The president’s closing argument in the midterm elections lays bare the logic of his appeal. By Adam Serwer, The Atlantic — After Democrats lost the 2016 presidential election, a certain conventional wisdom congealed within the pundit class: Donald Trump’s success was owed to the Democratic abandonment of the white working class and the party’s emphasis on identity politics. By failing to emphasize a strong economic message, the thinking went, the party had…
It is important that everyone understand how dangerous what Trump said is. By Juan Cole, Common Dreams — Trump proudly says he is a “nationalist.” He is, of course, saying this to shore up support among white nationalists. The Nazi sites on the web were all having wet dreams in the aftermath. From the 1990s, polling has found that about 10% of Americans support far right militias. These are the…
The conversation is happening. Will you be a part of it? By Nick Fouriezos, OZY — What happens when you get a room of 100 Black men from Baltimore discussing…
‘Close to the point of no return’: Historian explains how Trump uses authoritarian tools more powerful than Hitler’s secret police. By Chauncey Devega, Salon — History can teach us many lessons…
Hint: It has to do with race. By Zack Beauchamp, Vox — One of the most puzzling elements of the 2016 election, at least for a lot of Americans, was the millions of voters who switched from voting for Barack Obama in 2012 to Donald Trump in 2016. Somewhere between 6.7 million and 9.2 million Americans switched this way; given that the 2016 election was decided by 40,000 votes, it’s fair to…
Yale professor Jason Stanley enters a growing literary field with a sober examination of an inflammatory political concept. By Tom McCarthy, The Guardian — One of the insidious ironies of fascist politics, the philosopher Jason Stanley writes in his arresting new book, is that talk of fascism itself becomes more difficult because it is made to seem outlandish. The normalization of the fascist myth “makes us able to tolerate what was once…
By Abdi Latif Dahir, Quartz Africa — Melania Trump has just concluded her trip to Africa, her first major solo international swing as US first lady. In her choice of nations to visit—Ghana, Malawi, Kenya, and Egypt—she followed in the footsteps of not just former first ladies but also American presidents. Franklin D. Roosevelt was the first US president to set foot in Africa, landing in Bathurst in British Gambia in…
Remember Dr. Christine Blasey Ford… Mobilize the “Mob” to March on Ballot Boxes — Eradicate Trumpism
Image: Dr. Christine Blasey Ford Vantage Point Articles and Essays by Dr. Ron Daniels — We must never forget the humble, dignified and courageous testimony of a Dr. Christine Blasey…
The justices again appear poised to pursue a purely theoretical liberty at the expense of the lives of people of color. By Adam Serwer, The Atlantic — When the Louisiana State Militia finally arrived at the Colfax courthouse on April 15, 1873, all it could do was bury the bodies. Two days earlier, a large force of white supremacists had taken control of the courthouse from the mostly black faction…
At a moment when few Brazilians trust their government, the controversial, ultra-conservative Jair Bolsonaro looks poised to win. By Chayenne Polimédio, The Atlantic — Tomorrow, Brazilians head to the polls for the first round of presidential elections. Running on the Social Liberal Party slate is Jair Messias Bolsonaro, an ultra-conservative military officer-turned-politician and likely top finisher. If he’s one of the top two vote-getters, he’ll be the favorite in the…
By Richard E. Frankel, Raw Story — Over the next few days, millions of Americans will be anxiously watching and waiting to see whether a few undecided Republican Senators will vote to confirm Brett Kavanaugh as our next Supreme Court Justice. Their vote will help shape the Court for a generation. More importantly, their vote holds the potential to help Donald Trump further transform this country into an authoritarian, exclusionary…
Video — Dr. Kevin Murriel’s Response to the Meeting of Black Pastors with President Trump. Cascade United Methodist Church. Sunday, August 5, 2018.