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marmar
marmar's Journal
marmar's Journal
May 10, 2024
(Salon) When all else fails, blame the interviewer.
Kristi Noem, the Republican governor of South Dakota, is lashing out at Margaret Brennan, host of CBS’s Face the Nation, after a ruinous interview over the weekend.
....(snip)....
But Noem, who refused to address the false anecdote or otherwise discuss her "many, many" interactions with foreign leaders, insists she is a victim.
“In the fake news media, there are two sets of rules, and conservative[s] are always treated differently,” she said. “That’s why Americans don’t trust the Fake News.” ...........(more)
https://www.salon.com/2024/05/06/kristi-noem/
Kristi Noem claims liberal bias is why her interview on CBS went so poorly
(Salon) When all else fails, blame the interviewer.
Kristi Noem, the Republican governor of South Dakota, is lashing out at Margaret Brennan, host of CBS’s Face the Nation, after a ruinous interview over the weekend.
....(snip)....
But Noem, who refused to address the false anecdote or otherwise discuss her "many, many" interactions with foreign leaders, insists she is a victim.
“In the fake news media, there are two sets of rules, and conservative[s] are always treated differently,” she said. “That’s why Americans don’t trust the Fake News.” ...........(more)
https://www.salon.com/2024/05/06/kristi-noem/
May 10, 2024
"Reaching her expiration date": How Marjorie Taylor Greene fell so fast from MAGA stardom
Once a fundraising powerhouse for the GOP, MTG now unites Republicans and Democrats who want her to go away
By AMANDA MARCOTTE
Senior Writer
PUBLISHED MAY 10, 2024 5:45AM (EDT)
(Salon) Making an Icarus allusion is tempting, except it would go right over MAGA heads. Plus the Greek myth of the ambitious young man who flies too close to the sun and falls to his death is a tragic story. But there was nothing sad about watching Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., faceplant on live TV late Wednesday. Earlier in the day, it seemed that Greene was backing off her ongoing threat to move to oust Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La. Republicans in Congress repeatedly made it clear to Greene that there was no chance of success if she tried this. Not only did most Republicans oppose her efforts, but even most Democrats were ready to block her motion. Even Donald Trump, the not-so-secret actual leader of House Republicans, issued condescending social media posts warning her this "will negatively affect everything!"
Faced with certain defeat, Greene made noises on Tuesday suggesting that she was finally backing down. New York Times reporting suggests, however, that her ego simply could not allow her to admit that she's not the head honcho of the House GOP. By calling for the vote and failing spectacularly — she only got 11 Republicans to join her — Greene only proved how little power she actually holds. Now she's running around accusing Democrats and Republicans of being a "uniparty." In reality, the two sides agree on very little, except a shared belief that Greene should shut up and go away.
....(snip)....
Greene's belief that she is a major power player who can force the GOP to bend to her will didn't come out of nowhere. It wasn't that long ago that her conspiracy theory-heavy brand of MAGA trolling made her a rising star in the GOP. Her unique ability to "trigger" liberals made her a sought-after guest on right-wing media outlets and a powerhouse fundraiser for the party. During the 2022 midterms, the Daily Beast reported, Republican politicians were practically begging her for endorsements, viewed as second only to getting Trump's public blessing.
....(snip)....
