of Arne Duncan or install an Education Secretary who clings to the test-and-punish regime. Let’s hope that he recognizes the failure of Race to the Top and avoids anyone who was part of it.
Evidently Trump is so afraid of facing Biden that he was willing to break the law and risk impeachment to hurt Biden’s chances. Now we will have a nasty campaign in which Trump says over and over “Hunter Biden, corrupt.” “Sleepy Joe.” Trump has a mean machine ready to attack and slime Biden, as he would have slimed anyone else who opposed him.
People who live in glass houses…
When the Trump regime is eventually analyzed by historians, I am willing to bet that they document public corruption and ethical breaches that make Teapot Dome look like a tea party. The Trump family has profited, and Trump himself has made money, in defiance of the Emoluments Clause of the Constitution.
The Republican Party is now raising hundreds of millions to keep Trump in office. Michael Bloomberg promised during the campaign that he was prepared to spend $1 billion to defeat Trump, but so far there is no sign of that Bloomberg billion. Biden is far behind Trump in fundraising. If the primary is any indication, the American people know what is at stake. At last report, the GOP had a huge financial advantage over Biden.
Mr. Trump and his shared committees with the R.N.C. raised $63 million in March and entered April with a combined $244 million in cash on hand. Mr. Biden and the D.N.C. had $57.2 million in the bank, after accounting for unpaid debts.
If money alone were enough to win campaigns, Mike Bloomberg would be the Democratic nominee; he spent $1 billion and won only American Samoa.
Biden now has the endorsement of all his Democratic rivals.
But what about Tara Reade? I don’t believe her. She had many opportunities to make her charges public over the past 27 years, but she waited until March 2020, after Biden was well advanced on his path to the nomination, to go public. She could have spoken out in 2008, when Biden was selected to run with Obama. She didn’t. She could have spoken out in 2017, when the #MeToo movement emerged in response to multiple revelations about sexual predator Harvey Weinstein; at that time, many women announced that they too had suffered sexual abuse. She didn’t. She could have spoken out when Biden announced that he was running for president in 2020. She was silent. She claims he sexually assaulted her in the basement of the Russell Senate Office Building. The basement is where senators and their staff go to catch a trolley to the Capitol. It is a busy public space with tight security. There are no hidden niches where a prominent senator could assault a young intern without being observed. Men who force themselves on women tend to be repeat offenders (think Weinstein, Trump, Jeffrey Epstein), yet no other woman has accused Biden of heinous behavior. I won’t even go into her repeated tweets praising Putin in fulsome language. PBS interviewed 74 Biden staffers and found no one who supported Reade’s allegations. Why did she alone have this dreadful experience? I don’t believe her. If this is the issue that determines your vote, why would you support a man who has been credibly accused of sexual assault by multiple women and has publicly declared his view of women as sexual prey?
Biden’s job for now is to reach voters and energize the base as well as the independents who are sick of Trump’s narcissism and lies. At present, Biden is locked down like almost everyone else in the country. No rallies, no pressing the flesh, no person-to-person events. Maybe he can run a so-called “front porch” campaign, sitting quietly at home while Trump knocks himself out with idiotic and unhinged remarks.
He said he will pick a woman as his vice-presidential nominee. It should be someone with the experience and knowledge to be ready to act as president on short notice. I personally favor Elizabeth Warren. But there are other excellent candidates, including Amy Klobuchar and Kamala Harris. Biden knows the gravity of choosing the right running mate.
For all of us, for the nation, for the world, the choice in November is crucial. It is Biden or Trump. Period.
I will do whatever I can to help elect Joe Biden.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
“Biden offers a return to “normalcy.””
“Normalcy” is exactly what got us Trump in the first place. The normalcy of American empire devastating nations abroad while starving citizens at home. The normalcy of directing money ever upwards to the richest 1% while the rest of us “make sacrifices” and “tighten our belts” by choosing between rent, food or healthcare. The “normalcy” of mass incarceration of poor people and people of color. The “normalcy” of environmental devastation through fracking and other pollution. The “normalcy” of privatization of public assets, usually through blatantly corrupt self-dealing schemes. The “normalcy” of legalized tax evasion by the rich while the poor are nickled and dimed and thrown into jail for debt. This is the “normalcy” that Biden and all the neoliberal Dems represent.
You can say that that’s still better than Trump and maybe so. But what happens next? Every time we’ve been told we “have” to vote for the “good” Democrats to avoid the “evil” Republicans, the Democrats just codify and normalize what the “evil” Republicans do while moving the window further right. Bush 43 was renowned for executive overreach, but even he didn’t claim a unilateral right to assassinate U.S. citizens with no due process – it took a “good” Democrat to do that.
So what happens after Biden? If each succeeding Republican administration has gotten crazier (and they have), what comes after Trump? It’s almost amusing how often and how loudly the liberal media proclaim Trump a “fascist” (and pat themselves on the back for their bravery). Does no one else see the irony of constantly openly criticizing an alleged “fascist”? An actual fascist would do a lot more than tweet mean things about his critics. If Trump were actually a fascist, the entire cast and crew of MSDNC would have their heads on poles in Times Square.
So, no, Trump is not a fascist. He’s a bumbling, albeit politically savvy, buffoon. The “Next Trump:, however, is very likely to be an actual, competent and efficient fascist, but the nation will embrace him anyway if we continue down the neoliberal path.
Trump himself is merely the symptom of the disease – the oozing pus that shows that there’s extreme rot underneath. Purging him will not purge the disease, but will rather make the disease worse. The only way to get rid of Trumpism is to get rid of the disease of neoliberalism. Electing Joe Biden will only strengthen neoliberalism and if you think Trump is bad, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet.
