CNN should be ashamed of itself. That wasn't a town hall, it was a Republican National Committee Infomercial free of charge. No 'town hall' is filled only with people from the candidate's party. Shameful and completely void of any journalistic standards. Did CNN really think that will pull in Fox viewers? For how long? And at what cost to America's sanity?
That said, this is a truly thoughtful analysis and summary of the nightmarish societal state Trump & Co. have brought to the forefront of America. Well written, concise, and right on target. Rings so true, almost painful to read, but well worth it. Thanks.
I would love to visit the US again. I love the country and it’s people. We lived and worked in Denver for a very short time in 2007, visiting the great national parks every weekend and soaking up the warm welcome of new friends. New York is one of my favourite places in the world. There are so new places I would love to see. But I will not return until America renounces Trump for good.
Many of us opposed him in 2015, seeing for ourselves that he’s a misogynistic prick who is also grossly ignorant. We are hoping the #RuleOfLaw will be used to scrape back his ill-gotten grift money. $5M for E. Jean. More to come. I don’t know if he’ll ever be put behind bars, although I want him to experience what it’s like to not have obsequious people catering to him. To know what it feels like to not be “in control.” I hope one of the many cases will eventually result in him reporting to serve time in a prison cell. Would THAT be enough to convince you that “America” has renounced him?
Be good if the GOP came to see him for what he is! But yes, it would. i know lots of you have been working tirelessly to see him gone. It must have been heartbreaking to see your country take this turn.
It’s awful, Jessica. And then to see my “fellow Americans” laughing, just loving him, while he does his reality TV schtick the very next day after the sexual assault trial jury found him guilty, after the J6 hearings ... it’s hard to take in. But this is where we are and we’re going to keep moving forward. It’s pretty shocking, actually, how fast things can turn. The boiling frog metaphor does fit. The wannabe authoritarians have been putting things in place for this for a long time.
Obviously Trump calls his supporters to their worst selves. But unfortunately so does CNN and the propping up of fascism this way (by allowing only his supporters in a supposed town hall) is why it continues to thrive.
I, like many Americans, have had difficulty believing my generous father-in-law, friendly neighbors, co-workers at the water cooler, and fellow PTA members are fascists. Fascism gives them power as a group. Power to be support malevolent leaders and behave abhorrently. It's is individuals who allow fascism to thrive. It is time for each of us to be brave and call out each fascist.
Chris Licht stated (I'm paraphrasing here) that Trump and his supporters should be acknowledged. That's so ham-handed. Of course most folks know they are out there, diminishing our country. Trump mowed over Kaitlyn Collins with lie after lie. It wasn't news. It wasn't making news. I followed it on the NYT feed and I am done with CNN.
Public Notice here will then need to take on more help to inform us if CNN turns completely. But Biden (and others) leaned into this indicating that people can see again who Trump is; it's a reminder, another reveal. This was a disgusting display, even to the moderator, according to reports and replays. The clips should work as a scare and can and should be used to get the vote out.
CNN hosted a Trump rally, period. Kaitlin Collins was a sacrificial lamb who was never up to the task of questioning Trump, but when a steamroller has a cheering audience of fans it’s a tough position to be in. If Tapper or Cooper or ANY stronger news person was given the assignment, I think Trump would have refused. Thanks, Noah, for this insightful piece on a disastrous debacle of deplorables.
The topic should have been CNN’s so called town meeting! They didn’t even try to put the truth out there. This was nothing but a free campaign add for trump right down to the hand picked trump supporters. Shame on anyone trying to talk about what we know is a scummy man rather than hold CNN’s, a want to be FOX, feet to the fire.
I'm cautious of considering large numbers of people you disagree with as being morally inferior. It's something conservatives do all too often and there's no reason for liberals to join them. I haven't yet gone through Aaron's no doubt good but depressing clip about the CNN 'Town Hall' atrocity.
What I will say is that Trump appeals to the worst insticts of his supporters and strengthens them considerably. He is the great debaser of his side of politics. May Merciful Jesus protect us from another 4 years of him in the White House....but I encourage all right thinking Americans to not leave it to prayars and divinities but to do all they can to ensure wavering Democrats get to vote and that undecided voters are influenced to vote against the morally decling Republicans. (Hint: saying you hate Trump and his supporters probably won't be effective.)
There was a time when I would have agreed with you about not labeling people with different opinions - but what is happening on the hard right today is too extreme to fit that way of thinking about it. Large numbers of our fellow Americans are proving that bigotry, racism and hatred of everyone they consider "liberals" are what drives their support of Trump and their desire to run the country.
