Hiro Abe
@hiroakiabe.bsky.social
Political Science Ph.D. @Columbia under Bob Jervis & Ken Waltz. Decided I didn't want to write meaningless papers my whole life & left academia. Now buying & selling antiques.
Pinned
Hiro Abe
@hiroakiabe.bsky.social
· Nov 16
The amount that Americans who voted for Trump will save on eggs post inauguration:
Thirty shekels of silver.
Thirty shekels of silver.
Donald Trump is a mix of all the worst characteristics of the 1930s and the 1980s. The domestic racialism and international bellicosity of the 1930s, mixed with the unbridled greed and nihilism of the 1980s.
February 3, 2025 at 2:25 PM
Donald Trump is a mix of all the worst characteristics of the 1930s and the 1980s. The domestic racialism and international bellicosity of the 1930s, mixed with the unbridled greed and nihilism of the 1980s.
I think Harris was put in an almost impossible situation b/c Hamas/Iran + Bibi both wanted Trump & knew Gaza was wedge issue that'd divide Dems so prolonged & exacerbated it intentionally. Only comeback was to promise to be harsh on both Hamas & Bibi, but Harris didn't see this.
November 21, 2024 at 3:13 AM
I think Harris was put in an almost impossible situation b/c Hamas/Iran + Bibi both wanted Trump & knew Gaza was wedge issue that'd divide Dems so prolonged & exacerbated it intentionally. Only comeback was to promise to be harsh on both Hamas & Bibi, but Harris didn't see this.
Critical point. A demagogue doesn't want to make things better. He precisely will make things worse, so he can keep lying to the people about the causes, keep scapegoating aliens / enemies, & keep consolidating more support through these persistent lies AND deteriorating reality.
November 21, 2024 at 3:12 AM
Critical point. A demagogue doesn't want to make things better. He precisely will make things worse, so he can keep lying to the people about the causes, keep scapegoating aliens / enemies, & keep consolidating more support through these persistent lies AND deteriorating reality.
Hot take: It's possible & even likely our next Dem presidential nominee, whether they compete in a free & fair election or not, will be a former Republican who is (and always has been) anti-Trump, opposes Trump vehemently & stridently, and adopts the language of economic populism
November 21, 2024 at 3:11 AM
Hot take: It's possible & even likely our next Dem presidential nominee, whether they compete in a free & fair election or not, will be a former Republican who is (and always has been) anti-Trump, opposes Trump vehemently & stridently, and adopts the language of economic populism
In coming years it may come to matter very much not just whether one opposes Trump & Trumpism, but how intensely one opposes Trump and Trumpism. If fact this intensity "test" might become the critical factor when choosing our next set of leaders, and it may not be a bad thing.
November 21, 2024 at 3:11 AM
In coming years it may come to matter very much not just whether one opposes Trump & Trumpism, but how intensely one opposes Trump and Trumpism. If fact this intensity "test" might become the critical factor when choosing our next set of leaders, and it may not be a bad thing.
I wonder how many voters voted for Trump either b/c they were afraid of what Trump might do to them if he knew they voted against him, or b/c they didn't want Trump election denial again & just thought it'd be easier to give him an election win? Seems an important question.
November 21, 2024 at 3:11 AM
I wonder how many voters voted for Trump either b/c they were afraid of what Trump might do to them if he knew they voted against him, or b/c they didn't want Trump election denial again & just thought it'd be easier to give him an election win? Seems an important question.
If, as a white working class voter, you think the culture war "wins" that Trump promises you (owning the libs, depriving blacks of social security, deporting illegals, hurting trans, tariffs, blowing up the system) are, in any real sense "gains," then I have a bridge to sell you.
November 18, 2024 at 4:08 PM
If, as a white working class voter, you think the culture war "wins" that Trump promises you (owning the libs, depriving blacks of social security, deporting illegals, hurting trans, tariffs, blowing up the system) are, in any real sense "gains," then I have a bridge to sell you.
