We're told that a few weeks before his blood-red "soul of America" speech, "the president met with a group of handpicked historians who told him that democracy was teetering, hanging on by a thread." And:
It seemed the Biden administration had only invited white experts to advise the president — four historians and one journalist: Princeton historian Sean Wilentz, University of Virginia historian Allida Black, presidential historians Michael Beschloss and Jon Meacham, who is also an occasional speechwriter for Biden, and journalist and Atlantic staff writer Anne Applebaum.....
[I]f you exclude the voices of scholars and writers who understand an anti-democratic, fascist order as heritage, rather than an aberration, you might miss how democracy has before been pulled back from the brink....
[I]t's important to understand how racism and white supremacy have always been at the center of threats to our democracy. "If you talk to scholars of race, that's the kind of perspective that you get," [said Kenneth Mack, a professor of law and history at Harvard]....
The optics are bad, but white scholars are capable of raising these issues too, and they should. The question is: Did they? Whether they did or not, one thing you can see in the text of the speech: Racial critique is omitted. The sights are set on "MAGA Republicans," and anything that might enlarge the frame to include other malefactors is left unsaid.
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All white you say? Well blow me down. It's almost the perfect historical parallel!
Just like when southern plantation owner spoke with Jeff Davis about assuming the Presidency of the conferderacy, pedohitler continues to trod in the footsteps of the past even while he reinvents them.
What an innovator.
‘It’s important to understand how racism and white supremacy have always been at the center of threats to our democracy.’
Ahistorical historians to the white courtesy phone, please.
Nicole Hannah Jones must have planted this piece.
I follow, read a number of tenured, university historians... and some of them are hyper partisan and are ignorant of America, despite being able to produce credible histories of their subject area expertise.
The academic world is also an institution that is naturally anti-democratic and doesn't pay for itself, so must take the wealth of others to maintain or even grow itself.
WHITES!!! what have They, EVER done for US?
WHY does this Small minority continue to think that They should (COULD!) provide input??
I don't believe Sean Wilentz, liberal as he is, told Biden that democracy was hanging by thread.
I like that they come right out with "handpicked historians."
Racial critique is omitted. The sights are set on "MAGA Republicans," and anything that might enlarge the frame to include other malefactors is left unsaid.
You know, feminist critique was largely omitted as well, except the obligatory "reproductive rights are in peril!!!" meaning that you will be forced, forced I say, to have procreative intercourse with ugly old white men - oh no, sorry, meaning that you may have to take greater responsibility for preventing pregnancy, or at least make a decision about it within fewer weeks after conception, if you don't want to have a baby.
Trans critique - I mean, it's maybe a harder case to say that trans oppression has been integral to previous Threats To Our Democracy, but give them a chance!
Why would Biden "hand pick" historians who would finger "MAGA Republicans" as the "clear and present danger"? Might it be because those are the people he wanted demonized?
The "presidential historian" gig is a good one.........these idiots, especially Michael Beschloss, are on cable news every five minutes these days.......talking down to audience like we are third graders.
"the president met with a group of handpicked historians who told him that democracy was teetering, hanging on by a thread."
The call is coming from inside the house.
After The Washington Post reported on the historians meeting, it didn't take long for some to raise questions, not about the fact that democracy is in peril, but about the monochromatic makeup of those delivering that message.
Notice the phrasing. How Democracy being in peril isn't even up for debate. It's just a fact. There can be no discussion bout this "fact." But their only beef is that not enough brown people are historians? WTF?
I got a message for you: You're goddamn right "your" democracy is in peril. Be afraid. Be very afraid.
It's in serious peril of becoming OUR democracy. And once it's OUR democracy, we're coming for you people. All legal like. The laws have already been written. Majority rule as the President's press secretary say. You will be the "extremists." And we know how to deal with extremists. Within the law. The laws already on the books.
We're coming for you people and there's no escape for you.
BOO!
After The Washington Post reported on the historians meeting, it didn't take long for some to raise questions, not about the fact that democracy is in peril, but about the monochromatic makeup of those delivering that message.
