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Joshua Cherniss

@jcherniss.bsky.social

Political theorist. Worker in the "Realm of Concepts." Book accumulator. Ethical worrier. Teaching at Georgetown University since 2014.

372 Posts851 Follower377 Folgt
Joshua Cherniss@jcherniss.bsky.social · last wk.

I think this is clearly correct, and important; naturally, I also like to see it as vindicating *my* analysis. www.illiberalism.org/the-ruthless...

The Ruthlessness is the Point: Trumpism and the Ethical Allure of Ruthlessness illiberalism.org |

Joshua Cherniss on the ethos and ethics of ruthlessness, and how they've come to be embodied in Trumpism.

illiberalism.org

Nicholas Grossman@nicholasgrossman.bsky.social · last wk.

The Trump admin had a real theory of war: Put on a show of toughness, tell people how manly you are, disdain law, do war crimes, and you win. Earlier losses came from leaders too "weak" to do that. It was a very stupid theory. But they espoused it a lot, really seem to believe it, and acted on it.

Joshua Cherniss@jcherniss.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Many of us fall into the fallacy of assuming that, if grotesquely venal, selfish and cruel figures achieve success (political or financial), they must also be very clever. Trump and Netanyahu are salutary reminders that quite often the opposite is true.

Sky Marchini@sky.skymarchini.net · 2mo ago

honestly I think the best metaphor for this debacle is the Russo-Japanese war: -idiot ruler with delusions of grandeur -empire wants to show a middle power whos in charge -negotiators are idiots -imperial logistics are all fucked up -empire surrenders to middle power after defeat

Aaron Ross Powell@aaronrosspowell.com · 2mo ago

A multicultural city of millions experiencing and sharing joy together is the quintessential symbol of why the far right's worldview is such a sad failure, one that can occasionally gain temporary power, but will always be a historical failure clung to only by failed people. Diversity is strength.

Sarah Kay@k-interarma.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Aerial PARTIAL view of the anti racist, anti fascist crowd in Belfast right now. City Hall to the left for scale. This - this is the real Belfast. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

Bild
Scott Smith@canaansdad1987.bsky.social · 2mo ago

4.3 million people have already been dropped from Snap benefits and with 14 million children already living in food insecure households they have made food pantries working past capacity. This can't continue. Vote blue everyone. #USDemocracy www.pbs.org/newshour/sho...

Millions lose SNAP benefits as One Big Beautiful Bill’s stricter requirements kick in

SNAP enrollment has fallen sharply nationwide since the passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act last summer. More than 3.5 million people have lost access to the food assistance, as states implement...

pbs.org

Joshua Cherniss@jcherniss.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Indeed -- but there is a way to stop him. It's impeachment; and the fact that it is out of the question -- and that even with a flipped House, the Senate is unlikely to convict -- suggests something has gone deeply wrong with our system.

Radley Balko@radleybalko.bsky.social · 2mo ago

It's just one thing. But vowing to make federal funding contingent on voters electing his favored candidate is unprecedented, incredibly destructive, and astonishingly corrupt. But he keeps doing it, and there's really no way to stop him.

Alan Elrod@aselrod.bsky.social · 3mo ago

This is outrageous. It’s just pure largesse for the president’s family, cronies, and street thugs. The corruption is mind-blowing.

According to ABC, the settlement would create a "commission" with "total authority" to settle "claims" brought by those who allege such weaponization. Per ABC, this not only includes the insurrectionists; it could even settle purported claims by "entities associated with President Trump himself." By all indications it would operate with little-to-no congressional oversight.In our interview, Raskin pointed out other glaringly corrupt aspects to this. He noted that Treasury's Judgment Fund is supposed to dole out its settlements and lawsuit judgments in accordance with actually existing court or administrative proceedings involving genuine victims of the government. As Raskin's staff notes, depending on the details, the relevant agencies and government officials must sign off on these payments, and they're disclosed to Congress and the public.But with the new fund, it's not clear the payments will look anything like this. It appears to transfer control over its payments to Trump alone, Raskin's staff says, and decouples them entirely from all those agency processes. "The Judgment Fund exists to settle valid judgments against the United States government," Raskin told me. Trump and his allies, Raskin said, are "trying to take money from the Judgment Fund while eliminating any controls and oversight" and putting it under Trump's "direct unilateral control." On top of that, Raskin added, this circumvents Congress in another way, since Congress never voted to create a fund structured this way. Which potentially renders it unconstitutional, too.Ultimately, this story also helps explain the sordid political economy of MAGA fascism. As writer John Ganz has explained, Trump uses the government in various ways to support his coalition's "material basis." For instance, the massive scaling up of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Ganz notes, functions as "an employment program for the Trumpenproletarian mob," as a key component of the "class composition of actually existing fascism." This new MAGA slush fund seems very much in this vein, particularly if it hands out payments to January 6 rioters. As Raskin put it to me, Trump and his lawyers "are figuring out a way to refund the January 6 militia, presumably to get them ready for the next round of battle."
Greg Sargent@gregsargent.bsky.social · 3mo ago

This is insanity: Trump's DOJ is about to "settle" his lawsuit against the IRS by creating a $1.7 billion slush fund to pay off victims of Biden "weaponization." I talked to Jamie Raskin about this. It's even more corrupt than it first appears. 1/ (new piece) newrepublic.com/article/2105...

Adam Gurri@adamgurri.liberalcurrents.com · 3mo ago

Despite clear moral justification, the Civil Rights activists did not pick every possible fight on every possible front. This is because choosing your battles isn’t defeatist, it is the opposite. It’s the thing you do when you want to win.

Michael DeMoor@michaeldemoor.bsky.social · 3mo ago

… what you saw as a student — imposing buildings full of imposing professors and administrators with imposing power and prestige — perhaps you can be forgiven for not knowing that universities are held together with sticks and duct tape and an almost perverse resolution to make it work.

Kevin M. Kruse@kevinmkruse.bsky.social · 3mo ago

By this same logic, Donald Trump bears direct personal responsibility for the murder of Melissa Hortman, the assault on Paul Pelosi, the guy who showed up armed at the Obamas, the attempted pipe bombing of several prominent Democrats, the January 6th rioters who assaulted cops, and many many more.

Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com · 3mo ago

Leavitt: "Nobody is recent years has faced more bullets and violence than President Trump. This political violence stems from a systemic demonization of him and his supporters by commentators -- yes -- by elected members of the Democrat Party, and even some in the media."

Joshua Cherniss@jcherniss.bsky.social · 3mo ago

From the initial vid I had noticed how quickly JD had hightailed it out; I hadn't twigged that POTUS had stumbled and fallen while being evacuated. That, plus the CBS anchor/chair of WHCA crawling on hands and knees after POTUS, is all just too apt. Reality has gotten too symbolically on-the-nose.

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Scary Mr. Olmec Man@scarymrolmecman.bsky.social · 4mo ago

The equivalent of a "Tizla strategy" for the US would be Mitt Romney running on a platform of overturning Citizens United, banning gerrymandering, court reform, and jailing half the administration. And I mean, if that were how ol' Mittens were rolling, I'd at least hear him out!