In Praise of Potemkin

by wj

We’re overdue for a new Open Thread. So this is it.

Recently, I’ve seem increasing numbers of reports that members of the administration who speak with Trump, or with members of his inner circle, are routinely slanting (or totally inventing) what they say to him about the world outside the White House. Especially when it comes to how things are going with covid-19 and with his reelection campaign. Fake polls are especially big.

I submit that this is a good thing. Trump strikes me as, at least potentially, the kind of guy who would destroy everything around him rather than admit, especially to himself, that he has failed or is somehow a loser. But so long as he is surrounded by a bubble of (mis)information which tells him he is succeeding, he has no reason to deliberately do anything massively destructive. If he can be kept in the dark until the election, it will be all to the good.

After the election, of course, he may be unable to avoid the fact that he has lost. Not that he won’t frantically try various tactics to undo the result. But the critical fact will be that those around him will know that he is on the way out. And therefore, it is in their own self-interest to avoid letting anything happen that would trash their personal employment prospects going forward. In short, his enablers are likely to cease enabling.

Sure, it would be nice if Trump could be persuaded to do something constructive about covid-19 or about the economy. But realistically, how likely is that? Is it even possible, given how he is? And since he can’t, better he continue to be encased in a Potemkin village where everything is going great. No matter what reality is outside.

Comments

[John Thullen]

STEVENS: Look, in July, Trump was already talking about suspending the elections. What do you think he’s going to do in October? Tell me what’s wrong with this scenario: It’s November 1, he’s losing, there are reports of voter irregularities in Florida, like there always are, and he sends those guys in camouflage into Miami-Dade County to seize the ballot boxes. Who’s going to stop him? The county security guards? They’re not going to phone ahead. What are the courts going to do? Order another election? Throw out Dade County? I don’t know. Who would object? [Attorney General William] Barr would go right along with it. The inability to imagine Trump has always been his greatest advantage.

[cleek]

that scenario would lead to the kind of violence Marty is currently only dreaming about.

[russell]

none of the leftists I know build their identity around violence the way that those guys I trained with did.

What they refuse to do is to accept that the violence of black bloc minority delegitimizes the cause.

As is so often the case, nous captures pretty much everything I have to say in a couple of sentences, and much more clearly than I am able to.

Thank you.

And a pox on the head of the POTUS for treating all of this like an opportunity to show what a tough guy he is.

People are angry, about a number of things. Constructive leadership is needed to address that.

That leadership is not only not on offer, what is on offer is an opportunistic pouring of gasoline on the fire, in the interest of further dividing the nation and inflaming the vivid apocalyptic fantasy life of the POTUS' base.

I can't tell if the man is insane, or just deeply and profoundly cynical. Maybe both. And I don't actually care which, I just want to see him out.

The man breeds chaos. It's what he likes, it's where he thrives. We've had enough of it.

Vote him the hell out. Another four years of this are going to cripple us.

Conservatives here who hate the very thought of voting (D), I'm calling on you to hold your noses this year and vote for Biden and Harris. A Biden presidency won't be to your liking, is my guess, but neither will it harm your interests in any lasting or irrevocable way.

Another four years of Trump will be intolerable.

[bobbyp]

It's those damned outside agitators!

[John Thullen]

Trump lining up the troops to steal the election:

“We’re going to have everything,” said Trump. “We’re going to have sheriffs and we’re going to have law enforcement and we’re going to have hopefully U.S. attorneys, and we’re going to have everybody, and attorney generals.”

[russell]

Look, in July, Trump was already talking about suspending the elections.

My assumption is that Trump is going to lose the popular vote, and probably (but you never know) the electoral vote.

My assumption is also that, in that event, he will look for some way to FUBAR it so that he can claim that it's not legitimate.

None of that requires a big leap of the imagination, since he's already doing, and been doing, the latter. In the form of his patented random "just throwing it out there" thought balloons, if nothing else. But also in tangible ways, see also trying to cripple the USPS.

So, we should be ready for it.

[cleek]

i think he likes to watch his adversaries run around trying to prevent the things he comes up with off-the-cuff.

[russell]

On the topic of insuring the integrity of the vote - some useful and concrete suggestions about what you, the average citizen, can do to help make sure every vote gets cast and counted.

Yeah, it's Truthout, a notorious bunch of dirty hippie leftists, but the information seems accurate and actionable.

[Michael Cain]

But also in tangible ways, see also trying to cripple the USPS.

If I lived in a state that was trying to implement vote-by-mail this late in the game, making things up as they went along, I would be very nervous about it. Living in a state where VBM has been in use for several years, and the contracts with the USPS for delivery and handling were signed months/years ago, I am not particularly concerned. Especially since I'm only dependent on the USPS for ballot distribution, where a couple of days delay isn't important.

[John Thullen]

"i think he likes to watch his adversaries run around trying to prevent the things he comes up with off-the-cuff."

Yes, he gets off on fucking with everyone. He throws some flash bangs in a metal garbage can and everyone jumps, even though they expect it, and they look over there.

Meanwhile, right on front of us, he has serious motherratfuckers, right wing conservative operatives, to carry out the shitcanning of democracy and governance:

https://www.lawyersgunsmoneyblog.com/2020/08/the-rats-have-already-been-fucked

And by the way, I don't trust Stevens, who's quote I used above, and the rest of the Never Trumpers. They are hard-core conservative operatives who have used every racist rat fucking trick in the book for 30 to 40 years to destroy democracy and governance.

These type of malign movements, whether its the radical murderous right throughout history seeking absolute power or the radical murderous left throughout history seeking absolute power, or any criminal enterprise, as we have now In Trump, like the Mafia or the drug cartels, always have several fronts going at once to keep everyone off balance. They coo peace at you at the same time the bodies of their enemies are floating down the river.

