Anonymous wrote:Read Christian Nation...but not if you want to sleep well.

Not sure I do want to read this but this looks like it - https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/christian-nation_frederic-c-rich/505109/item/6053945/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=us_shopping_zombies_hvbl_22798464369&utm_adgroup=&utm_term=&utm_content=764383471566&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=22798464369&gclid=Cj0KCQiAhtvMBhDBARIsAL26pjEW1-n6vo06_XZl_i4f-Ag9Duax-0e18qP8z2KP8mcHigkRK0Q9ZMsaAkcEEALw_wcB#idiq=6053945&edition=7125721- the novel by Frederick Rich

Read Christian Nation...but not if you want to sleep well.

Anonymous wrote:This is the book, right?
https://bookshop.org/p/books/it-can-t-happen-here-sinclair-lewis/31d990ec9887530c?ean=9780451465641&next=t

I've been shocked by not only how much federal control this "Republican" administration is trying to impose over everyone's lives, but also how backwards-thinking the Trump administration has been in terms of the rights of women and minorities, etc. A lot of what they're doing seems like it's from another era. It would make sense that their ideas harken back to 1935.
It also seems to me that these ideas alienate vast swaths of American voters. Yet they don't seem worried about losing voters' support. (maybe because of all the gerrymandering and voter roll-capturing and who knows what kinds of voter intimidation and surveillance)

Once they’ve achieved their goals, they won’t need voters anymore. If everything is privatized, and taxes keep rolling in, and consumers keep consuming, losing voter support won’t really matter — barring something close to revolution.

Yes! Just read this for a book group and it was crazy all the parallels with today.

In the book Canada acts as a haven for American political dissidents. After years of crushing authoritarianism, the general American public finally sees that the problem is actually hurting them-- it's not just a problem for those in DC, etc. I recall the turning point comes with citizens in Minnesota.

Minnesota fights back and then those that had escaped to Canada come back to fight and ultimately prevail.

A central concern for the main character is whether to flee to Canada or to stay and fight in America. Had me thinking about what would be "the final straw" that would cause me to leave.

Stephen King also wrote a prescient book about events of today The Dead zone.

Per google AI summary
“The Dead Zone (1979): Widely cited for predicting the rise of a populist, "outsider" politician. The character Greg Stillson is frequently compared to Donald Trump, featuring a similar political rise, rhetoric, and following.”

Anonymous wrote:If you read about the rise of the Nazi party in the 1930's and all the steps they took to consolidate power and shut down any dissent, you will see many similarities to today.

Of course, do you think any of these people are original thinkers?

Became mildly obsessed with Sinclair Lewis when I was in HS. Picked him for an author project and pretty much went off the rails working on it. "It Can't Happen Here" was the centerpiece of my work. This was decades ago. I'd like to say I am surprised by the parallels with today but I am not but didn't necessarily imagine it would be so direct and gutting.

If you read about the rise of the Nazi party in the 1930's and all the steps they took to consolidate power and shut down any dissent, you will see many similarities to today.

ICE are the
Minute Men, German SS and blackshirts.

Gee, it does sound sort of familiar...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/It_Can%27t_Happen_Here

Having previously foreshadowed some authoritarian measures to reorganize the government, Windrip outlaws dissent, incarcerates political enemies in concentration camps, and trains and arms a paramilitary force called the "Minute Men" who terrorize citizens and enforce the policies of a corporatist regime. One of Windrip's first acts as president is to eliminate the influence of Congress, which draws the ire of many citizens as well as the legislators themselves. The Minute Men respond to protests harshly, attacking demonstrators with bayonets.

In addition to these actions, Windrip's administration, known as the "Corpo" government, curtails women's and minority rights, and eliminates individual states by subdividing the country into administrative sectors. The government of these sectors is managed by Corpo authorities, usually prominent businessmen or Minute Men officers. Those accused of crimes against the government appear before kangaroo courts presided over by military judges. A majority of Americans approve of these dictatorial measures, seeing them as painful but necessary steps to restore American power.
aka "MAGA!"

This is the book, right?
https://bookshop.org/p/books/it-can-t-happen-here-sinclair-lewis/31d990ec9887530c?ean=9780451465641&next=t

I've been shocked by not only how much federal control this "Republican" administration is trying to impose over everyone's lives, but also how backwards-thinking the Trump administration has been in terms of the rights of women and minorities, etc. A lot of what they're doing seems like it's from another era. It would make sense that their ideas harken back to 1935.
It also seems to me that these ideas alienate vast swaths of American voters. Yet they don't seem worried about losing voters' support. (maybe because of all the gerrymandering and voter roll-capturing and who knows what kinds of voter intimidation and surveillance)

It can (and is) happen(ing) here.

A long time ago, Oliver Stone was reported to have said that Gordon Gecko was supposed to be a cautionary tale, a warning of what would happen if Wall Street continued on its ways. Instead of expired, a generation to become bankers, and Titans of finance, greed is good was the rally cry.

We had picked up Sinclair‘s book like a year ago on a whim when it was all trendy, but I thought it was a bit of hyperbole and it was kind of a boring book to start reading.

But I just picked it up and it was going through it and it was like, a playbook from what is happening now. I think a year ago I would’ve dismissed it as kind of ridiculous, but the parallels are uncanny. I noticed some of my reading and then I asked an AI to summarize some more. Here’s what I found, and I can’t, but help think that the authority of strong man depicted in this book was a model for how Trump would play out.


"Buzz" Windrip and Trump rise to power:
• The "Forgotten Man": Both candidates centered their entire identity on being the sole voice for the "Forgotten Man," using the exact same phrase to build a loyal, populist base.
• The "Clown" Strategy: Both were initially dismissed by the "elite" media as vulgar, humorous buffoons who could never actually win—until they did.
• The Private Militia: Windrip’s "Minute Men" (M.M.) provided the muscle for his movement, mirroring the role played by modern groups like the Proud Boys in providing a paramilitary presence.
• The Nationalistic Shield: They both wrapped themselves in the flag and carry a cross. Both leaders mastered the art of using patriotism and religion to deflect criticism.
• The "Lying Press": Long before "Fake News," Windrip was dismantling the "effete" and "lying" media to ensure his followers only trusted his version of reality.
• Educational Populism: Windrip’s "Windrip University" echoes the controversies of Trump University, framing traditional education as "indoctrination" and offering a branded alternative.