Agreed. It's almost a reflex: well, I have to diss Trump in order to maintain my street cred. As your list shows, remove the personalities and ask people if they approve of these policies. You'd get an overwhelming YES!
So he is not a member of the tribe because he criticizes Trump? As much as I like what Trump did policy wise, there is still a wide berth for criticism, as is true for all of us. I think you just offered up an example of what the interview is mainly about. Pressure to conform or be rejected. The interview and accompanying writing is excellent. Let's focus on the insights provided.
It's more like you should refrain from criticizing Trump supporters (calling them cult-like) or miss the point that Trump supporters are also opponents of the people who should be hated like the GOP establishment which is the right arm of the Deep State with the Democrat establishment being the left arm.
And of course, it's not wrong to opine that leaving the dig at Trump people out would have made his point more effective.
Obviously, though, Trump certainly has grounds on which he can be criticized.
Hedges' statement: "all these people, who are appalled by the kind of cult-like Republican party that’s built up around Trump."
Leaving aside that being accused of being in a cult is obviously a diss, why would Hedges feel a need to say this?
Especially since it is objectively wrong in that there is a large part of the Republican Party against him and that this part controls the fundraising and other infrastructure.
And especially since Trump is probably the president who most closely shares Hedges' beliefs (anti-war, pro worker, anti-corporate, pro safety net) since Kennedy.
I'm not saying you have to agree with Trump or can't disapprove of the various aesthetics, but saying these are reasons for dismissing the guy who is giving you more of what you want than any prez in my memory, is weird, as is looking down on his supporters.
Pro worker? Pro safety net? Anti corporate? I’ll stipulate war with the since Kennedy caveat. But that kinda ignores carter and the first Bush.
His support is cultish. Which by itself isn’t even problematic. It’s the agenda that sucks. He told his cult he was going to build a wall. Which was merely a hook to harvest the stupid fruit planted by Reagan Limbaugh and Koch . He built the wall with labor from Mexico. Then he cut taxes on the rich. I’m not sure how you cut anyones taxes with a 20 trillion dollar debt. But Trump supporters don’t concern themselves with the optics of punching down or kissing their bosses ass. They’re rugged individuals who rally around a draft dodging misogynist game show host who’s business dealings are synonymous with grift and failure.
Good news though. Barring something unforeseen he’s going to win in a landslide in 24. Because frankly he’ll be a better candidate than the dnc nominee. Which says less about Biden or Trump and everything about America. I’m praying for Tulsi gabbard to run independent or gut fuck the DNC the way trump did the GOP.
Thanks so much for deeming me worthy of a response.
--He told his cult he was going to build a wall. Which was merely a hook to harvest the stupid fruit planted by Reagan Limbaugh and Koch .--
Where are you getting this from? Koch doesn't want the wall (and he didn't want Trump).
And what is wrong with the wall?
He cut the tax rate on everybody but the higher standard deduction helped the less rich and ending the property tax deduction for big estates really, really ticked off the rich.
Yeah, Trump was anti-corporate. Show me the corporations that backed him.
His supporters were on the right track in 2010. But they got high jacked. I
think the tea party was duped into thinking it’s not the too big to fail crowd that’s fucked up. It’s those damn immigrants. The wall is super unless there’s a tunnel or a ladder . Then it’s worthless. I’ve got an idea. How about you incarcerate the job creators that hire illegal immigrants? Because that’s not consistent with kissing your boss’s ass. He built the wall with the support of cowards.
As for taxes, I’m in favor of raising the standard deduction, but lowering taxes when you have a deficit of 20trillion seems fiscally ridiculous.
The wall isn't going to stop immigration & it's really not even meant to. Most of those here illegally come through a port of entry & stay longer than allowed. What the wall is meant to do is stop the smuggling of drugs and people who are basically going to be used as slaves or sex toys.
I became a believer in the wall when the Border Patrol made it clear that they really wanted it.
If the BP wants it, would you then concede it is maybe a good idea?
The Laffer curve is real. Of course, whether we are on the east slope or west of it is open to debate.
As tax revenue increased every year since the new law -- even with Covid-- that's an argument in favor of the tax cuts.
I wonder how many capitalists took the advice in the Powell Memo. Seems like the quest to dominate the world is as deeply ingrained as the urge to win at monopolizing cats. Fuck the cats. Chickens.... No. Corn. Get the CORN!
I had no idea that he had been booed offstage during the lead up to the iraq war, the third iraq conflict. I did protest against the Iraq invasion in southern pines north Carolina, where many major and generals go to retire. Just outside of Fort Bragg, it does not have the titty bars and pawn shops of Fayetteville. There is also a Quaker house in Fayetteville. There are people who love peace in the home of the 82nd airborne.
As always another great and informative article. I’m curious to know what we all think of a paper version of free speech⁉️ Not exclusively of course but as a resource. I’ve done some light research into this but would be interested to know if anyone here knows of anybody who’s printing articles from those of us who speak the truth.
Great article but flawed by the bizarre, apparently obligatory, diss of Trump.
Believe it or not we can cite specifics as to why we like him, which is the opposite of cult-like thinking.
Start with these:
--The bad guys hate him
-- He avoided new wars namely refusing to expand into Syria or attack the Iranian missile bases)
-- Energy independence
-- Cheap gas, which benefits the poor and middle class much more than the rich.
-- Changing the tax code (real estate tax deduction policy) to benefit the middle class at the expense of the rich (Democrats)
-- Ending life-long prison sentences for those who did what Hunter Biden does
-- Recognizing the reality of human trafficking and the fentanyl crisis, and that a secure boarder is an important part of the solution.
-- Standing up to China and trying to return good jobs here.
-- Standing up to Boeing. Remember that?
