A thread that's a snapshot of America as it makes itself great again in anticipation of Trump's inauguration:

William Lindsey :toad:

"Since Trump won re-election — this time with the popular vote — many of the most influential people in America seem to have lost any will to stand up to him as he goes about transforming America into the sort of authoritarian oligarchy he admires. Call it the Great Capitulation."

~ Michelle Goldberg

#Trump #MakingAmericaGreatAgain #EconomicElites
/1

nytimes.com

(www.nytimes.com)

William Lindsey :toad:

"We are beginning to see this all over the American political-economic system — giant corporations and hugely wealthy people going out of their way to appease King Trump even in advance of his coronation. They are paying him off to maintain or enlarge their profits."

~ Robert Reich

Funny, isn't it, how the "working class" and its "economic anxiety" suddenly exits the state, no?

#Trump #MakingAmericaGreatAgain #MAGA #EconomicElites #corporations #TechBros #media
/2

Why did ABC cave in to Trump?

It didn’t need to. It shouldn’t have. But there’s a big reason why it thought it must.

(robertreich.substack.com)

William Lindsey :toad:

"It’s clear as day that corporations, the wealthy, and our institutions are unwilling to exercise even the slightest resistance to Trump this time around. They are anointing him our Pharoah for life in exchange for clemency and higher profits."

~ Wajahat Ali

So much for "working-class" "rage" based in "economic anxiety" as the force driving the Trump machine."

#Trump #MakingAmericaGreatAgain #MAGA #EconomicElites #corporations #TechBros #media
/3

ABC News Bends the Knee To Trump and Throws The Rest of Us Under the Bus

ABC News bent the knee to Donald Trump’s vindictive lawsuit and not only compromised their journalistic integrity but also paved the way for future prosecutions and bullying against the rest of us.

(thelefthook.substack.com)

William Lindsey :toad:

"In a clearly choreographed series of announcements over the course of late last week, one tech CEO after another announced they were contributing $1 million to the Trump inaugural committee."

~ Josh Marshall

#Trump #MakingAmericaGreatAgain #MAGA #EconomicElites #corporations #TechBros #media
/4

The Great Fluffening of 2024

In a clearly choreographed series of announcements over the course of late last week, one tech CEO after another announced they were contributing $1 million to…

TPM – Talking Points Memo (talkingpointsmemo.com)

William Lindsey :toad:

"It’s a world where fringe media outlets are ascendant, a new wave of religious leaders are mixing politics and prayer, the global right-wing is rejoicing, and more established press are being subjected to a new level of restrictions and derision."

~ Hunter Walker and Josh Kovensky

#Trump #MakingAmericaGreatAgain #MAGA #WhiteChristians #WhiteChristianNationalism
/5

The Ultimate MAGA: Global And Domestic Right Gathers, Ready For A New Trump Era

NEW YORK — Sunday night offered a sneak preview of what life might be like in President-elect Donald Trump’s second term at the annual black tie gala of…

TPM – Talking Points Memo (talkingpointsmemo.com)

William Lindsey :toad:

"Our country faces an incoming tsunami of bigotry, hatred, and discrimination. It targets Muslims, Arabs, Jews, Black people, the LGBTQ+ community, and many others. And it always pretends to be something other than what it is. These forces are fueled not only by their proponents, but equally by the collaboration and silence of the spineless."

~ Adeel Mangi

#Trump #MakingAmericaGreatAgain #MAGA #EconomicElites #corporations #WhiteChristians #cruelty
/5

Adeel Mangi’s letter to America

Biden's stalled Third Circuit nominee, Mangi spoke out in a fiery — and needed — four-page letter. Also: The clock is ticking on TikTok. (Sorry.)

(www.lawdork.com)

William Lindsey :toad:

"America experienced another school shooting on Monday that killed two and wounded a half dozen people in Madison, Wisconsin. Meanwhile, the nation remained fixated on sightings of 'mystery' drones (and planes and stars mistaken for drones)."

~ Robert B. Hubbell

#Trump #MakingAmericaGreatAgain #MAGA #EconomicElites #violence
/6

Drones vs Guns

December 17, 2024

(roberthubbell.substack.com)

William Lindsey :toad:

"And it always pretends to be something other than what it is."

~ Adeel Mangi in /5 above

E.g., it pretends to be about "working-class" "economic anxiety," when it's really about economic elites rigging the political system to facilitate the flow of wealth from the bottom sectors of society to those who are already grossly rich — and exacerbating social hostilities and hatreds based in race, gender, national origin, religious affiliation, etc., to enable this transfer of wealth.

William Lindsey :toad:

"America’s CEOs are in a race to crawl as far up Trump’s ass as fast as possible."

~ Dan Pfeiffer

But don't forget the drill: it's really all about the "economic anxiety" of the "working classes" which the Democrats have ignored.

