My evolving understanding of how America has de-evolved to this level.

[Baitball Blogger]

This is how my reflections began to change: Everything started to breakdown in the nineties. Or, at least, that's when it was impossible for me to ignore the growing discontent of the emerging Angry White Man. It aligned with what I was observing in local government, where it suddenly became a priority for government to push economic objectives. What I heard from listening to recordings from a manager just from meetings was two things:

(1) In order for government to meet objectives (which at the time, involved annexations), they first had to decide what they had to bargain with.

(2) In order to use government power, they first had to identify a public good, and then they could proceed.

About that second part, I never doubted that the public good they would come up with would be disingenuous, because their real intent was to reach an objective that benefitted a private few who were well-connected. But that is how they proceeded for many years, and probably still do to this day.

Taking these observations into mind, I now can see where Trump went very wrong in his second term and why it was inevitable that he would paint himself in a corner with Iran. His mistake in the second term came from dropping all serious cabinet members and replacing it with a clown show. And also, removing the experts in every field of federal government. When he did that, there was no one left who could walk that fine line between public interest and private objectives. So when it all went to hell, there was no one who even has an iota of credibility to convince anyone that the attack of Iran was nothing more than a capitulation to Trump who desired to form a partnership with Israel, because, down the road, there was the Gaza strip waiting to be redeveloped.

That's where we are today. NO ONE with a shred of integrity or seriousness can claim that there was an imminent danger from Iran. So, no one can confirm that Trump had a public interest in going after Iran. He completely took the veil off and showed government in its full obscene transformation, which has been going on for at least thirty years by my count. Private interest has stepped in and taken over and it has no where to hide. What happens next is up to us to stand up and demand that it returns to its rightful purpose.

[mwmisses4289]

1. T has no interest, public or private, in any one but himself.

Everything is seen from the point of how does it benefit me. That's it. Legal, illegal, doesn't matter as long as it benefits him in some way.

[Baitball Blogger]

2. Yes, but government at the federal level has or had guardrails.

The Supreme Court's conservative decisions have definitely caused the Executive Office to have too much power. And the Republican in Congress are about to play out their last hand. If they managed to steal the midterms, our country is lost forever. On the other hand, if they lose, we'll only see their names in history books.

[intheflow]

3. I can trace this moment back way farther than the 1990s.

This is the Confederacy rising again.

[Baitball Blogger]

4. The Angry White Men.

But, they were used more like a flanking movement, to be sacrificed as cannon-fodder.

[KT2000]

5. They were co-opted

Many issues for which the RW has concerns are usually turned into subtle class war issues. Environment/health - working men versus the entitled, women's movement - uppity women versus the attacked men, etc. They nurtured an army of victims, encouraged the anger, and captured them for the party.

These complainers are happy to be led into grievance but are happy to spend their own dollars on sports stadiums for the super wealthy!