Re: [External] USA Africa Dialogue Series - Fwd: DEMYSTIFICATION OF THE AMERICAN DEMOCRATIC PROCESS.

Gloria:

When did you become a Prophetess? None of what you said could ever happen?

You need a major war, a serious one that can threaten the very survival of a nation, before you can establish the scenario you painted.

Drink coffee and relax. Trump is a foolish man.

TF

 

From: usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com <usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com>
Date: Friday, January 8, 2021 at 11:52 AM
To: Harrow, Kenneth <harrow@msu.edu>, usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com <usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com>
Subject: Re: [External] USA Africa Dialogue Series - Fwd: DEMYSTIFICATION OF THE AMERICAN DEMOCRATIC PROCESS.

Trump hoped that at some point in time, he would be able to have absolute power and take over, Mussolini style, through the military,  in collaboration  with  Trumpist supporters, the "cannon fodder".

 

Delegitimization of  elections would become a crucial step in the game plan. 

 

He had hoped that the first batch of military generals appointed in 2016, such as "Mad Dog", Kelly and others, would come in handy down the road for whatever ensued in the future.

It eventually became clear to the "coup plotter" though, that the first batch of men in uniform were men of integrity, somewhat, and would not be manipulated.

His Plan B in November was to pivot to the Pentagon itself and curry favor with a new batch of generals. The ten former defense secretaries that wrote a letter of caution apparently saw through the plan.

The takeover of the Capitol by the mob, on January 6, needed one more action of consequence, the intervention of pro -Trump

generals in collaboration with Mr. Pence.

It did not happen.

 Pence had coddled Trump (or the other way around) from day one. One day he could be POTUS, he thought. Just go along with Trumpism, genuflect to the King and everything would fall in place. He would inherit the mob and their votes and slide into the White House -  especially if the evangelical religious right wing  cast their lot on his side. 

But it soon dawned on Pence that the mad King would eventually cast him into the dungeon of infamy, shame and political death. A new self -assured political actor emerged, strong enough to reject Trump's demands to disavow the elections.  

(To be continued at some point in time)

 

 

 

Professor Gloria Emeagwali
Prof. of History/African Studies, CCSU
africahistory.net; vimeo.com/ gloriaemeagwali
Recipient of the 2014 Distinguished Research
Excellence Award, Univ. of Texas at Austin;
2019 Distinguished Africanist Award
New York African Studies Association

---

From: usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com <usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com> on behalf of Harrow, Kenneth <harrow@msu.edu>
Sent: Thursday, January 7, 2021 5:50 PM
To: usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com <usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com>
Subject: Re: [External] USA Africa Dialogue Series - Fwd: DEMYSTIFICATION OF THE AMERICAN DEMOCRATIC PROCESS.

 

Please be cautious: **External Email**

okey, michigan is not a great example, but burkina is since they burned down the parlement building, actually a monumental feat. in michigan they gained entrance w their guns and posed for selfies; that was it.

 

they should have been jailed, but the legislature is dominated by those who love gun-toting miscreants.

 

the french revolution, the storming of the bastille, that was really a strong example.

but mussolini's rise to power might be the best:

"In 1922, Fascists were instructed to wear uniforms, including black shirts, when in squads that were modeled after Roman army groups. All party members were considered squad members.

Soon after, several Italian cities were seized by Fascist squads, who also burned down Communist and Socialist offices.

In October 1922, Mussolini threatened to march on Rome to take control of the government through violent force if it was not handed over. The government was slow to act, eventually dispatching troops, though Fascists had already seized control of some local governments.

Refusing to pass martial law, King Victor Emmanuel III watched as thousands of armed Fascists entered Rome. He dissolved the government and asked Mussolini to form a new one. Mussolini became Prime Minister, as well as Minister of the Interior and Minister for Foreign Affairs. Mussolini did not become a dictator overnight, but a speech he gave to the Italian parliament on January 3, 1925 asserting his right to supreme power is generally seen as the effective date that Mussolini declared himself dictator of Italy.


Fascists Seize Control of Italy

Mussolini's first act as prime minister was to demand special emergency powers allowing him to rig elections in the Fascists' favor. Soon after, the Italian parliament made suspicion of being anti-Fascist punishable by imprisonment without trial.

https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/benito-mussolini

Benito Mussolini - Biography, Facts & Death - HISTORY Benito Mussolini was an Italian political leader who became the fascist dictator of Italy from 1925 to 1945. Originally a revolutionary socialist, he forged the paramilitary fascist movement in ... www.history.com

 

 

ken

 

kenneth harrow

professor emeritus

dept of english

michigan state university

517 803-8839

harrow@msu.edu

---

From: usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com <usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com> on behalf of Okey Iheduru <okeyiheduru@gmail.com>
Sent: Thursday, January 7, 2021 4:19 PM
To: USAAfrica Dialogue <usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com>
Subject: Re: [External] USA Africa Dialogue Series - Fwd: DEMYSTIFICATION OF THE AMERICAN DEMOCRATIC PROCESS.

