Details of the President’s remarkable and courageous trip are emerging. They’re stuff for the history books.
Speaking of history, when you listen to the likes of Greene and Gaetz, part of the pro-Putin conference in the House, or media disinformation fetishists like Carlson, remember an analogous situation we faced in the late 1930s and early 1940s. Rachel Maddow recounts it magnificently and magisterially in her podcast “Ultra.” If you haven’t listened to it, you should.
It’s a story from the years just before and just into World War II. It turns out we had up to a couple dozen members of Congress, Republicans, and some right wing media figures, who were literally on Hitler’s payroll, making speeches around the country with talking points literally drafted in Berlin, sending out Nazi propaganda through the US mail at the American taxpayer’s expense via congressional franking privileges. Sounds familiar?
It was a carefully orchestrated influence operation by Hitler’s government to sabotage American support for Europeans who were bravely fighting back against the savagery the Nazis had unleashed on Europe.
But it pales in comparison to the Putin caucus in Congress and the American media today. They’re working desperately and frantically to stop western support for Ukraine, of course, but also to literally break our country apart.
Today we’re again living times that try men’s souls. Let’s update that to People’s souls. Americans need to summon all their agency and integrity to do stand up for what’s right, in our country and beyond.
Make Marjorie and Matt and Tucker into the disloyal, pathetic, tiny asterisks of history they are. They don’t get to write America’s narrative.
I'm not holding my breath waiting for the media to stop uncritically regurgitating all the MAGA bullshit and lies. They must bear significant responsibility for this.
From the Minneapolis Star-Tribune a few days ago --- a sitting U.S. senator attracted the attention of the FBI when he took substantial sums from Nazi agent, who the Bureau was already monitoring. Senator Ernest Lundeen died August 31, 1940 in Virginia, in what was then the worst civilian airline disaster in American history, with three FBI and DoJ employees also on board.
Fascinating account of American traitors, Will. There is a scene in Remains of the Day where these traitor types meet with Nazi representatives. Yes, we have them today as you say. Terrible people indeed, and all in the Republican party. .
Not sure we are doing the right thing in Ukraine by not supplying long range missiles or F16's. We are not allowing Russia to win but we are not allowing Ukraine to win either. A stalemate just means more death and destruction every day on and on. Retired generals Anderson and Clarke think this is the wrong approach. Putin has his eye on Belarus now. The what?.
the other day, I saw a recent BBC documentary PROVING that the Duke of Windsor wasn't merely the Nazi sympathizer we always knew he was but was secretly working as a genuine German asset. there's a letter in which he tells a Nazi buddy (I forget the precise recipient but it was someone as important as, say, Goering or Von Ribbentrop) that continuing massive bombing without letting up gave Germany its best shot at winning. the plan was that when Britain surrendered, he'd be installed as the puppet king. again. I'd always heard that his abdication wasn't remotely voluntary because guys like Churchill were aware of his sentiments. but this new stuff PROVES it.
I agree. We must give Ukraine the tools they need now to defeat Putin not just hold him back. Wipe out the Wagner group and the Russian army and let the world hold Putin and his supporters accountable for war crimes.
Yes, I see several other retired generals agree it is wrong to hold back, but I get the impression Biden, although doing a lot is stubborn too and appears inflexible on this.
Haha, yes, Margo. An ultra-wise individual, kind, superior intelligence, ruling with absolute justice. No so called "superior" court to favor right wing extremists, no dithering, not too bright
politicians that make laws favoring the interests of their most generous benefactors.. etc.,etc.
But we may have to die and go to heaven to find such a regime, that's the drawback :)
at this point, I'm agreeing. my first thought was something like a "trial separation" to see how well they do, figuring they'd come back, looking like Daffy when he first goes up to the judge in the immortal "Henpecked Duck" (which might be unique in boasting both black and white and color editions). but then I thought "nah let 'em go and watch them become human pretzels trying to fuck themselves; after all, it's THEIR idea." let them try to be entertained without California and all the publishers in NYC. they'll have Disney World (for a very short time) and hunting. on clear nights, a few radio stations and LOTS of short wave from god knows where. and I don't think they'd especially like losing the Social Security their guys in Congress are so cavalier about ditching. I suppose they could collect bottles for the deposit money since those are all state laws.
making this kind of list has real party game potential.
