In politics, it’s an axiom if not a flat-out rule that you should have, if not a soul, at least a brain. What, then, to make of a political party that elevates from its ranks to positions of power people who have neither? Dear readers, I give you Mark Meadows and Kevin McCarthy, two slithering dwellers of the political underground which has swallowed the entire Republican Party.
What do we expect? Since the says of the ever mediocre, B-list actor Ronald Reagan, Republicans have elevated no one who wasn't either ideologically pure (Gingrich, Jordan, Delay, Armey) or mediocrity (W, Meadows, McCarthy). The ideological provide the distraction, the mediocre can be easily controlled. It's all in service to one thing - the billionaire class. The problem they have now is that the monster they created is destroying the front organization. Maybe sooner, maybe later, the Republican Party will be no more and the billionaires will have to find a new front. My money is on No Labels becoming that front. They are laying the ground work now and will surge to the forefront after Trump and the MAGAs are defeated in 2024.
No Labels will give us back these failed straw men. Their elevated rhetoric is sexy, the reality smells as bad as it’s true intentions. Maybe not Quisling or εφιάλτης but a worm food.
Only an hour ago I had a minor epiphany (more Greek, it's all around us, evohe!), I think: that Trump's astounding lack of one single, solitary virtue, a TOTAL lack of Arete (don't have a Greek language keyboard or transposition enabled, need to at least set that up, and for French, Spanish and German), has motivated me to completely reconsider the so-called "Virtue Ethics" of Aristotle's Nichomachean Ethics (with `updates' to take account of residual biases baked in from his era, silly prejudices against women, and so on) I first encountered in a formal class setting with a prof. able to move back and forth fluently from the Greek original to modern English, Sandra Peterson, a favorite professor of many, many students, in gradual school.
I had always opted for some form or another of "Rule-Following Ehics" in the spirit of Kant, if not exactly in moral terms he might approve - anyway, with universal human rights - and corresponding responsibilities, when the individual has the capacity to comprehend (that lets Trump out!) and exercise those - being the central focus.
But weirdly enough, the singular "negative virtue" of Trump seems to amount to being a bad, no, a terrible, horrific example!
Leading to the Phronimos, the "person of practical wisdom," substituting "person" where Aristotle and his epigoni* would have insisted it must be "man." I need to develop this and see if I can get some kind of useful thesis paper or other paper for classes I want to register for at the U's astounding $10 per credit hour rate for Minnesota residents of six months at least, and over age 62 (assuming prerequisites are passed, or waived by instructor) a.s,a,p. *****
YOU already know this definition Patris, but I get replies days later for LKTIV blog comments, so to save someone else the trouble, in case they happen on this thread, and maybe alerting them to a a new word in their vocabulary:
* Epigone: a less distinguished follower or imitator of someone, especially an artist or philosopher.
"the epigone's habit of exaggerating his master's voice."
I don't see No Labels having that kind of staying power -- unless they can come up with a convincing line on abortion rights. I'm not holding my breath.
To be called a worm has become a little used, but no less effective slur. The first and later stages are parasitic. The host could safely be said to be the disgraced 45. Worms also have brains, though not at all complex. The crackpot caucus are Republicans in name only. In reality they are worms, which Mr. T. has brought to our attention.
Our only hope is that when the Congresspeople are up after a mere two year term (which can admittedly seem like a lifetime) the exterminators, I mean, the voters, sober up and step on them. Then I will be most interested in the postlude for people like Gym Jordan who, in effect, has rendered himself unemployable. 😊
Lucian, there is, evidently, a forthcoming book on Mitt Romney which includes a first person excerpt of his conversations with fellow GOP Senators on the second impeachment motion/vote focused on January 6. Mitt recollects several of them told him he was crazy for voting to impeach Trump because to do so would invite threats against him and violence against his family. IOW several sitting GOP Senators voted to acquit Trump out of fear not from conscience. That anecdote should tell everyone who now is in charge of the GOP and their ethical (?) standards. All of them now cow before Trump and those like McCarthy do so to retain power at any cost. Profiles in Cowardness and Fecklessness.