So, anyway, go ahead and have your two minute hate. I won’t be back.
dienne77 Biden’s not perfect (who is?), but still a heck of a lot better than the Donald and Mitch show. Also, I think with Biden, we’ll benefit from an immediate return to respect and trust from other world leaders and their public.
And BTW, fascism is opportunist and incremental, and so doesn’t happen voila! overnight. It remains ready and strikes when the field conditions are ripe.
Trump may be an “accidental fascist,” but fascist he is. . . from what we’ve seen of him over the years, his heart is fashioned that way. And it’s not the first time in history that “head-on-a-pole” thinking, once thought a relic of the past, inched towards “plausible” in the minds of the body politic. It has mine.
To use a chess analogy, a very long game, but once the board becomes set, “mate,” if not a given, is at least worth betting on. And BTW, your brand of nose-holding idealism can’t be sworn in on January 20. CBK
I’m sorry, Dienne, but about this you are wrong: Trump IS a fascist. He has made that absolutely clear. But he’s a fascist who hasn’t sufficient power, YET. But make no mistake about this. He’s lining that power up–appointing extreme right-wing judges, putting the fascist lackey Barr (who has always supported an imperial presidency) in charge of the chief law enforcement agency in the country, firing whistle blowers, and now systematically going about putting those who share his extremist ideology in charge of the military and intelligence services. John Ratcliff, for crying out loud, is now in charge of U.S. intelligence!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The purges have begun. They will grow exponentially. This is very, very serious.
Trump is a WANNABE fascist. Given four more years, another Supreme Court justice, control of the Senate, and his people in charge of justice, intelligence, and the armed services, and he’ll realize his dream. The brownshirts are already in the streets.
If Trump is Re-elected, he will certainly fill Ginsberg’s seat. She hanging on to life by a thread now. He may get another one or two picks. It will be a Trump court. Civil rights, affirmative action, women’s rights, gay rights, abortion rights, environmental protection, and limits on corporate power will be eliminated.
Bob. . . and don’t forget that he is consolidating power . . . dismantling every rule, position, and institution that was put in place by wiser people in our past to limit the power of the presidency and to keep it in a proper balance with the other institutional powers in the land (the Court, the Congress, and the People). Also, the only thing I would add to Diane’s initial post is Trump’s ongoing relationship with Russia. CBK
Bob,
Did you read dienne77’s post?
“An actual fascist would do a lot more than tweet mean things about his critics.”
Tweeting mean things. That is what dienne77 notices about Trump and what he has done. Does one have to live in a bubble of white privilege to think that Trump has NOT done “a lot more than tweet mean things abut his critics”?
Or maybe it’s just that none of the other things bother dienne77 very much since she does not view those actions as “neoliberal” and therefore either approves or doesn’t notice them?
But I thought that comment was quite revealing.
It really does appear that all the actions Trump has taken to destroy our democratic institutions are minor to some people when compared to the evil “neoliberal” that apparently only democrats support.
I will say it again and again.
If Trump gets more appointments to the Supreme Court, we will see an end to civil rights, women’s rights, abortion rights, environmental protection, gay rights, any limits on corporate power. I am praying that RBG survives until Jan 21, 2121, because if she were to pass away before then, Mitch McConnell would appoint another religious zealot. In a heartbeat.
^^It does seem as if dienne77 does not view the purges of the justice department, the CDC and every government agency of those unwilling to subvert the law to empower Trump as “neoliberal”.
Therefore those Republican purges are not a problem worth mentioning, especially when those no biggie purges are compared with the evil neoliberal agenda of the Democratic party like supporting “Medicare for All who want it” instead of “Medicare for All.”
While the evil neoliberal Democrats have absolutely no redeeming qualities and plan to enact only evil things, Trump and the evil done by Republicans is minimized as “tweeting”.
I share Dienne’s hatred of neoliberals. They are scum. But they aren’t Trump-level scum, most of them. If Trump could do what Trump wants to do: He really admires Duterte’s death squads. He literally screamed at his Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security because she said she couldn’t order Border Patrol Agents simply to shoot unarmed refugees.
Bob Shepherd,
I implore you to think about how language is used and how all of us — in Orwellian fashion — have empowered the wannabe fascists by misuse of it.
You posted: “I share Dienne’s hatred of neoliberals. They are scum.”
Did you really mean that? Or did you mean that you share the ideas of Bernie Sanders and AOC and you oppose politicians who support neoliberal IDEAS, when they support those neoliberal ideas.
Neoliberal is such a ridiculous term. What does it mean? Which politicians are neoliberal?
I spent all of 1980 sharing your hatred of “neoliberals” which is why my ooh goal in 1980 was to defeat the evil neoliberal Jimmy Carter.
I knew Jimmy Carter was an evil neoliberal because he supported those evil neoliberal ideas. In fact, Jimmy Carter STILL supports neoliberal ideas. And he ALSO supports a lot of ideas that aren’t neoliberal.
I still remember having a big fight with a friend terrified that Ronald Reagan and his right wing (well, now seems moderate!) Republican party would be empowered. That friend tried to convince me that while Carter supported some neoliberal positions, he also supported other positions that were not neoliberal and that my over the top hatred of him was out and out wrong and made no sense if I actually supported the ideas i insisted that I believed in.
Which democrats get labeled as “neoliberal scum” that you hate because they have neoliberal views?
Corey Booker supported Medicare for All and Bernie Sanders himself embraced him and defended him.
Tom Periello, the non-neoliberal who Bernie Sanders endorsed in the Virginia democratic primary for Governor was a huge supporter of charters and a favorite of DFER. And yet many progressives gave him a pass and claimed the OTHER candidate — the one who rapidly supported public education — was the “neoliberal”.
The real truth is that we all decide what is most important to us and what we don’t care about and are more than willing to sacrifice to serve out own agenda.
