Was Pelosi's ripping of the speech a bad move?
I see many people condemning Pelosi's symbolic gesture. But was it really such a bad move?
Trump's speech was anti-democratically triumphalist. Symbolic gestures have value, and symbolically rejecting Trump's speech has value.
If we preserve democracy in the US, if we walk ourselves back from the brink of authoritarianism (which could finally come from either party), we may look back on Pelosi's action with approval, as a symbolic rejection of the path we're on.
Should democracy wither or be strangled, and our leaders merely sit mute for fear of causing offense?
Make no mistake, Trump is authoritarian. Fortunately, so far, he is a weak one. I don't predict that the US democracy will die if he's re-elected (fortunately he's old), but he has clearly revealed a lack of democratic commitment of a large portion of the American public. That lack of commitment does not exist only on the right, by any means, nor does Trump's support come only from the right.
The dangerous support for Trump comes from authoritarian populists who take delight in shows of strength and politicians who are willing to tear up democratic norms to preserve their own positions and their sides strength. And while we may have a peaceful transfer of power between parties this year, or in 2024, the fragility has, been revealed, and there are plenty of Democrats eager to respond in kind, justifying it to themselves by saying Republicans started it or as a matter of survival.
The essential danger is the loss of belief in a loyal opposition, the growing belief that opposition is in itself disloyal. This is most obviously expressed in a man like Trump, but the Democrats share the blame. When they called Mitt Romney a fascist, they were attempting to delegitimize him, to depict his opposition to the Democrat's vision as beyond the pale of legitimate debate, akin to totalitarianism and genocide.
When both sides have delegitimized each other, we no longer have the cultural underpinnings to sustain democracy.
Does that mean you support George Soros who was rigging voting machines for Hillary Clinton who stole the popular vote from Trump in 2016?
Hi @lifecoma, I see you followed my sharing of @ironshields post to FB. So I found you and sent you a friend request over there.
As to this post, I pretty much agree, that the system is broken, but I've only been actively involved in the system as an adult, never voted in any elections until about 13 yrs ago.
I grew up in a Conservative household, but my parents had discussions about the issues at hand.
I can remember when Lyndon Johnson began to lose support because of his actions and policies that were sort of outside the progressive parameters.
Since then, it seems to me that the Democrats only want more and bigger government, which of course gives them more control over us.
While Trump acts the buffoon in public, he has been making big strides forward with our economy.
Just my opinions you see. I'll follow you here now, and I hope you'll accept my friend request "over there"
In what way do you think Trump is more authoritarian than Obama was or Clinton would have been?
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