I've read enough of the excerpts to think I might have to read this book -- if I can hide it in a plain brown wrapper so no one will know I'm reading a book by a Republican.
Romney has been disparaged for years as a RINO, "Republican In Name Only," there's your defense!
Or simply being immune to peer pressure and prioritizing critical thinking over precipitous judgments by those who don't know you are a thoughtful human being with much relevant life experience, and want to consider Romney's book on its own merits, that'll work too!
Heck, I even engaged with two Jehovah Witnesses canvassing support yesterday on Hennepin Avenue, a gorgeous afternoon, it is one of the busiest streets in downtown Minneapolis, and it turned out they were both receptive and somewhat (!) open to my critique of biblical literalism, will miracles never cease!
Not sure what they made of my urging that all religions without exception fail the moment they claim their texts are self-interpreting, it's a commonplace of modern linguistic philosophy (that NO text, statement, proposition, "interprets itself," needs a context, a set of assumptions argued on independent grounds - not just citing the text itself as "self-guaranteeing" beyond tautologies like "There are no married bachelors" - for evidence, considerations, to provide some REASON to accept the text but with roots (as usual) back to Plato.
I mean, that immediately takes the standard JH spiel about how EVERYTHING in the human experience is leading to earthly disasters, the Last Days, Book of Revelation trials and tribulations, Day of Judgment, Sinners who reject the JH version of God - dispatched FOR ETERNITY to Hell, etc., the Faithful - straight to Heaven and Eternity with Jesus, and demands to know how on earth any text could guarantee its own accuracy, its own authoritative truth, without just arguing in a circle - "We KNOW this story is true, because it's the Word of God, and we know it IS the Word of God, because...the Word of God SAYS it is the Word of God!" We wouldn't accept that in any other context about anything, but somehow when the entire fate, destiny, cosmic options of all possible human beings and ourselves, our families, friends and lovers, enemies and frenemies are concerned, we are supposed to accept it? Like I said, though, this was two friendly Jehovah's Witnesses, two black Americans and out on the street harming no one, bothering no one, just armed with a sign for "Free Bible Classes"! It's the American Way (I told them that, of course) to spread your beliefs peacefully, listen respectfully in case you might be mistaken and could learn something...We parted as I ran for the bus with smiles and wishes shared for "Peace, Harmony, and Cosmic Consciousness" (I threw that last part about CC in, as I had been hammering on the "The Kingdom of God is within You" injunction as suggesting "If you have Jesus /Christ or Krishna Consciousness/Highest State of Consciousness discovered, you don't NEED any texts!" (they got that part immediately, as far as I could tell from smiles and body language) so, weirdly enough, theoretically diametrically opposed as we are, that encounter turned out fine!
Worms don’t do well in a healthy environment, they need decay in order to feast, the repugnantkins are at a banquet and are on their second course calling out for more. Our best hope is that the rot will continue to fester and eventually consume the lot of them.
Where do these “two slithering dwellers of the political underground” come from, you ask, Lucian? I think it’s the same place that the 74-million *Rump voters came from in 2020: a seriously dumbed-down population that purports to be, largely, Christian.
What the hell sort of prehistoric slime spawned Mitch is hard to say for sure and he certainly ain't talking. Mum's the word old Mitch buddy, and thanks for that.
Turn over rocks and you can finds worms and other invertebrates scurrying around from underneath. As for two-legged worms, there are plenty of them in any organization, just keep digging and wriggling cash to attract them.
Agree. Yet the media is always in all ways trying to elevate the mediocre and overrated to lofty heights. Extends outside of elected office as well.
One can point to the unholy alliance with the religious right as one of the primary contributories. Watched in disbelief as country began sliding down the list behind sky guys, party, buzzwords and slogans. Simultaneously demonizing, then dehumanizing non-Rs and non-Conservatives to the point of referring to them as inferior and their enemy.
