"Trump's lies about the coronavirus," writes Hartmann, "are encouraging older people who watch Fox and believe what they see to take chances and expose themselves to the virus and, as a result, they are dying all over the country." (Photo: Piero Cruciatti/AFP via Getty Images)
Trump's Big Lie About Covid-19 vs. Grieving Families and a Dying Democracy
The personal and political anger over the coronavirus dead is going to manifest itself even beyond the nation's obituary pages.
It's showing up in the obituaries.
People in the throes of agony from losing someone close to them are writing things like, "Instead of flowers, donate to a Democrat," or "Instead of flowers, tell everyone to vote against Trump and the GOP this fall." It's become a national trend.
But not everyone is mourning. Billionaire Rupert Murdoch and the multimillionaires who comment on his Fox News network every night are very happy with the giant tax cuts and deregulation that Donald Trump has given them.
In exchange for that, they're giving support and publicity to Trump's lies.
Trump's lies about the coronavirus are encouraging older people who watch Fox and believe what they see to take chances and expose themselves to the virus and, as a result, they are dying all over the country.
And as they die, the billionaires and giant polluting corporations that have funded the Republican Party since the so-called "Reagan Revolution" are literally getting rich on the pandemic. Their net wealth has increased by over $1 trillion just since the first of this year.
So, when we read about Trump bringing misleading and nonsensical graphs and charts--pieces of his Big Lie--to his interview with Axios' Jonathan Swan, and then showing a complete lack of concern for dead and dying Americans and grieving families with a dismissive shrug and, "It is what it is," we have to keep in mind why he would do that.
First, of course, he doesn't care about the lives of average Americans, but, more importantly, neither do the giant corporations and billionaires who helped put him in the office and keep virtually every Republican at every level of government in office across the country. Instead, their media empires are cranking out propaganda on the airwaves and the Internet to support Trump and his lies.
Meanwhile, the death cult that is now the Trump base are the saddest victims of the billionaire and corporate crusade to crush democracy and dismantle the American government. They're the ones whose obituaries tragically point out how they believed the lies of Fox News and Donald Trump.
Until America once again constrains the political power of giant corporations and the billionaires they produce, Americans will continue to be gaslighted, forced into work situations that are dangerous, and die in massive numbers.
And the next sociopath the Republicans nominate for president in 2024 will almost certainly be far smarter, more confident, and more dangerous than Trump.
The obituaries are telling us that in addition to getting rid of Trump and his Republican enablers, we must begin the hard work of deep structural change to reverse the billionaire coup of the 1980s that has brought us to this point.
We are at a crossroads
This country and this world are at a monumental crossroads. In a few short weeks, US voters will have an opportunity to beat back the forces of fascism and confront the billionaires who are rigging the economy, our media system, and our democracy, making it increasingly impossible for ordinary people to get by. We’re not just talking about the election. We’re talking about what must be done once these fascist elements are vanquished from power. We need a bolder set of solutions than what either major party has so far been willing to offer and a working-class movement ready to fight like hell for it. Trump didn't emerge from nowhere. The conditions that fueled MAGA authoritarianism were created by decades of radical neoliberal economic policies and a corrupt political system dominated by corporate interests. They slashed taxes on the super-rich, promising that the benefits would trickle down. They said giveaways to the corporate titans would make life more affordable for the rest of us. It was all bullshit. And when a bitter, betrayed populace searches for someone to blame, right-wing demagogues have little trouble finding scapegoats. People know when they're being lied to, but you won't hear any of this from the corporate media. Only independent journalism—powered and funded by people who believe in building a better world—can deliver truly trustworthy daily news. Our Fall Campaign is underway, and we need your help. To power our newsroom through the rest of the year, we need to raise $125,000 by midnight on October 31. So if you share our vision, please contribute whatever you can to sustain our work. |
It's showing up in the obituaries.
People in the throes of agony from losing someone close to them are writing things like, "Instead of flowers, donate to a Democrat," or "Instead of flowers, tell everyone to vote against Trump and the GOP this fall." It's become a national trend.