There were a lot of flaws with HRC but I found the rush to label her as “neoliberal” to be one of the most absurd and dishonest things i had ever heard. She supported some so-called “neoliberal” ideas and she supported some progressive policies.
The same goes with every single member of the progressive caucus, including Bernie Sanders who like other so-called neoliberals opposed the progressive fight for gun control.
Those labels have destroyed Democrats and I find it ironic that from a neoliberal perspective, the Democrats were the MOST progressive economically when they were supposedly neoliberal baby killers in Vietnam.
Who are these “neoliberal” politicians? LBJ? Truman? Jimmy Carter? That hate didn’t lead to the rise of progressivism, it led to the rise of right wing anti-progressivism.
The term “neoliberal” consists of two parts, the first meaning simply “new” and the second referring to classical liberalism, the theory that the greater good to society in general comes when individuals are free to pursue their own self interest. The “neo” part refers to application of this idea–that government should stand aside and allow individuals to do as they please–to modern market forces. The idea is that the answers to problems are always to be found in the operation of “free markets.” The most radical exponents of such thinking are folks like Ayn Rand, Milton Friedman, and Paul Ryan, all of whom I would characterize as scum. Unfortunately, this set of bad ideas did strongly infect the Democratic Party in the United States. And so, for example, that party adopted Romneycare instead of a universal, single-payer healthcare system like those of every other advanced democracy in the world, because they wanted a “free market” solution. And so, with Romenycare/Obamacare in place, the US continued to spend TWICE AS MUCH per capita on healthcare as the average of the OECD, with arguably worse health outcomes (higher infant mortality rates, lower longevity rates, higher incidence of all the diseases of affluence such as diabetes, heart disease, and cancer). I will enthusiastically support Joe Biden, but I will fight tooth and nail against many of his Neoliberal ideas, such as so-called “free market” approaches to healthcare and free reign for banks to charge usurious interest rates and fees and opposition to bankruptcy.
free market. noun. One that people can participate in if they are rich enough
Bob We do need to clarify what we mean when using such many-use terms as neo-liberal. And if any terms are too small to hold all of the needed political nuances its: Democratic and Republican, conservative and liberal.
But with your definition in mind, the problem with the “new-neo” part is that it has some truth to it; but ALONE, it’s like one leg of a two-legged animal.
On that, I’ve always wondered if Ayn Rand’s fiction was her doing true art . . . that is, revealing the state of affairs of extremely truncated souls, OR was she actually prescribing how things should be (in good-old ignorant-extremist fashion).
Apparently, such prescribing is what our present neo-liberals (as you mention, like Rand Paul) have taken from her work.
Oh, well, . . . stupid is as stupid does. But if we see some of that truth in people like Biden, but also some of “the other leg,” then we have the advantage. We are in a position to save the game from the day-to-day march towards check-mate. CBK
Rand was not bright enough to figure out that the horrible system back in the Soviet Union that she so detested was not an example of Socialism but, rather, of oligarchy and kleptocracy. Her response to that system–that individuals should pursue their own interests and all others be damned–IRONICALLY is a superb description of precisely the system that prevailed in the Soviet Union. A few individuals seized the whole power of the state and used it to their own ends and created a country where nothing worked, where everything was shoddy and broken, but members of the Party elite lived extraordinarily lavishly.
But, as I said above, there will be time enough for squabbles at the family dinner table AFTER the beast is gone. I disagree with Joe Biden about a great many matters. He was almost LAST among the Democratic nominees in my estimation. But I will ENTHUSIASTICALLY support him in this election. Because TRUMP.
Bob Chess again: We should not protect a pawn or even a horse perhaps, while the king is check-mated, and the game is lost. CBK
Exactly, CBK!!! As I often put it, borrowing from sailing, you don’t polish the brightwork when there is a hole in the hull.
Diane hits the nail on the head, as she so often does. If Trump is reelected, it is quite likely that “we will see an end to civil rights, women’s rights, abortion rights, environmental protection, gay rights, [and] any limits on corporate power.” And those evils are just the beginning of what could happen in a second Trump term. The prospect of that is truly frightening. I don’t agree with Joe Biden about a great many matters, but he’s not the monster Trump is, not by a long, long shot.
To me, the Neoliberal Democrats are the friendly opposition. With them, dialogue is possible. Trump and his ilk, the fascist wannabes, are the enemy.
So, let’s be concrete about this. Throughout Latin America, emerging nation states inherited the hacienda system imposed in the New World by Spain. Land ownership, the source of almost all wealth in the past, was concentrated in a few hands, and there was a vast, unlanded underclass, including almost all the indigenous peoples of Latin America. A friend of mine recently shared with me these statistics: Across Latin America as a whole, 1 percent of all “farms” occupy over half of the arable land. In a great many countries in Latin America, still today, the Gini coefficient for distribution of land is 0.80 or higher, where 0 is perfect equality and 1 is perfect inequality. OK. Given such breathtaking inequity, what’s to be done? Will “market forces” correct this and lift those millions out of poverty? NOT A CHANCE. This takes concerted collective action–land reform.
Bob,
You make some excellent points, but to me what you are saying is that the real neoliberals are the entire Republican party which is the only party that those professing the beliefs of Ayn Rand and her cohort embrace.
Even the most conservative Democrat believes in some government intervention. The “mainstream” democratic party philosophy is so far from being free market that the Republicans have successfully used that against them to scare voters into empowering Republicans at every level.
In fact, the reason that Mitch McConnell is so determined to pack the courts is because those neoliberal Republicans knew something that progressives seemed to miss — that if the Democrats weren’t stopped by Republican-appointed right wing judges at all levels, the Republican neoliberal agenda would be in danger.
Instead we had an election that insured that the Republican neoliberal agenda will be empowered for years if not decades, even if Bernie Sanders was President.