No, if the Never Trumpers think we're going back to some sort of status quo ante wherein they again try to carry out every radical conservative agenda on the country, exactly what Trump is doing, except perhaps in foreign policy, but minus the Trump tweets, no way, ratfuckers.

If Trump wins, Marty hiding and staying indoors is most probably a wise move. Preferably below ground.

If Biden wins, it's going to be like those Mafia movies, or Stalin and Trotsky, when the families go to war and two former rivals, who had an uneasy truce to liquidate the riffraff, stand back in the wreckage and eye each other with plenty of ammo left.

Don't trust any movement conservative. And never trust the moderate conservative dupes.

Don't turn your back on any of them.

It's the quiet movement conservatives who have been purposefully out of the public eye for months, going on years now, biding their time to take it all from us without tweeting about it ahead of time, who are the dangerous ratfuckers.

Paul Ryan. Most of all Grover Norquist and his drowned gummint fetuses. Cat got his tongue? Hardly likely. He ate the cat.

When they reappear in the smoking wreckage, that's when the door to door street fighting starts.

Wipe all of them off the face of the Earth.

Then we can get back to muddling thru, with slightly higher taxes sans the incessant apocalyptic Kudlow whining and lying, and the two flush toilet, and testing all of the surviving meatpacking slaves who conservatives have enslaved and murdered, and what will seem like boring normalcy.

More healthcare, many fewer guns.

[russell]

who can vote by mail .

[hairshirthedonist]

Not sure if you would get the reference, JT, but the photo at the top of that LGM post is from the Beastie Boys video for the song "Sabotage."

[wj]

As school opening arrives, a governor has issued a public health order that all school children will wear masks. Students and staff who don’t wear masks in schools can be charged with a misdemeanor.

Needless to say, some parents there are outraged at such a blatantly unconstitutional action. Expect at any moment a tweet from Trump denouncing this as yet another example of coastal elites, led by socialist Democrats, infringing on real Americans' rights.

Of course, the state in question is Utah (rather lacking in coasts) and the governor is a Republican. But hey, why pass up a chance to rant?

[Michael Cain]

There's an error in that particular map. Montana should be the next shade darker, like Arizona, because they have the same arrangement: permanent any-voter mail ballot list (~72% of Montana voters are on the list). It's already a settled matter that >90% of registered voters in the 13-state western region of the US will receive a mail ballot without taking any additional actions.

[russell]

well done, MT!

[John Thullen]

hairshirthedonist:

I looked at the photo for a few minutes and figured it was probably a band-related thing, but did not make the connection to the Beastie Boys.

Thanks.

[GftNC]

I wish some PAC supporting Biden would just put out an ad showing this, a video of Biden's reaction the first time he met Brayden (the young stutterer who spoke at the convention), next to the video of Trump mocking that journalist, stuttering and flapping his hands. Talk about the "character" question.

https://twitter.com/JoeForNH/status/1225826932987748357

[russell]

I watched the video of Biden meeting and talking with Brayden.

I've been talking about this election in terms of ham sandwiches. Trump sets a low bar, anybody but Trump will be more than fine.

Biden is much, much more than a ham sandwich. I seriously hope he wins, and wins decisively. He's a decent human being, and we'll be lucky to have him.

Seriously, in a choice between Biden and Trump, I can't see anybody with a shred of human decency or respect for this country voting for Trump. Sorry if that harshes anybody's mellow.

And yeah, I know, "nice guy" is not the whole job description. Biden was a US Senator for 36 years, and VPOTUS for 8. I think he knows his way around the joint.

I'm in for a couple hundred bucks a week until November. If I wasn't old and wasn't beholden to respect my wife's wishes about exposure to COVID I'd be driving people to the polls. If I can find other stuff to do, I'll do it.

I was kind of going into this cycle thinking I'd basically put up with whatever, just to get Trump the hell out. I'm actually enthusiastic about Biden. I think he's a great choice, for this country, at this time.

Conservatives, hold your noses and vote for the guy already.

[sapient]

I was kind of going into this cycle thinking I'd basically put up with whatever, just to get Trump the hell out. I'm actually enthusiastic about Biden. I think he's a great choice, for this country, at this time.

This is wonderful news. I am worried about the future, because it's going to be very hard for him to turn things around. But he will try, and needs everyone's help.

[wj]

Conservatives, hold your noses and vote for the guy already.

Sorry, but I just can't do that.

I'm voting for him, of course. But this conservative can't see any reason to hold my nose. ;-)

Even though he will doubtless do some things I'm opposed to. The return to sanity far outweighs that.

[liberal japonicus]

more backstory

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2020-election/when-joe-biden-met-brayden-how-chance-meeting-led-stirring-n1237705

There was a video on twitter of this meeting.

There's always the danger that I'm making lemonade out of lemons, but I'm coming to the conclusion that in politics, you start off with the personal and you hope that the larger system doesn't erase the good parts and amplify the bad. At least that's what I'm thinking right now.

[russell]

This is wonderful news.

Yeah, I kind of surprised myself.

I'm voting for him, of course. But this conservative can't see any reason to hold my nose.

thanks wj, I sincerely appreciate it.

The return to sanity far outweighs that.

may it be so.

[GftNC]

A marvellous clip of an Irish anarchist in 2011, describing why he intends to vote for Fianna Fail:

We believe in the theory of chaos, the complete destruction of society as it stands at the moment, the only one in this country that deserves my [inaudible] is Fianna Fail, they have the country half-destroyed, I think if they get back in for another term they'll totally destroy it.."

https://twitter.com/electionlit/status/1071457121861029891

I think I need hardly point out the parallels.