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In August 2020, as the presidential election drew closer, Donald Trump decided it was time to roll out a new line of attack against Americans he didnt like. At a campaign stop in Minnesota, with uniformed military personnel in view, the Republican declared, in reference to his opponents on the left, Fascists. They are fascists. The then-president liked the phrasing enough to repeat it before voters headed to the polls.

By any fair measure, the response from Democrats was muted, to the extent that Trumps opponents cared at all. It wasnt as if the Republicans use of fascists immediately sparked a public conversation, front-page headlines and an avalanche of op-eds. In general, few cared.

Indeed, regular readers might recall that MaddowBlog covered the 2020 race in granular detail, but when I checked my archive this morning, I discovered that I made no references to the incumbents use of the word fascists.

Theres no great mystery as to why: There was no serious pushback in response to Trumps rhetoric because it was plainly unserious. Democrats, among others, seemed wholly unconcerned that voters might actually believe that that they resembled fascists. Much of the political world simply shrugged its collective shoulders, realized that the then-president routinely used needlessly inflammatory rhetoric detached from reality, and moved on.

Two years to the month later, President Joe Biden described radicalized elements of the Republican Party as being like semi-fascism, which the Democrat soon followed by a speech in which he warned the public about Trumpism.

Too much of whats happening in our country today is not normal, Biden said. Donald Trump and the MAGA Republicans represent an extremism that threatens the very foundations of our republic. Now, I want to be very clear upfront: Not every Republican, not even the majority of Republicans, are MAGA Republicans. Not every Republican embraces their extreme ideology. I know because Ive been able to work with these mainstream Republicans.

But there is no question that the Republican Party today is dominated, driven and intimidated by Donald Trump and the MAGA Republicans, and that is a threat to this country.

I think its fair to say the response to this presidents remarks included more than just shrugged shoulders.

Nearly two weeks after Bidens address in Philadelphia, leading GOP voices continue to whine incessantly about the speech. Just yesterday, for example, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said he felt attacked by the presidential comments suggesting, as a great many Republicans have in recent days, that Biden had targeted all Trump voters, despite the fact that Biden has repeatedly and explicitly said the opposite.

But there was one response that stood out for me as more notable than most. The Hill reported:

Former Vice President Mike Pence railed against President Bidens speech arguing MAGA Republicans pose a threat to democracy, telling a conservative womens group that the address amounted to a partisan campaign rally that demonized the right.

In remarks to a religious right group called the Concerned Women for America, Trumps former vice president told his audience: The president made it clear that he views pro-life Americans as enemies of democracy. In fact, he said that anyone who refuses to bend the knee to his extremist left-wing ideology represents an extremism that threatens the very foundations of our republic.

Pence added, Never before in the history of our nation has a president stood before the American people and accused millions of his own countrymen of being a threat to this country.

For now, lets put aside the fact that Biden isnt an extremist and he didnt ask anyone to bend a knee to any ideology. We also wont dwell on the Hoosiers indifference to the kind of sweeping condemnations his former boss made against millions of his own countrymen.

Instead, lets consider just how poor a messenger Pence is for this specific message.

The unmistakable point of Bidens Sept. 1 address was that theres a radicalized wing of the GOP that not only rejects the legitimacy of U.S. elections, but also embraces violence as politically justifiable. The incumbent president made a compelling case that such extremists represent a small-but-dangerous faction of the contemporary Republican Party.

If theres anyone in GOP politics who can relate in a deeply personal and direct way to how right Biden was, its Pence who was not only pressured by the then-president and his allies to advance an illegal coup scheme, but who was literally hunted in the halls of the Capitol by violent Trump followers who intended to do him harm.

Pence doesn't have to imagine whether Biden is right as some kind of philosophical exercise. The Republican can simply reflect on his personal experiences.

As recently as June, the former vice president himself said that what Trump asked him to do on Jan. 6 was un-American. That didnt mean, of course, that Pence was accusing all Republicans of being un-American, but his assessment served as a reminder that he, as much as anyone, knows how much Trumpism is at odds with the rule of law in the United States.

Its unrealistic to think that Pence would ever endorse Bidens vision, but with the events of Jan. 6 in mind, he knows full well how right Bidens warnings were about radicalized Republicans.

Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MSNBC political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "The Impostors: How Republicans Quit Governing and Seized American Politics."

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Pence is the wrong Republican to slam Bidens democracy speech - MSNBC

A one-time top campaign adviser to the Republican Party now finds himself part of a small "never-Trump" minority. Tim Miller has written a book on how the GOP literally shifted under their feet.Miller crafted messaging for lots of moderate Republicans like Mitt Romney. But in 2015, he says everything changed with the rise of Donald Trump who found an eager grass-roots audience for HIS messages. As well as other politicians and a willing media megaphone.

