Jeff Poor, reporting on an interview on Sean Hannity’s June 20th nationally syndicated radio show, with author and University of the Arts professor of humanities and media studies, Camille Paglia, relayed her view of the current state of journalism in America.
Paglia said what the Democratic Party has done to journalism is “absolutely grotesque” and warned it would take decades to recover. “It’s obscene, It’s outrageous, OK? It shows that the Democrats are nothing now but words and fantasy and hallucination and Hollywood. There’s no journalism left. What’s happened to The New York Times? What’s happened to the major networks? It’s an outrage.” Paglia added, “I’m a professor of media studies, in addition to a professor of humanities, OK?” she continued. “And I think it’s absolutely grotesque the way my party has destroyed journalism. Right now, it is going to take decades to recover from this atrocity that’s going on where the news media have turned themselves over to the most childish fraternity, kind of buffoonish behavior.”
Camille Paglia’s words describing the Democratic Party, the media, fantasy and hallucination happened to coincide with a quote by then (Democrat) Governor Jerry Brown of California that I happened to have read recently. Jerry Brown, during his first governorship of California (1975-1983) described how ‘politics’ is all about symbols, not reality. Brown said, “It’s all symbols. All they’re arguing about is symbols.” For Jerry Brown and that new generation of Democrats, all ‘reality’ must be disposed of, while symbols and appearances (or illusions) would drive the new politics. Thus, modern ‘establishment’ politics has increasingly served-up a reduction of truth and life (reality), and injected an illusionary world of abstract symbolism. This reminds me of a philosophical phrase used by (the late) Rev. R.J. Rushdoony which referred to the non-reality approach as, “the will-to-fiction.” Thus, todays political-culture reflects a will-to-fiction worldview, not life in the real world. Camilla Paglia’s conclusion is right, and both the news media and the Democrat Party have become a most childish fraternity with a buffoonish behavior.
California Governor Jerry Brown, Democrat progressives and current liberals were not the first American politicians to inject illusion and magic into politics. In 1933 the great master illusionist of the 20th century, our 32nd president, Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR). FDR not only had no regard for the Constitution of the United States, he set out to make it irrelevant. Further, his economic policies took the nation into a deeper depression and caused the depression to drag-on far longer than necessary. His domestic policies were a complete, utter failure and his administration was well aware of it. Yet, as a master illusionist, FDR was able to make most Americans believe he had their back, and was making things better. He was able to give them hope in spite of his own incompetent governing methods. To a lesser degree this was also true of President Obama as well. Even though most of Obama’s policies were failures and the economy remained stagnant, at best; he was well liked by his base and was able to convince them of the hope of better days ahead. Much like FDR, Obama had no regard for the Constitution either.
Another illusionary trick by the great FDR was his ability to convince America to go to war to fight Nazi fascism, while at the same time implementing a Mussolini inspired fascist economy in the United States. There were ‘progressives’ prior to FDR, but he made a quantum-leap in implementing and funding progressive policies. Thus, after 1933 America adopted its own version of the fascist welfare state complete with Keynesian style economics, that has since grown expeditiously, and taken on a life of its own. Unfortunately, no one, to this day has figured out a way to eliminate it, or roll it back. Only a few have dared to refute Keynesian economics, but they were largely ignored. And after nearly eighty-five years the American people do not want to do away with what they have become accustomed to expecting from their government. This economic situation is not unique to America; the Keynesian model is now basic to all western civilizations with their own particular variations. As Gary North stated it; “The fascist economic idea of an alliance between government and business became almost universally accepted.” Even prior to FDR, big government momentum was already brewing;
“The American people would never vote for socialism, but under the name of ‘liberalism,’ the American people will adopt every fragment of the socialist program. One of the traditional methods of imposing statism or socialism on a people has been by way of medicine. It’s very easy to disguise a medical program as a humanitarian project. Most people are a little reluctant to oppose anything that suggests medical care for people who possibly can’t afford it.” (Norman Thomas; American Socialist, 1927)
Thus, the ‘Socialists-Progressives-Liberals’ in America have remade a fascist-style government with an illusionary money supply and unrealistic debt ceilings (central bank counterfeiting). But, as John Maynard Keynes, father of Keynesian economics said, “in the end, were all dead.” So, we continue to be stuck with the monster system left to us by FDR in the 1930s, and continue to contend with it today; without much success. Every election cycle certain conservative Republicans swear to fight the dreaded beast of liberalism (Keynesianism), but even when elected, they can’t seem to make much headway in rolling back the destructive policies of Keynesianism because many ‘establishment’ Republicans are also big government Keynesians.
The backlash against ‘reality’ continues with the election of President Donald Trump and the current batch of delusional Democrats, who seem to believe that demonstrations and violence are reasonable tactics to national political popularity. They’re abstract reality reflects the same horrific, mindless attitudes and actions of the French Revolution; that they are somehow noble and pure in their lawlessness, destruction, and vengeance. Of course, the French Revolution was much more horrific than today’s snowflake rebellion, but philosophically, it is all a return to paganized humanist movements. Camille Paglia’s assessment is spot-on in describing today’s news media and snowflake rebellion as ‘childish’ and ‘buffoonish behavior.’
President Trump’s attempts at bringing some sense of reality to the economic situation in America has been met with disdain and hostility by the press and by Democrats who want nothing to do with reality, budgets, or the overall integrity of a growing free-market system. Trump’s entire presidency may end up as a series of Democrat Party obstructions designed to limit his policy successes and his overall success as well. But, the obstructionists can be beaten back! It will require the support and aid of President Trump’s backers to help him move his agenda forward. The recent Republican wins in Georgia and South Carolina (bringing special election wins to 5 – 0) are a boost to the party and the Trump Administration. Trump’s positive mantra of Win, Win, Win, in conjunction with rebuilding, progress, and Making America Great Again, are a stark contrast to the Democrats mantra of hatred, destruction, mayhem, madness, and revenge.
Currently, the Democrats are out of any positive visionary ideas. The only thing left in their bag of tricks is mayhem, destruction, accusations, threats, and name calling. But, nothing in their bag of tricks is working – they are simply exposing their own philosophical true colors; that of embracing their own Sado-masochistic, nihilistic tendencies.
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