Vicious sectarian in-fighting, not just vigorous debates and sincere, good faith disagreements - a recipe for disaster for them, sure, but everyone else has to deal with numerous knock-on effects - crackpot threat of "shutting down the government" for example.
The party (in the House) claiming to be constitutionalists haven't completed a single Appropriation Bill demanded on them by Article1.
Nor have they enacted any Bills specific to their campaign promises of reducing inflation, crime, yada yadda.
Yet the media doesn't cover that, rather choosing to talk about President Biden's age and poll numbers in between non-stop Trump this and that. THen when given a chance for a sit down with Trump, calls him Mr President, falsely invokes he is seeking re-election (only the incumbent is seeking reelection) , only prepares questions knowing full well Trump will lie, dance, dodge, deflect, yet has not prepared a cheat sheet/list of pushbacks or previous fact checks.
Today's journos (with a few notable exceptions) simply want THEIR questions answered, rather than to question the person and THEIR answers. They would wash out as an attorney or as mil/intel interrogators while getting at best a C- in parenting.
And to your point have no interest in the public at large who must deal with the juvenile nonsense from both elected Republicans and Trump. Truly hold the media thinks and believes they are smarter than both so they don't have to work hard at their own craft.
Only one minor amplification of your final point about the media - which might make it even more embarrassing for their neglect of professionalism - I suggest they more or less KNOW, subconsciously but, being acutely aware of what frauds (with notable exceptions) they are, breaking through their defenses from time to time is that awareness, and that a wide swath of "the public at large" sees through their neglect and lack of standards, with some of the journos even acknowledging but quickly engaging in still more "Satrean self-deception" to forget that part of the public is correct!
IOW, they really ARE that `incompetent,' but instead of doggedly working to adhere to higher standards, or even seeking another profession that might reward their actual skills, which people do ALL THE TIME in this country, or are canned and have to do it, they seem stunned, thinking "well I must know what I am doing, I'm on tv/radio/podcasting!"
So pleased to "be in the spotlight," albeit by reflection, they can't just 'fess up to themselves and stop being so craven, especially with politicians and the ultra-rich, and within the group in politics, with the crowd that has shown they pose a real threat to the rule of law and basic decency.
It's only trivial when it involves something like "minor celebrities" who don't care either, not our elected reps supposed to oversee a gargantuan budget.
Agree with how you expanded the critique of the media. Can recall when journos wouldn't think of doing the Beltway Cocktail circuit or its equivalent in NYC. Same with Embassy functions.
Back then the exception was "on deep background". Now, the majority of the so-called breaking news is credited to "on deep background." And 2+sources basically evaporated around the same time. Back then sources pointed or steered journos to a potential story w/o giving anybody or anything up. Forced journos to actually ferret out the complete story rather than rush a piece to teevee or publishing deadlines. Now, they lack rigor.
These worms are just shameless, now I see that, even in the face of overwhelming evidence, they still refused to impeach Paxton. Time to eradicate these parasites at election time.
I needed to read this today, Lucian. It was an excellent reminder of many reasons why we are in deep doo-doo now. The destruction of our country only to benefit the obscenely wealthy is indefensible, but that does seem to be exactly what these dolts are trying to accomplish. Oh, and they will be SO powerful and they will be SO valued by TFG - NOT!!! Their obeisance in regards to TFG is horribly misplaced.
What do we expect? Since the says of the ever mediocre, B-list actor Ronald Reagan, Republicans have elevated no one who wasn't either ideologically pure (Gingrich, Jordan, Delay, Armey) or mediocrity (W, Meadows, McCarthy). The ideological provide the distraction, the mediocre can be easily controlled. It's all in service to one thing - the billionaire class. The problem they have now is that the monster they created is destroying the front organization. Maybe sooner, maybe later, the Republican Party will be no more and the billionaires will have to find a new front. My money is on No Labels becoming that front. They are laying the ground work now and will surge to the forefront after Trump and the MAGAs are defeated in 2024.
No Labels will give us back these failed straw men. Their elevated rhetoric is sexy, the reality smells as bad as it’s true intentions. Maybe not Quisling or εφιάλτης but a worm food.
