Just a brief bit of history that's very current and most people know. But it bears repeating for reasons that will be clear. We know for instance that Trump was found guilty of business fraud for grossly overstating the value of his properties for a decade and fined $455 million. And as recent as that, we also know even more recently that Trump posted a bond for $175 million to appeal the finding, but that bond appears to be fraudulent and has been rejected by a New York court. We know all this. It's really recent. Trump not only has a history of vastly overstating the money he has, but he had been convicted in court (pending appeal...) for it. So recent that it's near-impossible to not know about it, if you follow the news even tangentially. And all the more so if you actually report the news. That's why it's -- sorry, I don't know if the proper word is "shocking" or "irresponsible", so instead let's go with -- shockingly irresponsible that most of the news media has been reporting Trump saying that he raised $50 million at his recent Mar-a-Lago fundraiser over the weekend. And almost no mention that this number has not be verified, and almost no mention that only Trump has announced the figure, and almost no mention that Trump has been convicted for hugely overstating his finances often in the past. I say "almost no mention" to be fair. I haven't seen it mentioned on TV news, but that doesn't mean it hasn't been mentioned somewhere I didn't see. I did see a couple of mentions of it by journalists on Twitter. But for the vast most part, I've seen no mention of any of that, just pure acceptance of what Trump said about his money. For instance, MSNBC even did a segment yesterday morning on Ana Cabrera's show where the full panel blithely accepted what Trump said on how much was supposedly raised. Not a single word even questioned whether Trump's figure might be inflated. Or that he had just been convicted of overinflating the value of his properties. Speaking only personally, when I heard Trump (and Trump alone from the event) say that $50 million had been raised, I was immediately skeptical. Though that's putting it politely. My first thought was Trump is lying. My second thought was Trump is lying. And my third thought was also that Trump is lying. My whole list of thoughts was Trump is lying. If some other list exists in the world and has facts that even conceivably say that's the number, Trump doesn't know it. Because he's just making up numbers without asking anyone and is lying. Because that's what he does. And has been convicted for it. In fact, let's even add a bit of more distant history to drive home the point about Trump and lying about his finances, but this time with a case that is specifically about him fundraising. Back in January 2016, you may recall that Trump skipped a Republican debate and said that instead he would hold a competing event (to draw away attention) and make it a fundraiser for veterans. And afterwards, he claimed that he had raised $6 million!! The problem is after relentless questioning, Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski finally admitted in late-May to the Washington Post that, no, Trump had not raised $6 million. And added that he did not “know the exact number." (Keep in mind, that this was four month after the fundraiser, and Lewandowski supposedly still said he didn't know how much money had been raised. Further, after this same four months of questioning by reporters about if any of the money had been actually donated to veterans groups (all of which said, when questioned, that they hadn't received anything), only then -- four months later, under pressure -- did Trump at last donate $1.9 million. Out of of the $6 million he claimed to have raised. To be fair, some reporters have pointed out that the money Trump raised will likely go to pay his legal defense fund, rather than to support his election campaign which is where the $25 million President Biden just raised at his fundraiser will go. And some reporters have mentioned that any billionaire who donated the upper limits at the Trump event would have given the most they could during the election and would be maxed out, meaning Trump will not be getting any more directly from them. That's unlike the Biden fundraiser where the upper limit was far less, and there were also many tickets sold for $200 and $300 -- meaning more money can come from that all. But though it's good that they reported that, it's a totally separate matter from journalists and expert analysts blithely accepting Trump's word on anything out of his mouth about his finances. But most especially this. I would say that I hope journalists do better when it comes to reporting anything says about his finances -- but that's too low a bar, because this was a layup, and they missed it...and can't do any worse.