What is your take on the large number of Germans in the 1930s and 40s, most of whom no doubt were "nice" people - good to their spouses, children, friends, even their dogs - yet became Nazis. Do you think they were inherently different from today's MAGAs? If you spent some time on MAGA social media sites such as Glenn Beck's FB page, "White House Brief" where he publishes stories from his publication "The Blaze" and pieces from other rightwing propaganda peddlers - and then read the hundreds of comments that follow - you would see that they do have the mindset of fascists - and yes, fascists are morally reprehensible.
Hi Bev. I’m inclined to believe that Glenn Beck and his fans are genuine deplorables and malign actors. I wouldn’t use that term for many who vote for Trump though their failure to draw the line and refuse to vote for someone of his character (moral and intellectual) makes them seriously misguided and failures in an important test of character. That said, while , I know the term ‘fascism’ has been broadened I prefer it to be reserved for ideologues more recognizably akin to Nazism and Mussolini . Trump and his mob lack the explicit racism, hyper-nationalism and advocates of a militarized society that were signature themes of 1930’s fascism.
I know a bit about World War 2 but am not as well informed about pre-war Germany. My understanding is the Germans who supported Hitler in the 1930s certainly didn’t sign up for the holocaust and I’m not even sure they signed up for the invasion of Russia. My understanding is that by the time the true nature of the Nazi regime was known it was a complete dictatorship and it’s a very stiff test of character to speak against a dictatorship and oppose a war when your country appears to be in a life and death struggle. God grant we never have to face such tests.
Hi Michael, I believe that Glenn Beck's fans are exactly who the overwhelming majority of MAGAs are, and while they themselves would definitely agree with you that they are not bigots and racists, their reactions, comments, and attitudes judged by objective standards show that is exactly what they are.
Nazis initially came to power because ordinary Germans bought into Nazi propaganda, and yes, later even those few who rejected it were in no position to safely do so openly - but those who rejected it were in the minority.
Hi Beverley. I suspect that we agree on plenty. I remind you that I called Glen Beck and his face book commentators as ‘deplorables and malign actors’ though I should qualify by saying that I haven’t read much of his work (if you can use that term). While I’m sure they are racists by 2023 standards I’d be surprised if it was as explicit, prominent and virulent as the Nazi’s anti-Semitism which believe was evident from the earliest times. By the way I hit good old Wikipedia and found that in the last 3 elections Hitler contested his vote share varied from 33-44% which reflects rather better on the German populace than I’d expected. His last election was March 1933 and I’m pretty sure war was not in the air at the time…which perhaps strengthens the case for taking MAGA and Trump as a more serious threat than many neutral voters do..
“What kind of a woman meets somebody … and within minutes you’re playing hanky panky in a dressing room,” he sneered. The next day he says he never met her.
If you look into the signs of fascism you will see the GOP is turning us towards it. Look at what DeSantis is doing in Florida. Slowly it begins until it's too late before most people realize what is happening. We must be vigilant so this doesn't happen. There is a lot of money behind this but our votes are more than there dollars so we need to get out the vote to defeat them.
Thank god for every American who realizes who Trump is and what Trumpism is. There seem to be two kinds of Trump supporters - those who are no better than he is, and those who still have enough of the remnants of a conscience to know he is evil yet believe the lies about how "good" he and his policies were for the country. I find both of these equally revolting and the latter even more dangerous to our democracy.
It sounds like CNN and Trump are appealing for more lawsuits. Burying Trump and now CNN in lawsuits won't change solid prisoners of this fascism. I fear CNN's betrayal of the country and its responsibility might add more fans, more positivity to Trump's path if this continues under CNN's new leadership. It might come to attempts to steal the coming election one way or another as well.
It occurs to me that using the term fascist is problematic even though it's the convincing name for what is happening now. It can be taken as just name calling. Name calling is Trump's specialty. So you have the sides shouting names at each other. But we have to shout back I suppose. The bigger question is what do we do about this? How do we defeat it? Now CNN is a problem along with Fox. Will Jim Acosta be fired or quit or will CNN be shamed and boycotted enough as it turns this way? Robert Reich's latest on this is excellent as well. All hands on deck.
I have been saying for a while that the GOP is made up of fascists and/or fascist enablers. If you’re a member of the Republican Party you’re complicit in everything that TFG does and says.
CNN should be ashamed of itself. That wasn't a town hall, it was a Republican National Committee Infomercial free of charge. No 'town hall' is filled only with people from the candidate's party. Shameful and completely void of any journalistic standards. Did CNN really think that will pull in Fox viewers? For how long? And at what cost to America's sanity?
That said, this is a truly thoughtful analysis and summary of the nightmarish societal state Trump & Co. have brought to the forefront of America. Well written, concise, and right on target. Rings so true, almost painful to read, but well worth it. Thanks.
It was also a campaign rally.
