Desperation Leads to Danger, Virus Leads to Incompetence

The David Pakman Show - July 21, 2020

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The Tragic Death of Michael Brooks

There is unconscionably tragic news to report to you from the progressive media community today. Michael Brooks, host of The Michael Brooks Show and co-host of The Majority Report, has suddenly passed away at the age of 36. The Majority Report announced news of his passing yesterday, posting “Michael believed in bringing people together in the struggle for love & justice, fighting for all poor & working people, a struggle that he understood to be global. . . . It is impossible to capture the impact he had and he will be missed sorely.”

I first met Michael about ten years ago in Northampton, Massachusetts. He spoke of wanting to pursue opportunities in the progressive movement and was willing to make big changes in life. I soon after introduced him to Sam Seder, who hired him as a producer for The Majority Report. Michael was hugely successful there and later launched his own program, The Michael Brooks Show, which focused largely on international affairs. Michael will be remembered for his intelligence, his humor, and the impact he had on countless viewers and listeners worldwide.

A Desperate Trump is a Dangerous Trump

I've been talking about how much of Donald Trump's behavior over the next three months is going to come from a place of desperation. David Shipler wrote a really interesting article yesterday in Washington Monthly called “Beware of a Cornered Trump,” which builds on this very idea. Shipler writes that Trump has “no moral brakes. His values are those of a mafia boss who rewards and punishes those who protect or oppose him.” If Trump sees he has no shot at winning the election in November, he will try to suppress the vote. Desperation will enhance his depravity and his authoritarian tendencies, which could very well cause chaos and violence.

There is this constant feedback loop with Trump: His ignorance and delusions of grandeur and narcissism reinforce his most dangerous impulses, which then generates a reaction from people, that reinforces his ignorance, narcissism and delusions of grandeur, repeat. Combine this with a victim mentality, a silver-spoon upbringing, and what appear to be personality disorders — it’s a recipe for disaster. Right now, there is no check on Trump's behavior anywhere. We have the chance to hold him accountable in November. The safest thing to do is to make sure everyone gets out and votes to secure the largest possible margin of victory for Joe Biden.

From yesterday’s show:

Roger Stone Calls Host "Negro," Pretends Line Went Dead

Roger Stone called into the Mo'Kelly Show on Los Angeles radio station KFI AM 640 to debate Stone's recent commutation by President Trump. Presumably flustered with how the conversation was going, Stone stopped speaking, pretended as though the line went dead, and muttered, “I don’t really feel like arguing with this negro.” Later, Stone reentered the conversation and denied saying it. The audio speaks for itself. I think it’s safe to close the book on the question of whether Roger Stone is a racist.

--More on the show:

--Alex Vitale, Professor of Sociology at Brooklyn College and author of the book "The End of Policing," joins David to discuss police reform as well as evaluate recent calls for the defunding and abolishment of police. Get the book: https://amzn.to/2OJzV8e

--Doctor Ziad Nasreddine, the creator of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment, points out that the test is not designed to be difficult, raising new questions about Trump finding the later questions on the test difficult

--Donald Trump launches another bizarre attack on indoor plumbing, including shower heads and dishwashers

--Seemingly out of other ideas to deal with coronavirus, Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards proposes three days of prayer and fasting

--On the Bonus Show: Court strikes down NC ag-gag law, Arab world's first Mars probe launched, Trader Joe's removing insensitive product branding, much more...

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