If you’re not following the Twitter account of the NYU professor and authoritarianism expert Ruth Ben-Ghiat, you’re missing the best comedy in the country. I’ve written about her before, but the Trump indictments have caused her to turn it up to eleven — and that’s one more than ten, innit?
She has the pained, querulous look of someone whose nurse is late with the afternoon enema. I know that makes me Hitler, but some things can't be helped.
It’s easy to be an “authoritarianism expert” when all one has to do is point at whomever one doesn’t like and scream “Authoritarian!” It’s Body Snatchers-level discourse.
This is exactly why the legal system has to be built around "innocent until proven guilty." When you start out with the assumption of guilt, why give the guilty a chance to defend themselves and possibly sow enough confusion that their guilt is doubted? Really, why bother with trials at all? Let's just let the experts like Ruth Ben-Ghiat proclaim who the guilty are. I mean, if you're innocent you have nothing to fear, right?
Donald Trump is really dangerous, and it’s particularly useful to remind everybody when you make your living by repeating that ad nauseum. It’s $100/word toots.
In point of fact, Donald Trump was one of the least dangerous Presidents we’ve had in a long time. Didn’t start any wars - unforgivable. Wiped out ISIS - it’s fascist to kill terrorists! Told the Europeans to get off their asses and contribute to their own defense- he attacked our allies! Attempted to reign in the Chicoms - Racist! Pointed out that our nation is run by scumbags- He attacked our Democraceee!!
Had he been allowed to fully implement his agenda without endless attacks and subterfuge by the rancid establishment of permanent Washington and their massive coterie of rent seeking cronies, the world beyond be a much less dangerous place today and fewer people would despise America. Just the right people would despise America.
Thanks to the people who pay RBG and other shills and fixers for the political mafia, we have rigged elections and an imbecile in the White House, who without his corrupt donors and associates, would be living in a Sunbelt double wide, sniffing old ladies in casinos when their social security checks arrive each month.
I am skeptical that any autocratic takeover has ever been initiated by a criminal defense. But two points about that:
1. If a criminal defendant gains so much of the people's support by DEFENDING HIMSELF that they want him to run the country it is probably deserved as he is pretty clearly being unjustly persecuted by a tyrant.
2. If the government wants him to stop the craziness of him defending himself they can always...stop prosecuting him.
Yes, and Rowanchats says: "it's dangerous!" and we have to wonder: "dangerous for who?". They are truly frightened because political opponents have become enemies. They must realize on some level - nothing can stop what is coming. Nothing.
a facebook friend, an actual friend, former employee, co-worker, etc- in other words, someone i know pretty well for many years, posted this the other day:
"I’m thinking that the judge should take away *Rumps plane and make him show up for every single argument/filing - no matter how small. Then ratchet up if he pulls any more BS." is it legal to take/steal someone's plane just because you don't like him?
i've seen many postings like this that roughly say "i don't like Trump so i think we should be able to do anything we want to him, legal, illegal, moral, immoral, whatever it takes, the ends justify the means, for the good of democracy, we should subvert democracy. we should make special rules just for Trump because we don't like him. we know he must have done something bad so let's just get him in jail, however we can for whatever he's done in his life that we don't like even if we once liked it, now we don't so just put him in prison forever and bankrupt him in the process and anyone who disagrees with this form of "justice" is equally criminal and i disavow whatever previous relationships i might have had with them.
imagine if i said "hey C, what if i decided i didn't like you so i got a crooked judge to make special laws just for you that say i can take away your sewing machine to prevent you from doing your work? you ok with that?"
i am so perplexed by all this. formerly reasonable intelligent people (i never thought sam harris was all that intelligent but he's a great example) go absolutely ape shit any time Trump is mentioned and will tolerate any corruption of the laws and the Constitution if it hurts him, forgetting that such a lack of principles could easily be turned on them.
i had a colleague in NYC who was a close friend of Marla's, Trump's wife before Melania. in fact, he designed, and my shop made, a just in case wedding dress for her when she was pregnant with Tiffany for her to have on hand.
we helped him alter many dresses for her and had a poster from Trump's 50th gambler themed birthday bash on the inside door of our lavatory (i still have it). at one Easter Bonnet Competition, an annual Broadway charity drive in support of Equity Fights Aids, Marla was hosting and at the finale when she announced the total contribution from a year of fund raising, Trump came out on stage and took the mic from her. the crowd went wild.
"that's a great number" he said referring to the total, "but i like round numbers and so here's a check from the Trump Organization to take you to a better number."
i don't remember the amount but his pledge was significant. he was a legend in NYC. people loved him because he was outrageous in that NY way. this colleague of mine went to his wedding, to his birthday parties, sucked up to him, had thank you letters from him. i had friends who made uniforms for his hotels. i never met him although obviously i fit Marla in her Trump Tower apartment. i remember thinking that the gold columns were too fat for the ceiling height in the room; the proportions were off.
to me it seemed that this hatred switched on overnight and was as irrational as it was sudden. my colleague who formerly adored Trump and was happy to trade on his association with a wealthy powerful man now sees him as a kind of devil who must be destroyed at any cost. i can't figure it out.
So utterly convinced of their virtue, the self-righteous are incapable of self-refelction or self-awareness.
She has the pained, querulous look of someone whose nurse is late with the afternoon enema. I know that makes me Hitler, but some things can't be helped.
Chris, I subscribed based on one of your earlier references to her work.
Her disconnect from reality is so profound, for entertainment purposes, she's at least as good as Baghdad Bob was. Maybe better.
