Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.
– “The Second Coming,” William Butler Yeats
Today’s release of Donald Trump Jr.’s emails with Rob Goldstone could very well represent a crucial turning point in American history. Not because I think they will lead to Trump’s impeachment, or because they represent some sort of treasonous offense, but because I think from this point forward an increasing number of us will come to the conclusion that America may no longer work as the largely centralized, semi-cohesive unit it has been for our entire lives.
In order to understand the long-term implications of these emails on the future of the nation, you need a good understanding of the primary warring factions in American politics today. We have Donald Trump supporters/voters, Hillary Clinton supporters/voters, and a resurgent left inspired and energized by the principles and ideals espoused by Bernie Sanders. The first two have absolutely zero overlap and pretty much hate each other, while the third group can sometimes identify with either camp depending on the issue, but pretty much think they’re both crazy and dangerous. The key point I’m trying to make is that there is no “center” in American politics anymore, and any discussion of this is pure fantasy. Moreover, any remaining center that still exists, is unlikely to exist at all in a year or so as more and more people feel forced to choose sides. When you create an environment as charged as this one where everyone is accusing their political opponents of treason, this is what you get; and it’s only going to get worse. A lot worse.
The reason it’s going to get worse, is because the charged environment that’s been created in which everyone is suspicious of everyone else can only lead to awful outcomes. Let’s start with Hillary supporters/voters. They will honestly see the Don Jr. emails and expect impeachment proceedings to begin tomorrow. Since they were already convinced of treason, they will see treason here. Most importantly, because they believe so passionately that Trump is the root of all evil as opposed to a symptom of a rotten, oligarch-owned empire in decline, they will expect other people to see things the same way. They will genuinely believe that America will unite against Trump’s “treason” and boot him out of office. This is not going to happen.
In order to understand why this will not happen, you need to understand the mindset and motivations of most Trump voters/supporters. I’ve talked extensively to a few here in Colorado and the message is clear. They aren’t big Trump fans, but rather voted for him since he represented a symbol to them, a vehicle by which to express their contempt and dissatisfaction with status quo politics, as well as disgust with the bias and propaganda emanating from corporate media. In other words, there are fews things team Trump could do with Russia to make Trump supporters turn on Trump. From their seat, his win was the greatest political victory of their lives; he prevented another Clinton Presidency. So what if they went to the Russians for a little dirt?
Finally, there’s the resurgent left. While they pretty much find Trump an unprincipled boor and disagree with almost everything he stands for, they by and large share Trump supporters’ disdain for the Clintons and their neoliberal cult. So while there’s very little overlap on policies between Trump people and Sanders people, there’s a degree of overlap when it comes to the driving spirit motivating both movements — which is that the political system is a corrupt cesspool which needs to be dealt with immediately. Hillary supporters and Never Trumpers are unlikely to receive the support they might otherwise expect from these leftists with their treason calls and moves toward impeachment, irrespective of what is contained in the email chain.
If what I wrote above rings true to you on any level, it has dire implications for the future of these United States. The first two groups, Trump supporters and Hillary supporters have absolutely nothing in common and that’s not going to change. In fact, it’s probably going to get much, much worse. Trump supporters think the Democrats and the media have been gunning for a way to remove him from office since the day he was elected, while Hillary supporters think he’s a treasonous puppet of Vladimir Putin. How can these two warring factions come to any sort of agreement on anything? The answer is, they can’t and they won’t. Meanwhile, Bernie supporters are likely to largely stay on the sidelines hoping these two sides destroy each other in their madness.
What this means going forward, is that national politics will become even less about actual principles and polices than it was before (and it wasn’t really to begin with). Rather, it will become more and more like two rival gangs that absolutely despise each other battling in all out war for total power of the U.S. government. This is a terrifying thought.
As bad as that sounds, tremendous opportunities to build better communities and voluntary governing structures will present themselves in the chaotic political environment that exists, and is likely stick around for the foreseeable future. In a country in which there may truly be irreconcilable differences, I think the best option is to move to decentralize decision-making and political life as much as possible, while retaining certain key connections to one another while we still can. We must do this peacefully and amicably. All the other likely roads look horrible to me.
