The Daily Kibitz: Is this the eclipse of the national soul?

So, after a couple days more to reflect upon Charlottesville, the Confederate President of the Russian province of Dumbfuckistan (formerly known as the United States of America) decided that he was right the first time. Both sides were behaving poorly there. And there were good people among the Nazis and KKK-ers. And they had a permit, so they had a right to act the way they did.

All this Presidential warmth toward racial and anti-Semitic intolerance was well-received by the usual purveyors of hate, David Duke and his fellow White Nationalist Nazi travelers at the Daily Stormer. Duke was so choked up he had to send a congratulatory tweet to the President:

https://twitter.com/DrDavidDuke/status/897559892164304896

Ugh, that felt slimy just posting his link. Following the same "moral plane", The Daily Stormer has been lauding our President, too. However, their Twitter account has been suspended. And their website was yanked by GoDaddy, then by Google. But good news for Nazis everywhere! Today, they have secured a website based in Russia (of course they have).

While the President can speak and tweet to his heart's content, his words and actions do have consequences. Yesterday, the CEO of Merck resigned from the President's Economic Council of Manufacturers. Soon following were two other CEOs of other companies. Because the Merck CEO is African-American, Trump quickly sent out one of his tender-hearted tweets. The other white guys didn't merit a mention.

Until today. Overnight, the remaining CEOs on this and another economic council summarily resigned in protest for his shameful press conference. So what did Trump do? He sent out a Tweet saying he had fired them!

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/897869174323728385

Double Ugh. Again with the nasty, slimy feeling for posting that link. Sorry about that, but we at The Daily Kibitz feel strongly in presenting The Facts. So does the President, because that is what he said in defending his very tardy and lame performance on Saturday. He claimed he delayed his response because he doesn't "make a statement without knowing all of the facts." This comes as a complete shock to anyone who has read or listened to him over the last 2 years. He is quite handily our first Fact-Free President (thanks, PolitiFact).

Speaking of facts, the Nazi march at Charlottesville really set a local Reform congregation on edge. Here is their story, and it ain't pretty at all:

http://reformjudaism.org/blog/2017/08/14/charlottesville-local-jewish-community-presses

Hmmm. Heavily armed Nazi guys standing across the street, glaring. Columns of Nazis and KKKers marching past the entrance, spewing slogans of their contemptible loathing. Congregents afraid to leave! Threats to burn the synagogue down. Yep, America, 2017 edition. Honestly, please read that link!

But not to worry, because the fact is Jews were not the only target of the good people. Basically anyone who got in their way became an enemy. In particular, Heather Heyer, the poor woman who was killed by the Flower of Nazi Youth. Was there any remorse from these fine folk? Oh, ho ho:

"I'm glad that girl died...

It's all quite difficult to believe that such an event could take place in America. But if you have any doubt about what happened in Charlottesville, take a few minutes to watch the remarkable video document presented on HBO/Vice. Follow along with an embedded reporter (man, she was brave!) and get a too-close view of the enormous hatred that propels this Alliance of Awfulness. It is terrific and shocking:

https://news.vice.com/story/vice-news-tonight-full-episode-charlottesville-race-and-terror

Why has the President acted as he has? Maybe he's cognitively challenged, in the throes of a mental decline. More likely, it's because this is the way he is. He has surrounded himself with like-minded people in the White House. The most influential is, of course, Steve Bannon. It is no secret in Washington that Bannon, the previous owner/director of Breitbart News, continues to have a hold on the Chief Executive. He is like Trump's Rasputin. Or better, his Goebbels. Here is an expansive and very revealing read on Bannon and his role in Trump's election and subsequent Administration efforts:

http://www.nybooks.com/articles/2017/08/17/steve-bannon-donald-trump-tabloid-presidency/

It's long been rumored that Bannon will be canned by Trump, but he remains in the Inner Circle. It's also been suggested that Trump is fearful that firing Bannon will create a whole new set of problems with The Mercers, Bannon's powerful political patrons from the Far Right. Regardless, White House support for groups espousing a National White Ethno State is directly in line with the goals of Steve Bannon.

The best analysis yet for Trump's un-American posture is presented by former Reagan speechwriter/National Review/The Weekly Standard/Commentary editor, John Podheretz. He likens Trump's recognition of his base as more acute than supposed. Imagine "the base" as an atom. The Tea Party/Activists are the atom's nucleus. The Charlottesville alliance of Deplorables is the sub-atomic material of that nucleus. He is very aware of this, and doesn't wish to lose the support of those who initially got on his Trump Train. Great stuff:

https://www.commentarymagazine.com/politics-ideas/explaining-donald-trump-charlottesville-behavior/

So... how to react to all this. Here is a pithy and commonly expressed comment from one of the DC illuminato:

Btw - God damn the news media execs who gave Donnie's campaign billions in free coverage because it was good for ratings. God damn Chris Cillizza, David Brooks, Matthew Dowd, Chuck Todd, and all the other high priests of the church of "Both Sides." God damn the third party voters, butthurt Bernie bros, and everyone else who chose not to recognize what an unmitigated disaster Donald Trump's election would be.

And God damn the GOP. Who have been beavering away at delegitimizing, destabilizing and destroying American democracy for decades in order to keep their base paranoid, bitter and resentful and their wealthy donors happy. This is on you. May you all rot in hell.

It is easy to feel such anger. It is easy to fall into hate. But to absorb the hate is to enter the same home where these Deplorables live. As difficult as it may be, it is vital to remain outraged, but not to hate. Can we do this?

Here's a guy who thought so. George Harrison. He was in a 60's band called The Beatles. After they broke up, he released a 3-record set called "All Things Must Pass" and it remains the best post-Beatle recording, by a wide distance. Listen to it - it really stands the test of time! Anyway, Harrison was primarily interested in maintaining Love as the animating force in our lives. He was all about Love as a tool for Transcendence. But he was also of this world, as much as he wished to evolve to the next. Here is his masterful cautionary tale, "Beware of Darkness". It is a song for our times.