Will the DNC convention be able to manage their chronic dysfunction
Our constitutional republic, depends on it
TAT readers,
Well, it’s another Monday in the rapidly diminishing 2024 election season, and it is one of consequence for the DNC, the national security community and in fact, the entire nation. The only question in my mind is, can the DNC accomplish the “cat-herding required,” to save us from another catastrophic, pro-Putin, oligarchical, White Christian Nationalist and unconstitutional… MAGA administration?
This question is not easily answered but I will today share a few of my insights regarding, what success would look like. Again, and as, I have written for the entire time I have been on this platform, this is in no way, partisanship on my behalf. It is simply me, exercising personal, family and truly American values based on the constitutional principles we have all grown up believing in. If we do not oppose MAGA, the constitution itself, is in grave danger. Without it, the constitutional republic will be nothing more than a blip in the history of the world.
Although this sounds dire and it is, based on all truthful reporting and analysis. The very constitution under threat, also offers us all a reprieve, if we can make it past step one, which is to vote against MAGA. Step two is to stop the debasing of our constitutional principles, by reining in the most significant threats, such as a SCOTUS, hellbent on putting church over state, a congress bought and paid for by oligarchs and to keep religion in all forms, out of government.
The last thing of note in this introduction is, my normal political disclaimer, for the vast array, of newer subscribers. Like our only independent president and trend-setter, extraordinaire, George Washington, I disdain all political parties, and for very much the same reasons as a personal iconic hero, described in his Farewell Address and, after setting the standard for the presidency, by leaving office after two terms. This address was not given as a speech, but rather published in his newspaper of choice, in order for it to reach as many new American citizens, as possible and without being overshadowed by the then existent, new “factions” or political parties.
Please see this quote from Washington's Farewell address and ponder its powerful words. I have already intimated to you the danger of parties in the State, with particular reference to the founding of them on geographical discriminations. Let me now take a more comprehensive view, and warn you in the most solemn manner against the baneful effects of the spirit of party generally. This spirit, unfortunately, is inseparable from our nature, having its root in the strongest passions of the human mind. It exists under different shapes in all governments, more or less stifled, controlled, or repressed; but, in those of the popular form, it is seen in its greatest rankness, and is truly their worst enemy. The alternate domination of one faction over another, sharpened by the spirit of revenge, natural to party dissension, which in different ages and countries has perpetrated the most horrid enormities, is itself a frightful despotism. But this leads at length to a more formal and permanent despotism. The disorders and miseries which result gradually incline the minds of men to seek security and repose in the absolute power of an individual; and sooner or later the chief of some prevailing faction, more able or more fortunate than his competitors, turns this disposition to the purposes of his own elevation, on the ruins of public liberty. Without looking forward to an extremity of this kind (which nevertheless ought not to be entirely out of sight), the common and continual mischiefs of the spirit of party are sufficient to make it the interest and duty of a wise people to discourage and restrain it. It serves always to distract the public councils and enfeeble the public administration. It agitates the community with ill-founded jealousies and false alarms, kindles the animosity of one part against another, foments occasionally riot and insurrection. It opens the door to foreign influence and corruption, which finds a facilitated access to the government itself through the channels of party passions. Thus the policy and the will of one country are subjected to the policy and will of another. . . . Against the insidious wiles of foreign influence (I conjure you to believe me, fellow-citizens) the jealousy of a free people ought to be constantly awake, since history and experience prove that foreign influence is one of the most baneful foes of republican government. But that jealousy to be useful must be impartial; else it becomes the instrument of the very influence to be avoided, instead of a defense against it. Excessive partiality for one foreign nation and excessive dislike of another cause those whom they actuate to see danger only on one side, and serve to veil and even second the arts of influence on the other. Real patriots who may resist the intrigues of the favorite are liable to become suspected and odious, while its tools and dupes usurp the applause and confidence of the people, to surrender their interests. - Washington's Farewell Address- Constitution Center.org - President George Washington - 17 September, 1796
First things first, as they say. Of note, I have written often and passionately about the significant threats listed above but won’t rehash them here today. I will simply add the links to key essays below, for those with interest.
The most important of these essays are below:
Shoring up democracy against the MAGA onslaught (truthaboutthreats.com)
What is Christian Nationalism and why it is a threat to democracy? (truthaboutthreats.com)
Oligarchy is an acute threat to democracy (truthaboutthreats.com)
Our 2024 election isn't politics, it's a new, Civil War (truthaboutthreats.com)
Being a Republican today, doesn’t make you a Conservative (truthaboutthreats.com)
Now, let’s get down to business regarding the DNC convention in Chicago, beginning tonight.
