KNOW-NOTHINGS, THEN AND NOW
Along about the mid-1850s, during the presidency of James K Polk, there existed a political rump party. Rump, not Trump. This party, whose unremembered name was the American party, is universally known as "know-nothing" because they claimed not to know who led the party. It has not been determined if this was a metaphor or a sad display of truth. The two dominant parties then were the Whigs, the party of Northern business interests, and the Democrats, then the party of slavery. The anti-slavery whigs and the Abolitionists would become the Republican party a decade later. The Know-nothings believed in American nativism, not to be confused with native- American. They were filled with the belief that all the land between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans was manifest by God to be included in the United States. The residents of that area of land were not consulted. Further, they wanted Mexicans to leave their land so that it, too could became a part of the United States. Canada, too, was expected to cede Vancouver Island to us. And finally, they believed the Irish should go back to Ireland and Catholics, Papists, should convert to Christianity. Thanks to the Know-nothings, we fought a war with Mexico; many of the soldiers were Irish, a few of those Irish fought for Mexico.
After the Mexican War the Know-nothings dispersed, nobody knows where. A new strain of Know-nothings appeared in about 2009 as the Tea-Party, who did not like us having an African-American as president. They later wanted Mexican-Americans to go back to Mexico, or wherever they came from. To accomplish this they took over the Republican party, a party beginning to worry about us becoming outnumbered by people with another skin coloration, and strongly connected to the Christian identity movement. It could be argued the these people were confused by the identity of Christ. The Tea-party, after failing to block President Obama's second term, drifted into the arms of the Alt-Right movement, composed of fat guys, and a few equally porcine women, who espoused a white racist and Neo-Nazi orientation. Philosophy escapes them. Breitbart News, published by Steve Bannon, was their standard-bearer. The Alt-right were attracted to Donald Trumps presidential campaign because of his insulting views on immigrants and minorities. This unconventional rump candidate, knew nothing about governing, or about anything else but golden towers and golden showers. He was one of them.
Pulling the cyber strings for Donald Trump was a group of ex-GRU Russian oligarchs led by Vladimar Putin. Whether there was collusion by the Trump campaign can not be convincingly proved. The cast of characters staffing Trumps campaign had more Russian connections than Doctor Zhivago. Steve Bannon has no direct connection to Russian oligarchs, but Brietbart news spread many of the social media lies put out by Russian troll farms to effect the 2016 presidential election. Bannon has also described himself as a Leninist, this graduate of Harvard University who made his fortune manipulating stocks at Golman-Sachs, and is trying to take over the Republican establishment.
For barely more than the cost of an armored troop carrier, or two, Vladimir Putin has accomplished two of his economic and global ambitions: he corrupted the American electoral system, inserting into the Presidency a man who is Putins useful idiot, and split the nation into two warring factions. Putin has also claimed success in NATO and EU countries. All without firing a shot.
Until we can regain our liberal democracy, and repair our foreign alliances, we cannot stop Putins global reach. The cost will be trillions of dollars in investment, here and world-wide, thus wrecking our economy and driving up debt. It will also require an American electorate that actually knows something.
In spite of Trumps obvious faults, he was elected by three significant groups helping him to win the electoral college and lose the popular election. Targeting by Russian troll farms in competitive district can be credited for his victory. The Republican Party held their collective noses to get a repeal of Obamacare in favor of a healthcare bill written by whites for whites, and to pass a tax-cut bill favorable to the 1%. They failed at repealing Obamcare, though they are still attacking. They succeeded in passing the $1.5 trillion tax-cut, which gives Republicans an opportunity to blame Social Security and Medicare for driving up debt.
The second group in this detestable triumvirate is the Conservative Christian's, who want to end Roe v Wade, make LGBTQ people second-class citizens, keep women subservient, and make the blacks and brown's keep their heads down and their backs bent. The third group contains elements of the Christian Identity movement, hate groups, gun nuts, and nutty conspiracists. They know nothing about passing legislation or governing, and will believe any crazy thing planted on social media about Hillary Clinton, Nancy Pelosi, and Democrats in general.
The biggest losers, besides those wanting honest elections, may be the American oligarchs, who spent decades fattening the Republican campaign coffers with massive infusions of cash. They are the establishment Republicans who Steve Bannon wants to crush. More importantly, these American oligarchs are pikers when compared to the power of the Russian oligarchs. Imagine the dilemma the Koch brothers will face if they need to create an army to protect their interests from Russian accumulation.