So anyone who opposes neoliberalism in this election — and in 2016 – is and was faced with a choice:
Totally empower the party with the 100% neoliberal agenda, or empower a party that has some neoliberal ideas and some ideas that are not neoliberal that often are mischaracterized by that other party which is trying to push neoliberalism.
For the record, Obamacare was the only health care that was going to be passed. I know this because I watched it being quashed by the “evil neoliberal Jimmy Carter” when he actually had a chance to help Ted Kennedy get universal healthcare passed. And I watched when the “neoliberal” HRC and Harris Wofford worked on universal healthcare that also ended up leading to the Newt Gingrich/ right wing Republican empowerment.
In all those cases, the “evil neoliberal” democrats like Jimmy Carter and HRC got the blame for the failure when the real problem was that the TRUE neoliberal party — the Republicans – were empowered and able to weaponize propaganda to their neoliberal victory.
Without Obamacare there would be nothing. Period. And getting the public used to the idea that universal healthcare isn’t evil made Medicare for All far more mainstream.
I could not believe that the “neoliberal” Democrats like Pete B. were pushing “Medicare for All who want it!” That is a sea change from the time when democrats had to fight any idea.
Again, I absolutely agree with your criticism of neoliberal ideas. My only objection is that we make it clear that Democrats are like Jimmy Carter. They are like Jimmy Carter and they may embrace some neoliberal ideas, but they are not advocates of the free market who are just looking for power and corporate interests.
And yet there is a segment of progressives (not you, Bob) that have empowered the true neoliberals – the Republicans – by demonizing a party which has some members who support more neoliberal ideas and some who support more progressive ideas.
Your point about Repugnicans is very, very well taken!
Dienne, will you be voting for Trump?
This is a totally dishonest reply, Diane, and you know it. I think you would take it back if you could.
There is a HUGE problem we must solve. How can we possibly reclaim any sense of democratic governance if we keep feeding the (authoritarian, corporate, ultimately fascist.. just see Pinochet) beast.
I live in Tennessee. Tennessee is going to go for Trump. This is not to say that the people of Tennessee are for a corporatist agenda. Far from it! However, they have been beaten down by the supposedly ‘Democratic’ Northeast since Reconstruction. As a result, they will vote against New York, and they don’t see Trump as the typical New Yorker I see him to be. Rather they see Trump as an outsider, like themselves.
Biden is from Delaware, a corporate tax haven. He has a lifelong record of being for corporate power and against social programs that help the average person. Why would I believe he suddenly had an epiphany?
Therefore, by voting for Biden, I would be giving up a chance to send a warning to the Democratic Party. I love the Party of Roosevelt, and Stassen should have been there instead of Truman. Too bad Eleanor wasn’t the President instead of F.
Will I vote for Trump? Of course not! Instead, I’ll pick a suitable Leftie, or write in Bernie. Whereas my vote will have no effect on the Presidential electoral outcome, it could have an effect upon the rightward drift of the Democratic Party, a Party that now I’ve lost far more faith in than Bernie. But, as they say, “Hope Springs….”, and so I’ll send one more message upon ears that are almost deaf.
JFK said, “Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable.” In this case, “violent” means kissing off the Democratic Party, entirely. I’m not there, yet, but close.
I do not agree that this is a dishonest reply. When I was asked the same question in 2016, it snapped my out of my temper tantrum-induced stupor. This is the choice, like it or not.
I don’t understand those who seem to ignore all evidence that their “protest” vote in 2016 did serious damage to the progressive future of this country and now insist that they want to double down on their 2016 vote that enabled far right wing neo-fascism because giving the far right neo-fascism Republican party even more power will help the progressive movement even more!
Are they for real?
I imagine that they will still be complaining that the real problem is those corporate democrats while the rest of us are rounded up and marched off to the gas chamber.
After all, look at how little they care about the lives of the people most affected by COVID-19?
Who would anyone professing this nihilistic philosophy write in a protest vote for Bernie Sanders, the man who has specifically stated that not voting for Biden is helping to empower Trump and his right wing toadies another 4 years?
It would make more sense to write in a protest vote for Putin or a protest vote for Steve Bannon or Peter Thiel. After all, you are doing what they want you to do while doing exactly the opposite of what Bernie and AOC want you to do. Sure doesn’t sound progressive to me.
MAYBE Biden is better than Trump? Is anyone really saying that except a few angry white people who think defeating “neoliberalism” is far more important than defeating racism and those trying to destroy democracy itself?
I suggest to anyone out there who buys into these hysterical remarks to peruse the posts on this site from the end of the Democratic convention, on July 28, 2016, through Election Day, November 8, 2016. I did so last weekend and posted some selected headlines from November 8-November 30 2016 on a post a couple of days ago. Many of us foresaw what the Las Vegas Sun articulated so brilliantly last Sunday. Rather than engaging with this screecher, take a look at what she and her allies wrote and let me know if any of them aged well. Any. This individual has no standing whatsoever on this topic. There’s a historical record that will prove it.
And to be completely honest, I bought into this twisted view for a couple of weeks after the convention. But it was Diane’s posts and many sober comments made by the contributors to this blog who taught me the error of my ways. They caused me to go back and read the history of Weimar and other fascist movements and influences. We knew it was fascism then, we understand it better now. Hell hath no fury than that of a converted who has to confront his own shortcomings.
Thank you.
During that period in 2016, I spent a ridiculous amount of time trying to respond here and on other discussion boards when dienne77 and other anonymous self-proclaimed progressives who threw out the term “neoliberalism” the way Lee Atwater used the word “liberal” — to smear the democrat and make sure the most right wing Republicans were enabled.
They didn’t argue on the facts. Lee Atwater made “liberal” synonymous with demanding that (non-white) rapist/murders be released from prison to murder innocent white women. And the anonymous white progressives make “neoliberal” synonymous with “unilateral right to assassinate U.S. citizens with no due process”.
