{"id":25631,"date":"2025-08-28T17:47:11","date_gmt":"2025-08-29T00:47:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.markrkelly.com\/Blog\/?p=25631"},"modified":"2025-09-03T16:09:15","modified_gmt":"2025-09-03T23:09:15","slug":"greed-and-heaven","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.markrkelly.com\/Blog\/2025\/08\/28\/greed-and-heaven\/","title":{"rendered":"Greed, and Heaven"},"content":{"rendered":"<ul>\n<li>Thom Hartmann on the motivation of Republicans: Greed;<\/li>\n<li>Brief items about Trump as dictator; why Trump talks about heaven; Robert Reich on how to respond to Trump&#8217;s lies about &#8220;crime wave&#8221; (point out Trump&#8217;s violations); the suspended postal shipments to the US because of Trump&#8217;s tariffs; how ICE is capturing fire fighters while on duty; the relentless cruel campaign against Kilmar Abrego Garcia; and more about how women should submit, JFK Jr.s magical powers of diagnosis, and lowering standards.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div align=\"center\">&#8211; &#8211; &#8211;<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Another quick batch. Which to begin with?<\/p>\n<p>Here&#8217;s a writer and radio host I&#8217;ve been aware of for a while but not followed closely. Addressing that question about what really motivates Republicans (and those who vote for them).<\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/$s_!vatS!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc3cb4560-55e9-478c-8539-2965065f2845_1536x1024.heic\" width=\"400\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>The Hartmann Report, Thom Hartmann, 28 Aug 2025<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/hartmannreport.com\/p\/the-long-con-why-every-republican-a92\">The Long Con: Why Every Republican Policy\u2014From Guns to Healthcare to Taxes\u2014Harms the Public &amp; Enriches the Few<\/a><\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<p>Subtitled: For decades, the GOP has perfected the art of sabotage, turning government into a racket where the suffering of millions is simply the cost of keeping billionaires happy\u2026<\/p>\n<p>Longish piece, beginning<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Yesterday there was another highly publicized school shooting. Republicans, as usual, are offering thoughts and prayers:<\/p>\n<p>But why?<\/p>\n<p>Why have Republicans \u2014 who, before Reagan, were the party in favor of gun control \u2014 decided that it\u2019s just fine for America to be the only country in the world where the leading cause of childhood deaths and injury is bullets?<\/p>\n<p>Why have Republicans \u2014 who, during the Eisenhower administration, pushed for massive public works programs like the interstate freeways and new schools coast-to-coast \u2014 decided instead to kill off as many of those sorts of programs as possible to pay for tax gifts to billionaires?<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>And so on.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>They don\u2019t care about governing; they\u2019re just in it for themselves.<\/p>\n<p>This is a far cry from the idealistic notions of public service that animated the Founders and generations of Americans who\u2019ve fought and died for this country in the years since. It\u2019s a twisted embrace of Ayn Rand Libertarianism, a philosophy that says greed is good and whoever\u2019s the most efficient predator deserves whatever they can steal or con people out of.<\/p>\n<p>Once you understand that simple reality, everything else the GOP is up to makes sense.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>The question is, &#8220;Why?&#8221; and Hartmann considers a series of potential reasons, rejecting all of them. It&#8217;s not about ideology, charity, Christianity, public health, conservatism, making the world a better place, having a better-educated electorate or populace; it&#8217;s not about &#8220;culture&#8221; or &#8220;gun violence&#8221; or &#8220;protecting our children&#8221; or immigrants taking jobs from Americans; it&#8217;s not putting America &#8220;first.&#8221;<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>At the end of the day, all Republican politicians care about is money. Greed is their principle animating force, and is what binds them to their morbidly rich donors.<\/p>\n<p>The greed embraced by Republican politicians \u2014 and the billionaires and CEOs who fund them \u2014 is why average Americans can\u2019t have nice things. It\u2019s why we and our children must walk the tightrope of life without the same safety net other countries \u2014 from Canada to Costa Rica, France to Taiwan \u2014 offer their citizens. It\u2019s why children are dead today in Minneapolis as Republican politicians happily pocket NRA cash.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Why do people keep voting Republican? He doesn&#8217;t address that, but it&#8217;s pretty easy to interpolate. It&#8217;s because Republicans convince voters that they *do* care about those other things, especially about Christianity and conservatism and immigrants.<\/p>\n<p>\\\\\\<\/p>\n<p>Here again.<\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/images.newrepublic.com\/feeee7cf6d1d750bc4959fa53c3e7e92be5f11dc.jpeg?auto=format&amp;fit=crop&amp;crop=faces&amp;ar=3%3A2&amp;ixlib=react-9.10.0&amp;q=65&amp;w=768&amp;dpr=1\" width=\"250\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>The New Republic, 26 Aug 2025<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/newrepublic.com\/post\/199653\/trump-just-said-exactly-dictator-say\">Trump Just Said Exactly What a Dictator Would Say<\/a>, subtitled &#8220;The president had a despotic message for Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker.&#8221;<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>President Donald Trump sounded like a tyrannical toddler Tuesday as he declared that he has \u201cthe right to do anything\u201d he wants.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>\\\\<\/p>\n<p>He&#8217;s pandering to his followers. Or, maybe he really believes it.<\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.salon.com\/app\/uploads\/2023\/11\/donald_trump_christianity_capitol_1294872343_1771548473.jpg\" width=\"300\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>Salon, Chauncey DeVega, 28 Aug 2025<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.salon.com\/2025\/08\/28\/why-donald-trump-keeps-talking-about-heaven\/\">Why Donald Trump keeps talking about heaven<\/a>, subtitled &#8220;Even if he&#8217;s not quite a humble sinner in search of grace, it&#8217;s still smart politics&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>\\\\<\/p>\n<p>Again and again, you can&#8217;t persuade voters like those who support Trump with statistics.<\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/$s_!JAg5!