The Machinery of the GOP Fascist Takeover

The machinery that is killing our democracy:

Newsweek, on the data miners and Big Data tycoons who rigged this election.

The brain tricks they are using:

A Berkleyside profile of George Lakoff who explains how America has been hypnotized.

Lesson being:

Big money + obedient people will defeat smart people + humane/democratic values?

Bigotry is stronger than Tolerance?

Unreason is stronger than Reason?

Tribalism defeats inclusive Democratic Values?

Are we all fascists deep down?

Are we all predators? Is fellow feeling dead?

Now that the Washington Post has decided the target of the Russian cyber attack (the Democratic Party) was actually to blame for what happened (are rape victims and robbery victims and fraud victims basically to blame?), does that mean open societies are doomed?

Do we need to cross that line to defend ourselves? Do we need to start arming schoolchildren to prevent the next mass shooting? Do we need to descend to their level to beat the undemocratic and malevolent forces? Do we need to validate the rightwing's accusations in order to defeat them? To defeat lies to we need to lie more and better? There is a Churchillian question in this: “Is this what we are fighting for?”

There must be some available jujitsu devices we should be developing and using. We have the most creative technical minds on the planet. Why aren’t they engaged on the side of liberal democracy?

Is it because there is a basic autocratic strain that defines Silicon Valley? Are they basically more interested in their opportunities to control us than enabling us to empower ourselves? (Do they believe fascism will set them free? Corporations are favored under fascism. They are constrained under democracy. Maybe they are tired of that.)

Have we gone back to the medieval belief system the Enlightenment and our own Revolution overturned?

Does the recent [victory] of Trumpism and Putinism prove that Might makes Right?

Does it prove that possession is 9/10 of the law? That the man with the gun wins the argument? That Power = Truth? Is that God’s Will? Are we to understand that God and Putin agree in principle?

“We won. You lost. Shut up. Bow down. Do as you’re told. Pay the rich. Screw the poor.”

Is that what we’ve learned? Is that what the American experiment has arrived at? Maybe we’ve arrived at our Julius Caesar moment. Is Trump Caesar or Nero? Or is he Caligula?

While we are soul searching and self questioning the tyrants are busy.

The Loudest, Angriest Person Decides What Is True

Half of America doesn’t care what is true and what is false, they only care which they are supposed to believe. It’s a game between opposing sides and truth doesn’t matter to them. They don't care if Bill O'Reilly is a liar. They like him for being loud and angry, and that's enough.

When scientists tell us terrible things will happen if we don’t lower our fossil fuel use, Republicans simply fire the scientists. Cut off their mikes. Ban them from talking to anyone.

It doesn’t matter what is true. It only matters that their side is louder. That their side has bigger angrier bullies. That they have more oil billions powering their microphones. (It's a nasty but efficient mindset and easy to program people to believe.)

So they can shout down anyone telling the truth the way Bill O’Reilly does on FoxNews

… or GOPTV as it was meant to be called when it was invented in the Nixon White House.

Smells like team spirit, doesn’t it?

Truth used to belong to the loud, the more violent, the one willing to murder anyone who disagrees with them. That was in the bad old days.

Welcome back to the Dark Ages.