It’s easy to be an “authoritarianism expert” when all one has to do is point at whomever one doesn’t like and scream “Authoritarian!” It’s Body Snatchers-level discourse.
She's a dime a dozen.
Useful idiots like her will be the 2nd group the regime will imprison.
Brought to you by the people who want to micromanage our lives.
Chris, I’m not sure how you’re not getting it ... she’s brilliant and trying to save us from too much freedom. Freedom is literally Hitler!!
This is exactly why the legal system has to be built around "innocent until proven guilty." When you start out with the assumption of guilt, why give the guilty a chance to defend themselves and possibly sow enough confusion that their guilt is doubted? Really, why bother with trials at all? Let's just let the experts like Ruth Ben-Ghiat proclaim who the guilty are. I mean, if you're innocent you have nothing to fear, right?
Donald Trump is really dangerous, and it’s particularly useful to remind everybody when you make your living by repeating that ad nauseum. It’s $100/word toots.
In point of fact, Donald Trump was one of the least dangerous Presidents we’ve had in a long time. Didn’t start any wars - unforgivable. Wiped out ISIS - it’s fascist to kill terrorists! Told the Europeans to get off their asses and contribute to their own defense- he attacked our allies! Attempted to reign in the Chicoms - Racist! Pointed out that our nation is run by scumbags- He attacked our Democraceee!!
Had he been allowed to fully implement his agenda without endless attacks and subterfuge by the rancid establishment of permanent Washington and their massive coterie of rent seeking cronies, the world beyond be a much less dangerous place today and fewer people would despise America. Just the right people would despise America.
Thanks to the people who pay RBG and other shills and fixers for the political mafia, we have rigged elections and an imbecile in the White House, who without his corrupt donors and associates, would be living in a Sunbelt double wide, sniffing old ladies in casinos when their social security checks arrive each month.
Yes but this one goes up to 11
I’m hoping that is a parody account, but I’m guessing no
I am skeptical that any autocratic takeover has ever been initiated by a criminal defense. But two points about that:
1. If a criminal defendant gains so much of the people's support by DEFENDING HIMSELF that they want him to run the country it is probably deserved as he is pretty clearly being unjustly persecuted by a tyrant.
2. If the government wants him to stop the craziness of him defending himself they can always...stop prosecuting him.
Yes, and Rowanchats says: "it's dangerous!" and we have to wonder: "dangerous for who?". They are truly frightened because political opponents have become enemies. They must realize on some level - nothing can stop what is coming. Nothing.
a facebook friend, an actual friend, former employee, co-worker, etc- in other words, someone i know pretty well for many years, posted this the other day:
"I’m thinking that the judge should take away *Rumps plane and make him show up for every single argument/filing - no matter how small. Then ratchet up if he pulls any more BS." is it legal to take/steal someone's plane just because you don't like him?
i've seen many postings like this that roughly say "i don't like Trump so i think we should be able to do anything we want to him, legal, illegal, moral, immoral, whatever it takes, the ends justify the means, for the good of democracy, we should subvert democracy. we should make special rules just for Trump because we don't like him. we know he must have done something bad so let's just get him in jail, however we can for whatever he's done in his life that we don't like even if we once liked it, now we don't so just put him in prison forever and bankrupt him in the process and anyone who disagrees with this form of "justice" is equally criminal and i disavow whatever previous relationships i might have had with them.
imagine if i said "hey C, what if i decided i didn't like you so i got a crooked judge to make special laws just for you that say i can take away your sewing machine to prevent you from doing your work? you ok with that?"
i am so perplexed by all this. formerly reasonable intelligent people (i never thought sam harris was all that intelligent but he's a great example) go absolutely ape shit any time Trump is mentioned and will tolerate any corruption of the laws and the Constitution if it hurts him, forgetting that such a lack of principles could easily be turned on them.
i had a colleague in NYC who was a close friend of Marla's, Trump's wife before Melania. in fact, he designed, and my shop made, a just in case wedding dress for her when she was pregnant with Tiffany for her to have on hand.
we helped him alter many dresses for her and had a poster from Trump's 50th gambler themed birthday bash on the inside door of our lavatory (i still have it). at one Easter Bonnet Competition, an annual Broadway charity drive in support of Equity Fights Aids, Marla was hosting and at the finale when she announced the total contribution from a year of fund raising, Trump came out on stage and took the mic from her. the crowd went wild.
"that's a great number" he said referring to the total, "but i like round numbers and so here's a check from the Trump Organization to take you to a better number."
i don't remember the amount but his pledge was significant. he was a legend in NYC. people loved him because he was outrageous in that NY way. this colleague of mine went to his wedding, to his birthday parties, sucked up to him, had thank you letters from him. i had friends who made uniforms for his hotels. i never met him although obviously i fit Marla in her Trump Tower apartment. i remember thinking that the gold columns were too fat for the ceiling height in the room; the proportions were off.
to me it seemed that this hatred switched on overnight and was as irrational as it was sudden. my colleague who formerly adored Trump and was happy to trade on his association with a wealthy powerful man now sees him as a kind of devil who must be destroyed at any cost. i can't figure it out.
Thanks for sharing her bio. I also thought she could not possibly be real. So she studies and writes about fascism. Looks like she learned real good.
"all the good economic news"
*Looks at gas prices*
*Looks at grocery prices*
*Looks at housing prices*
*Looks at rising spiral of drug-fueled violence outside of my window*
......huh.