The Enemy Within
How to slay a democracy
While Putin and others continue their efforts to weaken and divide the United States, there’s been much talk about “the real enemy” or “the enemy within”.
Although the mass murdering criminal Putin directs State actors to “light the fuse” on the powderkeg that has become divided America it is the “enemy within” who is largely culpable in this attack upon our institutions and democracy.
There is an array of issues that readily divide the United States today. Who and what are the internal forces that have built the powderkeg and happily provided the fuse to Putin and others?
The erosion of the guardrails of democracy and our institutions is not trivial and requires the effort of vast wealth. As wealth has concentrated into the hands of a few (at the expense of everyone else) it provides the opportunity for a relatively small group of obscenely wealthy individuals to focus on the pool of public funds and/or value in the Social Security and Medicare funds, value in housing, education, healthcare, defense, and anywhere they see a massive pool of funds that could allow them to accumulate even more wealth and power.
The following is a brief look at the coordinated (and at times accidental) forces who share a common idea -that they are the “chosen”, anointed, because they have been clever enough to amass (or inherit) billions of dollars -and that you and I -whether we wear a MAGA hat or a “Harris/Walz” shirt -we are simply expendable pawns in a vast chess game.
Let me begin with a couple of important concepts that guide the perspective I’ve arrived at in almost two-thirds of a century of observation (granted, the first sixteen years or so had a negligible impact on my worldview until I discovered John Kenneth Galbraith, Noam Chomsky, and Barbara Ehrenreich).
While it may seem that much of what I write is anti-wealth, my thinking is nuanced. Wealth, when it is earned through innovation, talent, monumental effort, putting your capital at risk, and then creating something of value to society is a positive. Often this leads to the creation of jobs and even the formation of industries. However, when you use the wealth that has been created in a positive manner to then use your wealth to influence political leadership to enact law and policy to facilitate the accumulation of more wealth (not predicated on creating value -diminishing societal protections, weakening democracy, and undermining the rule of law: then from my perspective you should go perform an act that is generally anatomically impossible: i.e.: GFY.
If you subscribe and read my ramblings this is not new. Any meaningful attempt at democracy requires an informed, educated, and engaged society.
The following represent significant domestic forces working to diminish and destroy the “American experiment” -it is not a complete list of the “Enemies Within”, and it is in no particular order.
Enemy Within: Wealth Concentration and the Enduring Ghost of Ronald Reagan
The GOP insists the best way to improve everyone’s economic standing is to slash taxes for corporations and the already wealthy. The theory is that when you provide more available funds for the wealthiest (and therefore the smartest) in society, they will invest those funds in magical ways that will create high-paying jobs for everyone. The reality is when you slash taxes for a small group of already wealthy individuals they become wealthier. They then use some of the newly accumulated wealth to buy more political and/or judicial influence to then accumulate more wealth. They park a significant portion of their wealth in offshore tax havens. In the case of Big Oil and Big Coal wealth, they might put some of their funds into groups working to distribute anti-climate propaganda and disinformation. Or those with vast wealth might purchase major news and media outlets (like Musk’s purchase of Twitter or Rupert Murdoch’s Fox “News”) to distribute hate speech, disinformation, and propaganda intended to keep us divided into “Red” and “Blue” and misdirected as to the rapidly eroding quality of life. The use of accumulated wealth tends to be a destructive force -which diminishes the quality of life and effectively steals from current and future generations. I know this may come as a shock to many who have been told immigrants and refugees are coming to the United States and taking all of the high-paying executive jobs, like the CEO of NewsCorp and Tesla, for example.
Enemy Within: A Lack of Governmental Transparency & Accountability
The lack of accountability to the taxpayer is an internal and destructive force. It opens the door to justifiable (and unjustifiable) criticism from society. It readily morphs into attacks on our institutions and system such as Reagan’s “I’m with the government and I’m here to help.”, or GOP acolytes like Grover Norquist’s “I want a government so small I can drown it in a bathtub.” While on the surface these might be perceived as innocuous, the comments create a frame in which government is no longer "us”, our experiment with “self-governance”. It is no longer comprised of cousins, neighbors, or those who devote themselves to public service. It creates a frame in which government is this abstract disconnected entity that takes a large part of your paycheck in taxes, employs chronically lazy bureaucrats who only exist to protect the spotted owl, and precludes you from becoming a millionaire. The frames created by Reagan, Norquist, and others who deride government are not light-hearted humor. The statements are an insidious attack on the American experiment in self-governance.
