The table above has these entries. Post entries with just one line for Reach were not boosted. Boosted posts have two lines for Reach and several other items. The upper line reflects all interactions, the bottom line just those resulting from paid ads.
For the emoticon table only, Love Haha Wow Sad Angry are listed separately.
==========
How does the devil corrupt politicians? It's easy -
just whisper in their ears "I know that this is really
important but there’s a thing I care about more, and if
I am not in office … I won’t be able to do that thing
I care about more." And so step by step, compromise
by compromise, the idealism that motivated a person to
go into politics to do good, becomes a motivation to stay
in office by any means necessary.
Henry Clay said "I'd would rather be right than be
president" and perhaps he meant it. As the Great
Compromiser, he did a lot of good - helped defer the Civil
War for 40 years - but had many faults and blind spots.
https://politicaldictionary.com/words/id-rather-be-right/
In our day we have Liz Cheney. She has plainspokenly
rejected the advice of the devil echoed by most of her GOP
colleagues, yet without compromising any of her genuine
conservative principles. She's decided she'd rather
be right than re-elected. This show of character is
so threatening to her GOP colleagues that they can't stop
denouncing her, worse than Democrats ever did.
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/01/opinion/liz-cheney-trump-jan-6.html
One of Clay's successors, Sam Rayburn, was famous for
saying "if you want to get along, go along."
What would he have done today?" We know
which whispered voice Kevin McCarthy and most of his
caucus follow. If they are successful they will achieve
historical notoriety for destroying American democracy,
forever stained by their embrace of lies and corruption.
Liz Cheney might appear in some future version of Profiles
in Courage. The survival of democracy and rule of law
depend both on constitutional structures and the characters
of individuals who choose whether to support or ignore
those structures.
#PS1theory
=====
comments 1
impact 143
impactrate 4
likeimpress 1
negative 0
posted 2022-08-01
ratio 3
react 5
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sumclicks 3
title How does the devil corrupt politicians? It's easy -
topic theory
wordrate 8
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ID 1722010971476748
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oreach 16
posted "08/01/2022 08:17:39 PM"
postlinkclicks 1
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reach 16
type Link
URL https://www.facebook.com/politicalscrapbooknet/posts/1722010971476748
==========
“People every week fill the tank. They see these big
prices”
https://www.mercurynews.com/2022/07/04/will-gas-prices-get-republicans-control-of-the-u-s-house/
People who don't follow politics - or economics -
can read the price on the pump and be unhappy and vote
the rascals out. The great thing for those on the
outside is that they only have to provide a sympathetic
ear and a promise to DO SOMETHING. They don't have to
have an actual credible solution to a global problem.
Of course that will come back to bite them in two years if
the problem still isn't solved by unpredictable external
world events. All they can do is blame their predecessors
and hope for the best.
#PS1theory
=====
impact 0
impactrate 0
negative 0
posted 2022-07-10
reactrate 0
sharesrate 0
title “People every week fill the tank. They see these big
topic theory
wordrate 1
words 109
ID 1705831329761379
impress 14
likeuimpress 7
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oimpress 14
oreach 12
posted "07/10/2022 07:40:55 PM"
reach 12
type Link
URL https://www.facebook.com/politicalscrapbooknet/posts/1705831329761379
==========
How minority rule works -
Norquist's tax pledge "was a neat way to synchronize
the interests of the very rich and the defiant
antigovernment streak of the white middle class"
See Albion's Seed for the influence of the English
cavaliers and borderlanders that persists to this day.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albion's_Seed
Striking back against a distant oppressive government
was the way that the rich white southern slaveowners (and
their local oppressive government) got the poor whites to
fight for slavery. Then they didn't point out that slavery
decreased the value of free white labor. Now they don't
point out (unless they are Rick Scott) that the whole point
of no new taxes (and government shutdowns over budget)
is to undo the safety net "entitlements" -
medicaid, obamacare, medicare, social security. So now
should Democrats try to harness the outrage over abortion
by putting tests to candidates? After all, in 2018
MeToo energy helped propel many Democrats into Congress.
But not enough to make enough difference.
One way to frame such a test - "Do you need to conduct
a poll to decide whether there is a constitutional right
to privacy?"
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/08/opinion/democrats-abortion-midterms.html
The radical right is clear that their intent is to undo
everything that depends on an imputed right of privacy,
including contraception and extramarital sex. And move
on to Independent State Legislatures that are gerrymandered
to perfect one-party rule - as was the case in the South
for a century. And from there to an imperial presidency
- for Republican presidents. They have the Supreme Court
they need to do all this. And it appears they have the
Senate enablers too.