As I tweeted earlier today:
From my seat, the only way to avoid one group of lunatics or another from ruling over me with stupidity, is to decentralize.
— Michael Krieger (@LibertyBlitz) July 11, 2017
Today’s post is the first in what is likely to be a three part series. Tomorrow’s piece will focus on why I think the current environment presents the perfect opportunity for political decentralization, and why we should agree to go down this path before we start killing each other.
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Michael Krieger
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Looking forward to Parts II and III.
Dear Michael,
I’ve been reading your posts for some years now I think.
Wise words you have today spoken but to get there, to decentralization, is the trick as you are I am sure likely aware.
The Clinton/Democrats and the left are usually in support of centralization and this even often applies to the Republicans. For the most part we have to go deep into freedom inclined Republicans conservatives to find decentralization.
Yes there is some hope from those of the left that recognize that they can achieve good, address grievances, through undoing the central powers of government such as the dominance of WallStreet or the Federal Reserve, but their inclination is usually to use another central power to remedy the central power authoritarian dominance they are against.
So there lies the trick. I believe the American people must be convinced again of what is right and is wrong, towards the general superiority of individual freedom and decentralization, if we are to survive. We need a pro freedom Thomas Paine or many of them to be hailed and celebrated: to convince enough people of the justness of such ideology, of freedom over coercion, of logic over madness, etc. Through strong debate and convincing, as you do through your words, lies our way out, if there is to be a way out of our mess that is America. To the mix I would add something that many people may not find attractive but is part of America, that is Faith and God.
Hard work lies ahead.
I thank you and salute you for all you’ve done to date and what I am sure you will continue to do. I will do my bit and if we all do perhaps there is a chance.
Best and Blessings,
Rick Cannone
What discourages me is seeing the new administration working so vigorously to undo the work of the previous one. I suppose this goes on to some extent with each change of party control, but this has to be extreme. Is this to be the norm every four or eight years? What a terrible waste this is, and an indication that there is no center in which to negotiate.
Michael, decentralization is a process that we are living right now. Everything we have, everywhere is moving toward decentralization from Europe, to the US. Consolidated power doesn’t like these reverse process, however the more it opposes, the more energy builds up to break it, in every system.
It is like a natural cycle. I think the tension is between power structures and people representation and problems, not much related to the polarization in people.
I would probably say that polarization emerges coming mostly top down, like superimposed on people from centralized powers in a futile attempt to control the masses, break them down, manage.
I agree with you, there is a tendency to have strong polarization in ideas, opinions, but I think it is not naturally emerging, it is like a seed planted from outside something that is given to us and we have to choose a side.
However I notice that you can beat it. Sometimes I felt like I was forced to take a side, and it takes a lot of effort to say ”no, I am not going to” and then try to explain why I cannot take neither position, and try to highlight a common ground that unifies and neutralize the polarization. When I started doing this, I had a strong rejection from both sides, simply because I was sensitive to the polarization as well, or I was slightly polarized as well. When I got a deeper conviction, I started getting in talks without any animosity, anger and refusal to listen and to be listened to/from all sides.
And it works like magic.
So we can break it this attitude.
Regards
yep, one of the trick is to notice that the multi-dimensional space of choices on different issues is somehow getting drawn to just two focal points, both flawed here or there.
Just like with POTUS, you can vote for any dem’s candidate or you can vote for any rep’s candidate or you can vote for some marginal who would never have any chance. So if you do not want your vote wasted you have to choose one of the two crafter points.
Public discussion is not the elections and it does not have to be this or that binary choice. Still people are pulled by charged heated extremists to take this-or-that stance, to position yourself on the lining pulled form point A to point B and abandon all the points in space out of that single one-dimensional rope. False dichotomy being relentlessly imposed.
