Great essay. I was just on my first ever trip to Berlin, and was impressed with the sites that have been left intact as reminders. We don’t have a physical structure to remind us of our brush with fascism, but we must remember, it ain’t over.
Margaret, like you, I tuned in to the delightful Tim and Sam Top 10 MAGAt Deplorables Show. It was so much fun watching these 2 come up with the worst of the worst of midterm MAGAts and there were a host of options to choose from. Making fun of the xenophobic racist cretins, clowns and goons who lost miserably added a cherry on top of the sundae of our midterm shellacking of this plethora of assholes.
Judy W., I've given this some thought. Depending on how far construction gets before Donald croaks, is impeached or exits office (in order of likelihood), the "Epstein Memorial Dancehall" as Jeff Tiedrich calls it, should be demolished. In its place should be a replica of the former East Wing, modified to provide an entrance that opens to a paved terrace that covers the bunker beneath it.
With a new venue for official outdoor events, the stupid patio where Jaqueline Kennedy's Rose Garden had been can be removed and the rose garden can be restored to its original appearance.
I’ve been thinking about the restoration of the Rose Garden. I’d like to believe Jackie Kennedy would favor a reinvention with roses contributed from every state and territory. The tropical varieties could be potted and wheeled into a greenhouse over winter. It could be renamed the Jackie Kennedy Unity Rose Garden or something equally auspicious! Construction to begin on Day 1 of a new administration!
Agree. The so-called "ballroom" can be repurposed as offices or a presidential history visitors center. Trump's been all over the place about the design and use of the arch so I think he won't be able to hone in on a plan. The idea of stationing drones there is totally farfetched and would require so such militarized infrastructure it would essentially cut off access to the entire area, one of the most visited in the capitol.
The White House has needed more office space for years. That would be a use for the building. Of course, I suspect that much of the rushed construction is shoddy, so at some point we can replace it.
Absolutely. There is a substantial part of the polity with Authoritarian Personalities - maybe 30%. They find a strongman approach to government very attractive. They fall for the promise of simple solutions to complex problems, irresistible. They will be the barbarians at the ramparts of civil society for some time to come.
We actually do. The gilded ballroom in place of the historic East Wing will remind us all of our close call. Of course, this isn't over yet. 2 more long years.
Every Democrat should read this column. Hell, everyone in the country should read this column. Jennifer Rubin continues to be the most thoughtful, insightful and articulate political commentator in the country. (Heart emoji!)
This is the key, and, in my opinion, always has been: "refus[ing] to buy into the fallacy that they can do business with Trump and his white supremacist sidekick, they can accelerate the demise of our national nightmare."
The so-called "Republican Party" lacks any reliable persons. Only TOTAL extirpation of ALL current MAGATs will allow a new & totally different collection of persons to become a reliable second party. ALL current elected "Republicans" (local, state, federal) must leave the scene by retirement or election loss before anything like a real Republican Party can re-emerge.
"forcing Trump to veto popular measures (e.g. reinstate Medicaid funding, end tariffs) may aggravate tensions within a party trying to decide how it can extricate itself from its cult leader."
Exactly. "We Dems are passing legislation to bring relief to working families, and the only ones standing in the way are Trump and his rump party of Republicons. If we get the trifecta in 2028 we can bring these better laws into effect!"
Or, even better, maybe Republicans will see the writing on the wall and finally abandon their neutered leader.
Daniel, I don't have responses to all your questions, some of which I don't understand.
Opposition to universal healthcare is prevalent among all corporate executives, not just manufacturers. The main reason is the necessary increase in corporate taxes to pay for it. Under the current arrangement, corporations offload the cost of employees' healthcare to their employees by paying only a portion of the medical insurance premiums, with the balances paid by the employees. Then, the decision to cover – or not cover – claims is left up to the insurance companies that also oppose universal healthcare.
Insurance companies are making a killing (pardon the pun) as they profit off the poor health and injuries of the insured. Universal healthcare would eliminate their revenue sources and put them out of business.