Recovering from this outcome will require us to borrow massively to rebuild the free world. Something we started 50 years ago and largely accomplished. Forget the tax-cuts, or lose your investments. It will require a significant investment in public education, sufficient to make it's way down through the ranks of the Illuminutty. This will be a generations long struggle that will bring the left-behinds and the have-nots into the Haves, who else will fight their war? These people will be largely black or brown, and female. Some of them will be LGBTQ, others will be immigrants and refugees, grateful to their adopting nation for rescuing them from their native plight. The very groups that Know-nothings of whatever century seek to exclude.
After the Mexican War the Know-nothings dispersed, nobody knows where. A new strain of Know-nothings appeared in about 2009 as the Tea-Party, who did not like us having an African-American as president. They later wanted Mexican-Americans to go back to Mexico, or wherever they came from. To accomplish this they took over the Republican party, a party beginning to worry about us becoming outnumbered by people with another skin coloration, and strongly connected to the Christian identity movement. It could be argued the these people were confused by the identity of Christ. The Tea-party, after failing to block President Obama's second term, drifted into the arms of the Alt-Right movement, composed of fat guys, and a few equally porcine women, who espoused a white racist and Neo-Nazi orientation. Philosophy escapes them. Breitbart News, published by Steve Bannon, was their standard-bearer. The Alt-right were attracted to Donald Trumps presidential campaign because of his insulting views on immigrants and minorities. This unconventional rump candidate, knew nothing about governing, or about anything else but golden towers and golden showers. He was one of them.
Pulling the cyber strings for Donald Trump was a group of ex-GRU Russian oligarchs led by Vladimar Putin. Whether there was collusion by the Trump campaign can not be convincingly proved. The cast of characters staffing Trumps campaign had more Russian connections than Doctor Zhivago. Steve Bannon has no direct connection to Russian oligarchs, but Brietbart news spread many of the social media lies put out by Russian troll farms to effect the 2016 presidential election. Bannon has also described himself as a Leninist, this graduate of Harvard University who made his fortune manipulating stocks at Golman-Sachs, and is trying to take over the Republican establishment.
For barely more than the cost of an armored troop carrier, or two, Vladimir Putin has accomplished two of his economic and global ambitions: he corrupted the American electoral system, inserting into the Presidency a man who is Putins useful idiot, and split the nation into two warring factions. Putin has also claimed success in NATO and EU countries. All without firing a shot.
Until we can regain our liberal democracy, and repair our foreign alliances, we cannot stop Putins global reach. The cost will be trillions of dollars in investment, here and world-wide, thus wrecking our economy and driving up debt. It will also require an American electorate that actually knows something.
In spite of Trumps obvious faults, he was elected by three significant groups helping him to win the electoral college and lose the popular election. Targeting by Russian troll farms in competitive district can be credited for his victory. The Republican Party held their collective noses to get a repeal of Obamacare in favor of a healthcare bill written by whites for whites, and to pass a tax-cut bill favorable to the 1%. They failed at repealing Obamcare, though they are still attacking. They succeeded in passing the $1.5 trillion tax-cut, which gives Republicans an opportunity to blame Social Security and Medicare for driving up debt.
The second group in this detestable triumvirate is the Conservative Christian's, who want to end Roe v Wade, make LGBTQ people second-class citizens, keep women subservient, and make the blacks and brown's keep their heads down and their backs bent. The third group contains elements of the Christian Identity movement, hate groups, gun nuts, and nutty conspiracists. They know nothing about passing legislation or governing, and will believe any crazy thing planted on social media about Hillary Clinton, Nancy Pelosi, and Democrats in general.
The biggest losers, besides those wanting honest elections, may be the American oligarchs, who spent decades fattening the Republican campaign coffers with massive infusions of cash. They are the establishment Republicans who Steve Bannon wants to crush. More importantly, these American oligarchs are pikers when compared to the power of the Russian oligarchs. Imagine the dilemma the Koch brothers will face if they need to create an army to protect their interests from Russian accumulation.
Recovering from this outcome will require us to borrow massively to rebuild the free world. Something we started 50 years ago and largely accomplished. Forget the tax-cuts, or lose your investments. It will require a significant investment in public education, sufficient to make it's way down through the ranks of the Illuminutty. This will be a generations long struggle that will bring the left-behinds and the have-nots into the Haves, who else will fight their war? These people will be largely black or brown, and female. Some of them will be LGBTQ, others will be immigrants and refugees, grateful to their adopting nation for rescuing them from their native plight. The very groups that Know-nothings of whatever century seek to exclude.
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