The basic human drivers of greed & loss aversion means no democratic electorate will willingly vote for a lower quality of life in exchange for meaningful climate change mitigation. This implies the greatest steps in climate change mitigation will be taken by sagacious autocrats.
November 18, 2024 at 4:06 PM
The basic human drivers of greed & loss aversion means no democratic electorate will willingly vote for a lower quality of life in exchange for meaningful climate change mitigation. This implies the greatest steps in climate change mitigation will be taken by sagacious autocrats.
No matter how much mainstream pundits agonize about how Dems have to stop lurching leftward and accommodate Trump voters + their preferences, the truth is Trump & right-wing media have manufactured imaginary grievances that only Trump can solve & history will clearly show this.
November 18, 2024 at 4:06 PM
No matter how much mainstream pundits agonize about how Dems have to stop lurching leftward and accommodate Trump voters + their preferences, the truth is Trump & right-wing media have manufactured imaginary grievances that only Trump can solve & history will clearly show this.
It's likely America couldn't largely offshore capitalist production without creating massive distortions. Americans thinking they had lost industrial jobs for nothing, when we gained clean air, cheaper goods & greater profits. We cannot "reshore" production without losing these.
November 18, 2024 at 4:05 PM
It's likely America couldn't largely offshore capitalist production without creating massive distortions. Americans thinking they had lost industrial jobs for nothing, when we gained clean air, cheaper goods & greater profits. We cannot "reshore" production without losing these.
If the majority of Trump's voters voted based on a mistaken or skewed understanding of Trump's & Harris' agendas, then this signifies a massive irruption of irrationality into American political life. Irrationality caused by the cancers of disinformation and under-education.
November 18, 2024 at 4:01 PM
If the majority of Trump's voters voted based on a mistaken or skewed understanding of Trump's & Harris' agendas, then this signifies a massive irruption of irrationality into American political life. Irrationality caused by the cancers of disinformation and under-education.
Or, together with the promised tariffs and subsequent retaliatory tariffs (and accompanying trade war), a depression--the one George W Bush and Trump I almost got us into, but that Obama and Biden nipped in the bud before they became full-blown global meltdowns.
November 18, 2024 at 3:58 PM
Or, together with the promised tariffs and subsequent retaliatory tariffs (and accompanying trade war), a depression--the one George W Bush and Trump I almost got us into, but that Obama and Biden nipped in the bud before they became full-blown global meltdowns.
Excellent point. Trump as the law will threaten not only the impartial dispensation of justice, but it'll more fundamentally threaten security & even property rights. This is what a dictatorship is--legality is suspended and the dictator can make & remake the law ad infinitum.
November 18, 2024 at 3:57 PM
Excellent point. Trump as the law will threaten not only the impartial dispensation of justice, but it'll more fundamentally threaten security & even property rights. This is what a dictatorship is--legality is suspended and the dictator can make & remake the law ad infinitum.
The oligarchy is a prelude to the dictatorship.
November 18, 2024 at 3:55 PM
The oligarchy is a prelude to the dictatorship.
Could easily see this turning into a full-blown invasion and annexation of Mexico, given Trump's brain is addled and he'll probably think that controlling the manufacturing & natural resources in Mexico will reverse the economic crisis he causes with tariffs.
November 18, 2024 at 3:52 PM
Could easily see this turning into a full-blown invasion and annexation of Mexico, given Trump's brain is addled and he'll probably think that controlling the manufacturing & natural resources in Mexico will reverse the economic crisis he causes with tariffs.
The vulnerable have a strong incentive to engage in wishful thinking, as it's all they have in the face of imminent annihilation.
November 18, 2024 at 3:50 PM
The vulnerable have a strong incentive to engage in wishful thinking, as it's all they have in the face of imminent annihilation.
Bernie sucks & Rahm sucks. Why can't we hate both? There were def issues w/the Harris campaign (though not sure fixing these would've won the election) but I don't think ideological positioning was one of them, as she had a Goldilocks balance b/w centrists & progressives.
