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ben chambers's avatar

it says something that these guys think "remembering that evil exists" means preserving the memory of the perpetrators of atrocity and not the victims

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John Ganz's avatar

an excellent point

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dysphemistic treadmill's avatar

Right, like "if the Auschwitz memorial is so serious about condemning the Holocaust, then where are all their Hitler statues, huh? Explain that!"

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dysphemistic treadmill's avatar

If it were only one or two lone voices saying that there's no vast right-wing conspiracy, I might be tempted to think there's a vast right-wing conspiracy.

But when there's a carefully orchestrated mass chorus of voices all saying in the same words that there is no vast right-wing conspiracy, I can't help but be convinced.

Yup, that Crow fella is a fine, upstanding decent man, just a small family businessman with no trace of excess power or influence on the national political system.

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jamsheed's avatar

Nicely done on that title!

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dysphemistic treadmill's avatar

Brosnian >> McQueen.

One of the rare remakes that is a huge improvement.

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Eric B's avatar

Ditto. A two-fer.

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hypnosifl's avatar

He may not be a Nazi but he did commission a portrait of himself looking thoughtfully into the distance alongside the "scientific racism" advocate Charles Murray: https://twitter.com/plmanseau/status/1644770450805870598

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Ed Burmila's avatar

You will never top the combo of title and subtitle here. Take a lap, hit the showers, I'm taking you to Dairy Queen.

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NancyB's avatar

Excellent observations, especially about the fetishism. I suspect something of the same logic obtains with regard to the "close personal friendship" between the Crows and the Thomases. Yes, they are genuine friends, but many people seek and find friendship with people who embody power, precisely because they intimacy is charged by the frisson of power.

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Teucrian's avatar

The right wing machine defending Crow's ownership of a signed copy of Mein Kampf mirrors Connor Roy talking about owning a fake Napoleon penis. It's just a curio. It's not the centerpiece of the collection.

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dysphemistic treadmill's avatar

Yeah, hilariously spot-on.

I propose that from now on, Poe's law for plutocrats should be called "Crow's Law."

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🐝 BusyBusyBee 🐝's avatar

Thanks for writing this up!

I know Crow provided funding for the GOP-expat outlet The Dispatch because they mention it in the articles they’ve written about (defending) Thomas. They mention the founders “personal” relationship with Crow. Those would be Steve Hayes and Jonah Goldberg. Neither of whom have addressed any of this controversy in their own publication.

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John Ganz's avatar

JG tweeted in defense of Crow

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🐝 BusyBusyBee 🐝's avatar

Of course he did. The only write up on The Dispatch was to defend Thomas’ actions as not violating the rules because the trips were “personal” vs academic, etc. I pointed out that private air travel had a disclosure requirement prior to the imposition of the newest rules. I am still waiting for a response. Their writers are far less prolific in the comments section.

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Adam Swift's avatar

Yeah, I find value in The Bulwark (subscribe) but this just further invalidates The Dispatch. Hard too to forget Jonah's weird "Liberal Fascism" pose and Stephen F Hayes book connecting Saddam to Bin Laden in the run up to the Iraq War. The Bulwark seems to want to come to terms with what the long term conservative movement has resulted in but the Dispatch wants to go back to the 90s version of lib owning. They hate the left and they just can't kick that habit.

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🐝 BusyBusyBee 🐝's avatar

Agree. I subscribe to both because I like to understand *the other side* and what they’re thinking. The Dispatch is a *never Trump, but, let’s go back to the good old Reagan days because it was better then* sort of outlet, Whereas the Bulwark (also subscribe) at least offers some viewpoint diversity.

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Laura I Troutman's avatar

There are two ruling classes. The Republicans who do their utmost to reserve all wealth and power for those already wealthy and powerful. There are Democrats who realize that class rule entails a few concessions to the poor and to those who strive to ascend the economic ladder.

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Ed P's avatar

Fetish indeed. I wonder if it’s a bit of psychological enabler. Calling out the outer extremes perhaps makes their misdeeds seem quaint, even noble. Genocide is off limits but corrupting the highest court of the land makes them heroes just so long as they displace the genocidal Stalins that would be ruling the joint if they weren’t, or something.

I dunno. Its not normal to collect Hilter’s artwork - there is some very disturbing there.

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Ben Verschoor's avatar

Harlan Crow is the kindest, bravest, warmest, most wonderful human being I've ever known in my life.

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Ro's avatar

LOL, you and your TITLES. Ha ha ha. You would have done well at ‘Mad Magazine.’ (This is not a dig. Mad Magazine was continually brilliant.) I can’t help but be fascinated by the way Crow seduces the marks. He is like a disciple at your feet. E.g., he commemorates the magical moment where he basked in your presence. He gets into your life in the deepest way. He cherishes you. Buying your mother’s HOUSE? What an amazing touch. It’s like a honeypot without the sex--and much better than a honeypot. He is your best friend. And what a great friend to have! His fascination with the powerful is probably genuine in some way given his fetishization of Hitler stuff. He has Hitler’s freaking teapot. Everyone knows that billionaires do not relish their billions for the money they can spend since there is no feasible way to spend the money they acquire but rather they crave power. It sounds so abstract but look at how relational it is! Meanwhile, he gets more billions from the favorable SCOTUS rulings, and certainly that’s not beside the point. But the objections and sorrowful hand-wringing we’ve got the guy all wrong is probably genuine in some way. Epstein did something like this, though of course sometimes it involved letting his marks in on rape and exploitation. But, in the same way, some of them like Prince Andrew did not seem aware of the quid pro quo that went along with the moments of leisure and freedom. It is so unsavory from a distance but they jump to object because they think we don’t really understand it. We don’t really understand HIM. It is money, of course, but goes beyond money. Doesn’t everyone want to be loved most of all?

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Apr 10, 2023
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John Ganz's avatar

he did give some money to Trump before.

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