Trump's Intention: Misdirection

 

Send (someone or something) to the wrong place or in the wrong direction.

Elected Republicans have wavered at times — whether it was Trump’s condemnation of John McCain’s war record, his racist attack against a Mexican-American judge, his sexually predatory language caught on video, his alleged extramarital affairs, his decision to side with Russian President Vladimir Putin over U.S. intelligence, his promotion of false allegations of election fraud and his incitement of a violent mob that threatened the lives of lawmakers in both parties.

But after almost eight years of near-constant scandal, Republicans have ultimately rallied behind Trump over and over and over again. -Associated Press

Why?

Certainly, Trump is feeding into this frenzy. 

First, he set up a false narrative of impending arrest. Republicans rushed to Trump's aid, threatening an illegal investigation into a legal investigation, tarring District Attorney Alvin Bragg as a partisan hack. The idea was to cast doubt on the motivations of a legally assembled grand jury.

The idea was to misdirect. Lamont and Wiseman define misdirection as “that which directs the audience toward the effect and away from the method”, extending its scope beyond the simple manipulation of attentional processes.

And then there's the constant need to be the center of attention as evidenced by Trump's claim of his impending arrest. He needed to reenergize his flagging political momentum. He called for mass protest. What he got was something else. There were few protests. The protesters were far outnumbered by counter protesters. 

The BBC delved into this. Some of his supporters believed the protest were a setup by the deep state. Among them, Marjorie Taylor Greene. 

The same sentiments were rife in pro-Trump Facebook groups, on Telegram channels, on sites like 4chan, and on Truth Social.

Fear of being set up has not put an end to threats of violence. But there are indications that talk of violence against Trump's opponents is rising. "Advance Democracy, a non-partisan research group, found a spike in mentions of violence trebled on Truth Social after Mr Trump declared on Saturday that he would be arrested and urged his supporters to "PROTEST, TAKE OUR NATION BACK!"  -BBC

House Republicans understand their base is tied to Trump's base. They seem unwilling to stand with the facts. Yet, the lessons of 2016 and beyond are hard to ignore. Those who stood against Trump found themselves on the outside looking in. Because there are no consequences for Trump, the threat of violence increases. 

Two Years of Obstruction

Aleksandr Barsukov

But in times of crisis, the wise build bridges, while the foolish build barriers. We must find a way to look after one another as if we were one single tribe. 
- King T’Challa, Black Panther (2018)

Obstructionists Control Congress

There's a real possibility of obstructionist behavior from Republicans. We went through eight years of this during the Obama administration. With Republicans now in control of congress, we face two more years of political posturing.

Obstructionism is the practice of deliberately delaying or preventing a process or change, especially in politics.

German Lopez wrote in the New York Times this morning:

Republicans are positioned to trot out an old strategy: When a Democrat has been in the White House over the past few decades, congressional Republicans have embraced calls for reducing government spending, arguing that the debt and deficits were out of control. In the 2010s, Republicans used these threats to block spending bills and make it harder for Barack Obama to carry out his presidential agenda — at times risking government shutdowns and economic calamity.

It is a political play. When Donald Trump was in the White House, Republican lawmakers approved budgets and tax measures that raised the debt and deficits to new highs.

But the approach is nonetheless poised for a comeback once House Republicans can use the threat of shutdowns and economic consequences to restrain President Biden. Trump, who announced his run for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination last night, has pushed the party’s lawmakers to use these tactics to get concessions from Democrats.

Obstructionists Are Passive Aggressive

 Passive-aggressive people act passive but express aggression covertly. They're basically obstructionists who try to block whatever it is you want. 

There are strategies for dealing with passive aggressive people. Mindtools.com came up with eight strategies: 

1. Identify the Behavior.
2. Create a Safe Environment.
3. Use Language Carefully.
4. Stay Calm.
5. Identify the Cause.
6. Provide Training.
7. Set Clear Standards and Consequences.
8. Open up Channels of Communication.

Will any of these work on Republicans. Not without leverage. That leverage comes in two forms, accountability and the vote. Accountability is part of what public radio and public media listeners expect from us. The next two years represent an opportunity for us to meet the expectations of our listeners.

Republicans Defend Their Violent Rhetoric

Eye Roll, Please 

Politico reports Republicans are saying their violent rhetoric has nothing to do with the attack on Paul Pelosi.

