Deep State Worriers Vs. Creep State Warriors
My good friend,Electric Dave,has requested another chance atPostinghis thoughts on theState Of The Unionon myBlog.How can I deny someone who has graduated fromOxford University inEngland.Maybe,just maybe,he might know what he is talking about.Beside,he really enjoyed theCommenthe got the last time he wrote aPostfor me. 
Anonymous February 22, 2017 at 4:58 AM"Siri, how can I un-read something?"
Deep State Worriers Vs. Creep State Warriors: What’s It Going to Be, Then, Eh?
A goodly number of articles and blogs published recently in progressive circles have denounced calls for an investigation into Trump’s ties with Russia and Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election as the work of the “deep state.” The deep state, according to the writers of such articles, is a shadowy network of (un)Democratic operatives and alliances bent upon delegitimizing the “duly elected” Trump administration by way of an end run on democracy. Setting aside for the moment that the Trump administration is doing just fine delegitimizing itself without the help of others, and that Trump and his proxies are engaging in a pervasive deconstruction of what little democracy we have left, we should note the fine irony in labeling sources and those who call for an investigation into the possible subversion of our democratic election processes “subversive” and “undemocratic.” These articles accuse those who ask for an investigation into the Trump-Russia connection of McCarthyite hysteria. According to this line of reasoning, this supposed red-baiting is motivated by a wish to destabilize American relations with Russia, thereby taking us back into the cold war. They further contend that this is both retributive and exculpatory for the Hillary Democrats losing the election. There are other nuances to these accusations, of course, but those are the basic allegations.
Well. Let me begin by saying that for those who claim to be progressives and to be horrified by Trump’s intended wholesale destruction of all that is good and holy, these “deep state” worries are a little bit like worrying that squirrels are chewing through electrical lines in the attic while Visigoths sweep through the neighborhood pillaging and plundering. These folks are worried that the Hillary wing of the Democratic Party wants to rekindle the cold war, but I got news for them: the old guard Democrats do not have a monopoly on using the ol’ external enemies threat for political purposes. Have these people heard how casually the Donald has been mentioning war (“We have to start winning wars again.”) and the ratcheting up of the nuclear arsenal? Do they understand that this brainless talk is at least in part the brainchild of Stephen “Clash of Civilizations” K. Bannon? Now, what seems scarier, a friendly little photo-op cold war with the Rooskies or nuclear engagement with Iran (it’s almost spelled like Iraq, but Trump said he never was for going into Iraq--except when he was, and retrospectively wishes that we had taken their oil. Huh?).
And how do calls for an investigation by key public figures in the Democratic party constitute a “shadowy” network? These people are on cable news every minute of every day calling for investigations into everything from Trump’s ties to Russia to Kellyanne Conway’s hair stylist. We know their names, their affiliations, the names of the people they have stabbed in the back or had their backs stabbed by, their dogs’ names, for criminey sakes. And most of us recognize the fact that, since they are politicians or lobbyists or represent other special interests, they collude and jockey for position with each other in now smokeless back rooms and plot to gain power for themselves, their parties, and whatever broad coalitions that serve their interests. Corporate interests pour scads of money into both parties and are the real pullers of strings, and we’re supposed to be shocked, shocked that shadowy plotting is going on? Have these people not read Julius Caesar?
Of course, there is good old-fashioned K Street and Wall Street hegemony that falls into the Mom and apple pie category, and then there’s colluding with a foreign power in order to
undermine all these upright, democratic ways. And, as these things go, the latter leans more toward the Manchurian candidate category.
Even after the forced resignation of Michael Flynn, these deep state worriers tell us to move along, like traffic cops shooing folks away from a mangled body at the site of a horrific accident. They sound like they’re caught in a Republican echo chamber. Just move along, there’s nothing to see here, people. Nothing to see, despite intelligence confirmations of Russian hacking and meddling coupled with the fact that as a candidate, Trump openly condoned this? And we’re supposed to look the other way because the CIA lied about WMDs under Bush II? Now who’s undermining whom? And now we find out that Jeff Sessions lied under oath about contact with the Russian Ambassador (read spy). Nobody remembers nothin’. Sessions wouldn’t have recused himself if there were nothing here any more than Trump would admit he doesn’t have a mandate. Which he doesn’t, by the way. And in sheer panic mode, Trump now tweets that Obama had his phone tapped when he was a candidate. And that President Obama is a sick man. Wow.
