Republicans too extreme for 2024?

Gilead

Donald Trump

Coup attempt


Fig. 1. “Jake Angeli (Qanon Shaman), seen holding a Qanon sign at the intersection of Bell Rd and 75th Ave in Peoria, Arizona, on 2020 October 15.” Photography by TheUnseen011101 [pseud.], October 15, 2020, via Wikimedia Commons, public domain.

Philip Bump thinks the misbehaving extremists in the Republican Party pose a problem for the party in 2024.[1]

Abortion will almost certainly be another part of that problem[2] though the Democrats have repeatedly failed to codify Roe v. Wade[3] and are thus arguably undeserving.

Philip Bump, “The core weakness of the Republican Party, on raucous display,” Washington Post, February 8, 2023, https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/02/08/biden-greene-mccarthy-republicans-heckling/

Twitter


Fig. 2. “Elon Musk shared a video of his entrance on his Twitter account.” Photograph attributed to Elon Musk, October 26, 2022, via the New York Post,[4] fair use.

It has to be admitted that the collapse of Twitter is, at the very least, taking somewhat longer than I anticipated. Given the manner in which software engineering layoffs were executed,[5] I am very much inclined to credit the now laid-off engineers for having built a robust platform that is taking a long while for Elon Musk to completely demolish.

Usefulness is another question. Towards the end of January, I ran a poll (figure 3) from my private account, thus limited to my followers, asking if any were still there. Out of, still, 836 followers, only six responded.

Fig. 3. Screenshot taken of Twitter poll[6] by author on February 9, 2023.

I’m still posting updates from the Irregular Bullshit and Not Housebroken on Twitter but it’s clear my effective reach there is nearly nil. I rarely pop in nowadays myself because, honestly, I’m not seeing posts from people I regularly interacted with. (I also update a page on Facebook which I can’t even stand to log in to.)

Josh Taylor, “Twitter users told they’ve hit daily post limit in latest outage since Musk takeover,” Guardian, February 8, 2023, https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2023/feb/09/twitter-users-temporarily-unable-to-post-in-latest-outage-since-musk-takeover

Academic repression


Fig. 5. “The Evolution of Intellectual Freedom.” Comic by Jorge Cham, 2011, via Episyllogism[7] fair use.

We learned the lesson that the university is a fragile institution, that it is very dependent on the conditions under which it operates in order to retain its autonomy as an institution and its values of academic freedom. But it also reminded us that the university is a powerful institution — because were it not for that fact, an authoritarian regime would not spend so much time and energy.[8]

You’ll see here that I have included Karin Fischer’s column under three different categories, each with a passage quoted from an interview with Shalini Randeria, who is “president and rector of Central European University, a liberal-arts institution started by George Soros, a financier and civil-society activist.”[9]

Perhaps the most important passage for me, personally, is included under Ukraine, in which Randeria states that the university “can be a space for refuge from these harsh conditions of life. It’s about the life of the mind and to keep that open space for people.[10]

It was in these past twenty-two years, when I have been refused gainful employment,[11] ripped from any possibility of a decent life, that I returned to school, finished my Bachelor’s, a Master’s, and a Ph.D. The university was my refuge, just as Randeria describes, and still one I desperately wish I could return to, probably even as an adjunct, but academia is now among the places that have refused me gainful employment, and the possibility of returning as a student carries too dear a price in terms of my already astronomical student loan debt, particularly when I lack evidence that additional degrees would overcome whatever bigotry human resources types hold against me.

Karin Fischer, “The power and vulnerability of colleges amid rising authoritarianism,” Chronicle of Higher Education, February 8, 2023, https://www.chronicle.com/newsletter/latitudes/2023-02-08


Illiberalism


Fig. 4. Photograph by Joachim F. Thurn, August 1991, Bundesarchiv, B 145 Bild-F089030-0003, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 DE.

The backbone of a democracy is dissent, is argument, is critical thought. It’s diversity, pluralism. If you want to stifle both pluralism and dissent, then you attack universities. As is the case with most of these authoritarian governments, if your idea is that higher education is about indoctrination and not education, then an autonomous university is a real thorn in your flesh. This is a presumption on my part, but probably the fear of universities is that we are educating critical, independent thinkers for the next generations.[12]

Ishaan Tharoor, “Earthquake’s tragic aftermath puts spotlight on Turkey’s leader,” Washington Post, February 8, 2023, https://www.washingtonpost.com//world/2023/02/08/erdogan-turkey-aftermath-earthquake-politics/

