I would add a fourth institution that could have stopped Trump and failed to: The Church. As a former pastor, I understand why many religious leaders chose to keep silent about the danger Trump posed. They knew the people in the pews who loved Trump would not tolerate any criticism of him.
Other religious leaders chose to openly support Trump. Some believed his lies; some just wanted to ride his coattails to fame and wealth.
All enabled Trump’s success and the rise of Christian Nationalism, and many still support him or stay silent because they fear the consequences of doing otherwise.
Even these claims don’t seem to matter to the Christians who still support Trump. I suppose that’s not surprising, since Trump’s praise of Putin for invading Ukraine, his refusal to accept his 2020 election loss and subsequent endorsement of the January 6, 2021 violent attempt to prevent certification of that result, and his comments about sexually assaulting females and the two dozen women who said he assaulted them also didn’t matter.
Apparently the power to force their beliefs on others is more important to some Christians than the teachings and example of Jesus. It is painfully apparent who their true Lord is.
Thank you, Wendi. This is extraordinary. I read your piece on Medium and find it very helpful. A fourth institution is indeed the Church, and its failure, I do believe, has something to do with the “paranoid mind” that Trump has activated to the nth degree. I myself spent 2 1/2 years getting a masters degree at the Yale Divinity School. You’ve given me something new and important to chew on. Thanks again.
Everything stated in your article is very true. Although the American people should have a lot of power in the election of government officials, there should always be checks and balances to make sure democracy survives. Unfortunately, people within our government have lost the honor, bravery, and ability to be altruistic. Altruism is one of the most important words when it comes to government officials. They must think solely of the constitution and the country, and not themselves.
It would be much better if we went back to "how it used to be." This would be yet another layer of checks and balances to make sure the American people are not led astray. The average person, who has not been educated about the important ways to keep a democracy running, can easily be persuaded in their thinking. A demagogic person, for example, can use the public's emotions to convince them of almost anything. This is why we need gatekeepers who are educated and can't be tricked by their emotions.
This is amazingly insightful for a person of any age. “Trick“ is indeed the operative word. Demagogues “trick“ the people so that they can gain power and glory—and act out their destructive interiors upon the outside world. It’s a very sad and tragic abuse of power, trust, and democracy. Checks & balances—that is, gatekeepers—is the only solid solution I know of.
I applaud the fearless search for gatekeepers. The metaphor of circuit breakers used to pause and settle out of order markets may be worth an inquiry. An analogy? Maybe? Or not.
So, we rely on the Roman Senators and the Ides!? Graham to stop Stalin? I do long for the Roman honor of Aurelius in Meditations.
Pardon the skip through history.
Keep at it Eli. The prose and purpose is heating up. Well done.
See my Substack “Gaslighting Republicans” for details about what happened in 2016 at the Republican National Convention as well as “before and after” leading up to the Republican presidential nomination process for 2024. Curly Haugland
Very cool for me to see. She is saying she is going to launch a Conservative Party if the RP reelects Trump. It's a matter of principle, first and foremost for her, with the hope that with time that party will grow. I salute her.
I think you put too much faith in the Republican party to arrest its own descent into anti-democratic demagoguery - it has always had a nasty "the ends justify the means" mentality at least since Reagan. I look forward to hearing what you think we can do about America's fractured educational system which seems intent on pretending slavery wasn't that bad and no one is gay, while fetishizing standardized tests, and ignoring civics entirely. In fact, I can't even imagine civics lessons being re-invigorated in most Republican leaning states except to expound on the good old days when only rich white men could vote. As for the US media, it seems completely incompetent at gatekeeping and is far too in love with idiot celebrities (like Trump), while tearing down long suffering public servants (like HRC with baseless cries of Benghazi and the "emails"). The NYT, the supposed paper of record, practically led the charge in 2016 to discredit Clinton while extolling the grievances of whites as the principle concern of America. In any case, what does it matter in these days of Russian sponsored hacking of Facebook and Twitter? Finally, a comment above questions whether religious institutions might have played gatekeeper - when in fact Evangelical "Christian" churches were instrumental in getting a philandering, lying, multi-bankrupt, multi-divorced man into the White House to further their agenda in the Supreme Court. All in all, I do buy your argument that these institutions failed us but don't see them doing better next time around.