And National Republican Congressional Committee Chair Tom Emmer (R-Minn.), who posted a video last week of himself firing a gun with the hashtag #FirePelosi, deflected a question about whether he should have used a weapon along with the hashtag.

Instead, Emmer sought to contrast the media’s treatment of the Pelosi attack with what he argued was a comparable lack of attention to the 2017 politically motivated shooting of House Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.).

Seems like the kind of tit-for-tat I used to hear in middle school. An adult needs to step in and tell Mr. Emmer that was over five years ago, and I seem to recall extensive coverage of the shooting of Steve Scalise. 

I Googled the shooting. There are over 750 thousand links to the shooting and reaction well after the event.

And what was Nancy Pelosi's response to the shooting of Mr. Scalise and others at that practice? I found this at FactCheck.org.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi — who was the Democratic House minority leader at the time — held a press conference the day after the shooting, in which she referenced the people who “lose their lives to gun violence in America every day.  Within many families and communities across America, the anguish that we are feeling personally in Congress today is altogether too familiar.”

Answering a question about political vitriol, Pelosi at one point referred to inaction on the issue.

“I think our energy should be used in our thoughts and prayers for Steve Scalise and Mr. Mika, and that’s really where our hearts are right now,” she said. “It’s a question of gun safety that, you know, has never happened. Little babies, little children in kindergarten, were massacred and nothing happened.”

There's a huge difference in the responses. Can you see it? Do you understand the difference?

Climate: On the edge

Devine Intervention 

To you, O Lord, I cry. For fire has devoured the pastures of the wilderness, and flames have burned all the trees of the field.

- Joel 1:19


I understand Joel's plea for Devine intervention, but that's not how it works.

We are still looking for some greater power to step in and save us today. It's part of the appeal of Donald Trump. "Only I can fix this." It's the fantasy and appeal of the Marvel Universe. In that universe, super heroes step in and save us. It's not going to happen.

Looking to God to justify or save us from our perilous state is an excuse to do nothing. We're shifting the blame to a much greater force when the blame lands squarely on our shoulders.

Maybe God is calling all of us to do something about this. We can overcome our plight if we work together. After all, we created this mess.

According to the climate change report put out by the UN, "Humans are "unequivocally" to blame, the report from the scientists of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) said. Rapid action to cut greenhouse gas emissions could limit some impacts, but others are now locked in." The report goes on to say, "Unless immediate, rapid and large-scale action is taken to reduce emissions, the average global temperature is likely to reach or cross the 1.5-degree Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) warming threshold within 20 years."

Republicans complain any action we take will cost jobs. Weigh that against the very real possibility that waiting will have lethal consequences.

The point is, we can no longer wait for intervention. We must act. It may be the ultimate act of loving our neighbor.

Voice of the day (Sojourners)
Human-induced climate change is already affecting many weather and climate extremes in every region across the globe.

- Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (August 2021)

Wind Turbines in the Cold

Texas Turbines Fail

Republicans in Texas are quick to blame wind turbines for their energy problems during the extreme winter weather there. That theory is more politically motivated than truthful. Wind turbines failed in Texas, but two-thirds of the power problems were due to breakdowns at fossil fuel power plants. Green energy has been a political punching bag for Texas Republicans like Gov. Greg Abbott throughout the winter storm. Experts say that politicians never take responsibility for natural disasters when it comes to preparedness. (Texas Tribune).

Abbott isn’t alone. Republicans looking to score political points from across the spectrum have been blaming green energy for the disaster, including those in Texas. “This is what happens when you force the grid to rely in part on wind as a power source,” Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas) tweeted Tuesday afternoon. “When weather conditions get bad as they did this week, intermittent renewable energy like wind isn’t there when you need it.”

To drive the point home, many are sharing a viral image of a helicopter de-icing a frozen windmill. “You know how you unfreeze frozen windmills? By sending up a helicopter that shoots out chemicals onto the blades,” Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) tweeted, ostensibly in response to the viral image. “You need fuel for the helicopter. Keep that in mind when thinking how ‘green’ windmills are.”

The only problem is that the image was not taken in Texas earlier this week. It was taken in Sweden in 2014. (Rolling Stone)

 Wind turbines work well in cold climates. All you have to do is look at how wind generating companies in the north operate. The turbines in the north are fitted with deicers. More traditional power plants are engineered to deal with the cold. So are the water companies. 

Utilities in Texas are being charged with a lack of preparedness in  the face of the storm. They knew it was coming. They had days to prepare. That would not have been enough time for a storm like this. Preparations should have begun years ago.