Karin Fischer, “The power and vulnerability of colleges amid rising authoritarianism,” Chronicle of Higher Education, February 8, 2023, https://www.chronicle.com/newsletter/latitudes/2023-02-08

Jeremy Sharon, “Former AG: Netanyahu seeking to use judicial reform to bring trial to improper end,” Times of Israel, February 9, 2023, https://www.timesofisrael.com/former-ag-netanyahu-seeking-to-use-judicial-reform-to-bring-trial-to-improper-end/


Ukraine


Fig. 5. “Destroyed Russian military vehicles located on the main street Khreshchatyk are seen as part of the celebration of the Independence Day of Ukraine in Kyiv, August 24.” Photograph by Gleb Garanich for Reuters, August 24, 2022,[13] fair use.

The very first question that this 18-year-old girl asked me was, How does one forgive someone who has done such awful things to your fellow citizens and country? I said, well, there are very many views on this, but let me tell you something about Gandhi. Because he had very interesting views on the whole question of morality in politics and what forgiveness could mean and why the perpetrators of injustice are as deformed by that injustice as victims are.

You ask yourself, who am I to give advice sitting in the luxury of Vienna while your families are being bombed, your fathers and brothers are on the front? But they were asking the questions. That is where the university is a unique institution. It can reach out in these very troubled times and can be a space for refuge from these harsh conditions of life. It’s about the life of the mind and to keep that open space for people.[14]

Karin Fischer, “The power and vulnerability of colleges amid rising authoritarianism,” Chronicle of Higher Education, February 8, 2023, https://www.chronicle.com/newsletter/latitudes/2023-02-08


So-called ‘ridesharing’

Bezzle


Fig. 6. “Clarkdale Classic Gas Station, Clarkdale, Arizona,” Photograph by Alan Levine, October 28, 2016, via Wikimedia Commons, CC0.

Preetika Rana, “Lyft Shares Slide After Disappointing Revenue and Ridership Numbers,” Wall Street Journal, November 7, 2022, https://www.wsj.com/articles/lyft-q3-earnings-report-2022-11667852844

Ashley Capoot, “Uber beats estimates and the stock is up,” CNBC, February 8, 2023, https://www.cnbc.com/2023/02/08/uber-earnings-q4-2022.html

Levi Sumagaysay, “Lyft stock sinks 30% after sales outlook falls short of $1 billion,” MarketWatch, February 9, 2023, https://www.marketwatch.com/story/lyft-stock-sinks-more-than-20-after-sales-outlook-fails-to-reach-1-billion-11675977504

Drivers


Fig. 7. Yeah, this is me. The sign says, “If you’re whining about a labor shortage, STOP ignoring my job applications!” And the QR-code leads here. Photograph by author, January 16, 2023.

I completed my 50-trip “challenge” with Lyft, in which they guaranteed I would make at least $1,200, this evening. Lyft now owes me about $650, in addition to the roughly $550 I earned doing those 50 trips. My conclusion remains that they have cut driver pay to even more insulting levels than Uber. So I’ll be back to being abused by Uber tomorrow.


