Reagan, Trump, and Moral Equivalence

Forty years ago today, President Reagan gave the famous "Evil Empire" speech, in which he addressed the fallacy of "moral equivalence."

... I urge you to beware the temptation of pride—the temptation of blithely declaring yourselves above it all and label both sides equally at fault, to ignore the facts of history and the aggressive impulses of an evil empire, to simply call the arms race a giant misunderstanding and thereby remove yourself from the struggle between right and wrong and good and evil.

And on February 7 2017, Trump had this exchange with Bill O'Reilly:

O'REILLY: He is a killer though. Putin is a killer.
TRUMP: There are a lot of killers. Do you think our country is so innocent? Do you think our country is so innocent?
O'REILLY: I don't know of any government leaders that are killers in America.
TRUMP: Take a look at what we have done too. We've made a lot of mistakes. I've been against the war in Iraq from the beginning.
O'REILLY: Yes. Mistakes are different then --

A year ago, Gustaf Kilander wrote at The Independent:

Footage from 2019 has resurfaced of Volodymyr Zelensky looking less than optimistic as former President Donald Trump said he hoped the Ukrainian president would be able to work things out with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

On 25 September 2019, the then-US President Trump told Mr Zelensky at UN headquarters in New York City that “I really hope that you and President Putin can get together and solve your problem”.

The 18-minute media availability took place on the same day as the phone call between the two men from earlier that year was released, in which Mr Trump asked Mr Zelensky for a “favour” – to investigate then-Democratic presidential primary candidate Joe Biden and his family, specifically his son Hunter Biden.

 

Tucker's Bad Day

 Our most recent book is titled Divided We Stand: The 2020 Elections and American Politics.  Among other things, it discusses the state of the parties. The state of the GOP is not good. Trump and his minions falsely claimed that he won the election, and have kept repeating the Big Lie. 

Lots of big revelations coming out tonight in the exhibits to Dominion's lawsuit against Fox News.

Days before Jan. 6, Tucker Carlson wrote in a text message exchange about Trump: "I hate him passionately" and "I truly can't wait" to ignore him. pic.twitter.com/ykk5s4jvLo

— Will Sommer (@willsommer) March 8, 2023

"Tucker Carlson’s effort to rewrite history isn’t just laughably incompetent; it’s already falling flat," @RadioFreeTom writes: https://t.co/jPfD59EbT7

— Jim Swift (@JimSwiftDC) March 8, 2023

Trump and Echoes of European Rhetoric

Our most recent book is titled Divided We Stand: The 2020 Elections and American Politics.  Among other things, it discusses the state of the parties. The state of the GOP is not good. 

This year's CPAC was illuminating.

Trump: "In 2016, I declared, 'I am your voice.' Today I add: I am your warrior, I am your justice, and for those who have been wronged and betrayed, I am your retribution!" Eerily an echo of rhetoric from Europe in 1920s-30s.

— Gary J. Schmitt (@GaryJSchmitt1) March 6, 2023

Ben Jacobs at Vox:

The speech felt like yet another milestone for the Republican Party, not just as the conference embraced Trumpism, but as the American right embraced a more continental conservatism. Trump spoke only hours after former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro’s speech, and Brazilian flags could be spotted throughout the crowd, alternating in patches with the Stars and Stripes and, above all, red MAGA hats. CPAC has increasingly embraced the global right—holding a pro-Viktor Orban event in Hungary last year, and partnering with those who minimized and denied war crimes in World War II in Japan. Not all of this is foreign to American politics—after all, the America First slogan was first used by the isolationists who railed against the United States supporting the Allies in World War II before Pearl Harbor. But this strain of politics had remained submerged on the right, popping up in Pat Buchanan’s speeches and Ron Paul’s newsletters. That’s not the case anymore. The question is just how dominant it will be in 2024 and moving forward.

Trump's Crazy Weekend

Our most recent book is titled Divided We Stand: The 2020 Elections and American Politics.  Among other things, it discusses the state of the parties. The state of the GOP is not good. 

