The Capitulation Conga-Line Is Forming

Washington is lining up to obey Donald Trump.

by Bob Cesca

WASHINGTON, DC – Accelerationism is partly defined by that belief that economic and social upheaval is a positive thing, allowing the deconstruction of society so that tech billionaires, for example, can rebuild it all from scratch in their own image. This niche ideology also includes the notion that computer technology, deregulation, and free market capitalism should rule the day. But I’d like to focus on the upheaval part.

Just after the election, there were discussions in certain political circles around how the pro-democracy resistance should handle a second Donald Trump presidential term. Should we vocally oppose every move like last time, or should we throw our hands up and let him do his worst – allowing him to essentially terraform the federal government into his own image with minimal or no opposition?

Obviously, opposing his every move is the only realistic, sane, patriotic approach – by far. On the other hand, the accelerationist mindset, in this context, would steamroll millions of Americans and surely lead to a massive economic collapse – like last time but worse. It goes without saying: we desperately need to use whatever levers of power at our disposal to push back or even block the most destructive prongs of his agenda.

In the month or so since the election, two of the other players to lean into the accelerationist concept were Joe Scarborough and Mike Brzezinski, who pledged to work with Donald to find common ground. This isn’t necessarily allowing him to do whatever he wants, unopposed, but normalizing and empowering him by framing him as a leader who can be reasoned with was a colossal mistake, defining him as something he’s not or will ever be.

Beyond Joe and Mika, however, I was feeling pretty good about the lack of ass-kissers since November.

Then Wednesday arrived and all of that changed.

The least surprising capitulation to Donald this week was Joe Manchin and Kysten Sinema who voted against President Biden’s nominee for the National Labor Relations Board, allowing the incoming administration to inject its own nominee into that post. Who knows which member of Donald’s “wack pack” will get the gig, but whoever it is, the NLRB will end up going through some things.

Then there’s TIME Magazine. The journalistic institution announced that Donald Trump will be its “person of the year” this year. Yes, I get that TIME has elevated some serious creepazoids over the years, but those days are long gone. Today, it’s considered prestigious – an endorsement of sorts. I assure you, that’s how Donald and his fanboys are taking it. It’s a show of approval in the MAGAverse. By the way, this’ll be the second time he’s received this honor. The first time was 2016, before anyone knew just how nightmarish his presidency would be. Today, there’s no excuse.

This next example was shocking.

Of all people, Sen. Richard Blumenthal described Elon Musk, a tech-fascist and Donald Trump’s other vice president, like so: "Elon Musk is the champion among big tech executives of First Amendment values and principles." No. Wrong. Musk says he’s a champion of First Amendment values, but in practice, he’s just the opposite. Since buying Twitter, and in the more general free speech category, he’s throttled or shadow banned liberal accounts and suspended or killed accounts that were mean to him. Since the election, he’s become drunk on his newly acquired political clout, threatening “consequences” for anyone who "pushed foreign interference hoaxes.” Why on Earth would Blumenthal compliment Musk with these brief but unequivocally positive remarks? Again, another move that telegraphs weakness and capitulation.

Speaking of Elon… Long before it’s even really a thing, Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna legitimized and normalized “DOGE,” the non-agency agency tasked with the mission of allegedly making government more efficient. See previous “terraforming” metaphor above. Khanna wrote an op/ed in which he flat out stated, “I look forward to working with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to reduce waste and fraud.” Again, no. The only response to the formation of DOGE should be to pledge to assert his congressional authority to protect government jobs and crucial services – not to team up with Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy to further empower what Steve Bannon calls the “deconstruction of the administration state.”

And then there’s FBI Director Christopher Wray, who announced his resignation on Wednesday, more than a month before the inauguration, paving the way for Kash Patel or whoever Donald picks to replace Patel if the confirmation hearings go sideways. FBI directors are supposed to serve 10 year terms, a rule established in the aftermath of Watergate, separating the post from shifting political winds. But that’s all gone now. Wray’s decision will guarantee that future directors of the FBI will come and go with each administration, damaging the legitimacy of the post. So much for institutionalism.

Wray’s resignation is perhaps the most glaring example of obeying in advance. He didn’t have to go. In fact, the law says he can’t be fired without cause and can therefore serve the remainder of his term, which ought to have lasted until 2027. Once again, he’s paving the way for the Gestapo tactics of the incoming administration – practically endorsing it.

I get the motivation for self-preservation. No one wants to be harassed by an authoritarian government. But whether Donald is praised or challenged, he’ll still do his worst, irrespective of who genuflected or not. So, why not at least make a stand? Why not do what’s possible to shield our institutions and our people from what’s to come? It’s the patriotic move. It’s the pro-democracy move. Capitulation to or acceleration of Donald’s most devastating plans won’t protect anyone but Donald. But I guess it’s down to us – you and me. Now, there’s even more work to do.

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