How many people watched the first
impeachment hearing Wednesday, Nov. 13th?
According to MSN News and the
Nielson ratings:
· FOX had 2.9 million between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.;
· MSNBC – 2.7 million;
· NBC – 1.7 million;
· ABC and CBS – 2 million each.
· CNN – averaged 1.8 million.
· PBS and C-span also broadcast parts of the hearing and
online streaming received about average viewership, but there is no way Nielson
is able to measure the latter.
So, the final estimate is
somewhere around 13 million viewers on the main channels; not unlike the number
that watched the Mueller hearing in July.
These numbers seem to have
been maintained into this week, and what’s more, 8.3 million watched the Democrats
debate on Wednesday evening Nov. 20th after the hearings on the same
day.
However, the vast majority of Americans
didn’t watch, although some more may have caught up later
through social media or nightly newscasts.
SO WHAT…?
That question is probably the
premier question for it goes to the heart of current events. However, it gets
little attention from the mass media or on social media which is why it
deserves this Blogger’s attention.
As I pointed out in my last
Post on this Blog, a White House letter to Chairman Schiff of the House Intelligence
Committee spelled out the talking points that the Trump puppets (Republicans)
on the Committee could use to befuddle and confuse the main issue. And, that’s just what they did, never once addressing
the issue of whether Trump tried to extort an investigation of the Bidens for
his personal benefit by withholding appropriated funds for military purposes (needed
by Ukraine for defense against the invading Russians) along with delaying a
meeting of the new Ukrainian president with Mr. Trump.
Like viewership of the
hearings, the general approach of most of the voting public will apparently be--
SO WHAT? Interest in political matters and untrustworthy
politicians is simply not on everyone’s radar and exists somewhere beyond the limited
confines within which many live. So, let
us put that question into a slightly different context and try to find what it
could mean for all of us.
This last April 20th marked
the 130th anniversary of the birth of Adolf Hitler, “the unremarkable artist
who would rise to become the dictator of Germany and the instigator of the
Holocaust. Given the devastation left in
Hitler's wake, a major question for historians of the 20th century has been how
Hitler captured the German imagination and came to power. He was not, as a
person, a charismatic character; biographer Ian Kershaw described him as an
"empty vessel outside his political life." He had few genuine
friends, an overinflated view of his own intellect and no inborn connections to
propel him to the top.”
“Nor did Hitler have
especially original ideas; the German Workers' Party he joined in 1919, which
would become the Nazi Party under his leadership, was just one of approximately
70 right-wing groups in Germany after World War I, (Kershaw biography
"Hitler: 1889-1936 Hubris" (W.W. Norton & Company, 1998).
But in the chaos of
post-World War I Germany, it was Hitler's group that would gain dominance — and
that was not a matter of luck:
“the chaos and resentment of
Germany at the time were the soil that made his growth possible. The German
people were in shock after losing World War I. They faced food and coal
shortages and ended the war with millions killed and wounded.”
“Hitler lost the 1932
election but gained the support of many influential industrial interests. When
the parliamentary elections failed to establish a majority government,
Germany's president Paul von Hindenburg caved to outside pressure and named
Hitler chancellor (the role of chancellor in Germany is similar to that of
Prime Minister in other parliamentary systems, and Germany had both a president
elected by the people and a chancellor representing the majority party in the
government).
“In 1933, the Reichstag
building was set on fire, which Hitler used as a pretext to seize emergency
powers and detain his political enemies. With communists and other leftists
under arrest, he was able to push a law called the Enabling Act through
parliament. The Enabling Act allowed Hitler's cabinet to institute legislation
without parliamentary consent.” (LiveScience.com
4/18/2016)
.
So here you have "this sociopathic,
violent regime,” but many minds were either deluded by constant propaganda or diverted
from the danger by unrelated matters.
And, therein lies the most
vexing problem confronting us in our current situation. Yes, democracy is at stake. Yes, the presidency will never be the
same. Yes, Trump has violated his oath
and abused the powers of his office.
Yes, he should be impeached, and he will be by the House Democratic
majority, but he will not be found guilty in the trial which the
Republican-controlled Senate will undertake.
While a substantial slice of our populace will follow this process
through to its conclusion, the SO WHAT? attitude of the vast majority of the citizenry will
prevent justice from being accomplished.
That segment of the American people, including the fluctuating 40% listed often in
support of Trump and Trumpian ideology, are diverted or deluded day
in and day out from the reality of what can happen to this nation and to its
people if a president gets away with flouting, ignoring or abrogating the laws
of the land.
