After the recent drone attack on a US military base in Jordan that killed three service members, Politico examined the possible Biden administration response. Could he thread the needle? Strike back against the Iran-backed militias that were, according to the White House, behind this assault and deter future attacks without inflaming the conflicts already underway or brewing in the region? (On Friday, the US military launched strikes against Iran-backed militants at sites in Iraq and Syria.) One sentence in the article stuck out for me: “[President Joe Biden’s] senior advisers believe that foreign policy presents an opportunity to show his decades of experience, which they believe they can contrast with Trump.”

The first thought that popped into my head upon reading that line: Jimmy Carter.

To put a finer point on it: Do voters care about experience or results? Carter was the more experienced statesman when he ran for reelection against Ronald Reagan in 1980. But the Iran hostage crisis tarred him as a failure in foreign policy. Democrats attempted to depict Reagan as a far-right extremist eager to push the button (perhaps in part because he seemed to believe in end-times prophecy). Yet these scare-’em tactics did not persuade a majority of Americans. Carter was judged on results, not experience. And Reagan’s lack of experience and hawkishness did not trigger sufficient worry.

Trump’s narcissism, erraticism, authoritarian impulses, and embrace of chaos raise more troubling questions than Reagan’s stances did. His is a far from steady hand. But I’m hoping that Biden and his crew realize that Biden’s years of experience don’t on their own win the day for him. Voters will look at what he has done with that experience. The disorderly Afghanistan withdrawal—which was set in motion by Trump—did not assure the American public of Biden’s abilities. More important, his response to the Hamas-Israel war has disappointed and enraged voters in key Democratic constituencies: young adults, progressives, people of color, and Arab Americans. These voters don’t give a damn about his experience. They are looking at the results.

For the first months of this war, those results have been gruesome and heartbreaking. The destruction and civilian death toll in Gaza—following the horrific October 7 Hamas attack—have been horrible. Though the flow of nightmarish stories and images out of Gaza has lessened, as the war becomes less newsy, the reports remain harrowing and profoundly upsetting. Half of all buildings in Gaza have been damaged; the area is uninhabitable. Its health care system has all but collapsed. Experts are predicting widespread starvation among Gazans. The body count grows.

Israel’s brutal campaign has been supported by Biden and our tax dollars. For the millions of Americans pained by this cruelty and suffering, Biden’s experience is no selling point. For all the effort Biden and his aides have made to restrain the response of Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, they have enabled this savagery and co-own it. Certainly, if Trump had been in the White House the past few months, things would be far worse, as David Rothkopf noted in Haaretz. But Biden is responsible for what has occurred on his watch.

As I write this, the ground may be shifting. The Biden administration has been endeavoring to strike a combined ceasefire-hostage deal. Perhaps by the time this newsletter reaches you, such an accord will be realized. And on Thursday, Biden issued an executive order sanctioning Israeli settlers in the West Bank accused of attacking Palestinians and Israeli peace activists. The order imposes financial penalties and visa bans on only a few people, but it allows for a much broader use against individuals responsible for or who engage in “actions that threaten the peace, security, or stability of the West Bank.” This could cast a wide net for far-right Israeli extremists, including members of Netanyahu’s cabinet, and their supporters in the United States.

These moves are positive ones. But it’s also necessary for Biden to break with Netanyahu. The Netanyahu administration is dominated by extremists who are delighted with the war and see it as an opportunity to conquer Gaza and the West Bank. That is, to get rid of the Palestinians. On Sunday, an event in Jerusalem called "Conference for the Victory of Israel—Settlement Brings Security: Returning to the Gaza Strip and Northern Samaria" drew five ministers in Netanyahu’s government and 27 lawmakers in his coalition to a far-right messianic hoedown that called for full Jewish settlement of Gaza and the West Bank. As Israeli columnist Alon Pinkas wrote,

What you saw there was a religious-nationalistic sect in a state of thrall. Even if you've seen one before, it's not the same. This was not a fringe opposition group: it was the government of Israel in all its political splendor , unabashedly showing its true colors. This was the governing coalition in an orgy of anti-state and antidemocratic euphoria.

This was, he added, a display of the “theocratic-fascist strain in Israeli society and politics,” and it represented “almost half of Mr. Netanyahu's coalition.”

As Biden and his aides talk of moving past the hell of Gaza to a two-state solution, Netanyahu is outright rejecting that path and is more attuned to the religious rantings of the right-wing extremists, upon whom he depends for his employment. Biden has to dump Netanyahu—or dramatically distance himself from this scoundrel.

