Slate "Governing by Owning the Libs - When a president's entire motivation is to antagonize the

[NRaleighLiberal]

people who didn’t vote for him.

https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2019/09/donald-trumps-innovation-governing-by-owning-the-libs.html

snip

This—like the rapid melting of the Arctic that would make Greenland an attractive future acquisition—was simply a background fact: If the president of the United States is serious about doing something, he will announce it at a campaign rally.

snip

There are many recurring themes that help explain what’s happening in the United States under Donald Trump: incompetence, cruelty, racism, self-dealing, misogyny. But the perpetual campaign rally gives shape to all the others. The Trump presidency is the result of politics organized around unending partisan aggression, which has driven out even the pretense of other aims. The only goal of power in the Trump era is to own the libs.

Owning the libs is the purpose behind an otherwise purposeless policy agenda. Why would the administration roll back methane emission limits and fuel-efficiency restrictions, when the power and automotive industries have asked it not to? Why would it go to the trouble of announcing restrictions that would make it harder for a small fraction of members of the armed forces to get citizenship for their children? Why force a losing legal battle on adding a citizenship question to the census?

snip

last paragraph

If you’re weak enough to care, by the way, the Federal Election Commission just joined the list of disabled institutions, with one of its four existing commissioners—out of a body that’s supposed to have six—resigning at the end of August. That leaves it without a quorum and therefore unable to enforce election law. The vacancies are there because the Trump administration abandoned the traditional practice of filling the seats two at a time, by naming one Republican and one Democratic nominee. Instead it submitted a single name, a former Trump campaign lawyer. The libs have been owned.

_______________________________

worth reading it all - and, of course, most of us here at DU know this.

[underpants]

1. 👀

Reading later. Yep this is old hat for them but usually c-league self promoters not as policy.

Stinks of Miller- that’s the RW world he grew up in.

[The Genealogist]

2. Dipshit has apparently unlimited ability to own the libs

He is unstoppable, apparently, as the trash in his party are fine with it all. Of course the masses of mindless deplorables are suffering from this insanity as well. Not that they care; I think a lot of them would give their own lives up just to see a liberal being owned. Pathetic. This is what 30 years of unchecked hate radio and FAUX news does to a person.

[rpannier]

3. ill presidente is a troll

that's why he governs thru twitter

[Tennessee Hillbilly]

4. The repugs are mainly motivated by hate

Especially by their hatred for truth

[Kurt V.]

5. the gop doesn't actually govern. Their policies are so unpopular

They use a message of raw emotion to describe how evil democrats are. there is something to learn there.

[keithbvadu2]

13. Trump never wanted to lead or govern... He wants to rule.

[PatrickforO]

6. This is a great post because while we probably 'know' this,

to articulate it helps us fight back.

Still, the days when the opposition would force things through that we fought against, but that they genuinely believed to be good policy are over.

Now the only outcome desired is as the author states - to antagonize liberals.

Sigh.

[CrispyQ]

7. They are beyond deplorable.

Levitz was responding to the president’s expressions of contempt for Puerto Rico, as another hurricane closed in on the island, and to a Trump-Pence fundraising email declaring, of the Democrats, “this is our country, not theirs.”

[KY_EnviroGuy]

12. In essence, that is simply suggesting......

our nation is now under the thumb of the ultra-wealthy plutocrats and oligarchs.

They ARE the GOP.......

[ehrnst]

8. He wants us furious about things we can't do anything about - so we're at each other's throats

And our Democratic leaders.

Unfortunately, there are too many who oblige him on this.

[KPN]

11. True, but my sense is we are pulling together even here relative to 2016. I hope you share some

of that sense and the optimism it gives me.

[ehrnst]

21. I have seen the excoriation of Speaker Pelosi for "doing nothing" to "stop him" when he tweets, or

makes statements or more nefarious activities come to light that he's committed, or makes policy that is horrifically cruel, but only a judge can block.

[KPN]

9. Truth. This is the core agenda. I sense this even with my own misguided brother. nt

[KY_EnviroGuy]

10. Exactly what right-wing media has been pounding into American heads for decades.

Faux News and right-wing talk radio has been demonizing anyone other than snow-white Rethugs on OUR airwaves in order to brainwash around 30% of our populace.

tRump is just the perfect carnival barker they were waiting for.

Divide and conquer continues unabated.......

[certainot]

15. talk radio's only advantage the last 30 years with fox providing the cartoon cliff notes and media

and dem and progresdsive org leadership never had a clue. slate and other media can do piece after piece about his 'genius' at parroting the messaging monopoly that they never knew existed and never poll for - one that's been pushing them around for 30 years with unchallenged coordinated buzz that only talk radio can do

they don't even follow up on sam nunberg's claim that he "listened to 1000s of hours of talk radio " and trump was getting his reports in 2014, the same year a russian troll says he "got lists of topics to write about". who believes trump would pay a 'lawyer' to listen to all that talk radio if the russians didn't want him to? and did he pay? nunberg goes on all the time and never gets asked about it.

yeah, how many more times is trump going to be praised for his animal abilities to repeat what basically came out of limbaugh's ass and has been repeated on 1500 radio stations and fox for years and originally maybe came out of the kremlin's ass

[keithbvadu2]

14. Drives libruls crazy

Drives libruls crazy

[certainot]

16. the 'libs' got owned a long time ago by a rw radio monopoly messaging machine they continue to

ignore - the biggest political mistake in history.

the analysis continues in a talk radio vacuum

[MadDAsHell]

22. We don't ignore it. Air America was legitimate effort.

The people just weren't buying what we were selling, for some reason.

[certainot]

23. air am was mom and pop vs wall mart. it was also sabotaged. the 20-1 monopoly has

monopoly power and protects itself. it is and was never about 'market demand'. and clearchannel for eg went 20 bil in debt.

the idea that 95% of americans who would listen to those stations, the loudest stations in the country, and often the only sources for news weather traffic etc, prefer the lies and hate is a rw lie.

it's not about competition, it's about saying fuck you to radio stations that spend all day lying about liberals and democrats, telling our communities that our sisters are whores, our brothers are thieves, and our ideas are treasonous.

they will lose billions to make trillions in war, global warming, tax breaks, deregulation, and supremes if they can keep doing that.

as soon as the left challenges it in any serious way their advertisers will head for the hills and many of those stations will have to change programming

[ChubbyStar]

25. Damn Straight!

[SergeStorms]

17. Hopefully this will lead...

to the GOP's self-destruction. What amazes me is the supporters of this fascist agenda are also being played by the GOP, and their own self-interests suffer along with their hated "libs". I guess they don't mind suffering as long as their "enemies" are suffering as well, and they can proudly say, "My side is winning".

[Pepsidog]

18. Republicans are simply repulsive.

[gratuitous]

19. Remember during the Obama years?

Obama was constantly being upbraided by the media to "reach across the aisle" and pursue policies for the benefit of people who didn't vote for him. Somehow I don't see those kinds of stories anymore about the Trump administration.

[dalton99a]

20. We are ruled by a Russian troll.

[smirkymonkey]

24. K&R for visibility