James Earl Carter Jr, 1924-2024
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Donald Trump has a good chance of being regarded as one of the most important and influential humans in the history of humans. Of course that history has yet to be written, but there's a reasonable chance. And of course people will differ, with some of us perpetually unable to give credit for effective social/political course correction as compared to the Obama and Biden regimes. Meanwhile, Carter had a good heart.
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@Horace said in James Earl Carter Jr, 1924-2024:
Carter had a good heart.
It lasted him 100 years.
However, if you read some of the contemporaneous reports about his behaviors, one might question how generous are good he was during his presidency.
"Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... " - Mik, 6/14/08
The saying, "Lite is just one damn thing after another," is a gross understatement. The damn things overlap.
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@jon-nyc said in James Earl Carter Jr, 1924-2024:
Carter had a good heart.
And the comment we’re discussing was about just that.
I'm sorry to have diverted from the subject with some human language and thought. I know it's not fair to derail very specific narratives chosen by one participant in the conversation. So unfair. That's why I prefer bluesky these days. My mind slaves appear incapable of diverting discussions, and I love them for it.
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@George-K said in James Earl Carter Jr, 1924-2024:
@Horace said in James Earl Carter Jr, 1924-2024:
Carter had a good heart.
It lasted him 100 years.
However, if you read some of the contemporaneous reports about his behaviors, one might question how generous are good he was during his presidency.
I admit I haven't done any research on the guy, and am taking his heart on faith.
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If one were hiring for various positions, each position might require different amounts of "heart". If one is a social worker, you should probably have some heart. A president? Actually, many reasonable people would prefer to hire a win-first, play-fair-later sort. Because the first society to hire one of those sorts, will be at an advantage. Humans didn't dominate the planet by deploying their hearts, and societies have never won by deploying their hearts. Obviously the culture wars in Western nations are largely predicated on tribes that have very different conceptions on the importance of "heart" in cultural issues.
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@jon-nyc said in James Earl Carter Jr, 1924-2024:
@George-K said in James Earl Carter Jr, 1924-2024:
However, if you read some of the contemporaneous reports about his behaviors, one might question how generous are good he was during his presidency.
Now do the other guy.
I already did. I called him a wizzened senile grifting rapist child molester.
"Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... " - Mik, 6/14/08
The saying, "Lite is just one damn thing after another," is a gross understatement. The damn things overlap.
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Where it becomes a little bit difficult to swallow, is when you see people who are obviously on the outlier end of win-first, play-fair-later compulsion, who then turn around and get outraged at Trump, who is that way, but actually admits it, bless his heart.
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@Horace said in James Earl Carter Jr, 1924-2024:
Donald Trump has a good chance of being regarded as one of the most important and influential humans in the history of humans. Of course that history has yet to be written, but there's a reasonable chance.
This seems to be it's own form of Trump Derangement Syndrome.
His last term, historically, wasn't particularly notable except for the pandemic and its effects, which were all negative, and his attempt to steal the 2020 election.
We got a bog-standard GOP tax cut. Three judges from the FedSoc list that any GOP president would have selected from (if there's a Justice hero for the GOP it was McConnell). Yeah we had good growth for a while, until we didn't. But that happens under most presidents. Yeah he tinkered with regulations, but many others have (not least Jimmy Carter). And yeah you could find a list of other things he did, but none are propelling him to Rushmore.
Perhaps his most notable achievement, for which I'm already grateful to see in its green shoots, is to be the catalyst for reform of the Democratic Party.
DON’T let them eat cake.
- RFK Jr -
@jon-nyc said in James Earl Carter Jr, 1924-2024:
@Horace said in James Earl Carter Jr, 1924-2024:
Donald Trump has a good chance of being regarded as one of the most important and influential humans in the history of humans. Of course that history has yet to be written, but there's a reasonable chance.
This seems to be it's own form of Trump Derangement Syndrome.
His last term, historically, wasn't particularly notable except for the pandemic and its effects, which were all negative, and his attempt to steal the 2020 election.
We got a bog-standard GOP tax cut. Three judges from the FedSoc list that any GOP president would have selected from (if there's a Justice hero in the GOP it was McConnell). Yeah we had good growth for a while, until we didn't. But that happens under most presidents. Yeah he tinkered with regulations, but many others have (not least Jimmy Carter). And yeah you could find a list of other things he did, but none are propelling him to Rushmore.
Perhaps his most notable achievement, for which I'm already grateful to see in its green shoots, is to be the catalyst for reform of the Democratic Party.
I just find it amusing that our resident presidential historian has spent his adulthood hating the most important and influential president of your lifetime. Your cognitive processes never got past orange man bad. All that preparation, and you couldn't get past orange man bad.
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He was the first to use social media to go around institutional gatekeepers that would have prevented him from getting anywhere near the nomination, let alone the presidency. And he used it, for good or for ill, throughout his presidency. So yeah, that’s historic. Like FDR with the radio.
But that’s more about the tech than the man. Though first mover gets bragging rights too.
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Yes, he is the president that was allowed for by the internet. By the massive educational power of the internet. All of the asses exposed of all of the monoparty elites, and the world figured it out, and they elected Trump. I'm sure it's because of all the misinformation and disinformation, rather than reality getting exposed.
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Here’s a ChatGPT summary
Martin Gurri’s book, “The Revolt of the Public and the Crisis of Authority in the New Millennium”, explores the profound impact of the digital information explosion on society, politics, and authority structures. Gurri, a former CIA analyst, argues that the advent of the internet and social media has upended traditional hierarchies of power by democratizing information and giving the public unprecedented tools to challenge institutions.
Key Themes and Arguments:
1. The Information Tsunami:
Gurri describes how the internet has unleashed a “tsunami” of information, overwhelming traditional gatekeepers like governments, media, and corporations. This abundance of information erodes trust in these institutions by exposing their flaws and contradictions.
2. The Revolt of the Public:
Empowered by digital tools, ordinary people can now organize, communicate, and express dissent on a massive scale. Movements like the Arab Spring, Occupy Wall Street, and Brexit are examples of how the public uses this power to challenge authority.
3. Crisis of Authority:
Institutions built for the industrial age struggle to adapt to this new reality. They are designed to control the flow of information, but in the digital era, their authority is undermined by transparency and the public’s growing skepticism.
4. Anti-Establishment Sentiments:
Gurri notes that the public’s revolt is often defined by what it opposes rather than what it supports. These movements are characterized by their rejection of elites, institutions, and traditional hierarchies, but they rarely offer constructive alternatives.
5. Polarization and Fragmentation:
The digital age has not only democratized information but also fragmented it, creating echo chambers and amplifying ideological divisions. This contributes to a more chaotic and unpredictable public sphere.
6. Future of Governance:
Gurri warns that the current trajectory could lead to further instability unless institutions evolve to embrace transparency and engage meaningfully with the public. He calls for humility and adaptability from elites in addressing the public’s concerns.Conclusion:
“The Revolt of the Public” provides a compelling analysis of how the digital revolution has shifted the balance of power between the public and traditional authority. Gurri’s work is a cautionary tale about the challenges and opportunities of the information age, highlighting the need for new forms of governance and leadership to navigate this transformative era.
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DON’T let them eat cake.
- RFK Jr -
"Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... " - Mik, 6/14/08
The saying, "Lite is just one damn thing after another," is a gross understatement. The damn things overlap.
