Kevin, I recently finished Patricia O'Toole's The Moralist and I was disappointed. It seems to me that any history of WWI and the peace negotiations that is American-centric will, by definition, not give a complete accounting of the competing interests involved. I'm interested in your reaction and a suggestion, if you have one, for a better accounting. Thanks much.
Hi Kevin. Thanks for everything. As clear as it is that the former president is truly an existential threat to this country, I'm still fascinated at how his brain functions. Or malfunctions. Something is clearly broken there, he just cannot help himself.
I guess my question is: do we have any parallel in US history of someone in politics like this. Of course, there's so much material today because the man's on television every day etc, but has anyone ever been this blatantly self-destructive in politics, while all of his or her allies look on in horror? Nixon I suppose is the easiest comparable, but he was a clever operator, he just made one giant mistake.
I hesitate to say unprecedented, but I really can't think of someone who was so self-destructive and self-sabotaging in this way. Nixon was shrewd and self-serving, despite a few unforced errors. Trump just seems to be shooting holes in his own lifeboat. It's amazing.
Hi Kevin - With so much about the Espionage Act in the news, I haven't seen anyone attempt to make a connection to the Rosenbergs, except for the Roy Cohn link. I remember reading that Walter Winchell always framed the "Atomic Spy Rosenbergs" in the context of," if your son has died fighting for America, they killed him" -- how should we be talking about what Trump did in the context of the Rosenbergs, if at all?
There's certainly some distance between the acts -- the Rosenbergs actively worked to disseminate the top secret intel, while Trump (as far as we know now) was "merely" incredibly careless and reckless. It seems less like the Rosenbergs for that reason and more like the "Somebody Talked!" posters of WWII where carelessness was blamed for soldier's deaths?
Do you see a lot of parallels between January 6 and the 1962 Ole Miss riot?
In both situations, it seems to me, a reckless demagogue (Trump/Ross Barnett) inflamed a futile attempt to subvert a fait accompli. Both also involved committed right-wing operators (Edwin Walker/Roger Stone) as well as a much less sophisticated element. I guess a difference is that Trump was even more committed to the J6 insurrection than Barnett was to fomenting a riot at Ole Miss--I think he was trying to arrange a face-saving compromise with the Kennedys at the same time it was going on.
Oh, that's a great comparison. I might have to do a piece on that when the anniversary rolls around!
And yeah, I think you've got your finger on the key difference. For all of his bluster, Barnett really just wanted a show of force to make himself look good. (He even begged RFK at one point to have the marshals point their guns at his head so he could play the victim.) But Trump really wanted his riot to succeed and was happy with what he saw.
You may have seen it already, but there’s a good recent documentary about RFK’s 1966 visit to Ole Miss--at which he embarrassed Barnett by telling that story publicly.
It's changed a bit, largely excluding the key element that we called them "banana republics" because they were unduly swayed by America and, specifically, American corporations like United Fruit and Dole. We've erased our role, and just blame them for what we wrought.
Kevin, I recently finished Patricia O'Toole's The Moralist and I was disappointed. It seems to me that any history of WWI and the peace negotiations that is American-centric will, by definition, not give a complete accounting of the competing interests involved. I'm interested in your reaction and a suggestion, if you have one, for a better accounting. Thanks much.
Try this:
https://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674022515
I see - like Spilled Files Stops Smiles -- that makes sense!!
Hi Kevin. Thanks for everything. As clear as it is that the former president is truly an existential threat to this country, I'm still fascinated at how his brain functions. Or malfunctions. Something is clearly broken there, he just cannot help himself.
I guess my question is: do we have any parallel in US history of someone in politics like this. Of course, there's so much material today because the man's on television every day etc, but has anyone ever been this blatantly self-destructive in politics, while all of his or her allies look on in horror? Nixon I suppose is the easiest comparable, but he was a clever operator, he just made one giant mistake.
Thanks again!
I hesitate to say unprecedented, but I really can't think of someone who was so self-destructive and self-sabotaging in this way. Nixon was shrewd and self-serving, despite a few unforced errors. Trump just seems to be shooting holes in his own lifeboat. It's amazing.
Hi Kevin - With so much about the Espionage Act in the news, I haven't seen anyone attempt to make a connection to the Rosenbergs, except for the Roy Cohn link. I remember reading that Walter Winchell always framed the "Atomic Spy Rosenbergs" in the context of," if your son has died fighting for America, they killed him" -- how should we be talking about what Trump did in the context of the Rosenbergs, if at all?
That's. good question.
There's certainly some distance between the acts -- the Rosenbergs actively worked to disseminate the top secret intel, while Trump (as far as we know now) was "merely" incredibly careless and reckless. It seems less like the Rosenbergs for that reason and more like the "Somebody Talked!" posters of WWII where carelessness was blamed for soldier's deaths?
Do you see a lot of parallels between January 6 and the 1962 Ole Miss riot?
In both situations, it seems to me, a reckless demagogue (Trump/Ross Barnett) inflamed a futile attempt to subvert a fait accompli. Both also involved committed right-wing operators (Edwin Walker/Roger Stone) as well as a much less sophisticated element. I guess a difference is that Trump was even more committed to the J6 insurrection than Barnett was to fomenting a riot at Ole Miss--I think he was trying to arrange a face-saving compromise with the Kennedys at the same time it was going on.
Oh, that's a great comparison. I might have to do a piece on that when the anniversary rolls around!
And yeah, I think you've got your finger on the key difference. For all of his bluster, Barnett really just wanted a show of force to make himself look good. (He even begged RFK at one point to have the marshals point their guns at his head so he could play the victim.) But Trump really wanted his riot to succeed and was happy with what he saw.
Trump: Less principled than Ross Barnett. Oof.
You may have seen it already, but there’s a good recent documentary about RFK’s 1966 visit to Ole Miss--at which he embarrassed Barnett by telling that story publicly.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJcDjmiE_Is
Unfortunately, I can’t find the full stream online anymore.
I hadn't seen that, no! Thanks so much.
Also in the news a lot these days is the term “banana republic.” What’s the best history you’ve read on the banana wars and the origins of the term?
I’m assuming the meaning of banana republic has changed over time, but I’m interested in the history.
It's changed a bit, largely excluding the key element that we called them "banana republics" because they were unduly swayed by America and, specifically, American corporations like United Fruit and Dole. We've erased our role, and just blame them for what we wrought.
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/where-we-got-term-banana-republic-180961813/