 

Describing what happened in the U. S. capitol yesterday as an "pulling 'an African coup' " is not correct--it's perhaps even as insulting as Trump's "shithole" insult to African countries. There are other apt historical and contemporary similarities, such as several incidents of insurrection and attacks on state legislatures in the USA, including the one in Michigan in 2020 in US history; the Bolshevik assault of the parliament in Russia in 1917 and the 1991 coup that finally ended the USSR; and a few cases in Latin America. I'd be interested in learning about any instances of where/when popular anger was so high and unrestrained that civilians (not formal armed forces) stormed the parliament and the police and/or security services collapsed like a house of cards in the manner we all saw yesterday in an African country. The Sudanese people have the distinction of sacking dictatorial governments twice, but I don't think that included invading the parliament. The events in Tahrir Square, Cairo didn't come close to what happened yesterday; neither did the sacking of President Blaise Campoare in Burkina Faso or Presiden Boubakar Keita in Mali in 2020 fit the profile. I also don't think what happened in Nigeria's Western Region House of Parliament in 1965 qualifies, either. In short, what happened in Washington, DC yesterday is an American phenomenon that has always been part of American history, but Trump and his cult members may have been more brazen. Americans and the "civilized world" may be right to be surprised, embarrassed and outraged, but they/we shouldn't look far from "the shining light on the hill." Neither should we encourage the continued demonization of Africa ourselves because Africa's got nothing to do with Trump and his mob.

 

On Thu, Jan 7, 2021 at 12:22 PM Assensoh, Akwasi B. <aassenso@indiana.edu> wrote:

Dear 'Tony:

Thank you very much for your excellent and timely analysis, titled "Demystification of the American Democratic Process". 

You showed very clearly that you are, still, a true student or sholar of American politics. While soon-to-be Ex-President Donald

Trump did not seem to know why he was not retaining the White House and its presidential priviliges (including free and easy

plane rides to his Florida home or Camp David), you did clearly knew why: when a naive-looking police officer placed his knee 

on the neck of un-convicted Mr.George  Floyd until he died (no matter for how many minutes!).

 

After the ugly Floyd incident, Mr. Trump was still bombastic in his support of the police; then came the public shooting, repeatedly, 

of the unarmed black father (Jcob Blake) in Kenosha, Wisconsin, while his children wathed. After the shooting, Mr. Trump travelled 

with his Attorney-General Barr to Kenosha, Wisconsin, during which they openly met with the local police elite in a show of public 

support! Rev. Al Sharpton of New York, summing up the Floyd-Blake incidents said it best at Mr. Floyd's funeral: "Take your fucking 

knees of our necks!"

 

Mr. Trump also behaved like an amateurish politician when he said that the Biden-Harris victory was fraudulent because the two 

received more Black votes than the Obama-Biden ticket; to Trump and his political base, that was impossible! Well, Mr. Trump forgot that as a 

Howard University graduate with popular AKA Sorority membership, she alone could command tons of black sorority and fraternity support. Also, the

"fucking police knee" incident ignited a torrent of black voter registration throughout the U.S., especially in Georgia, thanks to former gubernatorial 

candidate Stacey Abrams. All these pro-Biden factors are very much separate from Trump's COVID-19 pandemic leadership failures (inclduring his sad 

recommendation that COVID-19 patients should drink bleach, while he was rushed to Walter Reed Hospital for top-notch treatment when he suffered

COVID-19! Nobody, up till now, nobody knows how his youngest son and mother were treated for their own COVID-19 illneses.

Well, Mr. Trump saw African nations in his infamous shit-hole description, yet he tried to pull an "African coup" by encouraging his hate-mob protesters

to invade the U.S. Capitol in order to disrupt the certification process  for the Biden-Harris Electoral Colege votes. In fact, many people have wondered

if VP Pence will follow Trump again; after all, didn't he (Trump) know that Mr. Pence was in the U.S. Capitol building, when he encourged its storming by 

the Pro-Trump mob? Imagine a U.S. VP being rushed out iof the building to ensure his safety!

 

'Tony, thank you very much for your usually excellent pieces of the dialogue and your very insightful published books!

A.B. Assensoh, Eugene, Oregon.

 

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From: usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com <usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com> on behalf of Anthony Akinola <anthony.a.akinola@gmail.com>
Sent: Thursday, January 7, 2021 11:18 AM
To: usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com
Subject: [External] USA Africa Dialogue Series - Fwd: DEMYSTIFICATION OF THE AMERICAN DEMOCRATIC PROCESS.

 

This message was sent from a non-IU address. Please exercise caution when clicking links or opening attachments from external sources.