The National Socialist Party seized
control of the German government under the leadership of an over-inflated
egomaniacal dictator who believed he knew better than anyone else what his
country needed to become “great” again; “greatness” built around power and
intimidation; not around peace and good will.
He did that while the majority of the German people went about their
business, ignoring what was happening, and being utterly confused by what it could
mean for their daily lives.
In fact, according to
Wikipedia: “ Both within Germany and abroad initially there were few fears that
Hitler could use his position to establish his later dictatorial single-party
regime. Rather, the conservatives that helped to make him chancellor were
convinced that they could control Hitler and "tame" the Nazi Party
while setting the relevant impulses in the government themselves; foreign
ambassadors played down worries by emphasizing that Hitler was "mediocre"
if not a bad copy of Mussolini.
“German newspapers wrote
that, without doubt, the Hitler-led government would try to fight its political
enemies (the left-wing parties), but that it would be impossible to establish a
dictatorship in Germany because there was "a barrier, over which violence
cannot proceed" and because of the German nation being proud of "the
freedom of speech and thought".
“It is a hopeless misjudgment
to think that one could force a dictatorial regime upon the German nation.
[...] The diversity of the German people calls for democracy.” (Theodor Wolff in Frankfurter Zeitung, Jan
1933)
“Even within the Jewish
German community, in spite of Hitler not hiding his ardent antisemitism, the
worries appear to have been limited. “The
Jewish community faces the new government "with the largest
mistrust", but at the same time they were convinced that "nobody
would dare to touch [their] constitutional rights". The Jewish German
newspaper Jüdische Rundschau [de] wrote on Jan 31st, 1933: “... that
also within the German nation still the forces are active that would turn
against a barbarian anti-Jewish policy.”
Let me simply list with brief
explanation and examples, some of the consequences that American citizens and
others will inevitably face if the SO WHAT? attitude prevails in our country, as it did in
Germany (and other European nations) of the 1930s. Let me be clear: Much of this is already in progress; some has
not begun, but all are possibilities under an authoritarian regime because
history has shown that regimes of that type follow a similar pattern of
behavior and outcomes.
So here is what you can
expect to happen to YOUR COUNTRY as this authoritarian JUGGERNAUT of deception
and diversion rolls on and too many say SO WHAT?
The Republican Party has essentially
yielded to Donald Trump as its cult leader, and therefore its principles are
changing to a national socialist agenda-- a radical right-wing movement that
believes in and works toward elements from “Nazism”(the word ‘Nazi’ comes from
the German name for national socialism: Nationalsozialistische
Deutsche), including:
§ ultra-nationalism (white supremacy),
§ racism (denigration and prejudice toward other races),
§ xenophobia (prejudice and dislike of persons from
other countries),
§ homophobia
(prejudice and dislike toward all LBGTQ),
§ antisemitism (opposition and discrimination toward
Jews),
§ anti-communist in theory (hatred of liberals,
socialists, communists),
§ alliance with other autocratic nations;
§ rejuvenation of a supposed past time of glory (the Third
Reich or “America the Great” when government seemingly embraced much of their
ideology).
Examples already in play: changes to
Republican platform in favor of Russia; Charlottesville response; directive to
ban immigrants from Muslim countries; voting restrictions and lack of attention
to voter interference from Russia; racial ‘dog whistles’ and no action on
police shootings of innocent black youth; school shootings that go unaddressed. Tax deductions negatively affected for middle class workers while an
“elite” is provided with outrageous “welfare subsidies” through the tax system. A president who believes he is above the Law
and able to demand anything he desires and get away with it because he owns the
Senate and the Judiciary. Invitation to
foreign nations to interfere in our elections.
Expect to happen: more walls built to keep out “criminal immigrants”;
more voting restrictions; undermining of “mixed marriages”; more social
programs cut from federal budgets. DACA decision to be decided in the
administration’s favor and deportations to begin, affecting every level of
society. Roe vs. Wade overturned,
abortion outlawed; reproduction control (including destruction of Planned
Parenthood and outlawing of abortion). Use
of private information to propagandize the population and to control
behaviors. Restrictions on freedoms that
interfere with or slow down the spread of state control and enrichment of loyal
industries and manufacturers.
SO WHAT? Will it affect you? Yes; what affects one group will eventually
affect you.
1)
Take the vote,
for instance – how long will it take for YOU to be caught in the web of false
“updating” of registrations, or IDs that don’t count
2)
Taxes and fees of
all kinds will eventually have to be levied against YOU to pay for the
subsidies going to the wealthiest less than 1% (already increased the national
debt by at least $2 trillion since 2017 -- now at a total of $22 trillion);
3)
City schools are
not occupied only by minorities, so all people are being discriminated against
when schools lose funding because of racialism or any kind of
discrimination. More importantly, public
money flowing to private schools will soon begin to affect what rural and
suburban public schools are receiving.