Whether you are liberal or conservative (or a little of both) -when paying taxes it should be considered an investment in programs that will yield a better, safer, and more secure future for ourselves, our family, our communities, and our nation. When funds are misdirected, when they are wasted, stolen, or directed into programs contrary to the majority of the voting population, it opens the door to a negative perspective on public service.
Enemy Within: Industry Lobbyists
When large companies form advocacy and lobbyist organizations (centers of power and influence) their collaborative power can readily overwhelm governmental regulation and enforcement intended to protect society.
Ironically, when you read the Lewis Powell memorandum to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Powell calls for industries to unite, effectively forming “Unions” of their own to lobby and to influence public opinion. Industries such as:
Big Oil & Big Coal: working to elect officials who will weaken environmental and climate protections for society to drive more profit and revenue while jeopardizing our planetary home -anti-trust law should be used to eviscerate and eradicate such collusion.
Oil industry lobbyists, Merchants of Doubt Banking -Too Big to Fail: creating entities so vast that their failure will risk the entire U.S. economy -and even the global economy should not be allowed. This is why various industries MUST be subjected to regulation and enforcement. Otherwise, they can act in a predatory manner, take major risks -and then shift the risk to you and me -because they know at the end of the day they will just get a trillion-dollar taxpayer-funded bailout.
Big Pharma, Healthcare, and Wall Street: The United States ranks last among affluent countries in healthcare. While the U.S. system is not entirely based upon for-profit entities, major providers (such as pharmaceutical companies) are for-profit and drive patient care costs through the proverbial roof. Furthermore, major health insurance providers are for-profit. A part of that profit is based upon denied claims, delayed claims, and insinuating themselves between healthcare providers and patients, decreasing the standard of care, embracing a lower-cost/higher-risk procedure for you or a family member, or kicking you out of the hospital sooner -and the profit will be paid out in executive bonuses, and investor dividends. For those who carry signs at protests against Medicare and a public healthcare option, did you know you are saying you want Wall Street analysts, private equity, and insurance executives making life-or-death healthcare decisions for you and your family instead of someone dedicated to public health administration?
The NRA and assault weapons -While not entirely an "enemy from within” as the NRA enjoyed a close relationship with Putin, it doesn’t seem to matter how much suffering and death is caused by the intentionally misinterpreted Second Amendment. Whether you love the Second Amendment or despise the bulletproof backpacks and active shooter drills now uniquely commonplace in the United States there should be no doubt it divides us, and as a result, weakens us.
Enemy Within: AG Garland (Sorry Merrick)
Merrick Garland’s nomination to the Supreme Court was largely viewed as a conciliatory gesture by then-President Obama. The appointment was blocked by Kentucky Senator “Moscow” Mitch McConnell. Garland had a reputation as an excellent, centrist jurist. He was viewed as a safe choice with across-the-aisle support. While these attributes are desirable for a judge, an Attorney General must be a fierce prosecutor representing the rule of law, the Constitution, and the guardrails of democracy. While AG Garland has been good in pursuing MAGA insurrectionists who violently interfered with the transfer of power on January 6, 2021, there are far too many elected officials who remain in positions where they can subvert the election process and disenfranchise the majority of voters in the 2024 election cycle. Note that AG Garland has been a positive force when he is not in conflict with protecting his reputation. However, the GOP has largely morphed into a criminal organization and AG Garland has put our entire system at risk by not pursuing all who participated directly or indirectly in the attacks on the system.
