FAM 14: The Hate at the Heart of MAGA

Economic Arsonist Navarro | Guess Who Came to Dinner? | Celebrating Prince

Being a Decent Human Being Isn’t a Character Flaw

With Easter a few days ago and the passing of Pope Francis just yesterday, I find myself pondering and revisiting some thoughts I had already been jotting down on the role of morality and emotion in our politics.

Because both Easter and the passing of the Pope are both couched in religion, a little background on me.

I was raised Catholic because of my mother. My dad was a Methodist but didn’t go to church religiously, mostly because his dad was averse and he had plenty of work on the farm for his eight kids.

My early childhood was spent in Kentucky and there wasn’t a Catholic church in the area so I didn’t go until we moved to heavily-Catholic Louisiana and I was enrolled in St. Anthony’s school in Bunkie, Louisiana. We moved back to Michigan before I could be confirmed, and that was the end of organized religion in my life.

Over time I came to an agnostic point of view on religion. I’ve never considered myself an atheist because, to me, that has a certainty of belief that I just don’t prescribe to.

That said, I was always fascinated in religious issues since my religion classes at St. Anthony. Maybe that was because I came to them without any formal background. My religion teacher there (Brother Edward) was also extremely progressive in his teachings. I particularly remember him teaching that the Adam & Eve creation story could very well represent a parable for the audience at the time and likely represented the coming together of two tribes.

Things like that seemed to spark my curiosity even more, which led to Brother Edward coming to the house to ask my parents to advise me to kind of take it down a notch. He didn’t disagree with any of my questions or theories, but thought they might be confusing the other kids.

So, that’s me.

Ever since then I’ve been interested in Christianity — especially the New Testament. Over the years I’ve read a few scholarly books on the historical figure of Jesus and things like the Gnostic Gospels which I find fascinating.

One thing that has never wavered is my appreciation for the teachings of Jesus Christ. And, yes, they not only mirror my political philosophy but helped shape it. That also goes for what I’m against, and how the Conservative movement (in my opinion) has often been antithetical to the teachings of Christ.

Which brings us to the rise of MAGA and Trump and how we effectively counter it.

I tend to be both profane and sarcastic in some of my writing about the Trump Regime. I think the sarcasm is a good thing. As truly frightening as so much happening is, on some level these people are a bunch of bumbling idiots and mocking them gets under their skin more than anything else.

I can also be quite an alarmist, even though I think it’s completely warranted. But, one thing I always try to argue with is as much logic as possible.

Whether it’s unconstitutional overreach or terrible policy, I usually come from the point of view that (I hope) is reasoned and logical. For example, when I argue against extreme anti-immigration policy I tend to couch it in economic terms — like the waste of money in building a wall or the macro economic necessity of immigrant labor to our economy.

While all that is true — and logical lines of argument — thinking about it I believe that myself (and I’m sure many others) have been intimidated against talking about the morality and pure right/wrong and good/evil aspect of so much that’s going on around us.

I think we’re bullied into making those arguments because the MAGA crowd has scared us into believing those are somehow weak arguments — buying into the whole idea as progressives as snowflakes who aren’t strong or manly enough to see the world as it truly is.

Maybe this realization isn’t as revelatory to you, but I’ve found myself thinking about it all weekend.

Trump 1.0 saw a dramatic rise in hate crimes across the country and that is surely only going to get worse.

MAGA is largely driven by a permission for people to be their worst selves. We see that daily.

But, I do believe that there are millions of soft Trump supporters out there who are good and moral people. Likely because of years of (what I believe is) disinformation and alarmist propaganda they feel that because millions of criminals, drug dealers, and gang members are pouring across the border (they’re not) that they have to support a morally bankrupt man to stop it.

I know they are there.

The term the cruelty is the point is often associated with the MAGA movement on a number of fronts. And I think it is objectively true. But, we need to not be afraid to call it out, especially as it gets worse. Because, there are people out there who can be converted, who do have some moral line in the sand that they won’t cross.

Just like we should be pressing and fighting on all issues in front of us, we should be using all the tools in our toolbox to make the argument against them.

