Tag Archives: Trump Presidency

Trump’s Big ANTIFA Bugaboo Backfires

18 Thursday Jun 2020

Posted by in 21st Century Feudal, 21st Century Modern, American Domestic Affairs, Conflict - Culture - Language - Psychology, Political Psychology

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All over the news: Facebook blocks Trump Campaign promotion containing Nazi symbolism — and to get through this quick –>

https://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/ny-trump-facebook-ads-nazi-blitz-20200618-lpdtlat62fcbzdy2dncj3hgsdq-story.html

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/06/18/trump-campaign-runs-ads-with-marking-once-used-by-nazis-designate-political-prisoners/

https://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-removes-donald-trump-ad-nazi-symbol-violating-policy-2020-6

Add to the above — Breland, Ali. “Nazis Put This Symbol on Political Opponents’ Arms. Now Trump is Using it.” Mother Jones, June 18, 2020.

Trump’s hysteria-creating message begins, “Dangerous MOBS of far-left groups are running through our streets and causing absolute mayhem,” and it ends with this appeal: “We’re calling on YOU to make a public statements and add your name to stand with President Trump against ANTIFA.”

No problem for it seems that with the exception of brief coverage in Mother Jones of street gang bullying and payback (August 29, 2017), “ANTIFA” may be more of a computer-distributed idea taken up chaotically by actors inclined to “play” into their roles for a moment of political action without creating an organization. The “enemy” Trump points to — and wants you to join him in fighting — may have at best a (so far) chimeric existence. On the anti-organization organization concept that isn’t an organization 🙂 but has the Administration’s attention as at least a figment of its imagination substantial enough to promote into a quick two-minutes hate — or a sign-up with the Trump team –>

https://theintercept.com/2020/06/09/antifa-fbi-tweet/ – 6/9/2020

https://www.thenation.com/article/activism/antifa-trump-fbi/ – 6/2/2020

https://www.ajc.com/news/fbi-finds-evidence-antifa-involvement-national-unrest/qVI3U9wb8Q6u1QEvVsJ7AJ/ – 6/6/2020

https://www.businessinsider.com/fbi-no-intelligence-antifa-weekend-violence-george-floyd-protests-2020-6 – 6/2/2020

https://www.thedailybeast.com/fbi-finds-no-evidence-of-antifa-involvement-in-dc-violence-the-same-day-trump-said-it-was-a-terrorist-org – 6/2/2020

https://www.npr.org/2020/06/09/873278314/no-sign-of-antifa-so-far-in-justice-department-cases-brought-over-unrest – 6/9/2020

Trump’s opposition hasn’t hesitated to transform the Trump Team’s action symbol into an object for editorial comment –>

When Trump’s Presidency stepped off with broadsides against the “Fake News!” and proceeded to tear down key missions and personalities in every quietly accepted or admired national institution, he laid the groundwork for his Administration’s own discredit as well as the inspiration for a new spectrum of resistance to authoritarian behaviors and claims. The earlier spectacle of impeachment and the sight of Trump associates being marched off to jail as felons could not have helped in that regard. This latest brouhaha may well cement the impression of an Administration trying mightily to create its own reality to sell to a perhaps confused faithful who believe they have been fighting “globalists”, “libtards”, and “socialists” that actually exist in the manner described to them.

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George Conway’s Tweet

17 Tuesday Dec 2019

Posted by in 21st Century Feudal, American Domestic Affairs, Conflict - Culture - Language - Psychology, Political Psychology, Politics, United States of America

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Representative Jeff Flake jumped the gunwales of the Republican Ship as it swung toward the rocky coast of Trumpian Autocracy. For his conscience and his faith in the American and western liberal project, it must have looked better to swim off alone than stay aboard to go along and get along with the New Boss so apparently fond of unsavory associates. However, it appears that some left behind have been driven to mutiny outright — and God bless ’em!

“Patriotism and the survival of our nation in the face of the crimes, corruption and corrosive nature of Donald Trump are a higher calling than mere politics,” the founders of the Lincoln Project wrote in a New York Times opinion piece published Tuesday. “As Americans, we must stem the damage he and his followers are doing to the rule of law, the Constitution and the American character.”

Marshall, Abbey. “George Conway and other conservative critics launch PAC to take down Trump.” Politico, December 17, 2019.

BackChannels strongly suggests the Lincoln Project connect with Malcolm Nance ASAP to reestablish radically moderate Democratic and Republican positions in a way that both competes the Parties while assuring Americans of desired progress, prosperity, and security in either direction and in keeping with the bedrock of American ideals, freedoms, principles, privileges, and values.

Published earlier today (and before this news of a Republican split emerged online): “FTAC: A Personal Note on America’s Democracy and its Defense”.

Related Online

Bowden, Ebony. “Lincoln Project founders have ties to Russia and tax troubles, docs reveal.” New York Post, July 21, 2020.