Elected officials & the 14th Amendment -the DOJ should have pursued and indicted every elected and/or appointed individual who was involved in the planning of the insurrection, who undermined the integrity of the election process, those who attempted or obstructed justice in the matter, those who provided funding for the insurrectionist attack on the system, and those who continued as accessories after-the-fact to perpetuate Trump’s lie about the 2020 elections. The fact that Trump and others have not been held criminally responsible for their conduct is an affront to the justice system. AG Garland prioritizing his reputation as a non-partisan centrist over his responsibility to defend the U.S. Constitution and institutions fundamental to our system makes him a perhaps unwitting accomplice to the clear and present danger to our system.
Planners, funders, co-conspirators, and accessories after the fact have no business in public service. At a minimum they should be expelled and precluded from elected or appointed office. I'd like to see them all indicted, convicted, and imprisoned. The rise of white supremacy, Christian nationalism, and fringe/hate groups. The Southern Poverty Law Center tracks extremist groups in the United States. They are continuing to grow in number and capability. This poses a direct threat to domestic peace and security. I view this as another failure of the DOJ on AG Garland’s watch. While Trump and his acolytes speak of the danger of immigrants and refugees (who can often be found doing backbreaking work in agricultural fields across the U.S. keeping the consumer cost of fresh produce low) Trump speaks of neo-Nazi and other hate-based groups as “fine people” because they represent his fervent base. The rise of fringe groups such as the three-percenters, the Proud Boys, and others are given license -as instead of the condemnation they deserve Trump directs them to “stand back and stand by”.
https://www.splcenter.org/presscenter/splc-releases-annual-year-hate-extremism-report-decodes-far-rights-plan-undo-democracyThe continuing attacks on DEI (Diversity, equity, and inclusion), “Wokeness”, and even books are based upon ignorance, fear, and hatred. I think anti-woke and/or anti-DEI sentiment is the 21st-century equivalent of the “N-word”.
The growth of fringe/extremist/hate groups represent a clear and present danger to our system.
Enemy Within: “The Profit Motive”, Truth, and Cynicism
When applied to public health and safety the profit motive is an “enemy within”. While “following the money” is often excellent advice about identifying motivating facts and evidence, our history of placing profit on an altar far above people and planet opens the door for people to ask “Are COVID vaccines important to control the spread of a contagious and deadly disease, or is it all about Pfizer and Moderna hitting their Wall Street expectations?” (And for those still asking the question, a quick check of the incidence of mortality rates pre-vaccine and post-vaccine should provide a clue regardless of what Mr. Brain Worm or some guy you saw on the internet happens to say).
The very real societal priority, “Profit over People” undermines our ability to communicate critical information related to the public good. Those who have survived horrific wildfires, prolonged drought, hurricanes increasing in frequency and intensity, and flooding know that climate change is not a liberal hoax. And yet, because a handful of “scientists” on the payroll of Exxon or Chevron claim these are just natural occurrences in weather patterns, people keep buying gas-guzzling SUVs. As many in the GOP hypothesize the “free market” magically solves everything and a significant part of the population believes that a vaccine for measles, COVID-19, or polio is just a method for Pfizer to hit Wall Street analyst expectations (or to implant a Bill Gates chip), the profit motive, which does not belong in healthcare anyway, subverts the ability to protect our society from the next contagious and deadly pandemic or from the catastrophic consequences of climate change. And despite what many are told, drinking bleach and shoving a UV light into your lower intestinal tract might not work as well as Trump would lead you to believe.
Enemy Within: Media -Propaganda & Entertainment Replaces the Fourth Estate
The Fourth Estate was fired and replaced by entertainment, lies, disinformation, and propaganda (Thanks Rupert). This destroys one of the three pillars of any meaningful democracy. And when you are still rabidly committed to a news channel that had to settle a massive lawsuit for lying -you are most definitely part of the problem. When a publisher, let’s call him Jeff Bezos for example, interferes with a newspaper’s editorial staff and their planned endorsement of a political candidate so Jeff can accumulate more wealth through favorable governmental tax policy or potential federal contracts for space rockets, the Fourth Estate, critical to any attempt at democracy, has died or is on its deathbed. When the objective of news organizations shifted from their important role as the “Fourth Estate” -feeding the pillar of factual societal news and information to generating profit, or serving as a megaphone for the opinions of its ownership, media companies, ranging from the creation of news content to the distribution of that content (via broadcast, print, cable, or social) became “the enemy within”. It is also important to underscore the vast difference between the courageous investigative journalists who remain committed to reporting facts and evidence, breaking stories related to things like The Panama Papers, or The Paradise Papers, or war correspondents who risk life, limb, and imprisonment reporting in high-risk areas of global conflict and the general media who, regardless of the lead story, send it over to “Dr. Sunshine” with the weather report through laughter, teasing fun, and anchor hijinx.