A fair amount of people believed those dishonest, ugly attacks should “just be ignored” in 2016
But they should not. Ignoring those attacks and allowing those spewers of hate and lies to gain credibility led to the people who spewed those hate and lies to be empowered.
dienne77’s hard work to “destroy the neoliberal democratic party to save it” empowered Trump in 2016 didn’t help progressivism. it led to the rise of more hate, more white supremacy, more voter restrictions, more devastation of the most vulnerable populations.
People spewing dishonest rhetoric should not be taken seriously. You could not have a legitimate argument with someone who kept insisting that Willie Horton prove that Dukakis’ and the democrats were evil “liberals” who wanted the rapist/killers to win.
And you can’t have an honest argument with those who claim that today’s democratic party promotes the “unilateral right to assassinate U.S. citizens with no due process” and their entire agenda is to reward the 1%,
They aren’t honest. Honest people are like AOC and Bernie, those who may often criticize the too conservative policies of the democrats but understand that is is the Republicans who are promoting 100x worse policies that should be an anathema to anyone who is a REAL progressive.
And they can’t be argued with. But they can and must be discredited. Not legitimized.
They were legitimized in 2016. Later we learned that many of them — but not all — were right wing and Russian trolls who were not progressive.
Hi Ms Ravitch,
You wrote:
“But after Biden won South Carolina, other candidates dropped out and endorsed Biden, not Sanders.”
I think you should correct this statement. Bernie Sanders endorsed Joe Biden on Monday, April 13, 2020, after Sanders ended his own campaign for President of the United States.
Joe Biden will be running on the most progressive policy platform of any Democratic candidate in the history of the United States. That is due in large part to Bernie Sanders and his supporters.
I’m with you in supporting Joe Biden. Let’s win this. ~Moira
I don’t think what I wrote was an error. After Biden won a surprising victory in SC, despite having no money and a weak campaign, other candidates dropped out and they all endorsed Biden. Even Senator Sanders.
If Jimmy Carter (age 70 and not 95) was running against Trump, would dienne77 call him a “neoliberal” and say that it is up in the air whether Jimmy Carter is any better than Trump?
The Republicans, their Russian/right wing propaganda arm, and a handful of people on the far left, have worked very hard to demonize the “neoliberal” ideas of Jimmy Carter and mischaracterize every Democrat who has ever supported any of those ideas at any time in their history as an evil “neoliberal” who absolutely must be defeated.
In an era where the white supremacy/far right wing agenda has been empowered, and when far right Republicans who wield that power demonstrate their willingness to break all norms of democracy to hold power is right in front of our eyes, there are self-described progressives who still insist the real danger is “neoliberals” — but only democrat neoliberals because the Republican neoliberals are apparently not worrisome to them. Despite the Republican neoliberalism trying to crush all progressive opposition! Despite the Republican neoliberalism trying to restrict voting!
I truly think it is time to stop responding to those posters and time to marginalize them.
There is something suspect when posters claim to be progressives but make it clear they are more than willing to throw all progressive ideas under the bus when it comes to empowering Republicans.
Bernie and AOC know that progressive ideas won’t happen until the far right wing Republicans and their destruction of the institutions that preserve democracy are disempowered.
People like you gave us Donald Trump.
Thank you Diane Ravitch for saying what needs to be said.
Yes, he is. He capitalized the anger for his own personal gain only. He and his yes-men clown possums are vowed to destroy democracy. He is worsening the inequality that is already harming millions of Americans.
Even anti-media establishment journalists like Aaron Mate, Green Greenwald, Matt Taibbi are well aware of his monstrosity. The biggest reason they are critical of Dems and left media like CNN/ NYT/ WaPo/ MSNBC are normalizing his erratic ‘behavior’ to the detriment of lowering the journalistic ethics.
None of them has ever defended Trump for not being a fascist, period.
dienne77 is an agent of Putin or might as well be. He/she seeks to sow dissension within the ranks of the anti-Trump constituency. He/she tries to represent it as a demonstration of integrity to oppose both candidates, but in reality he/she is just trying to motivate left-of-center people not to vote, which is a vote for Trump.
Let’s get Trump out of office, first, and then try to figure out what direction the Democratic Party should take. Younger people tend to be more progressive, so it’s likely that more progressive policies will prevail in the future.
Your analysis does not make sense.
Montana teacher here:
I want to clarify–I am referring to Dienne77
On Anand Giridharadas’ show this week he presented a profile on Mitch McConnell to show that he is the ultimate opportunist. When McConnell first ran for the Senate, he was a pro-choice, pro-universal health care supporter. As he made corporate connections in Congress, he shifted positions. McConnell and Trump are using each other to make money and keep power.
Biden is the only viable choice. I hope he chooses Elizabeth Warren or Stacey Abrams as a running mate. As Diane has said, Biden is a politician, not an ideologue. A politician is more likely to shift positions on issues when pressure is exerted than an ideologue.
Very well said Diane. My thoughts exactly. I especially appreciate your forthright comments about the Tara Reade situation. At this point Democrats who oppose Biden are simply arrogantly anti-democratic.
Thank you, Mark.
Amen, Brother! And delusional. Delusional enablers of American fascism.
As we all know, Putin expended enormous resources to get Trump elected in 2016. In 2018, Tara Reade wrote what can only be described as a love letter to Vladimir Putin, which she published on the online site Medium but has since taken down. Then, once Biden became the presumptive nominee, she has suddenly changed her story. This all smells very, very fishy. And there are other reports of her lack of honesty. For example, according to a news story I read today, she claimed to have an undergraduate degree that she didn’t have, claimed to have taught at a university where she wasn’t an instructor, and claimed to have had a much more substantial role in Biden’s office that she in fact had.
Tara Reade’s lawyer dropped out of her case today.