"She" is the explanation here. The Christian right-controlled GOP sees women as support staff, not leaders. Greene was beloved when she paid little mind to legislative work and spent all her time spewing invective to rally the MAGA troops. She was playing the part of a cheerleader, albeit one from a right-wing hell dimension. When she jumped in the huddle and started trying to call plays, however, that's where they drew the line. ...............(more)
https://www.salon.com/2024/05/10/reaching-her-expiration-date-how-marjorie-taylor-greene-fell-so-fast-from-maga-stardom/
"Reaching her expiration date": How Marjorie Taylor Greene fell so fast from MAGA stardom
"Reaching her expiration date": How Marjorie Taylor Greene fell so fast from MAGA stardom
Once a fundraising powerhouse for the GOP, MTG now unites Republicans and Democrats who want her to go away
By AMANDA MARCOTTE
Senior Writer
PUBLISHED MAY 10, 2024 5:45AM (EDT)
(Salon) Making an Icarus allusion is tempting, except it would go right over MAGA heads. Plus the Greek myth of the ambitious young man who flies too close to the sun and falls to his death is a tragic story. But there was nothing sad about watching Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., faceplant on live TV late Wednesday. Earlier in the day, it seemed that Greene was backing off her ongoing threat to move to oust Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La. Republicans in Congress repeatedly made it clear to Greene that there was no chance of success if she tried this. Not only did most Republicans oppose her efforts, but even most Democrats were ready to block her motion. Even Donald Trump, the not-so-secret actual leader of House Republicans, issued condescending social media posts warning her this "will negatively affect everything!"
Faced with certain defeat, Greene made noises on Tuesday suggesting that she was finally backing down. New York Times reporting suggests, however, that her ego simply could not allow her to admit that she's not the head honcho of the House GOP. By calling for the vote and failing spectacularly — she only got 11 Republicans to join her — Greene only proved how little power she actually holds. Now she's running around accusing Democrats and Republicans of being a "uniparty." In reality, the two sides agree on very little, except a shared belief that Greene should shut up and go away.
....(snip)....
Greene's belief that she is a major power player who can force the GOP to bend to her will didn't come out of nowhere. It wasn't that long ago that her conspiracy theory-heavy brand of MAGA trolling made her a rising star in the GOP. Her unique ability to "trigger" liberals made her a sought-after guest on right-wing media outlets and a powerhouse fundraiser for the party. During the 2022 midterms, the Daily Beast reported, Republican politicians were practically begging her for endorsements, viewed as second only to getting Trump's public blessing.
....(snip)....
"She" is the explanation here. The Christian right-controlled GOP sees women as support staff, not leaders. Greene was beloved when she paid little mind to legislative work and spent all her time spewing invective to rally the MAGA troops. She was playing the part of a cheerleader, albeit one from a right-wing hell dimension. When she jumped in the huddle and started trying to call plays, however, that's where they drew the line. ...............(more)
https://www.salon.com/2024/05/10/reaching-her-expiration-date-how-marjorie-taylor-greene-fell-so-fast-from-maga-stardom/
May 9, 2024
As volunteer collectives bring Mexico to the forefront of abortion access, they have also prioritized emotional wellness for those providing support.
BY CHANTAL FLORES
4 MIN READ
MAY 6, 2024
(YES! Magazine) Once a year, Vanessa Jiménez travels to the Lacandon jungle in southern Mexico. At her home in the northern city of Monterrey, more than 900 miles from the jungle, she divides her days between working as a graphic designer, running an advocacy organization for gender-based violence, and volunteering with the Necesito Abortar (I Need an Abortion) network to provide support for safe abortions.
Traveling to the jungle, though sometimes difficult, is an important part of her self-care strategy. The hot and humid weather, the rough terrain, and the level of attention it requires help her to decompress from the abortion activism she’s doing in the northern state of Nuevo León.
....(snip)....
Jiménez and her long-time partner, Sandra Cardona, are the founders of Necesito Abortar, a group of 20 “acompañantes” (companions) that provide support throughout the abortion process. Most of the companions receive no financial remuneration and carry out this work in addition to their paid jobs and daily commitments. While these volunteer collectives have brought Mexico to the forefront of abortion access, there is one struggle that goes largely unnoticed: the health and emotional well-being of these volunteers.
....(snip)....
Mexico’s Supreme Court decriminalized abortion on the federal level in 2023 and requires federal health facilities to offer and provide abortion care. However, medical workers can still refuse to carry out terminations, and 20 of Mexico’s 32 states still have criminal abortion laws. ................(more)
https://www.yesmagazine.org/health-happiness/2024/05/06/mexico-healthcare-abortion-volunteer
How Mexico's Abortion Activists Care for Each Other--and Themselves
How Mexico’s Abortion Activists Care for Each Other—and ThemselvesAs volunteer collectives bring Mexico to the forefront of abortion access, they have also prioritized emotional wellness for those providing support.