So, after all this, we are supposed to just move along because there is, say the very persons who are suspected of wrong-doing, no evidence, none at all, it’s all fabricated by the lying press (the opposition). Except that Flynn and Sessions both lied through their teeth until they were caught in their lies and now they and the GOP are trying to martinize the situation like a blue dress at the dry-cleaners. They say we don’t need an investigation. But why do so many of Trump’s campaign representatives and later cabinet selections feel the need to lie about meeting with Kislyak? They keep shouting, “But there’s no proof to any of these allegations!” Gee, I’m no legal expert, but isn’t the whole point of an investigation to find and assess evidence? What do we need, Trump and Putin standing arm in arm in the middle of 5th Avenue with a smoking Diebold voting machine in their hands?
For those who would like to see what we have so far with respect to the connections between the Trumpistas and Russia, please take a few minutes to visit the website of Eric Swalwell, a Congressman for the 15th district in California. The man has done his homework. Here’s the link: https://swalwell.house.gov/russia.
There are also denunciations of the hypocrisy of Democrats who squawked about Manning, Assange, and Snowden, but are tight-lipped on the subject of the current leakers. News flash! Pols are hypocrites! I guess these deep state worriers don’t understand that politics and hypocrisy go together like gin and olives up at a Capitol Hill gin mill. Hurt little feelings from hypocrisy aside, is there anyone who now considers what Daniel Ellsberg, Mark Felt (Deep Throat), Bob Woodward, and Carl Bernstein did with respect to the Johnson and Nixon administrations as not serving the interests of democracy? Leakers all, and our democracy was the stronger for it, at least temporarily. So I guess it’s OK to cut deals with foreign powers to undermine the orders of a sitting president in exchange for subverting democracy so long as one is a civilian while doing so. Now who’s being hypocritical?
The deep state worriers are. Their real agenda, of course, is to retaliate against the Democratic establishment who did a demolition job on Sanders and propped up tired ol’ Clinton and her intended perpetuation of the failed neoliberal world order. Their belief is that if the creaking and class-traitorous hulk of the old-guard Democratic party is relegated to the rubbish bin of history,
Trump et al will ruin us all and what will rise Phoenix-like from the ashes is a coalition of the marginalized who were ignored by both parties and will create a new third way. The Democratic party, of course, richly deserves to be excoriated for its refusal even to consider any truly progressive candidate. Their recent election of Perez over Ellison for DNC Chair amply demonstrates that they’re committed to the same old. Which will mean the same moribund party as always. Addiction to money will do that to people. So, I will give the deep state worriers this: the Democratic party very much deserves to be exposed as the spineless apologist for the status quo that it is.
But this is not the way to go about it. Refusal to engage the alt-fact con artists and bigots who are
now in power amounts to tacitly condoning their power. Just because a branch of the Democratic party is happy to use this as a political weapon doesn’t mean we should not be concerned about it. Calling for an investigation into Russian meddling in the election and Trump’s ties to Russia is not subversive of democracy, but supportive of it. Fears of renewal of the cold war of course have to be weighed against the realities of the Russian military presence in Ukraine and Syria and also in light of Russian meddling in European elections, especially where rightwing populists are gaining momentum. But given this increasing Russian aggressiveness, isn’t it crucial for us to know how Trump’s ties to Russia will affect our Russian policies going forward? Isn’t there a difference between cultivating a cold war for political fun and profit as opposed to recognizing and containing the actual level of threat that Russia’s challenges to other nations’ sovereignties represents?
I suspect that part of the motivation of these deep state worriers stems from an apocalyptic strain to their thinking. They believe that if we forgo investigation of the Trump-Russia ties and just let the Donald do his thing, Trump will bring us to rack and ruin as sure as two nickels buy a dime, and that the failures of the Democrats will be concomitantly be highlighted. The implosion of the two-party system, goes this line of reasoning, will then provide the opening for the new utopian coalition. In other words, they are willing to play the long game, betting that the failures of both parties will be so manifestly evident to everyone that we will beg the third way to ascend to power. But despite whatever allure this tack may have, what about in the meantime? Is the Trumpian carnage—and I use the term pointedly here—really worth it? You pays yer money and you takes yer chances: Deep State or Creep State? What’s it going to be, then, eh?
After reading this,I am changing my allegiance fromJeZus,
the self-proclaimed doomsday prophet fromHawaii,toElectric Dave,and hisPatriotismprophecies!The Electric OneforPresidentin2020!I am printing up theCampaign Buttonsas we speak.
This is,Back In The 1970s I Knew Of A Couple People Who Wrote Underground NewspapersAnd They Were Not As Eloquently Speaking When They Talked AboutRichard NixonAs The Electric Dave Is When He Is Talking AboutDonald Trump!Jim Hauenstein,
And,
“Trump didn't divide America. He just doused us with gasoline and fanned the flames.”
- DaShanne Stokes - That is Electric Dave's story and I am sticking to it! Like what you are reading?Set up my Blog as your Homepage,or Sign up as a Follower,or Leave a Comment,or a Suggestion,and I will answer you in a Post. Thanks for reading. It is funny how you can take a fellow out of the mid-west,but you cannot take the mid-west out of the fellow.Quote,
"A goodly number of articles and blogs."That sounds so mid-western.