"And what happened was those peoples' grievances and anger were exacerbated by a conservative eco-system. That was the other part of the 'Triangle-of-doom' that was telling them they should be upset and giving them phony enemies within and without, whether it's the caravan, or Sharia Law in schools. We could go down the whole list."

Miller, now an MSNBC analyst and a writer for "The Bulwark," will be at Tallahassee's Midtown Reader this Thursday evening, Sept. 15 at 7:00 p.m. He'll talk about his new book, "Why We Did It," on the takeover of the Republican Party by supporters of the former president. Midtown Reader is a WFSU Public Media supporter.

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Former Republican messaging maven brings his analysis of the GOP's Trumpian trend to Tallahassee's Midtown Reader - WFSU

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Newly minted "The View" co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin is a Republican, and she's not shy about reminding viewers of that fact.

In her many stints as a guest co-host over the past year, an appearance on "Good Morning America" last week promoting the ABC gabfest's new season, and since taking the chair officially as the show's token conservative, Griffin has frequently noted her political affiliation, sometimes in a defensive posture or while taking shots at her party.

"I will say this as a Republican," she said during a discussion in May about the then-rumored pending overturning of Roe v. Wade. "My party needs to start If we are, in fact, going to undo 50 years of precedent by overturning Roe, we need to invest in maternal care, paid parental leave, funding for rural health care funding."

"I'm a Republican who believes the more voters the better," she said in May, suggesting that stance in the party made her an outlier. "Everybody should have fair access to the ballot."

Alyssa Farah Griffin was recently named a permanent co-host of "The View." (Screenshot/ABC/TheView)

ALYSSA FARAH GRIFFIN SAYS TRUMP RESONATED WITH WORKING CLASS AMERICANS, PUSHES BACK ON SUNNY HOSTIN

In her appearance on GMA last week, she called Chelsea Clinton "fabulous" while adding, "as a Republican," she was excited to question Hillary Clinton when the pair appeared on the program later in the week.

"As a Republican," she said in February, she had once held a top security clearance and was thus critical of both Clinton and Trump for mishandling classified material.

The former top Trump White House aide is now one of Donald Trump's staunchest critics and has repeatedly said he should not be president again, but she said last week she hopes to be a "voice" for his 74 million voters in 2020. She has often invoked her Republican identity while distancing herself from Trump's unfounded 2020 stolen election claims.

"Here's what's kind of scary about it. I'm a conservative, I'm a Republican," Griffin said once after bemoaning a conservative Republican who was defeated in a primary by a staunch Trump backer.

NEW THE VIEW CO-HOST ALYSSA FARAH GRIFFIN WANTS TO BE VOICE OF TRUMP VOTERS

"As a Republican who has spoken out I resigned before January 6, a month prior who has consistently said it was not stolen, we lost," she said on another episode.

"As a Republican, we don't have to do that whole Trump thing again," she said in May of politics becoming a binary choice between him and Joe Biden.

Hillary and Chelsea Clinton were guests on the new season of "The View" last week. ((Photo by Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images))

While questioning Chelsea and Hillary Clinton on the show last week, Griffin mentioned President Biden's controversial speech against MAGA Republicans, noting "as a Republican" herself she had been outspoken that threats to democracy constituted "one of the biggest issues facing our country."

The ABC show has never troubled to balance out its panel over the years, pitting a token conservative in the chair furthest to the right of the screen to face off with staunch progressives like Rosie O'Donnell, Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behar, Sunny Hostin and others through the years.

How much the conservative is willing to "fight" has depended on the person. Meghan McCain, while a Trump critic, had fiery exchanges almost daily with her co-hosts on the issues of the day, while Griffin has been far more deferential and affectionate toward her colleagues. That hasn't always endeared her to right-wing media figures; the conservative watchdog NewsBusters has dismissed Griffin, who is also a CNN commentator, as a "faux conservative." There are also far-left voices who think she shouldn't be on the show by virtue of ever working for and praising Trump, such as MSNBC's Tiffany Cross.

'THE VIEW' TOUTS NEW CO-HOST ANA NAVARRO AS REPUBLICAN POWER PLAYER DESPITE LIBERAL VIEWS, BIDEN SUPPORT

For her part, Griffin has defended her conservative bona fides and says she deserves to have a voice despite working for a president she now despises.

In the same GMA interview last week, she said "as a Republican," the show clearly "skewed left" but added she wasn't going in trying to change anyone's minds, but simply present an alternative point of view.

While some conservatives may find her insufficiently feisty, Griffin looks downright right-wing compared to the other new co-host.

New "The View" co-hosts Alyssa Farah Griffin and Ana Navarro are strongly anti-Trump Republicans.