Notice the phrasing. How Democracy being in peril isn't even up for debate. It's just a fact. There can be no discussion bout this "fact." But their only beef is that not enough brown people are historians? WTF?
I got a message for you: You're goddamn right "your" democracy is in peril. Be afraid. Be very afraid.
It's in serious peril of becoming OUR democracy. And once it's OUR democracy, we're coming for you people. All legal like. The laws have already been written. Majority rule as the President's press secretary say. You will be the "extremists." And we know how to deal with extremists. Within the law. The laws already on the books.
We're coming for you people and there's no escape for you.
BOO!
Biden picked the historians likely to tell him what he wanted to hear... kind of like before a military operation, the president cherry-picks the "intelligence" for confirmation that an aggressive course of action is called for and if he doesn't act aggressively, it will only make the crisis worse. Look, it had to be done. Biden put himself in a box of his own making.
KKK = democrat party
The white left march on. with their lies and their money grubbing corruption. Living large off of deceit.
Remember- the democrat party destroyed the the American Black family - on purpose.
"historians who told him that democracy was teetering, hanging on by a thread"
I might believe them if they told me they were building bunkers and hiring SEALs.
I'm genuinely surprised at Anne Applebaum. She of all people should know better. In her own book about eastern Europe after WW2, she describes how dissent from the current communist orthodoxy was consistently denounced as undemocratic.
The problem is that they are historians. I cannot think of another occupation the so regularly fails to understand the present.
I don't know about Allida Black and Sean Wilentz is a borderline case, but the others are all Democrat hacks. It might be hard to find historians who aren't Democrats and the White House wouldn't want them, but a few more non-hacks would have been beneficial.
Wilentz, I suppose, has done respectable historical work, not just TV appearances and op-eds, and with his refusal to reject the Jeffersonian tradition he did try to keep one thing holding the country together intact, in spite of all his hackery. Younger historians are contented with tearing it apart.
Alan Wolfe, another progressive, did an article in the New Republic years back wondering in amazement how American studies became Anti-American studies intent on deconstructing the country.
the president met with a group of handpicked historians who told him that democracy was teetering, hanging on by a thread.
And no one, among these sages, all credentialed by the finest academic institutions in our country and all with careers of luminous achievement and all who have been widely praised, fêted, and handsomely remunerated for their manifold accomplishments, none of these icons, none of them, not even one, had the had the insight and courage to simply say,
"Hanging by a thread?! What a load of utter HORSESHIT."
Maybe democracy is hanging by a thread after all.
the president met with a group of handpicked historians who told him that democracy was teetering, hanging on by a thread
And not one among this consul of sages had the courage and insight to say,
"Teetering? Hanging on by a thread? What a load of unmitigated HORSESHIT."
A lot of this seems to be driven by blacks. Interesting that they now are all in for the party of slavery.
‘It’s important to understand how racism and white supremacy have always been at the center of threats to our democracy.’
I feel comfortable assuming this is a reference to the Democrats' 170+ year commitment to racism.
Come on, man! There's more than one way to rewrite history.
Historians Advise the President
And Richard Petty was successful because he spent all his time looking in the rear-view mirror.
""If you talk to scholars of race, that's the kind of perspective that you get," [said Kenneth Mack, a professor of law and history at Harvard]...."
IOW, if you want diverse views, don't consult "scholars of race"--they give you just one, utterly predictable and cliched "perspective."
"white scholars are capable of raising these issues too"
What issues exactly? That progs revile American history as fascist? That "our democracy" has come to mean anything but actual democracy? That whiteness is wielded as a trope to neutralize the deplorables? That "racial critique" is just another prog tool?
Some of Beschloss' tweets lately have been so cringe-worthy.
The man has shredded whatever objectivity he once had.
He traded what was left of his reputation for a seat at the table with the cool kids.
Could we begin by listing all of the democracies that were created or imposed by non-Whites?
