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Showing posts from June, 2019

Vladimir Putin: Death of Democracy

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In his G-20 speech on June 28, 2019 Vladimir Putin declared that the world's liberal political order had "outlived its purpose." Putin openly revealed himself as the force against democracy. This is now possible for him to do because Trump agrees with him and Republicans do not dare to challenge Trump. The veil and gloves are off. The threat to 2020 US election is real. Putin will unleash his trolls and bots. He will succeed with people who have authoritarian and white nationalist tendencies. He may succeed in depressing turnout or sabotaging counting machines. 2020 election may well be uglier than 2016. Trump feels no need to hide his collusion this time. He said that he will accept foreign help.  2020 will be a titanic fight for the soul of America. Is the US going to contract to a caricature of  the 1950's culture with exclusion of all those who do not look the part? That is absurd when you realize that over 40% of US population is not "white". Puti...

Trump: Opioid for the GOP Masses

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Jesus said in John 14:6 : "I am the way and the truth and the life". In 2016 Trump said repeatedly : "I alone can fix it". Are there direct parallels between these statements? Is Trump making himself into a modern day messiah? Is he inspiring fervent devotion in his base? I think the answer is yes. Dr. Justin Frank M.D. on The Thom Hartmann Program identified this as "God complex", an unconscious delusion that he is invincible and omnipotent, which Trump actually believes. This is a break from reality and therefore psychotic. His base joins him in this delusion.   Since a substantial fraction of his base are Evangelicals, the jump from devotion to Jesus to Trump is not a far stretch. The Evangelicals are primed to believe in messiahs and miracles. In their "faith"  they are constantly asked to cross the boundary from reality to the fantastical and unfounded. Trump is promising his base an economic and social miracle and a return to their greatn...