Brexit Was Sold by "Liars"and Britain's Exit Plan is Unworkable

British PM Theresa May and French President Emmanuel Macron

Much like Donald Trump's "Make America Great Again" presidential campaign, the supporters of the "leave" British Brexit vote engaged in baldface lies and were aided by Russian election interference that played upon rural voter's racism, xenophobia, and delusional dreams of restoring a never to return empire.   Having just returned from a week in London (I was in Paris the week before), it is readily apparent that a hard Brexit will savage Britain's economy, especially in "leave voting rural areas and the always reactionary Northern Ireland.  After disastrous meetings today in Austria, British Prime Minister Theresa May is facing a huge backlash at home which, with luck will bring about a re-vote on the question of leaving the European Union.  While in London, we heard numerous people say that May's days in office were heading towards an end and that leaving the EU would be a disaster on everything from tariffs to tourism and renewed difficulty crossing borders (currently, with Britain in the EU, travel from Paris to London and London to Amsterdam on the high speed Eurostar trains is smooth as can be).  A piece in CNN looks at the growing realization that the Brexit effort was lead by liars and will have horrific consequences.   Here are article highlights:

If Theresa May hoped that a two-day summit with European leaders in the birthplace of Mozart would bring harmony to the fraught Brexit process, she will have left sorely disappointed.  A lavish dinner in the opulent setting of the Felsenreitschul theater in Salzburg on Wednesday evening failed to smooth the way. By Thursday, there wasn't much left but bitterness and rancour.

Donald Tusk, President of the European Council, said key aspects of Brexit proposals presented by May "will not work" in their current form.   Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor, said there could be "no compromise" on the integrity of the single market, the bloc's economic free-trade zone. Emmanuel Macron, the French President, was harshest of all. The entire Brexit project was sold to the British people by "liars" who immediately fled the stage, unwilling to see their project through. May could be forgiven for looking like thunder at her post-summit press conference. But she showed no sign of backing down from the proposals hashed out with her Cabinet at her country retreat of Chequers in July -- so controversial with her own party that they provoked the resignation of her foreign secretary, Boris Johnson, and Brexit secretary, David Davis. [T]he prospect the UK crashing out without a deal seems greater than ever. "Everybody shared the view that while there are positive elements in the Chequers proposal for economic cooperation, the suggested framework will not work -- not least because it risks undermining the single market," Tusk told reporters.

The main sticking point continues to be how to handle the border between Northern Ireland, which will remain part of the UK, and the Republic of Ireland, which will continue to be part of the EU. Neither side wants an arrangement that would require the rebuilding of border infrastructure, the removal of which was a key part of the Good Friday Agreement that brought peace to Northern Ireland after years of sectarian strife.
 May promised to bring forward new proposals that would ensure trade could move freely across the Irish border, but would not require different customs regimes in Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK, a key red line for the British Prime Minister. Under the EU process that governs Britain's withdrawal, the UK leaves the bloc on March 29, 2019 -- deal or no deal. In practice, to allow for parliamentary ratification, that means a deal must be struck in the next couple of months. It's clear that significant gaps remain between both sides. "The Irish question needs something more than only good intentions," Tusk said. "Without clear a precise solution to the Irish question, and for the whole context of our economic future relations, it will be difficult even to imagine a positive process after October," Tusk said. Macron acknowledged that Brexit was the choice of the British people but added that it was "pushed by those who predicted easy solutions."  "If Brexit tells us one thing... it shows us that those who say: one can do easily without Europe, that it will all go well, that it is easy and will bring lots of money -- are liars," Macron said. "They left the next day so they didn't have to manage it." May faces a rough ride at the Conservative party conference in a few weeks, with challengers to her leadership waiting in the wings.
 And EU leaders want to make an example of the UK's pain to any other countries even thinking of leaving: Breaking up is hard to do.

Those who voted to leave the EU, in my opinion, are idiots and are little different than Trump's white supremacist/Christofascist supporters.  The irony is, as mentioned above, that those hurt the worse by a "hard" Brexit will be the very fools and bigots who voted against their own best interests due to bigotry and a proud embrace of ignorance, all of which was fanned by Russian efforts. 

Today's GOP: Defined by Region, Religion, Race and Class

All of the changing demographics of America seem to be spelling an eventual death knell for the Republican Party.  Yet, the party base shows no signs of moderating, perhaps largely because the GOP has become controlled by Christofascists and their Tea Party cousins who have a hard tome dealing with and objective reality.  These folks want to return to some fantasy version of the 1950's where women, blacks, gays and minorities all knew their place either in the closet or in subservient roles to white Christian males.  They just cannot grasp the reality that those days - to the extent they ever existed as now imagined - are gone forever.    Two pieces look at this phenomenon.  First one in The Daily Beast and the latter in the New York Times that looks at the anti-immigrant mindset of Hazelton, Pennsylvania.  First highlights from The Daily Beast article:

Given what the Republican Party is and where America’s demographics are heading, it is unclear whether the Grand Old Party can successfully pivot to the center without jeopardizing its socially conservative evangelical base. Electoral competitiveness remains elusive for Republicans as singles and younger voters have migrated to the Democratic Party. The GOP is also shackled with the legacies of Iraq, Katrina and the crash of 2008 that have led many to view Republican competence as oxymoronic. 