Anonymous February 22, 2017 at 4:58 AM"Siri, how can I un-read something?"Deep State Worriers Vs. Creep State Warriors: What’s It Going to Be, Then, Eh?
A goodly number of articles and blogs published recently in progressive circles have denounced calls for an investigation into Trump’s ties with Russia and Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election as the work of the “deep state.” The deep state, according to the writers of such articles, is a shadowy network of (un)Democratic operatives and alliances bent upon delegitimizing the “duly elected” Trump administration by way of an end run on democracy. Setting aside for the moment that the Trump administration is doing just fine delegitimizing itself without the help of others, and that Trump and his proxies are engaging in a pervasive deconstruction of what little democracy we have left, we should note the fine irony in labeling sources and those who call for an investigation into the possible subversion of our democratic election processes “subversive” and “undemocratic.” These articles accuse those who ask for an investigation into the Trump-Russia connection of McCarthyite hysteria. According to this line of reasoning, this supposed red-baiting is motivated by a wish to destabilize American relations with Russia, thereby taking us back into the cold war. They further contend that this is both retributive and exculpatory for the Hillary Democrats losing the election. There are other nuances to these accusations, of course, but those are the basic allegations.
Well. Let me begin by saying that for those who claim to be progressives and to be horrified by Trump’s intended wholesale destruction of all that is good and holy, these “deep state” worries are a little bit like worrying that squirrels are chewing through electrical lines in the attic while Visigoths sweep through the neighborhood pillaging and plundering. These folks are worried that the Hillary wing of the Democratic Party wants to rekindle the cold war, but I got news for them: the old guard Democrats do not have a monopoly on using the ol’ external enemies threat for political purposes. Have these people heard how casually the Donald has been mentioning war (“We have to start winning wars again.”) and the ratcheting up of the nuclear arsenal? Do they understand that this brainless talk is at least in part the brainchild of Stephen “Clash of Civilizations” K. Bannon? Now, what seems scarier, a friendly little photo-op cold war with the Rooskies or nuclear engagement with Iran (it’s almost spelled like Iraq, but Trump said he never was for going into Iraq--except when he was, and retrospectively wishes that we had taken their oil. Huh?).
And how do calls for an investigation by key public figures in the Democratic party constitute a “shadowy” network? These people are on cable news every minute of every day calling for investigations into everything from Trump’s ties to Russia to Kellyanne Conway’s hair stylist. We know their names, their affiliations, the names of the people they have stabbed in the back or had their backs stabbed by, their dogs’ names, for criminey sakes. And most of us recognize the fact that, since they are politicians or lobbyists or represent other special interests, they collude and jockey for position with each other in now smokeless back rooms and plot to gain power for themselves, their parties, and whatever broad coalitions that serve their interests. Corporate interests pour scads of money into both parties and are the real pullers of strings, and we’re supposed to be shocked, shocked that shadowy plotting is going on? Have these people not read Julius Caesar?
Of course, there is good old-fashioned K Street and Wall Street hegemony that falls into the Mom and apple pie category, and then there’s colluding with a foreign power in order to
undermine all these upright, democratic ways. And, as these things go, the latter leans more toward the Manchurian candidate category.
Even after the forced resignation of Michael Flynn, these deep state worriers tell us to move along, like traffic cops shooing folks away from a mangled body at the site of a horrific accident. They sound like they’re caught in a Republican echo chamber. Just move along, there’s nothing to see here, people. Nothing to see, despite intelligence confirmations of Russian hacking and meddling coupled with the fact that as a candidate, Trump openly condoned this? And we’re supposed to look the other way because the CIA lied about WMDs under Bush II? Now who’s undermining whom? And now we find out that Jeff Sessions lied under oath about contact with the Russian Ambassador (read spy). Nobody remembers nothin’. Sessions wouldn’t have recused himself if there were nothing here any more than Trump would admit he doesn’t have a mandate. Which he doesn’t, by the way. And in sheer panic mode, Trump now tweets that Obama had his phone tapped when he was a candidate. And that President Obama is a sick man. Wow.
So, after all this, we are supposed to just move along because there is, say the very persons who are suspected of wrong-doing, no evidence, none at all, it’s all fabricated by the lying press (the opposition). Except that Flynn and Sessions both lied through their teeth until they were caught in their lies and now they and the GOP are trying to martinize the situation like a blue dress at the dry-cleaners. They say we don’t need an investigation. But why do so many of Trump’s campaign representatives and later cabinet selections feel the need to lie about meeting with Kislyak? They keep shouting, “But there’s no proof to any of these allegations!” Gee, I’m no legal expert, but isn’t the whole point of an investigation to find and assess evidence? What do we need, Trump and Putin standing arm in arm in the middle of 5th Avenue with a smoking Diebold voting machine in their hands?