Wisdom!!! I heartily concur!!!!
There will be time enough for squabbles at the family dinner table AFTER the demented, traitorous moron in the orange clown makeup is out of what he has turned into the Whiter House and the place has been properly fumigated to remove the stench of this subhuman and his criminal family.
Bob It’s not the first time I’ve thought about the need for new silver and sheets at the White House, once Trump and his offspring are gone. . .and maybe they can remove the “For Sale” sign from out front. CBK
lol!!!
I’ll vote for Biden. I see no other choice. Of course, it doesn’t really matter since I live in a solidly blue state. And this may sound odd to many here, but I truly have never been less interested in a presidential election in my lifetime. The chaos and destruction where I live, and the stress from 11 weeks of lockdown, occupy almost all my attention.
I’m very sorry you are in a neighborhood that has experienced some of the worst chaos and destruction. You are not alone in feeling that stress. I hope you are able to find a way to make your stress more bearable.
But I genuinely believe that replacing Trump with Biden (or any Democrat) is the only way to begin the recovery. Trump’s empowerment has made what you are experiencing so much worse.
I fear for all of us if the pandemic comes back in force next winter and the Republican party is in charge.
Nothing will be done unless the pandemic affects lots of white Trump voters, at which point every “blue” state will gave their resources taken from them and given to white people in Trumpland.
Thank you Diane for a well reasoned and rational essay on the need for voting for Biden. I am a strong Bernie supporter but he lost and so now it is time to support Biden and to vote for him in the general election. We must listen to Diane, Cornel West, Noam Chomsky and Bernie who urge us to vote for Biden.
Agreed!!!
An excellent essay from Chomsky on voting (from 2016; equally pertinent today):
https://chomsky.info/an-eight-point-brief-for-lev-lesser-evil-voting/
No matter where you fall on how good or amenable or bad Biden is, there’s no question that he’s better than Trump.
Yes.
“There will be time enough for squabbles at the family dinner table AFTER…”
the electoral collage selection…
Is the proof of a strategy defined by the results?
How’s the ‘rump squabble strategy working out?
How about the word doctor strategy?
Ooo eee, ooo ah ah
Ting tang Walla walla, bing bang
Ooo eee, ooo ah ah
Ting tang Walla walla, bing bang
Ooo eee, ooo ah ah ting tang Walla walla, bing bang…
How is that 2016 (faux) progressive strategy to prioritize defeating the Democrats over defeating the far right wing Republicans working out?
I hear that (faux) progressives believe their 2016 strategy was really successful. As long as someone has a low priority for things like voting rights and democracy. African-American voters can thank your “strategy” for insuring that this pandemic that is taking such a toll on their community has a leader like Trump overseeing it. I’m sure they thank you every day for defeating those Democrats and enabling and empowering Trump and the Republicans.
Now you want to double down on your 2016 strategy because it was so successful? You think punishing African-American voters for not supporting your candidate is a “successful” progressive strategy?
No Brick. I have no clue what you are saying. Biden is going to be the nominee. We shall have a choice between him and Trump. A or B. No C.
There’s always a C. In 2016, for example, I voted for Jill Stein. The “We” you speak of doesn’t include me. I refuse to support either of the two corporate-sponsored political parties.
Jill Stein sat at Vladimir Putin’s head table with Michael Flynn in 2015. She fooled you. She took one million votes away from Hillary and helped elect Trump. How do you like Trump? Do you agree with his attack on gay rights, abortion rights, the environment, and separation of church and state? I see you are ready to do it again. Trump loves the uneducated.
Then, James, if enough Dimocrats follow your lead, Trump will be your president again.
Why? How do we change that?
Daedalus, I wish I had an answer to that question. We are stuck with a two-party system. Sadly.
How do we change that? Easy, amend the Constitution to make the American system a parliamentary one. Piece o’cake.
Amen to that, GregB!!!!! Totally with you on this.
To James: you can go ahead and vote C, but unless you leave the country, you’re going to live under A or B. And be self-righteous and complaining all the time. I guess that’s satisfying?
And for something completely different:
I’m voting (and making calls) for Biden too, though if there’s one thing I’ve learned from reading this blog, it’s that just getting a smarter and more civil technocratic manager in office won’t necessarily solve anything besides stopping the worst aspects of the DeVos-type reforms–which is reason enough to vote for Biden, for sure. For example, it’s very likely that Pete Buttigieg will have some role in the administration, if not, Biden has called him the future of the Democratic Party, so one would expect that people like him would staff a Biden administration. The thrust behind Buttigieg and Biden is still, despite the best efforts of the Warren-Sanders wing, a virulently anti-democratic, New Democrat, Third Way corporatism (embodied best Michael Bloomberg, perhaps). If you look behind Buttigieg’s lip service to teacher’s unions, you can see that he is a wolf in sheep’s clothing. The author of his Douglass Plan for Black America, Chike Aguh, founded a charter school, and did years of management consulting for a very sketchy ed-tech company, and for McKinsey, of course. Another example: I would love Warren as VP, but it looks very likely that Biden is going to pick Harris. I don’t trust someone’s policy “instincts” on education who threatens to prosecute the parents of truant children.
I’m going to vote for Biden because getting rid of Trump is very important, and I think the heming and hawing from Sanders supporters is ridiculous and condemnable, but I don’t understand why anyone gets credit for being “civil”, no matter how “uncivil” Trump obviously is. If NPE and the teachers unions aren’t supported, and we don’t put very strong pressure on Biden, then can’t we expect more of an Arne Duncan-type, Gates-backed, corporate assault on education from a Biden administration, whether or not he is more civil than the current menace in the white house?
Townson,
One battle at a time. First, we must unite to throw the grifter family out of the White House.