The universal tariffs and flying cars were the least of it.

Trump: "We will support baby bonuses, for a new baby boom! Oh, you men out there are so lucky. You are so lucky, men." pic.twitter.com/kNWIjBoTcI

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) March 5, 2023

Trump: I am your retribution pic.twitter.com/tA8MvKvcHF

— Acyn (@Acyn) March 4, 2023

Pompeo and Haley Bomb at CPAC

Our latest book is titled Divided We Stand: The 2020 Elections and American Politics.  The early stages of the 2024 race have begun.

Tal Axelrod at ABC:

Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo dished red meat to the GOP grassroots at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) but faced a tepid response in front of a largely pro-Donald Trump crowd.

Haley, who launched her presidential bid last month, and Pompeo, who has said he's considering a run of his own, laid into Democrats during their speeches as they tried to gin up support for their challenges to former President Trump, hitting on topics that typically rile up the crowd at the annual gathering.

...

But in a sign of how tough of a climb the two have at winning over a grassroots still largely in line behind Trump, both were met with largely lukewarm responses during pauses seemingly intended for applause.

Haley was also confronted by supporters of the former president who yelled "Trump 2024" at her shortly after leaving the ballroom where she gave her speech.

Several Trump supporters at CPAC shouted “Trump, 2024!” at Nikki Haley in the hallways after her speech.

“Conservatives lose when we fight each other,” another man chimed in. pic.twitter.com/ZlW5THhOvF

— Libby Cathey (@libbycathey) March 3, 2023

CPAC Keeps Getting Nuttier

Our most recent book is titled Divided We Stand: The 2020 Elections and American Politics.  Among other things, it discusses the state of the parties. The state of the GOP is not good. 

Charlie Sykes at MSNBC:

For years, CPAC has been known as the “Star Wars bar scene” of the conservative movement. But in the Trump era, the event increasingly felt like a cult gathering. A few years ago, the conference featured a golden statue of Trump, prompting widespread ridicule. And current CPAC leader Matt Schlapp seems to be relying more and more on fringe figures for its featured speakers.

This year, Schlapp has assembled a roster of B-list Trump loyalists, including former White House press secretary Sean Spicer, Donald Trump Jr, his fiancée Kimberly Guilfoyle, and GOP Reps. Lauren Boebert, Matt Gaetz, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Ronny Jackson, Jim Jordan, Scott Perry and Elise Stefanik. Election denier and failed gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake and My Pillow Guy Mike Lindell will also get (arguably) coveted speaking slots.

Another featured speaker: recently defeated Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro, who will be filling the slot apparently reserved for authoritarian strong figures like Hungary’s Viktor Orban, who spoke at a CPAC event last year, and fascist-adjacent wannabes like France’s Marion Le Pen, who spoke to the group in 2018.

Of course, Donald Trump himself will headline the event.

DeSantis Uses Police Against Trumpists

Our latest book is titled Divided We Stand: The 2020 Elections and American Politics.  The early stages of the 2024 race have begun.

Zachary Petrizzo at The Daily Beast:

A group of Trump supporters were asked to leave a Ron DeSantis book signing event, in a sign of growing tensions between the two former pals. In a video shared by far-right personality Laura Loomer, a group clad in Trump regalia waves Trump flags and signs outside Books-a-Million in Leesburg, Florida—before being confronted by a security guard. “They told me to say anyone wearing Trump has to go right now,” the guard explains, as the supporters react with shock. “Free speech,” one yells. Speaking to The Daily Beast, Loomer said that some of the people in the group had tickets to the event to meet the potential 2024 candidate, but were not let inside due to their pro-Trump attire. “Police showed up and they told us that we were going to be cited and arrested for trespassing if we didn’t leave because DeSantis didn’t want us inside. It shows that he’s a tyrant.” The group eventually left after police showed up. The Leesburg Police Department didn’t immediately return The Daily Beast’s request for comment.