Upthread is a lengthy comparison to the 1930s. I'd like to add to the mix a comparison to... rather earlier. Consider: when it became apparent to the Founders that the could not enjoy the rights of British citizens as long as they remained in Britain, they established a separate nation. We are approaching - if we have not already arrived at - a point where the rights guaranteed under the Constitution cannot be maintained by remaining part of the USA.
Also a mistake to misconstrue the effects of Biden's lifelong speech impediment with a symptom of "dementia." Not that anyone in the GOP or other right-wing groups care about the distinction, of course.
as a lifelong sufferer of the same speech impediment, I have absolutely zero tolerance for this particular vile strategy. when someone makes fun of a stutterer, I see red (and anyone who's ever seen red knows it's NOT a metaphor) and have to absent myself from wherever I am. or fight, which is hardly practical at this point in my life. I DID spend a night in jail in 2000 for getting into a fistfight, but that was over my dogs.
I had a friend in high school who had a stutter but had a beautiful singing voice and never stuttered once while singing. I see red when people with a disability or slight impairment are not respected.
That the US pulled off this visit safely is a miracle. That they did it on President's Day, and showed lots of photos of Biden with Zelenskyy - the two Presidents - is sublime, and a real stick it in the face to Putin (as it should be).
The GQP harpies back in the US are just that - shrill hate-mongers who do nothing but tear-down. I think more and more that the press should isolate and ignore them - printing their every breathless piece of hate and seditious tendencies doesn't help, and it is not news other than for the shock effect. With more isolation in the media, and the world not following or paying attention to their ridiculous utterances, perhaps they begin to fade away. That is a tactic that should have been used with the Former Guy. If started early enough, we might not have been subjected to the four years of carnage he wrought.
I have, by and large, given up on almost all major mainstream media. They must bear much of the responsibility for the Trump/MAGA idiocy. Their lack of critical analysis and "both-siderism" is a disgrace to their profession.
I guess its not surprising that this remarkable logistic and tactical visit is sharing equal time with Republican cowards sitting at home and complaining that Biden isn't in Ohio "helping Americans." Trump as per usual the arsonist starting the fire and then claiming credit for calling the Fire Dept.
CNN put on some horrible MD the other night ranting that Fedderman's condition can never improve and it's a disgrace he hasn't resigned—if doc has treated the Senator that wasn't mentioned. Last straw. So I'm down to MSNBC and print.That's it.
I need to look up every name—sp wrong every time. Fetterman too, I regret to say. The news is that the edit tricon has vanished from under two of my comments today, so I can't correct quietly. Sorry.
So it's not just me. Every month or two, some new bug. I probably won't take the trouble to report this one, but it's annoying.because I virtually always edit. … Oh! Looks like it's been fixed, thank you.
I have not been able to watch CNN since they put Santorum on the air. I have been down to MSNBC and print for a while now. MSNBC has a couple of reporters I avoid because they still tend to have old school bothsiderism tendencies.
I get 98 percent of my CNN/MSNBC/C-SPAN input from audio-only apps so—always doing something else while they're on (weekdays/nights only)—I tune out a lot. Happily, I missed Santorum that way. Ugh. Bothsidesism has become so built in to msm journalism I'm not sure I notice unless it's blatant (NPR, esp WNYC).
Nicely done! I've no doubt that if things hadn't gone they way they did in 2020 today's photo-op would have been tDuMp and Vlad celebrating the annexation of Putinstan into the Russian Federation. M&M (Margie & Matty) should head to the Ukrainian front ASAP to expose all the "lies and propaganda" taking place.
The MAGA crowd seem to have no lower limit, in terms of their grotesque invective against perceived enemies, as well as their demonstrably false claims about a host of policy issues. Every time I think they've hit rock bottom, there's more, whether it is lying about January 6 or excusing George Santos or some other lying dolt in their contingent, or attacking Biden, AOC, Ilhan Omar and launching racist slurs against the likes of Nikki Haley. You could not make this stuff up.
