Presidential libraries for several former U.S. Presidents wrote a joint statement for the first time to warn about the state of American democracy. “Others see our own house in disarray,” they declared. But they didn’t mention their namesakes’ roles in undermining U.S. credibility.
Do As I Say, Not As I Did
Ted Rall
Ted Rall is a syndicated political cartoonist for Andrews McMeel Syndication and WhoWhatWhy.org and Counterpoint. He is a contributor to Centerclip and co-host of "The Final Countdown" talk show on Radio Sputnik. He is a graphic novelist and author of many books of art and prose, and an occasional war correspondent. He is, recently, the author of the graphic novel "2024: Revisited."
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Behold, THE pillars of cosmic hypocrisy!!!
But you forgot St. Ronald “sure I committed treason … but in my heart, and according to my astrologer, it was OK” Reagan.
And speaking of the namesake of the “revolution” that has been the most efficient WMD in the last 40+ years,
you also failed to mention Carter having started that murderous neo-liberal project by ushering in the first waves of
deregulation of our corporate blood-suckers.
Preznits always end up being monsters, and I don’t mean in some sort of “Sophia’s Choice” kind of way where no good options exist. But look at the tech bros. I mean, really, look at them. You want monsters? Look at the effect social media/internet has had on the presidency. Obama may have been the first “social media” president, but that was during SocMed’s infancy. Trump was the first president to form in its all-pervasive grip, and Biden was next. Trump and Biden. It’s like carpooling with Jeffrey Dahmer and John Wayne Gacy on the way to pick up the Zodiac Killer.
As Ted points out, this upcoming election? We’re going to have fake AI ads. The tech bros will become even more crucial to the process, and they’ll have enormous influence. And I wouldn’t take a ride from any one of them. But their products, their mindset, their “ethical framework” is shaping the presidency just as much as neoliberalism did. This election’s a rematch, so we know what we’re getting. But the next one? Jesus Aitch and all the saints, I hope you all have your bug-out bags and passports close at hand by then.
Carter’s funding of those forces in Afghanistan wasn’t secretive. You can blame him for hyping up / ramping up the war on drugs, though Nancy Reagan often gets more credit.