Boyer, Dave. “George conway targets Trump with new Super PAC in big to take down wife’s boss.” Washington Times, December 17, 2019.

Conway, George T. III, Steve Schmidt, John Weaver and Rick Wilson. “We are Republicans, and We Want Trump Defeated.” The New York Times, December 17, 2019.

Easley, Jason. “Rudy Giuliani Is Now Working Directly For Russian Intelligence.” Politics USA, December 15, 2019.

Fink, Jenni. “George Conway, Other Republicans Declare “We Are Republicans’, Announce Lincoln Project to ‘Defeat Trumpism’. Newsweek, December 17, 2019.

Flake, Jeff. “My Party Is in Denial About Donald Trump: We created him, and now we’re rationalizing him. When will it stop?” Politico Magazine, July 31, 2017.

Gettys, Travis. “George Conway shames the GOP for replacing conservatism “with an empty faith led by a bogus prophet.” Salon, December 17, 2019.

Oppenheim, James S. “Mafia ‘Don’? Laundering the Authoritarian President’s Image.” BackChannels, September 7, 2018.

The Lincoln Project.

Stephen Colbert, December 16, 2019.

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A Precarious Kurdistan

23 Wednesday Oct 2019

Posted by in 21st Century Feudal, American Domestic Affairs, Kurdistan, Political Psychology, Russia, Syria

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The official presentations of peace have become surreal.

Most understand that with the repression of democracy, especially through the jailing of journalists and the shuttering of publications, Turkish President Tayyip Recep Erdogan has all but denounced democracy for a turn “east” toward dictatorship.

America’s President Trump has agreed to the program but with one difference, i.e., claiming credit for peace in the region. He has nonetheless praised the Turkish leader, essentially hollowing out the meaning of “NATO” and the related Western ideals, principles, and values that were to be defended before the “Phantoms of the Soviet”, i.e., the forces of feudalism and associated criminals, political criminals, and tyrants.

Turkish news channels ran a countdown clock at the top of their screens to let the country know when the ceasefire in northern Syria would end. Military and political commentators tried to outdo each other’s prognostications about what would come out of the meeting between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, in the city of Sochi. In the end, the presidents spent six hours discussing their path forward in northern Syria.

https://www.dw.com/en/opinion-erdogan-wins-big-as-clock-ticks-for-syria-kurds/a-50955172 – 10/23/2019.
Posted to YouTube by ABC News, October 21, 2019.
Posted to YouTube by CBS News, October 23, 2019.

Yesterday

Posted to YouTube by PBS NewsHour, October 21, 2019.
Posted to YouTube by Guardian News, August 28, 2019.

BackChannels expects the powerful mainstream media (Fake News!) to take note of the discrepancies illustrated here by juxtaposition.

It appears some wealthy — way “up there” in wealth born of thuggery — have in some states displaced democratic processes, evolving liberalism, rule of law and become powers unto themselves acting in their own feudal and wholly narcissistic and malign interests.

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FTAC: Strident Right and Defensive Argument

28 Tuesday Aug 2018

Posted by in 21st Century Feudal, American Domestic Affairs, Conflict - Culture - Language - Psychology, FTAC - From The Awesome Conversation, Philology, Political Psychology, Politics

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A portion of the newly strident right hustles to dismiss heretofore reliable sources of information: we have all heard of “Fake News!”  Where that blanket dismissal fails, the sophists then fall back on impugning the credibility of public intelligence sources.  Recent topic of interest: “Fancy Bear” — the fancy title for a Russian hacking team involved in the manipulating of an American election.  In the target zone: the consulting and security firm “Crowdstrike”, which, indeed may have fumbled with some claims about Russia’s MO in Ukraine — but not about the U.S. incident.  In the same business, Fireeye has also reported out on Fancy Bear.  For good measure, BackChannels took a glance at former British spy Christopher Steele’s reputation and found it holding up quite well.

When the most self-righteous on the Right dismiss high-integrity reportage out of hand with shouts of “Fake News!” and the launching of barbs against state officials and private sector consultants in the intelligence business (with Fancy Bear, cybersecurity), have another look at the targets of that ire.

They are all “Fake News!” creators:

https://www.fireeye.com/
https://www.crowdstrike.com/
https://orbisbi.com/

Arguing is so easy: discredit sources; dismiss facts (now that there are “alternative facts” as well); get it down to ad hominem mud pies — and one might feel . . . triumphant. Easy-peasy.

https://www.wired.com/story/fancy-bear-hotel-hack/

One might wonder who leaked that NSA tool — they might now be former NSA . . . .

https://www.forbes.com/sites/samarmarwan/2017/07/11/crowdstrike-helped-trace-the-dnc-hack-to-russia-now-business-is-booming/#31dcd8834434

Crowdstrike’s investigation of “Fancy Bear” in the U.S. domestic attack has not been impugned.