So at best, the party is barely treading water. A recent PPP poll shows both incumbent Senator Marco Rubio and former Governor Jeb Bush trailing Hillary Rodham Clinton by double digits—in Florida. Putting things in perspective, if the Republicans do not win Florida, they cannot re-take the White House. Indeed, with Florida, and Virginia — another state that Barack Obama carried twice—the once-Republican Solid South is starting to look like a blue-and-red checkerboard, with Democrats now owning some of the biggest squares.

Meanwhile, the Republican Party is far from agreed that it even has a problem.  In fact, intra-party schisms were vividly displayed at the recent Conservative Political Action Conference  .   .  .  .  Okay for reality TV, perhaps, if not so much for serious national politics.

The Republican National Committee further added to the party’s woes by releasing its 100-page campaign autopsy—as RNC Chair Reince Priebus so memorably described it —acknowledging that “voters are increasingly rolling their eyes at what the Party represents” and lamenting the perception of the Republicans

To top it all off, the 2013 cycle may bring additional Republican losses. In the Virginia governor’s race, former Democratic National Chairman Terry McAuliffe leads Republican state attorney general Ken Cuccinelli. Cuccinelli previously volunteered his belief that President Obama being born in Kenya did not “seem beyond the realm of possibility” and has equated abortion with slavery.

Although the elections of Quinn and McAuliffe are hardly forgone conclusions, their message of accommodating both business and social realities is getting both candidates more than just a second look. 

Not surprisingly, pragmatism has greater appeal to political independents and moderates than to Republicans. Thus, the questions that the Republican Party must answer are how much and how soon is it willing to yield on its professed principles for the sake of victory; when does political disagreement cease to be branded as heresy by the party faithful, and what the party will actually gain if it does yield. Answering those questions may not be quick or tidy in light of the currents of region, religion, race and class that define and buffet the party. 

The New York Times article looks at the rampant anti-immigrant mindset in Hazelton, Pennsylvania, located in the mountainous stretch of Interstate 81 between Harrisburg and Scranton.   If you haven't passed through Hazelton, you haven't missed much.  It in some ways symbolizes the economic problems faced by areas that refuse to move into the 21st century and cling to prejudice and do everything but erect signs that say "newcomers not welcomed."  Hazelton personifies the coming GOP civil war on immigration reform.  Here are some article highlights: 

Before Arizona’s crackdown on illegal immigrants, before “self-deportation” became the Republican presidential platform in 2012, there was Hazleton.   This working-class city in the Poconos passed the country’s first law aimed at making life so difficult for illegal immigrants that they would pack up and leave. 

[T]he city presents a test case of whether the [GOP] party risks leaving behind a critical part of its core constituency: white working-class voters for whom illegal immigration stirs visceral reactions. 

“I’m totally against it,” said Jim Murphy, a lifelong resident who was sharing a pitcher of beer with a friend at Senape’s Tavern Pitza, under a McCain-Palin bumper sticker from 2008. “Illegal is illegal. Chase them all out. They don’t belong here.” 

Joanne Ustynoski, who owns a small automotive business with her husband, Mickey, echoed many native residents who said that illegal immigrants in Hazleton received government benefits and were not as committed to hard work as their own forebears from Italy, Poland and Ukraine. 

Hispanic residents said they felt their entire population was stigmatized by the crackdown on illegal immigrants. Felix Perez, a Walmart employee with two daughters, 2 and 9, recalled a time he hesitated at the wheel of his car, unsure which way to turn, and the non-Hispanic driver behind him got out with a gun in his hand. “He saw my face, he knew I was Spanish,” Mr. Perez said. “They believe we are all the same because we look the same.” 

Erika Hernandez, a community liaison, disputed the mayor and Mr. Barletta’s claims that efforts aimed at illegal immigrants are not a reflection on other Hispanics. The actions send a message of blanket hostility, she said.

“The people in this town, we’re becoming a minority,” said Chris DeRienzo, 30, a wedding photographer who opposes a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants. “It hurts. I grew up here. It’s not what it used to be.”  “You want to scream,” he added.