#Trump #MakingAmericaGreatAgain #MAGA #EconomicElites #corporations #TechBros #media
/7

Why America's CEOs are Cozying Up to Trump

Trump’s new corporate buddies clarifies the stakes

(www.messageboxnews.com)

William Lindsey :toad:

"Stat of the day: Number of people killed in US gun violence in 2024 reaches 16,006 after Wisconsin school shooting."

~ Jem Bartholomew

#Trump #MakingAmericaGreatAgain #MAGA #EconomicElites #violence
/8

First Thing: Russian general killed in Moscow blast as Ukraine claims responsibility

Igor Kirillov was head of the Russian army’s chemical weapons division. Plus, Mitch McConnell warns Trump against isolationism

the Guardian (www.theguardian.com)

William Lindsey :toad:

"The percentage of kindergarten students with vaccine exemptions reached an all-time high in Arkansas and across the nation in the 2023-24 school year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention."

~ John Lyon

As Lyon reports, the rate of vaccine exemptions for school children in Arkansas has risen steadily from 2015-6 up to now — in Trump-voting, solidly red Arkansas, one should note.

#Trump #MakingAmericaGreatAgain #MAGA #vaccines #disinformation /9

Exemptions From Childhood Vaccines Reach All-Time High in Arkansas, Nation - ACHI

The percentage of kindergarten students with vaccine exemptions reached an all-time high in Arkansas and across the nation in the 2023-24 school year.

ACHI (achi.net)

William Lindsey :toad:

"When Americans think of dictators they always think of some foreign model. If anyone turned up here in a fur hat, boots and a grim look he would be recognized and shunned…But when our dictator turns up you can depend on it that he will be one of the boys, and he will stand for everything traditionally American."

~ Dorothy Thompson in 1937

#Trump #MakingAmericaGreatAgain #MAGA
/10

Dorothy Thompson Is the Most Famous Female Journalist You've Never Heard Of | American Experience | PBS

She made a name for herself by speaking out against fascism abroad and at home. Then the fight got personal.

(www.pbs.org)

Neo The Luddite

@wdlindsy with a working & middle class pumelled by a globalist elite. Fascism in the 20th Century was the symptom of an even more cynical disease

William Lindsey :toad:

“The real scandal of our media tycoons: they’re rich, powerful, and increasingly antagonistic to the journalism they fund.”

~ Andrew Egger

#Trump #MakingAmericaGreatAgain #MAGA #EconomicElites #media
/11

https://open.substack.com/pub/thebulwark/p/the-real-scandal-of-our-media-tycoons

William Lindsey :toad:

“We’ve watched as billionaires including Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg travel to Mar-a-Lago and make million-dollar donations to Trump’s inaugural committee, clearly hoping to avoid his wrath. If they don’t have the courage to stand up to him, and established news organizations seem to be acting out of fear, what does it mean for the rest of us?”

~ Paul Waldman

#Trump #MakingAmericaGreatAgain #MAGA #EconomicElites #media
/12

https://open.substack.com/pub/paulwaldman/p/trumps-new-strategy-to-terrorize

William Lindsey :toad:

@neotheluddite We’ll see.

William Lindsey :toad:

“Some misguided people continue to promote the idea that Kamala Harris lost the election because she and the Democrats didn’t ‘speak to the working people’ or address ‘kitchen table issues.’ Of course, nothing could be further from the truth.”

~ Pamela Hilliard Owens

#Trump #MakingAmericaGreatAgain #MAGA #EconomicElites #media #racism #sexism 
/13

https://open.substack.com/pub/wearespeaking/p/a-government-of-by-and-for-the-oligarchs

William Lindsey :toad:

"Harris and Walz lost by just a little over one percentage point because of racism and sexism, as well as the malfeasance of the corporate mainstream media, which consistently promoted and 'sanewashed' Trump’s lies and law-breaking and downplayed the accomplishments of Biden and Harris."

#Trump #MakingAmericaGreatAgain #MAGA #EconomicElites #media #racism #sexism 
/14

William Lindsey :toad:

"So from January 20, 2025, forward, the people in charge of our government will not be qualified and experienced public servants but (primarily) billionaire oligarchs whose mission will include destroying our public institutions and agencies, selling parts of the United States to the highest domestic or international bidder, and ensuring that only the people they approve of can reap the benefits of this nation."

#Trump #MakingAmericaGreatAgain #MAGA #EconomicElites #media #racism #sexism 
/15

William Lindsey :toad:

"Yesterday, Trump sat down with TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew at Mar-a-Lago, CNN's Kaitlan Collins reported. Coincidentally, news of the meeting broke a few minutes after TikTok said it filed an emergency appeal at the Supreme Court to temporarily block the looming TikTok ban."

~ David Kurtz

#Trump #MakingAmericaGreatAgain #MAGA #EconomicElites #corporations #TechBros #media
/16

(view.newsletters.cnn.com)