 

 

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Anthony Akinola <anthony.a.akinola@gmail.com>
Date: Thu, Jan 7, 2021 at 12:34 PM
Subject: DEMYSTIFICATION OF THE AMERICAN DEMOCRATIC PROCESS.
To: Anthony Akinola <anthony.a.akinola@gmail.com>

 

DEMYSTIFICATION OF THE AMERICAN DEMOCRATIC PROCESS.

By Anthony Akinola

Sometime in 2018, a well-regarded professor of politics in an  American university told this writer he would not be surprised if President Donald Trump secured a second term in office. The economy was doing very well, and the economy has always been the top priority in American electoral decision. Quite a number of former presidents had failed to win reelection because of unfavourable economic circumstances. The global perception of Trump as an unorthodox American President made the suggestion of his possible reelection something of curious interest.
 

However, two critical events in the 2020 election year could be said to have conspired in putting an end to the highly controversial presidency of Donald Trump. The murder of George Floyd in May, by a brutal white policeman, galvanised the awareness and determination of African-Americans to a new reality. The Black Lives Matter sentiment earned global sympathy and its consequences for the November presidential election could hardly be underestimated. Trump did not manage the crisis that erupted in the aftermath of the police killing in a manner that would have suggested he was a president of all Americans, irrespective of race.The opposition exploited this, while the aggrieved African-Americans registered and voted massively than they had hitherto done even in the election of Barack Obama in 2008.

 

The second event is the invasion of our space by the coronavirus pandemic which has continued to claim lives all over the world. America has been one of the most badly hit nations, not least because of its population and seemingly nonchalant attitude of President Trump to the crisis. He tended to underestimate the deadliness of the disease by not prioritising the advice of medical experts. Even where he should have been seen to be leading by example, his antics trivialised the wearing of face masks as a protective cover for the spread of the disease. Rightly or wrongly, his opponents blamed him for tens of thousands of Covid-19 deaths.

 

Had the aforementioned events not come at the time they did, President Trump might still have managed to secure a second term in office. The opinion polls did not give him a chance, but his performance in the election, running President-elect Joe Biden very close, suggests it was a job not well-done by the pollsters. America has always been a divided nation along diverse sentiments. The rise of Trump as a dominant figure in 21st American politics has been that of a character who has been able to exploit those divisions to political advantage. He has more or less become a cult figure to millions of Americans, especially those white Americans who claim to be superior to others.

 

When Donald Trump sought and won the presidency in 2016, he was described as the most combative presidential candidate since Andrew Jackson,1789-1797, and, uniquely the only president to have come into office without having held a previous political and military position. The latter attribute makes him an amateur that he proved to be in his management of private staff and relationship with politicians and political leaders worldwide. He hired and fired his staff like a businessman solely motivated by personal profit.In the words of Professor Richard Neustadt, "The Presidency is not a place for amateur. The type of expertise can hardly be acquired without deep experience in political office. The presidency is a place for men of politics but by no means is it a place for every politician."

 

 

Of course, if one may add to the eloquent statement of Professor Neustadt, the presidency cannot be a place for men and women of untested character.. The combative and aggressive nature of Donald Trump infiltrated into the global arena where diplomacy suffered a major assault. He decided on countries whose nationals could come and those whose could not come into America and had to contend with challenges in the law courts by ideological and political opponents. His philosophy of America First which undoubtedly resonated with millions of Americans at home, meant America was gradually losing ground as the preeminent nation of the world it has been for many decades, and this to the delight of rival global powers. Another aspect of his combative nature was his apparent unwillingness to strike a cordial relationship between his presidency and the press, relying on monotonous tweets for the conveyance of his messages. To be fair to Trump, the press seems to have always been antagonistic to his person.

 

Donald Trump may have been the worst thing to have happened to the image of American democracy in recent memory. America is revered as one important nation of the world where the transfer of political power from one leader to another has hardly been problematic.Political contestants were known to have conceded defeat and congratulated their rivals even before the counting of votes was concluded. President Trump has proved to be a conspicuous exception to this beautiful aspect of American democracy. He continues to rant, without any authenticated proof, that his victory was stolen from him. He had made criminal and unconstitutional efforts to have votes overturned in his favour. The greatest show of shame in all of this was when his supporters stormed Capitol Hill, apparently with his endorsement and encouragement, to attempt to prevent the final ritual in the certification of the election of Joe Biden. The undemocratic leaders of the world will, for a very long time, justify their authoritarianism with what they saw in America.

 

The world will not forget the presidency of Donald Trump in a hurry. He has run a show, negative in many respects, which many American presidents were not able to do in  two terms of office. His presumptive successor, President-elect Joe Biden, has a lot of mending to do. His first task would be to heal the divisions which Trump has stoked for political advantage. He has acknowledged the enormity of this task in his post-election speech. Biden will hopefully be assuming office in January, inheriting an economy that has been badly damaged by the pandemics. Not least because of his age-he is 77-Joe Biden looks very much like another prospective one term president whose focus and priority would be on domestic politics rather than the expectations of the global community.

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