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There's not much new to add here, since I'm said most of it twice, the last two days. But it bears finishing the tale in full as a trilogy. And so, to wrap things up -- yesterday, the chairman of NBC News Cesar Conde announced that Ronna Romney McDaniel would not be coming to NBC or MSNBC as a paid contributor. This is the note that Conde sent to the staff: Hey all, It's a very good, important action to take -- and gracious for taking full responsibility, even two others were the ones who pushed the matter for reasons unknown to Man, however I find the letter a touch disingenuous. It's when he writes -- "Our initial decision was made because of our deep commitment to presenting our audiences with a widely diverse set of viewpoints and experiences, particularly during these consequential times." The issue with former RNC chair Ronna Romney McDaniel was never about a "widely diverse set of viewpoints." After all, MSNBC already has a former RNC chair on staff, Michael Steele, who even has his own show. And has a former Republican White House Press Secretary, Nicolle Wallace, who not only has her own show, but has the only single-host show that runs two hours. And they have paid contributors who include former Republican governor John Kasich, active conservative journalist Charlie Sykes, active GOP operative Tim Miller and several others, including Republican strategist Susan Del Percio. That's a pretty widely diverse set of viewpoints for what is seen as a left-leaning news organization. (Granted, this is MSNBC, rather than NBC, but they overlap and all reporters are available between the two.) At issue is that Ronna Romney McDaniel, who is so heavily a Trump enabler that she liberally changed her name to be acceptable to him, is so involved with supporting the Insurrection to overthrow the U.S. government that she is at risk of being an indicted co-conspirator, having (among other things) been caught on tape with Trump trying to pressure Michigan Republican officials to not certify the state's legal election results, and referenced in two criminals indictments. That is the issue. And it is not someone you want on a news team. At least if the standard you're going for is honesty and, y'know, supporting democracy. Many on the far-right yesterday, and even some misguided others bending over backwards so ridiculously far that their noses nearly touch the ground, tried to position NBC's decision as cowardice, afraid of having "different voices" on the air. But as noted, "different voices" is not a problem on MSNBC and its parent NBC. (Especially, and laughably, when compared to the dittohead voices of the Stations of Choice for the far right -- Fox, Newsmax, and OAN, where even if you're a Republican, but dare be a moderate, you are at risk of being painted a RINO, not a Republican at all but a Republican in Name Only.) So, no, despite the efforts to make it seem other than reality -- which is a core trait of the Republican base these days -- the issue was one thing, and one thing only: Ronna Romney McDaniel was in the center of efforts to undermine democracy and overthrow the government, helping Trump pressure state officials to refuse to certify a legal election and push the Insurrection forward. All the while lying repeatedly and demeaning journalists, at the behest of her leader putting them in physical danger by calling them "the Enemy of the People" for doing their jobs pursing stories honestly. And now, Ms. McDaniel has every right to continue doing that. She just won't be doing it on NBC or MSNBC as a paid contributor. Whether or not she gets indicted, that's up to the Department of Justice. And just for fun, we'll add an addendum -- because after all this comes the report that Ronna Romney McDaniel says she may sue those she insists "defamed" her and have caused her mental distress. I am sure there are already lawyers lining up who would dearly love to do a deposition and cross-examine her on the stand under oath. Most especially about the statements she insists "defamed" her about how she pressured state officials with Trump to not certify legal election results (exchanges that are recorded and referenced in two criminal indictments), and ask her further about other conversations and meetings she had with Trump and his team, to support the claims that those she would be suing accurately made about her. Pro Tip: If you don't want to have mental distress, don't help enable an Insurrection and try to overthrow the government. I was quite taken by all the MSNBC hosts yesterday -- every one of them -- doing blunt, excoriating segments lambasting their bosses at NBC for the disastrous decision to hire Ronna Romney McDaniel to a contract for commentary.
Starting with Morning Joe making clear that they would not have Ms. McDaniel on their show, including Rachel Maddow telling the story about how the MSNBC president Rashida Jones (no, not the actress...) backed down from her initial support of the hiring decision to sending an internal memo stating pointedly that MSNBC has no plans to have McDaniel on the channel and making clear that the former RNC chair will not be contributing. A point that Maddow reiterated bluntly, saying "Ronna McDaniel will not be on MSNBC. Which she repeated to make it absolutely clear -- "Ronna McDaniel will not be on MSNBC. And I say that and give you that level of detail because there has been an effort since by other parts of the company to muddy that up in the press and make it seem like that’s not what happened at MSNBC." Maddow added, "The fact that Ms. McDaniel is on the payroll at NBC News, to me that is inexplicable. You wouldn't hire, like, a 'wise guy,' you wouldn't hire