The Conversation -- November 25, 2024

Joel Gray, star of the Broadway musical and film “Cabaret,” which premiered in 1966, in a New York Times op-ed: “The parallels between the rise of fascism in 1930s Berlin as depicted in the show and the mounting tensions of the 1960s in America were both obvious and ominous.... The 1960s were a time of social upheaval, but also a time of hope.... Now, in 2024, we find ourselves in a different, far more precarious moment. The recent election of Donald Trump to a second term has left many Americans, particularly those who fought so hard against the forces of authoritarianism and hate, feeling drained and disillusioned.... The democratic election of an authoritarian figure, the normalization of bigotry, the complicity of the frightened masses — none of these are new themes.... The democratic election of an authoritarian figure, the normalization of bigotry, the complicity of the frightened masses — none of these are new themes.”

Alex Woodward & Oliver O'Connell of the Independent: Donald Trump “is reportedly preparing to issue an order following his inauguration on January 20 that would effectively ban trans people serving in the military — and then medically discharge the thousands of currently serving trans service members in the armed forces. In his first term in office, Trump declared that the US would no longer 'accept or allow' trans people in the military, citing 'tremendous medical costs and disruption,' he wrote in 2017. The ban took effect in 2019. President Joe Biden reversed that policy, which was the subject of several lawsuits. Now, Trump is expected to immediately rescind Biden’s order and go further by ejecting currently-serving trans troops, according to The Times, citing sources familiar with the president-elect’s plans.” See related Advocate story, linked below.

Elizabeth Dwoskin, et al., of the Washington Post: “Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy are interviewing job candidates and seeking advice from experts in Washington and Silicon Valley — pushing a sweeping vision for the 'Department of Government Efficiency' past the realm of memes and viral posts into potential real-world disruption.... Top Musk surrogates from his business empire ... are involved in planning..., along with a coterie of Musk friends and Silicon Valley leaders.... Richard J. Pierce, a George Washington University professor who specializes in administrative law, said the Wall Street Journal piece [Musk & Ramaswamy wrote touting their plan] shows Musk and Ramaswamy are 'utterly ignorant' of the realities of federal law, which mandates strict [and costly] procedures for repealing existing regulations.... Said Tobin Marcus, an Obama administration advisor, 'Their “move fast and break things” ethos suggests they’ll do something sweeping. But ... creating multiple years of legal limbo for many industries is not a great recipe for driving business investment.'” ~~~ 

~~~ Dan Balz of the Washington Post: “Trump, Musk and Ramaswamy have huge ambitions and no humility about ... [their planned] wholesale attack on federal agencies[, which is] designed to eliminate thousands of regulations, reduce the federal workforce by an order of magnitude that could cripple the delivery of vital services, and effect cost savings that would amount to nearly one-third of the federal budget, or the entire discretionary part of the budget and then some.... Trump’s motivation is more about punishment and retribution.... He is prepared to fire the team that worked with special counsel Jack Smith on two indictments.... The [Musk-Ramaswamy] plan is premised, in part, on recent Supreme Court rulings that limit the power of the agencies to write and impose regulations and that Musk and Ramaswamy say give the president considerable latitude to make big changes.” ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: You will notice how Balz normalizes the plan by comparing it with earlier failed efforts to cut government spending and by inviting a well-meaning "expert" to comment, sometimes favorably, on the Muskaswamy endeavor.

Tony Romm of the Washington Post: “... Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress are weighing vast changes to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, seeking to limit the powers and funding of a federal watchdog agency formed in the wake of the 2008 banking crisis. The early discussions align the GOP with banks, credit card companies, mortgage lenders and other large financial institutions, which have chafed at the CFPB under Democratic leadership and sought to invalidate many of its recent regulations, including its efforts to spare consumers from what the Biden administration calls 'junk fees.' By design, the CFPB has a broad mandate to protect Americans from unfair, deceptive or predatory financial practices. Its current Democratic leader, Rohit Chopra, has been aggressive, pursuing a host of rules to shield people from medical debt, make it easier for them to switch banks, and limit the fees they face from overdrawing their checking accounts.”

Marie: Again, this whole game plan is so fascistic it would be laughable if not so horrible. Donald and his "Domestic Efficiency" buddies are following fascist SOP by starting with banning a group that is already marginalized (so relatively helpless): trans people. Why, I don't even personally know a trans person. (Well, I don't think I do.) So, what, me worry? Then they're going for bureaucrats. I mean, who likes having to go beg some bureaucrat to let us put an addition on the house or collect an earned benefit? Sure, maybe I know some schoolteachers or a neighbor who's a fireman, but they're not like Washington bureaucrats, are they? So another relatively unpopular group. Then it will be "woke" "liberal elites": college professors, overpaid celebrities, left-wing press, well-to-do urbanites who live in highrises & have season tickets to the opera -- in other words, people whom "normal Americans" can't relate to. And sooner or later, it's everybody who doesn't fit into and comply with the fascist ideology.

But, Hey, So Far Everybody's Happy. Anthony Salvanto, et al., of CBS News: "Donald Trump's incoming administration starts off with mostly good will from the public: a majority of Americans overall are either happy or at least satisfied that he won and are either excited or optimistic about what he'll do as president. Trump's handling of his presidential transition gets approval from most Americans overall and brings near-universal approval from his voters, along with a net-positive response about his selections for Cabinet posts, in particular, Sen. Marco Rubio, who is Trump's pick to be secretary of state. After inflation and the economy so dominated the election, Americans are more inclined to think his administration will bring down prices for food and groceries rather than raise them, and his voters overwhelmingly say that."

Trudy Ring of the Advocate: “U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall, a Kansas Republican, has introduced a bill to deny transgender identity. Marshall Wednesday introduced the Defining Male and Female Act of 2024, which a press release from his office calls 'a bill to codify legal definitions of male, female, and sex to ensure they are based on biology rather than ideology.' It would write a binary definition of sex into federal law. 'In human beings, there are two — and only two — sexes: male and female, which refer to the two body structures (phenotypes) that, in normal development, correspond to one or the other gamete — sperm for males and ova for females,' the legislation says.... Marshall pointed to his experience as a medical doctor as justification for the bill.”