On October 7, Gallant was just as hawkish as Bibi on Gaza, and delivered himself of some genocidal remarks about cutting off food and other necessities to civilians. He may become a defendant at The Hague for his involvement in that total war. Israel’s right to defend itself, under the UN Charter, does not authorize a disproportionate response that has killed over 40,000 people in Gaza, the bulk of them civilians. But as time has passed, Gallant at least began to plan for a future for Gaza without a permanent Israeli occupation. That strategy conflicts with the goals of Bibi and his “Israeli Proud Boys” cabinet ministers Ben-Gvir and Smotrich. They want to resettle Gaza, and develop it with Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law and the author of the disastrous Abraham Accords. Gallant was Washington’s only real liaison in Bibi’s Likud Party ship of fools. By eliminating Gallant, Bibi has given the US no choice but to deal only with him.

Esther Solomon, the Editor-in Chief of the left-leaning Israeli newspaper Haaretz [“the Land”], characterized Gallant as “the last gate-keeping adult left in a senior position in the government.” She went on to say that the sole raison d’être of Israel’s government today to uphold, safeguard, and secure the political ambitions of the prime minister.  She observes that Israel is under the control of an autocrat with overweening ambition and an annexationist ideology who promotes the idea of “complete triumph,” and points out that the comparison to Trump is obvious.

Aside from Gaza, another pressing issue roiled the relations of the prime minister with his defense minister. All Israeli citizens are required to serve in the military, except the rigidly observant ultra-Orthodox sects of the Haredim and likeminded Jews. The exemption was a necessary element when Israel was founded, to rebuild the traditions of Jewish scholarship and rabbinic training destroyed during the Holocaust. They were a protected class. But the reasons for those exemptions have long since passed, since Israel has very healthy religious institutions for training rabbis and scholars, and a shortage of young people eligible for military service.  In June, Israel’s highest court struck down the military exemption for these fundamentalists.  Gallant said, “My firm stance is that every military-age person must be enlisted. They must serve in the Israel Defense Forces and defend the State of Israel. This is no longer just a social issue. It is a paramount issue for our existence and future.”

Haaretz columnist Yossi Verter often has a good reading on the progressive pulse of Israel, and cogently summarizes the complex political dynamics. Verter said of Netanyahu’s election-day firing of Gallant that the defense minister was dismissed to appease the draft-exempt ultra-Orthodox, aiming to preserve Netanyahu’s administration. He maintained that this move directly compromised national security in a deeply unsettling manner, unlike anything Israelis had experienced before. Gallant, he wrote, was in the way because he had obstructed Netanyahu’s effort to permit ultra-Orthodox men to avoid military service. He identified Netanyahu’s primary objective as maintaining his coalition, with its messianic and ethnocentric elements, until October 2026, the latest possible date for elections. Verter insists that Netanyahu’s intention is to reach this point after orchestrating further judicial changes to ensure his path to reelection.

Bibi’s colleagues in the far right, ethnonationalist Likud party quickly closed ranks to voice their support for Trump in the election. The see him as a “true friend of Israel,” in that he won’t impede Israel’s military agenda in Lebanon, Syria and Iran. Also, the Israeli far right remains grateful for the disastrous Abraham Accords, which sidelined the Palestinians and so de facto legitimized some of their imperial holdings. Bibi’s consolidation coupled with Trump’s return to the White House makes this a very dark time for democracy and western civilization. Bibi and Trump have fueled and supported one another’s cruelties and escape from accountability, as well as one another’s campaign to remain in office to avoid criminal consequences.

“Hugs,” Digital, Dream / Cartoon v3, 2024.

The public reaction to Gallant’s firing has been a series of massive street demonstrations, not seen in Israel since before October 7. One of the protesters said, “We, the protesters, believe that Gallant … is actually the only normal person in the government,” and condemned Bibi for opening “new fronts in uncalled-for wars.” Gallant attributed his dismissal to the orthodox conscription issue, Bibi’s disinterest in a hostage deal, and his resistance to a full investigation of the October 7 military and intelligence failures. Of course, Bibi wants to obstruct any investigation because it will be a damning revelation of his personal failures as Prime Minister. Gallant had been publicly dismissive of Bibi’s rhetoric of “total victory over Hamas,” and argued that Israel’s military success thus far had already created favorable conditions for a diplomatic hostage deal.”

As with Trump in the US, Bibi has made efforts to remove government boundaries and standards to suit his autocratic agenda. This includes meddling in judicial appointments through the Judicial Appointments Committee’s so that Likud politicians will control the panel. Other aspects of this legislative overreach include: “ a political takeover of the judicial ombudsman’s office; transferring the power to open incitement investigations, sensitive because of their chilling effect on freedom of speech, to the police, thereby eliminating the prosecutorial oversight that exists today; granting the government (specifically the communications minister) the power to shut down websites; suffocating the public broadcasting corporation Kan’s (Israeli Public Broadcasting Corp.) funding; shifting responsibility for measuring television ratings to the government; changes to the election laws.” The Likud government has made it a habit to unlawfully ignore the Attorney General’s directives when it suits Bibi’s convenience and career goals.

By firing Gallant, Bibi has consolidated his hold over his coalition by removing his only real internal critic, whom he perceived as a Trojan horse. But the Biden administration saw Mr. Gallant as a trusted ally and reliable negotiating partner. Bibi urgently campaigned to restore Trump to the White House to give him a more malleable partner in his own war to remain in office. This may be Bibi’s most brazen signal yet that his personal political life is more important than the return of the hostages or Israeli security.            

On October 27, 2024, Donald Trump held a rally at the same MSG (different building) to promote the same concepts of bigotry, racism, xenophobia and hate of “the other.” The comparisons were unavoidable, despite Republican denialism.