Yes, the MAGA people are constantly redefining where the bottom is. So I am going to move to the number line from now on. They went below zero long long ago and are now well into the negative numbers, of which there is no end. I reckon that they are somewhere in the neighborhood of, oh just a wild guess, -100,000,000. ---------------- (+)0 (-)----------------
I am so tired of people barking about Biden's age. Look at all his achievements compared to those of younger Presidents. And how many could go 26 hours without sleep and still be coherent?
President Biden's willingness to travel so many miles with little sleep, in both directions and to be visible, outside in Kyiv, speaks volumes, His legacy is that nothing, not even age has deterred him from doing right for Ukraine, and humanity.
Maybe I’m too much of an optimist, but I still hold out hope that when enough Lucian Truscotts speak out against the disgusting behavior of those who were named and shamed in today's column that the overwhelming majority of Americans who believe in this country and the ideals it stands for will stand up and utterly repudiate the likes of Greene and Gaetz. Today was a great start on that mission - both by President Biden's example and by Truscott's powerful words.
The problem is not enough people are paying attention to the situation these idiots present. People are too busy doing their own thing to care about the day to day news. That’s what the maga cult wants,us not paying attention.
It was really something to see Biden support Ukraine and be present while doing so. Marjorie Tattered Spleen may be on to something. If the red states seceded, would the government that they detest still be bound to physically support them? Most of the red states have a deficit of funding, and need us, the blues, to contribute to the federal government to support them. Just askin’!
Yes, it cracks me up that they don't consider the very real costs they would face, if they seceded, given that most of the red states - as you write - have a deficit of funding. A substantial share of their funding comes largely from blue states via the U.S. government. So, they want to secede and set up their own government? They would quickly learn just how expensive and how thankless operating a government is.
If only it were that simple, Christina. The boundaries that divide red from blue aren't state lines, they're city limits. You can't leave the residents of tolerant, generous cities nationwide to the cruel whims of their Fox-guzzling, shrivel-spirited backwoods neighbors. With the arms and ammo they've hoarded, they'd make land-grabbing and plundering a way of life. Roughly speaking, of course, but you know …
Oh yes...I do know it is not simple. If somehow we might rescue the “Austin, Texas” type cities from the grip of their state government, it would be lovely. I would never want those oppressed by the Ayatollah of Desantistan to suffer under a Florida totalitarian regime. I just thought we could help MTG’s dreams come true.
Yeah, I think I've speculated here before that in a lot of backward states the capitals (like Austin) and university towns (also Austin?) often are oases. I should include port cities too.
My wife and I have a second home in Kraków. I’m sixty-six and in good shape, but every year after we fly there from Boston, I am worthless for about seventy-two hours, just completely dysfunctional. Our president is one tough man. And I am starting to think old Joe Biden, the butt of many a joke during his half century in Washington, may fare very well in the eyes of history. To me, he has already become a giant.
Sorry this is long.
Details of the President’s remarkable and courageous trip are emerging. They’re stuff for the history books.
Speaking of history, when you listen to the likes of Greene and Gaetz, part of the pro-Putin conference in the House, or media disinformation fetishists like Carlson, remember an analogous situation we faced in the late 1930s and early 1940s. Rachel Maddow recounts it magnificently and magisterially in her podcast “Ultra.” If you haven’t listened to it, you should.
It’s a story from the years just before and just into World War II. It turns out we had up to a couple dozen members of Congress, Republicans, and some right wing media figures, who were literally on Hitler’s payroll, making speeches around the country with talking points literally drafted in Berlin, sending out Nazi propaganda through the US mail at the American taxpayer’s expense via congressional franking privileges. Sounds familiar?
It was a carefully orchestrated influence operation by Hitler’s government to sabotage American support for Europeans who were bravely fighting back against the savagery the Nazis had unleashed on Europe.
But it pales in comparison to the Putin caucus in Congress and the American media today. They’re working desperately and frantically to stop western support for Ukraine, of course, but also to literally break our country apart.