Enemy Within: The Death of Civility
The breakdown of civility in leadership is an enemy within. For example, years ago Members of Congress might have differences of opinion on policy and legislation, and might passionately advocate for their position. At the end of the day, there was recognition that their objectives, a stronger, safer United States was commonly shared, and compromises and deals might be struck at a Capital watering hole away from the prying eyes of what was then -the press -a meaningful Fourth Estate. Now we have MT Greene discussing Jewish space lasers, Lauren Boebert in dark theaters “enjoying a performance”, and James Comer (Pyle), and Jim Jordan planning their next politicized misuse of the House Judiciary Committee (and actively participating in the obstruction of justice for the January 6, 2021 insurrection. Extreme disrespect such as yelling “You Lie” or other orchestrated and intentionally incendiary remarks during a State of the Union address gives license for a complete breakdown of the basic civility of society. Why is it acceptable now for someone to comment on another’s perspective or opinion shared on social media with 3rd-grade-level name-calling or bullying? It’s because they have not only been given license to do so, it has been role-modeled for them by their leaders. Party over the country has gripped our political system. Disrespect, objectification, and “othering” have gripped our society. Let’s destroy Social Security and watch “THEM” cry liberal tears (without thinking about the devastating consequences for seniors). Let’s destroy the public education system and watch “THEM” clutch their pearls! (Without a thought as to the role of a well-educated society when competing with the rest of a volatile and advancing world). I’m going to crush this Prius with my Hummer: HA HA HA! (Without thinking of the major investor in Big Oil who is laughing at YOU all the way to their offshore bank). It’s not about a win for the “R’s” or for the “D’s”. It is about the society and world in which we all live, our communities, the quality of life, and the future.
Enemy Within: Mitch McConnell and the Flow of Dark Money
We’ve been ruled by a U.S. Senator from Kentucky: He has driven incompetent, corrupt, and biased judicial appointments. The Judicial Branch is, in theory, an important part of “checks and balances” established by the framers of the U.S. Constitution to act as a guardrail of our democracy. Thoroughly enjoying his time as Senate Majority and at times Minority Leader, McConnell has severely damaged the Judicial Branch. While each political party will consider the perceived liberal or conservative ideology when nominating or appointing judges, a foundation for such decisions used to be knowledge of the law, experience, respect for legal precedent, and temperament.
The unbridled flow of money has severely corrupted the United States justice system to what was once the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS). The now Supremely Corrupt Court and the broken Judicial system are now a significant part of the “Enemy Within”. With massive amounts of secretive money flowing in, The Federalist Society holds significant sway over judicial appointments and nominations in the United States. The Society was originally formed to promote qualified conservative judges offering strict interpretations of the law. A co-chairman of the Board of The Federalist Society, Leonard Leo (often viewed as a key and active architect of the Society) leads another non-profit organization, the “Marble Freedom Trust” -an organization which funds conservative causes, influences judicial nominations, lobbies, and influences governmental policy. Marble received a massive $1.6 billion "donation” from Barre Seid, a great example of how the flow of secret money in the United States is used to undermine societal progress on environmental protections, women’s rights, voting rights, labor rights, race and gender equality, and more.
McConnell was instrumental in blocking Merrick Garland’s confirmation to the Supreme Court and elevating individuals possessing extreme partisan bias, questionable experience, impeachable backgrounds, or sheer incompetence. Now we have two members (of nine) on the Supreme Court who ignore the important tradition of legal precedence, who have neglected to report luxurious gifts bestowed upon them and/or their family members (even on issues directly relevant to matters before the court), women’s rights, voting rights, and fundamental environmental protections have been eviscerated, and the Judicial system itself, intentionally designed to be insulated from the ebb and flow of politics has been tainted by “Moscow” Mitch.