Calling out cruelty and hatred isn’t weak, it’s righteous. And being a decent, moral human being — regardless of where or how you became one — is a strength, not a weakness.

Let’s not be afraid not to use it.

As for Pope Francis, I don’t have much to add. Of course he didn’t reform the church to the extent that I’d like to see, and the decades of abuse stains the legacy of generations of church leaders. But, he was by far the best pope of my lifetime and has been (on balance) a moral force for good in this world. RIP.

From his last Easter message:

"I appeal to all those in positions of political responsibility in our world not to yield to the logic of fear which only leads to isolation from others, but rather to use the resources available to help the needy, to fight hunger and to encourage initiatives that promote development," the message said. "These are the 'weapons' of peace: weapons that build the future, instead of sowing seeds of death!"

Bill Maher’s Cave to Trump

Speaking of religion and morality…

Last week after reading about Bill Maher’s trip to the White House for dinner with Trump and Kid Rock, I wrote about my disgust with Maher that’s been building for years.

Oddly, that mini essay became the most popular thing I’ve ever posted on this little Substack that could.

If you missed it, you can read it here.

Peter Navarro — Arsonist as Fire Chief

Make no mistake, Trump is the single wanna-be dictator driving the course of our economy with his idiotic tariff policy whose damage is only just beginning. The idea that one single person could have that much power over the economy is antithetical to everything our Founders believed.

But, since we’ve (at least momentarily) backed away from the cliff of a global economic collapse it’s a good time to bring up the brains behind Trump’s tariff philosophy. You’ve likely heard the name Peter Navarro, but let me refresh your memory and let you know at least one thing that I only learned last week.

I can’t think of anyone that has ever wielded so much economic sway over a POTUS being further outside the economic philosophical mainstream — conservative or liberal. Navarro is a nut job, pure and simple. He was in Trump 1.0 preaching his tariff bullshit, but there were still enough adults in the room to temper him. He was only successful in talking Trump into tariffing China which was an abject failure, wounding American farmers until we all bailed them out.

But, Navarro also took a bullet for Trump — refusing a Congressional subpoena and eventually serving some time in the slammer — the type of mob boss loyalty that might even make Trump’s little mushroom twitch a bit.

Now Navarro’s back and (at any given moment) has the ear of the dude with not so much beyond it.

You might not remember, but the story goes that in Trump 1.0 Jared found Navarro — a once quasi-respected Harvard economist before gave himself a philosophical lobotomy — searching on Amazon. I assume Jared did his due diligence, looking for someone whose ideas might match up with some of his father in law’s scattershot turd notions that Trump has polished into diamonds in his lizard brain over the decades.

I knew the Amazon story before — and it was funny in a pathetic kind of way. Mainly funny because he didn’t have the power he does now. At least until he doesn’t. Who knows, this administration is run on the whims of an idiot.

But, what I missed (back in 2019) was what Navarro wrote in a number of his books. Six of them to be exact. To bolster his nutty theories — and spew racist shit at Asia — Navarro used a supposed doctoral student at Harvard named Ron Vara to agree and chime in with him throughout the books.

The funny thing about Ron Vara is that he’s completely fictional. And these weren’t supposed to be fictional books on trade policy. In fact, Ron Vara is actually an anagram for Navarro.

See, funny!

Navarro claimed this was a “whimsical device” but his publishing company felt the need to put a warning on all future editions.

This is the kind of thing that would get any publishing professor fired and ruin the career of any economist of any note. Now the Amazon dude with the fake source is driving us into a recession.

I guess all you can do just add it to the insane pile of truly unbelievable and inconceivable things that now happen every day.

And Trump probably loved the idea.

He famously made up a Trump spokesperson, John Barron, who would call publicists and try to plant fake stories on how many women he had bedded — including Madonna in her prime — and what an absolute stud he, I mean Mr. Trump, was.

Culture Club: Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today…

Note: Today marks the 9th anniversary of the passing of Prince. I started to write something new but decided to post what I wrote the day after his death in 2016.

Even watching Prince’s more commercial videos being played on an MTV tribute on the night of his death shows the stunning brilliance and unparalleled diversity of his music. What an amazing body of work from a totally singular artist.