Maybe these kinds of tests can help motivate the left wing
of the Democrats to vote instead of staying home.
Test questions are a way of simplifying complicated issues
into a form that casual voters who don't follow politics
can grasp. So they are invariably over-simplified. These
kinds of tests are designed to make sure that single-issue
voters stay excited enough to go and vote. There is
seldom any chance that they would go vote for the
opposition.
One could say that part of the Democrats' problem is that
their voters aren't as doggedly single-issue oriented as
Republicans' voters. And the single issue that does
motivate swing voters the most is - gas prices - a global
problem. Which Democrats can't do much about quickly, and
neither can Republicans. But educated suburban voters that
Democrats target are much more likely to vote Republican
if unhappy, whereas unhappy Republicans just stay home.
Democrats have to do it the hard way, upholding the rule
of law, eschewing outright lies. But to do it the GOP
way is to surrender. Then we might as well have just
one party. Ein Volk, Ein Reich, Ein Führer!
#PS1theory
=====
impact 0
impactrate 0
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posted 2022-07-10
reactrate 0
sharesrate 0
title How minority rule works -
topic theory
wordrate 3
words 460
ID 1705809053096940
impress 20
likeuimpress 6
likeuusers 5
oimpress 20
oreach 15
posted "07/10/2022 06:53:35 PM"
reach 15
type Link
URL https://www.facebook.com/politicalscrapbooknet/posts/1705809053096940
==========
Why America's founders embraced the Enlightenment ideal
of separation of church and state.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/05/05/kirill-bartholomew-orthodox-church-putin/
They had their own examples in their day, but today
we have the Russian Orthodox Church supporting Russia
politically and the Ukrainian Orthodox Church supporting
Ukraine politically. When church and state prostitute
themselves together, both are degraded.
#PS1theory
=====
impact 0
impactrate 0
negative 0
posted 2022-05-05
reactrate 0
sharesrate 0
title Why America's founders embraced the Enlightenment ideal
topic theory
wordrate 0
words 51
ID 1657783021232877
impress 14
likeuimpress 7
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oreach 14
posted "05/05/2022 08:39:26 PM"
reach 14
type Link
URL https://www.facebook.com/politicalscrapbooknet/posts/1657783021232877
==========
No different from 1860, really -
https://www.political-scrapbook.net/theory.html#political%20ideology%20for%20the%20masses
In 2019 Trumpists pretended to be outraged by the New York
Times suggestion that American history started in 1619.
Where had they been? This was old news in reactionary
Virginia school textbooks in 1957 and liberal civil rights
activist speeches in 1965.
https://www.political-scrapbook.net/1619/
Of course, the outraged were not interested in historical
accuracy, only in a present-day culture wars wedge issue
to indoctrinate the masses.
More here -
https://www.political-scrapbook.net/about.html
#PS1theory
=PS1boost
https://www.political-scrapbook.net/1619/
=====
comments 2
impact 8018
impactrate 8
likeimpress 2
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posted 2022-05-03
ratio 8
react 1069
reactrate 1
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sumclicks 1064
title No different from 1860, really -
topic theory
wordrate 0
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ID 1656318428046003
URL https://www.facebook.com/politicalscrapbooknet/posts/1656318428046003
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posted "05/03/2022 09:30:02 PM"
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sharesimpress 1
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type Link
==========
All politics is personal?
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/04/08/conservatives-liberals-personal-is-political/
It's definitely the case that swing voters in swing
states don't follow politics much and usually vote their
pocketbooks. That's going to be bad for any party
in power during rising inflation, even if it's global.
FDR finally had to impose wage and price controls. If the
war continues, will Biden?
#PS1theory
=====
impact 0
impactrate 0
negative 0
posted 2022-04-08
reactrate 0
sharesrate 0
title All politics is personal?
topic theory
wordrate 0
words 56
ID 1638448956499617
impress 8
likeuimpress 6
likeuusers 6
oimpress 8
oreach 7
posted "04/08/2022 08:45:22 PM"
reach 7
type Link
URL https://www.facebook.com/politicalscrapbooknet/posts/1638448956499617
==========
Precepts of Rule of Law that you might hope that anybody
who cherishes the Enlightenment ideals of America's
founders might embrace -
== Epistemology
We affirm reason over superstition. There is an
objective reality that can be better understood by
diligent study and empirical inquiry. Subjective
ideas of reality are not equally valid nor equally
worthy of study. By definition there is only one
set of facts; there are no alternative facts.
We affirm consideration of well-earned authority
over unthinking deference to received wisdom from
self-declared authority. The truth of a person
depends on the truth of what he says. The truth of
a statement does NOT depend on the identity of the
person who said it. We affirm the Enlightenment
ideals of America's founders.
