Authoritarianism in plain sight: USA edition
Friends, democracy is truly on the line in 2024. This week we have had seen authoritarianism in plain sight in several arenas. Today I will address this nationally, then tomorrow I will zoom in on North Carolina.
First: Kevin McCarthy—who knew on January 6 that it was wrong to try to kill Vice President Pence and Congress—has gone full-on pro-insurrectionist as he gives January 6 video footage to Tucker Carlson (and only Tucker Carlson). This is absurd and dangerous in so many ways. This poses a security risk, giving insurrectionists a road map about how to carry out a more effective attack next time. And, it hands FOX and Carlson a golden opportunity to create new, emotionally-stirring propaganda. How can the video of this terrible day be turned into propaganda? As a documentary film executive producer myself, I will say that if you have 40,000 hours of footage, you can use it to tell any story you want. They will combine the authoritarian edit of the footage with their own music, voiceover, creating potentially powerful reframing. Most Americans will be horrified by this, but some will be activated. That is what propaganda is: the “martrydom of Ashely Babbit” cut, legitimized by House Speaker Kevin McCarthy providing the footage.
Beyond a tricky edit & mix, I don’t trust them to not literally falsify the footage.
This new propaganda leads directly to my next point….Trump. He never really went away, but if you are like me you really tried to take a break from him for the past two years. Now he’s back in the spotlight, because with the 2024 Presidential election coming into sight, we can’t ignore him any longer.
This week, Trump released a “song” with convincted January 6 rioters called “Justice for All.” It is a truly dystopian mashup:
Over an ambient backing, the song features Trump reciting the Pledge of Allegiance, interspersed with a male voice choir [the J6 Prison Choir] singing The Star-Spangled Banner. The song lasts for about two and a half minutes and ends with a chant of “U-S-A! U-S-A! U-S-A!” Forbes said it was “produced by a major recording artist who was not identified”.
Robert Maguire, research director for the watchdog Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, said: “I have never been more repulsed by the mere existence of a song than one sung by a president who tried to do a coup and a literal ‘choir’ of insurrectionists who tried to help him.”
In more Trump news, he was the big headliner at the right-wing CPAC conference, where a speaker who called for the eradication of trangenderism was applauded. Then, Trump had an authoritarian double-header with the disgraced insurrectionist former President of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro, whose supporters attacked Brazil’s Congress on January 8, 2023. Bolsonaro hinted at a comeback, a third run for President. And like Trump, Bolsonaro has his own version of the Big Lie.
The biggest difference between Brazil and the USA? Brazil’s Jan 8 insurrectionists were charged much more quickly and thoroughly up and down the chain of command. 400 attackers were arrested the next day. The failure to do the same here in the USA is extremely dangerous.
Which brings us back to Kevin McCarthy, who after the insurrection was turned back into Trump’s puppet (Jan 28, 2021 McCarthy slunk down to Mar A Lago to kiss Trump’s ring), and is currently using his power as Speaker of the House to protect the Republican members of Congress who were in on the coup attempt from suffering any consequences. Justice is no longer blind in the US, it is being meted out reluctantly, with special privileges for the disgraced former President and Congress.
Right now, our national self-defense is failing. Two incomplete Trump Impeachments and 2 years of hesitant FBI bowing to Trump’s bullying, and dithering AG Merrick Garland later, Special Counsel Jack Smith really is our only hope for consequences for Trump and insurrectionists.
I am trying to channel my despair into working for positive change in 2024. North Carolina continues to be a battle ground, and thanks to our new Democratic Party Leadership, we have a chance to fight for democracy and human rights.
Which brings us to our preview of tomorrow: You know who else spoke at CPAC this week? North Carolina’s gun-loving, NRA-funded, homophobic, misogyinist Lieutentant Governor Mark Robinson, who clearly plans to run for Governor next year. More to come….