Even though “everyone knows” Christopher Steele just makes up stuff, well — https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/aug/21/author-of-trump-russia-dossier-wins-libel-case-in-us-court-christopher-steele

Note: the consultancy for Christopher Steele worked on what has become known as the “Steele Dossier” was Fusion GPS.

Also, for the record: the editor of BackChannels is an independent American voter and enjoys, alas — or “oh joy!” — no financial support from either Democratic or Republican interests.

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FTAC: A Question About the Trump Presidency

15 Thursday Mar 2018

Posted by in 21st Century Feudal, American Domestic Affairs, Conflict - Culture - Language - Psychology, FTAC - From The Awesome Conversation, North America, Political Psychology, Politics, United States of America

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And the incumbent President has not been so? Has the news really been fake? Had his vendors been paid completely and on time at completion of work? And then with hindsight, we could update this chart appearing in POLITICO last March:

https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/03/connections-trump-putin-russia-ties-chart-flynn-page-manafort-sessions-214868

Here’s the nut: “Did he or didn’t he?” doesn’t matter.

What matters is America’s coherence in its confidence in its presidency.

Where is that now?

The prompting statement to the effect that the “Clintons are pathological liars.”

Even if accepted in the nonpartisan spirit, where are Americans with their critical evaluation of the present leadership?

While drafting this temperature-checking note, I had asked “Where is the United States today as regards the Skripal poisoning in the United Kingdom?”, and I had expected to find not much given President’s Trump image as an autocrat in line with Putin’s encouragement of EU / NATO “New Nationalism”, an element part and parcel in the prying apart of the Alliance.

Here’s what turned up in Business Insider yesterday afternoon:

May-Trump-over-SkripalPoisoning

Price, Rob.  “Trump told May that the US is with the UK ‘all the way’ over the Sergei Skripal poisoning”.  Business Insider, March 13, 2018.

The two log lines — ” . . . with UK ‘all the way'” and ” . . . hesitant to blame Russia for the attack . . . .”  address the ambivalence and suspicions that have dogged the Trump Presidency from before the elections (perhaps starting with the eyebrow-raising Trump campaign association with the now indicted Paul Manafort).

However Americans may feel about the American President at this moment, it’s the “Phantom of the Soviet” and the “phantoms of the Soviet” in issues that are being spotlighted in relation to KGB-style political assassinations that in turn have been evaluated by the intelligence services of the three NATO states now apparently in agreement on their origins.

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Also in Media: “Eliot A. Cohen Responds to Donald Trump’s First Week” – The Atlantic – January 29, 2017

30 Monday Jan 2017

Posted by in 21st Century Feudal, Also in Media, American Domestic Affairs, Political Psychology

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We were right. And friends who urged us to tone it down, to make our peace with him, to stop saying as loudly as we could “this is abnormal,” to accommodate him, to show loyalty to the Republican Party, to think that he and his advisers could be tamed, were wrong. In an epic week beginning with a dark and divisive inaugural speech, extraordinary attacks on a free press, a visit to the CIA that dishonored a monument to anonymous heroes who paid the ultimate price, and now an attempt to ban selected groups of Muslims (including interpreters who served with our forces in Iraq and those with green cards, though not those from countries with Trump hotels, or from really indispensable states like Saudi Arabia), he has lived down to expectations.

Read the whole thing: Eliot A. Cohen Responds to Donald Trump’s First Week – The Atlantic – 1/29/2017.

FTAC – Trump and America’s Broadest Divisions

25 Wednesday Jan 2017

Posted by in 21st Century Feudal, American Domestic Affairs, Conflict - Culture - Language - Psychology, FTAC - From The Awesome Conversation, Political Psychology, Politics

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I’m not going to jump all over Trump’s case. We in the United States have become a deeply polarized people given to extremes.

The general layout:

“Brown” – New Nationalism – Conservative – Far Right

“Red-Green” – Old Comrades and Neo-Islamists – Far Left

Neither “Brown” nor “Red-Green” should be defining classically liberal American politics, but those color codes have made deep inroads into both of our political parties, and that’s leaving the middle and moderate ranks anemic, or at least looking so.

I’m remaining stuck in the middle!

🙂

As always, and also, I want to follow what actually happens over a little bit of time — the famous “First 100 Days” may do — before becoming strident about predictions — and I hope never to confuse “political conservatism” with “conservatism in research”, i.e., careful data collection and thoughtful analysis over time.

BackChannels does not want to practice writing the same article over and over; however, with repetition of some ideas comes increased compression for the same.

If nothing else, this post — and this blog — advocate for empiricism and high integrity in journalism matched by some breadth in knowledge and insight.

Critical reading and reasoning abilities also count in the politics we American have either dealt ourselves or allowed to overtake us.  If en masse we’re subconsciously intent on becoming, keeping, or aligning ourselves in brutal, vicious, and vulgar mobs, then power may become the permanent province of an immensely wealthy business and political elite, i.e., our democracy will simply melt away into just another authoritarian, capricious, feudal, and spirit crushing nightmare.

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