What if he had died? Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
Dans des discours sociaux tumultueux, j’ai exprimé à plusieurs reprises mon étonnement que personne n’ait jamais tenté de tirer sur Trump. J’ai même lancé de manière désinvolte : « Où est la folie des armes à feu américaine quand on en a besoin ? » (Désolée.) Mais jusqu’à samedi soir, que l’ancien président ait omis de fournir une cible pour ses détracteurs enragés doit sans aucun doute plus à la diligence de son service de sécurité qu’à la retenue de ses ennemis. Quant à son service de sécurité, peut-être injustement calomnié, à Butler en Pennsylvanie, vous savez ce qu’on dit : personne n’est parfait.
J’ai écrit deux romans qui utilisent une structure d’univers parallèle, donc mon esprit déborde toujours de mondes alternatifs. Maintenant que l’oreille droite de Trump a été ensanglantée comme celle de Vincent van Gogh, nous sommes à quelques centimètres d’un présent très différent — dans lequel le jeune Thomas Matthew Crooks de 20 ans aurait réussi un tir en pleine tête.
La droite plonge dans le chaos. On s’attend à des manifestations de masse, peut-être à des émeutes. Trump devient instantanément un martyr. Des photos et des fresques du mugshot de Trump fleurissent sur les côtés des bâtiments, dans les jardins, sur les voitures et les t-shirts. Des marches envahissent les rues principales, leurs trottoirs peints en hommage. La Trump Tower à New York est couverte de fleurs et baptisée par des femmes en pleurs. Le service commémoratif de Trump est un vaste tumulte international, son cercueil en or. Cette explosion de colère et de deuil est facile à imaginer, car c’est exactement ce qui s’est passé après la mort d’un simple petit criminel en 2020.
Si elle n’est pas reportée, la convention républicaine de cette semaine est prise d’assaut. Dans le chaos, J. D. Vance, Marco Rubio et Doug Burgum se disputent pour savoir qui Trump avait l’intention de désigner comme colistier, le choix étroitement gardé étant désormais à jamais inconnu. Il suivra Trump dans la tombe. À l’époque de Trump, les républicains ont réduit leur banc aux courtisans fidèles de Trump et réduit leur choix à un seul homme. Ainsi, qui aurait pu être le candidat de remplacement pour novembre n’est en rien évident — une leçon politique à laquelle les deux partis pourraient méditer (il faut toujours avoir un plan de secours).
Dans mon monde imaginaire, le gouverneur de Floride ennuyeux mais sensé, Ron DeSantis, se lève pour unir son parti ébranlé, ou mon deuxième choix lointain, Nikki Haley, prend la place de Trump sur le ticket. Mais la raison ne prévaudrait pas nécessairement dans une atmosphère fébrile qui favorise les extrêmes et renforce la droite radicale. Alors peut-être que le conspirateur flamboyant Steve Bannon saisit la nomination et se présente depuis sa cellule — tout comme on supposait autrefois que Trump le ferait !
Peu importe qui c’est, le remplaçant de dernière minute fait de la campagne une affaire centrée sur Trump, exigeant une victoire républicaine comme seul résultat juste, qui montrera au monde que les Américains ne se laisseront pas intimider et que les tueurs ne seront pas récompensés. Le slogan du ticket ‘Votez pour le Donald !’ est si efficace que certains idiots endeuillés prennent l’impératif au pied de la lettre et écrivent le nom du défunt président en novembre. En tout cas, les républicains remportent l’élection de haut en bas, saisissant non seulement la Maison-Blanche mais aussi les deux chambres du Congrès. Comme d’habitude, cependant, la pression exercée sur le GOP pendant l’été pour enfin soutenir des mesures plus strictes de contrôle des armes à feu à l’échelle nationale se dissipe inévitablement, et de nombreux jeunes Thomas Matthew Crooks grandissent pour prendre pour cibles les dirigeants politiques de leur choix.
La violence physique ayant été si efficace pour secouer la politique américaine, le tumulte post-électoral agité du côté gauche, que j’avais prédit il y a des mois en cas de victoire de Trump, est encore plus destructeur lorsque le pays élit le président Steve Bannon ou le président Tucker Carlson. La gauche devient folle. Des pillages et des incendies généralisés contribuent à faire éclater la bulle de Wall Street, et les marchés s’effondrent, tout comme le dollar. Les commentaires étrangers sont agités de suppositions sur la chute des États-Unis, leur descente dans un pays du tiers-monde sans loi…
Une éventuelle réussite de l’assassinat de Trump provoquerait-elle une véritable guerre civile américaine ? Peut-être suis-je naïve, mais je pense que c’est peu probable. Pourtant, il est inquiétant que nous soyons même enclins à poser cette question, après avoir été à un centimètre de faire face à un tel assassinat réussi.
