This is what happens when Wall St and private equity [BlackRock, Vanguard] manipulate the housing market for their portfolio profits, not your housing needs.
If you know migrants from warzones put stress of countries to accept those new migrants, and conservatives demonize these migrants to achieve power, it is in the conservatives’ interest to create more warzones that produce more migrants. See: Putin
Shaking the jar is Authoritarianism 101.
Demonizing migrants is Fascism 101.
Projecting ‘destroying the country’ apocalyptic rhetoric is Republicanism 101.
Paul Waldman is absolutely correct about how the Republican’s “apocalyptic rhetoric” about the Democrats could ultimately lead to violence just as much as the violent rhetoric. The GOP frames Democrats now as deliberately wanting to “destroy” America. (Ironically, it is the GOP who have turned toward autocracy and seem determined on establishing one party rule at all costs. This suggests that once again, Republicans are projecting onto Democrats.)
“I cannot stand these people that are destroying our country,”said Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) to a crowd of Donald Trump’s supporters at the Iowa State Fair this past weekend while the former president looked on approvingly. Gaetz then added: “Only through force do we make any change in a corrupt town like Washington, D.C.”
The second part of that statement made headlines, as it’s not every day that a member of Congress advocates “force” to achieve political goals. But the first part ought to be just as troubling, because the two parts operate together. The idea that our opponents are purposely attempting to lay waste to America is often the justification for all kinds of radical action — violence very much included.
Barely a day goes by without prominent Republicans repeating that claim. Trump regularlysays his political opponents will “destroy the country,” or have already nearly destroyed it. It’s a staple of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’s rhetoric. “If woke ideology takes over, it will destroy this country,” DeSantis says. If President Biden is reelected, the governor insists, “the left is gonna absolutely destroy this country.” […] Yes, liberals have made dire warnings about a second Trump presidency. But that’s unique to Trump, who actually tried to overturn a lawful election and retain power, and last year called for the “termination” of the Constitution. So the assertion that if he became president it could mean the end of democracy is at least not too far-fetched.*
The talk of the United States ending its run some time in the next few years because Democrats passed some modest expansion of health coverage or kept pushing for a transition to green energy, on the other hand, is bonkers. Yet, unlike other kinds of rhetorical calls to extremism, we don’t police it at all.
Journalists tend to be very attuned to hints of political violence. When a candidate says he wants to start “slitting throats” in the federal government, as DeSantis recently did, we condemn it and explore its troubling implications. We press Republican contenders to admit that Biden fairly won the 2020 election and to repudiate the violent insurrection of Jan. 6, 2021.
In contrast, we treat partisan apocalyptic rhetoric as mere hyperbole.But it’s the premise that turns anger into action. If you actually believed your opponents were literally trying to destroy your country, what wouldn’t be justified? Threatening election officials? Storming the Capitol? Assassinations?
You might protest that Republican politicians don’t really believe this talk. But clearly, many of their supporters do.Which is no surprise given how often they’re told that it’s true. […] Any rational Republican knows the truth about the next election: If Biden wins, it will mean nothing more than four years of policies they don’t like. That will be deeply unpleasant for them. But it won’t mean the end of America, and they shouldn’t be allowed to say so without challenge.
We ought to treat apocalyptic rhetoric just like we treat violent rhetoric: Take note of it, condemn it, challenge candidates to defend it, and explain the threat it poses. Why? Because many of the voters who are listening think the Republicans spinning out wild tales of America’s imminent destruction mean what they say.
[emphasis added]
____________ *In my opinion it isn’t just Trump, many on the left have legitimate concerns about extreme right-wing Republicans like DeSantis and white Christian nationalists who seem to want autocracy/ one-party rule because they have either said and/or shown that they do.
Republicans goal is to fundraise of the deaths they create. They know fear helps their control over their base. Now, rather than stop gun violence, they legislate more gun violence.
Perhaps for the same reasons that school shooters aree able to just pick up assault rifles and thousands of rounds of ammo from their parents’ stockpile which was left unsecured.
The reason - the extant legal system is unwilling to prosecute the rightwing for aiding and abetting terrorism.
When parts of the system starts to do so, the Reptilecan legislators start trying to investigate, defund, impeach the prosecutors and judges.
While more right-wing terrorists and media publish names and addresses of judges, prosecutors, jury members, and prosecution witnesses opening all to murderous threats. Some carried out.
Time to stop whitewashing organized aggressive terrorism as ‘isolated emotionally ill individuals”.
This is what happens when Wall St and private equity [BlackRock, Vanguard] manipulate the housing market for their portfolio profits, not your housing needs.
Senate Republicans have been blessed with a 2024 map that minimizes their vulnerabilities while providing them a handful of top targets for picking up the two seats necessary to recapture the upper chamber.
But Republican strategists are starting to admit that two gargantuan problems stand in their way: abortion and Donald Trump.
“Any state where Republicans have trouble with suburban voters because of the Trump brand, they had double trouble with suburban voters because of abortion politics,“ one Republican strategist told The Hill’s Alexander Bolton about the 2022 midterm elections. “It was for no reason because there is no chance a federal ban on abortion happens, ever,” the source added, peddling a laughable lie.
The stated goal of the anti-abortion zealots who have been a driving force behind the Republican Party for decades has always been to end abortion in the U.S., full stop. Take the present positioning of the premier forced birther organization in the country, Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America. The group is currently trying to coalesce Republicans around a 15-week abortion ban, insisting that every GOP presidential candidate pledge to sign such a bill at a minimum.
But curtailing abortion access isn’t their ultimate goal: It’s just a convenient electoral stop this cycle on the way to eradicating the procedure altogether. The group’s homepage prominently features a video alongside the declaration, “SBA Pro-Life America exists to end abortion.”