I see the same three actors on the stage, but I think there is a Director behind the scenes, who are not bothered by their ‘divide and conquer’ strategy, but are terrified of a Bernie Sanders electorate. Then there will be a real crackdown ….. so ‘heads down and powder dry’ 🙂 (BTW…. a good book, ‘A Paradise Built in Hell’ by R Solnit… it is the history we don’t often hear about 🙂
In our nation where there always have been such huge divergences of policy, faith, values, priorities, etc., confederacy has worked marvellously well to keep us united under persisting great strains. Canada is not the top-down, increasingly federal unitary state that the U. S. of A. is, has been, and is tending ever more to being. Our Confederation here in Canada, plus a Parliamentary system, are things that the U. S. of A. ought seriously to consider for itself.
Mike you are really on a role these past months, looking forward to II and III.
I’ve been thinking about these issues and am wondering if we have the “intellectual infrastructure” right now for the way forward which is as you say, decentralization. Do we even have the language, thought patterns, approaches, inner flexibility for the next step? Nuance will need to make a come-back in how we perceive the world and how we talk to each other and act. That nuance will have to come from smaller entities and communities doing things their own way, you’re right. Like “regulation” – right now it’s regulation vs. deregulation. That’s too BIG and BROAD and amorphous for me. We need a little of both for this and that area and different communities and countries will have to try different ways and see what works – for them and maybe for others later.
I think the people in control have lived in a time where big ideas and large-scale solutions and group thinking and common approaches – i.e. harmonization – were successful and brought peace and prosperity. WWII was itself successful in part because of total global societal dedication to the goal of defeating the Axis powers. But we didn’t let that “one big theme as driving force” die after the War. We kept the “machinery” I think. I think it still sets our expectation for how global life works. The institutions we maintain and believe in are machines for developing intellectual consistency to move society. I think leaders during that WWII time got a taste of how to move an entire society and it lives on with us somehow in that intellectual approach consistency across so many people and arenas and disciplines is needed to make it all function.
Convoluted I know, so I apologize but your post really got me thinking. Thank you.
You wrote my thoughts more eloquently than I could have hoped to. Until cliches and slogans aren’t cut and pasted onto every issue that demands tremendous empathy and thoughtful discussion (including time away alone to ponder), we will have more friction.
Friction , however, can lead to heat, which then can ignite a wildfire. It appears as if it will take the purging flames of a fire to give us something feasible to work with.
Anyway, great points that got me thinking.
For me this assessment only ‘rings true’ on the barest surface level, being the animosity felt between the warring factions. There is a silent fourth faction. Silent in that they receive no media coverage whatsoever but pose as a very dangerous opposition and threat to the Continuity of Agenda that exists going forward no matter the administration in Washington.
If, “nothing in politics happens that is not first thoroughly planned” then another dimension exists behind what we see on the surface level in politics today.as aptly pointed out here. In America there exists a ruling plutocracy and all the faction figureheads, especially Clinton and Sanders, are at these plutocrats beck and call. While Clinton is elevated in the plutocrats opinion as truly one of theirs, Sanders is less so but still controlled and controllable, as the definition of chattel property. Then we have Trump as a form of “Chauncey Gardner.” Albeit with more acumen than the fictional character, but still an accidental president, but of known nature, ideological bearing and character and acceptable to the plutocrats within reason.The ‘fix’ as the saying goes ‘is in’.
So why is the contention between factions continuing in the aftermath of the electioneering cycle? Because someone, somewhere, sees a purpose in funding and pushing this state of tension beyond the election cycle because it suits a purpose and agenda.
I suggest that a fourth faction is made up of those Americans that see through all the bullshit and know who the enemy, acting internally, is of the nation and by extension to themselves and family. They pose a big problem for the plutocrats should these radically disaffected ‘infect’ the larger population with their knowledge that the American political scene is but Kabuki theater and the opinions, both left-right-and center, of the citizenry matter not a damn as long as it comes from a divided identities within the populous. In this case with internecine political animosities between factions of the populous. We have recently seen other fault lines within the population being used, continuing to be used, funded and entertained to these ends, and no doubt other memes are ready to go if not already in the pipeline, ready to be broadcast in full spectrum. And should the plutocrats subterfuge work all to well and the population is driven to unacceptable levels of inter factional violence then the agencies of the state whose actions speak in violence can be used to bring the situation under control. Anything to confound the masses from the realization of what is occurring to them, who is orchestrating the assault and who, waiting behind the scene will have their interests and profits met.