This six-hour hate fest was a quixotic move by Trump, not intended to win electoral votes in New York; but to stir hatred in the breasts of those who are his followers, and to denigrate those who are not. He didn’t even invite the seven New York Republicans running for their seats, opting instead for speakers spouting infantile “humor” and insults. The clear message is that he’s serious about jailing political opponents, ending civil liberties and making America a Christian Nationalist-Fascist Theocracy if elected again. Like Kuhn, Trump is a deep admirer of “a Jew-hating, mass-murdering maniac,” as Hitler was characterized by Lt. Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt) in Quentin Tarentino’s 2009 film, Inglourious Basterds.

New York Times columnist “Michele Goldberg noted: “The message the MAGA caravan brought to Madison Square Garden was that their movement will soon be utterly unconstrained.” But that event illustrated that it already is. Trump has doubled down on every aspect of his threats of American carnage, including deporting “enemies within,” such as Jack Smith, Hillary Clinton, judges, journalists; and using the US military against its own citizens. The brazenness would have been shocking in 2016, but now is almost normalized in context. That’s a measure of how badly this man has warped the political spectrum, while giving American Fascists the “all clear” signal to come out and act out.

MSNBC cable news is being pummeled by right-wingers for rightfully splicing scenes from the 1939 rally into their coverage. Ignoring that would have been a sin of omission for historical and journalistic thoroughness. The juxtaposition of the two videos was blasted as “shameful” by conservatives, who pointed out the diversity of the crowd. But that’s what and who they are. The Republican spin machine and media (e.g. Rupert Murchoch’s Fox News and New York Post) are all atwitter because someone showed the obvious parallels.

Fox News branded it inflammatory and unfair to call it a “Nazi rally,” but the participants displayed no coyness or subtlety about their message. It was a disturbing, delayed echo from the 1939 event. Trump funder and enabler Elon Musk wore his black designer MAGA gear, with fascist design overtones. Some thoughtful Republicans tried, pathetically, to distance themselves, while most embraced it, and doubled down on the message. Their party was swamped and subsumed by Trumpism, just as Ronald Reagan kicked the Ripon Society out of the “Big Tent”, to make room for the Moral Majority. Thoughtful Republicans such as Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger have been booted out, in the same manner.

“Alt-Right,” Digital, Dream / Dreamland v3 / IbisPaint, 2024.

 Let’s get one thing straight: Donald Trump is NOT “good for the Jews” or Israel. A minority of American Jews abandoned the Democratic Party under Reagan, swayed by the myths of Reaganomics and his alleged support for Israel; which was really driven by the Evangelical Zionists. They ignore the fact that the Evangelical “love” for Israel is predicated on their millenarian hopes that Jews gathering the Holy Land will provoke the return of Christ and the conversion or damnation of all the Jews. This wacky theology is, of course, a euphemistic version of Hitler’s Final Solution: a world without Jews. The presence of a handful of right wing, fairly insular and uninformed Jews says nothing about the extremist character of the event. They pretended it wasn’t a display of fascism, because all they care about is putting Trump back in power so he won’t interfere with Likud PM Benjamin Netanyahu’s genocide in Gaza, and aggression in Lebanon, Syria and Iran. They’ve been conned into believing that Trump is “good for the Jews and Israel,” by their own misperceptions. Not all bright, successful people are deep thinkers, especially single-issue voters.

The content of the rally was pure mendacity, as there is no positive substance to Trump’s campaign. CNN broke away to fact-check some assertions in real time, including that FEMA had no money for hurricane victims because it had all been given to illegal migrants, that thousands of illegal migrants had invaded Springfield, MO, and that the US is an “occupied country.” Much has been made about the five hours of “entertainment,” which set the stage for Trump’s appearance, including the shameful insults against Puerto Ricans. Their only concept of humor is abuse and ridicule; infantile and juvenile.

The most urgent takeaway is that this rally represents Trump’s full investment in American fascism. He is doubling down on the worst and most inflammatory things he’s said, however wrong and untrue, because that’s what his base is buying. The gathering illustrates the extent to which the entire MAGA movement is increasingly unhinged, totally reliant on packaging dystopian fantasies and lies, and forcefully spreading them around. Most Republicans embrace all that, because Trump is what they’ve always wanted in a candidate. Others are trying to do damage control for all the unvarnished racism and vitriol. Ultimately, the purpose was to set the stage, and inflame his supporters so that they are primed for riots nationwide if he loses.

An irony is that MSG is known as the world’s greatest entertainment venue. As with Fox News itself, the rally functioned as a dark and foreboding form of entertainment. At times such as these, America needs heroes, real and fictional. Perhaps we need to call on an Indiana Jones, flanked by Taylor Swift and Beyonce, to deny the Ark of the Covenant and the Holy Grail to the Nazis and aid the Kamala Harris campaign.

A cruel reality is that, “Palestinians, both in Gaza and the West Bank, are deprived of the right to elect their government and that the decisions impacting their lives are dictated by a Palestinian leadership disconnected from the realities of war in Gaza, and by an Israeli government intent on erasing Palestinian existence,” in the eyes of Palestinian journalist Mahmoud Mushtaha. Gazans were victimized by a “boomerang rebellion,” suffering for the excessive retaliation by Israel in response to October 7. Yezid Sayigh, author of Armed Struggle and the Search for a State, said in a recent interview, “with the seventh of October Hamas effectively destroyed the idea of negotiation.” Ironically, Bibi and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant’s jubilation at killing Sinwar is overshadowed by a growing expectation for the International Criminal Court (ICC) to fulfill its due diligence and issue arrest warrants for the two.i

While Bibi’s Likud is the governing party in Israel, it no more represents the whole of Israel than MAGA does all of the US public. Netanyahu told us that he was only killing 20 Palestinian civilians for every Israeli murdered on October 7 in order to track and kill Sinwar, and that once that was accomplished, there would be a serious military draw-down and hostage negotiations. But that, like many of Bibi’s pledges, has proven to be untrue. He has expanded the Israeli imperial campaign well into Lebanon; and, by the way, has also drawn the United States into expanded military activity on its behalf regarding Iran. Bibi has finally drawn the US into a wider regional conflict, after years of baiting.