== Rule of Law
We affirm the Rule of Law and reject Cult of
Personality. Nobody is above the law and it applies
to everybody equally. Voluntary self-restraint
is a foundation of liberty. Individual rights
only exist in the context of the rights of others.
Long-standing precedents from the past should not be
overturned without full and careful consideration,
and similar consideration should precede new
precedents set for the future. We reject any
and all political or financial support from
racists, Nazis, fascists, communists, rioters,
terrorists, insurrectionists, and individuals or
organizations advocating or engaging in violence or
attempting to overthrow government or change it by
unconstitutional means, or knowingly disseminating
blatant false propaganda to foment unrest.
Established international borders must not be
changed except by consent of all parties involved,
and never by force or threat.
== Essence of America and Americanism
We believe that human progress is possible for
individuals and institutions, and reject the idea
that all governments are corrupt and thus no one
is better or worse than another. America is an
idea and an ideal, constantly striving toward
more perfect realization - rather than a matter of
ethnicity, sect, class, or other accident of birth.
America honors personal and collective achievement
rather than accident of birth. We affirm equal
political and economic opportunity for all
and reject a hereditary political and economic
nobility. Concentration of power is inherently
harmful. Ambition must be made to counteract
ambition, in government, economy, media, and
religion. When church and state lie together,
both are corrupted.
== Democracy
Public service in a large complex society is a
full-time job and a solemn responsibility, not
an opportunity for self-enrichment. Statutory
compensation should suffice, and all other
prohibited. It should be as easy as possible for
every eligible voter to vote in every election.
Every vote in an election counts equally. Election
administration must be scrupulously non-partisan
and governed by law.
Comparisons to Trumpism at Precepts of Rule of Law that
you might hope that anybody who cherishes the Enlightenment
ideals of America's founders might embrace -
== Epistemology
We affirm reason over superstition. There is an
objective reality that can be better understood by
diligent study and empirical inquiry. Subjective
ideas of reality are not equally valid nor equally
worthy of study. By definition there is only one
set of facts; there are no alternative facts.
We affirm consideration of well-earned authority
over unthinking deference to received wisdom from
self-declared authority. The truth of a person
depends on the truth of what he says. The truth of
a statement does NOT depend on the identity of the
person who said it. We affirm the Enlightenment
ideals of America's founders.
== Rule of Law
We affirm the Rule of Law and reject Cult of
Personality. Nobody is above the law and it applies
to everybody equally. Voluntary self-restraint
is a foundation of liberty. Individual rights
only exist in the context of the rights of others.
Long-standing precedents from the past should not be
overturned without full and careful consideration,
and similar consideration should precede new
precedents set for the future. We reject any
and all political or financial support from
racists, Nazis, fascists, communists, rioters,
terrorists, insurrectionists, and individuals or
organizations advocating or engaging in violence or
attempting to overthrow government or change it by
unconstitutional means, or knowingly disseminating
blatant false propaganda to foment unrest.
Established international borders must not be
changed except by consent of all parties involved,
and never by force or threat.
== Essence of America and Americanism
We believe that human progress is possible for
individuals and institutions, and reject the idea
that all governments are corrupt and thus no one
is better or worse than another. America is an
idea and an ideal, constantly striving toward
more perfect realization - rather than a matter of
ethnicity, sect, class, or other accident of birth.
America honors personal and collective achievement
rather than accident of birth. We affirm equal
political and economic opportunity for all
and reject a hereditary political and economic
nobility. Concentration of power is inherently
harmful. Ambition must be made to counteract
ambition, in government, economy, media, and
religion. When church and state lie together,
both are corrupted.
== Democracy
Public service in a large complex society is a
full-time job and a solemn responsibility, not
an opportunity for self-enrichment. Statutory
compensation should suffice, and all other
prohibited. It should be as easy as possible for
every eligible voter to vote in every election.
Every vote in an election counts equally. Election
administration must be scrupulously non-partisan
and governed by law.
Comparisons to Trumpism at
https://www.political-scrapbook.net/2022-credos.html
America! America! God mend thine every flaw, Confirm
thy soul in self-control, Thy liberty in law!