Especially liked for the Ephialtes reference!
In the hierarchy of my youth second only to Hitler.
C.P. Cavafy
1863–1933
(trans. Edmund Keeley and Philip Sherrard)
Thermopylae
Honor to those who in the life they lead
define and guard a Thermopylae.
Never betraying what is right,
consistent and just in all they do
but showing pity also, and compassion;
generous when they’re rich, and when they’re poor,
still generous in small ways,
still helping as much as they can;
always speaking the truth,
yet without hating those who lie.
And even more honor is due to them
when they foresee (as many do foresee)
that Ephialtes will turn up in the end,
that the Medes will break through after all.
Can I not become emotional about this??
We Greeks love beauty honor (and a fatalism which lets us live despite what we know will inevitably come). Πάτρις Ελλάς
Only an hour ago I had a minor epiphany (more Greek, it's all around us, evohe!), I think: that Trump's astounding lack of one single, solitary virtue, a TOTAL lack of Arete (don't have a Greek language keyboard or transposition enabled, need to at least set that up, and for French, Spanish and German), has motivated me to completely reconsider the so-called "Virtue Ethics" of Aristotle's Nichomachean Ethics (with `updates' to take account of residual biases baked in from his era, silly prejudices against women, and so on) I first encountered in a formal class setting with a prof. able to move back and forth fluently from the Greek original to modern English, Sandra Peterson, a favorite professor of many, many students, in gradual school.
I had always opted for some form or another of "Rule-Following Ehics" in the spirit of Kant, if not exactly in moral terms he might approve - anyway, with universal human rights - and corresponding responsibilities, when the individual has the capacity to comprehend (that lets Trump out!) and exercise those - being the central focus.
But weirdly enough, the singular "negative virtue" of Trump seems to amount to being a bad, no, a terrible, horrific example!
Leading to the Phronimos, the "person of practical wisdom," substituting "person" where Aristotle and his epigoni* would have insisted it must be "man." I need to develop this and see if I can get some kind of useful thesis paper or other paper for classes I want to register for at the U's astounding $10 per credit hour rate for Minnesota residents of six months at least, and over age 62 (assuming prerequisites are passed, or waived by instructor) a.s,a,p. *****
YOU already know this definition Patris, but I get replies days later for LKTIV blog comments, so to save someone else the trouble, in case they happen on this thread, and maybe alerting them to a a new word in their vocabulary:
* Epigone: a less distinguished follower or imitator of someone, especially an artist or philosopher.
"the epigone's habit of exaggerating his master's voice."
I don't see No Labels having that kind of staying power -- unless they can come up with a convincing line on abortion rights. I'm not holding my breath.
To be called a worm has become a little used, but no less effective slur. The first and later stages are parasitic. The host could safely be said to be the disgraced 45. Worms also have brains, though not at all complex. The crackpot caucus are Republicans in name only. In reality they are worms, which Mr. T. has brought to our attention.
Our only hope is that when the Congresspeople are up after a mere two year term (which can admittedly seem like a lifetime) the exterminators, I mean, the voters, sober up and step on them. Then I will be most interested in the postlude for people like Gym Jordan who, in effect, has rendered himself unemployable. 😊
Lucian, there is, evidently, a forthcoming book on Mitt Romney which includes a first person excerpt of his conversations with fellow GOP Senators on the second impeachment motion/vote focused on January 6. Mitt recollects several of them told him he was crazy for voting to impeach Trump because to do so would invite threats against him and violence against his family. IOW several sitting GOP Senators voted to acquit Trump out of fear not from conscience. That anecdote should tell everyone who now is in charge of the GOP and their ethical (?) standards. All of them now cow before Trump and those like McCarthy do so to retain power at any cost. Profiles in Cowardness and Fecklessness.
I've read enough of the excerpts to think I might have to read this book -- if I can hide it in a plain brown wrapper so no one will know I'm reading a book by a Republican.
Romney has been disparaged for years as a RINO, "Republican In Name Only," there's your defense!
