An appeal to the sleeping
Steven Beschloss is sounding the alarm to stop us from the fall
13 Weeks
That’s the number of weeks until we will likely know the Republican nominee for President and it will almost surely be Donald J. Trump. In those weeks 22 states will vote in Republican primaries and caucuses, including eight in January, February, March, and the 14 for this year’s “Super Tuesday,” on March 5th.
This week’s podcast guest, journalist and professor Steven Beschloss, was still reeling from that news in a column by Robert Kagan in the Washington Post when he joined me for the latest episode of ‘On Democracy’ yesterday. Kagan lays out how Trump is nearly inevitable to be nominated and is clearly laying out plans for an American dictatorship.
Steven has been sounding the alarm for months that Americans are not paying attention as we face one of the clearest threats to our democracy in our lifetimes. Perhaps it’s fatigue from this never ending political cycle; concern about only personal circles like work and money; or maybe people just don’t care about our politics. None of those offer hope for us stopping the rush to dismantling of our government and society as we know it if the far-right plans of Trump, Project 2025, and Agenda 47 are implemented.
Media Misses
Steven recently launched a new video series on his ‘America, America’ Substack called ‘Media Misses’ partnering with Mark Jacob, former Chicago Tribune metro editor and author of the ‘Stop the Presses’ newsletter. The series will discuss news stories that miss the point on the moment or twist the facts into neutral language that completely buries the issues. Their first one discusses a recent New York Times story that truly buries the lede.
The Conversation on the ‘On Democracy’ channel
Steven Beschloss
Award-winning writer, journalist and filmmaker Steven Beschloss searches for compelling stories around the world and engaging ways to bring them to life. In print. Digital. For film & TV. His writing has been published by leading media, his film work sold to more than 20 countries. Emphasizing politics and society, urban and global affairs, arts, travel and education, he's been based in New York, London, Helsinki, Moscow & Los Angeles. In addition, Steven directs the Narrative Storytelling Initiative at Arizona State University and is a Professor of Practice in the College of Global Futures and the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication.
He writes and publishes America, America, a thrice-weekly newsletter focused on politics and society, democracy and justice. His Substack was one of the very first ones I subscribed to and I look forward to every post.
My latest for MeidasTouch on Project 2025
I have another video in my series examining Projet 2025 and Agenda 47. This time I looked at the nefarious personnel plans they have leveraging the malevolent ‘Schedule F’ to gut the civil service and emplace tens of thousands of MAGA lackeys. Check it out and share it widely!
Thank you to all of our new community members. I’m excited to have you here and eager to share more of our historic moment and my experiences with you as we head into the election year.
Most Americans don't realize the stakes (that we are facing the end of American democracy) because the media isn't talking about it. Forget Fox News--it's barely discussed on CNN, MSNBC, etc. They are complicit in the situation.
I don’t know if this is discussed during your conversation - but part of the fatigue involving politics may be the incessant pleas for money, by which I mean several times every damned day. Some of us see the fascism train coming at us, but the response from those “defending democracy” seems to be limited to filling our inboxes and spamming our texts, begging for money. “Send money now to help save our Democracy!” “Did you see what [this week’s clown] said today?!” Our contact information has been sold/given to seemingly every single candidate - for federal or state office - I’ve blocked hundreds of addresses, but they keep coming. Add in the various PACs and others who have adopted the WinRed idiocy of “400% matching for the next 10 minutes!” and fatigue feels like the only sane response. Those planning our downfall are cozily ensconced in K Street offices, while the antics of their foot soldiers in Congress fill the airtime on cable news. Fatigue? Yes, please. /rant