Which "domestic manufacturers" are you referring to? That's unclear to me. Drug companies? Also, Medicare for All is a slogan, not a policy. The policy is expanding healthcare access to everyone at affordable prices. And even that which falls far short of whatever the "Medicare for All" pipe dream is, would require many years of building infrastructure to handle it — things such as training more doctors and nurses, where there is already a shortage, and rebuilding the facilities that have been shut down.
I"m also not clear what you're saying about insurance. Which insurance? Health insurance? Obviously taxes would go up as they have in every country that has universal healthcare access. How would that be implemented?
Why do you think the Federal Trade Commission is the body tasked with going after "war profiteers"? I'm genuinely confused here.
Then what about those "playing" the commodities & stock markets with inside information? Somehow that stuff needs to be investigated, punished, & ill-gotten gains re-possessed.
No, admitting Trump lost is NOT ENOUGH of a bar for approving any further judicial appointees by Trump. His appointees lied about more than that, and brain dead McConnell stole Obama's right to an appointment. He gets ZERO! Period!
We can leave behind the old recycled garbage. Fascism, racism, sexism and Christian nationalism. That’s not nearly the whole list of things that should be left behind. I’m in favor of impeaching Pete Hegseth, Todd Blanche and others among defunding ICE and refunding Medicaid. With so many new faces, I’m sure they have other ideas as well.
One of the many joys of being a Contrarian is that we receive Jen's thoughtful commentaries in our inboxes every day. I have a long list of emails from our democracy luminaries to read each morning and I always start with her.
Agree. With so much hair-on-fire stuff in recent months as well as a tendency toward being too willing to buy into conspiracy theories on our side, she is very clear-eyed.
“…white Christian nationalism “is going to become much more muted.”
Could someone please let Indiana Lieutenant Governor Micah Beckwith and his stooge Attorney General Todd Rokita know because they both seem to be following the White House dumpster fire’s approach of doubling down.
I was really heartened by the fact that the bigotry and anti DEI was rebuked by the electorate. The fact is that these demons still remain among us. My hope is that the rebuke of these things becomes louder than noise made by them. That decency, humanity and empathy becomes the core of who we are.
Patel has to follow Hegseth to prevent conflict of duty for FBI agents - once the pattern for impeachment is established then it's down the list as solid candidates for replacement are established
Dark forces always self-destruct. The questions always are; how long will it take, who and what will it take down in the process of collapse, and how long will it take for the negative force to regroup? Since the days of Newt Gingrich’s “Contract on America”, I saw Democrats, Republicans, and the general voting public sleep walk permissively straight into MAGA. At some point, we will need to instill into the workings of government, the vigilance and mechanisms that would prevent this Democracy from ever standing back and watching this happen again.
Correct. Dark forces always self-destruct. However, they also re-construct over time. It is a historical pattern which tends to occur. When the generation which confronted and defeated the dark forces passed on, the dark forces re-emerged. No one took the significance of certain signs. Remember how many resisted comparing Trump to Hitler? Well, it absolutely was right.
Note how the greatest generation which fought fascism is now gone and here comes Putin and Trump. However, there are still those of us with parents and grandparents who lived through WWII to be a bridge to the new generation confronting these dark forces.
It is our memory of the lessons we learned in public schools and in the New Deal that can help inform the rebuilding of our government and social fabric.
Great essay. I was just on my first ever trip to Berlin, and was impressed with the sites that have been left intact as reminders. We don’t have a physical structure to remind us of our brush with fascism, but we must remember, it ain’t over.
On a lighter note, Tim Miller and Sam Stein did a draft pick of the Biggest GOP Losers that was hilarious. In the Bulwark Substack.
Margaret, like you, I tuned in to the delightful Tim and Sam Top 10 MAGAt Deplorables Show. It was so much fun watching these 2 come up with the worst of the worst of midterm MAGAts and there were a host of options to choose from. Making fun of the xenophobic racist cretins, clowns and goons who lost miserably added a cherry on top of the sundae of our midterm shellacking of this plethora of assholes.
We do have one structure so far: the White House ballroom, and may soon have another one: the Trump Arch.
That “Epstein Memorial Ballroom” will need to be repurposed into other, much better, multicultural ideas. That stupid Arch will never be built!
Would love to Ser it torn down and replaced with a replica of the East Wing.