Today we’re again living times that try men’s souls. Let’s update that to People’s souls. Americans need to summon all their agency and integrity to do stand up for what’s right, in our country and beyond.
Make Marjorie and Matt and Tucker into the disloyal, pathetic, tiny asterisks of history they are. They don’t get to write America’s narrative.
I'm not holding my breath waiting for the media to stop uncritically regurgitating all the MAGA bullshit and lies. They must bear significant responsibility for this.
www.startribune.com/ernest-lundeen-george-sylvester-viereck-nazi-propaganda-world-war-2/600252419/
^^^^^
From the Minneapolis Star-Tribune a few days ago --- a sitting U.S. senator attracted the attention of the FBI when he took substantial sums from Nazi agent, who the Bureau was already monitoring. Senator Ernest Lundeen died August 31, 1940 in Virginia, in what was then the worst civilian airline disaster in American history, with three FBI and DoJ employees also on board.
Fascinating account of American traitors, Will. There is a scene in Remains of the Day where these traitor types meet with Nazi representatives. Yes, we have them today as you say. Terrible people indeed, and all in the Republican party. .
Not sure we are doing the right thing in Ukraine by not supplying long range missiles or F16's. We are not allowing Russia to win but we are not allowing Ukraine to win either. A stalemate just means more death and destruction every day on and on. Retired generals Anderson and Clarke think this is the wrong approach. Putin has his eye on Belarus now. The what?.
the other day, I saw a recent BBC documentary PROVING that the Duke of Windsor wasn't merely the Nazi sympathizer we always knew he was but was secretly working as a genuine German asset. there's a letter in which he tells a Nazi buddy (I forget the precise recipient but it was someone as important as, say, Goering or Von Ribbentrop) that continuing massive bombing without letting up gave Germany its best shot at winning. the plan was that when Britain surrendered, he'd be installed as the puppet king. again. I'd always heard that his abdication wasn't remotely voluntary because guys like Churchill were aware of his sentiments. but this new stuff PROVES it.
again, you can't make this shit up
I agree. We must give Ukraine the tools they need now to defeat Putin not just hold him back. Wipe out the Wagner group and the Russian army and let the world hold Putin and his supporters accountable for war crimes.
Yes, I see several other retired generals agree it is wrong to hold back, but I get the impression Biden, although doing a lot is stubborn too and appears inflexible on this.
It's past time to put the fascists where they belong.
Well done. As for the very vocal nitwits who managed to get elected (and re-elected) I'm looking more kindly upon having a smart, benevolent King.
Haha, yes, Margo. An ultra-wise individual, kind, superior intelligence, ruling with absolute justice. No so called "superior" court to favor right wing extremists, no dithering, not too bright
politicians that make laws favoring the interests of their most generous benefactors.. etc.,etc.
But we may have to die and go to heaven to find such a regime, that's the drawback :)
As I used to say on Twitter, we need an irony font.
:)
at this point, I'm agreeing. my first thought was something like a "trial separation" to see how well they do, figuring they'd come back, looking like Daffy when he first goes up to the judge in the immortal "Henpecked Duck" (which might be unique in boasting both black and white and color editions). but then I thought "nah let 'em go and watch them become human pretzels trying to fuck themselves; after all, it's THEIR idea." let them try to be entertained without California and all the publishers in NYC. they'll have Disney World (for a very short time) and hunting. on clear nights, a few radio stations and LOTS of short wave from god knows where. and I don't think they'd especially like losing the Social Security their guys in Congress are so cavalier about ditching. I suppose they could collect bottles for the deposit money since those are all state laws.
making this kind of list has real party game potential.
Upthread is a lengthy comparison to the 1930s. I'd like to add to the mix a comparison to... rather earlier. Consider: when it became apparent to the Founders that the could not enjoy the rights of British citizens as long as they remained in Britain, they established a separate nation. We are approaching - if we have not already arrived at - a point where the rights guaranteed under the Constitution cannot be maintained by remaining part of the USA.
Biden has played Putin like a fiddle, unlike his predecessor, who was the fiddle to Putin's bow.