  1. [1]Philip Bump, “The core weakness of the Republican Party, on raucous display,” Washington Post, February 8, 2023, https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/02/08/biden-greene-mccarthy-republicans-heckling/
  2. [2]Dan Balz, “The vaunted red wave never hit the shore in midterm elections,” Washington Post, November 9, 2022, https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/11/08/midterms-dissatisfied-voters-render-judgments-biden-republicans/; Annie Gowen and Colby Itkowitz, “Kansans resoundingly reject amendment aimed at restricting abortion rights,” Washington Post, August 3, 2022, https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2022/08/02/kansas-abortion-referendum/; Melody Gutierrez, “Proposition 1 abortion rights ballot measure passes,” Los Angeles Times, November 8, 2022, https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-11-08/2022-california-election-proposition-1-abortion-rights-results; Brent Kendall and Jess Bravin, “Supreme Court Overturns Roe v. Wade, Eliminates Constitutional Right to Abortion,” Wall Street Journal, June 24, 2022, https://www.wsj.com/articles/supreme-court-overturns-roe-v-wade-eliminates-constitutional-right-to-abortion-11656080124; Samantha Melamed, “Voters cited abortion as a key issue in Pennsylvania’s first election since ‘Roe’ was overturned,” Philadelphia Inquirer, November 8, 2022, https://www.inquirer.com/news/election-day-pennsylvania-abortion-reproductive-rights-voters-20221108.html; Rachel Roubein, “It was a pretty good Election Day for abortion rights,” Washington Post, November 9, 2022, https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/11/09/it-was-pretty-good-election-day-abortion-rights/; Laura Santhanam, “Majority of Americans don’t want Roe overturned,” Public Broadcasting System, May 19, 2022, https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/majority-of-americans-dont-want-roe-overturned; Julia Terruso and Jonathan Lai, “Women are registering to vote in Pa. in numbers far exceeding men since the Supreme Court abortion decision,” Philadelphia Inquirer, August 22, 2022, https://www.inquirer.com/politics/election/pennsylvania-women-voter-registration-dobbs-20220822.html
  3. [3]Scott Bixby, “Activists Tell Biden to ‘Do Your F*cking Job’ and Protect Abortion Rights,” Daily Beast, June 12, 2022, https://www.thedailybeast.com/activists-tell-biden-to-do-your-fcking-job-and-protect-abortion-rights; Jordain Carney, “Manchin joins with Senate GOP to block bill guaranteeing abortion access,” Hill, February 28, 2022, https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/596223-manchin-joins-with-senate-gop-to-block-bill-guaranteeing-abortion-access/; Jordain Carney, “Senate GOP, Manchin block abortion rights legislation,” Hill, May 11, 2022, https://thehill.com/news/senate/3485010-senate-gop-manchin-block-abortion-rights-legislation/; Carl Hulse, “Republicans Block Abortion Rights Measure in Senate,” Washington Post, February 28, 2022, https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/28/us/politics/abortion-rights-measure-senate.html; Anna North, “Abortion has been treated as a fringe issue by Democrats for decades. This is the result,” Vox, May 5, 2022, https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2022/5/5/23057317/abortion-supreme-court-roe-v-wade; William Rivers Pitt, “Democrats Had 50 Years to Save and Protect ‘Roe.’ They Failed,” Truthout, May 6, 2022, https://truthout.org/articles/democrats-had-50-years-to-save-and-protect-roe-they-failed/; Rachel Roubein, “Democrats don’t have the votes to scrap the filibuster for Roe,” Washington Post, July 1, 2022, https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/07/01/democrats-dont-have-votes-scrap-filibuster-roe/
  4. [4]Thomas Barrabi, “Elon Musk barges into Twitter HQ as deal nears: ‘Let that sink in,’” New York Post, October 26, 2022, https://nypost.com/2022/10/26/elon-musk-barges-into-twitter-headquarters-as-deal-nears/
  5. [5]David Benfell, “Elon Musk’s Achilles’ heel,” Not Housebroken, January 1, 2023, https://disunitedstates.org/2022/07/10/elon-musks-achilles-heel/
  6. [6]David Benfell, “Are any of my followers still actually here?” Twitter, January 26, 2023, https://twitter.com/n4rky/status/1618622404141666305
  7. [7]Bob Lane, “Academic Freedom,” Episyllogism, November 3, 2016, https://boblane.com/2016/11/03/academic-freedom/
  8. [8]Shalini Randeria, quoted in Karin Fischer, “The power and vulnerability of colleges amid rising authoritarianism,” Chronicle of Higher Education, February 8, 2023, https://www.chronicle.com/newsletter/latitudes/2023-02-08
  9. [9]Karin Fischer, “The power and vulnerability of colleges amid rising authoritarianism,” Chronicle of Higher Education, February 8, 2023, https://www.chronicle.com/newsletter/latitudes/2023-02-08
  10. [10]Shalini Randeria, quoted in Karin Fischer, “The power and vulnerability of colleges amid rising authoritarianism,” Chronicle of Higher Education, February 8, 2023, https://www.chronicle.com/newsletter/latitudes/2023-02-08
  11. [11]David Benfell, “About my job hunt,” Not Housebroken, n.d., https://disunitedstates.org/about-my-job-hunt/
  12. [12]Shalini Randeria, quoted in Karin Fischer, “The power and vulnerability of colleges amid rising authoritarianism,” Chronicle of Higher Education, February 8, 2023, https://www.chronicle.com/newsletter/latitudes/2023-02-08
  13. [13]Reuters, “Ukraine puts destroyed Russian tanks on display in Kyiv,” August 25, 2022, https://www.reuters.com/news/picture/ukraine-puts-destroyed-russian-tanks-on-idUSRTSALV9Q
  14. [14]Shalini Randeria, quoted in Karin Fischer, “The power and vulnerability of colleges amid rising authoritarianism,” Chronicle of Higher Education, February 8, 2023, https://www.chronicle.com/newsletter/latitudes/2023-02-08

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