Every day brings a new example of chaos. Yesterday Trump announced that the US is withdrawing from an arms control with Russia; a new arms race? Also, he visited a Ford Motor plant where face masks are mandatory and refused to wear one.
When and if Biden is elected, we will push hard to stamp out the legacy of Arne Duncan and his misguided cronies.
Whoever he picks as Secretary of Education won’t be as vicious as DeVos.
Agreed. Four more years of electorally-unconstrained power would be a catastrophe. With all the distractions and insanity of Trump himself, it’s easy to forget the ruthlessness with which a war-mongering international policy and equally destructive domestic social policy are being pursued by shrewd and callous staffers.
The odd joy I felt after reading this for the first time prompted me to send a letter of thanks to the Las Vegas Sun as a personal gesture. To my surprise, they printed it. Seem like this is the appropriate post to share it:
https://lasvegassun.com/news/2020/may/21/our-own-weimar-republic-forming/
“this” being Sun editorial
Greg, Congratulations and thanks to the Sun for printing your appreciation. I did not know you were a scholar of the Weimar Republic. My awareness came from studies of the Bauhaus and successor schools of art and design.
I’m not a scholar! Just an obsessed amateur. Of the German resistance movement as well. I’ve been to the original Bauhaus building in Dessau. Quite a disappointment, but still interesting.
Brilliant! Congratulations!
GregB Glad to see your post and editorial publication–I forwarded it also and got “Wow!” back. CBK
Hi CBK, check out the post Rise of Trump to Hitler (Nov 15, 2016). Good times! Relatively speaking. We agree on much more than we disagree, no matter how heated we may get.
Greg, a very fine letter to the editor. So glad it was published.
Great, Greg!!!!
Thanks all. The real credit goes to Dennis for bringing it to our attention and Diane for having this blog to widen the audience. We might never have known about it otherwise. My letter was just a spontaneous thank you to them. In truth, I was jealous that I hadn’t written the editorial.
GOOD FOR YOU!!!
You think Covid 19 is bad, and it is. But the way Trump is mishandling climate change, it he is re-elected, good bye planet. He paid, pays no real attention to either. He is following the same modus operandi in both. Any real preparation for either was, is negatively put aside.
People who can intelligently tell what to do? God has ordained Trump with such superior intellect and knowledge, those people are not needed. {Yes indeed] Just ask his followers
If I recall correctly, the first (or one of the first) official acts of the newly inaugurated administration was to waive coal-dumping in river water regulations. My new favorite paper printed this today: https://lasvegassun.com/news/2020/may/22/poisoning-americans-is-just-the-cost-of-doing-busi/ In between, and they have gutted clean air and water standards, used the pandemic to accelerate them. McConnell is holding any further stimulus up in part because he wants to waive liability standards for medical errors and polluters. This is on top of their gutting of the National Vaccine Injury fund. In the decades to come, the cumulative death toll in cancers, respiratory diseases, environmentally-caused developmental disabilities, and other illnesses caused by this gutting of public safety regulations may well rival or exceed the national death toll of this pandemic.
Me too.
Spot on Diane!
We need Joe to restore our sanity at home and globally. That’s why I am hoping he picks Susan Rice for VP. Her experience with international relations and intelligence far surpasses the others.
The education debate will continue, but rest assured having a sane intelligent President will at the very least allow somewhat of a rational debate and discussion. His Cabinet will be filled with experienced professionals who believe in public service and not with padding their own coffers.
I believe Biden learned that Arne Duncan’s visions were flawed and led to a dead end. It’s time to start lobbying for a great Secretary of Education who believes in public education which nourishes the whole child and is not mired in the mud of data gathering.
We have said this before, but THIS election is THE MOST IMPORTANT ONE, in our lifetime. Lives depend on the results. Vote for Joe Biden.
RR
Thank you. My feelings too. It would be wonderful to see a President surrounded by experienced, knowledgeable, intelligent people, not the boobs and yahoos chosen by Trump. It would be great to have a President devoted to helping as many people as possible, not just big donors.
Listen to this man. Then think of how he differs, fundamentally, from Donald Trump. Trump entirely lacks empathy. Biden has normal human concern and caring for others, and he is honest in his vulnerability. He understands and feels compassion. Trump utter lacks this.
And think of this, Biden is actually an educated man. In this interview, he wants to make a point and it occurs to him that Kierkegaard said it best, and he quotes him. Imagine that. A president who can read. It’s actually come to this, where that must be taken into account as a minimal qualification for the job.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/joe-biden-shows-trump-how-to-grieve-the-coronavirus-dead-in-emotional-colbert-interview
People say that Biden can’t inspire them. I urge them to listen to this conclusion from an interview with the man. Extraordinarily moving and inspiring in my book. For real for a change.
Understanding Trump
By: Michael Haran
5/7/2020
After Trump’s comments about ingesting toxic disinfectants many people are worried that Trump is going insane. Although it sure seems like it, sanity is not the issue. The issue is Trump, more than likely, has an under developed brain.
In the book, The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump, 37 psychiatrists and mental health experts weighed in on the profound public dangers of Trump’s manifest psychological disorders. Chauncey DE Vega’s AlterNet Interview with psychologist Dr. John Gartner does an in-depth analysis of “how” Trump’s mental disorders are manifested, but the “why” I think is more telling.
Trump is not Adolf Hitler but he shares many of Hitler’s disorders like addictions to lies, and the appeal to wounded followers through the dehumanization of target groups. In trump’s case those include African Americans, Muslims, women, Hispanics, and migrants. I agree with the assessment that Trump is a malignant narcissist but I believe the reason for why he thinks and acts the way he does is because he suffers from an under developed prefrontal cortex. The prefrontal cortex which is responsible for the so-called executive functions such as concentration/focus, organization, planning, self-control, self-confidence and empathy. The prefrontal lobe is the last part of the brain to develop and it develops later in males than females. This is why car rental companies won’t rent a car to anyone under the age of 25. When a male child or adolescent misbehaves it’s not that they don’t want to it’s because they can’t – their self-control isn’t developed yet. This is also why males enjoy juvenile humor more than females. In some people the prefrontal cortex never fully develops.