Brilliant and true observations! I am certainly not writing from a place of optimism. I am writing to understand and explain. I think the best outcome for the Republican Party is extinction. Consider all my recommendations to be directed to the Democratic Party :-)
Do you think that Democrats have the “moral courage“ to keep the flame of liberty, honor, civic virtue, the Constitution, and the rule of law alive and well through whatever trials the Republican Party is going to drag the nation?
That is the question most on my mind. One ethical party can sustain a nation. If there are no ethical parties, all hope is lost. Can the Democrats do it or will they follow the Republicans into the mud?
Hi Edward, some much in what you wrote is inspiring to me. Yes, resilience is what it takes. Mine comes from discovering and learning and the recognition that we are discussing among ourselves but also ultimately handing down ideas to the next generation. The right ideas deserve to be celebrated and passed along––even if they have no "hope" of triumphing over bigotry and demagoguery TODAY. There's always tomorrow. There's always children and grandchildren, and they need political wisdom.
Regarding Penn Warren's All the King's Men, it's one of my favorite novels. I have read it 5-6 times and now that you remind me of it I am going to read it again.
I would add a fourth institution that could have stopped Trump and failed to: The Church. As a former pastor, I understand why many religious leaders chose to keep silent about the danger Trump posed. They knew the people in the pews who loved Trump would not tolerate any criticism of him.
Other religious leaders chose to openly support Trump. Some believed his lies; some just wanted to ride his coattails to fame and wealth.
All enabled Trump’s success and the rise of Christian Nationalism, and many still support him or stay silent because they fear the consequences of doing otherwise.
Some Trump supporters are now openly claiming he is “the Son of Man, the Christ,” or “the second coming of Christ,” with Mike Pence as Judas. I documented those claims here: https://medium.com/politically-speaking/is-donald-trump-the-christ-antichrist-or-just-the-worlds-most-dangerous-man-5f26292c087.
Even these claims don’t seem to matter to the Christians who still support Trump. I suppose that’s not surprising, since Trump’s praise of Putin for invading Ukraine, his refusal to accept his 2020 election loss and subsequent endorsement of the January 6, 2021 violent attempt to prevent certification of that result, and his comments about sexually assaulting females and the two dozen women who said he assaulted them also didn’t matter.
Apparently the power to force their beliefs on others is more important to some Christians than the teachings and example of Jesus. It is painfully apparent who their true Lord is.
Thank you, Wendi. This is extraordinary. I read your piece on Medium and find it very helpful. A fourth institution is indeed the Church, and its failure, I do believe, has something to do with the “paranoid mind” that Trump has activated to the nth degree. I myself spent 2 1/2 years getting a masters degree at the Yale Divinity School. You’ve given me something new and important to chew on. Thanks again.
You’re welcome, and I’m glad you found my comment and article helpful.
Amazing article, dad.
Everything stated in your article is very true. Although the American people should have a lot of power in the election of government officials, there should always be checks and balances to make sure democracy survives. Unfortunately, people within our government have lost the honor, bravery, and ability to be altruistic. Altruism is one of the most important words when it comes to government officials. They must think solely of the constitution and the country, and not themselves.
It would be much better if we went back to "how it used to be." This would be yet another layer of checks and balances to make sure the American people are not led astray. The average person, who has not been educated about the important ways to keep a democracy running, can easily be persuaded in their thinking. A demagogic person, for example, can use the public's emotions to convince them of almost anything. This is why we need gatekeepers who are educated and can't be tricked by their emotions.
Again, amazing piece!
This is amazingly insightful for a person of any age. “Trick“ is indeed the operative word. Demagogues “trick“ the people so that they can gain power and glory—and act out their destructive interiors upon the outside world. It’s a very sad and tragic abuse of power, trust, and democracy. Checks & balances—that is, gatekeepers—is the only solid solution I know of.
I applaud the fearless search for gatekeepers. The metaphor of circuit breakers used to pause and settle out of order markets may be worth an inquiry. An analogy? Maybe? Or not.