Then the
crunch begins: on our society:
1.
Profound effects
upon the Court system
2.
Loss of checks
and balances
3.
One unstable man
in charge
4.
Absolute power –
no checks or oversight
5.
Use of ‘Smear
campaigns’ against individuals, groups and businesses that do not adhere to
party line
6.
Corruption –
makes money on every governmental enterprise he chooses
7.
Citizen rights
and freedoms at risk if they become obstacles to Fuhrer power
8.
War-like conflict
is inevitable
9.
Isolation and
separation are side effects
10. Use of government as a tool to enhance personal
fortune and status inevitable
11. Citizens take on role of loyalists or losers – to be
used, abused, and screwed
SO WHAT? Trump
is about to escape guilt in the Senate for a charge of abusing the power of his
office by bribing the Ukrainian president and extorting a personal favor in the
form of announcing an investigation of the Biden relation to a national fossil
fuel industry known as Burisma. His
exoneration by a Republican Senate will spell freedom for him to act as the
unrestrained absolute ruler of this country for the next four years (longer, if
he decides to extend that term by means of declaring a “national emergency”
which I predict he will do if re-elected).
For those who just don’t
understand what this means, let me be perfectly clear. This is a turning point in our history. We are about to allow a president to erase
all the checks upon Executive power.
Once that happens, no one and I mean NO ONE is safe from
being a target, and no one will have any recourse to overturn unfair actions, bad
behavior, unjust decisions. Everything
that happens will happen at the pleasure and the whim of the leader (Fuhrer)
who will have captured every branch of the government and directed those
branches to act as he deems fit. Every
aspect of our lives will be affected, from wages to schools to recreational
events. Nothing will be the same.
SO WHAT? A Despotic ruler is not restrained; nor are his
henchmen; nor his local followers. It
means that;
ü no one is safe from being targeted for “disloyalty” as
defined by the henchmen
ü no one will be free to undertake what our Constitution
currently provides; instead, all actions will be determined by the wishes and
decrees of the Leader or his Party
ü Local followers are the most cruel and unjust – they
advance according to how strongly they show their loyalty to the Leader in
their behaviors toward the local populace
ü There are no protections left to the populace – they
have been destroyed so don’t try to get help or support from government because
that is not what they will be dispensing
ü All government officials will do is please the Leader
and feather their own nests as best they can – bribery becomes a way of life
ü Any perceived opposition will be stopped in its tracks
– violence an accepted remedy
ü Since regulations and other restrictions will be
eschewed, there will be no protection against poisoned air, water, land, or
food.
ü Your life and that of your family will no longer be
yours, but will belong to an authoritarian state
ü If you are concerned about your privacy, your concern
will not matter. As with many aspects of
government and the private sector, much will be weaponized to keep the people
within the guidelines set by the Leader.
For example, the enormous amount of private information collected and
stored by vendors and social media will become a weapon to ensure your loyalty
and your obeisance.
SO WHAT? is a dangerous attitude. It leads to a destructive apathy that ignores
the consequences of anti-democratic attitudes, behaviors and unquestioning loyalty
to persons instead of to just Laws. This is no time to be a SO WHAT-TER or a
Trump-er. It is the time to understand that:
SO WHAT? was
the doorway to Nazi domination of the German people in the 1930s and
1940s. It gave us the Nazi State, the
holocaust, concentration camps for perceived outcasts, opponents and
weaklings. It gave us experimentation on
human beings that destroyed lives. It
gave us attempted extermination of a religious minority. It gave us Storm Troopers who acted to
oppress and to eliminate opposition. It
gave us a Propaganda Ministry that made sure the people heard only their “truth.” It gave us a people vulnerable to another
authoritarian state- Communist East Germany.
It gave us a second world war because the Fuhrer desired unlimited world
power.
We need desperately to close
that SO WHAT? doorway
in this country. That is why impeachment matters, and so does every vote for other than Trump Republicans in 2020! Find new voters in every community and every grouping; educate new voters; register new voters; get new voters to the polls! Concentrate on young people, ages 18-24, and on college students; on single women, men and women of color; on new citizens. (And, don't neglect to remind past voters to update their voter records). The SO WHAT? attitude is widespread; let your recruitment of new voters be more widespread.
Let's Get to Work!
Let's Get to Work!
TURN
HIM OUT and LOCK HIM UP!
