Re: the "lyin', dishonest media": Notice how Trump/the Right's ire is directed at journalists

As opposed to, say, the corporate executives who actually control the dominant media conglomerates and what they cover ("Trump is good for CBS" ).

Also, I can't help but think about how the increased shittiness of major news media in the US directly tracks with the growth of the 24-hour news cycle, talk radio, and social media newsfeeds - all of which serve to reinforce vulgar narratives about how black people are criminals and welfare cheats, Muslims are terrorists or terrorist-sympathizers until proven otherwise, organized labor is a major nuisance at best, and access to the daily talking points fed to the news media by the President of the United States and his sycophants, Congress, and the military and intelligence community are prized infinitely more over critical investigative journalism that doesn't insult the intelligence of the public and challenges the powerful and their interests (who will control the media narrative unless they are directly and consistently challenged). Someone please explain to me how any of this is remotely of "the Left."

IMO the best line of attack against Trump is three-pronged

1. That his pathological impulsivity and complete ineptness at governance will get Anericans' sons and daughters killed in pointless military misadventures abroad.

2. That his complete disinterest in learning even the BASICS of governance will lead him to not just delegate all presidential/executive power to his nihilistic white supremacist advisers (Bannon et. al) but also, to him signing off on Congressional Republicans dismantling Social Security, Medicare, and everything else that all Americans not part of the billionaire ruling class hold dear.

and most importantly:

3. Hammer home the clear and direct connection of ALL these things to the fact that most everyone's lives - including most Trump voters, and their families, friends, and local communities - will suffer immensely under the Trump administration and the Republican-controlled federal government (and state governments, for that matter) in general. And if they don't believe you or me, they will soon see for themselves just how much Trump and his administration will do for the "forgotten men and women of this country" that isn't wholly horrific in its impact on said men and women.

Note that none of this will be part of our conversations with the people who are ALREADY on board with us. This is for everyone and anyone who we can bring over to our side, whether they're pro-Trump or fence-sitters or simply aren't really aware of the gravity of the stakes here and how much they will directly impact their own lives. We need to do this, somehow, and we all need to do it NOW. No joke.

- My $0.02.

I noticed that the two Republicans who voted against DeVos are women.

While the most stereotypically horrific far-right white male Christian fundamentalist cast the tie-breaking vote.

Any significance here, however symbolic? Will we be seeing more along these lines?

In Ian Kershaw's Hitler biography, he said that Hitler "completely privatized" political power

As in, political power was completely embodied in a despotic yet charismatic personality and his supporting cast of absolute fiends.

Moreover, the Nazi economy was essentially a cartel of corporate interests whose profitability synchronized comfortably with the political objectives of the Third Reich.

What naturally follows from this is that there's no room for popular politics here - other than the mass mobilization of violent, thuggish supporters of the regime, of course.

Food for thought in these uh, "interesting" times in which we live.

In 1994, 63% of Americans had a negative view of immigrants. In 2016, it was 27%.

From someone who knew all too well what fascism is , and its threats to democracy...

The definition of shamelessness

For DU'ers older than me: Do you think deregulation has increased the prevalence of scamming/fraud?

Seems to me that that would make sense, given the fact that not only has real, substantive regulation of Wall Street and Corporate America in general decreased (as opposed to the kind of "regulations" that really are there to make it all but impossible for the "Little Guy (and Gal) " to compete, or even go into business in the first place in many cases - those have surely increased in number and complexity ); but also, enforcement of regulations (and rules and laws in general, whether they cover petty crime, illicit drugs, or paying your taxes) has decreased to the point where it is precisely the "Little People" (read: the vast majority of people in the United States) whom are punished for any crime or transgression in general (particularly if they're black, or a member of any racial/ethnic minority group, for that matter, and especially if they're poor and/or otherwise lack significant resources) while the "Important People" don't just go unpunished for fraud and ruthless abuse, but are in many cases, rewarded for it.

I find it peculiarly curious..

that the "worst" public schools are usually (or almost always) located in areas with high rates of concentrated poverty, (street) crime, illicit drug use, police presence, unemployment, broken families, and more often than not, a history of economic decay, racial segregation, and white flight (and their consequences). Seems to drive down the average for public schools - and thus, greatly influence perceptions of American public education. Don't ya think?

No required.

"Those who criticize the President are not just Enemies of The State, but Enemies of The People"

Of the countless plausible nightmare scenarios that I have thought about under President Trump, this one is not just plausible, but also, utterly, bone-chillingly horrifying, if history is any guide.

Keep in mind, I think that Trump is almost certainly already surrounding himself with people who are assuring him that his low approval ratings are only because of Fake Polls provided by the corrupt, dishonest, and terribly unfair lyin' Press/Media. Who's to say that there won't be a bunch of new polls from Surveys for SwampDrainers or whatever springing up all over the place with findings like "BREAKING: Massive Breitbart/r/The Donald poll shows President Trump with a 93% approval rating!"??

Remember, KellyAnne Conway herself is a pollster. I have every reason to believe that this administration will not just be the most insulated from basic empirical reality out of every presidential administration in the history of these United States, but will also be the most aggressive and shameless in manufacturing its own reality - one in which The People sincerely want Fascism, and thus, anyone who dares to dissent against the People's Leader is not merely an Enemy of the State, but an Enemy of the People as well.

It's one thing to be called an Enemy of the State by a despotic regime. But being called an Enemy of the People raises the stakes - and the danger - to a whole 'nother level. That is the kind of thing that encourages and legitimizes fear, paranoia, suspicion, resentment, and hatred within and among the general population, and which provides ingredients and ready fuel for mass violence, concentration camps, ethnic cleansing, and even genocide. And if history is any guide, nothing of this nature ever ends in anything other than a calamity of death, destruction, and crimes against humanity.

Tell me I'm wrong to fear this as a plausible scenario for the near-term future - our near-term future.