BY CHANTAL FLORES
4 MIN READ
MAY 6, 2024
(YES! Magazine) Once a year, Vanessa Jiménez travels to the Lacandon jungle in southern Mexico. At her home in the northern city of Monterrey, more than 900 miles from the jungle, she divides her days between working as a graphic designer, running an advocacy organization for gender-based violence, and volunteering with the Necesito Abortar (I Need an Abortion) network to provide support for safe abortions.
Traveling to the jungle, though sometimes difficult, is an important part of her self-care strategy. The hot and humid weather, the rough terrain, and the level of attention it requires help her to decompress from the abortion activism she’s doing in the northern state of Nuevo León.
....(snip)....
Jiménez and her long-time partner, Sandra Cardona, are the founders of Necesito Abortar, a group of 20 “acompañantes” (companions) that provide support throughout the abortion process. Most of the companions receive no financial remuneration and carry out this work in addition to their paid jobs and daily commitments. While these volunteer collectives have brought Mexico to the forefront of abortion access, there is one struggle that goes largely unnoticed: the health and emotional well-being of these volunteers.
....(snip)....
Mexico’s Supreme Court decriminalized abortion on the federal level in 2023 and requires federal health facilities to offer and provide abortion care. However, medical workers can still refuse to carry out terminations, and 20 of Mexico’s 32 states still have criminal abortion laws. ................(more)
https://www.yesmagazine.org/health-happiness/2024/05/06/mexico-healthcare-abortion-volunteer
May 9, 2024
Trump trial delays bring focus to crucial Supreme Court case
The Supreme Court is preparing to make Donald Trump a de facto dictator
By CHAUNCEY DEVEGA
Senior Writer
PUBLISHED MAY 9, 2024 5:45AM (EDT)
(Salon) Donald Trump’s hush-money trial in New York is like an insatiable maw or some type of blackhole or a galactic vacuum cleaner that is sucking up everything around it.
....(snip)....
But the mainstream news media’s obsession with the hush-money trial is committing the error of mostly ignoring Donald Trump’s attempts to convince the United States Supreme Court that he is basically a king and above the law because of “presidential immunity.” The court’s right-wing justices – three of whom were appointed by Donald Trump – appear likely to grant, in part or in whole, Trump’s demand for nearly unlimited power and by doing so to fundamentally betray the Constitution and American democracy.
....(snip)....
Writing at the Nation, Elie Mystal shares his assessment of the American mainstream news media and its failures to properly cover the Supreme Court and Trump’s claims of unlimited power:
....(snip)....
The American news media, and especially the elite agenda-setting news media such as the New York Times and Washington Post, have a responsibility to adequately cover both the hush-money trial and Donald Trump’s plans and aspirations to be a dictator. Moreover, the elite agenda-setting news media possess the necessary resources to practice that type of essential pro-democracy journalism if they so choose. ...............(more)
https://www.salon.com/2024/05/09/trial-delays-bring-focus-to-crucial-case/
Trump trial delays bring focus to crucial Supreme Court case
Trump trial delays bring focus to crucial Supreme Court case
The Supreme Court is preparing to make Donald Trump a de facto dictator
By CHAUNCEY DEVEGA
Senior Writer
PUBLISHED MAY 9, 2024 5:45AM (EDT)
(Salon) Donald Trump’s hush-money trial in New York is like an insatiable maw or some type of blackhole or a galactic vacuum cleaner that is sucking up everything around it.
....(snip)....
But the mainstream news media’s obsession with the hush-money trial is committing the error of mostly ignoring Donald Trump’s attempts to convince the United States Supreme Court that he is basically a king and above the law because of “presidential immunity.” The court’s right-wing justices – three of whom were appointed by Donald Trump – appear likely to grant, in part or in whole, Trump’s demand for nearly unlimited power and by doing so to fundamentally betray the Constitution and American democracy.