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F86189e8d-9b76-4d30-828e-fe5115d766df_3207x1659.png\" width=\"300\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>Robert Reich, 28 Aug 2025<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/robertreich.substack.com\/p\/how-to-respond-to-trumps-lies-about\">How to respond to Trump&#8217;s lies about a &#8220;crime wave&#8221;<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Democrats<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>worry if they deny crime is a problem, they could turn off swing voters who always and inevitably worry about crime.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Because there&#8217;s a certain mindset that *always* worries about crime. All it takes is one TV report to amp up the anxiety of people with that mindset.<\/p>\n<p>Instead, point out how lax Trump is about crime among his supporters.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Hammer Trump for pardoning the 1,500 criminals who violently attacked the United States capitol and caused the deaths of four police officers \u2014 and for then firing the federal prosecutors who held them accountable.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>He *pardoned* the rioters, and *fired* the prosecutors. This should be mind-boggling.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Trump is soft on crime as long as the crime serves his own purposes.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>\\\\\\<\/p>\n<p>And so here we are with this administration. Is this what you voted for, MAGA?<\/p>\n<p><strong>USA Today, 28 Aug 2025<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/money\/2025\/08\/28\/countries-suspended-postal-shipments-to-us-list\/85867109007\/\">Over 30 countries suspended or restricted shipments to US. Here&#8217;s a list.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>And<\/p>\n<p><strong>Politico, via Associated Press, 28 Aug 2025<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2025\/08\/28\/mexico-suspends-postal-shipments-to-united-states-over-tariff-confusion-00533242\">Mexico suspends postal shipments to United States over tariff confusion<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\\<\/p>\n<p>Is this what you voted for?<\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.markrkelly.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/jmgfire28aug25.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.markrkelly.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/jmgfire28aug25-300x150.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"150\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>JMG, 28 Aug 2025<\/strong> (from <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/08\/28\/us\/border-patrol-bear-gulch-fire.html\">NYT<\/a><\/strong>): <a href=\"https:\/\/www.joemygod.com\/2025\/08\/border-patrol-arrests-wa-firefighters-during-wildfire\/\">Border Patrol Arrests WA Firefighters During Wildfire<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\\<\/p>\n<p>The cruelty is the point.<\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/compote.slate.com\/images\/96f96cbd-e9d3-4fcf-8643-cd251f37005c.jpeg?crop=1560%2C1040%2Cx0%2Cy0&amp;width=1280\" width=\"300\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>Slate, Shirin Ali, 28 Aug 2025<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/slate.com\/news-and-politics\/2025\/08\/kilmar-abrego-garcia-deportation-trump-marco-rubio.html\">Trump\u2019s Team Simply Cannot Leave This Man Alone<\/a>, subtitled &#8220;First, they deported him unlawfully. Now, they\u2019re trying a new, cruel form of punishment.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>This is about Kilmar Abrego Garcia,<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>the Maryland husband and father who\u2014by the Department of Justice\u2019s own admission\u2014was deported by mistake in March. The federal government has relentlessly pursued Abrego Garcia\u2019s deportation since he was released from El Salvador\u2019s custody, allowing him just a few days to reunite with his family until they again arrested and detained him this week.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>\\<\/p>\n<p>Almost cave-man advice. Dragging the woman by her hair.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Media Matters, 28 Aug 2025<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mediamatters.org\/charlie-kirk\/charlie-kirk-tells-taylor-swift-submit-your-husband-and-have-ton-children\">Charlie Kirk tells Taylor Swift to \u201csubmit to your husband\u201d and \u201chave a ton of children\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Subtitled: Kirk: \u201cSubmit to your husband, Taylor. You&#8217;re not in charge.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\\<\/p>\n<p>Conservatives just *know* things.<\/p>\n<p><strong>JMG, 28 Aug 2025<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.joemygod.com\/2025\/08\/kennedy-i-can-diagnose-children-by-looking-at-them\/\">Kennedy: I Can Diagnose Children By Looking At Them<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\\<\/p>\n<p>Lowering the bar, again and again.<\/p>\n<p><strong>JMG, 28 Aug 2025<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.joemygod.com\/2025\/08\/doj-immigration-judges-no-longer-need-experience\/\">DOJ: Immigration Judges No Longer Need Experience<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Prejudices and &#8220;common sense,&#8221; apparently, are sufficient.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Thom Hartmann on the motivation of Republicans: Greed; Brief items about Trump as dictator; why Trump talks about heaven; Robert Reich on how to respond to Trump&#8217;s lies about &#8220;crime wave&#8221; (point out Trump&#8217;s violations); the suspended postal shipments to &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.markrkelly.com\/Blog\/2025\/08\/28\/greed-and-heaven\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[48,90,96],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-25631","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-conservative-resistance","category-conservatives","category-human-nature"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.markrkelly.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25631","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.markrkelly.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.markrkelly.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.markrkelly.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.markrkelly.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25631"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.markrkelly.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25631\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25651,"href":"https:\/\/www.markrkelly.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25631\/revisions\/25651"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.markrkelly.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25631"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.markrkelly.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25631"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.markrkelly.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25631"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}