Crash Course: Joe Walsh on prepping for the race war

Plus: How the GOP has embraced pro-terrorist politics Your daily update from [Salon](~/AASU4wA~/RgRj7hrVP0QWaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tL1cDc3BjQgpiBdeVC2Jri2-xUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~). Joe Walsh on what comes next: "race war" The second installment in Chauncey DeVega's [conversation](www.salon.com/2022/02/11/joe-walsh-on-what-the-left-doesnt-get-trumpworld-would-happily-this-country-down/) with Joe Walsh, a former Republican congressman first elected during the Tea Party wave, digs into the nearly hopeless future of reckoning for Donald Trump's perpetually discontented base. "I think at this point, it's too late," Walsh told Salon. "I think at this point, all we can do is outvote them. I remember being in Congress eight years ago. Then I said that America was more divided than we'd been at any time since right before the Civil War. That was five or six years before Trump. I think it's too late. That is a hard thing for me to say, because I spent a lot of my time trying to save people from the cult. The situation is not hopeless." Walsh continued: "Every day and every week, I save a few of them but the vast majority are lost." Read the rest of Walsh's thoughts [here](~/AASU4wA~/RgRj7hrVP0RuaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjIvMDIvMTUvam9lLXdhbHNoLW9uLXdoYXQtbGllcy1haGVhZC1pcy1zb3dpbmctYS1yYWNlLXdhci0tYW5kLWhpcy1mb2xsb3dlcnMtbG92ZS1pdC9XA3NwY0IKYgXXlQtia4tvsVIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) and catch up on the first part of his interview [here](~/AASU4wA~/RgRj7hrVP0RyaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjIvMDIvMTEvam9lLXdhbHNoLW9uLXdoYXQtdGhlLWxlZnQtZG9lc250LWdldC10cnVtcHdvcmxkLXdvdWxkLWhhcHBpbHktdGhpcy1jb3VudHJ5LWRvd24vVwNzcGNCCmIF15ULYmuLb7FSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAKA~~). "Trump fatigue": Real or hype? The faint murmurs about Donald Trump's political standing have returned among some Republicans — now that new polling shows Trump's once-dominant grip on the party finally starting to slip. [As Heather Digby Parton explained](~/AASU4wA~/RgRj7hrVP0RzaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjIvMDIvMTQvdHJ1bXAtZmF0aWd1ZS1pcy1oeXBlLXRoZS1pcy1zdGlsbC1maXJtbHktaW4tZG9uYWxkLWdyaXAtLWFuZC10aGF0LW1heS1oYXVudC10aGVtL1cDc3BjQgpiBdeVC2Jri2-xUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~) on Monday, "it's clear that Trump has lost some altitude over the past few months." It's understandable since he's no longer in the public eye every day and has lost his connection to his base through social media as well. The mainstream media outlets aren't covering his rallies live and he is irrelevant to the legislative sausage making that's consumed much of the political coverage of the past few months. For now, however, despite the obvious fractures in the GOP foundation that are forming —Trump remains. - Biden’s nominees have a clear path to confirmation — that is, [if they're white](~/AASU4wA~/RgRj7hrVP0RmaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjIvMDIvMTQvYmlkZW5zLW5vbWluZWVzLWhhdmUtYS1jbGVhci1wYXRoLXRvLWNvbmZpcm1hdGlvbi0tdGhhdC1pcy1pZi10aGV5cmUvVwNzcGNCCmIF15ULYmuLb7FSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAKA~~) - Candace Owens tweeted that she enjoyed the Super Bowl halftime show — [and then her fans revolted](~/AASU4wA~/RgRj7hrVP0R8aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjIvMDIvMTQvY2FuZGFjZS1vd2Vucy10d2VldGVkLXRoYXQtc2hlLWVuam95ZWQtdGhlLXN1cGVyLWJvd2wtaGFsZnRpbWUtc2hvdy0tYW5kLWhlci1mYW5zLXJldm9sdGVkL1cDc3BjQgpiBdeVC2Jri2-xUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~) - Charlie Kirk, meanwhile, was busy Monday being [mocked by AOC](~/AASU4wA~/RgRj7hrVP0RyaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjIvMDIvMTQvY2hhcmxpZS1raXJrLW1vY2tlZC1ieS1hb2MtYWZ0ZXItY2FsbGluZy1zdXBlci1ib3dsLWhhbGZ0aW1lLXNob3ctc2V4dWFsLWFuYXJjaHkvVwNzcGNCCmIF15ULYmuLb7FSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAKA~~) for his unhinged reaction to the Super Bowl halftime show - Now that[Republicans have dropped the mask](~/AASU4wA~/RgRj7hrVP0RraHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjIvMDIvMTQvaGF2ZS1kcm9wcGVkLXRoZS1tYXNrLS10aGV5LW9wZW5seS1zdXBwb3J0LWZhc2Npc20td2hhdC1kby13ZS1kby1hYm91dC1pdC9XA3NwY0IKYgXXlQtia4tvsVIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) and are openly supporting fascism, Chaunce Devega asks: What do we do about it? - Astronomers have discovered Proxima d, [a tiny planet that orbits the star nearest our