There are plenty of ways to do this. Some Democrats in Congress have called for conditioning assistance to Israel and forcing human rights evaluations of Israel’s actions in Gaza. The Biden White House did consider going further with its executive order and imposing sanctions on two ultranationalist ministers, Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich. But it held back on that for now. Yet here’s a sign of the intractable conflict at hand: Smotrich, the finance minister, declared he would continue to bolster Israeli settlements in occupied territories, noting, “If the price is U.S. sanctions against me—so be it.” Biden ought to realize that partnering with a government controlled or influenced by such men is morally wrong, as well as a big political problem for him at home.

To return to where we started: Biden needs results. A ceasefire-hostage agreement would count. More must come after that. His association with the inhumane annihilation of Gaza cannot be wiped away—and it could well undermine his effort to remain in the White House and prevent its occupation by an authoritarian demagogue flirting with fascism. A significant number of Democratic voters will neither forget nor forgive. There are far too many dead Palestinians for that. But it is not yet too late for Biden to demonstrate that he can learn from recent experience and change course by breaking with the apartheidists and fanatics of Israel. Doing so will help those seeking democracy and dignity in Israel and the Palestinian territories and those seeking to protect democracy in the United States.

Got anything to say about this item—or anything else? Email me at ourland@motherjones.com.

That’s all I want to say. Never expected to. But once the Taylor Swift narrative became part of an outlandish far-right conspiracy theory pushed by MAGA extremists, you can see, I had no choice. Read that piece here.

With all the recent news about Trump’s legal woes—particularly the $83 million fine the jury derived as punishment for him in the E. Jean Carroll sexual assault and defamation case he lost—I noticed that a story I broke four years ago was getting new traction on social media. That was when I obtained the video of Trump’s deposition in the Trump University case, in which Trump was sued for fraud and eventually settled the case by paying $25 million to people he allegedly fleeced. During that deposition, Trump was presented clear evidence that Trump U employees lied to prospective enrollees, claiming students could expect direct contact with Trump when, of course, they wouldn’t. Asked to acknowledge that these assertions were false or, at least, “not accurate,” Trump replied, "It depends on how you're talking about 'accurate.'" That was so Trumpian.

Taylor Swift has truly brought out the paranoia and stupidity of the MAGA right, as I wrote about in the abovementioned article. But that piece left out a few choice comments that the DCotW judges considered notable. Fox host Sean Hannity couldn’t help himself and chastised the chanteuse for being brainwashed:

Maybe [Taylor Swift] just bought into all the lies about conservative and Republicans—that they’re racists and sexists, homophobic and xenophobic, and transphobic and Islamophobic, that Republicans and conservatives want dirty air and water and a total ban on all abortions with no exceptions. If she believes all that, she is believing a lie because those talking points are simply untrue. I’m just saying maybe she wants to think twice before making a decision about 2024.

And maybe it’s also wrong to believe that Republicans and conservatives are enthralled with a man who has claimed credit for ending Roe v. Wade, who has been found liable for sexual assault and defaming the victim, who pushed an anti-Muslim travel ban, who reversed policies to address climate change, and who is a misogynist and racist. Hannity was truly trying too hard in this segment, and in doing so reminded Swift of the many reasons to repeat her 2020 endorsement of Joe Biden in 2024.

Jack Posobiec, a right-wing provocateur who promoted the violence-inspiring Pizzagate conspiracy theory and who has been amplifying the Swift-Kelce-NFL conspiracy theory, displayed the right’s inferiority complex when it comes to celebrity endorsers. He declared:

We don’t have Taylor Swift on our side, but you know who we have? We have Kid Rock. We have Ted Nugent. We have influencers. We have all these people—Jon Voight. We have people who can come out and use their audiences.

Sad, right?

Once again, the judges tell me that Donald Trump could be a winner every week, and there’s a mercy rule for him. But he also cannot be totally avoided. He recently went (once again) into his full poor-me martyr schtick—one of his favorite stances—and whined:

They say the president that was treated the worst was Abraham Lincoln. But he had the little Civil War going...And Jackson was treated badly...And I haven't seen the new list [of poorly treated presidents], but if I'm not number one, over Abraham Lincoln, I will be very disappointed...

Isn’t Trump forgetting one thing?