a 'made man,' like a mobster to work at a DA's office, right? You wouldn't hire a pickpocket to work as a TSA screener. And so I find the decision to put her on the payroll inexplicable and I hope they will reverse that decision." Lest my quoting Rachel Maddow obscure the point, every MSNBC host yesterday made the same point, from early through through The 11th Hour with Stephanie Rule. Of course, for the moment, McDaniel remains available to appear as a paid commentator on NBC, which has a much bigger audience than MSNBC. Though NBC has significantly less air time available. Rather than the 19 hours for MSNBC each weekday, NBC only has 30 minutes. And it's hard to see spots for McDaniel to fit on there very much. Though any time is too much. Of course, what would be the problematic Law of Unintended Consequences for Ms. McDaniel is if she has her NBC contract, cannot appear on any other network, and pretty much never -- or never -- gets on the air at NBC. Since "never" now appears to be the schedule for her at MSNBC. That said, even if she never gets on the air, it's a horrible look for NBC, just the mere act of giving Ronna Romney McDaniel a contract, since it sends a ghastly message to liars, fascist enablers and Insurrectionists at risk of indictment that you can be rewarded for your actions. And sends a terrible message to viewers about NBC commitment to tough, honest journalism. But at least not putting McDaniel on the air would be some solace. Greater solace would be if, indeed, NBC reverses its decision and parts ways with McDaniel. There has been a bit of pushback from some sources -- most of them Republican, though a few, surprisingly (and unfortunately) from a few new sources who seem to miss the point that for seven years Ronna Romney McDaniel has been excoriating them and supporting Trump who calls the "the enemy of the people." But what they all miss is the larger point -- This isn't about having "other voices" on the air. After all, MSNBC has a former RNC chair (just like McDaniel) under contract and even gave Michael Steele his own show. And has a former Republican White House Press Secretary under contract and gave Nicolle Wallace the only two-hour, single-host show on the network. And has a former Republican governor as a paid contributor, and Republican operatives paid as contributors. That's not the point -- The point is that for seven years, Ronna Romney McDaniel has enabled a fascist leader who attempted to overthrow the government and who herself is referenced in court indictments for pushing that effort to overthrow democracy by pressuring state officials not to certify the legal election and is at risk of indictment as a co-conspirator. So, again, great for every MSNBC host yesterday for pushing back on her hiring. For that reason. And more. For reasons unknown to Man, NBC News and MSNBC have hired former RNC Chair Ronna Romney McDanniel as a commentator. And no, this is not a parody article from The Onion. This is real, and it’s hard to imagine what NBC is thinking. The obvious attempt at an answer answer is that, her being a former RNC chair, this supposedly adds important and valuable substance to the network. Except that’s no answer. After all, MSNBC already has a former RNC chair on their staff, and Michael Steele not only does a solid job, but they even gave him his own show. And MSNBC also has a former Republican White House Press Secretary -- and not only gave Nicolle Wallace her own show, as well, but they even expanded to two hours daily, the only single-host show on their weekday schedule that long. And two regular MSNBC analysts are conservative journalist Charlie Sykes and conservative operative Tim Miller. All of them give significant insider analysis of today’s Republican Party. MSNBC even has former GOP Governor John Kasich on staff as an analyst. So, not only does NBC not need another Republican analyst – let alone show host – and not need another former RNC chair, but they absolutely don't need someone who enabled Trump and his fascism so much that Ronna (“Don’t call me Romney”) McDaniel literally changed her name for him! Even more to the point, no credible news organization needs to hire someone who very possibly could be indicted as a co-conspirator for Jan. 6 Insurrection to overthrow democracy. And no, that's not just me voicing a baseless opinion. Your honor, I offer Exhibit A -- The only positive part of this story is that a Wall Street Journal article says MSNBC president Rashida Jones "told employees the cable network has no plans to have McDaniel on the channel." This came about after MSNBC anchors and producers voiced concern. Though good for MSNBC, assuming this policy holds (and though there’s no reason to doubt it won’t, though no reason to doubt it will, it’s just wait-and-see) there is no similar disclaimer from the larger, more-watched parent division of NBC News. There are so many horrible problems with this “What on Earth were they thinking???) decision. But high on the list, even beyond credibility, is that when you reward someone who enabled Trump and his fascism so much that she changed her name for him – not to mention made phone calls with Trump to pressure Republican officials in Michigan not to certify the state’s election results -- it only encourages