Donald Trump’s re-election campaign poses the greatest threat to American democracy since World War II.
Mr. Trump’s ruinous tenure already has gravely damaged the United States at home and around the world. He has abused the power of his office and denied the legitimacy of his political opponents, shattering the norms that have bound the nation together for generations. He has subsumed the public interest to the profitability of his business and political interests. He has shown a breathtaking disregard for the lives and liberties of Americans. He is a man unworthy of the office he holds.
The editorial board does not lightly indict a duly elected president. During Mr. Trump’s term, we have called out his racism and his xenophobia. We have critiqued his vandalism of the postwar consensus, a system of alliances and relationships around the globe that cost a great many lives to establish and maintain. We have, again and again, deplored his divisive rhetoric and his malicious attacks on fellow Americans. Yet when the Senate refused to convict the president for obvious abuses of power and obstruction, we counseled his political opponents to focus their outrage on defeating him at the ballot box.
Nov. 3 can be a turning point. This is an election about the country’s future, and what path its citizens wish to choose.
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Comments
16 responses to “End our national crisis: the case against Donald Trump (NYTimes Oct 19, 2020)”
Hi Hal. Nugget Coombs regretted the separation of macro and micro economics. That may be where the rot started. I recently met a West Australian economist turned archaeologist who applies micro-economics to heritage. He had never heard of Nugget Coombs yet he studied at UWA in Perth where Coombs was president of the Guild of Undergraduates. We neglect the teaching of history. If Trump loses it will be largely a reaction against the Tweets, as noted here by Barney.
If I were still a U.S. citizen, I would be voting for Trump because Biden is, to me, merely a place sitter for his VP candidate, Kamala Harris. I view her as toxic in the extreme, as outed in the first (?) Democratic debate by Tulsi Gabbard.
I do note Jerry Roberts’ endorsement of Howie Hawkins and agree with his comment, “The abandonment of social democracy by the American Democrats, British Labour and the ALP was the crucial mistake of our times, in my humble opinion.” But I just do not see us in the “west” getting back to that anytime soon. Enlightened social democracy requires an educated voting population, and we seem to have dropped that ball.
Hi Slorter. Hard to pick. As a native American I could not possibly vote for Biden and would vote for Trump were it not for the candidacy of Howie Hawkins for the Greens. Howie is a traditional trade unionist and I think that is what America and the rest of us need — a re-balance between labour and capital. The abandonment of social democracy by the American Democrats, British Labour and the ALP was the crucial mistake of our times, in my humble opinion.
As times improve (materialistically) aspiration becomes the Proletariats’ motivation.
Ergo their Labor DNA starts to evolve toward “the middle.”
And then in clinging fear; sometimes right over to the irrational right.
The voting phenotype in this environment becomes the stereotype and given enough evolutionary time .. the stereotype becomes the genotype.
Sadly, this allegoric physiology; must increase the quantity of wasted humans on the pyramids’ expanding base line.
The trigger for me in the NY Times extract above … The part which was not, but that I would have inscribed in blue and underlined was, “We counseled his political opponents to focus their outrage.
I guess the New York times .. like many other editions of the fourth estate; still see themselves as the ancient and fabled, immutable Delphic Oracle.
You don’t speak for me, Neil. I am rusted-on liberal left but I don’t share the revulsion towards Trump. This is a dangerously over-simplified view of what has gone wrong in the American political economy and international relations. Slorter’s comment is more accurate. I watched Trump live campaigning somewhere a day ago and he was in superb form. Don’t count your chickens.
They did not quite hatch the way they wanted last time!
It’s easy to get a start in the Chicken Outfit …
It’s much harder to quit.
Americas problems (if dialectically shared) are not caused by Trump’; as his opponents would have themselves and others believe … Trump is an organic result of Americas’ problems as a democracy.
American Democracy ?
Americans and the world can listen to the extravagant rhetoric of the two enemy camps, calling on them to choose between alleged “authoritarian white supremacy” (grossly exaggerated) and “radical Marxist socialism” (totally false) while offering absolutely nothing in terms of coherent public policy of benefit to the American people and the world. The politicians claw to cling to ineffective office, while the future is being planned elsewhere.
A Two Party System or rather a two faction system, fueled essentially by personal ambition, taking its cues from lobbies, the military industrial complex, Wall Street and the Global Governors ( A small number of very rich men who are quite sure they know what is best for the future of the world).
Trump is a TV and tabloid phenomena enabled by Roger Ailes and Murdoch.
People who don’t worship Trump are about to change his entertainment channel.
He will lose the election.
Then, Trump will no longer have the status and esteem of the presidential office that American’s so revere.
Worshippers will drop off because our guy no longer has the power and the glory to wrap himself exclusively in the star spangled banner.
Trump will resort to various grifts, such as Dollar Follow found with his new Evangelical mates.
Many doors will close for Trump and he will be hounded and imprisoned by US law enforcement facilitated by Democrats. And maybe even Republicans who want revenge and their party back.
I look forward to the new era when we don’t have to hear the name Trump at least a dozen times a day.
God Bless America.
“I look forward to the new era when we don’t have to hear the name Trump at least a dozen times a day.”
I hear you, Neil; believe me, I hear you. I reckon you speak for the vast majority of the world.
Thank you Barney for your encouraging words. All best
Yes, hearing the name Biden at least a dozen times a day will be a great relief. ;-p
somehow I don’t feel Biden will dominate the media in the same way if he wins.
I’m not the interpreter of “media domination” language, as if Trump is dominating IT (the media) as much as the media (being the exponent of broadcast) is the dominant thing.
You’re probably right though.. in not hearing as much about HIM (Biden) by the media..
Seeing as how the media has been letting him go largely unexamined so far.
I guess they’ll let him go unexamined again if he gets the potus gig.
NO! …Not a Trump supporter.