My fugal mother would call that “throwing good money after bad.”
Judy W., I've given this some thought. Depending on how far construction gets before Donald croaks, is impeached or exits office (in order of likelihood), the "Epstein Memorial Dancehall" as Jeff Tiedrich calls it, should be demolished. In its place should be a replica of the former East Wing, modified to provide an entrance that opens to a paved terrace that covers the bunker beneath it.
With a new venue for official outdoor events, the stupid patio where Jaqueline Kennedy's Rose Garden had been can be removed and the rose garden can be restored to its original appearance.
I’ve been thinking about the restoration of the Rose Garden. I’d like to believe Jackie Kennedy would favor a reinvention with roses contributed from every state and territory. The tropical varieties could be potted and wheeled into a greenhouse over winter. It could be renamed the Jackie Kennedy Unity Rose Garden or something equally auspicious! Construction to begin on Day 1 of a new administration!
Agree. The so-called "ballroom" can be repurposed as offices or a presidential history visitors center. Trump's been all over the place about the design and use of the arch so I think he won't be able to hone in on a plan. The idea of stationing drones there is totally farfetched and would require so such militarized infrastructure it would essentially cut off access to the entire area, one of the most visited in the capitol.
The arch will be tied up in litigation for the rest of Trump’s term.
The White House has needed more office space for years. That would be a use for the building. Of course, I suspect that much of the rushed construction is shoddy, so at some point we can replace it.
Absolutely. There is a substantial part of the polity with Authoritarian Personalities - maybe 30%. They find a strongman approach to government very attractive. They fall for the promise of simple solutions to complex problems, irresistible. They will be the barbarians at the ramparts of civil society for some time to come.
The same insecure types that are attracted to religious cults. They follow demagogues who tell them they have all the answers.
We actually do. The gilded ballroom in place of the historic East Wing will remind us all of our close call. Of course, this isn't over yet. 2 more long years.
So many. I spent spring visiting World War II museums and sites such as Bergen-Belsen, where Anne Frank died, and in Kyiv, Babi Yar.
Don’t forget about The Wall at our southern border that MX paid fer…
Every Democrat should read this column. Hell, everyone in the country should read this column. Jennifer Rubin continues to be the most thoughtful, insightful and articulate political commentator in the country. (Heart emoji!)
This is the key, and, in my opinion, always has been: "refus[ing] to buy into the fallacy that they can do business with Trump and his white supremacist sidekick, they can accelerate the demise of our national nightmare."
Don’t ever think Lucy will let Charley actually kick the football!
Exactly.
"And what about the cult?"
The so-called "Republican Party" lacks any reliable persons. Only TOTAL extirpation of ALL current MAGATs will allow a new & totally different collection of persons to become a reliable second party. ALL current elected "Republicans" (local, state, federal) must leave the scene by retirement or election loss before anything like a real Republican Party can re-emerge.
"forcing Trump to veto popular measures (e.g. reinstate Medicaid funding, end tariffs) may aggravate tensions within a party trying to decide how it can extricate itself from its cult leader."
Exactly. "We Dems are passing legislation to bring relief to working families, and the only ones standing in the way are Trump and his rump party of Republicons. If we get the trifecta in 2028 we can bring these better laws into effect!"
Or, even better, maybe Republicans will see the writing on the wall and finally abandon their neutered leader.
I keep askin:
1. Why (oh why) do domestic manufacturers oppose Medicare for All? They would be the PRIMARY beneficiaries.
2. Why (oh why) has the collateral source rule in litigation not been abolished? The cost of practically all insurance would drop like a rock.
3. Why has the FTC not pursued war profiteers?
4. Why did Trump not ask his good friends the oil refiners, to increase capacity?
Daniel, I don't have responses to all your questions, some of which I don't understand.
Opposition to universal healthcare is prevalent among all corporate executives, not just manufacturers. The main reason is the necessary increase in corporate taxes to pay for it. Under the current arrangement, corporations offload the cost of employees' healthcare to their employees by paying only a portion of the medical insurance premiums, with the balances paid by the employees. Then, the decision to cover – or not cover – claims is left up to the insurance companies that also oppose universal healthcare.