Sitting in the middle of the table on Monday was fellow "Republican" co-host Ana Navarro. Navarro is nominally a Republican but strongly supports Democrats, espouses liberal positions nearly across the board, worked for Joe Biden's 2020 campaign in Florida, and has referred to Vice President Kamala Harris affectionately as "Auntie Kamala."

Navarro was named a permanent co-host alongside Griffin last month. While Griffin worked for and praised Trump for years, Navarro has been anti-Trump from the start of his political rise in 2015.

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Navarro used some of her airtime on Monday to declare the Supreme Court was illegitimate in part because conservative Justices Clarence Thomas and Brett Kavanaugh have been hit with sexual harassment and assault accusations.

Nikolas Lanum is an associate editor for Fox News Digital.

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Token 'View' conservative Alyssa Farah Griffin loves reminding viewers of her party: 'As a Republican...' - Fox News

Dr Jordan Peterson, one of the most celebrated and inspiring teachers in the world has been appointed Chancellor atRalston College and has launched the first term of their new Masters programmein the Humanities on the beautiful Greek island of Samos.

According to Ralston College:

The Greek language and the spirit of Hellenism are the threads which run through the humanities in all of their disparate forms in each epoch of their expression. For centuries, the ability to access the foundational texts of the Western tradition without translators, commentators, or other intermediaries has been a nearly universal prerequisite for the meaningful encounter withand entry intoits cultural inheritance.

For this reason, our program begins with an intensive language residency in Greece. An innovative pedagogical module that approaches every form of the Greek language simultaneously and which moves fluidly between different forms of language acquisition will enable the study of Greek texts in subsequent terms. Undertaking this ambitious project in Greece itself will not only allow for complete linguistic immersion but also for excursions to some of the major cultural centers of the Hellenic world.

On June 22, 2022, Dr Jordan B Peterson posted a tweet over trans actor Elliot Page. Within hours, his account was banned. On July 1, the video Twitter Ban goes live on Petersons channel, where he breaks down and analyzes the incident. Weeks pass, but no answers emerge from Twitter: no reinstatements or explanations.

Dear Mr Agrawal, I wrote this when it was literally two in the morning during my recent visit to beautiful Samos, Greece where I was on business attending to my efforts on the educational front. begins Dr Peterson.

I woke up suddenly from my slumbers with you and your company on my mind in my jet-lagged state unable to drowse further and so i sat there writing instead of sleeping. he continues.

Dr Peterson is a tireless defender of free thought, free speech, and conscientious action; and a passionate advocate of the true and beautiful things that those free acts can attain. A brilliant interpreter of Western culture and a mentor to the millions of students whom the modern university has betrayed, Dr Peterson understands the transformative power of human civilization and the unique nourishment that its cultural treasures afford.

Dr Peterson has been an eloquent advocate for and a fearless champion of the ideals that have, for centuries, been central to the enterprise of university education.

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Dr Jordan Peterson Launches Greek Focused Masters Programme On The Island Of Samos - GreekCityTimes.com

Former President Barack Obama and Stephen Curry in 2019.Jeff Chiu/AP Images

Stephen Curry joked on a podcast in 2018 that the moon landing was fake.

Curry got a "stern" email from Former President Barack Obama saying that Curry's comments were irresponsible.

At Obama's behest, Curry took several actions to remedy the situation and to say he believed that humans had landed on moon.

Former US President Barack Obama had to teach Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry a lesson in influence.

According to Rolling Stone's Matt Sullivan, Obama scolded Curry in 2018 for joking on a podcast that the moon-landing was fake.

In 2018, on the "Wingin It" podcast with fellow NBA players Vince Carter, Kent Bazemore and Andre Iguodala, Curry asked if humans had ever been to the moon. When the other players expressed doubt, Curry agreed, saying, "I don't think so, either."

The comments prompted criticism, with NASA even releasing a statement, offering Curry evidence to prove humans had been to the moon.

Curry told Sullivan that he received a "stern" and "direct" email from Obama, admonishing the star point guard for being reckless with his platform. Obama saidthat man had, in fact, been to the moon and that Curry needed to do something to remedy the situation.

Curry ultimately released a statement saying he was joking. He also held a 15-minute, informational live session on Instagram with an astronaut. And Curry had custom-made, space-themed Under Armour sneakers, which he later auctioned off to support STEM programs in the Bay Area. They sold for over $58,000.

Former President Barack Obama and Stephen Curry are close friends.Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP Images

Curry and Obama are close friends, so Curry took no offense to the seriousness of Obama's message.

According to Sullivan, Obama has even made jokes about top-secret material that presidents are privy to: While golfing, Obama joked to Curry, "You won't believe what the aliens look like."

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Obama reportedly scolded Stephen Curry when the Warriors star joked that the moon landing was fake - Yahoo News