I don't know anything about Black; Wilentz is a real historian who has done good work; Beschloss and Meacham are pseudo-scholars willing to say anything to please the Ds and preen on MSNBCNN.
The important question is what theologians FJB consulted with in regard to that soul thing he keeps jabbering about.
Biden has always been a racist piece of shit.
He is constantly saying things that show he thinks Black and Hispanic people are incapable.
His most recent foray into blatant racism.
I really liked his comments about 7/11's a few years ago.
The democrat party is all about lowering expectations and treating black people as inferior.
While not there in the flesh due to a prior, longstanding commitment, noted speechwriter and commentator Dr. Joseph Goebbels, Ph.D. was certainly there in spirit with the other Aryan academics of more recent fame the President had also invited.
Biden does not need Black historians to teach him how to do race-baiting.
Biden's political instincts were correct that this particular speech did not need his usual race-baiting.
I believe it is always good to get a diversity of views and opinions - not just a diversity of skin colors.
It would have been better if Mr. Biden had added William Barclay Allen, an African-American political scientist, yes, but one who studies history. Hear his comments here(just under 6 minutes). And balancing Hillary Clinton advisor Allida Black (an Eleanor Roosevelt historian) with the views of Mary Ann Glendon, who wrote an excellent (admiring) book, A World Made New: Eleanor Roosevelt and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (2001) . Of course, Ms. Glendon, the Learned Hand Professor of Law, emerita, at Harvard University, is pro-life, therefore a "deplorable."
Racism! The Swiss Army Knife argument of the left.
If Mitt Romney had been elected we'd be hearing about how "hanging on by a thread" was code for establishing a Mormon theocracy. Simpler times.
Biden's speech, horrible as it may have been, had a theme. It may not have worked, but it had to focus on that theme. Academics, and now the media, have tunnel vision and always want to hear their own preconceptions parroted 🐦.
You’re saying Biden’s awful speech did not preach enough racial division?
They were all people of black (pob), and people of brown (pob2), and people of yellow (poy), and people of peach (pop), people of pink? (pop2), but very few people of white (pow). That said, diversity [dogma] breeds adversity. Lose your ethical religion.
I watched "The Garden of the Finzi-Continis" last night. Previously respected Italian Jews, suddenly declared enemies of the people by Mussolini, retreated into their home lives and out of public view in search of safety--ultimately to no avail, of course.
Neutrality is not tolerated by true fascists. That seems to be the best way to identify them.
Is Democracy “teetering” or is it “hanging on by a thread”?
What is the Black Historian view of mixed metaphor?
There's a subtext of white supremacy in the denouncement of white supremacists by white historians. Only white people are capable of producing genuine evil, and only white historians are capable of documenting how supreme that evil is.....I have read about the failings of our Founding Fathers. They had their flaws, but, as ruling classes go, they were a much better group than any other assortment of humans on earth at that time. I'm not just talking about the European courts of King George and Louis XVI. Look at Buganda, the Ottomans, the Manchu Dynasty, the moguls of India and keep going around the world. They were all a bad lot and many, by our current understanding of morality, were outright depraved.
"the president met with a group of handpicked historians who told him that democracy was teetering, hanging on by a thread."
That made me laugh out loud.
“Get me some propagandists to tell me how to frame my propaganda”
The lack of self-awareness of NPR “journalists” is gob-smacking.
Surprise, surprise! Kenneth Mack is black - and he, not some white supremacist, is raising racism to the top of the flagpole. Salute!
the president met with a group of handpicked historians
Did they tell Biden the speech date was the 83rd anniversary of Hitler’s invasion of Poland, which began World War II?
Just another indication of how badly the speech went over. It's been only two days, and they're looking for scapegoats.
the president met with a group of handpicked historians who told him that democracy was teetering, hanging on by a thread
And there you have the cult of the "expert" in full lowering.
WTF? Exactly how does a PhD in History qualify you to judge current events, of which you know nothing more than any random person on the street?
