All investigation, all the time, also known as vengeance

There is a dating app for conservatives, called The Right Stuff. It’s been around for a few weeks. Aldous Pennyfarthing of the Daily Kos community reported it’s not doing well. The reason is simple – not many women are signing up – “possibly because men who idolize serial sexual assaulters and want to force women to give birth to their rapists’ babies have a surprisingly narrow appeal.” Pennyfarthing added that conservative dating apps in general don’t do well. He cited a couple examples. Jon Stewart is famous for his long run on the Daily Show. He’s now started the second season of The Problem With Jon Stewart. This first episode is titled “The War over Gender” and is an interview with Leslie Rutledge, the Attorney General for Arkansas. Marissa Higgins of Kos discussed the interview, saying it is important because Arkansas was the first state to pass a ban on gender-affirming care for trans youth. In this interview Stewart counters every claim that Rutledge makes and that makes us wish all interviewers of Republicans did the same thing. Stewart has an important question:

Why would the state of Arkansas step in to override parents, physicians, psychiatrists, endocrinologists, who have developed guidelines? Why would you override those guidelines?

Higgins added:

Basically: How can at one moment the Republican Party be all about “parental consent” and “parents' rights” when it comes to what books young people are reading and sex education in public schools, but not when it comes to health care?

On through the interview Stewart calls BS on what Rutledge says or demands she justify a statement – if she claims groups in the medical community take her side he asks for names of organizations. It got to the point where Rutledge said, “I apologize I wasn’t prepared to have a Supreme Court argument here in front of you.” To me that statement is telling. Many conservative voices can lie, knowing they don’t have to justify their lies the way Rutledge had to do for Stewart. Since actual trans people have been saying what Stewart said (though I thank him for saying it) does his saying it help? Stewart may not change conservative minds, and the minds of those determined to beat on trans youth for political gain. But many moderates and Democrats believe the conservative talking points on trans people. And that is where Stewart, a respected commentator, can help. In last Sunday’s Detroit Free Press the editorial staff made their endorsements for candidates for US House, state House, and state Senate (link here but text for subscribers only). The paper leans left (otherwise I wouldn’t read it), though this editorial reminded readers in the past they have endorsed Republican candidates. Not this time. Republicans have been in control of the state legislature since their quite successful gerrymandering after the 2010 census. They’ve had plenty of time to fix big problems in the state. And haven’t. The big problems include: Underfunded schools while test scores decline (though a lot of federal money will help that in this fiscal year). In 2018 Gov. Gretchen Whitmer campaigned on “Fix the Damn Roads” – because Republicans refused to allocate enough money then stymied her efforts. They’re only now getting fixed because of federal money. Revenue sharing from state to cities declined as cities complained about the things they couldn’t do because of a lack of money. Michigan has the highest auto insurance rates in the country and Republican reforms made it worse. Republicans decried the state of elections while refusing to make reforms suggested by city clerks. Many still say the 2020 election was stolen even though a Republican investigation and report found no irregularities. So the Free Press is calling for the legislature to be given to Democrats. The paper gave their endorsement to every Democrat in every close race. And due to citizen led redistricting a lot more races should be close. Since the editorial says this election is so important I’m puzzled why they put it for subscribers only. I think something this important they would want to make available to all readers. And the paper does make other articles available to all. Joan McCarter of Kos reported that Republicans are again discussing how they’ll get rid of Social Security and Medicare (through a continuous rise of the eligibility age so current recipients aren’t affected) and grabbing hold of that electric rail just before an election. And now they are talking about tactics. If they regain the House they intend havoc. They will use raising the debt ceiling as a hostage. That is something that needs to happen next year and not raising it would cause the US government default on its debt, which would wreak great harm to the US and world economies. Along the way they lament eliminating Social Security has gotten so politicized. Democrats are speaking out about this. If the time comes I hope they do more than speak. A Pelosi spokesperson said:

As House Republican leaders’ own words constantly reveal, dismantling the pillars of American seniors’ financial security is not a fringe view in the extreme MAGA House GOP, it is a broadly held obsession at the core of their legislative agenda.

McCarter added:

The brilliance of these programs is that everyone contributes. They are built collectively by everyone. Of course that doesn’t stop the resentment of the fact that their contributions might be going to people they deem unworthy, but it is the most fair and just policy program ever enacted in this country. Undermining that is key to undermining the programs, which is essential for eventually killing them. They’re too popular and too important to Americans to go after directly now. So the Republican plan has been to chip away and chip away until there’s little option left beyond privatization—the end of government social insurance and Wall Street getting all our money. As usual.

McCarter also reported that if Republicans take the House they will conduct “rigorous oversight.” That’s a promise for all investigation, all the time. Also known as vengeance. A reasonable question: Vengeance for what? Does it matter? Well, OK – for electing a black president, for not submitting to the nasty guy’s demands to stay in power, for enacting programs that help people they believe don’t deserve it, for a government that actually works for anyone other than themselves. At the top of the list will be Joe and Hunter Biden. They will impeach him whether or not he’s done anything wrong.

And not just Biden—they’ve already filed 14 impeachment resolutions against Biden as well as Vice President Kamala Harris, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, and Attorney General Merrick Garland. Five of them have come from Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, most recently seen riling up a MAGA crowd with fascistic, dangerous rhetoric: “Biden’s 5 million illegal aliens are on the verge of replacing you, your jobs, and your kids in school. Coming from all over the world, they’re also replacing your culture.”

As violent (and wrong) as that rhetoric is, Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy is going to need her and the rest of the MAGA members to become Speaker and keep the job. That means he has essentially already caved to their demands. Greg Sargent tweeted a link to a Washington Post opinion piece about Marjorie Taylor Greene raging about the Biden “regime” and added:

Media coverage of the MAGA embrace of political violence needs to be clearer on this core point: The real goal of this talk is to try to place Trump and his supporters above the law. The message: If the law is applied to them, expect violence in response. The MAGA phrase "Biden regime" is everywhere. It's being applied to a lawful search warrant granted by a judge. 1/6 rioters are "political prisoners." Upshot: Any effort to apply the rule of law to Trump/his supporters will be treated as an act of war. In MAGA propaganda, the phrase "Biden regime" is constantly and explicitly used to undermine the legitimacy of a *democratically* elected government. It's a self reinforcing feedback loop.

Isaac Arnsdorf tweeted a thread discussing how authoritarianism is playing out within the Republican Party. A key feature of Authoritarianism is the social hierarchy and that one group is at the top, enforcing their position through cruelty and oppression of those below them. But even within the group at the top there is a social hierarchy.

In a dominance-based political culture, leaders vie for power by one upping each other’s displays of dominance. You pass a law outlawing abortion? I’ll pass a law putting a $10,000 bounty on women who seek an abortion. This need to escalate displays of dominance is why the downward spiral of authoritarianism accelerates as it takes hold. We are seeing this spiral now in the GOP. This is why various Republican leaders are signaling the end of marriage equality, social security, the affordable care act, voting rights, Medicare. This is why Lindsey Graham prematurely signaled a national abortion ban. He’s frantic to signal his dominance by attacking women.

Graham doesn’t want to be seen by the base as insufficiently cruel.

The GOP has weaponized white supremacy, forced birth, climate change denial, Christian nationalism, anti LGBTQI violence, COVID denial, overturning elections, judicial corruption, and absolutely anything else the 1% wants attacked. We [Democrats] lose? They’re coming for us all.