I have struggled with the Democratic Party continuing to take the high road. This post and analysis in book you describe here is very very helpful. But damn it is hard to stay calm when the screaming and sneakiness is wrong and wretched.
I'm all for love, but the Democrats way of dealing with Republicans seems to be by and large capitulation and weakness - for which they are praised as being the "adults in the room". We need more nasty politically savvy bastards like LBJ defending our democracy. I am firmly of the belief that without a significant bill protecting voting rights in the next two years, America's democracy will inevitably collapse into authoritarianism. Ironically, the main cause are several exploitable weakness built into the Constitution - the Electoral College (which turns popular vote losers into winners and radicalizes the Supreme Court), the Senate (whereby small rural states overturn the popular will again and again), and State control over local elections (giving rise to gerrymandering and egregious levels of voter suppression). Truly we have arrived at the tyranny of the minority in this country.
Agreed. To my read, Angus, you are saying that Democrats need to be fierce as hell in their pursuit of equal rights for all. The examples of Lincoln and MLK help me to sustain hope for the long term . . . In the legislative halls, yes, LBJ fightling fiercely and creatively, twisting arms for civil rights, is the right answer. Yet I wonder if even he could get “deals” done in these hyperpolarized times.
Even if he might not succeed in today’s times he would have tried. Sometimes all it takes to break a demagogue or a wannabe dictator is to ask “Do you have no shame?” Of course, the majority of Republicans in the Congress clearly don’t have any shame as evidenced from their voting record that shows they tried to over rule the vote of the people. These are not ordinary times nor ordinary Republicans.
You are damn right: "Even if he might not succeed in today’s times he would have tried." Theodore Roosevelt once spoke about the necessity of the "wolf rising in the heart" in the fight against injustice. I am going to take a new look at LBJ and maybe write a piece about him. Thanks for the prod.
I think this is partly why so many people are excited by the emergence of "Dark Brandon" - the GOP has been able to get away with so many clearly anti-democratic, racist, and corrupt acts, and no one calls them on it, least of all the mainstream media which seems obsessed with both-siderism. But the GOP is outraged when told the truth. Like Truman said "I never did give anybody hell. I just told the truth and they thought it was hell."
A little something from MLK as a Sunday pick me up: "[We] must evolve for all human conflict a method which rejects revenge, aggression and retaliation. The foundation of such a method is love."
I am with you, Blyth, in this sentiment. And that is when I reach for Lincoln and MLK––who were confronting similar paranoia, lies, and hatred––and hold them close. In this way, history serves as a comfort and guide. Thank God for history.
Thanks for this excellent piece, Eli. And thanks for inviting civil discourse. You are modeling what needs to happen if we are to get through this period and move forward as a nation.
As I read the four bullet points of what the Republican Party needs to do right the ship, although I don’t disagree, I have little/no expectations they can do these things. White supremacy and maintaining class power are not simply aspects that can be purged—they have over forty years become the heart replacement of the party. Should the republicans take Congress in November and the White House in ‘24, they will only be emboldened to reinforce that heart.
I hear you, John. That’s the big issue. I do recall that after Barack Obama won in 2008 many leaders of the GOP declared that the way forward was to follow similar bullet points. Then Trump came along and brought out the worst paranoid elements of the party. Hopefully they can get back to good old fashion conservatism. Like you, I’m not saying I’m optimistic… hope springs eternal, though. Since they don’t know what to do, there is some minimal value and telling them :-)
Also, John, if you get a moment I’m interested in hearing from you about today’s essay. It is the heart of my political thinking. I want to get it right.
I agree with you on this, Edward. The question is, in the Internet era will too much demagogic violent rhetoric––free speech––actually bring down the country by stoking fury and rage and civil war? While we should 100% permit the full expression of ideas and opinions, I am not sure we need to permit speech that incites violence. Super tricky in a nation that prides itself so absolutely on free speech, but it's an area of civic life that deserves abundant research and probable reform to ensure domestic tranquility.
I have struggled with the Democratic Party continuing to take the high road. This post and analysis in book you describe here is very very helpful. But damn it is hard to stay calm when the screaming and sneakiness is wrong and wretched.