The fact that anyone involved with this travesty even thought that was a good story line is pitiful
"Biden does not need Black historians to teach him how to do race-baiting."
Correct, he studied and learned from racebaiters from both black and white: Robert (white sheets) Byrd and Hussein (Michelle and I,I,I are sorely oppressed) Obama..
Gee, I thought the speech was written by Joseph Goebbels and produced by Leni Riefenstahl. Maybe they just did a global replace, substituting "MAGA Republicans" for "Jews."
Actually, if they had wanted some serious BIPOC historians, I suspect Thomas Sowell and James McWhorter would have been available...
It would be difficult to explain much of this to a person from Mars. As far as I know, there has been one pro-Trump protest that turned violent: Jan. 6. Gun owners deliberately did not take their guns with them. It is not true to say Trump had nothing to do with it, but he said either too much or too little. He never organized any black shirts, or even began to do so. He was a bit chaotic in his response to the election, and so were his followers. They all could have used some leadership. No sign of racism or fascism.
Do they mean Biden was the overwhelming choice of black voters, all the cheating was an attempt to get every possible vote from non-white people, any attempt to make the election more fair was racism? This would seem to be one of the amazing concessions that the woke, whoever they are, cannot win a fair fight. Trump has never demonstrated any actual racism at all.
They throw around the word "fascist," and I guess they always have Hitler in mind. Mussolini was closer to Biden's "mean junior high school girl" speech the other night. We are the cool kids. What we do to the uncool kids will probably be against the rules, but they started it.
Applebaum, Applebaum. The only woman in this charmed circle of self-congratulatory idiots. "We are figuring out how to pull the country back from the brink. But first we have to push it to the brink. Well, possibly over the brink." Does Applebaum think fighting Trump at home is the same as fighting Putin over there? My God what a crazy fantasy.
Heh. Any particular flavor of white?
The political mobilization of the Black community is critical to the Democratic Party's success. It is the broad theme that unifies the Democrats. Their major work consists of demanding that White (and, increasingly, Asian) people give up their good neighborhoods, jobs and schools in favor of Blacks and Third World immigrants. This is what Joe Biden's speech was about. It's not Biden's fault that the Democratic Party comes off as racist slanderers and hysteric creeps.
Blogger Tom T. said...
Just another indication of how badly the speech went over. It's been only two days, and they're looking for scapegoats.
The LA Times did not mention it.
Blogger Spiros said...
The political mobilization of the Black community is critical to the Democratic Party's success.
I agree and suspect that this is reason why Obama spent so much of his political capital on race baiting. Electing him was proof that America was no longer racist. That was a threat to the party of slavery and had to be countered with racism of the black kind.
"I am so old that I remember when most racists were white." T Sowell.
" It's not Biden's fault that the Democratic Party comes off as racist slanderers and hysteric creeps."
That's like saying it's not Joe Biden's fault his diaper stinks. Whose fault is it? Dr. Jill's?
The Ouroboros Left continues.
The hand picked historians told Biden that democracy was teetering on the brink, so he decided to give it a good shove.
Has the author noticed that all the leading Democrats are also white. Biden, Newsom, Schumer, Pelosi, Beto, Durbin, - and don't talk to me about Harris and you know why.
I tried to imagine Harry Truman convening a panel of historians.
Truman was his own historian.
"WTF? Exactly how does a PhD in History qualify you to judge current events, of which you know nothing more than any random person on the street?"
The funny thing is that neither Beschloss nor Meacham have PhDs. Just how common are professional historians without PhDs, especially ones without PhDs but with tenured positions at well known and generally respected universities, e.g., Meacham at Vanderbilt?
(I say that as someone who chafes at excessive credentialism. For example, my main field is science, and I know many excellent scientists who do very strong work without a PhD, particularly in industry. I also know some hacks who insist you can't be a scientist without a PhD.)
The most important battle being fought in America is between people who advocate this thinking and those who oppose it:
"...anti-democratic, fascist order as heritage, rather than an aberration..."
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