There appears to be a lot of competition on the right these days for who can be the most racist in assailing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs. In our last contest, the judges nominated Charlie Kirk’s Herculean efforts on this front. This week, they noticed Floyd Brown, a longtime right-wing activist (he was behind the infamous Willie Horton ad that ran during the 1988 campaign and ginned up much of the anti-Clinton conspiracy theories of the 1990s) and now campaign manager for Kari Lake’s Senate campaign in Arizona, getting in on this far-right craze. He recently popped off:

Since Barack Obama became president, we’ve actually gone backwards in race relations. He’s created so much division. These DEI programs are negative for everyone, including Black Americans. Ben Carson was one of the great all-time surgeons. Yet now because of DEI, when you see a Black surgeon, you get a question in your mind. What you want is you want the Blacks who are on top, who do succeed, to be there on their merit because they absolutely have as much merit as anybody else.

Yeah, it’s the Black guy who exacerbated racial conflict. And now poor Brown can’t trust a Black doctor.

Appearing on a local television news show, Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar (R-Fla.), who represents a congressional district in Miami-Dade County, was challenged by reporter Jim DeFede, who pointed out that in December she publicly celebrated and took credit for a federal grant of $650,000 to help small businesses yet she had voted against the 2023 bill that provided these funds. She dodged a straight response. She said she need to “ask my staff” and tried to change the subject. To his credit, DeFede kept pressing her, noting she had voted against several major measures—including the CHIPS Act and the infrastructure package—and then hailed the funds from these bills that poured into her district. “At the same time that you’re taking credit for the money you bring back to the district,” he pointed out, “in Washington you’re voting against these projects on party-line votes.” Her response: “That was last cycle. I cannot really remember right now...There are so many bills that I’ve introduced.”

DeFede had her. She looked foolish—an unprincipled grandstander. If we were handing out trophies for fierce journalism, DeFede would win. But we’re only rewarding dumbassery. Thus, Salazar gets this week’s prize.

The recent issue on the anti-Trump conservatives’ inability to support Joe Biden’s reelection to protect American democracy drew much mail. Frank Larson offered succinct praise: “You've written many erudite columns in the past, but this one is your best. It is cogent, and you explain your rationale—and theirs—not only calmly but wryly, which, in these frenetic times, is a treat for tired eyes.” It also prompted more conservatives than usual to write in.

That included Justin Meyers:

The problem is that your cynical leftism makes you unable to appreciate that real, true conservatives (I consider myself one) are just as committed to defending our country from the constitutional malfeasance of the Biden Administration, as we are to defending our country from a pathological liar and would-be autocrat. This is not to say they're the same threat, or that one threat is greater than the other. In fact, what's motivating some otherwise reasonable conservatives to embrace Trump is the idea that the devil we know (Trump) is better than the devil we don't know (four more years of Biden)—in my opinion, a terrible miscalculation.

I can, and do, agree with all your points: The left is correct that Trump directly imperils American democracy. The Republicans (as distinguished from "the conservative movement") have brought the nation to a dangerous precipice. The lefties, independents and Never-Trumpers are right that Trump is an existential threat who must be kept out of power. But I disagree with your statement that drawing a comparison between Trumpism and Biden's leftism is a "false and absurd equivalency." One is obviously more of an immediate threat than the other (Trump), but they are both a threat to the rule of law and our democracy, the fiasco at the border offering a convenient example. That is why I will never cast a vote for Trump, and never have. And that is why I will never cast a vote for Biden either, and never have.  

I thank Justin for emailing, but he seems to ultimately prove my point. Even though he acknowledges Trump immediately imperils the country, he cannot bring himself to vote for Biden to prevent that danger, claiming Biden is also a major threat (though less immediate).

A reader named Aaron emailed:

Quick note: Mid-30s conservative with neocon tendencies (grew up with W Bush, it was bound to happen). More simply, my most recent political donations were Ted Cruz's 2018 Senate run and Bobby Jindal's 2016 presidential campaign. I reluctantly voted for Trump twice.

Just wanted to say thank you for this article as it (almost) describes how I've been feeling. I've voted Republican in every election with the exception of one (Dem vs. Socialist for mayor situation). But I just can't this time around. Trump has never been a conservative. He coopted the message just enough to get us to vote for him. And despite his inability to actually govern as a conservative, he deserved a second vote because he helped change the structure of the Supreme Court for at least a decade. This time around, it's just not happening (my vote for him). It isn't January 6. It isn't his rape conviction. It's the fact that I have absolutely no idea how he will respond to various stimuli. Whether he would default on NATO commitments; whether he would do absolutely nothing about illegal immigration, again; whether he would actually support an armed insurrection? I can't vote for someone that has proven he has no moral compass and lacks the ability to self-regulate hypocrisy. At the same time, I can't vote for Biden (or even worse, Gavin Newsom). I lack the ability to support the green agenda or infanticide (yes, I'm one of those types of conservatives).

