Making Sense of the Current Political Environment

Making Sense of the Current Political Environment

Here's how I see things:

1.     Trump is a pathological liar.  He continues a long trend of Republicans in this direction.

2.     In response, the establishment Democrats have abandoned respect for the truth.

3.     The combination of Republican and Democratic incoherence will greatly strengthen populist sentiments.

4.     Some possibilities:

a.     Civil war between Republicans and Democrats -- don't know who would win

b.     Strongman Republican seizes power, clamps down on freedom of press and dissent (a la Putin)

c.      Elizabeth Warren elected and peaceful change begins.  This would require a sequence something like the following:

i.       Stock market crash before March 2020

ii.      Economic distress hurts Trump and establishment Dem popularity

iii.     Establishment Dems realize they can't win and support Warren.

Of course, the Warren presidency is by far the most preferable option.  The alternatives that I can see are catastrophic.

UPDATES below the fold...

UPDATE 7/25/2019:  This Branko Marcetic article in Jacobin has another angle on the establishment Democrats acting like Republicans which makes perfect sense to me.

Remember the frenzied, paranoid style of right-wing anti-Clintonism? The lies, the conspiracy theories, the deeply personal disgust? Well, it’s back — only this time it’s migrated to the Democratic Party and its unhinged attacks on Bernie Sanders.

UPDATE 10/17/2020:  Biden Slams CBS Reporter For Asking About The Hunter Biden Scandal

For years, many of us have criticized President Donald Trump for his attacks on the media when they asked him about controversies involving him or his family.  The media however has been largely silent as Democratic leaders have ratcheted up attacks on any journalists who question their positions or the party lines.

That was evident recently when Speaker Nancy Pelosi bizarrely attacked CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer as an apologist for the Trump Administration simply because he pressed her on blocking the stimulus package. Other liberals piled on Blitzer for daring to challenge the party line.  Now Joe Biden has attacked the first reporter from one of the networks who simply asked for a response to the unfolding scandal involving his son Hunter Biden. In emails found on the laptop, Joe Biden is named in communications with foreign figures seeking influence over U.S. policy.

Also, there was the recent (and only) presidential debate where Trump brought up the relationship between the mayor of Moscow and Hunter Biden.  In response, Biden apparently lied saying, in Trumpian fashion:

"It's totally discredited," the former vice president snapped back. "Totally discredited." "It's totally discredited," the former vice president snapped back. "Totally discredited."

Of course, it hasn't been discredited.