I would love to visit the US again. I love the country and it’s people. We lived and worked in Denver for a very short time in 2007, visiting the great national parks every weekend and soaking up the warm welcome of new friends. New York is one of my favourite places in the world. There are so new places I would love to see. But I will not return until America renounces Trump for good.
Many of us opposed him in 2015, seeing for ourselves that he’s a misogynistic prick who is also grossly ignorant. We are hoping the #RuleOfLaw will be used to scrape back his ill-gotten grift money. $5M for E. Jean. More to come. I don’t know if he’ll ever be put behind bars, although I want him to experience what it’s like to not have obsequious people catering to him. To know what it feels like to not be “in control.” I hope one of the many cases will eventually result in him reporting to serve time in a prison cell. Would THAT be enough to convince you that “America” has renounced him?
Be good if the GOP came to see him for what he is! But yes, it would. i know lots of you have been working tirelessly to see him gone. It must have been heartbreaking to see your country take this turn.
It’s awful, Jessica. And then to see my “fellow Americans” laughing, just loving him, while he does his reality TV schtick the very next day after the sexual assault trial jury found him guilty, after the J6 hearings ... it’s hard to take in. But this is where we are and we’re going to keep moving forward. It’s pretty shocking, actually, how fast things can turn. The boiling frog metaphor does fit. The wannabe authoritarians have been putting things in place for this for a long time.
Obviously Trump calls his supporters to their worst selves. But unfortunately so does CNN and the propping up of fascism this way (by allowing only his supporters in a supposed town hall) is why it continues to thrive.
I, like many Americans, have had difficulty believing my generous father-in-law, friendly neighbors, co-workers at the water cooler, and fellow PTA members are fascists. Fascism gives them power as a group. Power to be support malevolent leaders and behave abhorrently. It's is individuals who allow fascism to thrive. It is time for each of us to be brave and call out each fascist.
Chris Licht stated (I'm paraphrasing here) that Trump and his supporters should be acknowledged. That's so ham-handed. Of course most folks know they are out there, diminishing our country. Trump mowed over Kaitlyn Collins with lie after lie. It wasn't news. It wasn't making news. I followed it on the NYT feed and I am done with CNN.
Public Notice here will then need to take on more help to inform us if CNN turns completely. But Biden (and others) leaned into this indicating that people can see again who Trump is; it's a reminder, another reveal. This was a disgusting display, even to the moderator, according to reports and replays. The clips should work as a scare and can and should be used to get the vote out.
CNN hosted a Trump rally, period. Kaitlin Collins was a sacrificial lamb who was never up to the task of questioning Trump, but when a steamroller has a cheering audience of fans it’s a tough position to be in. If Tapper or Cooper or ANY stronger news person was given the assignment, I think Trump would have refused. Thanks, Noah, for this insightful piece on a disastrous debacle of deplorables.
The topic should have been CNN’s so called town meeting! They didn’t even try to put the truth out there. This was nothing but a free campaign add for trump right down to the hand picked trump supporters. Shame on anyone trying to talk about what we know is a scummy man rather than hold CNN’s, a want to be FOX, feet to the fire.
Yes, advertisers should leave. People should turn away from CNN.. reflect it in ratings. It's new right leaning leadership at CNN, misguided.
This is really helpful. Thanks.
I'm cautious of considering large numbers of people you disagree with as being morally inferior. It's something conservatives do all too often and there's no reason for liberals to join them. I haven't yet gone through Aaron's no doubt good but depressing clip about the CNN 'Town Hall' atrocity.
What I will say is that Trump appeals to the worst insticts of his supporters and strengthens them considerably. He is the great debaser of his side of politics. May Merciful Jesus protect us from another 4 years of him in the White House....but I encourage all right thinking Americans to not leave it to prayars and divinities but to do all they can to ensure wavering Democrats get to vote and that undecided voters are influenced to vote against the morally decling Republicans. (Hint: saying you hate Trump and his supporters probably won't be effective.)
There was a time when I would have agreed with you about not labeling people with different opinions - but what is happening on the hard right today is too extreme to fit that way of thinking about it. Large numbers of our fellow Americans are proving that bigotry, racism and hatred of everyone they consider "liberals" are what drives their support of Trump and their desire to run the country.
What is your take on the large number of Germans in the 1930s and 40s, most of whom no doubt were "nice" people - good to their spouses, children, friends, even their dogs - yet became Nazis. Do you think they were inherently different from today's MAGAs? If you spent some time on MAGA social media sites such as Glenn Beck's FB page, "White House Brief" where he publishes stories from his publication "The Blaze" and pieces from other rightwing propaganda peddlers - and then read the hundreds of comments that follow - you would see that they do have the mindset of fascists - and yes, fascists are morally reprehensible.