So, we rely on the Roman Senators and the Ides!? Graham to stop Stalin? I do long for the Roman honor of Aurelius in Meditations.
Pardon the skip through history.
Keep at it Eli. The prose and purpose is heating up. Well done.
"All good things in life," Marcus Aurelius once said, I believe, "spring from gatekeepers."
Or was it, in fact, the below?
“The best revenge is to be unlike him who performed the injury.”
― Marcus Aurelius, Meditations (yes, this one)
CNN doesn't see much evidence for the rise of a principled conservative splinter party arising out of the GOP, despite what Liz Cheney says: https://www.cnn.com/2022/10/24/politics/liz-cheney-donald-trump-doomsday-2024/index.html I would tend to agree that the GOP has been purged and is now the Party of Trump.
Genius. As my Iraq veteran and Stoic friend says’ “Meditations is an inch long and a mile deep.” Required reading for humanity!?
Yes, I would say a formal education in stoicism and mindfulness would solve the problem!
Have a look at Cameron‘s comment.
Eli,
Your new essay this morning is splendid. Well done!
Every American should read this.
-Keel
This inspires me, Keel. Thank you.
I love the idea of Democracy’s gatekeepers as the key to stopping demagogues before they take office. Love the piece!
See my Substack “Gaslighting Republicans” for details about what happened in 2016 at the Republican National Convention as well as “before and after” leading up to the Republican presidential nomination process for 2024. Curly Haugland
I think I found the right one, Curly, but you might want to send a link and give a quick summary here.
Hi Curly, did you call me? I got a voicemail but the person did not give a name. Best, Eli
Very cool for me to see. She is saying she is going to launch a Conservative Party if the RP reelects Trump. It's a matter of principle, first and foremost for her, with the hope that with time that party will grow. I salute her.
I think you put too much faith in the Republican party to arrest its own descent into anti-democratic demagoguery - it has always had a nasty "the ends justify the means" mentality at least since Reagan. I look forward to hearing what you think we can do about America's fractured educational system which seems intent on pretending slavery wasn't that bad and no one is gay, while fetishizing standardized tests, and ignoring civics entirely. In fact, I can't even imagine civics lessons being re-invigorated in most Republican leaning states except to expound on the good old days when only rich white men could vote. As for the US media, it seems completely incompetent at gatekeeping and is far too in love with idiot celebrities (like Trump), while tearing down long suffering public servants (like HRC with baseless cries of Benghazi and the "emails"). The NYT, the supposed paper of record, practically led the charge in 2016 to discredit Clinton while extolling the grievances of whites as the principle concern of America. In any case, what does it matter in these days of Russian sponsored hacking of Facebook and Twitter? Finally, a comment above questions whether religious institutions might have played gatekeeper - when in fact Evangelical "Christian" churches were instrumental in getting a philandering, lying, multi-bankrupt, multi-divorced man into the White House to further their agenda in the Supreme Court. All in all, I do buy your argument that these institutions failed us but don't see them doing better next time around.
Brilliant and true observations! I am certainly not writing from a place of optimism. I am writing to understand and explain. I think the best outcome for the Republican Party is extinction. Consider all my recommendations to be directed to the Democratic Party :-)
Do you think that Democrats have the “moral courage“ to keep the flame of liberty, honor, civic virtue, the Constitution, and the rule of law alive and well through whatever trials the Republican Party is going to drag the nation?
That is the question most on my mind. One ethical party can sustain a nation. If there are no ethical parties, all hope is lost. Can the Democrats do it or will they follow the Republicans into the mud?
Hi Edward, some much in what you wrote is inspiring to me. Yes, resilience is what it takes. Mine comes from discovering and learning and the recognition that we are discussing among ourselves but also ultimately handing down ideas to the next generation. The right ideas deserve to be celebrated and passed along––even if they have no "hope" of triumphing over bigotry and demagoguery TODAY. There's always tomorrow. There's always children and grandchildren, and they need political wisdom.
Regarding Penn Warren's All the King's Men, it's one of my favorite novels. I have read it 5-6 times and now that you remind me of it I am going to read it again.
I am in San Francisco. Where are you?
Best,