Or simply being immune to peer pressure and prioritizing critical thinking over precipitous judgments by those who don't know you are a thoughtful human being with much relevant life experience, and want to consider Romney's book on its own merits, that'll work too!
Heck, I even engaged with two Jehovah Witnesses canvassing support yesterday on Hennepin Avenue, a gorgeous afternoon, it is one of the busiest streets in downtown Minneapolis, and it turned out they were both receptive and somewhat (!) open to my critique of biblical literalism, will miracles never cease!
Not sure what they made of my urging that all religions without exception fail the moment they claim their texts are self-interpreting, it's a commonplace of modern linguistic philosophy (that NO text, statement, proposition, "interprets itself," needs a context, a set of assumptions argued on independent grounds - not just citing the text itself as "self-guaranteeing" beyond tautologies like "There are no married bachelors" - for evidence, considerations, to provide some REASON to accept the text but with roots (as usual) back to Plato.
I mean, that immediately takes the standard JH spiel about how EVERYTHING in the human experience is leading to earthly disasters, the Last Days, Book of Revelation trials and tribulations, Day of Judgment, Sinners who reject the JH version of God - dispatched FOR ETERNITY to Hell, etc., the Faithful - straight to Heaven and Eternity with Jesus, and demands to know how on earth any text could guarantee its own accuracy, its own authoritative truth, without just arguing in a circle - "We KNOW this story is true, because it's the Word of God, and we know it IS the Word of God, because...the Word of God SAYS it is the Word of God!" We wouldn't accept that in any other context about anything, but somehow when the entire fate, destiny, cosmic options of all possible human beings and ourselves, our families, friends and lovers, enemies and frenemies are concerned, we are supposed to accept it? Like I said, though, this was two friendly Jehovah's Witnesses, two black Americans and out on the street harming no one, bothering no one, just armed with a sign for "Free Bible Classes"! It's the American Way (I told them that, of course) to spread your beliefs peacefully, listen respectfully in case you might be mistaken and could learn something...We parted as I ran for the bus with smiles and wishes shared for "Peace, Harmony, and Cosmic Consciousness" (I threw that last part about CC in, as I had been hammering on the "The Kingdom of God is within You" injunction as suggesting "If you have Jesus /Christ or Krishna Consciousness/Highest State of Consciousness discovered, you don't NEED any texts!" (they got that part immediately, as far as I could tell from smiles and body language) so, weirdly enough, theoretically diametrically opposed as we are, that encounter turned out fine!
Worms don’t do well in a healthy environment, they need decay in order to feast, the repugnantkins are at a banquet and are on their second course calling out for more. Our best hope is that the rot will continue to fester and eventually consume the lot of them.
Where do these “two slithering dwellers of the political underground” come from, you ask, Lucian? I think it’s the same place that the 74-million *Rump voters came from in 2020: a seriously dumbed-down population that purports to be, largely, Christian.
"Where do the Republicans get these worms?"
They're Mitch larvae, being worms and all.
What the hell sort of prehistoric slime spawned Mitch is hard to say for sure and he certainly ain't talking. Mum's the word old Mitch buddy, and thanks for that.
Turn over rocks and you can finds worms and other invertebrates scurrying around from underneath. As for two-legged worms, there are plenty of them in any organization, just keep digging and wriggling cash to attract them.
I was about to send Lucian an article I though very good that I saw on Yahoo, then I saw the author's name - Lucian :) It was this same article
https://www.yahoo.com/news/mark-meadows-kevin-mccarthy-where-120002166.html
Pictured, the trifecta of mediocrity: Meadows, McCarthy and Jordan.
Meadows, McCarthy, Jordan, Comer, Greene, Gaetz, Bobo, that fool from Wisconsin, etc., etc., etc. They've got a veritable legion of mediocrities.
Juxtapose those "worms" with the braided steel spines of Ike, William Cohen, and Chuck Hagel.
Apparently, they don't make 'em like that anymore!
Agree. Yet the media is always in all ways trying to elevate the mediocre and overrated to lofty heights. Extends outside of elected office as well.