....(snip)....
Writing at the Nation, Elie Mystal shares his assessment of the American mainstream news media and its failures to properly cover the Supreme Court and Trump’s claims of unlimited power:
In the few days since the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Trump v. United States—the case that will determine whether Donald Trump has lifetime immunity from crimes he committed while in office—the national media has failed. The reports about what happened during the hearing, and how the Republican justices are likely to rule, range from credulous simplicity to outright gaslighting. The court will almost certainly take the extreme, unprecedented, and previously unfathomable position that Trump cannot be held criminally accountable for all of his actions—and the reason it is likely to do so is that the court knows the media will carry its water and normalize its ruling to a public that lacks the time and acumen to fully appreciate what it’s doing.
I’m not talking about Fox News or Newsmax, whose coverage I have not read or watched but assume it’s ranged from cultish to clownish, as it always does. I’m talking about the mainstream press, the so-called “liberal” press, which is taking its cue from the Supreme Court and trying to normalize the proposition that presidents should be immune from at least some crimes.
The idea of presidential criminal immunity is wholly unprecedented in the American experience. Other than Donald Trump, only Richard Nixon has claimed it, and Nixon’s argument was roundly rejected, not just by the courts but also by the media-industrial complex. This time, however, Trump’s claim—and the court’s bankrupt willingness to back it—is finding purchase in the national media.
....(snip)....
The American news media, and especially the elite agenda-setting news media such as the New York Times and Washington Post, have a responsibility to adequately cover both the hush-money trial and Donald Trump’s plans and aspirations to be a dictator. Moreover, the elite agenda-setting news media possess the necessary resources to practice that type of essential pro-democracy journalism if they so choose. ...............(more)
https://www.salon.com/2024/05/09/trial-delays-bring-focus-to-crucial-case/
May 9, 2024
(Salon) Actress Halle Berry, 57, took to Capitol Hill last week to lobby for bipartisan legislation aimed at increasing clinical research into — and de-stigmatizing — menopause. Sponsored by Senators Patty Murray (D-Wash.) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Ala.), the bill would allot a total of $275 million in federal funds for menopause-related initiatives.
$125 million would be set aside for clinical trials, and public health research into hormone therapy treatments used to manage symptoms like hot flashes. The other $150 million would be spent improving menopause detection and diagnosis among doctors, and educating the public on the long-stigmatized topic in women's health.
"I'm here doing this work because it has to be de-stigmatized. The shame has to be taken out of menopause. We have to talk about this very normal part of our life that happens. Our doctors can't even say the word to us, let alone walk us through the journey of what our menopausal years look like," Berry said. "I'm here as a citizen of the United States, as a woman who is demanding that our government give us what we need because we deserve it. We have been overlooked. We have been discarded for far too long." .............(more)
https://www.salon.com/2024/05/08/im-in-menopause-halle-berry-shouts-to-end-stigma/?in_brief=true
"I'm in menopause!" Halle Berry shouts to end stigma
(Salon) Actress Halle Berry, 57, took to Capitol Hill last week to lobby for bipartisan legislation aimed at increasing clinical research into — and de-stigmatizing — menopause. Sponsored by Senators Patty Murray (D-Wash.) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Ala.), the bill would allot a total of $275 million in federal funds for menopause-related initiatives.
$125 million would be set aside for clinical trials, and public health research into hormone therapy treatments used to manage symptoms like hot flashes. The other $150 million would be spent improving menopause detection and diagnosis among doctors, and educating the public on the long-stigmatized topic in women's health.