The question isn't why we like Trump, it's why Hedges doesn't.
Agreed. It's almost a reflex: well, I have to diss Trump in order to maintain my street cred. As your list shows, remove the personalities and ask people if they approve of these policies. You'd get an overwhelming YES!
So he is not a member of the tribe because he criticizes Trump? As much as I like what Trump did policy wise, there is still a wide berth for criticism, as is true for all of us. I think you just offered up an example of what the interview is mainly about. Pressure to conform or be rejected. The interview and accompanying writing is excellent. Let's focus on the insights provided.
It's more like you should refrain from criticizing Trump supporters (calling them cult-like) or miss the point that Trump supporters are also opponents of the people who should be hated like the GOP establishment which is the right arm of the Deep State with the Democrat establishment being the left arm.
And of course, it's not wrong to opine that leaving the dig at Trump people out would have made his point more effective.
Obviously, though, Trump certainly has grounds on which he can be criticized.
The question is, how hard did you have to try to turn that into a Trump diss. It was a wee cultish.
You deserve a response.
Hedges' statement: "all these people, who are appalled by the kind of cult-like Republican party that’s built up around Trump."
Leaving aside that being accused of being in a cult is obviously a diss, why would Hedges feel a need to say this?
Especially since it is objectively wrong in that there is a large part of the Republican Party against him and that this part controls the fundraising and other infrastructure.
And especially since Trump is probably the president who most closely shares Hedges' beliefs (anti-war, pro worker, anti-corporate, pro safety net) since Kennedy.
I'm not saying you have to agree with Trump or can't disapprove of the various aesthetics, but saying these are reasons for dismissing the guy who is giving you more of what you want than any prez in my memory, is weird, as is looking down on his supporters.
Pro worker? Pro safety net? Anti corporate? I’ll stipulate war with the since Kennedy caveat. But that kinda ignores carter and the first Bush.
His support is cultish. Which by itself isn’t even problematic. It’s the agenda that sucks. He told his cult he was going to build a wall. Which was merely a hook to harvest the stupid fruit planted by Reagan Limbaugh and Koch . He built the wall with labor from Mexico. Then he cut taxes on the rich. I’m not sure how you cut anyones taxes with a 20 trillion dollar debt. But Trump supporters don’t concern themselves with the optics of punching down or kissing their bosses ass. They’re rugged individuals who rally around a draft dodging misogynist game show host who’s business dealings are synonymous with grift and failure.
Good news though. Barring something unforeseen he’s going to win in a landslide in 24. Because frankly he’ll be a better candidate than the dnc nominee. Which says less about Biden or Trump and everything about America. I’m praying for Tulsi gabbard to run independent or gut fuck the DNC the way trump did the GOP.
Thanks so much for deeming me worthy of a response.
Various aesthetics? Holy euphemism
--He told his cult he was going to build a wall. Which was merely a hook to harvest the stupid fruit planted by Reagan Limbaugh and Koch .--
Where are you getting this from? Koch doesn't want the wall (and he didn't want Trump).
And what is wrong with the wall?
He cut the tax rate on everybody but the higher standard deduction helped the less rich and ending the property tax deduction for big estates really, really ticked off the rich.
Yeah, Trump was anti-corporate. Show me the corporations that backed him.
Here: https://www.businessinsider.com/wall-street-political-contributions-lobbying-election-trump-biden-president-2021-4
And that was just Wall Street, not counting Big Tech or Big Pharma or, well, Boeing.
And I like Tulsi too.
His supporters were on the right track in 2010. But they got high jacked. I
think the tea party was duped into thinking it’s not the too big to fail crowd that’s fucked up. It’s those damn immigrants. The wall is super unless there’s a tunnel or a ladder . Then it’s worthless. I’ve got an idea. How about you incarcerate the job creators that hire illegal immigrants? Because that’s not consistent with kissing your boss’s ass. He built the wall with the support of cowards.
As for taxes, I’m in favor of raising the standard deduction, but lowering taxes when you have a deficit of 20trillion seems fiscally ridiculous.
Go Tulsi
The wall isn't going to stop immigration & it's really not even meant to. Most of those here illegally come through a port of entry & stay longer than allowed. What the wall is meant to do is stop the smuggling of drugs and people who are basically going to be used as slaves or sex toys.
I became a believer in the wall when the Border Patrol made it clear that they really wanted it.
If the BP wants it, would you then concede it is maybe a good idea?
The Laffer curve is real. Of course, whether we are on the east slope or west of it is open to debate.
As tax revenue increased every year since the new law -- even with Covid-- that's an argument in favor of the tax cuts.
https://www.thebalance.com/current-u-s-federal-government-tax-revenue-3305762
Of course, cutting the number of deductions also probably helped with the balance.
He’s one of the most important voices today. Also can’t believe Cornel West was denied tenure. WTF!
Subscribed to Chris today.
I wonder how many capitalists took the advice in the Powell Memo. Seems like the quest to dominate the world is as deeply ingrained as the urge to win at monopolizing cats. Fuck the cats. Chickens.... No. Corn. Get the CORN!
This s$#t has got to STOP!
I had no idea that he had been booed offstage during the lead up to the iraq war, the third iraq conflict. I did protest against the Iraq invasion in southern pines north Carolina, where many major and generals go to retire. Just outside of Fort Bragg, it does not have the titty bars and pawn shops of Fayetteville. There is also a Quaker house in Fayetteville. There are people who love peace in the home of the 82nd airborne.
As always another great and informative article. I’m curious to know what we all think of a paper version of free speech⁉️ Not exclusively of course but as a resource. I’ve done some light research into this but would be interested to know if anyone here knows of anybody who’s printing articles from those of us who speak the truth.