Enemy Within: Racism
The Electoral College was part of compromises made during the Constitutional Convention of 1787 to unify the northern and southern states. The compromise allowed southern states to count their slave populations in determining electoral and representational power (at 3/5 of a person) while denying the voting and civil rights of those who were enslaved. When debating whether monuments to the South’s treasonous acts of the Civil War should be celebrated or removed, the Electoral College should be at the top of the list for removal. For example, Hillary Clinton received 3 million more votes than the criminal Trump in 2016. By using the Electoral College to elevate Trump, Hillary’s nearly 66 million voters were effectively disenfranchised by a 63 million vote minority.
The Filibuster is a Senate procedure that was instituted in 1806 and has had the originally unintended consequences of delaying, obstructing, and blocking legislation, notably civil and voting rights protections. It provides the mechanism for the minority party in the U.S. Senate to continue debate on an issue indefinitely. Subsequently, there was a rule change that ended a filibuster with a 2/3 vote to do so. Later, the rule was lowered to 60 votes. This shifts significant power to less populated Southern states. For example, California’s population is about 39 million. In the U.S. Senate California has the same number of votes as Kentucky (4.5 million), the same number as West Virginia (1.8 million), and the same number of votes as South Dakota (900K). In 1957 Strom Thurmond of South Carolina conducted a 24+ hour filibuster against the Civil Rights Act of 1957. More recently the filibuster has been used to stop the Dream Act, Gun Violence prevention measures, an amendment to abolish the Electoral College, and the For the People John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act.
Racism disguised as Patriotism and Nostalgia
Nostalgia for a “Simpler Time”: People romanticizing past eras as “simpler” or “better” trivialize the systemic racism, despair, and suffering of those periods.
"America First" and Nationalism: Slogans like “America First” and other nationalist rhetoric have been used to invoke patriotism and intentionally exclude minority groups. This ideology sometimes promotes the idea that the presence of immigrants or minority groups challenges American values, which is often a coded critique aligned with racial exclusion. For example, “Make America Great Again” is interpreted as a call to return to a time before civil rights advancements.
Patriotism isn't about molesting the flag or how many you have. It is about fighting for democracy, justice, equality -toward "a more perfect union." Confederate Symbols and Monuments: Confederate flags and monuments are often justified as symbols of “heritage” or “history.” The world went to war with 1930’s Nazi Germany and the Axis powers. Do we have flags over State Capitols honoring Hitler, Mussolini, or Goebbels because of proud Italian or German heritage? No. Then perhaps flags honoring the treasonous southern uprising shouldn’t be flying over State Capitols, and monuments to “great Southern generals” shouldn’t occupy public lands.
School Curricula and the “Greatness” of Founding Ideals: Let’s stop lying to children, thereby creating a future of imbecilic obedient hyper-consumers who believe that Columbus discovered “The New World”, Africans boarded ships in order to serve as “agricultural or service apprentices”, and that those indigenous to the United States -long before there were colonies, sequestered themselves to patches of reservation land (however, many suffered and died along the way because early travel was dangerous then). If you were about to make a vitally important decision about your future, would you want to have as many facts as possible to do so, or would you prefer to have a percentage of the information be predicated upon lies? If you believe any decision you arrive at shouldn’t be based upon lies, disinformation, and propaganda, how do you expect future societies to make vital decisions about the future when we, their elders, don’t provide factual accounts of events and history? We must stop whitewashing history. A lie, based upon patriotic ideals is still a lie. Governors like Abbott, DeSantis, or influential people like Betsy DeVos or the Walton heirs, and the willfully ignorant “Moms for Liberty” who seek to influence the education system, ban books, ban topics, or intentionally mislead this and future generations are doing a huge disservice to the United States. Instead of future leaders armed with facts, evidence, and science, we will have a vast pool of ignorance who believe that “Brawndo” has electrolytes -it’s what plants crave.