Alors réveillons-nous. Où en sommes-nous dans la vraie vie ? La démence du président Biden est soudain oubliée. Toute rhétorique politique est étouffée. Les deux partis ne peuvent appeler qu’à la paix, à l’amour et à la compréhension. Ce n’est pas un paysage oratoire dans lequel on peut appeler à la défenestration symbolique de quiconque, même dans son propre camp.
En d’autres termes, l’entêtement de Biden après sa performance déshonorante lors du débat et les appels démocrates à ce que le président démissionne ont peut-être porté leurs fruits. C’est-à-dire qu’un deus ex machina (le Seigneur est-il descendu des cieux après tout ?) est intervenu, et les démocrates n’auront probablement pas d’appétit pour un assassinat métaphorique de leur côté après une tentative d’assassinat réelle du côté républicain. Si tel est le cas, la victoire de Biden est pyrrhique et purement préliminaire. Il peut être téméraire de faire des prédictions quelconques dans cette année électorale américaine la plus étrange de toutes, mais de ce point de vue ? Les chances de victoire de Biden sont désormais minces, voire inexistantes. Biden n’a remporté que l’opportunité de perdre. Bonne chance, Joe. Vos partisans vont sûrement vous adorer pour avoir tenu bon.
Il ne faut pas être un génie politique pour conclure que cette quasi-réussite est un énorme coup de pouce pour la campagne de Trump — au point que je me suis prédit à moi-même samedi soir qu’une poignée de démocrates furieux accuseraient la campagne de Trump d’avoir organisé la tentative d’assassinat comme coup publicitaire. Et bien sûr, une partie des démocrates est bien plus démente que notre résident actuel, et croit sincèrement que le Trump notoirement ‘narcissique’ est si négligent quant à sa propre survie physique qu’il aurait engagé un tireur amateur de 20 ans pour lui effleurer le haut de l’oreille à 100 mètres — et accessoirement pour tuer un passant et blesser grièvement deux autres, mais c’est juste le prix à payer. Uh-huh.
Nous ne savons pas grand-chose sur le tireur. On a beaucoup parlé du fait que Crooks (est-ce un autre cas de personne étant bizarrement influencée par leur nom de famille ?) (Crook signifie escroc en français) est un républicain enregistré, bien qu’il ait fait un don à un groupe affilié aux démocrates en 2021. Mais son État d’origine, la Pennsylvanie, limite le vote primaire aux personnes inscrites dans ce parti. Les démocrates en Pennsylvanie ont encouragé leurs électeurs à s’inscrire pour l’opposition, afin de soutenir le plus faible des candidats républicains — une manœuvre cynique qui rappelle le soutien financier démocrate à des candidats au Congrès terriblement mauvais, soutenus par Trump, en 2022. En d’autres termes, nous ne pouvons pas supposer que ce type était un ‘Never Trumper’ républicain ou un fanatique d’extrême droite mécontent que Trump n’ait pas été assez conservateur. Nous ne pouvons pas supposer qu’il était un républicain dans des termes politiques sincères du tout. Je vais donc prendre un risque et prédire que Crooks avait des préférences de gauche. Mais où que se situent ses loyautés politiques, quiconque tentant d’abattre Trump ne veut pas qu’il soit à nouveau président — ne le voulait pas comme président du tout.
Toute personne envisageant de s’inscrire dans l’histoire avec un acte de violence politique doit donc prendre garde. Crooks a peut-être influencé le parti qui s’installera à la Maison-Blanche cette année. Mais si nous examinons l’univers alternatif hypothétique dans lequel son assassinat aurait réussi et notre présent réel dans lequel il a échoué, les deux scénarios bénéficient aux républicains. Les deux scénarios élèvent le statut national de Trump, sacralisent son statut, embellissent son hagiographie, renforcent les objectifs politiques de sa plateforme, améliorent les perspectives d’autres candidats qui surfent sur sa popularité, et transforment l’homme en un héros mythique.
Les deux scénarios atteignent des résultats parfaitement opposés à ce que toute personne envisageant une tentative sur la vie de Trump viserait sûrement. Tirer sur des politiciens a un effet, c’est certain, mais l’effet réel est hors du contrôle d’un assassin. Les chances que votre noble sacrifice pour le bien de tous se retourne spectaculairement contre vous sont extrêmement élevées.