Privately, President Joe Biden is said to be furious with Bibi’s double-dealing as a dishonest broker. The journalist Bob Woodward said in a recent interview with Stephen Colbert that Biden has privately expressed salty candor in discussing his frustrations with Bibi; and recognizes that his goal all along has been to prolong the war to avoid prison for his convictions for bribery, corruption and breach of public trust.  But Biden can’t bring himself to make a formal break and stop the bad American habit of financing Israeli destruction, because of the traditional relationship between the two nations.

The November 5^th Election is the wolf-tree overshadowing American foreign policy priorities. The timing calls to mind the courage of President Dwight Eisenhower (Ike) on the eve of the 1956 Election, when he summoned all the power of his office, spine and cajones to order Israel, the UK and France to quit their gotten-up Suez campaign. Why can’t Biden do that? (Biden is no General Eisenhower, above the political fray, but a political animal at heart.) The answer lies in the complexities of current US electoral dynamics, and the fear and loathing of another Donald Trump presidency. That’s the real threat overshadowing much of . . . human life these days. Ike didn’t have to deal with that; Adlai Stevenson was no Donald Trump. Eisenhower had already won re-election by the time he ordered Israel to halt the 1956 war, and few Jews voted Republican. Why is it too politically risky for Biden to go public with his candid feelings about Bibi, and call him out as a destructive partner? (Bad ally is a painful oxymoron.) By calling out Bibi’s dishonest dealing, Biden would risk alienating the older swing Jewish vote in key states, along with millions of Christian Evangelical Zionist voters, a third of whom vote Democratic—a foctor in states like North Carolina.

But what is the current extremist Israeli government’s goal? A: An expansionist campaign for an ever-expanding, Greater Israel. And to consolidate its new imperial holdings before the US Election.  Israel is rushing to inflict maximum damage on Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon before the US election, and to carve out buffer zones in to create an irreversible reality. Bibi is also desperately hopeful for a second Trump presidency, so his multi-front war can continue free of pesky American guardrails. Trump’s narcissistic blindness and disinterest in complexities prevents him from restraining Bibi’s worst impulses, and he’s blind to the long-term consequences for either Israel, the U.S or the region.

“Endless Mideast War,” Digital, Midjourney / Clip2Comic, 2024

The Likud Party’s dedication to Bibi’s endless war has left Palestinians feeling they have only choices of either “victory or martyrdom,” in the words of Basem Naim, of the Hamas Politburo. Yet, Likud leaders are oblivious to the fact that each battle in the West Bank and Gaza breeds more people dedicated to Israel’s destruction.

A gross failure of leadership on both sides led to this situation. Bibi’s response has been to double down and prosecute an “apartheid war,” in the words of Israeli Prof. Oren Yiftachel. He characterized the campaign as “a direct attack on the possibility of Palestinian decolonization and sovereignty,” and explains that, “Israel’s supremacist order, which was once termed ‘creeping’ and more recently ‘deepening apartheid,’ has long historical roots. It has been concealed in recent decades by the so-called peace process, promises of a temporary occupation,’ and claims that Israel has ‘no partner’ to negotiate with.” The apartheid creep process in Israel has become increasingly conspicuous in recent years under Netanyahu’s leadership. He REFUSED to dignify Fatah-Palestinian Authority as a negotiation partner, thus empowering Hamas.

If Bibi wants to end the war in Gaza, he has to restore the Palestinian Authority as a valid negotiating partner. A hostage deal is not likely without that. But it appears his only interest is continuing as a “War Prime Minister” so as to avoid prison for his corruption. Tom Friedman of the NYT summarized saying, “A diplomatic initiative to end the war  . . . will eventually require Israeli commitment to a pathway to Palestinian statehood. That will trigger virulent opposition from Netanyahu’s extremist messianic right-wing partners . . . They will foolhardily see the killing of Sinwar and the collapse of Hamas as an opportunity to think they can kill every last Hamas member in Gaza in order to carry out their agenda of putting Jewish settlements into Gaza and expanding them in the West Bank.” Unless Bibi is somehow removed from power, the apartheid war will continue toward that goal, with increasing American involvement. The Likud’s agenda is one of endless wars.

It’s tough to debate a guy who’s gone on record as saying he’ll make things up if he needs to. That was Tim Walz’ challenge, to counter the Trump-inspired gaslighting campaign that Vance enacted. That dynamic overwhelmed Walz at times, but he regained his footing and countered some, though not all of Vance’s brazen lies. But I give Vance credit for knowing how to package all that bovine excrement, and sell it to those naïve enough to buy it.

Though he nailed Vance near the end by challenging him on whether the 2020 Election was stolen, Walz missed multiple opportunities to call his bluff more forcefully and fact-check him in real time. But he also articulated how his model of governing Minnesota can be a positive, progressive template at the federal level with regard to health care, child care, public school nutrition and other public services. Walz’ only real faux pas was to choke on the question about the timing of his China visits, and his alleged presence in Tiananmen Square. But he made an acceptable save at the end to say he’d confused the timeline about a series of visits.

Walz’ major misstep was to say that the problems in the Middle East started on October 7. WRONG! The starting point was the British double-dealing during and after World War I, and the San Remo Conference after the war, when the great powers divided up the Middle East along new national borders that they drew, cutting across natural tribal and ethnic boundaries.

