Fascism Unlocked
Tammy and I ignored the election results coverage for most of the evening. We were both burned out and needed a break. I went down to the basement and played pinball for a while, with the TV behind me tuned to MSNBC's election coverage. Pinball and election results have been a tradition of mine for many election nights.
I was sad to see the results working in favor of Trump. What are people thinking, I wondered. Didn't we have the best stock market and economy in the world? Didn't Biden just assemble the strongest NATO alliance ever? Don't the guilty findings of Trump's sexual assault and his bragging about it matter? Didn't it matter when it was learned that his Trump Org was mainly built on fraud and had to pay hundreds of millions in fines?
The Affordable Care Act will soon be repealed, and only "concepts of a plan" will be left to replace it. I'm sure many well-meaning people supported Trump, and they will soon regret their decision.
As the night wore on, it became clear that Trump would win. I thought, what a crazy scenario. I took to Threads and wrote, "My God, what have we done? I fear for immigrants and those in the gay and trans communities. They’re targets now. Fascism unlocked. How long before we’re aligned with Putin? Will we still be a force for good? Aileen Cannon will be put on the SCOTUS bench, as well as other extremist judges. Even Russia has a Supreme Court."
I couldn't sleep. My body was tired, but I couldn't quiet my mind. I finally got an hour of sleep around 6:00.
For the archives, that was how election night 2024 went for Tammy and me.
This loss is a gut punch for many reasons. Most importantly, it dramatically threatens our democracy, which I don't think Trump's supporters fully grasp.
The other reason this loss is hard for many of us is that it means half of the country bought into the lies, fear, and hate Republicans used to energize their base.
It turned out that the economy was the number one issue for most voters. It can't be ignored (but it is) how corporate greed, in the form of price gouging, has played a role in people's dissatisfaction with the economy and Biden's administration. It was intentional. Corporations know a Republican administration will give them more tax breaks and less regulation. Throw in some billionaire financiers willing to pollute the airwaves with their propaganda, and you have a heavy influence on how people perceive the economy. It worked flawlessly. I thought people would see through it. I was wrong.
I watched ABC's This Week and NBC's Meet the Press this morning, and neither the moderators nor any panelists mentioned disinformation or Russian interference as reasons why Harris lost. It seemed odd that they would ignore a key component in Trump's win. A panelist commented that Democrats were becoming a party of know-it-alls with their facts. What a takeaway from the election—I mean, who has ever heard of using facts to make a point, especially when trying to push back against propaganda?
Many in the discussions said the Democrats have lost touch with minority communities and the working class, but I don't believe that. Joe Biden's presidency was the most labor-friendly in decades, creating millions of jobs while working to bolster unions. The Democrats are the only ones reaching out meaningfully to help the less advantaged. I fail to see how Republicans are actually speaking to these same people and their concerns. How does a party retool its message when theirs was one of truth against an avalanche of lies?
Kamala Harris was an excellent candidate who would have been a solid leader at home and abroad. I'm sorry she lost. If you were convinced, despite his bragging about sexually assaulting women, being an adjudicated rapist, an overt racist, trying to overthrow our government after the 2020 election, and a man who lies as easily as you breathe, that Trump was the better choice, you've been propagandized. That's not a flex.
Here's a link to a good article about understanding the influence of conservative media.
That's all I've got.
Comments
Now, they seem to want to make sure they don't rile up T'rump or the right too much. I agree, where are the discussions about lies and misinformation prior to the election?
The game is about money and power. The left wants it, too, but are just not as cruel and hateful as the right. The left isn't afraid of wealth and profits, they just spread it around more. Help the middle and lower classes. Have some regulations and a tax system that is equitable and doesn't punish those who have the least to give "welfare" to those who have the most.
We need to reverse the downward spiral of our failing education system that pumps out way too many young people who haven't learned enough to survive in the world. Who are duped into believing the Republicans and MAGA crowd wants to make life better for the majority. I believe many people who voted Republican will discover soon enough, life is not better for them under a T'rump regime.
There's a lot of work to do. I worry that the Democrats will become even more like the right to hold on to whatever money and power they have. I hope I'm wrong about the previous sentence.
Once again, a wonderful blog post.
It's been disappointing to see how the media (at least some of what I watch) fall in line and appear to throttle back their criticism of Trump while offering mostly sharp condemnation for the political left while making no mention of the elephant in the room—disinformation/propaganda.
The information age is a double-edged sword that can be used for good and evil. It is up to the individual to decide what to believe. Unfortunately, too many people fall victim to confirmation bias and are concerned with seeking information that agrees with their already-formed opinions. I don't see this situation getting any better as long as conservative media continue to blatantly lie to their viewers, even while paying huge fines ($786,500,000 in the case of Fox News) for their lies.
We're often reminded that our democracy is fragile. This has been a remote worry, and I've never lost sleep over it until now. I don't want to imagine a country where my grandson lives his life under authoritarian rule. MAGA supporters seem not to see that as a threat and appear to be welcoming it.