I’m finding it really hard getting my head around this. I’m no crazy super fan who knows every single bootleg, but he and Paul McCartney have been my two favorite artists since I was a teenager.

I’ve always imagined what it must have been like to be around as those mid to late Beatles albums came out — each one radically different and totally game changing.

What makes Prince so special to me was that I was there for his magical mystery tour — one of very few times in modern music history when an immensely popular artist released a string of groundbreaking, distinctive albums whose influence simply cannot be overstated.

The new wave sexual funk of 1999. Who had ever heard anything like “Let’s Pretend We’re Married?” It’s as musically brilliant as it is lyrically raunchy.

Then the superstar breakthrough of Purple Rain — a dirty test tube baby of Jimi Hendrix, James Brown and Devo.

A number one song with no bass line? Why not.

To then follow that totally new amalgamation with the psychedelic pop of Around the World in a Day? Amazing. I vividly remember listening to that album and being blown away that someone would release something so radically different with no regard to commercial success. He was CHALLENGING his audience to follow him. I knew with that album that he was totally unique, and I was totally in for the long haul.

Parade followed. Another 180-degree turn to sparse funk, beautiful strings, and jazz flourishes. “Kiss” is a classic now. But then? It was like no song on the radio.

Then came the masterpiece — Sign O’ the Times — a stunning summation of everything he had done to date. I remember hearing the title song for the first time while working at Tubby’s sub shop and being as intrigued as I was confused.

Who would release something like this as a single? It was probably one of the least commercially viable songs meant to sell an expensive double album. I can only imagine execs at Warner Brothers when he dropped that little bombshell on them.

Like I said, that string is one of the most singular runs in pop history, matched only by The Beatles, and Stevie Wonder’s early 70s output. Offhand, I can’t think of any other example, but I know they are few and far between.

But, it’s not like the great music began with 1999 or ended with Sign O’ the Times. I mean, who ever released a single as bat-shit crazy as “Batdance?” Or a number one single with the main chorus of “Cream, get on top. Cream, you will come.”

The commercial success eventually went away, but Prince never did.

I have virtually everything he’s released, and even up to last’s years HITnRUN Phase Two there have always been at least a handful of amazing songs that stand shoulder to shoulder with music from his creative peak — a rare feat for someone so incredibly prolific.

I thought Prince would be releasing new music for years and years to come and had no doubt that he had any number of true masterpieces left to share. For those more casual fans, I urge you to dig deeper into his wonderful catalogue — you’ll discover some great music that encompassed nearly every style imaginable.

As for Prince as a live performer, there was no equal. I saw him seven times and he was breathtaking each and every one of them. I wish that number were double or triple. If money weren’t an option I would have travelled around the world to see him as often as possible.

All that said, being a Prince fan always came with a certain amount of frustration given his sometimes-baffling career moves. He kept up the pattern of making odd single choices. Once he was past his commercial peak, this really hurt sales of some otherwise great albums. And of course, there was the whole symbol/slave thing. That probably hurt his career more than anything — even if it was a worthy stand and has inspired artists ever since.

But it was that same enigmatic individualism that took him on so many twists and turns and made following him such an ultimately rewarding adventure.

Thank you, Prince, for your beautiful, strange, and dazzling musical journey.

And for challenging me to come along for the ride. I wish it would have lasted longer, and I wish you heaven.

…Now let’s bust open that damn vault and see how many more gems you had hidden.

Tuesday Music Mix: Prince Top 40

Don’t let the title fool you. I could never really come up with a Prince Top 40. There are too many great songs, and naming favorites could change on a daily basis. That said, this is a pretty good approximation with a focus on the entirety of his prolific career.

Most folks lost track of Prince after the 80s even if he did spring back into popular culture with events like his (still best and almost divine) Super Bowl performance in 2007.

Almost until the day he died Prince was still releasing really great songs on albums that would have been considered classic if they didn’t come from him. I think this mix does a good job putting that later work in context with his 80s apex. There are some big, obvious hits from and some lesser-known nuggets from that era that you might not know as well.

Hope you enjoy!