> So why is the contention between factions continuing in the aftermath of the electioneering cycle? Because someone, somewhere, sees a purpose in funding
A drac, a human and a timan were hold together in one room.
The human was told to kill the drac.
The drac was told to kill the human.
The timan was told to befriend both and to offer them knives.
“The Tomorrow Testament” by Barry Longyear
————-
Soros-guided media used Fergusson event to polarize and mutually de-humanize American society factions. Instilling “Do not talk, shoot first” attitude.
Now, out of the sudden, Israel Foreign Ministry is decrying Soros.
Could it be that Israel got really frightened Soros’ scheming would overcome what had left of USA stability and drive America off the cliff, leaving Israel without its primary sponsor ?
Addendum: If the plutocrats can break the American people without causing unification and possible revolt they will have achieved and passed the toughest test in advancing their world hegemonic goals.
Great article. Thanks.
John Ralston Saul is a Canadian author and I watched his great lectures on the cult of neoliberalism. He stated that we are going through the collapse of the neoliberal, globalization system and the elite are ill equipped to handle it. He stated the last collapse of system occurred in the 1970s and neoliberalism replaced it. Check out his videos on You Tube.
We have been witnessin a concerted effort to transfer Federal powers to the states for a while. What happens when you live downriver from a state with no commitment to environmental regulation? What happens when citizens migrate from a state having inadequate social safety nets to one with adequate social safety nets, or to a state with a living wage standard. I ‘m thinking states will need border guards and immigration authorities. Beyond this point, there be dragons.
I don’t think I can follow you here.
You say there are two hardcore opposing groups, wishing to grab power at any cost.
You say, both those groups do not care much about e-mail contents. For one gang those mails are “proof of treason” no matter what they really contain. For another – they do not matter, whatever is inside.
In other words, those mails may change some views quantitatively to some degree, but in no group they can effect in any qualitative changes.
So… they can not be the turning point, the beginning of landslide or anything.
It is just one more intermediate standup in the long absurd circus show.
PS. met an interesting perspective, displaying how anchored and stubborn both gangs are.
http://www.moonofalabama.org/2017/07/which-campaign-truly-colluded-with-russia.html
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Which Campaign Truly Colluded With Russia?
Case 1:
A Hillary Clinton campaign cut-out hires the (former?) British intelligence agent Steele to pay money to (former?) Russian intelligence agents and high-level Kremlin employees for dirt about Donald Trump. They deliver some dirty fairy tales. The resulting dossier is peddled far and wide throughout Washington DC with the intent of damaging Trump.
Case 2:
Some lobbyist for Russian business interests contacts the Trump campaign with a promise to deliver some dirt on Hillary Clinton. She meets campaign officials but no dirt on Clinton is offered. Instead the lobbyist uses the time to lobby for the business’ cause. There is no follow up.
Question:
Which of the two cases stinks of “collusion with the Russians”?
Essential reading in this regard:
“Where did Steve Bannon get his worldview? From my book.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/where-did-steve-bannon-get-his-worldview-from-my-book/2017/02/24/16937f38-f84a-11e6-9845-576c69081518_story.html?utm_term=.b964d6672135
I am now 61 and as much as the partisans on the right and the left throw rocks at the millennial’s and call them “snowflakes”, etc., I talk to them all the time and am very impressed with them overall.
Just like every generation there are some bad seeds. But if you take the time to engage them in deeper conversations about life and the world they are very aware of what’s really going on.
Most of them are a lot closer to Ron Paul, than Bernie Sanders. Either way it’s becoming ever more apparent that they’ll be the ones who will have to fight a major war.