Vance repeatedly referred to “failed policies of the Harris Administration,” a gross anachronism, while conflating numerous issues to manufacture the worst possible outcome, real or imagined. I was waiting for Walz to pipe up and say, “JD, I believe you’re talking about the Biden Administration, not the Harris Administration. We’re waiting our turn.” Remember Vance is the guy who told CNN’s Dana Bash, “I’ll make things up if I need to.” 

Moderators Nora O’Donnell and Margaret Brennan were the smart ones in the room, but could have been better Parliamentarians by muting Vance when he tried to talk over them to mansplain some tortured fictions — among them how Trump supposedly “saved Obamacare.” (Cue uproarious laughter). They muted the candidates’ mics only once, when things got testy. I wondered why they didn’t do that more often when Vance frequently spoke out of turn. Perhaps they were giving him rope for his own hanging. As I scored the debate at home, I tracked the lies of Vance, as well as the points made and mistakes made by Walz.

Both men pivoted away from answering questions directly, but Vance was the guiltier offender. He began his pandering by re-introducing his book, Hillbilly Elegy about his early life struggles, and invoked his beautiful wife and kids numerous times to evade questions. He often targeted Kamala Harris with wildly untrue accusations, revealing his own confusion about the roles of the three branches of government. Walz called him out on that to say, “Senator, Congress controls the purse strings and appropriations, not the Vice-President.” Vance avoided answering tough questions on the Middle East repeatedly saying, “It’s up to Israel how to respond.”

True to the Trumpian mission, Vance engaged in aggressive historical revisions, twisted fictions and gross lies. That’s all they have to run on, including:

-Trump saved Obamacare (more laughter).

-Blaming Harris for the immigration crisis at the Southern border, and for allegedly “allowing” gangs and fentanyl into the country. He said, “Harris opened the border to fentanyl by overturning 94 Trump Executive orders.” It sounds as though he forgot Joe Biden is still president and as though he doesn’t know that border crossings have plummeted in 2024.

-Said Trump brought stability (!) and made the world more secure (!).  

-Bizarrely said that no conflict broke out under the Trump administration.

-Alleged that Harris has raised energy prices (?).

– Blamed the current State Department for thousands of lost children, who were in fact separated from parents under Trump and Stephen Miller, attributing it to “Harris’ border policy.”

-Claimed Immigrants are taking millions of jobs away from Americans, and have overwhelmed schools and hospitals in Springfield, OH, creating a housing shortage. In fact, economists say that without immigrants, America’s impressive recent job growth would have stalled. As for housing, construction of new homes tanked after the Republican Great Recession of 2008-2009 and during COVID, creating a shortage that has little or nothing to do with immigrants.

-Claimed he never supported national ban on abortion, even though he has been caught on tape demanding such a national ban.

-Said, laughably, that January 6 was a peaceful protest.

-Called efforts to counter the election-steal fiction “Kamala Harris censorship.”

Even more important was what Vance refused to say; that Trump lost the 2020 Election. And he argued that censoring misinformation about election denial is a threat to Democracy, and not the attempted coup that Trump commanded on Jan. 6. He said,  “Kamala’s censorship on an industrial scale” to counter election deniers, is more of a threat to Democracy than Jan. 6.

Walz scored points stating how Donald Trump is unfit for the highest office. Start with turning away from our NATO allies, and towards Vladimir Putin and North Korea, while praising Harris’ “steady leadership.” He contrasted that with Harris saying, “Support for Democracy matters.” Then he called out the broad coalition, from Bernie Sanders to Dick Cheney and Taylor Swift, who support Harris. “Opportunity economy that works for everyone, with freedom to make choices.” He added, “We know who Trump is, and Vance made it clear he will push Trump’s agenda. Trump makes the people I care about afraid. Kamala represents politics of joy, and solutions for middle class.”

On the energy topic, Walz pointed out how Trump calls climate change a hoax, and invites oil executives to Mar-a-Lago to ask for transactional campaign donations. Of the immigration crisis Walz noted, “They don’t want to solve it; they want to demonize it,” to create stories and make it a campaign issue.  He pointed out that Congress was prepared to pass a bi-partisan Border Bill, until Trump commanded his Republican flock to kill it because he didn’t want it to be resolved; he wanted to preserve it as a campaign issue.

When Walz asked Vance directly, ““Did he lose the 2020 election?” Vance responded, “Tim, I’m focused on the future,” to which Walz retorted, “That is a damning non-answer.” Walz got a walk-off home run at the end, saying, “The Trump campaign is all about forgetting what happened on Jan. 6. He lost. This is not a debate other than in his world,” and asking “Where is the firewall with Donald Trump? If he can steal an election what would he do? There’s a clear choice as to who’s going to honor democracy, and who’s going to honor Donald Trump. Rather than toadying up to Trump, Vance should watch his own back. We now know that when Trump was informed that Mike Pence’s life was in danger at the Capitol, Trump said, “So what?” He’d throw Vance under that same bus in a New York minute.

—-

Bonus video added by Informed Comment:

MSNBC: “Vance vs. Walz: MSNBC analysis from the vice presidential debate hosted by CBS News”

The driving force behind Trump’s alleged “love” for Israel is to strengthen his hold on the Evangelical community; not the Jewish one. That has driven what Republican support there is for Israel since Christian Zionists took over the party beginning in the 1980s. Trump argues that Jews have an obligation to support him because he’s been Israel’s “best friend;” when in reality, he has abetted and enabled Israel’s political-economic suicide by granting PM Benjamin Netanyahu’s (Bibi) entire wish list. This includes appointing David Friedman as ambassador to Israel, whose understanding of Israel-Palestine history is limited to Temple Sunday School myths, which ignores and whitewashes the Palestinian Nakba (Holocaust). It includes Trump and Bibi’s evil political alliance, all but positioning them as running mates on the same ticket. 

