Obeying in Advance has Begun

ABC decided to pay $15 million to settle the defamation lawsuit. It looks like Joni Ernst is caving on the vote for Hegseth. Other Senators are aligning. The House is falling into line: not just the Rethuglican sycophants, but also some Democratic members like Jared Moskowitz who joined the DOGE caucus. We are starting to see inklings from Democratic Governors who are making noises about what might be areas of intersection with the incoming fascist regime. Not to mention mayors of sanctuary cities, most offensively Eric Adams who may become a registered Rethuglican so the Orange Menace will pardon him.

I could go on.

Mostly though, I am trying to understand.

Take ABC, for example. As I’ve written multiple times before, the press is under the delusion that playing nice will protect them from the worst of the incoming regime. They are wrong.

As is tech. Mark Zuckerberg and Sam Altman think that by giving $1 million (each) to fund the inauguration, it will make everything okay. And it’s not just them. Read the linked article to see how “$1 million is just a rounding error.”

A lot of it is pure cowardice. For example, Elmo Muskrat has threatened to pay for primary challengers if Rethuglican elected officials, especially US Senators, don’t fall into line. Okay, maybe the word “cowardice” is inappropriate. I mean, humans are elected to the US Senate to represent the will of their constituents, and I suppose the case could be made that since their voters also voted for Don the Con, they ARE following the will of their constituency.

NAH.

It’s pure cowardice. These people care more about getting re-elected than they do about their constituents. For example, voting to confirm Worm Brain means that there will be a government agency fighting to revoke approval of the polio vaccine. I’m sure that there are people who will contend this doesn’t impact voters, because most adults already vaccinated: it is the babies and children who will die, spend their lives in iron lungs or be permanently disabled, and babies and kids don’t vote. In case you’re too young, here is a photograph of a ward of people in iron lungs from the 1950’s.

USA Today had an open letter to the US Senate on this topic, FROM the polio virus, and co-signed by “measles, tetanus, smallpox, influenza, mumps, hepatitis B, chickenpox, rubella, COVID-19 and natural selection”. Even if you don’t generally read this links, this is worth a read¹.

There is no excuse except cowardice for US Senators to vote to confirm people who are not only singularly unqualified for the positions to which they have been nominated, but who are committed to making the country unsafe medically, educationally, economically, and even in terms of the national defense. Remember in all of this that cruelty of action is a feature not a bug.

When I look at the governors and large-city mayors, I think their calculus relates to what they lose if they oppose the fascist regime. Take Cherelle Parker of Philadelphia. There have been protests and campaigns to get her to expand sanctuary city protections. She says that what is in place is enough. What she’s thinking about is that during the last regime, HUD endeavored to cut off funds to Philadelphia, although a court said no, calling the regime’s actions “arbitrary and capricious”. Source. Will Parker allow Philadelphians to be rounded up? Will Adams do the same in New York? Ugly to think about.

And back to the Senators - both Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren think that Don the Con’s idea of limiting interest rates on credit cards to 10% is a good idea. Source. You might actually think that, also. Yes, 50% of Americans carry credit card debt. Yes, if a borrower pays the minimum payment, they’ll be in debt for years, if not decades.

BUT.

There are generally two types of people with credit card debt: first, there are people who cannot afford their nut (housing, food, utilities, medical bills, etc.) without going into debt. The solution for them is not a lower interest rate, it’s increasing wages so that they can afford the basics.

Second, people who have a lot of credit card because they have other problems: a gambling problem, for example, or people who just cannot stop themselves from overspending². Nothing helps them, except solving the root problem.

No matter what, though, capping interest rates will cause the credit card companies to deny credit to those they consider “questionable” who will then be in a worse position because they’ll need to seek out payday lenders, who are usurers. They will find ways to add other fees, decrease points and other bennies. Playing against the banks is like playing against the house in Vegas.

Our last formal guardrail is the court system. Here’s hoping.

Me? I’m not obeying in advance. My idol in this regard is Shosanna Dreyfus. If you don’t know who she is, you should watch the movie Inglorious Basterds. You can stream it at one of these locations.

1. And you might want to send the link to your Senators with a note that says “I am vaccinated, but I want my children and grandchildren to have that opportunity. Vote “NO” on confirming RFK, Jr.”

2. In the late 1980’s I lived across the street from a couple who bought anything and everything. In addition to their house, there were two twin Mercedes, and every week, deliveries of things like electronics, Persian rugs, upgraded appliances. And the clothes! OH the clothes. All designer. They went out a lot, and went on many vacations. I know all this because they liked to brag about it, while making fun of my car and my clothes. They both worked for a company that ended up being bought by another company, and they lost their jobs. The repo guys came and came, and finally, their house was foreclosed upon, and they declared bankruptcy.