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Subscribe‘This calls to mind Track F’s first disastrous foray into information control, the Disinformation Governance Board led by a disinformation researcher who publicly claimed that the Hunter Biden laptop story was a “Trump campaign product”. ‘
That was not a disaster! The system is funded, designed and built to produce a product which damages political opponents.
The author should declare his interest in keeping the misinformation mill running.
Can you explain this further?
His comment could have been posted by any of the legions of DNC social media parrots working 24/7 in warrens of cubicles.
The author has identified himself. How about coming out from behind a pseudonym and having the courage of your erstwhile convictions?
They’re really less mills and more foundries.
Come on then, point out what’s untrue. Or are you saying the author is actually part of the left wing media machine. It’s not clear.
Under Track F, the federal government is funnelling tens of millions of dollars to elite universities for the study of AI-related misinformation and the development of potential solutions.
Eisenhower warned about this, the reliance of research on govt funding, during the same speech in which he warned of the growing military-industrial complex. He was right on both counts, but very few people are aware of the research side of the speech. The “solution” that this govt wants is the ability to control information, same as any other authoritarian wants.
FDR famously told America that “We have nothing to fear but fear itself”.
Biden has no message for America other than fear. He can’t run on his own record, it’s been a series of disasters. He can’t even run on how disastrous Trump’s presidential record is, because it wasn’t.
All he has is fear. Fear of Trump ending democracy. Fear of MAGA extremists, white supremacists and the end of the Union. Fear that “Misinformation” might lead sane Americans into doing something as mad as voting for Trump.
Biden has a loyal band of increasingly shrill supporters in the shape of cable news anchors and the harpy hosts of The View, who screech this message of fear, and pump out their own brand of obvious – yet officially sanctioned – misinformation. But plenty of people look back on Trump’s time in office and compare it to now, and see the MSM’s fearmongering for what it is.
Tellingly, there have been a few serious people – previously never-Trumpers – who have dared publicly to re-evaluate Trump’s record and admit that he got a lot of the major calls right. Jamie Dimon, CEO of JP Morgan Chase and (formerly) a big Democrat donor, sat with CNBC’s meerkat presenters at Davos and went against the narrative to tell them this:
Even Bret Stephens, NY Times columnist and virulent Never-Trumper, wrote a piece last week titled, “The case for Trump – by someone who wants him to lose” for which, to no one’s surpise, he has been torched by the NYT faithful for interrupting their daily two-minutes-hate session. The article is behind a paywall on NYT but was reprinted here (https://www.afr.com/world/central-america/the-case-for-trump-by-someone-who-wants-him-to-lose-20240113-p5ex07 …. … It’s worth a read.
But in the main we are going to have our news brought to us by the same people who gave us the Russia Collusion hoax and suppressed the entirely genuine story of Hunter Biden’s laptop – all while complaining that it is their opponents who are guilty of mis-information.
The only reason media manipulation is so effective is because there are plenty of people willing to be outraged, they seem almost to want to be herded into fits of choreographed indignation.
What are you talking about? Trump is the only president to ever see a net job loss during his term. He blew up the national debt. He created endless chaos. He had no respect for the Constitution or the rule of law. Under Biden we have historically low unemployment, the strongest economy (and fastest economic recovery) in the world. In addition, he’s fought a proxy war with the Russians that has handicapped their economy and their military without sacrificing a single American soldier. Sure Trump was right that the Europeans don’t pay their fair share for NATO. Obama said the same thing. Have we had any American presidents who haven’t complained about this?
I’m no Trump supporter – I recognise many of his achievements in office but think his temperament was wildly ill-suited to be President. But if it came down to Trump vs Biden, then there’s no doubt in my mind that the US – indeed the West in general – would be better served with Trump in the White House than to have Biden dodder along – particularly with a cackling, diversity-hire nitwit only a heartbeat away from power.
Look at the biggest issues facing the West currently and trace their origin. Any dispassionate observer should admit it wasn’t Trump.
The disastrous exit from Afghanistan projected weakness to the world. Emboldening the enemies of the West. That’s all on Biden. His cosying up to China, and his weakness in the face of Chinese aggression has merely encouraged them to push harder. Can anyone imagine Trump allowing a Chinese spy balloon to drift across the US for one moment longer than it took to shoot down?
It’s not a coincidence that Putin invaded Crimea with Obama in the WH because he knew that Obama wouldn’t react. The media always praised Obama’s rhetoric, but Putin saw his statesman-like inaction for what it really was. Putin saw similar weakness in Biden, whose extraordinary comments that NATO would react differently to a “Minor Incursion” into Ukraine, practically green-lit the invasion. Imagine the media furore if any other President had signalled such weakness to Russia?