Trump earned his popularity among wealthy, Republican Jews by pandering. Except when he said, “You have to support me because you’re all brutal killers.” But they forgave that because they believe his con about “loving Israel,” and also buy the myth that he’s been good for the investment economy. There can be destructive ignorance among intelligent people, as not all bright and successful people are deep thinkers.

Many progressive Jews have abandoned support of Israel over the genocide in Gaza and fascist elements of Bibi’s government. The alliance between Bibi and Trump is as destructive as the alliance between Elon Musk and Trump. It’s become a Fascist Axis among very wealthy entrepreneurs and deeply corrupt politicians, more interested in their wealth and political survival, rather than the health, wealth and security of the countries and corporations they govern. Or in Trump’s case, want to govern again from a purely statist, Fascist standpoint.

Trump is already forecasting his upcoming electoral defeat, and pro-actively placing blame on outside agents, including Jews who don’t vote for him and even Taylor Swift. While he whines about “all he has done for Israel,” the reality is that his policies have severely weakened Israel by granting impunity to its most self-destructive elements, and thus helped turn it into a global pariah by pledging support for the genocide in Gaza, and promising to grant Bibi his wish list of being free to terrorize and murder innocent Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank. It was Trump who initiated the move of the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, in violation of International Law. Jerusalem is just as much a Muslim and Orthodox Christian city as it is a Jewish one. (There, I said it!)

“Demagoguery,” Digital, Dream / Dreamland v3 / Clip2Comic, 2024

The alliance of Trump and Musk has dragged American political discourse to an all-time low. Trump has brought the Republican Party to an unprecedented low of dysfunction, abetted by Musk buying Twitter/X. As Trump has marginalized the Republican Party into a clownish state of lurid sensationalism, Musk has turned Twitter/X into a platform for unfettered defamation, hate, racism and divisiveness. Musk is allied with Trump to better secure his wealth, and is investing $45M per month in his campaign.

Why is Musk so deeply invested in Trump’s return to the presidency? Because like Russia in Ukraine, Trump will let Musk “do whatever the hell he wants.” Trump will let Russia take over Ukraine and bully other European countries. He’ll let the Israeli Likud Party continue its reign of terror over Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank; thereby placing more kindling and gasoline onto an already-explosive situation. And he’ll let the Supreme Court continue to undo many generations worth of protective and progressive judicial rulings.

Trump’s campaign strategy is to tell so many lies so fast and furiously, that it’s hard to keep up, and impossible to address and debunk each one in the time allowed for rebuttal? As Hannah Arendt wrote, “If everybody always lies to you, the consequence is not that you believe the lies, but rather that nobody believes anything any longer,” enabling totalitarianism. Part of Trump’s strategy is also to undermine the free press, and depict journalists as “the enemy of the people.” That’s the dynamic of gaslighting. Or is it an effort to befuddle and flummox the mases to the point that people don’t know what to believe and stop caring?

David Muir and Linsey Davis did good jobs as moderators, with Muir being persistent on issues such as January 6 and his criminal record. Unlike earlier presidential debates, they “fact-checked” Trump four times. It was surprising how often Muir “yielded the floor” to Trump’s outbursts when he he let Harris successfully bait him. Muir allowed Trump to go on about his grievances, and maybe he allowed the interruptions, because he knew Trump would make a fool of himself every time he opened his mouth. There was no bias, but good tough journalistic questions based on Trump’s own public record. Some of Don’s answers made him appear more deranged than ever. Maybe the pressure has finally gotten to him.

Listening to Trump’s voice for more than half the time is exhausting and soul-killing, even with the relief brought by Harris’s sanity. The lies come so fast and furious that it’s hard to keep up, and impossible to address and debunk each one in the time allowed for rebuttal. That’s the basis of his gaslighting strategy. Trump hogged more than his allotted time, while CNN fact checked him at least 30 times. Some lies are subjective.

Some of Trump’s melt-down lines included:

-Blaming Harris and Joe Biden for the Ukraine war, which was the result of his buddy Vladimir Putin’s greed for territory.

-Saying that Harris, who on many issues is on the center-right, is a “Marxist.”

-Monstrously claiming Haitian immigrants are stealing and eating pet dogs and cats in Springfield, OH — led to an instant fact-check by Davis. Trump said, “A lot of towns don’t want to talk about it because they’re so embarrassed by it. In Springfield, they’re eating the dogs. The people that came in. They’re eating the cats. They’re eating the pets of the people that live there. And this is what’s happening in our country. And it’s a shame.”

– Trump claims no inflation occurred during his presidency. But note that his disastrous handing of the COVID epidemic led to hundreds of thousands of unnecessary deaths and was deflationary. His blaming of Biden-Harris, for inflation — saying “people can’t buy cereal and eggs, because they destroyed the economy.” — ignores that after COVID there was high inflation in every country in the world as the economy came back to life.

-On abortion he claims his second term, “Will be great for women’s reproductive rights.” Then he shifted gears to put about the falsehood that Biden-Harris want to allow abortions in the 9^th month, and then execute newborns with under a “radical” Democratic policy. He lied the governor of West Virginia and VP candidate Tim Walz both OK’d executing newborns. Then he crowed, “I got Roe v. Wade (back) into the states.” That’s how he spins his selection of three SCOTUS justices who were chosen only to overturn Roe v. Wade. He said, “Everyone wanted the vote sent back to the states. The people vote, not the Court. I give tremendous credit to those six Justices.” But then Muir pointed out the illegality of killing babies in all 50 states. And almost no one wanted the abortion issue sent back to the states; ( 62% of Americans said then and say now that abortion should be legal under almost all conditions.

-When Harris discussed her plan for creating an “opportunity economy” to uplift America’s middle class, Trump replied that he has a “concept” of a plan, and doesn’t need it now because he’s not president yet. Then he claimed the Wharton School of Economics (U-Penn) professors love his economic plan, though he admittedly he doesn’t have one.