I’m not going to bother with political party perspectives, prior to another hero’s term from 1952 - 1960, President Dwight D. Eisenhower. His GOP platform for the 1956 race, is in my opinion, the iconic principled conservative platform. Today, “Ike’s” platform, looks eerily like President Biden’s and the fake conservatives of today’s GOP, is pure, far-right extremism, unconstitutional and a self-declared threat to our republic. My personal opinion is that both Ike and POTUS Biden, are actually, “pragmatic progressives” whose intent was and is, to move our nation closer to our founding principles, incrementally. This segues nicely, into the first potential disaster for the DNC convention.
We have watched this disaster unfold slowly and painfully within the Democratic Party, for over a dozen years now. The disaster, plainly stated, is to allow the progressive wing of the party, to move the nation towards their wish lists, too quickly, therefore dividing the party. Washington, Lincoln, Truman, Kennedy and of course, Ike and POTUS Biden, were very much historically on a similar path, of pragmatic progressivism. Traditions die hard and never more so, than the narratives that they are built upon. For example, the White Christian Nationalism of the Confederacy leading up to and throughout the Civil War, only went partially underground until the Civil Rights era, where it’s extremist ideology, resurged powerfully, and until it became what we see again in today’s MAGA GOP.
Another landmine for party success, is the classic and well-understood, “cat-herding” required to move the party forward. Unlike the GOP who comes into a convention like well-trained sheep, dining on a steady diet of agenda items in the past and conspiracy theories in the MAGA era, the DNC comes in with boxing gloves and fiery passion to advance disparate agenda items, some based on false narratives. Don’t get me wrong, American democracy was built for fiery passion and oratory but… when the convention is settled, it is critical to move forward like a well-trained military that operates with command and control, across all fronts. Like the “Bernie bros” in 2016, their unity with the national party came far too late, and not even in unison. Donald Trump was the only one to benefit.
Evidence that the party is coming ever-so-slightly to their senses is the defeat of two of the so-called Squad during run-off campaigns. The issue of progress to being a better version of our nation, can be seen in so many areas of concern. Friction is indeed a sign of progress, and I can assure you, there is, just like in the 1860s, plenty of friction on key aspects of our founders’ intentions. For example, the response to more acceptance of diversity by younger generations, is a key driver of the culture wars, inherent in historical US society. It is not their fault because they “get it” that their understanding is in fact, perfectly constitutional. Those historical divisions are exploited by immoral influencers like Brad Parscale of MAGA infamy, Russia, China and Iran, to name just a few.
The old Soviet Union based most of their influence operations against precisely these social divisions. Their persistent influence campaigns and the Russian campaigns since the implosion of the Soviet empire were called Active Measures. The key component of Active Measures was reflexive control. Hence, it was easy for them to support Trump in 2016 by seeding our centuries old social divides to build the NI/ Narrative Identity of today’s MAGA.
Reflexive Control
Reflexive control is a “uniquely Russian” concept based on maskirovka, an old Soviet notion in which one “conveys to an opponent specifically prepared information to incline him/her to voluntarily make the predetermined decision desired by the initiator of the action”.[ii] That is, reflexive control is a sustained campaign that feeds an opponent select information so that the opponent makes the decisions that one wants him/her to. Methods of reflexive control include spreading false information, leaking partial information at opportune moments, and projecting a different posture of oneself than what may actually be the case.[iii] The goal of reflexive control is to ‘control’ the ‘reflex’ of the opponent by creating a certain model of behavior in the system it seeks to control.[iv] The most fundamental way to do this is to locate the weak link in the system and exploit it through moral arguments, psychological tactics, or appeals to specific leaders’ character.[v]
- Disinformation and Reflexive Control: The New Cold War
- Georgetown Security Studies Review
- By: Annie Kowalewski, Columnist
- 01 February 2017
The point of explaining Active Measures and Reflexive Control, is that it is via similar means that the collaboration of Russian and MAGA influencers have such uniform control of MAGA/ GOP voters. When the DNC plays into this trap by allowing the Progressive Wing to go off in divergent directions, often following the social divisions built into exploited American Identities by Russian/ Soviet and GOP influencers, it both unites the right and sends the DNC cats scampering madly, in all different directions. At this point, any effort to herd becomes the proverbial, bridge-too-far.
The DNC also suffers from perpetual failure in campaigning. As the party of the working classes, they fail to understand how to talk to the nation in a way that working people understand. We must all come to terms with the fact that American public education is sliding downhill and gathering speed. Talking about sophisticate policy issues is just too much. To succeed, they must translate policy into a form that an average American can understand in relation to their own personal lives. It is not that we are all uniformed and lacking in intelligent, but we are so addicted to ridiculous political identities that have evolved into entrenched, tribal entities. Just like the sports and teams that Americans associated with, we use terms like conflict, war, bitter rivalries etc. Within the DNC, there is internecine warfare between different special interests.