Hazelton is much like Southwestern Virginia, an area that is dying economically and seeing younger generations flee the region.  Meanwhile, the region remains so unwelcoming, few progressive businesses would ever want to relocate there.    One of history's lessons is that change is constant and that those who want to thrive need to have flexibility and open mindedness - characterists totally lacking from ost of today's GOP.

GOP Backed Bill Would Require English Only in Federal Documents.

Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-OK). Right: Rep. Steve King (R-IA)

Remember how the Republican Party is supposedly trying to broaden its base and re-create a "big tent" atmosphere to attract Hispanic and other minority voters?  Well, the GOP has a very strange way of engaging in such out reach.  Two GOP members of Congress - both of whom are in my view despicable racists - are seeking to outlaw the use of Spanish and other non-English languages in federal documents.  The bill would impact everything from ballots at the polls to many other federal documents that currently are also printed in other languages, especially Spanish (e.g., many IRS forms).  Its all a party of the GOP base's effort to send a message that if one in not white, straight and conservative Christian, one is not welcome in America.  As I have noted before, how long will it be before KKK robes are handed out at the beginning of GOP city and county committee meetings?  Think Progress looks at the GOP sponsored and almost unanimously backed bill.  Here are highlights:

Republicans are continuing their minority outreach efforts this month by introducing a bill outlawing Spanish and other non-English languages from being used in federal documents.

Rep. Steve King (R-IA), most recently in the headlines after attacking President Obama’s young daughters for going on vacation, introduced the English Language Unity Act in the House earlier this month, along with Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-OK) in the Senate. As King notes on his website, the bill would require “all official functions of the United States to be conducted in English.” Federal and state governments print thousands of documents every year, many of which are translated into other languages besides English.

One major impact King’s bill could have is to stop the decades-long practice of printing non-English ballots in areas where there’s a significant non-English language group. Indeed, Section 203 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 currently requires local jurisdictions with a substantial number of non-English speakers to allow them to vote in other languages.

English-only bills not only discriminate against immigrants and minorities; they’re also wholly unnecessary. Conservatives fret that immigrants today aren’t learning English like immigrants of yesteryear, but are instead confining themselves to permanent non-English enclaves. That idea is, to put it mildly, nonsense. Though first-generation immigrants often have limited-English proficiency, their children quickly adopt English, just as it’s always been in the proverbial American melting pot. By the second generation, more than 80 percent speak English exclusively or very well, and the figure jumps to nearly everyone in the third generation. In fact, as Professor Tomas Jimenez at Stanford University notes, “immigrants today are learning English faster than the large waves of immigrants who came to the United States during the turn of the last century.”

Republicans have spent the months following last November’s election in a tailspin trying to figure out how to win over minority voters. Their autopsy, released this month, singled out minority outreach as an area where the Party has consistently fell short and planned to improve going forward. However, the GOP put forth no new policies, only a promise to be more sensitive in their communication. That pledge was quickly violated by Rep. Don Young and RNC Committeeman Dave Agema, among others.

Time: Joe Klein Dishes Palin and Her Ignorant Followers

Strangely enough, earlier today the boyfriend and I were talking about Sarah Palin and her birther minions and their overall lack of intelligence accurate facts and general stupidity and how democracy is dangerous when the general populace is ignorant and uninformed - something that concerned the Founding Fathers and resulted in a representative republic complete with the Electoral College. I come home and among the first articles I scan is one in Time Magazine that looks at the very phenomenon that we had been discussing. Sadly, far too many citizens do not know real history and easily fall prey to the Christianists who re-write history to support their theocratic agenda. Along the way, the Republican Party which once prided itself on intelligence and knowledge has increasingly become that party of morons and/or the ignorant. What I find so ironic is that Palin wears her ignorance and stupidity as a badge of honor. William F. Buckley must be rolling over in his grave. Here are some highlights from Joe Klein's biting column:
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And that's where I have a problem with Palin: what she said was drivel. No, let me amend that: it was anti-intellectual drivel. Obama is a bad Commander-in-Chief because he's a...law professor. No matter that this bad Commander-in-Chief has taken more concerted and aggressive action against Al Qaeda--more drones, more covert actions in Yemen and Somalia, more support for Pakistani military campaigns agains the Taliban, more troops for Afghanistan--than the baseball team owner who proceeded him in office. He's a law professor. He's a member of the elite. Which has come to be a term of opprobrium among the nitwit populists of the right--unquestioned, increasingly, by would-be conservative intellectuals like Bill Kristol and assorted Podhoretzs. I'm sure there's an aphorism somewhere--readers, please help--about the fate of great nations that celebrate ignorance and denigrate contemplative thought.
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Yesterday, a commenter asked if there was any form of populism that I could support. The answer is yes: democracy. But populism, as a movement, has a sorry history--it emanates from anger and often ignorance, and quickly devolves into bigotry and hatred.
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The right-wing populism of the past thirty years has been accompanied by a celebration of ignorance, a nativist anti-immigrant fury and, more recently, among some evangelicals, by the undue celebration of Israeli expansionism (as a prophetic prelude to the Rapture--which may have had something to do with flag pin Palin was wearing).
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This is a democracy; the more democratic it has become, the better. Anti-intellectualism is something else again, as is the celebration of some nonexistent "real" America, populated inevitably by melanin-deprived pickup truck owners. Those who celebrate Sarah Palin's lack of knowledge as a form of "authenticity" superior to Barack Obama's gloriously American mongrel ethnicity and self-made intellectuality are representatives of a long-standing American theme--the celebration of sameness, and mediocrity. . . . indeed, in the truest sense, it can be called anti-American.
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No wonder more thinking Republicans look at Palin and the teabaggers with dismay.