-Regarding a health care plan Trump said, after nearly a decade and a half of trashing Obamacare, “I have concepts of a plan.”

When Harris pointed out he invited trade wars with the tariffs on China, while also selling US chips to China to help improve their military, he said, “We hardly make chips anymore.” (Tell that to Nvidia.)  Then the recurring all-night theme of immigration and border security was re-introduced in every answer Trump gave to any and all questions. It’s his favorite subject that plays well at his rallies, but this wasn’t one of them. He claims immigrants are ruining our economy, and every answer came back to immigration fears.

Regarding his abandonment of NATO, Trump claimed, “I got 28 countries to pay up.”  That was delivered in response to one of Harris’ fishing tactics to anger when she waxed eloquently about the importance of the European Alliance, and using it to protect Europe from further aggression by Vladimir Putin.

The contrast of the candidates was a stark illustration of darkness and light. Harris pointed out that Trump, “Uses race to divide the American people. We have so much more in common than what separates us.” She called out his gross history of racism by initiating the “birther lies” about Barack Obama, how started as a landlord being investigated and fined, because he refused to rent to Black families, and how he called for execution of the Central Park Five, who were exonerated. No boxes were left unchecked.

MSNBC: “Watch the first Trump-Harris presidential debate in 3 minutes”

Even though Harris repeatedly got the better of him, Trump could still win the election. This is because of the antiquated Electoral College, which was created to appease Southern plantation owners, at the beginning of our nation’s history; and still serves the interest of racist Americans. A vote in Nebraska negates two or more votes in California. At least a third of the country desperately wants to believe anything Trump says, even though he melted down regressively as the night went on.

Taylor Swift’s formal endorsement of Harris — a possibility Republicans were apoplectic over leading up to last year’s Super Bowl. But the popular vote is meaningless in a presidential election. Most handicappers say the election will hinge on the swing states of Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Georgia, North Carolina, Nevada and Arizona. A third of the country desperately wants to believe anything Trump says; but there’s comfort in knowing the MAGA echo chamber isn’t at all dominant. The issue is getting the sane majority registered and to the polls to literally save American Democracy.

What happens when Bibi’s lust to remain in power overrides the importance of the lives of Israeli hostages? When six hostages who were alive until recently are found dead by IDF troops? When Israel’s “security excesses” kill people delivering aid to desperate people in Gaza? Whose role is it to tell Bibi to step down? Israeli opposition leaders, American benefactors?  It should be a coordinated effort between US and Israeli officials not affiliated with Likud (“Israeli MAGA”). Likud is as brainwashed over Bibi as MAGA is over Trump.

Last week, the IDF attacked at World Food Program truck, arguing falsely that the convoy had been hijacked by terrorists. The Washington Post reported, “The convoy had been delivering medical supplies and fuel to an Emirati-run hospital in Rafah . . , and its route was coordinated with the Israel Defense Forces.”

In April, seven World Central Kitchen workers were killed by the IDF including one American Jacob Flickinger, because the IDF wrongly claimed that militants were part of that convoy. The Biden administration response to these incidents has been inadequate and ineffective; expressing “deep alarm,” and demanding that Israel, “immediately rectify the issues within their system that allowed this to happen.” Non-MAGA Americans recognize the urgent need for more effective American, DIRECT involvement, to better assure Vice-President Kamala Harris’ electoral chances in November. Her unequivocal statement at the DNC supporting “self-determination for the Palestinian people,” needs to be backed up with direct action by Biden, or he’s hurting her. Biden needs to forcefully demand Bibi’s resignation without qualification. He was a mensch to withdraw from the Presidential race, but must become more forceful for the remainder of his term toward Israel. Otherwise, he’s helping Donald Trump.

Why has Bibi resisted setting up an inquiry commission into the state security failures of October 7? Because all the evidence points to him, according to Haaretz columnist Yossi Verter. Bibi was furnished with the same intelligence that Opposition Leader Yair Lapid was, which was issued by Ronan Bar, Director of the Shin Bet security service. Meanwhile, Likud’s party line is that, “the time for this discussion will be after the war,” which they are doing everything to prolong in service to protecting Bibi from prison for his bribery and corruption crimes.

 Perhaps the most alarming recent development has been Israel’s effort to escalate the coordinated violence against multiple West Bank towns. The worst fears about Ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Belezel Smotrich are quickly being realized, with the IDF AND settlers making war on Palestinians. They are the Israeli equivalent of Israeli “Proud Boys,” appointed to sensitive Cabinet positions by Bibi, as a reward for their support in helping him form a government.  Trump’s disastrous presidency empowered Bibi and Likud, which would not have occurred under “normal” US leadership. With Israel facing war fronts in Gaza and its northern border, it is also ramping up military activities in the West Bank, further empowering the 700,000 far-right Israeli settlers, who are there in violation of International Law.

 Haaretz writer Eren Yashiv argues that the Israeli opposition should resign the Knesset in masse, to paralyze the Likud government; rather than wait for it to implode on its own from the weight of Bibi’s dysfunctional coalition. It was precarious from the beginning, composed of far-right and deeply religious parties with conflicting agendas. The entire opposition could bring down the government by resigning. Why wait for the coalition to implode? This passage summarizes the failure of the Israeli opposition: “Fortunately for him (Bibi), he has faced no real political opposition over the past 20 months. Instead, he has faced a temporizing, subdued, often cowardly opposition that always has a ready excuse for why it shouldn’t do something.”

 What will it take to force Bibi from office, and de-legitimize him? An underlying theme here is the parallel paths of the US and Israel under Trump and Bibi, as both nations move closer to breaking point thresholds of Democracy.  Alon Pinkas illustrates the failure of the Israeli opposition to stand up to Bibi, the way Democrats cowered and caved to Ronald Reagan when he was first elected; and struggled to remake themselves into something palatable to Republicans until the past few years. Some still do.

