And I'd like to add one more name to your cast of characters of the current regime, now that I've just lost ten minutes of time watching her at yesterday's WH press briefing: Karoline Leavitt. Amazing how she can make light of his lack of observance of the day on Juneteenth.
Thanks James -definitely not forgetting her, especially since the criminal elect's previous liar, Sarah Huckabee Sanders is now Governor of Arkansas. Guessing his current liar will either continue in politics or wind up as a show host on a propaganda channel.
Very few things I've seen have made me throw up, actually only one in which all 5 of us in the room including Pararescueman Duane D. Hackney, the most decorated enlisted man in USAF history, threw up within seconds of each other.
I almost threw up, though, a few minutes into Trica McLaughlin's, Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs at the Department of Homeland Security, appearance while watching the June 18, 2025 PBS News Hour, especially when she insisted "75% of the 260,000 arrested were convicted of a violent crime." It was part of a 9 minute exchange of twisted facts, denials, and her comment that "...American people voted in a landslide on Nov 5, 2024, for mass deportations..."
I usually wonder who people like her think they are fooling, but it is becoming rather obvious that she knows who they can keep fooling as long as people don't do any fact checking.
Thanks for persevering Danny (and its Friday, so there’s that). I never set out trying to write a treatise. I end up thinking I felt I needed to establish context before I could cover each “C” and then revisit points I’ve previously written about because I can’t assume foreknowledge of some of my earlier work on wealth inequality.
Even this response is probably somewhat exhausting.
"The chimpanzee is always the better choice." Best summation of the Reagan era ever. I'm going to re-read your piece a few times to get all the detail. The photos alone will take some study - I'm obviously not reading enough society pages to be able to recognize the faces in that panoply of the ultra-rich, and I certainly don't travel in those circles. The weekend is busy, but this will fill the spare time while we wait to see if the White House bozo is going to try to start WWIII. Thanks, George, for laying it all out.
Thank you for your erudite assessment. It's not before time that someone said the glaringly obvious instead of pussy-footing around the truth. Though one of the problems is, as I see it, people do not engage in politics, but this is not a new phenomenon. I can remember too many years ago, in my early twenties, when I first became aware of the structure of government and the knock-on effects of its policies for ordinary folk. I had many conversations with my peers and most of them retorted to my views by saying 'I'm not interested in politics because it doesn't affect me and I can't change anything.' To which I would retort that politics is everything, it's the clothes you wear, the air you breathe, your health etc. and you can change things by voting. But this would be met with a condescending look, a sigh and pathos at my passion.
I watch from Europe as our (humanity's) worst nightmare plays out and pontificate that I never thought that I would live to see the day when America would become a rightwing dictatorship, very similar to the rise in Germany in the 1930's. Did we learn nothing?
Thank you Sylvia. Indeed government influences every part of our lives as well as the future.
The continuous assault on public education is because the wealthy prefer obedient hyper-consumers, not well-educated people voting for equality, justice, and democracy.
Thought-provoking and spot on, as always. Two points:
1. IF we survive the authoritarian plutocracy, if f.e. the 2026 elections will put democrats in charge again (IF we still have elections then...) it is absolutely essential to revamp the democratic party. Too many of them are self-serving, complacent incompetents, similar to their GOP counterparts. David Hoegg just made an effort to get rid of the old, useless guard (as a 79-year-old Bernie fan I can't be accused of being ageist; it's never the NUMBER but your state of mind which makes you an old fart, even when you're 25). Well, they got rid of him. I think it's imperative to change the make-up of the party; I think some of them could be included in your gallery of money-takers.
2. I think the current regime is also a symptom of an outdated worldview: Most of us still consider humans to be the top of all beings (you once wrote about the hierarchical, vertical viewpoint of GOP politics, and I'm simply expanding this idea). I think it is this egocentric, anthropocentric view which led to insatiable greed. And to the current climate catastrophy. When you look at industrial agriculture for example, factory farms and CAFOs are a huge contributor to global warming. People love their cats but think it's okay to eat chickens and cows, because we don't question that it's alright to exploit and kill other beings for our pleasure/gain. That's wrong and in the long run unsustainable.
Whew, sorry for the long post. But this matters to me.
Thank you so much Jessica. Your points resonate with me. I was the Democratic Chair of a rural coastal county in Oregon (and was a Bernie delegate, but unequivocally supported Hillary when she earned the nomination). Suffice to say the party apparatus, from my perspective, was and remains broken and must radically transform itself. I previously approached the party with innovative ideas and tactics to no avail. Interestingly, I also approached Bernie’s staff -and they were equally inattentive.