others, knowing there is a major $300,000 payday waiting for them to legitimize their actions. Do not expect one whiff of honesty on behalf of democracy from Ronna (Romney [sic]) McDaniel. That wasn’t her brand running the RNC, there’s no reason to expect her to change what’s worked for her now. When she appears in any segments on NBC News, I will be switching away when it is on the air. If it turns out that she does end up on MSNBC, the same holds. In fact, from all that I’ve been reading of the unbelieving outrage on social media, I’m far from alone. Indeed, some people have even written off the two channels until this disastrous hire is reversed. A friend wrote to me wondering if McDaniel is “ready to come over from the dark side?" I was surprised and disappointed by the naivety of the question, since he is a smart, insightful person, to whom “naïve” would never be ascribed. No, I don’t believe for one second that Ronna (Romney [sic]) McDaniel is planning to come over from the dark side. She has much, much, much too much personally invested in defending herself and her actions for the past seven years. You don’t suddenly flip 180-degrees overnight and say, “Erp, y’know, I was wrong enabling fascism for seven years and trying to overthrow democracy and the government, and should never have changed my name to appease Trump. Boy, was that stupid!!” Even if every rare while she said, “Well, on occasion, maybe Republicans possibly were somewhat a bit wrong on this point,” that would be meaningless, since it would overlook all the time she spent supporting fascism, lying and supporting the Jan. 6 Insurrection, to the degree of being at risk of indictment. Even if she spent 80% of her time on NBC criticizing GOP criminal actions and efforts against democracy, it still would leave enabling Trump and fascism 20% of the time. Which is 20% too much. Defending Trump and fascism to any degree is like being “only a little pregnant.” You refute fascism and you refute the racist, congenital lying, anti-Semitic, adjudicated rapist, adjudicated business fraud, malignant narcissist Trump, period, full stop, because otherwise you leave your support open, and allow it to fester, grown and infect. It’s like putting a bandage on someone’s broken arm and saying you fixed the problem. People don’t change what they’ve invested their life to, 180-degrees overnight – especially for something so devil” and dishonest. That’s something that takes many years of soul searching and introspection – or being in prison and having nothing to so all day but think, “Oh, my God, what have I done to my life?????!!” And then begin weeping uncontrollably. To think maybe, possibly, she will suddenly come over from the dark side overnight is having one’s “being polite” gene malfunctioning, And worse, this isn't just someone who enabled and defended Trump for seven years -- but someone who is at risk of being indicted as a con-conspirator for trying to overthrow the government, being caught on a recording with Trump trying to pressure the Republican chair in Michigan and another member of the Wayne County Board of Canvassers not to certify the results there. If she had even a whiff of thinking she’d should “come over from the dark side,” her first stop would be to knock on Special Counsel Jack Smith’s office to be a cooperating witness and save herself from jail time. Not go on TV to admit her crimes. And this is who MSNBC hired as a commentator!! More to the point, if anyone had just the slight question whether Ronna (Romney [sic]) McDaniel might possibly “come over from the dark side,” all they need do is check out her appearance yesterday as a guest on Meet the Press. Come over from the dark side?? Oh, heavens, please. McDaniel wouldn't even acknowledge that President Biden won "fair and square," the best she could offer was only that the results were "certified." Worse, she then said “I must push back” and insisted there was on “uncertainty” about the results – sure there was, because Trump and his enablers lied to Republicans about it, and because she herself pressured state officials with Trump not to certify official results!! – adding that we must all agree that elections should be safe. Well…they are safe! Trump’s team tried to prove otherwise, and lost 60 court cases. Trump’s own head of election security told him directly how safe the election was. And Trump fired him. And she was just getting warmed up. There was this following exchange with host Kristin Welker – McDANIEL: Voters right now in this country are going to be making a choice is November, and they don’t care about 2020. WELKER: A lot of people say that it’s fundamental to our country’s democracy. McDANIEL: I think they’re thinking about inflation, the border, crime… Let that sink in a moment: McDaniel just totally dismisses Jan 6! Literally says the public “doesn’t care” about the Insurrection, storming the U.S. Capitol, about the violence, the deaths, the beating of police, the noose for vice president Pence, and about Trump and his conspirators, including herself, trying to overthrow the government!! Yet even at this, even putting aside the Insurrection to overthrow democracy as if it was unimportant, she goes into her default Lying Mode and tries to flim-flam viewers into ignoring