Bibi has a rich history of undermining US leadership under Democrats, going back to President Barack Obama in 2015; and also colluding with Donald Trump, whose ignorance about Israeli-Palestinian history has been wantonly destructive, and given Bibi carte blanche to be even more destructive. Whereas, Presidents Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama were the kinds of friends who don’t let their friends commit political-economic suicide. American voters objecting to Biden’s soft-peddling, ineffective negotiations with Bibi need to remember that Trump will let Bibi totally raze what remains of Gaza, and “let him do whatever the hell he wants” – continue to abuse the human and property rights of Palestinians in the West Bank, just as he did in his first (and hopefully ONLY term).

Bibi has proven to be the Unites States’ most dishonorable and treacherous ally-negotiating partner in our history. As Haaretz columnist Amir Tibon noted, two weeks ago, “Netanyahu pulled on Blinken the same trick he has been pulling on American diplomats for his entire career: Doublespeak. One message in English, the opposite in Hebrew.” He’s played Democratic presidents for stooges for too long. It’s time for Joe Biden to follow Sen. Chuck Schumer’s lead and say to Bibi, “It’s time for you to go.”  Bibi prosecutes a genocidal war to remain in office and out of prison, insisting that an ongoing military onslaught will bring Hamas to its knees and the hostages home. But Yossi Verter cogently noted, “Military pressure will not rescue the hostages, it is killing them.” 

—

Bonus Video added by Informed Comment:

Al Jazeera English Video: Major Israel protests and general strike over fate of captives in Gaza | Al Jazeera Newsfeed

I was never a Republican, though I interned for one right after high school, Rep. Robin Beard (TN). Though Beard championed himself as a “conservative,” used the word “liberal” on pejorative terms, and was one of President Richard Nixon’s last defenders; Beard was a true conservative. He was fervently anti-Communist, as all conservatives and Republicans had been since World War II, and a balanced-budget hawk His objections to self-help and social entitlement programs were rooted in genuine concern for fiscal sense, rather than a cruel philosophy that poor people don’t deserve better lives. The Heritage Foundation used to promote the same brand of conservatism, but now bring the proposed Project 2025, which gives Trump a fulfilled wish list, to dispense with all those pesky government “guardrails,” against Fascism. It calls for:

– Sacking of thousands of civil servants, expanding the power of the president, dismantling the Department of Education, sweeping tax cuts, a ban on pornography, halting sales of the abortion pill, and more.

– Proposes that the entire federal bureaucracy, including independent agencies such as the Department of Justice, be placed under direct presidential control – a controversial idea known as “unitary executive theory.” And eliminating job protections for thousands of government employees, who could then be replaced by political appointe

-Despite the embarrassing failure of Trump’s border wall proposal, and the $millions wasted on it, Project 2025 calls for increased funding for a wall on the US-Mexico border – one of Trump’s signature proposals in 2016 – is proposed in the document. Project 2025 also proposes dismantling the Department of Homeland Security and combining it with other immigration enforcement units in other agencies, creating a much larger and more powerful border policing operation. Other proposals include eliminating visa categories for crime and human trafficking victims, increasing fees on immigrants and allowing fast-tracked applications for migrants who pay a premium.” I could go on, but that’s disturbing enough. (Explore the link above.)

My internship was in the summer of 1973, which coincided with the Watergate hearings, and I was honored to attend in person on two occasions. Frankly, I thought the Republicans under Nixon were getting pretty weird, when some of them started crying that Nixon was too liberal. They always wanted somebody meaner. As I studied the ideologies of the Democrats and Republicans before I started college, I sensed that Republicans could someday be vulnerable to megalomaniac takeover by someone such as Trump, and use it as a springboard for full-bore Fascism in the US. But I never dreamed that Republicans would ever favor Russia (the old or neo-USSR) over NATO and the western alliances crafted after World War II. I often counter pro-Trump acolytes and arguments by saying, “Oh, so I guess you weren’t happy with the results of the Civil War or World War II.”

For all his evil deeds, Nixon gave the US a lot of great things including EPA, expanded social programs for food stamps, Infant nutrition; Endangered Species, Clean Air and Water Acts;  ended the military draft and began the withdrawal from Vietnam, lowered the voting age to 18, and he signed Title IX of the Civil Rights Act. Nixon was a hero for women’s sports! He also gave American Natives self-determination over much of their tribal lands and sacred burial grounds. Nixon did all that, which today’s Republicans are too mean and creepy to support. But it was weird that Nixon chose the “CREEP” acronym for his presidential re-election campaign, (*The Committee to Re-Elect the President.). Nixon deserves credit for foreshadowing the branding of today’s Republicans.

“Trump Creepy,” Digital, Dream/ Dark Fantasy, 2024.

Trump’s proposed agenda, if re-elected makes no attempt to hide his intent to supplant American Democracy with full-bore Fascism. He expressed intent to undermine or “fix” the Justice System to protect himself, as Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu has done. He promises/threats to use the Justice Department as a tool to persecute and imprison his political rivals, and carry out mass deportations of foreign nationals, even if they hold US citizenship. The idea of American concentration camps was already realized by Stephen Miller, with the Trump campaign to separate families at the Mexican border, and detain children in inhumane conditions. His campaign is supported by Republican governors’ stunts to bus asylum-seekers out of their states, and into locales with progressive political leaders. The war on gays and LGBTQ culture would be amplified, and local school districts would lose control over their curriculum choices, leading to more book bannings and burnings.

Trump, Vance, Miller (He was kicked out of all 12 Tribes and can no longer be considered Jewish) and Steve Bannon are not weird; they are dangerously creepy and scary.