On the second point, I’ve been a vegetarian for 25+ years now -and have often thought our ego’s are outsized even in an expanding universe.
Very comprehensive article, thank you. I appreciate your insights. I'm mad all over again at Ronnie Reagan and his billionaire puppet masters. Damn their greedy 👀.
Thank you Beth. The failure to prosecute Nixon combined with Reagan's economic policies put us squarely on this course. Sadly decent leadership has been an occasional exception, temporarily righting and patching the ship.
I recall when the Obama Administration brought the economy back from near collapse due to deregulation and Bush tax cuts people were frustrated with President Obama because the Wall Street/Banking industries were bailed out with taxpayer funds -and the McConnell and the GOP blocked help for "Main Street" -strategically important because it created more pent up anger and frustration with government opening the door for the criminal elect's first DC crime wave. If people truly understood what was killing upward mobility and economic fairness the GOP would have the same reputation as a criminal gang (which would be the correct perception).
That was quite the essay! How long did it take to write? Never heard of The Doomsday Clock, read this the morning after US attacking Iran, talk about synchronicity….and listening to a debate with Ezra Klein, Ben Rhodes, Kevin Roberts and Kellyann Conway about is America in a golden age at The Munk Debate, so a Canadian audience. What a smooth operator Robert’s is, Kellyann not so much, the creator of alternative facts, how could I ever be swayed her? Never!
Thank you, George I love your comments about Reagan and I absolutely agree. His trickle down began the gush up and now we have the ignoramus trump slime and his maggots trying to take away health care, nutrition, Social Security in order to speed the process to its end. Serfdom.
And I'd like to add one more name to your cast of characters of the current regime, now that I've just lost ten minutes of time watching her at yesterday's WH press briefing: Karoline Leavitt. Amazing how she can make light of his lack of observance of the day on Juneteenth.
Thanks James -definitely not forgetting her, especially since the criminal elect's previous liar, Sarah Huckabee Sanders is now Governor of Arkansas. Guessing his current liar will either continue in politics or wind up as a show host on a propaganda channel.
Oh, I'd forgotten Sarah. Geez, that means that Karoline is just trying hard to follow in the footsteps of her predecessor...
Very few things I've seen have made me throw up, actually only one in which all 5 of us in the room including Pararescueman Duane D. Hackney, the most decorated enlisted man in USAF history, threw up within seconds of each other.
I almost threw up, though, a few minutes into Trica McLaughlin's, Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs at the Department of Homeland Security, appearance while watching the June 18, 2025 PBS News Hour, especially when she insisted "75% of the 260,000 arrested were convicted of a violent crime." It was part of a 9 minute exchange of twisted facts, denials, and her comment that "...American people voted in a landslide on Nov 5, 2024, for mass deportations..."
I usually wonder who people like her think they are fooling, but it is becoming rather obvious that she knows who they can keep fooling as long as people don't do any fact checking.
I suspect they are catering to the same group of “factose intolerant” cultists I wrote about previously: https://bomdia.substack.com/p/its-a-maga-party-at-the-lake
Very thoughtful. Great work, but I admit you wore me out.
Thanks for persevering Danny (and its Friday, so there’s that). I never set out trying to write a treatise. I end up thinking I felt I needed to establish context before I could cover each “C” and then revisit points I’ve previously written about because I can’t assume foreknowledge of some of my earlier work on wealth inequality.
Even this response is probably somewhat exhausting.
I admire your thoughtfulness and your thoroughness
"The chimpanzee is always the better choice." Best summation of the Reagan era ever. I'm going to re-read your piece a few times to get all the detail. The photos alone will take some study - I'm obviously not reading enough society pages to be able to recognize the faces in that panoply of the ultra-rich, and I certainly don't travel in those circles. The weekend is busy, but this will fill the spare time while we wait to see if the White House bozo is going to try to start WWIII. Thanks, George, for laying it all out.
Let’s not leave out the fact that we have a disabled and death spiraling president https://thistleandmoss.com/p/donald-trump-is-going-to-die-soon
Brilliant piece!
Thank you @Diane’s Blue Forum !
It’s past time to impeach felon Trump, George.