In my opinion, as one who studies and has operated with Narrative Warfare, in support of our national security, I believe the simple winning narrative for the left is something along the line of, “Democrats for restoring our Democracy.” Under this or similar master narrative, it is possible for all manner of the special interest narratives, but if they don’t come out of this convention unified in their over-arching narrative, the road to saving our republic from MAGA, will be fraught with deadly landmines. Like I said, I do not support parties but in a two-party system, not intended by our founders, there is only one that can protect our constitution, and it sure as hell isn’t the GOP of the Trump era.
So, what are some examples of nested narratives under the umbrella of, “Democrats for restoring our Democracy,” and that speak to the policies that the left is in favor of? Here are a few examples:
Fighting monopolies and corporate oligarchy supports families
Reasonable environmental policy, is protective of our grandchildren’s America
Removing dark money from political campaigns restores the equal voting rights of all citizens
Removing religion from government is a constitutional requirement for all Americans, not just the left
Real immigration reform builds a future for our country of immigrants, not threatens it
The more people that vote in non-gerrymandered districts embraces our founding principles, not detracts from them.
American history must never become “revisionist history.”
Supreme Court reform is a bipartisan business
National security requires allies, not isolationism and the latest NSS/ National Security Strategy is a strong contender for one of the best NSS editions, that I have worked with in my career.
Around the world, the need for American leadership is as great as it has ever been. We are in the midst of a strategic competition to shape the future of the international order. Meanwhile, shared challenges that impact people everywhere demand increased global cooperation and nations stepping up to their responsibilities at a moment when this has become more difficult. In response, the United States will lead with our values, and we will work in lockstep with our allies and partners and with all those who share our interests. - NSS/ National Security Strategy - White House - October, 2022
Gender and sexual orientation issues, popular among the left are covered by the constitution by simply acknowledging, that “all of us are created equal” is in fact, the law of the land. There really should be no debate about this.
Tax structures that are fair to all and that do not protect our oligarchy at the expense of working Americans, are indeed constitutional. Most scholars, consider the US Constitution as, the “anti-oligarchy constitution.”
The issues that are typical issues for the left, fall within our constitutional guardrails, unlike MAGA’s unconstitutional White Christian Nationalism and Project 2025 and the 2024 GOP Platform that reallocates all real power, into the Executive Branch.
These are just some examples that do not provoke divisiveness within the party that prevents success in November. The key to Narrative Warfare, is being proactive and first, not responding to culture war narratives. Make a consolidated agenda that the entire party can get along with and pursue it for all Americans, not just your special interests.
All of the above, is simply common sense for most true influence operators, yet is still a mystery to the leadership of the left. Before 2016, I would not have touched such partisan advice due to family tradition. Today, with the omnipresent threat of MAGA, hanging like the executioner’s sword above our collective American necks, it is every honorable citizen’s duty to protect our way of life, as defined by our constitutional values. The true principled conservatives, no longer vote Republican, because there are no true principled conservative values, within the GOP. The agenda is strictly MAGA, no matter how much a voter likes their candidate. The party agenda dominates, not the voice of an individual Republican candidate.
If the DNC cannot cure these historical flaws, at least in the period between this week’s convention and November’s election, we are in big trouble as a constitutional republic. Trump’s regularly demonstrated cognitive vulnerabilities, his perpetual contacts with Russian and MAGA oligarchs, commitments to end the Ukraine war in Putin’s favor and last week’s musings that Iran is so bad, should terrify any national security professional. It won’t phase his base though, as explained last Friday, in my last essay, “conned.”
We are depending now on one major party and disaffected Republicans. This is simply common sense and based on every critical and honest assessment. We can sort things out differently after winning over MAGA in November but as they say in modern language, “understand the assignment.” Simply put, it is to sustain our republic based on its true principles. Then we can continue President Biden’s defense of our republic, after January 20th.
Well, as we sit down tonight for the first night of the convention, please remember a bit of this essay and for heaven’s sake, let’s all renew our pledge of allegiance. It pretty much covers everything that I’ve said in this essay.
Cheers and my very best for your week,
Paul
To answer your question, Paul, I highly doubt it. Товарищ Kamala has already buckled to the anti-Semitic wing of the Democratic Party by dumping Governor Shapiro of Pennsylvania in favor of Tim "Burn, Baby Burn" Walz of National Guard heroism. Her proposal to instigate Soviet style price controls to combat inflation may appeal to the neo-Bolshevik wing of the Democrat Party but it is a net loser for middle class Americans.. And we have yet to hear from the Pro-Hamas cohorts of the Democrat Party so the fun has not even begun in Chicago. The GOP may have issues and concerns but at least the Republicans have not lost their collective minds.