For those who would like to see what we have so far with respect to the connections between the Trumpistas and Russia, please take a few minutes to visit the website of Eric Swalwell, a Congressman for the 15th district in California. The man has done his homework. Here’s the link: https://swalwell.house.gov/russia.
There are also denunciations of the hypocrisy of Democrats who squawked about Manning, Assange, and Snowden, but are tight-lipped on the subject of the current leakers. News flash! Pols are hypocrites! I guess these deep state worriers don’t understand that politics and hypocrisy go together like gin and olives up at a Capitol Hill gin mill. Hurt little feelings from hypocrisy aside, is there anyone who now considers what Daniel Ellsberg, Mark Felt (Deep Throat), Bob Woodward, and Carl Bernstein did with respect to the Johnson and Nixon administrations as not serving the interests of democracy? Leakers all, and our democracy was the stronger for it, at least temporarily. So I guess it’s OK to cut deals with foreign powers to undermine the orders of a sitting president in exchange for subverting democracy so long as one is a civilian while doing so. Now who’s being hypocritical?
The deep state worriers are. Their real agenda, of course, is to retaliate against the Democratic establishment who did a demolition job on Sanders and propped up tired ol’ Clinton and her intended perpetuation of the failed neoliberal world order. Their belief is that if the creaking and class-traitorous hulk of the old-guard Democratic party is relegated to the rubbish bin of history,
Trump et al will ruin us all and what will rise Phoenix-like from the ashes is a coalition of the marginalized who were ignored by both parties and will create a new third way. The Democratic party, of course, richly deserves to be excoriated for its refusal even to consider any truly progressive candidate. Their recent election of Perez over Ellison for DNC Chair amply demonstrates that they’re committed to the same old. Which will mean the same moribund party as always. Addiction to money will do that to people. So, I will give the deep state worriers this: the Democratic party very much deserves to be exposed as the spineless apologist for the status quo that it is.
But this is not the way to go about it. Refusal to engage the alt-fact con artists and bigots who are
now in power amounts to tacitly condoning their power. Just because a branch of the Democratic party is happy to use this as a political weapon doesn’t mean we should not be concerned about it. Calling for an investigation into Russian meddling in the election and Trump’s ties to Russia is not subversive of democracy, but supportive of it. Fears of renewal of the cold war of course have to be weighed against the realities of the Russian military presence in Ukraine and Syria and also in light of Russian meddling in European elections, especially where rightwing populists are gaining momentum. But given this increasing Russian aggressiveness, isn’t it crucial for us to know how Trump’s ties to Russia will affect our Russian policies going forward? Isn’t there a difference between cultivating a cold war for political fun and profit as opposed to recognizing and containing the actual level of threat that Russia’s challenges to other nations’ sovereignties represents?
I suspect that part of the motivation of these deep state worriers stems from an apocalyptic strain to their thinking. They believe that if we forgo investigation of the Trump-Russia ties and just let the Donald do his thing, Trump will bring us to rack and ruin as sure as two nickels buy a dime, and that the failures of the Democrats will be concomitantly be highlighted. The implosion of the two-party system, goes this line of reasoning, will then provide the opening for the new utopian coalition. In other words, they are willing to play the long game, betting that the failures of both parties will be so manifestly evident to everyone that we will beg the third way to ascend to power. But despite whatever allure this tack may have, what about in the meantime? Is the Trumpian carnage—and I use the term pointedly here—really worth it? You pays yer money and you takes yer chances: Deep State or Creep State? What’s it going to be, then, eh?
After reading this,I am changing my allegiance fromJeZus,
the self-proclaimed doomsday prophet fromHawaii,toElectric Dave,and hisPatriotismprophecies!The Electric OneforPresidentin2020!I am printing up theCampaign Buttonsas we speak. This is,Back In The 1970s I Knew Of A Couple People Who Wrote Underground NewspapersAnd They Were Not As Eloquently Speaking When They Talked AboutRichard NixonAs The Electric Dave Is When He Is Talking AboutDonald Trump!Jim Hauenstein,
And,
“Trump didn't divide America. He just doused us with gasoline and fanned the flames.”
- DaShanne Stokes - That is Electric Dave's story and I am sticking to it! Like what you are reading?Set up my Blog as your Homepage,or Sign up as a Follower,or Leave a Comment,or a Suggestion,and I will answer you in a Post. Thanks for reading. It is funny how you can take a fellow out of the mid-west,but you cannot take the mid-west out of the fellow.Quote,
"A goodly number of articles and blogs."That sounds so mid-western.
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