Thank you for your erudite assessment. It's not before time that someone said the glaringly obvious instead of pussy-footing around the truth. Though one of the problems is, as I see it, people do not engage in politics, but this is not a new phenomenon. I can remember too many years ago, in my early twenties, when I first became aware of the structure of government and the knock-on effects of its policies for ordinary folk. I had many conversations with my peers and most of them retorted to my views by saying 'I'm not interested in politics because it doesn't affect me and I can't change anything.' To which I would retort that politics is everything, it's the clothes you wear, the air you breathe, your health etc. and you can change things by voting. But this would be met with a condescending look, a sigh and pathos at my passion.
I watch from Europe as our (humanity's) worst nightmare plays out and pontificate that I never thought that I would live to see the day when America would become a rightwing dictatorship, very similar to the rise in Germany in the 1930's. Did we learn nothing?
Thank you Sylvia. Indeed government influences every part of our lives as well as the future.
The continuous assault on public education is because the wealthy prefer obedient hyper-consumers, not well-educated people voting for equality, justice, and democracy.
Thought-provoking and spot on, as always. Two points:
1. IF we survive the authoritarian plutocracy, if f.e. the 2026 elections will put democrats in charge again (IF we still have elections then...) it is absolutely essential to revamp the democratic party. Too many of them are self-serving, complacent incompetents, similar to their GOP counterparts. David Hoegg just made an effort to get rid of the old, useless guard (as a 79-year-old Bernie fan I can't be accused of being ageist; it's never the NUMBER but your state of mind which makes you an old fart, even when you're 25). Well, they got rid of him. I think it's imperative to change the make-up of the party; I think some of them could be included in your gallery of money-takers.
2. I think the current regime is also a symptom of an outdated worldview: Most of us still consider humans to be the top of all beings (you once wrote about the hierarchical, vertical viewpoint of GOP politics, and I'm simply expanding this idea). I think it is this egocentric, anthropocentric view which led to insatiable greed. And to the current climate catastrophy. When you look at industrial agriculture for example, factory farms and CAFOs are a huge contributor to global warming. People love their cats but think it's okay to eat chickens and cows, because we don't question that it's alright to exploit and kill other beings for our pleasure/gain. That's wrong and in the long run unsustainable.
Whew, sorry for the long post. But this matters to me.
Thank you so much Jessica. Your points resonate with me. I was the Democratic Chair of a rural coastal county in Oregon (and was a Bernie delegate, but unequivocally supported Hillary when she earned the nomination). Suffice to say the party apparatus, from my perspective, was and remains broken and must radically transform itself. I previously approached the party with innovative ideas and tactics to no avail. Interestingly, I also approached Bernie’s staff -and they were equally inattentive.
On the second point, I’ve been a vegetarian for 25+ years now -and have often thought our ego’s are outsized even in an expanding universe.
Good points Jessica.
Very comprehensive article, thank you. I appreciate your insights. I'm mad all over again at Ronnie Reagan and his billionaire puppet masters. Damn their greedy 👀.
Thank you Beth. The failure to prosecute Nixon combined with Reagan's economic policies put us squarely on this course. Sadly decent leadership has been an occasional exception, temporarily righting and patching the ship.
I recall when the Obama Administration brought the economy back from near collapse due to deregulation and Bush tax cuts people were frustrated with President Obama because the Wall Street/Banking industries were bailed out with taxpayer funds -and the McConnell and the GOP blocked help for "Main Street" -strategically important because it created more pent up anger and frustration with government opening the door for the criminal elect's first DC crime wave. If people truly understood what was killing upward mobility and economic fairness the GOP would have the same reputation as a criminal gang (which would be the correct perception).
That was quite the essay! How long did it take to write? Never heard of The Doomsday Clock, read this the morning after US attacking Iran, talk about synchronicity….and listening to a debate with Ezra Klein, Ben Rhodes, Kevin Roberts and Kellyann Conway about is America in a golden age at The Munk Debate, so a Canadian audience. What a smooth operator Robert’s is, Kellyann not so much, the creator of alternative facts, how could I ever be swayed her? Never!
Thanks Patricia. I try to get a new article ready every two weeks depending on the coffee supply. 🤓
Thank you, George I love your comments about Reagan and I absolutely agree. His trickle down began the gush up and now we have the ignoramus trump slime and his maggots trying to take away health care, nutrition, Social Security in order to speed the process to its end. Serfdom.
Thank you Fay. Reagan put us on an economic path to ruin and the criminal elect and his cabal are gleefully stepping on the accelerator.
Such a well written and in-depth post. The pictures included were reminders of what has already happened. Thanks, George.