"I'm here doing this work because it has to be de-stigmatized. The shame has to be taken out of menopause. We have to talk about this very normal part of our life that happens. Our doctors can't even say the word to us, let alone walk us through the journey of what our menopausal years look like," Berry said. "I'm here as a citizen of the United States, as a woman who is demanding that our government give us what we need because we deserve it. We have been overlooked. We have been discarded for far too long." .............(more)
https://www.salon.com/2024/05/08/im-in-menopause-halle-berry-shouts-to-end-stigma/?in_brief=true
May 9, 2024
Stormy Daniels testimony reveals the triumph of #MeToo
The media's coverage of a key witness against Donald Trump has been surprisingly nuanced and thoughtful
By AMANDA MARCOTTE
Senior Writer
PUBLISHED MAY 9, 2024 6:00AM (EDT)
(Salon) Until her long-anticipated testimony at Donald Trump's Manhattan fraud trial Tuesday, the mainstream media had leaned on misleading terms like "affair" and "tryst" to describe the alleged 2006 sexual encounter between Stormy Daniels and the criminal defendant. So I was braced for callous reactions to her time on the witness stand, where the adult film actress described an encounter with Trump far more harrowing than titillating.
....(snip)....
But when I observed the media response, I was glad to see that, despite such anxiety-producing ambiguity, mainstream journalists openly grappled with the darker implications of what Daniels recounted. The headline at the Washington Post report by Perry Stein and Devlin Barrett spelled out that Daniels' testimony "at times sounded like a nonconsensual sexual encounter." On MSNBC, host Nicole Wallace expressed regret for previously reducing Daniels to her job, noting that she's also a mother and a human being. One of the New York Times live reporters noted that earlier versions of her story were less "ominous," but then immediately offered context: "Experts on traumatic sexual experiences say that a person's perception of such encounters can change over time, and that the most traumatic details may emerge only later." David Graham at the Atlantic wrote that Daniels described Trump as a man "dripping with sexual entitlement and presumption."
This all feels like a shift from how such matters were written about less than a decade ago. In the past, most journalists took a legalistic, black-and-white approach to the issue of sexual consent. If a description of an encounter didn't meet a criminal definition of sexual assault, it was assumed both parties were willing and eager. Sex was treated as either fully consensual or rape, ignoring the icky truth that there are a lot of nonconsensual-but-not-provably-illegal encounters.
....(snip)....
This is also why it matters now that the media is willing to deal with the complexities of the testimony Daniels offered Tuesday. This isn't just a salacious tabloid story. It cuts right to the heart of the bigger, more impactful issue of what it means to let men like Trump have power. This is the same man who, after all, made a promise to end abortion rights — and it was one of the few promises he kept. His misogyny and male entitlement matter not just to the unfortunate women who cross his path, but the millions who now have lost basic rights to bodily autonomy. ................(more)
https://www.salon.com/2024/05/09/stormy-daniels-testimony-reveals-the-triumph-of-metoo/
Stormy Daniels testimony reveals the triumph of #MeToo
Stormy Daniels testimony reveals the triumph of #MeToo
The media's coverage of a key witness against Donald Trump has been surprisingly nuanced and thoughtful
By AMANDA MARCOTTE
Senior Writer
PUBLISHED MAY 9, 2024 6:00AM (EDT)
(Salon) Until her long-anticipated testimony at Donald Trump's Manhattan fraud trial Tuesday, the mainstream media had leaned on misleading terms like "affair" and "tryst" to describe the alleged 2006 sexual encounter between Stormy Daniels and the criminal defendant. So I was braced for callous reactions to her time on the witness stand, where the adult film actress described an encounter with Trump far more harrowing than titillating.
....(snip)....
But when I observed the media response, I was glad to see that, despite such anxiety-producing ambiguity, mainstream journalists openly grappled with the darker implications of what Daniels recounted. The headline at the Washington Post report by Perry Stein and Devlin Barrett spelled out that Daniels' testimony "at times sounded like a nonconsensual sexual encounter." On MSNBC, host Nicole Wallace expressed regret for previously reducing Daniels to her job, noting that she's also a mother and a human being. One of the New York Times live reporters noted that earlier versions of her story were less "ominous," but then immediately offered context: "Experts on traumatic sexual experiences say that a person's perception of such encounters can change over time, and that the most traumatic details may emerge only later." David Graham at the Atlantic wrote that Daniels described Trump as a man "dripping with sexual entitlement and presumption."