Insurance companies are making a killing (pardon the pun) as they profit off the poor health and injuries of the insured. Universal healthcare would eliminate their revenue sources and put them out of business.
Which "domestic manufacturers" are you referring to? That's unclear to me. Drug companies? Also, Medicare for All is a slogan, not a policy. The policy is expanding healthcare access to everyone at affordable prices. And even that which falls far short of whatever the "Medicare for All" pipe dream is, would require many years of building infrastructure to handle it — things such as training more doctors and nurses, where there is already a shortage, and rebuilding the facilities that have been shut down.
I"m also not clear what you're saying about insurance. Which insurance? Health insurance? Obviously taxes would go up as they have in every country that has universal healthcare access. How would that be implemented?
Why do you think the Federal Trade Commission is the body tasked with going after "war profiteers"? I'm genuinely confused here.
Why does Trump do anything?
And their enablers.
E.G. War profiteers need to be brought to account.
Then what about those "playing" the commodities & stock markets with inside information? Somehow that stuff needs to be investigated, punished, & ill-gotten gains re-possessed.
Elizabeth Warren! Bet she is on the case.
She has always been on the case, and now she will be heading the banking committee.
All of us are created equal. This conviction is the strength of this country. Woe to all who undermine it.
Leading the list of private citizens under investigation should be Musk. And he should lose control of Space X and Starlink.
No, admitting Trump lost is NOT ENOUGH of a bar for approving any further judicial appointees by Trump. His appointees lied about more than that, and brain dead McConnell stole Obama's right to an appointment. He gets ZERO! Period!
Credit to Pope Leo and his opposition to war and his commitment to love your neighbors.
To paraphrase Sam Freedman, MAGA is the parasite that will kill its host, the Republican Party.
We can leave behind the old recycled garbage. Fascism, racism, sexism and Christian nationalism. That’s not nearly the whole list of things that should be left behind. I’m in favor of impeaching Pete Hegseth, Todd Blanche and others among defunding ICE and refunding Medicaid. With so many new faces, I’m sure they have other ideas as well.
One of the many joys of being a Contrarian is that we receive Jen's thoughtful commentaries in our inboxes every day. I have a long list of emails from our democracy luminaries to read each morning and I always start with her.
Agree. With so much hair-on-fire stuff in recent months as well as a tendency toward being too willing to buy into conspiracy theories on our side, she is very clear-eyed.
“…white Christian nationalism “is going to become much more muted.”
Could someone please let Indiana Lieutenant Governor Micah Beckwith and his stooge Attorney General Todd Rokita know because they both seem to be following the White House dumpster fire’s approach of doubling down.
The blue wave is just a parade in particular to the opposition, hard work is still ahead as always.
I was really heartened by the fact that the bigotry and anti DEI was rebuked by the electorate. The fact is that these demons still remain among us. My hope is that the rebuke of these things becomes louder than noise made by them. That decency, humanity and empathy becomes the core of who we are.
Patel has to follow Hegseth to prevent conflict of duty for FBI agents - once the pattern for impeachment is established then it's down the list as solid candidates for replacement are established
Dark forces always self-destruct. The questions always are; how long will it take, who and what will it take down in the process of collapse, and how long will it take for the negative force to regroup? Since the days of Newt Gingrich’s “Contract on America”, I saw Democrats, Republicans, and the general voting public sleep walk permissively straight into MAGA. At some point, we will need to instill into the workings of government, the vigilance and mechanisms that would prevent this Democracy from ever standing back and watching this happen again.
Correct. Dark forces always self-destruct. However, they also re-construct over time. It is a historical pattern which tends to occur. When the generation which confronted and defeated the dark forces passed on, the dark forces re-emerged. No one took the significance of certain signs. Remember how many resisted comparing Trump to Hitler? Well, it absolutely was right.
Note how the greatest generation which fought fascism is now gone and here comes Putin and Trump. However, there are still those of us with parents and grandparents who lived through WWII to be a bridge to the new generation confronting these dark forces.
It is our memory of the lessons we learned in public schools and in the New Deal that can help inform the rebuilding of our government and social fabric.