During Trump’s term in office Putin was quiet as a mouse. North Korea backed down as well. Contrast that with Obama’s “wait and see” policy – that did just that, as we waited, and saw N Korea become a Nuclear state.
Obama and Biden both cosied up to Iran, who took full advantage. Since Biden took office and relaxed Trump’s sanctions on Iran, the Mullahs have received $40 billion. Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis have been funded thanks to the Biden regime. Not to mention that analysts have suggested that Hamas M4 rifles recovered from Gaza were part of the billions of dollars worth of munitions left behind in Kabul.
Joe’s Green Agenda has completely undermined America’s energy security and been the reason for the drastic hike in US gas prices – one of the biggest contributory factors for the inflation spiral. Under Trump the US was entirely energy self-sufficient and receiving huge revenues from selling the excess.
Biden, on the other hand, having snubbed the Saudis and flirted with Iran, then had to go cap in hand to OPEC to beg them and was rebuffed – weakening the US in the eyes of the world once again.
His behaviour towards the Saudis threatened the Abraham Accords, and likely pushed the newly financed Iranian regime into attacking Israel through its proxies to destabilize any relationship between Tel Aviv and Riyadh. The Abraham Accords go almost unmentioned, but were the most significant move towards lasting peace in the region in my lifetime. Any other president than Trump would have got a Nobel prize and his face carved in Mt Rushmore for that.
So, Russia, China, the Middle East, the economy – all significantly worse thanks to Biden’s actions and inactions. …. and we haven’t even mentioned the Southern Border! (Nor his ignorant meddling in questions of the Irish Border either)
Yup, I’m afraid John, that selling “Fear” is all Joe has.
‘ He created endless chaos.’
I don’t think you can count the peaceful protests of 2020 as ‘endless chaos’!
I agree that Trump’s disastrous lockdown policies destroyed jobs.
Or the chaos at the border, or the chaos in international relations.
The only chaos during Trump’s first term was created by Democrats. Hillary & Blinken pulled the Russia, Russia, Russia hoax costing American taxpayers $50 million and 2 years of inquiry. Pelosi piled on with her faux impeachments. It’s the Democrats who created the chaos because they didn’t win and have lousy policies when they are in power.
And here it is in your post, misinformation and disinformation from people in a bubble who think war is good. Unemployment was low under Trump, particularly for blacks and minorities, it only rose when the pandemic hit as it would have for any president, stop spreading disinformation. And the economic numbers are a sham under this puppet administration (Joe’s senile), the debt is so high it’s insurmountable so the GDP numbers are a joke consequently. Food prices are higher than ever, housing is unaffordable, gas is high, energy bills are unaffordable, personal debt is astronomical. We have an invasion at the border, kids being transed against the will of their parents, parents being labeled as domestic terrorists, fentanyl killing millions, wars everywhere, men beating women in women’s sports, the horror of Afghanistan, Iran given billions to set the Middle East on fire, the list of atrocities under this president is endless. People don’t feel any benefit from the numbers you spout off from left wing talking points
So no, it’s not “The economy stupid!”
By the way Trump didn’t “create chaos”, your lot did. Trying to hamstring the presidency at every turn and weaponizing the DOJ to do it. The chaos was all in the minds of deranged Trump haters who dragged us all through hell with Russia Collusion hoaxes and conspiracy theory impeachments.
So here’s a suggestion, get over your hate and grow up, as Dimon advised.
Obama allowed an American ambassador to be murdered in Libya in 2012 when there were American forces nearby. That is an attack on the USA . Compare Obama’s inactivity with Christian Craighead the SAS soldier who on his own volition entered the Dusit D2 Complex to rescue hostages Nairobi. DusitD2 complex attack – Wikipedia
Obama’s unwillingness to save an American ambassador in 2012 sent a clear message to the World that he and the Democrat Party lacked fighting spirit. Putin invaded Crimea in 2014. Name one single action by Obama which could have deterred Putin from invading Crimea?
It is almost as if Obama has a plan to weaken the USA.
“Politics, as a practice, whatever its professions, has always been the systematic organization of hatreds.” The Education of Henry Adams
Given the current choices before the public: One is damned if he does, and damned if he doesn’t.
Sorry, but the link you gave us is still behind a paywall.