This all feels like a shift from how such matters were written about less than a decade ago. In the past, most journalists took a legalistic, black-and-white approach to the issue of sexual consent. If a description of an encounter didn't meet a criminal definition of sexual assault, it was assumed both parties were willing and eager. Sex was treated as either fully consensual or rape, ignoring the icky truth that there are a lot of nonconsensual-but-not-provably-illegal encounters.
....(snip)....
This is also why it matters now that the media is willing to deal with the complexities of the testimony Daniels offered Tuesday. This isn't just a salacious tabloid story. It cuts right to the heart of the bigger, more impactful issue of what it means to let men like Trump have power. This is the same man who, after all, made a promise to end abortion rights — and it was one of the few promises he kept. His misogyny and male entitlement matter not just to the unfortunate women who cross his path, but the millions who now have lost basic rights to bodily autonomy. ................(more)
https://www.salon.com/2024/05/09/stormy-daniels-testimony-reveals-the-triumph-of-metoo/
May 8, 2024
Lawmakers who oppose abortion often invoke their faith — many identify as Christian — while debating policy.
The anti-abortion movement’s use of Christianity in arguments might create the impression that broad swaths of religious Americans don’t support abortion rights. But a recent report shows that Americans of various faiths and denominations believe abortion should be legal in all or most cases.
According to a Public Religion Research Institute survey of some 22,000 U.S. adults released last week, 93% of Unitarian Universalists, 81% of Jews, 79% of Buddhists and 60% of Muslims also hold that view.
Researchers also found that most people who adhere to the two major branches of Christianity — Catholicism and Protestantism — also believe abortion should be mostly legal, save for three groups: white evangelical Protestants, Latter-day Saints and Jehovah’s Witnesses. .............(more)
https://michiganadvance.com/2024/05/07/religious-views-on-abortion-more-diverse-than-they-may-appear-in-u-s-political-debate/
Religious views on abortion more diverse than they may appear in U.S. political debate
Lawmakers who oppose abortion often invoke their faith — many identify as Christian — while debating policy.
The anti-abortion movement’s use of Christianity in arguments might create the impression that broad swaths of religious Americans don’t support abortion rights. But a recent report shows that Americans of various faiths and denominations believe abortion should be legal in all or most cases.
According to a Public Religion Research Institute survey of some 22,000 U.S. adults released last week, 93% of Unitarian Universalists, 81% of Jews, 79% of Buddhists and 60% of Muslims also hold that view.
Researchers also found that most people who adhere to the two major branches of Christianity — Catholicism and Protestantism — also believe abortion should be mostly legal, save for three groups: white evangelical Protestants, Latter-day Saints and Jehovah’s Witnesses. .............(more)
https://michiganadvance.com/2024/05/07/religious-views-on-abortion-more-diverse-than-they-may-appear-in-u-s-political-debate/
May 8, 2024
Abortion questions will officially be on the ballot in several states, such as Florida and Maryland, this fall.
A handful of abortion-rights supporters have until the summer to collect signatures for initiative petitions. Until then, anti-abortion groups in several states have launched campaigns to persuade residents to “decline to sign” petitions that could protect abortion rights in state constitutions.
Opposition groups in Colorado, Florida and Nebraska went so far as to craft their own proposed constitutional amendments. The efforts in Colorado and Florida failed to gather enough signatures by secretary of state deadlines, but the Nebraska petition has a similar name to the abortion-rights petition and seeks to allow abortion until the first trimester, even though the state already has a 12-week ban.
And in South Dakota, lawmakers passed a bill this spring that allows endorsers to withdraw petition signatures. Montana is the only state without a clear anti-abortion petition group. But abortion-rights supporters only received clearance to start gathering signatures last month, Daily Montanan reported. ..................(more)
https://michiganadvance.com/2024/05/07/decline-to-sign-campaigns-surge-in-states-where-abortion-could-be-on-the-ballot/
'Decline to sign' campaigns surge in states where abortion could be on the ballot
Abortion questions will officially be on the ballot in several states, such as Florida and Maryland, this fall.