#PS1theory
=====
impact 0
impactrate 0
negative 0
posted 2022-03-07
reactrate 0
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title Precepts of Rule of Law that you might hope that anybody
topic theory
wordrate 1
words 911
ID 1615965958747917
impress 14
likeuimpress 8
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oimpress 14
oreach 6
posted "03/07/2022 08:18:36 PM"
reach 6
type Link
URL https://www.facebook.com/politicalscrapbooknet/posts/1615965958747917
==========
Political credos for Trumpists, traditional GOP, and Rule
of Law -
https://www.political-scrapbook.net/2022-credos.html
#PS1theory
=====
impact 0
impactrate 0
negative 0
posted 2022-03-07
reactrate 0
sharesrate 0
title Political credos for Trumpists, traditional GOP, and Rule
topic theory
wordrate 0
words 12
ID 1615739808770532
impress 5
likeuimpress 4
likeuusers 4
oimpress 5
oreach 5
posted "03/07/2022 11:14:53 AM"
reach 5
type Link
URL https://www.facebook.com/politicalscrapbooknet/posts/1615739808770532
==========
"we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our
Fortunes and our sacred Honor" - Declaration of
Independence
That's what patriots do. They're doing it right now
in Ukraine, and shaming Europeans into action. Germany,
for instance, long shamed for its historic crimes of
agression against democracy, has met the moment with a
realization that now is its time to champion democracy
against agression and support Ukraine in every possible
way.
But not everybody. It's not what Putinist/Trumpist
Dixiecrat personality cultists do. For them,
it's grab whatever you can and devil take the hindmost.
Other people's lives, other people's fortunes, and other
people's honor. Only suckers put their own skin in
the game.
#PS1theory
=====
impact 0
impactrate 0
negative 0
posted 2022-02-27
reactrate 0
sharesrate 0
title "we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our
topic theory
wordrate 0
words 114
ID 1610580615953118
impress 9
likeuimpress 7
likeuusers 7
oimpress 9
oreach 8
posted "02/27/2022 10:08:46 PM"
reach 8
type Status
URL https://www.facebook.com/politicalscrapbooknet/posts/1610580615953118
==========
"Men are qualified for liberty, in exact proportion
to their disposition to put moral chains upon their own
appetites…men of intemperate minds cannot be free."
- Burke
Every GOP politician used to be able to quote Burke,
but that was before Thurmond, Gingrich, and Trump.
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/08/opinion/spotify-joe-rogan-covid-free-speech.html
Self-restraint is a fundamental prerequisite for and basis
of liberty. If everybody is free to do whatever they
want - eventually most people aren't free to do anything
they want.
#PS1theory
=====
impact 0
impactrate 0
negative 0
posted 2022-02-08
reactrate 0
sharesrate 0
title "Men are qualified for liberty, in exact proportion
topic theory
wordrate 0
words 76
ID 1597421327269047
impress 6
likeuimpress 4
likeuusers 4
oimpress 6
oreach 5
posted "02/08/2022 09:22:50 PM"
reach 5
type Link
URL https://www.facebook.com/politicalscrapbooknet/posts/1597421327269047
==========
Epistemological disputes on rural main streets -
https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-health-business-minnesota-religion-9574b717faebdba81f749a0501a8167b
And about Anthony Fauci -
https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2022/01/27/fauci-pandemic-threats/
And about the Holocaust -
https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/27/opinions/holocaust-remembrance-day-politicization-wilf/index.html
But it's a lost cause for a third of the electorate.
That third doesn't care about objective external reality,
only their internal feelings, and there is a huge media
industry built upon monetizing those feelings and legions
of self-serving opportunist politicians catering to that
third. Historical revisionism doesn't bother any of
them at all - they embrace it - just as their spiritual
forebears did in Germany in the 1930's.
Epistemology is the essential political issue of 2022 and
2024 in America - and indeed worldwide - yet most voters
have never heard the word or thought about the issues.
How do we know WHAT is true? How do we know what we
ourselves CAN determine the truth about? How do we decide
WHO to believe? Is it even possible for some sincere
assertions to be more true than others? It's a
debate well known to ancient Greek philosophers and
revived in modern times with the Renaissance, leading to
the Enlightenment and ultimately the ideals of America's
founders - periodically waxing and waning with civil war,
great depression, Obama's election - and now Trumpism -
and Putin/Xi/Kim-isms.
#PS1theory
=====
impact 0
impactrate 0
negative 0
posted 2022-01-27
reactrate 0
sharesrate 0
title Epistemological disputes on rural main streets -
topic theory
wordrate 0
words 205
ID 1589079098103270
impress 7
likeuimpress 5
likeuusers 5
oimpress 7
oreach 6
posted "01/27/2022 07:58:20 AM"
reach 6
type Link
URL https://www.facebook.com/politicalscrapbooknet/posts/1589079098103270
==========
It's time to realize that the big issue of 2022 and 2024
will not be Republican vs Democrat, or Conservative vs
Liberal, but Cult of Personality vs Rule of Law.