Sun](~/AASU4wA~/RgRj7hrVP0RraHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjIvMDIvMTQvYXN0cm9ub21lcnMtZGlzY292ZXItYS10aW55LXBsYW5ldC1vcmJpdGluZy1vdXItbmVhcmVzdC1nYWxhY3RpYy1uZWlnaGJvci9XA3NwY0IKYgXXlQtia4tvsVIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) and is estimated to be only a quarter of Earth's mass, Nicole Karlis reports - How the NFL [tried and failed](~/AASU4wA~/RgRj7hrVP0RJaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjIvMDIvMTQvc3VwZXItYm93bC1oYWxmdGltZS1zaG93LW5mbC1jZW5zb3JzaGlwL1cDc3BjQgpiBdeVC2Jri2-xUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~) to censor its hip-hop halftime performance Not a subscriber yet? [Sign up](~/AASU4wA~/RgRj7hrVP0RVaHR0cHM6Ly9zYWxvbi51czgubGlzdC1tYW5hZ2UuY29tL3N1YnNjcmliZT91PTcxY2IzZThhNmU5NjM5YzgxMDIzY2Q0MjcmaWQ9NWRlZGEyYWFhN1cDc3BjQgpiBdeVC2Jri2-xUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~) to receive Crash Course. From Bundy to the truckers:GOP embraces pro-terrorist politics Amanda Marcotte adds some much-needed historical context to the current moment,tracing the GOP's embrace of terrorism and anti-democratic politics to the Bundy occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. Marcotte makes clear that, like the Bundys, the Ottawa truckers are throwing a tantrum — not a popular uprising. Egged on by right-wing media, a fringe minority now believes that its views should be forced on the majority, and democracy abandoned. That's why Fox News loves the truckers, and the Bundys before them, so much — it's an opportunity for fascist propaganda. Fox News doesn't like the blockade despite its widespread unpopularity — they support it because it's unpopular.As with the January 6 insurrection, the trucker tantrum is viewed by right-wing media as[ a model for how the embittered white conservative majority](~/AASU4wA~/RgRj7hrVP0RiaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjIvMDIvMTEvaXMtYS1jb3B5Y2F0LXZlcnNpb24tb2YtY2FuYWRhcy1mcmVlZG9tLWNvbnZveS1jb21pbmctdG8tYW1lcmljYS9XA3NwY0IKYgXXlQtia4tvsVIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) can impose its will without getting public support. Both the insurrection and the trucker tantrum are a far-right minority expressing a belief that they entitled to rule, no matter what. And while the Ottawa demonstration has so far not been as violent as the January 6 insurrection, it is still about using force — by taking the economy hostage and intimidating the residents with the threat of violence — to obtain what conservatives cannot gain fairly. - Happy Valentine’s Day from Facebook. Here’s a Photo of You and Your Ex, [McSweeney's](~/AASU4wA~/RgRj7hrVP0RnaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubWNzd2VlbmV5cy5uZXQvYXJ0aWNsZXMvaGFwcHktdmFsZW50aW5lcy1kYXktZnJvbS1mYWNlYm9vay1oZXJlcy1hLXBob3RvLW9mLXlvdS1hbmQteW91ci1leFcDc3BjQgpiBdeVC2Jri2-xUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~) - Remembering ‘Two Fat Ladies,’ the Perfect Fat-Positive Cooking Show, [Eater](~/AASU4wA~/RgRj7hrVP0RSaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZWF0ZXIuY29tLzIyOTIxODgyL3JlbWVtYmVyaW5nLXR3by1mYXQtbGFkaWVzLXRoZS1wZXJmZWN0LWNvb2tpbmctc2hvd1cDc3BjQgpiBdeVC2Jri2-xUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~) - Why Manchin is right to press Sinema on rolling back GOP tax cuts, [MSNBC](~/AASU4wA~/RgRj7hrVP0RyaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubXNuYmMuY29tL3JhY2hlbC1tYWRkb3ctc2hvdy9tYWRkb3dibG9nL21hbmNoaW4tcmlnaHQtcHJlc3Mtc2luZW1hLXJvbGxpbmctYmFjay1nb3AtdGF4LWN1dHMtcmNuYTE2MTQ2VwNzcGNCCmIF15ULYmuLb7FSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAKA~~) Trump's accounting firm pulls the plug After quietly making public that they no longer represent the Trump Organization, Donald Trump's longtime tax firm Mazars now says the former president’s financial statements are unreliable. As Jon Skolnik [reports](~/AASU4wA~/RgRj7hrVP0RZaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjIvMDIvMTQvb3JnYW5pemF0aW9uLXF1aWV0bHktZHVtcGVkLWJ5LWxvbmd0aW1lLWFjY291bnRpbmctZmlybS9XA3NwY0IKYgXXlQtia4tvsVIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo), the revelations come as part of new court filings by New York District Attorney Letitia James, who has over the past three years led a sweeping civil probe into Trump's finances. Have a tip for Salon? Feedback on this newsletter? [Let us know](mailto:brett.bachman@salon.com). Our mailing address: 1000 N. West Street, Suite 1200 Wilmington, 19801 DE [Unsubscribe from this list](~/AASU4wA~/RgRj7hrVP0RCaHR0cHM6Ly9yZWFkLmxldHRlcmhlYWQuZW1haWwvY3Jhc2gtY291cnNlL3Vuc3Vic2NyaWJlP2lkPUAzNTQzOTUyVwNzcGNCCmIF15ULYmuLb7FSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAKA~~) Copyright © 2022 Crash Course, All rights reserved. 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