For Putin and Republicans, underestimate Dark Brandon at your peril.
Also a mistake to misconstrue the effects of Biden's lifelong speech impediment with a symptom of "dementia." Not that anyone in the GOP or other right-wing groups care about the distinction, of course.
They don’t actually listen to him, other than sound bites provided by Fox, et al.
as a lifelong sufferer of the same speech impediment, I have absolutely zero tolerance for this particular vile strategy. when someone makes fun of a stutterer, I see red (and anyone who's ever seen red knows it's NOT a metaphor) and have to absent myself from wherever I am. or fight, which is hardly practical at this point in my life. I DID spend a night in jail in 2000 for getting into a fistfight, but that was over my dogs.
I had a friend in high school who had a stutter but had a beautiful singing voice and never stuttered once while singing. I see red when people with a disability or slight impairment are not respected.
They pick apart everything Biden says or does while supporting a raving mad orange lunatic.
That the US pulled off this visit safely is a miracle. That they did it on President's Day, and showed lots of photos of Biden with Zelenskyy - the two Presidents - is sublime, and a real stick it in the face to Putin (as it should be).
The GQP harpies back in the US are just that - shrill hate-mongers who do nothing but tear-down. I think more and more that the press should isolate and ignore them - printing their every breathless piece of hate and seditious tendencies doesn't help, and it is not news other than for the shock effect. With more isolation in the media, and the world not following or paying attention to their ridiculous utterances, perhaps they begin to fade away. That is a tactic that should have been used with the Former Guy. If started early enough, we might not have been subjected to the four years of carnage he wrought.
As for the media, we can only hope.
I have, by and large, given up on almost all major mainstream media. They must bear much of the responsibility for the Trump/MAGA idiocy. Their lack of critical analysis and "both-siderism" is a disgrace to their profession.
I guess its not surprising that this remarkable logistic and tactical visit is sharing equal time with Republican cowards sitting at home and complaining that Biden isn't in Ohio "helping Americans." Trump as per usual the arsonist starting the fire and then claiming credit for calling the Fire Dept.
CNN put on some horrible MD the other night ranting that Fedderman's condition can never improve and it's a disgrace he hasn't resigned—if doc has treated the Senator that wasn't mentioned. Last straw. So I'm down to MSNBC and print.That's it.
I need to look up every name—sp wrong every time. Fetterman too, I regret to say. The news is that the edit tricon has vanished from under two of my comments today, so I can't correct quietly. Sorry.
I noticed the same thing and find it VERY upsetting because I often go back to revise posts.
what the fuck, Substack?
So it's not just me. Every month or two, some new bug. I probably won't take the trouble to report this one, but it's annoying.because I virtually always edit. … Oh! Looks like it's been fixed, thank you.
No! You get one? two? edits, then it's gone. Dammit.
I have not been able to watch CNN since they put Santorum on the air. I have been down to MSNBC and print for a while now. MSNBC has a couple of reporters I avoid because they still tend to have old school bothsiderism tendencies.
I get 98 percent of my CNN/MSNBC/C-SPAN input from audio-only apps so—always doing something else while they're on (weekdays/nights only)—I tune out a lot. Happily, I missed Santorum that way. Ugh. Bothsidesism has become so built in to msm journalism I'm not sure I notice unless it's blatant (NPR, esp WNYC).
If it helps sell ad space they will print it. At best you can hope for some stinging rebukes in the editorials.
Nicely done! I've no doubt that if things hadn't gone they way they did in 2020 today's photo-op would have been tDuMp and Vlad celebrating the annexation of Putinstan into the Russian Federation. M&M (Margie & Matty) should head to the Ukrainian front ASAP to expose all the "lies and propaganda" taking place.
In our collective dreams.........sigh.
Joe Biden, American Badass.
Could anyone picture tfg making this trip? He couldn't be bothered to visit a cemetery of WWII heroes because it might muss his hair.
The GOP whining is predictable and, as usual, deplorable.
And Traitor Tot thought they were all suckers and losers anyway. Why bother?