A handful of abortion-rights supporters have until the summer to collect signatures for initiative petitions. Until then, anti-abortion groups in several states have launched campaigns to persuade residents to “decline to sign” petitions that could protect abortion rights in state constitutions.
Opposition groups in Colorado, Florida and Nebraska went so far as to craft their own proposed constitutional amendments. The efforts in Colorado and Florida failed to gather enough signatures by secretary of state deadlines, but the Nebraska petition has a similar name to the abortion-rights petition and seeks to allow abortion until the first trimester, even though the state already has a 12-week ban.
And in South Dakota, lawmakers passed a bill this spring that allows endorsers to withdraw petition signatures. Montana is the only state without a clear anti-abortion petition group. But abortion-rights supporters only received clearance to start gathering signatures last month, Daily Montanan reported. ..................(more)
https://michiganadvance.com/2024/05/07/decline-to-sign-campaigns-surge-in-states-where-abortion-could-be-on-the-ballot/
May 8, 2024
Donald Trump contains multitudes and none of them are good
By CHAUNCEY DEVEGA
Senior Writer
PUBLISHED MAY 8, 2024 5:45AM (EDT)
(Salon) “He’s a man. He’s a husband. He’s a father. He’s a person just like you and just like me.”
Donald Trump’s attorney told the jury in the New York hush-money trial those things about his client in an attempt to humanize someone who is one of the great villains in American history. But Donald Trump is not a family man and a “person just like you and just like me.” He is a floating signifier and symbol for the global antidemocracy movement.
....(snip)....
In an essay at The Philadelphia Inquirer, the always insightful William Bunch traveled to a MAGA political rally in Pennsylvania last month and spoke to the people there to bask in the aura of Trump and the community they have constructed around him:
....(snip)....
Donald Trump has repeatedly shown that he is attracted to violence and delights in hurting other human beings. A short list of examples includes Jan. 6 and the lethal terrorist attack on the Capitol by his MAGA followers, his racist and bigoted beliefs and behavior, channeling of Hitler with threats to purge the “vermin” from the “blood” of the nation, threats to kill and imprison his perceived political enemies such as President Biden and Hillary Clinton, public admirations of murderous tyrants and dictators, willful negligence in response to the COVID pandemic, being found responsible in a civil court for sexually assaulting E. Jean Carroll and many other examples of antisocial and dangerous behavior.
....(snip)....
Donald Trump’s hush-money and other criminal trials are an opportunity to tear down the strongman facade and character he has constructed, and by doing so, to expose him as just being a mere mortal as opposed to the type of god he imagines himself to be — and that his MAGA people and other supporters see him as. ................(more)
https://www.salon.com/2024/05/08/trial-paints-him-as-a-clown--but-maga-sees-a-boss/
Trump's trial paints him as a clown -- but MAGA sees a boss
Trump's trial paints him as a clown — but MAGA sees a bossDonald Trump contains multitudes and none of them are good
By CHAUNCEY DEVEGA
Senior Writer
PUBLISHED MAY 8, 2024 5:45AM (EDT)
(Salon) “He’s a man. He’s a husband. He’s a father. He’s a person just like you and just like me.”
Donald Trump’s attorney told the jury in the New York hush-money trial those things about his client in an attempt to humanize someone who is one of the great villains in American history. But Donald Trump is not a family man and a “person just like you and just like me.” He is a floating signifier and symbol for the global antidemocracy movement.
....(snip)....
In an essay at The Philadelphia Inquirer, the always insightful William Bunch traveled to a MAGA political rally in Pennsylvania last month and spoke to the people there to bask in the aura of Trump and the community they have constructed around him:
In a sense, Trump himself is almost like the MacGuffin, the plot device that gives these characters an excuse to get together. “We already know what the spiel is, we know what he stands for,” one man, a middle-aged Canadian American executive, told me. So why wait in this massive line? It’s partly that a rally gives supporters a chance to get off the couch, shut down the TikTok app, turn off YouTube, and prove to themselves they are actually not alone in thinking that everything has gone to heck…. That’s why it was so jarring to see that the happiest place on Earth was this mile-long line in Schnecksville. It was a kind of “Trumpstock”: one night of manufactured peace, unity, and shared disinformation, while the gale-force winds of truth blew well above their bubble.