Test your mathematics skills: An idiot governor plus people banning books equals: More future idiots! Rejection of Social Justice Movements as “Un-American”: Patriotism is often used to criticize progressive movements advocating for racial equality, such as Black Lives Matter, by labeling them as “un-American” or divisive. Similarly, groups working toward gender equality, or LGBTQ+ equality and rights are considered to be “Woke” which is the new word coded to mean “Socialist, Communist, Liberal, and other labels by right-wing extremists, purveyors of toxic masculinity, racists, misogynists, and xenophobes.
Note that “Woke” actually means someone who is educated, informed, and embraces radical ideas like justice, equality, and democracy.
Enemy Within: The Willfully Ignorant, Racists, Misogynists, & Xenophobes.
When people elect Congressional or State “leadership” elevating them to the national stage, it is a reflection of who you are. You are effectively saying “This individual is best equipped from an intellectual and leadership standpoint to represent my interests, my family, my neighborhood, and my community”. When you send the incompetent, the corrupt, racists, supremacists (or worse), such as MT Greene, Boebert, Gaetz, Abbott, DeSantis, Noem, Stefanik, Jordan, Tuberville, Comer, Ernst, Hawley, Ivey, Manchin, and Johnson (Ron or Mike) you are revealing a great deal about yourselves and the voting majority in your community.
Enemy Within: All Those Who Have Killed “The American Dream”
The enemy within comprises all the above (and more). As the United States either nears its 250th anniversary or its demise we can either make progress on a journey toward a “more perfect union” as the framers abstractedly described, or we can continue on our present path of polarizing division, something foreign adversaries such as Putin, Orban, and others would gleefully welcome. While the U.S. is at an inflection point, the rest of the world is tensely watching -as our failure will also weaken aspirations of democracy everywhere.
The Biden/Harris Administration has been able to enact policy and legislation which has strengthened many of the economic fundamentals of the United States, despite lacking a majority in the House of Representatives, and a razor-thin margin the the Senate. Nevertheless, people have been subjected to wealth-concentrating policies since being implemented in the 1980s by Ronald Reagan. Moms and dads who dreamed of an affordable education for their children, a nice house, a couple of cars, and decent healthcare have seen it slip away. Their children, now into adulthood are saddled with student debt, the cost of housing and healthcare has exploded, and much of the rest of the world has invested in high-speed trains and infrastructure while the United States has concentrated more wealth into the hands of the self-serving, irresponsible, and imbecilic hands of people like Elon Musk. The wealthy have accumulated massive wealth while multiple generations of families face greater challenges. The loss of hope and the death of the American Dream has not only served to concentrate wealth in the hands of a few, but when coupled with an erosion of education, and a consolidation of media and information perpetuates lies, disinformation, and propaganda that the problems in America are caused by immigrants, refugees, and liberals, instead of the handful who have not only been allowed to accumulate obscene wealth, they want more. At present at least $4 Trillion of US wealth is parked in offshore tax havens like Switzerland, Luxembourg, and the Cayman Islands -ready to back the next set of political candidates who will tell you that you are suffering because wealthy people pay too much in taxes, or because of the Social Security system, public education, or Reagan’s “Cadillac driving welfare queen.”
Regardless of what hat you wear, where you pray (or don’t), who you love, or where you stand on a variety of issues, our society -and those who we elect to lead, must address 50 years of profoundly concentrated wealth. Of all I’ve listed above, the handful of people who operate in the shadows, the Barre Seid’s, the Harlan Crow’s, the Peter Thiel’s, and the Elon Musk’s must be addressed because their undue influence has the United States system on its deathbed.
Fantastic post. This puts it all together. I feel like we've been playing whack-a-mole for the last 40+ years.I am crossing my fingers that the level of corruption has gotten to the point of waking people up. Maybe thump was the shot in the arm that we needed? I used to be one of those uninformed voters (& hate to admit it, but voted for Reagan.) We had faith that the party would provide us with leaders. Now too often we seem to vote for the "lesser of 2 evils" and stay in our bubbles. Thump has been so horrible that we're getting a peak behind the curtain of who's really running the show.
I am forwarding your post to all my friends
Everything you wrote is 100 percent correct . I am terrified.