the reality that inflation is down (in fact, lowest in the world), crime is down (in murders, violent crime and home crime), and House Republicans voted down a border bill. As she pushes the GOP lie. And this not even Day One yet, she’s just there on NBC as a…"guest". Following her appearance on "Meet the Press," Lynn Cheney posted a tweet which said, "Ronna facilitated Trump’s corrupt fake elector plot & his effort to pressure MI officials not to certify the legitimate election outcome. She spread his lies & called 1/6 'legitimate political discourse'” That’s not 'taking one for the team.' It’s enabling criminality & depravity. " Come over from the dark side??! Ms. McDaniel is like a possum. She’s a nocturnal animal. She lives on the dark side. And she’s already burrowing deeper to avoid the light. Ronna (Romney [sic]) McDaniel is an enabler and defender of fascism, who has regularly lied for seven years, pressured state officials not to certify the election at risk of being indicted as a co-conspirator, and bent over backwards so far for Trump that she changed her name for him. And the powers that be at NBC News, for reasons that are both inexplicable and reprehensible -- apparently blissfully unaware about her history defending fascism, lying and participating in the Insurrection -- because being aware and just not caring would be (even before the history of democracy in the United States is written) irresponsibly too pathetic... -- hired her as an analyst. Here’s a 7-minute video from a couple of Brits (who call themselves the “Goon Squad” -- which I wonder if that comes from the classic and rebellious Goon Show on BBC radio that I've written about, most notably here). It show how they just pranked Tucker Carlson over the Kate Middleton “photo scandal.” This comes hot on the heels of Tucker Carlson being pranked by Vladimir Putin into giving an interview where Carlson didn't realize he was being easily manipulated as a "useful idiot," while thinking he was showing a murderous despot as a wonderful and benevolent world leader whose country was better than the U.S. because it has a nice grocery store. Some have wondered why the "Goon Squad" folks would have posted this on Twitter before it aired on Carlson's show, knowing that his staff would have found the video and then not put the piece on, which is what happened. I have a guess about that. My guess, which I will also make a guess is the right one (because clearly from their efforts here these people aren’t stupid) is that they only wanted to prank Tucker Carlson by posting the video, and didn’t want his viewers to think what they did was true. Which the viewers probably would think. So, they knew if they announced this first, he wouldn’t air the prank, his viewers wouldn’t be tricked into believing the wrong thing, and they could still post their prank. I think that was likely their thinking. But I don’t know. And even if it wasn’t -- much as I’d liked to have seem Carlson humiliated by airing the fake interview -- a side of me is glad their lie won’t get perpetuated as the truth to an idiot audience who’d believe it. On Monday, a friend called up breathlessly, “Are you watching Rachel Maddow? Oh, my God!?, he said. “It’s horrible.” I was recording the broadcast, to watch later. “She’s doing a story about this guy running for governor in North Carolina. He’s like a Holocaust denier!” he went on. Ah, I said. Is he the Lt. Governor? “Yes.” And does he quote Hitler? “Yes!” And is he black? My friend didn’t know, since they hadn’t shown a photo. Okay, I told him, I not only know who that is – his name is Mark Robinson – but…I wrote an article about him last July. I wrote the article for several reasons, but high on the list was to hopefully get this virulent Hitler/Stalin/Mao/Pol Pot-loving, misogynistic, homophobic, LGBTQ-hating, Holocaust denying anti-Semite national attention since he would be running for governor. Happily, he is now getting attention. It only took eight months. (I often would have an exchange with my dad, who was pretty liberal and loved reading newspapers. I’d send him a link to an article I’d write that was about some outrage I’d discovered, which I thought would interest him. He usually found them interesting, but regularly would dismiss articles with the reasoning, “I didn’t see it in the New York Times. If this was real, why didn’t they write about it?” The only answer I could ever think of was – “Well, because I came across it before them.” That was never good enough for him. So, when the New York Times did finally write about it a few weeks or months later, I’d let him know, and he’d then be good with it. My track record never caught up with his “Until It’s in The New York Times” standard, but at least he would accept my “scoops” after the fact. My dad liked “Rachel”, too, so perhaps I’d have gotten Scoop Points for this, as well – although it would have taken over half a year to accumulate them.) Happily, the news about Mark Gordon is getting a great deal of attention now, especially since he won the Republican nomination for governor. What I don’t know is how much his horrific, Hitler-and-despot loving, Holocaust-denying anti-Semite were known when he was elected as Lt. Governor. Hopefully not any of it, in which case all this attention