Today’s Republicans would HANG Nixon for all his relatively progressive initiatives and accomplishments. Maybe they’ll hang JD Vance instead, who may not realize what he signed on for. Obviously, he didn’t consult Mike Pence.

She spoke for many Democrats and independents. Rep. Jerrold Nadler, who did attend, said in advance, ““Benjamin Netanyahu is the worst leader in Jewish history since the Maccabean king who invited the Romans into Jerusalem over 2100 years ago.  Prime Minister Netanyahu’s address to a joint session of Congress is . . .a cynical stunt aimed at aiding his own desperate political standing at home and meddling in domestic American politics only months before a highly consequential election. Prime Minister Netanyahu and his American allies are seeking to use the United States Congress, the greatest legislative body in the world, as the set for their next partisan advertisement, casting elected Members of Congress as glorified extras. . . tomorrow’s speech should not be happening. . . . As a lifelong Zionist, I am deeply committed to Israel’s fundamental security and opportunity to prosper. . . . For these reasons, and out of respect for the State of Israel and the office of the Prime Minister, I plan to attend . . I feel my voice is more impactful in the room, holding the Prime Minister accountable.”

The speech was a pep rally for a strange amalgam of Israel’s far right Likud Party and the MAGA GOP. Those two parties have been perversely aligned since Donald Trump and Netanyahu began campaigning for one another, which they did again in 2020. Both men are desperately trying to remain in power in order to avoid criminal consequences for their abuses of power. Netanyahu continues to prosecute a war in Gaza to distract Israel from his criminal charges. Trump seeks the presidency again to avoid criminal accountability and return to office, so he can dispense with American Democracy.

No foreign leader has ever meddled with US politics in such a presumptive and arrogant way as Netanyahu has, as if he is the superpower, and the US is the client state. Netanyahu has presumed to dictate to American presidents on each of his three prior addresses to Congress. His presence in Congress today was a divisive element that has splintered the Democratic caucus.

The absence of senior leadership was notable, especially the absence of Vice President Kamala Harris. That sent a huge message disapproval. Kamala cited a scheduling conflict for sitting this one out, though she was supposed to preside; but she didn’t want to be tarred with Netanyahu’s residue or any association with him.

While he framed the Gaza conflict as one between barbarism and civilization, and as a proxy war between the US and Iran, Netanyahu himself is responsible for much of the upheaval with his genocidal campaign and resulting global revulsion. His use of hostages and Israeli soldiers as props in Congress were acts of demagoguery.

The address was notable for what he did not say, as much as what he did. He made no mention of his own contributions to escalating the conflict, and acted as though the millions of American protesters, including Jews, were rooting for Hamas. No,, Mr. Netanyahu, they are demanding your resignation for the sake of Israel. While he noted that three Israeli hostages who escaped, he didn’t note that they were killed by Israeli troops apparently instructed to shoot down any adult males they saw in the open.

Netanyahu said he “wont rest until all loved ones are home,” but he has clearly made prosecuting the war to stay in office his priority, rather than negotiating a release of the hostages. That was one of many gas lighting elements, along with saying American protesters were rooting for Hamas. Objectors aren’t sympathizers of Hamas. They object to Netanyahu’s failed policies.

His called the protesters useful idiots of Iran and Hamas, while his own useful idiots in Congress treated him like their own president giving a State of the Union speech. His reference to the prophets and fathers don’t absolve Israel from being a colonialist state under him and other PMs going back to Menachem Begin.

Netanyahu’s demonization of American college presidents and other academics as antisemitic ignores his own role in exacerbating global antisemitism, by his openly genocidal policies, to heights unseen since World War II.  Netanyahu himself is the demon demonizing Israel. Claiming a low ratio of non-combatant deaths to combatant deaths in Rafah is a lie of shocking magnitude, even for him. Then he characterized the 24 people killed as “practically none.”

The Times and the Sunday Times Video: “Congress protest calls Netanyahu a ‘war criminal’”

Then there was the Orwellian assertion that only Israel is standing in the way of a war between the US and Iran, while he is the most persistent instigator of such a horror. Israel is not fighting Iran on behalf of US. Israel is not protecting the US, but increasing our risks and compromising our international standing.

While he has a fantasy of a Gaza with a peaceful civilian administration, his undermining of the Palestine Authority, led by the secular-minded Fatah, destroyed that, while de facto inviting Hamas to fill the consequent leadership vacuum. Another Netanyahu fantasy is his proposed Abraham Alliance, which would build on the disastrous, dysfunctional Abraham Accords of Jared Kushner.

Clearly, the Israeli prime minister wants Donald Trump back in office to achieve his desired outcome, and thanked him for fulfilling his wish list while in office. Basking in the adulation of Republican sycophants, Netanyahu waved to the crowd like Mussolini, to whom he is much closer than to Churchill, though Churchill also displayed a colonial arrogance and disregard for the rights of the Palestinians that should be embarrassing to any contemporary leader.

Israeli journalist Barak Ravid said immediately afterward on CNN, “He didn’t take responsibility. He didn’t say he’d repair the damage he’s done.” With his 32% approval rating, he was speaking to Israelis as much as the Congress. Netanyahu tried to re-assert himself as the most influential Israeli politicians in the US, because his popularity at home is so weak with a 72% disapproval rating.

Perhaps the richest lie of the day was his boasting about limiting civilian casualties, which contradicts all information from the United Nations and international aid groups.

In response, Sen. Bernie Sanders said, “I think in Netanyahu you have somebody who is a war criminal, who is a demagogue. I think he’s a liar and I think in order to save his political skin in Israel — where he is enormously unpopular — he is prepared to starve hundreds of thousands of children in Gaza. It really sad that he was invited to speak before a joint session of Congress.”