We already know what the Trumpist Dixiecrat platform will
be -
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/gop-no-new-2020-platform-trump-agenda
Is it possible to draft a platform of rule-of-law
principles that can be endorsed by traditional conservative
Republicans as well as Democrats, Libertarians, and Greens?
They'll still be wildly different in their other ideologies
and legislative agendas, but can they endorse and support
some of these ideas?
===
= We affirm reason over superstition.
= There is an objective reality that can be better
understood by diligent study and empirical inquiry.
Alternative ideas of reality are not equally valid or
equally worthy of study. By definition there is only
one set of facts; there are no alternative facts.
= We affirm consideration of well-earned authority over
unthinking deference to received wisdom from self-declared
authority.
= The truth of a person depends on the truth of what
he says. The truth of a statement does NOT depend
on the identity of the person who said it.
= We affirm the Enlightenment ideals of America's founders.
= We affirm the Rule of Law and reject Cult of Personality.
= Nobody is above the law and it applies to everybody
equally.
= We believe that human progress is possible for
individuals and institutions, and reject the idea that all
governments are corrupt and thus none better than another.
= America is an idea and an ideal, constantly striving
toward more perfect realization - rather than a matter of
ethnicity, sect, class, or other accident of birth.
= America honors personal and collective achievement rather
than accident of birth.
= We reject any and all political or financial support from
racists, Nazis, fascists, communists, rioters, terrorists,
insurrectionists, and individuals or organizations
advocating or engaging in violence or attempting to
overthrow government or change it by unconstitutional
means, or knowingly disseminating blatant false propaganda
to foment unrest.
= Voluntary self-restraint is a foundation of liberty.
= Individual rights only exist in the context of the rights
of others.
= Long-standing precedents from the past should not be
overturned without full and careful consideration, and
similar consideration should precede new precedents set
for the future.
= Public service is a full-time job and a burden, not an
opportunity for self-enrichment. Statutory compensation
should suffice, and all other prohibited.
= It should be as easy as possible for every eligible
voter to vote in every election.
= Every vote in an election counts equally.
= Election administration must be scrupulously non-partisan
and governed by law.
= Concentration of political and economic power is
inherently harmful.
= We affirm equal political and economic opportunity
for all and reject a hereditary political and economic
nobility.
===
Is that enough, or too much? Traditional conservatives
and libertarians might balk at the last two points.
It's an ideological and philosophical platform, not the
platform of a political party, though one would hope
that the Democrats and Greens would include all of it in
their platforms, and the Libertarians and anti-Trumpist
traditional conservatives most of it.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Union_Party_(United_States)
If Trumpism can be put into remission, then liberals and
conservatives can resume contention as usual over the best
practical methods to achieve common higher goals.
In contrast, the Trumpist platform consists of one simple
point -
= We affirm whatever Trump says.
But now DeSantis and maybe others are trying to advance
a slight modification -
= We affirm whatever Trump SHOULD HAVE SAID.
#PS1theory
=====
impact 0
impactrate 0
negative 0
posted 2022-01-16
reactrate 0
sharesrate 0
title It's time to realize that the big issue of 2022 and 2024
topic theory
wordrate 0
words 591
ID 1581405462203967
impress 10
likeuimpress 5
likeuusers 5
oimpress 10
oreach 7
posted "01/16/2022 12:11:55 AM"
reach 7
type Link
URL https://www.facebook.com/politicalscrapbooknet/posts/1581405462203967
==========
If you read the words of the men who appear on America's
money, you find they all believed in God, but none were
Christian nationalists.
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/06/opinion/jan-6-christian-nationalism.html
Christian nationalists were, however, an important part of
the Nazi and Fascist movements, the KKK - and even Putin's
party, and the rest of the European countries backsliding
toward autocracy.
https://www.political-scrapbook.net/1619/lomax.html
Now Christian nationalism is one of the places
where reactionary voters meet reactionary donors meet
reactionary candidates, to plot the overthrow of America's
Enlightenment ideals, in order to preserve minority rule.
https://www.political-scrapbook.net/2020-minority.html
#PS1theory
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/06/opinion/jan-6-christian-nationalism.html
=====
impact 0
impactrate 0
negative 0
posted 2022-01-07
reactrate 0
sharesrate 0
title If you read the words of the men who appear on America's
topic theory
wordrate 0
words 87
ID 1575758812768632
impress 9
likeuimpress 4
likeuusers 4
oimpress 9
oreach 5
posted "01/07/2022 10:58:29 AM"
reach 5
type Link
URL https://www.facebook.com/politicalscrapbooknet/posts/1575758812768632