Republicans are no doubt upset to see how Biden flaunts his stamina, and his mental fitness for his job. So irritating!
The MAGA crowd seem to have no lower limit, in terms of their grotesque invective against perceived enemies, as well as their demonstrably false claims about a host of policy issues. Every time I think they've hit rock bottom, there's more, whether it is lying about January 6 or excusing George Santos or some other lying dolt in their contingent, or attacking Biden, AOC, Ilhan Omar and launching racist slurs against the likes of Nikki Haley. You could not make this stuff up.
Yes, the MAGA people are constantly redefining where the bottom is. So I am going to move to the number line from now on. They went below zero long long ago and are now well into the negative numbers, of which there is no end. I reckon that they are somewhere in the neighborhood of, oh just a wild guess, -100,000,000. ---------------- (+)0 (-)----------------
I hadn’t seen that President Biden took the train to Kiev. That seems appropriate even if it wasn’t an Amtrak.
It was the safest way to conceal his travel to Kyiv.
I am so tired of people barking about Biden's age. Look at all his achievements compared to those of younger Presidents. And how many could go 26 hours without sleep and still be coherent?
I would bet Joe Biden has learned the art of "cat naps" over the years but even so...
Ten hours on a train is a pretty good opportunity for sleeping. ;-)
Each way.
Point!
President Biden's willingness to travel so many miles with little sleep, in both directions and to be visible, outside in Kyiv, speaks volumes, His legacy is that nothing, not even age has deterred him from doing right for Ukraine, and humanity.
Thank You Lucian. Excellent analysis!
NO thanks to Marjorie Moscow Red
Maybe I’m too much of an optimist, but I still hold out hope that when enough Lucian Truscotts speak out against the disgusting behavior of those who were named and shamed in today's column that the overwhelming majority of Americans who believe in this country and the ideals it stands for will stand up and utterly repudiate the likes of Greene and Gaetz. Today was a great start on that mission - both by President Biden's example and by Truscott's powerful words.
The problem is not enough people are paying attention to the situation these idiots present. People are too busy doing their own thing to care about the day to day news. That’s what the maga cult wants,us not paying attention.
It was really something to see Biden support Ukraine and be present while doing so. Marjorie Tattered Spleen may be on to something. If the red states seceded, would the government that they detest still be bound to physically support them? Most of the red states have a deficit of funding, and need us, the blues, to contribute to the federal government to support them. Just askin’!
Yes, it cracks me up that they don't consider the very real costs they would face, if they seceded, given that most of the red states - as you write - have a deficit of funding. A substantial share of their funding comes largely from blue states via the U.S. government. So, they want to secede and set up their own government? They would quickly learn just how expensive and how thankless operating a government is.
Let me help them pack
If only...a dream come true!
Marjorie Tattered Spleen--hahahahaha!
If only it were that simple, Christina. The boundaries that divide red from blue aren't state lines, they're city limits. You can't leave the residents of tolerant, generous cities nationwide to the cruel whims of their Fox-guzzling, shrivel-spirited backwoods neighbors. With the arms and ammo they've hoarded, they'd make land-grabbing and plundering a way of life. Roughly speaking, of course, but you know …
Oh yes...I do know it is not simple. If somehow we might rescue the “Austin, Texas” type cities from the grip of their state government, it would be lovely. I would never want those oppressed by the Ayatollah of Desantistan to suffer under a Florida totalitarian regime. I just thought we could help MTG’s dreams come true.
Philip Bump does nothing today to help make that happen: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/02/21/marjorie-taylor-greene-democrats-republicans/
Yeah, I think I've speculated here before that in a lot of backward states the capitals (like Austin) and university towns (also Austin?) often are oases. I should include port cities too.
I’ve heard of calf roping, but what’s goat roping?
My wife and I have a second home in Kraków. I’m sixty-six and in good shape, but every year after we fly there from Boston, I am worthless for about seventy-two hours, just completely dysfunctional. Our president is one tough man. And I am starting to think old Joe Biden, the butt of many a joke during his half century in Washington, may fare very well in the eyes of history. To me, he has already become a giant.
Brilliant insight. Again.