But not everyone is mourning. Billionaire Rupert Murdoch and the multimillionaires who comment on his Fox News network every night are very happy with the giant tax cuts and deregulation that Donald Trump has given them.
In exchange for that, they're giving support and publicity to Trump's lies.
Trump's lies about the coronavirus are encouraging older people who watch Fox and believe what they see to take chances and expose themselves to the virus and, as a result, they are dying all over the country.
And as they die, the billionaires and giant polluting corporations that have funded the Republican Party since the so-called "Reagan Revolution" are literally getting rich on the pandemic. Their net wealth has increased by over $1 trillion just since the first of this year.
So, when we read about Trump bringing misleading and nonsensical graphs and charts--pieces of his Big Lie--to his interview with Axios' Jonathan Swan, and then showing a complete lack of concern for dead and dying Americans and grieving families with a dismissive shrug and, "It is what it is," we have to keep in mind why he would do that.
First, of course, he doesn't care about the lives of average Americans, but, more importantly, neither do the giant corporations and billionaires who helped put him in the office and keep virtually every Republican at every level of government in office across the country. Instead, their media empires are cranking out propaganda on the airwaves and the Internet to support Trump and his lies.
Meanwhile, the death cult that is now the Trump base are the saddest victims of the billionaire and corporate crusade to crush democracy and dismantle the American government. They're the ones whose obituaries tragically point out how they believed the lies of Fox News and Donald Trump.
Until America once again constrains the political power of giant corporations and the billionaires they produce, Americans will continue to be gaslighted, forced into work situations that are dangerous, and die in massive numbers.
And the next sociopath the Republicans nominate for president in 2024 will almost certainly be far smarter, more confident, and more dangerous than Trump.
The obituaries are telling us that in addition to getting rid of Trump and his Republican enablers, we must begin the hard work of deep structural change to reverse the billionaire coup of the 1980s that has brought us to this point.
It's showing up in the obituaries.
People in the throes of agony from losing someone close to them are writing things like, "Instead of flowers, donate to a Democrat," or "Instead of flowers, tell everyone to vote against Trump and the GOP this fall." It's become a national trend.
But not everyone is mourning. Billionaire Rupert Murdoch and the multimillionaires who comment on his Fox News network every night are very happy with the giant tax cuts and deregulation that Donald Trump has given them.
In exchange for that, they're giving support and publicity to Trump's lies.
Trump's lies about the coronavirus are encouraging older people who watch Fox and believe what they see to take chances and expose themselves to the virus and, as a result, they are dying all over the country.
And as they die, the billionaires and giant polluting corporations that have funded the Republican Party since the so-called "Reagan Revolution" are literally getting rich on the pandemic. Their net wealth has increased by over $1 trillion just since the first of this year.
So, when we read about Trump bringing misleading and nonsensical graphs and charts--pieces of his Big Lie--to his interview with Axios' Jonathan Swan, and then showing a complete lack of concern for dead and dying Americans and grieving families with a dismissive shrug and, "It is what it is," we have to keep in mind why he would do that.
First, of course, he doesn't care about the lives of average Americans, but, more importantly, neither do the giant corporations and billionaires who helped put him in the office and keep virtually every Republican at every level of government in office across the country. Instead, their media empires are cranking out propaganda on the airwaves and the Internet to support Trump and his lies.
Meanwhile, the death cult that is now the Trump base are the saddest victims of the billionaire and corporate crusade to crush democracy and dismantle the American government. They're the ones whose obituaries tragically point out how they believed the lies of Fox News and Donald Trump.
Until America once again constrains the political power of giant corporations and the billionaires they produce, Americans will continue to be gaslighted, forced into work situations that are dangerous, and die in massive numbers.
And the next sociopath the Republicans nominate for president in 2024 will almost certainly be far smarter, more confident, and more dangerous than Trump.
The obituaries are telling us that in addition to getting rid of Trump and his Republican enablers, we must begin the hard work of deep structural change to reverse the billionaire coup of the 1980s that has brought us to this point.