John Noonan had an odd take:

I am a Biden voter in 2020, and so I am no Trump fan. But, personally, I do not see the riot at the Capitol as something that concerns me a lot. I would rather live in a country where we can remind our leaders who they work for with a riot at the Capitol than one where that is impossible. Biden won, but I support our elected officials being reminded that if they anger the constituents they can be overrun. Just like I would fight for my right to burn the flag because to me that makes that flag worthy of defense, I would fight for the right to raid the Capitol, as it is our Capitol and should not be a fortress to protect the elected from the constituents.

There was also plenty of reader feedback to the issue that looked at Trump’s continuing love affair with war criminal Vladimir Putin and the prospect of Russian interference with the 2024 election.

Mike Jozwiak wrote:

Thanks for reminding us about the great spy/detective novel that was the 2016 election. I remember reading the entire Mueller report and most of the bipartisan Senate Intelligence Committee report ages ago. At the time, it was (at least for me) really exciting reading, with an anticipated happy ending: “This guy will be toast!” Or so I thought. Then the “witch hunt/hoax” hypothesis took over, and all the great drama and its expected climax dissolved into the mist. (Sigh!) I hate to say it, but the Trumpster’s skill at the art of the Big Lie is impressive. I am truly in awe of what shameless and consistent mendacity can accomplish.

Lynda Dobens had a brief response: “The fifth column is alive and well. This keeps me up at night.”

Bettina Norton wrote in about something completely different:

Please answer my question, asked once before. Are you a poodle lover? I just had to put down my sixth, at almost 14, on the first anniversary of my husband's funeral. Caramella followed Zita, Shadow, Cinnamon, Ichiban, and Tosca—Caramella's litter-mate.

My deepest condolences, Bettina. Indeed, I am a poodle enthusiast. As a youngster, I was allergic to most dogs. Consequently, my family got poodles. They tend to be intelligent, athletic, and empathetic creatures. What more could you want in a companion? I confess I am a bit put off that poodles have been so widely mixed with other fine breeds. What was wrong with the original model? In my mind, nothing. But I do try to be accepting of the various doodles, schnoodles, and wackadoodles.

Zara Phillips also had a dog-related comment:

Sorry I couldn’t participate in the recent Our Land Zoom get together. It becomes a little difficult, with only a phone, to participate in some things. Anyway, I would like to thank you for the newsletter. You write in a clear, precise manner. Moxie puts everything in its place.

For me she does. Speaking of which...

“Why are you working so late tonight?”
“Moxie, it’s an emergency! MAGA extremists are pushing a crazy conspiracy theory about the Deep State and Taylor Swift!”
“Does she have a dog?”
“Uh, she’s more, uh, of a, uh, cat person.”
“I’m going to sleep.”

January 30, 2024: New book tells the inside story of the Georgia RICO case against Donald Trump; Trump pals around with accused billionaire sex criminal; Anatomy of a Fall soars; and more.

January 27, 2024: The dilemma of the anti-Trump conservatives; Dumbass Comment of the Week; the Mailbag; MoxieCam™; and more.

January 23, 2024: Trump, Putin, and Russia—it never ends; my warning to Ron DeSantis; Ava DuVernay’s big idea in Origin; Allison Russell and The Returner; and more.

January 20, 2024: The absurdity of No Labels; Dumbass Comment of the Week (Ron DeSantis); the Mailbag: MoxieCam™; and more.

January 17, 2024: Hugh Hewitt’s constitutional con; the truth of American Fiction; George Saunders’ Liberation Day; and more. 

January 13, 2024: Is Trump extremism getting more extreme?; Dumbass Comment of the Week (everyone!); the Mailbag; MoxieCam™; and more.

January 9, 2024: Two historic Dutch girls and today’s world; the creepy chaos of Leave the World Behind; the awesome creativity of Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse; and more.

January 3, 2024: A story of Mother Jones (the labor organizer) and a populist senator; Mark Levin, Joe Scarborough, and me; and more.

December 23, 2023: To disqualify or not disqualify Trump; Dumbass Comment of the Week (Michele Bachmann); the Mailbag; MoxieCam™; and more.