Try this link to the New York Times article: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/11/opinion/columnists/donald-trump-election.html?unlocked_article_code=1.T00.7XM_.spGPk9ljrUh2&smid=url-share
You have to feel sorry for the right — or “ultra-right” as the plutocrat-owned mainstream media likes to put it in its balanced way. AI is in the hands of Silicon Valley, a hot bed of left-wing money and technological smarts. Long known as the Stupid Party, the Republicans are doomed to becoming stupider by the day.
Jerry,
If you use Bing, as an AI search function, and ask it to find articles that suppport the right-of-centre position on any issue you choose, it will come back with dozens of articles that try to debunk that viewpoint, and barely one that supportsit.
Thus a “consensus” view is built, wholly dishonestly.
AIs are only as good as the model training that goes into them. AI doesn’t automatically translate into “technological smarts.” It can easily be corrupted by confirmation bias and leftwing stupidity, too.
What a bigoted comment.
By the way, it’s not Republicans who are necessarily stupid. They’re simply not conniving like Democrats. Stupid people abound on both sides, but conniving to do evil remains the remit of Democrats. Look at the Russia hoax. You may applaud that though, given your post, who knows.
Michelle Obama is the most likely Democrat nominee coming out of the DNC convention. It makes zero sense that the Democrats would carry through with the charade of Biden as nominee. The US political apparatus, and their billionaire nursemaids, could care less which neocon is elected president, just as along as he or she doesn’t have a slightly orange tint, and they are well bought and stay bought.
I agree that Joe Biden seems unlikely to be on the ballot for Democrats come November. If he is, that would be a disgrace. He’s not fit for the presidency now, and they put him up for another 4 years? Madness.
But it’s not going to be Michelle Obama. She would be a joke as president. Might as well pick Oprah Winfrey. At least she has some executive experience.
MO would win every black and female voter, except for female conservatives, which you can count on one hand. She would also win the democrat party faithful and the never-Trumpers. The question is whether she has the stomach for being Barrack’s front man for eight years.
Michelle Obama self-admitted that she is lazy. She also got the wealth she was craving. She was also an affirmative action student at college and never made partner at her law firm opting to become a DEi official at a local hospital instead. She doesn’t have the ‘right stuff’ to be President.
She is enjoying her life and was never a go-getter. But she could easily win, her husband would make the job much easier, and the power is a powerful aphrodisiac. I hope she doesn’t run, but she might.
Still with the laptop fantasy!
Says the fantasist who bought into the denial of its existence and thought it was the “Ruskies”!!!!
It’s easy to criticise and find potential flaws.
How else do you propose we try to deal with the deluge of misinformation (from all sides and the media itself)?
If you think ‘let it be, it’ll sort itself out’, say so.
If not, we need alternative approaches.
Yeah because the government being weaponized through AI against political opposition is going to go really well and better than doing nothing, right.
Did you read the article?
Are you someone who’s never read Orwell either?
Re: “…the deluge of misinformation…”
Remember that we can conjoin letters and words for things that have no existence (‘square circle,’ for example), and ‘misinformation’ is arguably in this category. We say we’ve been ‘misinformed’ when information we’ve received is inaccurate, incomplete, or in some other way misleading or unreliable, but it doesn’t follow from this conventional usage that there’s such a thing as misinformation. Ontologically, the word designates a null set. Everything that comes to our attention qualifies as information, and there’s definitely a deluge of that.
The things we’re normally concerned to know about information are its relevance, reliability, utility, etc., and judging these matters requires empirical investigation. It’s precisely this sort of investigation that censors seek to prevent. The ‘misinformation’ label is a dodge that pretends we already have answers to questions we haven’t even been allowed to ask yet. The strategy of pre-emptively certifying as ‘false’ claims whose truth or falsity are exactly what’s at issue enables censors to substitute their judgment for our own, and–in their minds–also justifies taking the further step of removing those claims from the information commons where they could be discussed and evaluated.
Its matchless convenience as a censorship tool is the sole reason why the word ‘misinformation’ has entered the lexicon, and we now hear it every day. Should we really be collaborating in the scam by thoughtlessly using it ourselves?
We may need approaches but a government controlled system is not one of them. Maybe controls on your individual instruments that you can configure…
When the Left starts talking about “the difficult responsibility” of something they’re about to go full-speed-ahead into it while pretending they’d rather not have to. It’s never good news for anyone on the Right.
Ah right the 5-Eyes will use ‘Track F’ to stamp out AI generated spam that they don’t like. While also using ‘Logically.AI’ to generate a tidal wave of spam that they do like.
Hypocrisy for the sake of total control as usual. Will the internet cease to be useful when it’s just flooded with AI bots?