should be problematic for him. But even if that’s the case, he is still the Lt. Governor, so he is a serious candidate to become North Carolina’s governor. On the good side, his opponent will be Josh Stein, who is the state’s Attorney General, so he too has high statewide credentials. By the way, it got even worse with Mark Robinson. And amazingly, yes, that’s possible. It’s because video was found of a speech he gave in March, 2020, when he said “I absolutely want to go back to the America where women couldn’t vote.” Really. And you don’t have to take my word for it, there’s video. I don’t want to post it, but you can see it here. Remarkably – or bizarrely – Robinson gave this speech at an event hosted by (are you ready?) the Republican Women of Pitt County! And in explaining why he wants to go back to a time when the womenfolk in the room wouldn’t have had the right to vote, he said it was “because in those days we had people who fought for real social change, and they were called Republicans.” Of course, today, those people are called Democrats. And if Mark Robinson really, actually, truly was someone who fought for social change, he would be supporting abortion, LGBTQ rights, and gun control, rather than calling survivors of the Parkland massacre shooting “spoiled little bastards,” “spoiled, angry, know it all CHILDREN,” and “media prosti-tots.” As notable as the North Carolina governor’s race now is for the obvious reason, it also may have significant importance in the presidential race. That’s because North Carolina is not only a swing state (which while purple and leans Red, has a Democratic Governor and Attorney General), but it’s the swing state that Joe Biden lost by his smallest margin of any state, only 74,000 votes. And since Trump has already endorsed Mark Robinson, thereby tying his views to a Holocaust denier who wants to go back to a time when women couldn’t vote, I am sure that Democrats believe they have a serious chance to not only win the governorship, but flip a swing state they lost in 2020. And for all those new to these pages, or anyone who might have missed it, here is that original article from last July making very clear who Mark Robinson, now the Republican nominee for governor in North Carolina, is. It’s not a pretty look. Completely Missing the Mark July 7, 2023 Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson (R-NC) is an extreme-right Christian Nationalist who has announced his campaign to run for governor. Describing him as a far-right Christian National is not hyperbole, it’s something he’s happily promoted and aggressively embraced. Robinson has called himself “more preacher than politician,” and said it’s his goal “to literally make war on the devil” so that America is “led by the people of God,” in order that Christian Nationalist values “reign supreme” in North Carolina and defeat what he considers “the enemies of freedom,” which apparently are those who disagree with him by, among other things, wanting the Constitutional right given to all Americans to practice any religion they choose, not just Christianity or Christian Nationalism. So, y’know, “freedom” (sic). So, not only would Mark Robinson not be offended by being called a far-right Christian Nationalist, it seems likely he would be upset if you didn’t. But here’s the thing, that’s not the point here, it’s just the background. The point is that far-right Christian Nationalist Mark Robinson, Lt. Governor of North Carolina and Republican candidate for governor, just endorsed the quoting of Hitler, Stalin, Castro, Pol Pot, Chairman Mao and other "despots," saying "it is time for us to get back and start reading some of those quotes.” That’s not a typo. Nor is it from the satirical publication The Onion. Nor is it exaggeration. Or a generalization. It's his exact words from a speech that he gave at the recent Moms for Liberty (sic) convention, their egregiously-named "Joyful Warriors" Summit in Philadelphia over the July 1 weekend. Moms for Liberty (sic) – that’s the group just in the news because one of its chapters quoted Adolf Hitler on the front page of its newsletter. This was no under-the-wire event: among other speakers were Trump, Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley. And just to be clear, so as not to take him out of context, what Mark Robinson (R-NC) said at the Moms for Liberty (sic) convention was -- “Whether you’re talking about Adolf Hitler. Whether you’re talking about Chairman Mao. Whether you’re talking about Stalin. Whether you’re talking about Pol Pot. Whether you’re talking about Castro in Cuba, or whether you’re talking about a dozen other despots all around the globe, it is time for us to get back and start reading some of those quotes.” To paraphrase the great journalist Molly Ivins, it reads even worse in the original German. Here's the odd thing (putting aside a whole lot of odd things): not only do I find it sick, disturbing and shocking that a Christian Nationalist thinks quoting Hitler, Stalin, Castro, Pol Pot and Mao is a good thing, but I suspect that even Hitler, Stalin, Castro, Pol Pot and Chairman Mao themselves would all be shocked to learn that a Christian Nationalist was endorsing them. Once upon a time – like seven years ago – a politician’s career in the United States