If we focus on the reality that most people can’t find work that pays enough to live on (or any work at all), this itself may be enough to bridge gaps for a great many people. No matter what the oxymoronic FOMC says, this economy doesn’t work for most people. They can say anything they want but that fact remains, it is very hard for most people.
The inability to afford shelter, food and medical care really do matter. The answers given to this vary by political persuasion but the underlying reality is invariant. It’s very obvious that the plutocracy either desires this or really doesn’t care about it. So the rest of us take on the niche they left wide open–the one where we care about this for each other.
(Michael, I still don’t know why you see a war monger like Sanders as someone different within the political system. He played ball quite well with Clinton and I don’t think this should be forgotten. He told his supporters to ignore their own conscience and vote for Clinton. He campaigned for her. I’d be thinking really hard about someone who did that. It also makes no sense to be a war monger and say you want to improve the economy. It just won’t work.)
The niche to fill is reality. A lot of things need doing. We can’t do all of them, but we can do some of them. There’s a lot of truly smart people in the world, people who know how to do things. There are a lot of people who care deeply about this planet and its living beings. A political party only uses people like this for a short time. Then they discard them. A movement is built on the continuous skills of each other. That’s the place to go, IMO.
Jill, I don’t disagree on your points regarding Sanders and I was punishing in my criticism of him endorsing Hillary, both here and even more so on Twitter. Also note that this post was not implying that I am part of the resurgent left, nor that Sanders is some sort of savior. I was discussing the forces in organized political life as they stand today, and how that impacts the landscape going forward.
My views are too open-minded and nuanced to fall into any sort of simplistic political categorization, as I have made clear on many occasions!
Michael,
I re-read and I did misinterpret what you said. Sorry.
Jill
Do not know if you pay attention to what I say, but I have said the same thing about decentralized political power on another article.
Politics now is not about consensus. It is about imposing your beliefs onto others. It does not need to be this way. Under my system you would move to where your values align with the community.
There would be 5 regional governments, Northeast, South, Midwest, West, and California. Basically, divided by the Potomac, Ohio, and Mississippi rivers. California and the Northeast can have the socialism they want. Controversial issues such as drugs, abortion, gay rights would be decided at the state level.
The national government would be for foreign policy, defense, trade and immigration policy. People and trade movement would be assured between states. The government could run on tariffs alone.
On a side note: This is what the fuss was all about with banning of the Confederate flag and the taking down Confederate War memorials. It is to discredit all talk of decentralization.
We went years with the flag being openly displayed with out it being an issue. It was even displayed on a TV show, “The Dukes of Hazzard”
The removal of Confederate battle flags (which was not the flag of the Confederacy) and taking down Confederate War memorials feeds the politics of victimization that the neo-liberals have been employing to try to maintain their lever pulling plantation voting base among Black people. See also Black Lives Matter courtesy of George Soros.
All of which helps to further promulgate the “charged environment” that Michael is referring to. It’s a divide and conquer strategy, which further strengthens centralization of power in DC. While also furthering the false narrative regarding the true cause of the War Between the States. Which was all about money, control, and power, not slavery.
I’ve had a lot of fun over the years pointing out the extremely bloody anti-abolitionist riots that occurred during the war in NYC to elitist liberal Democrats in New England at cocktail parties.
It’s interesting how certain white conservatives always say that BLM is a terrorist, conspiracy group, all the while never seeming to be concerned with the reality of crooked cops or other authority figures. I do not endorse all of BLM’s methods, I’m not a member, but I see nothing divisive in activists trying to raise awareness about police brutality. This reminds me of how that same demographic reacted to MLK- fear, hostility and suspicion.
What should be an intraracial, community based action to stop killer cops is now tribalist mud slinging. If Soros is involved, he is certainly happy with that.
The problem is BLM makes crooked cops a racial issue, thereby, actually hurting their cause. More whites are victims of police brutality than blacks. But, no one seems to care.