Another Wingnut Coven Coming Up in September

Phyllis Schlafly, founder of the far right Eagle Forum, a shameless self-promoter, and the queen mother of the lunatic far right is promoting a gathering of the unhinged entitled the "How to Take Back America Conference" in St. Louis, Missouri, in September. Her co-chair is Janet Folger Porter who has made a career out of gay bashing and disseminating false information. The remainder of the "host committee" is a who's who of the demented and deranged, including but not limited to Don Wildmon of the American Family Association, Matt Staver of Liberty Counsel, Michael Farris, a home school nut from Northern Virginia, and Joseph Farah of WorldNetDaily, a/k/a Wingnut Daily. Without a doubt LGBT Americans will be one of the boogey men used to incite the Christianists who fall precisely within the group Frank Rich was talking about in my prior post. Here is a sampling of some of the "workshop" topics:

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How to keep ERA permanently dead
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How to deal with the supremacist judiciary

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How to teach criticisms of evolution
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How and why to encourage homeschooling

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How to defend traditional marriage and DOMA
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How to pass effective pro-life bills and avoid pro-life defeats
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How to defend against gay attacks on marriage and religious speech
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How to stop feminist and gay attacks on the military

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These folks are not, in my opinion, dealing with a full deck of cards and I suspect as their ideology becomes more and more non-mainstream, they are likely to attract those willing to engage in violence to protect against what threatens their fabricated reality world.

The Danger of "Palinism"

UPDATED: As a point of clarification, I am no out to demonize Sarah Palin as a person even though I disagree with her on nearly everything. The point is that to be VP in today's world, she needs to - to quote Andrew Sullivan - be able to take over as president in an instant and cope with three wars - in Afghanistan, Iraq and Pakistan - and a potential reprise of the Great Depression. Clearly, she is NOT up to the task and McCain needs to be held accountable for his insane selection of Palin.

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Roger Cohen has a column in the New York Times that both describes the mental vacuousness of Sarah Palin and the anti-knowledge and egocentricity that are the hallmarks of Christianists and the "America - Love it or Leave it" crowd. As I have noted before, it is dumbfounding in some ways that a supposedly educated populace can be so ignorant and gullible to demagoguery. But for this phenomenon, the GOP would have lost power years ago and the country would likely be far better off today. The big question, is how best to defeat this mindset and outlook. Here are some column highlights:

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Sarah Palin loves the word “exceptional.” . . . This is the idea, around since the founding fathers, and elaborated on by Alexis de Tocqueville, that the United States is a nation unlike any other with a special mission to build the “city upon a hill” that will serve as liberty’s beacon for mankind. But exceptionalism has taken an ugly twist of late. It’s become the angry refuge of the America that wants to deny the real state of the world.

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American exceptionalism has morphed into the fortress of those who see themselves threatened by “one-worlders” (read Barack Obama) and who believe it’s more important to know how to dress moose than find Mumbai. That’s Palinism, a philosophy delivered without a passport and with a view (on a clear day) of Russia.

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Behind Palinism lies anger. It’s been growing as America’s relative decline has become more manifest in falling incomes, imploding markets, massive debt and rising new centers of wealth and power from Shanghai to Dubai.

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The damn-the-world, God-chose-us rage of that America has sharpened as U.S. exceptionalism has become harder to square with the 21st-century world’s interconnectedness. How exceptional can you be when every major problem you face, from terrorism to nuclear proliferation to gas prices, requires joint action?

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But, let’s face it, from Baghdad to Bear Stearns the last eight years have been a lesson in the price of exceptionalism run amok. To persist with a philosophy grounded in America’s separateness, rather than its connectedness, would be devastating at a time when the country faces two wars, a financial collapse unseen since 1929, commodity inflation, a huge transfer of resources to the Middle East, and the imperative to develop new sources of energy. Enough is enough.