I'm all for love, but the Democrats way of dealing with Republicans seems to be by and large capitulation and weakness - for which they are praised as being the "adults in the room". We need more nasty politically savvy bastards like LBJ defending our democracy. I am firmly of the belief that without a significant bill protecting voting rights in the next two years, America's democracy will inevitably collapse into authoritarianism. Ironically, the main cause are several exploitable weakness built into the Constitution - the Electoral College (which turns popular vote losers into winners and radicalizes the Supreme Court), the Senate (whereby small rural states overturn the popular will again and again), and State control over local elections (giving rise to gerrymandering and egregious levels of voter suppression). Truly we have arrived at the tyranny of the minority in this country.
Agreed. To my read, Angus, you are saying that Democrats need to be fierce as hell in their pursuit of equal rights for all. The examples of Lincoln and MLK help me to sustain hope for the long term . . . In the legislative halls, yes, LBJ fightling fiercely and creatively, twisting arms for civil rights, is the right answer. Yet I wonder if even he could get “deals” done in these hyperpolarized times.
Even if he might not succeed in today’s times he would have tried. Sometimes all it takes to break a demagogue or a wannabe dictator is to ask “Do you have no shame?” Of course, the majority of Republicans in the Congress clearly don’t have any shame as evidenced from their voting record that shows they tried to over rule the vote of the people. These are not ordinary times nor ordinary Republicans.
You are damn right: "Even if he might not succeed in today’s times he would have tried." Theodore Roosevelt once spoke about the necessity of the "wolf rising in the heart" in the fight against injustice. I am going to take a new look at LBJ and maybe write a piece about him. Thanks for the prod.
I think this is partly why so many people are excited by the emergence of "Dark Brandon" - the GOP has been able to get away with so many clearly anti-democratic, racist, and corrupt acts, and no one calls them on it, least of all the mainstream media which seems obsessed with both-siderism. But the GOP is outraged when told the truth. Like Truman said "I never did give anybody hell. I just told the truth and they thought it was hell."
A little something from MLK as a Sunday pick me up: "[We] must evolve for all human conflict a method which rejects revenge, aggression and retaliation. The foundation of such a method is love."
I am with you, Blyth, in this sentiment. And that is when I reach for Lincoln and MLK––who were confronting similar paranoia, lies, and hatred––and hold them close. In this way, history serves as a comfort and guide. Thank God for history.
Thanks for this excellent piece, Eli. And thanks for inviting civil discourse. You are modeling what needs to happen if we are to get through this period and move forward as a nation.
As I read the four bullet points of what the Republican Party needs to do right the ship, although I don’t disagree, I have little/no expectations they can do these things. White supremacy and maintaining class power are not simply aspects that can be purged—they have over forty years become the heart replacement of the party. Should the republicans take Congress in November and the White House in ‘24, they will only be emboldened to reinforce that heart.
I hear you, John. That’s the big issue. I do recall that after Barack Obama won in 2008 many leaders of the GOP declared that the way forward was to follow similar bullet points. Then Trump came along and brought out the worst paranoid elements of the party. Hopefully they can get back to good old fashion conservatism. Like you, I’m not saying I’m optimistic… hope springs eternal, though. Since they don’t know what to do, there is some minimal value and telling them :-)
Also, John, if you get a moment I’m interested in hearing from you about today’s essay. It is the heart of my political thinking. I want to get it right.
https://elimerritt.substack.com/p/what-single-word-best-sums-up-trump?r=ezn4d&s=w&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&utm_source=direct
I agree with you on this, Edward. The question is, in the Internet era will too much demagogic violent rhetoric––free speech––actually bring down the country by stoking fury and rage and civil war? While we should 100% permit the full expression of ideas and opinions, I am not sure we need to permit speech that incites violence. Super tricky in a nation that prides itself so absolutely on free speech, but it's an area of civic life that deserves abundant research and probable reform to ensure domestic tranquility.
Hi Edward, I've been delayed in my email, but I want to say that there are brilliant observations here:
1. The highest duty of a citizen is to study their country's problems and try to solve them.
2. Language is the key to bringing about peace and reconciliation. (Demagoguery is the language of war).
I wonder if you got my essay from this morning, The Three Institutions that Failed in the 2016 Presidential Election. https://elimerritt.substack.com/p/the-three-institutions-that-failed
I would love your feedback anytime you have the time to give it.