Hi Bev. I’m inclined to believe that Glenn Beck and his fans are genuine deplorables and malign actors. I wouldn’t use that term for many who vote for Trump though their failure to draw the line and refuse to vote for someone of his character (moral and intellectual) makes them seriously misguided and failures in an important test of character. That said, while , I know the term ‘fascism’ has been broadened I prefer it to be reserved for ideologues more recognizably akin to Nazism and Mussolini . Trump and his mob lack the explicit racism, hyper-nationalism and advocates of a militarized society that were signature themes of 1930’s fascism.
I know a bit about World War 2 but am not as well informed about pre-war Germany. My understanding is the Germans who supported Hitler in the 1930s certainly didn’t sign up for the holocaust and I’m not even sure they signed up for the invasion of Russia. My understanding is that by the time the true nature of the Nazi regime was known it was a complete dictatorship and it’s a very stiff test of character to speak against a dictatorship and oppose a war when your country appears to be in a life and death struggle. God grant we never have to face such tests.
Hi Michael, I believe that Glenn Beck's fans are exactly who the overwhelming majority of MAGAs are, and while they themselves would definitely agree with you that they are not bigots and racists, their reactions, comments, and attitudes judged by objective standards show that is exactly what they are.
Nazis initially came to power because ordinary Germans bought into Nazi propaganda, and yes, later even those few who rejected it were in no position to safely do so openly - but those who rejected it were in the minority.
This link ( https://www.publicnotice.co/p/cnn-trump-town-hall-fascism ) is to a piece that Noah Berlatsky wrote on this subject of MAGA fascism - I think it is insightful and spot on. Best, BH
Hi Beverley. I suspect that we agree on plenty. I remind you that I called Glen Beck and his face book commentators as ‘deplorables and malign actors’ though I should qualify by saying that I haven’t read much of his work (if you can use that term). While I’m sure they are racists by 2023 standards I’d be surprised if it was as explicit, prominent and virulent as the Nazi’s anti-Semitism which believe was evident from the earliest times. By the way I hit good old Wikipedia and found that in the last 3 elections Hitler contested his vote share varied from 33-44% which reflects rather better on the German populace than I’d expected. His last election was March 1933 and I’m pretty sure war was not in the air at the time…which perhaps strengthens the case for taking MAGA and Trump as a more serious threat than many neutral voters do..
“What kind of a woman meets somebody … and within minutes you’re playing hanky panky in a dressing room,” he sneered. The next day he says he never met her.
If you look into the signs of fascism you will see the GOP is turning us towards it. Look at what DeSantis is doing in Florida. Slowly it begins until it's too late before most people realize what is happening. We must be vigilant so this doesn't happen. There is a lot of money behind this but our votes are more than there dollars so we need to get out the vote to defeat them.
Thank god for every American who realizes who Trump is and what Trumpism is. There seem to be two kinds of Trump supporters - those who are no better than he is, and those who still have enough of the remnants of a conscience to know he is evil yet believe the lies about how "good" he and his policies were for the country. I find both of these equally revolting and the latter even more dangerous to our democracy.
Thank you - excellent.
It sounds like CNN and Trump are appealing for more lawsuits. Burying Trump and now CNN in lawsuits won't change solid prisoners of this fascism. I fear CNN's betrayal of the country and its responsibility might add more fans, more positivity to Trump's path if this continues under CNN's new leadership. It might come to attempts to steal the coming election one way or another as well.
It occurs to me that using the term fascist is problematic even though it's the convincing name for what is happening now. It can be taken as just name calling. Name calling is Trump's specialty. So you have the sides shouting names at each other. But we have to shout back I suppose. The bigger question is what do we do about this? How do we defeat it? Now CNN is a problem along with Fox. Will Jim Acosta be fired or quit or will CNN be shamed and boycotted enough as it turns this way? Robert Reich's latest on this is excellent as well. All hands on deck.
https://robertreich.substack.com/p/after-last-night-anyone-still-trust
Thank you Noah for speaking aloud, the threat of fascism in our country.
History, the past, is always in our rear view mirror. It also serves as a guide post of warning, of things that must
never be repeated for the
safety and success of the present and future.
A democracy is destroyed from within. America is a
democracy and within our
borders fascist/authoritarian
edicts are taking root, state to state. The warning signs
are clear. SCOTUS, CNN's/Trump's town hall were a huge DANGER sign flashing red.
You just have to review how an unknown corporal, with a
manic personality and a way
with words, took over an entire country and brought
about one of the most
disastrous periods the world
had ever known.
History, if we're not very careful, can repeat itself.
I have been saying for a while that the GOP is made up of fascists and/or fascist enablers. If you’re a member of the Republican Party you’re complicit in everything that TFG does and says.