would be dead and deeply buried if they endorsed reading any one of these despots. But all of them??!! Once upon a time – before Trump made it fashionable for Republicans to embrace despots – Republicans made a career out of crying “Better dead than Red” and trying to paint what they claimed were supposedly pinko liberal socialist Democrats and fellow travelers with these scourges of humanity. But no longer, because today it seems that Republicans (especially Christian Nationalists) are elbowing everyone out of the way to literally embrace such tyrants. Democrats don’t have to falsely point fingers at these Christian Nationalist Republicans and make untrue inuendoes about them supposedly following repulsively autocratic, anti-democratic, fascist leaders – because the Republicans themselves are shouting it out loud to let you know on what spot of hell they stand. And to be clear, this isn’t about Mark Robinson (R-NC) telling you all to read the words of dictators – he’s singling out the worst despots in modern history, some of them among the worst in all of human history. While I understand that today’s fascist Republican Party since Trump has been aligning itself with authoritarian dictators – from Vladimir Putin to Turkey's Erdogan to Philippine president Duterte to Trump’s love letters with Kim Jong Un and saying how much he admires China’s Xi Jinping being President for Life to CPAC inviting Viktor Orban to be a keynote speaker and then later holding a convention in his Hungary – making clear that authoritarian government is what the GOP wants, when that reaches the stage of telling people to read the words of Adolf Hitler alone, forget all the others, but then add Joseph Stalin, Fidel Castro, Pol Pot and Chairman Mao, it would seem to take GOP interests to another level and be several miles too far for even today’s Republican Party and hideously unacceptable. With “seem” being the operative word. What will be interesting to see is if any Republican leaders publicly disagree with Mark Robinson (R-NC) and take him to task on human decency on the history of violent repression. Or if any Christian leaders do. And to be clear, I’m being low-key here by saying "any," because of course all of them should. Giving them a break by merely going for just “any” is like an easy lay-up. For now, the one positive thing is that only Mark Robinson (R-NC) has gone full-Adolf in his public statements. And though he’s a Lt. Governor, which puts him on a high pedestal in a state with a Republican House and Senate, as he runs for governor, the current North Carolina governor is a Democrat, and the state only went for Trump by a razor thin 1.34%. So, for a Republican state, it’s clearly willing to vote for Democrats – and hopefully not support someone so virulently extreme. As in, endorsing the writings of Adolf Hitler, Josef Stalin, Pol Pot, Chairman Mao and Fidel Castro. And "a dozen other despots." And Mark Robinson (R-NC) certainly is virulently extreme. There were actually calls for him to resign two years ago after he referenced LGBTQ community as, basically, “filth,” reiterating, so as not to be misunderstood, that “Yes, I called it filth.” And adding that “And if you don’t like it that I called it ‘filth,’ come see me and I’ll explain it to you” – “it” being “transgenderism” and “homosexuality.” It doesn’t go without note that Republican states are banning books on LGBTQ topics, but the Republican Lt. Governor of North Carolina is suggesting that people should read the works of Hitler, Stalin, Chairman Mao, Pol Pot, and Castro. And those "other dozen despots." Ah, those wacky Christian Nationalists and Republicans these days... By the way, if one wants to know why Christian Nationalism has come under so much scorn and given rise to dismissing the supposed piety of this branch of Republican religious conservatism, you need look no further than the holier-than-no one, intolerant, hate-filled leadership of Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson (R-NC). Nor does it go without note that while Mark Robinson (R-NC) encourages people that “it is time for us to get back and start reading some of those quotes” by Hitler, Stalin and all his favorite despots, what Robinson – who is black – conveniently wants us and even himself to overlook is that “those quotes” he admires and endorses by Adolf Hitler include Der Fuhrer’s venomous writing promoting Aryans and the Nazi Master Race, not one word of which allows for the acceptance of black people. So, the Robinson Required Reading List is weirdly and pathetically myopic in its craven, heavily-edited, deeply limited, tragically short-sighted, and perhaps self-loathing praise of despots. All of which Mark Robinson (R-NC) is willing to ignore, just because he wants a world of Christian Nationalists and only Christian Nationalist. Even if one of his heroes would not have him exist in that very world. Or most likely any world. And Republican Party leaders and its religious leaders are silent. Because it suits their needs. Which speaks to who they are. |
AuthorRobert J. Elisberg is a political commentator, screenwriter, novelist, tech writer and also some other things that I just tend to keep forgetting. Feedspot Badge of Honor
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