....(snip)....
Donald Trump has repeatedly shown that he is attracted to violence and delights in hurting other human beings. A short list of examples includes Jan. 6 and the lethal terrorist attack on the Capitol by his MAGA followers, his racist and bigoted beliefs and behavior, channeling of Hitler with threats to purge the “vermin” from the “blood” of the nation, threats to kill and imprison his perceived political enemies such as President Biden and Hillary Clinton, public admirations of murderous tyrants and dictators, willful negligence in response to the COVID pandemic, being found responsible in a civil court for sexually assaulting E. Jean Carroll and many other examples of antisocial and dangerous behavior.
....(snip)....
Donald Trump’s hush-money and other criminal trials are an opportunity to tear down the strongman facade and character he has constructed, and by doing so, to expose him as just being a mere mortal as opposed to the type of god he imagines himself to be — and that his MAGA people and other supporters see him as. ................(more)
https://www.salon.com/2024/05/08/trial-paints-him-as-a-clown--but-maga-sees-a-boss/
May 8, 2024
(Salon) Even though humans are experiencing the hottest months in recorded human history, and scientists warn our species is living on "borrowed time," a recent poll found a notable dip in the number of people who view climate change as an urgent issue.
In the latest poll by Monmouth University, less than half (46%) of the American public perceives global heating as being a very serious problem. While this is still higher than the figure from nine years ago (41% in 2015), it is also lower than more recent polling, which had the figure at over half (54% in 2018 and 56% in 2021). Concern about the urgency of addressing climate change — characterizing it as "very serious" — has dropped among all political groups: Democrats (85% to 77% since 2021), Republicans (21% to 13% since 2021) and independents (56% to 43% since 2021). Voters today by far are more worried about issues like inflation, immigration and reproductive rights.
Americans still overwhelmingly acknowledge that climate change is happening and is caused by our burning of fossil fuels, with nearly three out of four (73%) acknowledging that the world's climate is changing in ways that cause more extreme weather and sea level rise. That figure is within the same range as numbers taken in 2015 (70%), 2018 (78%) and 2021 (76%). By contrast, a 2021 study in the journal Environmental Research Letters found that more than 99% of scientists acknowledge climate change as both real and man-made. ....................(more)
https://www.salon.com/2024/05/07/poll-finds-fewer-americans-are-concerned-about-climate-change/?in_brief=true
Poll finds fewer Americans are concerned about climate change
(Salon) Even though humans are experiencing the hottest months in recorded human history, and scientists warn our species is living on "borrowed time," a recent poll found a notable dip in the number of people who view climate change as an urgent issue.
In the latest poll by Monmouth University, less than half (46%) of the American public perceives global heating as being a very serious problem. While this is still higher than the figure from nine years ago (41% in 2015), it is also lower than more recent polling, which had the figure at over half (54% in 2018 and 56% in 2021). Concern about the urgency of addressing climate change — characterizing it as "very serious" — has dropped among all political groups: Democrats (85% to 77% since 2021), Republicans (21% to 13% since 2021) and independents (56% to 43% since 2021). Voters today by far are more worried about issues like inflation, immigration and reproductive rights.
Americans still overwhelmingly acknowledge that climate change is happening and is caused by our burning of fossil fuels, with nearly three out of four (73%) acknowledging that the world's climate is changing in ways that cause more extreme weather and sea level rise. That figure is within the same range as numbers taken in 2015 (70%), 2018 (78%) and 2021 (76%). By contrast, a 2021 study in the journal Environmental Research Letters found that more than 99% of scientists acknowledge climate change as both real and man-made. ....................(more)
https://www.salon.com/2024/05/07/poll-finds-fewer-americans-are-concerned-about-climate-change/?in_brief=true
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