Horny for fascism

You ever have one of those days where nothing surprises you but the sheer volume of things not surprising you is kind of overwhelming?

Here’s Politico reporter Natalie Allison with an extremely unsurprising yet deeply stupid bit of not-journalism:

I say “extremely unsurprising” because one of the regularly recurring features of the Trump era is journalists touting a new, kinder, gentler Trump. And I say “deeply stupid” because every time they do this Donald Trump remains, as he will always remain, the same old racist prick he’s always been. Whether they are mindless rubes who fall for Republican spin like your dog falls for the fake-throw trick or are deliberately trying to put a friendly face on Trump’s fascism is, at this point, a question I find extremely boring. Either way, this is what they’re doing:

August 20, 1939. Things got worse from there.

Speaking of treating fascist gatherings like they’re the social event of the summer, here’s The Washington Post:

That Washington Post article featured nearly two dozen glamour shots of Republican convention-goers, accompanied by fluffy text like this:

“I’ve been with the Trump campaign from Day 1, and I’ve been to 79 rallies. I’m known for wearing a green hat in the front of his rallies, but I put it aside for this gold one because it represents the sunrise on the horizon and the dawning of a new day for the Republican Party. And this groovy shirt with cartoons of Trump surfing was given to me by my sister as a Christmas gift,” said Edward X. Young, an attendee from Brick, N.J.

Edward X. Young is the guy in the yellow MAGA hat in the screenshot above. The Washington Post didn’t tell readers anything about Young, or the other delegates it gave the friendly treatment. So I was curious who they are and did some light googling, and … yikes!

Then there’s Carrie Moore, to whom the Post gives this friendly treatment:

Carrie Moore, an alternate delegate from Corpus Christi, Tex., attends her first RNC convention. “It’s really nice that at events like this we can all relax and not have to fear attacks on us, like on our Moms for Liberty stuff. It’s a very positive event, and we get to change people’s minds about what Republicans really look and act like. We’re not hate-filled crazy monsters.”

Again, I was curious, and 20 seconds of internet searching later found that Carrie Moore is a leader in a book-banning effort targeting books that feature LGBTQ themes. Might’ve been nice for The Washington Post to mention instead of just giving her space to portray herself as a victim!

And Tammy Nichols. The Post doesn’t tell us much at all about her, just that she’s “a delegate from Middleton, Idaho, attends her first RNC convention and had a gown custom made for the occasion.” Oh, cool cool cool. And there’s a full-screen glamour shot of her. How nice! So anyway, Tammy Nichols is also a member of the Idaho state senate who introduced a bill to criminalize covid vaccines.

There’s more! Here’s The Washington Post: “I feel like this convention is going to save America. The patriots and superheroes are gathering here today, kind of like a Marvel convention,” said P. Rae Easley, an attendee from Chicago.” Not mentioned: That same P. Rae. Easley has (correctly!) said that Donald Trump’s father was racist and that Trump should apologize to the Central Park Five, the innocent Black and Latino teenagers Trump said should be put to death. Seems notable!

I’m sure there’s more but I have to move on to the New York Times. First thing this morning, these were the news headlines mentioning Trump on the Times’ homepage:

“A Party Now Molded In Trump’s Image Prepares For A Coronation”

“Usha Vance and the Iconography of the Trump Women”

“Donald Trump will accept the Republican nomination for president tonight”

“A Republican Hard Sell Pushes a Softer Image of Trump”

“JD Vance Becomes Trump’s New Apprentice”

“After time away from the spotlight, Tucker Carlson roared into the GOP convention as a top Trump ally”

“Trump 2.0: He’s Never Sounded Like This Before”

Then the Times sent out Jess Bidgood’s daily On Politics newsletter, which … well, I won’t argue with Talia Lavin’s characterization:

Speaking of which, what is going on here?

Whoa.

The accompanying text, in which Axios bros Jim VandeHei and Mike Allen breathlessly wrote of “Donald Trump's chest-beating macho appeals,” makes the art look almost subtle by comparison: “Dana White, the macho president of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), the hottest sport for testosterone-charged fans, will introduce Trump, whose rhetoric and policies shoot right into the bloodstream of his male-dominated base. White, a controversial figure in his own right, apologized last year after being filmed slapping his wife at a nightclub.”

Oh what the heck, let’s go back to the New York Times:

The New York Times has spent days lying to its audience about whether JD Vance supports an abortion ban (he does, very much so!) but at least we can count on it to explain how Vance’s selection as the Republican vice presidential nominee is a giant step forward in representation for Bearded Americans.

Anyway Donald Trump is a cruel and virulent racist who became president after asking for and receiving Russia’s help in the 2016 election and then as president fired the FBI director for investigating Russia’s attacks on our electoral system and then spent four years as president encouraging his supporters to use violence on his behalf, laying the groundwork for the violent insurrection he incited in a desperate attempt to cling to power after losing re-election, and since leaving office he has been convicted of 34 criminal counts stemming from his attempts to cover up his relationship with Stormy Daniels in the weeks leading up to the 2016 election,¹ in addition to being found civilly liable for slandering a woman he sexually assaulted.

That’s who he has been, who he is, and who he will remain.

1. This text has been edited. I originally conflated Trump’s 34-count conviction with other, not-yet-resolved Trump indictments for other crimes he (allegedly, but come on, we’re all adults here) committed in an attempt to win another election. I regret both the error.