Utilities in the south are not equipped to deal with the cold. 

There have been warnings from climate scientists. Their warnings went unheeded. The change in the vortex has been under study since the 1950's. and the breakdown has been occurring more frequently with increasing intensity. An article published by Acuweather warns, Longer, harsher winters may be in store for the portions of North America as the polar vortex continues to weaken and shifts, according to a new study.

The vortex has been shifting according to Acuweather's Senior Meteorologist Bob Smerbeck. "There are other factors that determine where the vortex sets up," Smerbeck said. "The warm blob over the north Pacific in winter 2013-2014 and the unusually warm waters along the west coast of North America [for the] 2014-2015 winter contributed to a southward dip in the vortex across eastern North America and cold winters in the central and eastern U.S."

Climate denial is a big part of power politics in the south, especially Texas. With more of these events likely in the coming winters, preparing infrastructure for more extreme cold would seem to be imperative. Housing will need to be updated to withstand the cold.

It will be costly. It will be necessary.

There's an opportunity here. Updating the infrastructure means good paying jobs. 

A Change Is Gonna' Come

Once the change is made are you prepared? 

There's a whole lot that's involved in change. Just rushing in and making change for the sake of change can be challenging. The Republicans are in that spot right now. Benjamin Disraeli put it this way, The secret for success in life is for a person to be ready for their opportunity when it comes.

I've managed two changes in Public Radio. Both came with challenges.

Getting to Yes

Getting to yes requires more than the act of change. The follow through and clear direction after the change requires as much, if not more attention. The first change brought local control over the content. Unfortunately, there was no clear idea of the direction of the content. That lack of clarity brought dissension and confusion. Because leaders were not allowed to lead, it took about five years for the station to come about with a clear direction. To be sure, there was growth, The fits and stops stunted the growth as the majority of the staff each tried to assert their own vision. Those visions did not include the audience. They were all about personal agendas. On top of that, senior management was unprepared for the negative response from listeners. The atmosphere at the station became toxic until those elements were slowly weeded out.

The second change was more clearly planned. The direction of the programming and the content had the buy-in of the staff. There were clear estimates of the impact of the change among listeners and the supporters of the station.

Some will always resist change.

All of the staff was mobilized and ready for the impact, with the exception of top corporate management and the board. They were brought along every step of the process, but failed to clearly understand the negative impact the changes would have on certain sectors of the audience. They failed to understand the changes would not turn the audience on a dime.

Within six months the changes resulted in increased community service, significant audience changes, and increased funding within a year. That was forecast by the research. Those on top chose to ignore the findings of the research. The onslaught of phone calls by irritated members strained relationships within management. The negative feedback was also predicted and part of the preparations. The change agents paid the price, but the station thrives. A comprehensive approach to preparation led to a station that is thriving. We took the time to do it right. For those directly involved in the transition, the change went as expected.

The Republicans had seven years to prepare for their moment. For some reason, they weren't ready. True leadership is more than the act of the change. They did not invest in getting to yes.

Wisconsin Public Broadcasting Facing Cuts

Walker Proposes Big Cuts

Wisconsin Public Radio and Wisconsin Public Television could see as much as 34% of its state funding cut. The cuts are proposed in Republican Governor Scott Walker's Budget. The cuts could affect 8.5 positions out of a staff of 56. Walker spokesperson Laurel Patrick says, "We estimate that the ECB will be able to make up the difference in program revenue through grants, gifts and private donations as program revenue has come in ahead of estimates in recent budgets," Patrick said. "For instance, the ECB anticipated an increase of $1.8 million in additional program revenues during the next two fiscal years."

The Impact Will Be Felt

The cuts would go into effect next year. My experience is raising an extra $5million from listener and viewer sensitive income is not like flipping a switch. It will not happen immediately. If the cuts go through as proposed, some services will suffer and some jobs will be lost. Cuts seem likely. Both houses of the legislature in Wisconsin are controlled by the Republicans.



Gene Purcell, the Executive Director of the Educational Communications Board calls the cuts significant. WPR's and WPT also get support through the University. The Univeristy System in Wisconsin is also facing cuts in the Walker budget of about $300 million.




Read more: http://host.madison.com/news/local/writers/jessie-opoien/more-questions-than-answers-on-proposed-cut-to-wisconsin-public/article_bbd80036-ed8e-55a1-b6f1-4f1324cb4367.html#ixzz3Qz9xRh8a