This is why Trump doesn’t read, even the president’s daily briefings, and leaves organization to others. This is why he can’t plan for the future and only lives in the moment. This is why he can’t show empathy for the thousands of people who have been killed by this virus or their families and, in fact, take a kind of joy in them. This is why he can’t control himself at his press conferences. This is why his inferiority and paranoia doesn’t allow him to accept responsibility and forces him to cast endless blame. This is why he is trying to strangle the Post Office as a way of getting even with Jeff Bezos, who’s Washington Post has exposed may of his mental illnesses, by increasing Amazon shipping costs never mind that it’s the consumer who will ultimately pay. This is why he would rather divide rather than unite. And this is why he is incapable of being an effective leader in a time of crisis.
Since Trump was elected, I learned many new words like narcissism, misogyny, hedonism – can you think of any others?
Xenophobia, malignant narcissism.
“Can you think of any others?” As it happens, Michael, I set precisely this task for myself. Here is the list I came up with: https://bobshepherdonline.wordpress.com/2020/01/11/how-do-i-loathe-thee/
And, Michael, astutely observed!
Joe Biden will run on the most progressive policy platform of any Democratic nominee in history, and Bernie Sanders and the movement he inspired are a big reason why.
I’m with you. I’m ready to support Joe Biden and work hard to campaign for him. Let’s win this! ~moira
I will vote for Biden if I am still alive and Trump’s pandemic hasn’t killed me.
I will vote for Biden because he is a much better candidate BY FAR than a cockroach or rattlesnake.
Biden vs Trump, I’d vote for Biden with hope, prayers, and enthusiasm.
Cockroach vs Trump, I’d vote for the cockroach and walk away shaking my head that the cockroach was my only choice.
Rattlesnake vs Trump, I’d vote for the rattlesnake.
Heck, if it was a puddle of urine vs Trump, I’d vote for the urine as long as it wasn’t Trump’s.
Biden is a much better choice than a rattlesnake, a cockroach, or a puddle of non-Trump urine.
Anyone that doesn’t vote or votes for a 3rd party candidate is also an ignorant, deplorable person in my book.
On a Biden’s side. If he really wants to gain trust from people(even among those skeptical of him), he should stop pretending a semi-sympathizer that only reveals himself as an arrogant snob. This kind of comment doesn’t help.
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
Do you realize you linked to a right wing Republican twitter feed that highlighted how much President Trump has done for the African-American community? You linked to the right wing pro-Trump “rapid response” twitter feed that was expressing faux outrage at such “racist” behavior from Biden.
Why not link to one of the many, many leaders and activists in that community who are saying that Biden is a “semi-sympathizer” and “arrogant snob”? Why not link to criticisms from Charlemagne who Biden was speaking to when he made that statement?
Is it because while they do think what Biden said was unfortunate (and Biden has since apologized), they do not agree with your right wing pro-Trump intentional mischaracterization where Trump is the savior of the African-American community and Biden is a “semi-sympathizer”.
Real progressives aren’t reading “America Rising” and believing it is gospel because “America Rising” also attacks Bernie Sanders and AOC and says disgusting things about them. Did you also read their tweet about multimillionaire Bernie’s 3 homes?
Joe Biden is not going to get the votes of people who believe what they read on America Rising. Bernie Sanders won’t get the votes of people who believe what they read on America Rising.
Biden will get the votes of people who actually care about what African-American voters think and not what right wing racist Republicans tell them that African-American voters SHOULD think.
It doesn’t matter where it comes from. The words came out directly from his mouth.
He admitted it was wrong and inappropriate.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2020-election/biden-tells-african-americans-you-ain-t-black-if-they-n1212911
Don’t forget that Biden has a long history of issue with African-Americans. This is not something people can easily rule out like Tara Reade’s rape allegation. His integrity and faith have just begun to be put under scrutiny. I know he earns support from many African-American voters(in older generations), but he still has a long way to go.
Also, you said,
I’m sorry. That is what you think. What led you to believe that I am a Trump supporter?? Why should I give a nod to that Orange Dumptruck with no brake?
Because the source I provided is a right-wing? Do you believe anything coming from opposite camp is all wrong, while stuff coming from left/progressive is all correct?
That’s really a dangerous assumption. And that’s exactly the reason why many left media and pundits have been criticized for screwing things up after 2016 election (Behaving quite the same as conservative/rightwing media in 9/11 and the Iraq War).
^^^Ken, I posted below also — i went to the America Rising twitter feed you linked to and I was so incensed at reading their right wing Republican propaganda that I jumped to the wrong conclusion and assumed you were pushing that.
So, I apologize for jumping to that conclusion in the above post. I was wrong to do so and I am very sorry.
^^^I owe an apology to Ken Watanabe. When I saw the link to that horrible pro-Trump twitter feed, “America Rising”, I immediately jumped to the conclusion that you were pushing the “defeating Biden is more important than defeating Trump” narrative.
I was wrong, and I am very sorry for assuming that just because of that right wing twitter feed. My presumptions were wrong and I should have been more careful in posting.
I am very sorry for that so please disregard my post above.
NYCPSP,
Do you want me to delete your previous rant, which you now disown?
Diane,
Yes, thank you, deleting that rant would be most appreciated.
I have always felt it was my responsibility to go to and read the links that anyone here posts before I reply, because I always think it is possible that someone has a legitimate point to make and I should consider it. But this time that backfired, because when I saw that right wing pro-Trump website and all their propaganda, I jumped to the wrong conclusion.
I’m very sorry.