One can point to the unholy alliance with the religious right as one of the primary contributories. Watched in disbelief as country began sliding down the list behind sky guys, party, buzzwords and slogans. Simultaneously demonizing, then dehumanizing non-Rs and non-Conservatives to the point of referring to them as inferior and their enemy.
Vicious sectarian in-fighting, not just vigorous debates and sincere, good faith disagreements - a recipe for disaster for them, sure, but everyone else has to deal with numerous knock-on effects - crackpot threat of "shutting down the government" for example.
Agree.
The party (in the House) claiming to be constitutionalists haven't completed a single Appropriation Bill demanded on them by Article1.
Nor have they enacted any Bills specific to their campaign promises of reducing inflation, crime, yada yadda.
Yet the media doesn't cover that, rather choosing to talk about President Biden's age and poll numbers in between non-stop Trump this and that. THen when given a chance for a sit down with Trump, calls him Mr President, falsely invokes he is seeking re-election (only the incumbent is seeking reelection) , only prepares questions knowing full well Trump will lie, dance, dodge, deflect, yet has not prepared a cheat sheet/list of pushbacks or previous fact checks.
Today's journos (with a few notable exceptions) simply want THEIR questions answered, rather than to question the person and THEIR answers. They would wash out as an attorney or as mil/intel interrogators while getting at best a C- in parenting.
And to your point have no interest in the public at large who must deal with the juvenile nonsense from both elected Republicans and Trump. Truly hold the media thinks and believes they are smarter than both so they don't have to work hard at their own craft.
Only one minor amplification of your final point about the media - which might make it even more embarrassing for their neglect of professionalism - I suggest they more or less KNOW, subconsciously but, being acutely aware of what frauds (with notable exceptions) they are, breaking through their defenses from time to time is that awareness, and that a wide swath of "the public at large" sees through their neglect and lack of standards, with some of the journos even acknowledging but quickly engaging in still more "Satrean self-deception" to forget that part of the public is correct!
IOW, they really ARE that `incompetent,' but instead of doggedly working to adhere to higher standards, or even seeking another profession that might reward their actual skills, which people do ALL THE TIME in this country, or are canned and have to do it, they seem stunned, thinking "well I must know what I am doing, I'm on tv/radio/podcasting!"
So pleased to "be in the spotlight," albeit by reflection, they can't just 'fess up to themselves and stop being so craven, especially with politicians and the ultra-rich, and within the group in politics, with the crowd that has shown they pose a real threat to the rule of law and basic decency.
It's only trivial when it involves something like "minor celebrities" who don't care either, not our elected reps supposed to oversee a gargantuan budget.
Agree with how you expanded the critique of the media. Can recall when journos wouldn't think of doing the Beltway Cocktail circuit or its equivalent in NYC. Same with Embassy functions.
Back then the exception was "on deep background". Now, the majority of the so-called breaking news is credited to "on deep background." And 2+sources basically evaporated around the same time. Back then sources pointed or steered journos to a potential story w/o giving anybody or anything up. Forced journos to actually ferret out the complete story rather than rush a piece to teevee or publishing deadlines. Now, they lack rigor.
Beautiful! Salon is to be thanked for giving these columns continued prominence.
Ever hear of hammerhead worms? The only way to get rid of them is to cut off the head. All their heads.
It can be even worse: https://open.substack.com/pub/steveschmidt/p/the-greasy-pile-of-politics?r=3pb09&utm_medium=ios&utm_campaign=post
These worms are just shameless, now I see that, even in the face of overwhelming evidence, they still refused to impeach Paxton. Time to eradicate these parasites at election time.
apologies for excessive sappiness. (I blame the cat)
I needed to read this today, Lucian. It was an excellent reminder of many reasons why we are in deep doo-doo now. The destruction of our country only to benefit the obscenely wealthy is indefensible, but that does seem to be exactly what these dolts are trying to accomplish. Oh, and they will be SO powerful and they will be SO valued by TFG - NOT!!! Their obeisance in regards to TFG is horribly misplaced.