November 18, 2024 at 3:49 PM
Bernie sucks & Rahm sucks. Why can't we hate both? There were def issues w/the Harris campaign (though not sure fixing these would've won the election) but I don't think ideological positioning was one of them, as she had a Goldilocks balance b/w centrists & progressives.
I hope The Onion isn't going to instantly make InfoWars a satire humor site, as this may be an incredibly important opportunity for anti-Trump forces to infiltrate the right wing disinformation bubble & start feeding our own anti right-wing disinformation disinformation into it.
November 18, 2024 at 3:48 PM
I hope The Onion isn't going to instantly make InfoWars a satire humor site, as this may be an incredibly important opportunity for anti-Trump forces to infiltrate the right wing disinformation bubble & start feeding our own anti right-wing disinformation disinformation into it.
Because Hamas and Netanyahu are co-dependent as two autocratic systems, who need the threat of the other to keep feeding fear into their own people and thereby maintaining their own base of support.
November 18, 2024 at 3:46 PM
Because Hamas and Netanyahu are co-dependent as two autocratic systems, who need the threat of the other to keep feeding fear into their own people and thereby maintaining their own base of support.
The disjuncture between how fragile our political and economic institutions actually are, and how impassive and immutable they've seemed (to those of us who came of age during the post Cold War peace) is hard to fathom.
November 18, 2024 at 3:46 PM
The disjuncture between how fragile our political and economic institutions actually are, and how impassive and immutable they've seemed (to those of us who came of age during the post Cold War peace) is hard to fathom.
I agree completely with this. The time for recriminations has passed. We were foolish to think we could fight a demagogue using the tools of democracy and legality alone. But now we must fight to survive as a tyrant tries to subjugate us. We must not let him.
November 18, 2024 at 3:44 PM
I agree completely with this. The time for recriminations has passed. We were foolish to think we could fight a demagogue using the tools of democracy and legality alone. But now we must fight to survive as a tyrant tries to subjugate us. We must not let him.
Nuclear proliferation is indeed inevitable (and justified) if Trump's America won't protect America's allies, but in the spirit of my mentor Kenneth Waltz, I think that nuclear weapons within a defensive doctrine of no-first-use, may promote stability and prevent wars of aggression.
November 18, 2024 at 3:42 PM
Nuclear proliferation is indeed inevitable (and justified) if Trump's America won't protect America's allies, but in the spirit of my mentor Kenneth Waltz, I think that nuclear weapons within a defensive doctrine of no-first-use, may promote stability and prevent wars of aggression.
Late 80s might've been the start of our slide into dictatorship. Distopian films in early / mid 80s (Blade Runner, Brazil) had a pessimistic didactic edge, but by '87's Running Man it's distopianism purely for entertainment. Also late 80s was peak hedonistic nihilism.
November 18, 2024 at 3:40 PM
Late 80s might've been the start of our slide into dictatorship. Distopian films in early / mid 80s (Blade Runner, Brazil) had a pessimistic didactic edge, but by '87's Running Man it's distopianism purely for entertainment. Also late 80s was peak hedonistic nihilism.
People in the rural heartland have a love/hate relationship w/coastal entertainment culture, as evidenced by their love for Trump. Dems might want to try cloaking themselves in a super slick & ultra cool NYC vibe, with slightly less jargony in-jokes, to intoxicate the masses?
November 18, 2024 at 4:48 AM
People in the rural heartland have a love/hate relationship w/coastal entertainment culture, as evidenced by their love for Trump. Dems might want to try cloaking themselves in a super slick & ultra cool NYC vibe, with slightly less jargony in-jokes, to intoxicate the masses?
My sense is that people voted for what they want to be, not what they could relate to. Excess ambition, greed & narcissism have become the American Dream in the 21st century. Trump embodies this excess ambition, greed & narcissism, and a lot of people liked what they saw.
November 17, 2024 at 4:11 AM
My sense is that people voted for what they want to be, not what they could relate to. Excess ambition, greed & narcissism have become the American Dream in the 21st century. Trump embodies this excess ambition, greed & narcissism, and a lot of people liked what they saw.