Talk about paranoid conspiracy theorists! On MSNBC's The Weekend on Sunday morning, leftist historian Michael Beschloss claimed the "chances are very large" that in October 2024, i.e., just before the election, Putin, China, Erdogan, etc. are "going to make a big effort to make trouble and chaos to make Joe Biden look bad."
Beschloss also fretted that there would be "domestic unrest in American cities" at the same time. He analogized the situation to how voters lost confidence in Jimmy Carter in 1980 over his handling of the Iranian hostage crisis. Beschloss imagined the proverbial "independent women in the Philadelphia suburbs" saying that despite Trump making their "skin crawl," they would vote for him anyhow since Biden "has lost control."
A recurring theme of the segment was Beschloss describing the 2024 election as a choice between "democracy and dictatorship."
Co-anchor Michael Steele asked Beschloss to explain why Trump voters are "susceptible" to his pitch, even though he is telling them of his plans to be a "dictator."
Hilariously, Beschloss blamed people's support for Trump on . . . schools! He declared that schools have stopped teaching civics, or much of history or social studies, so people haven't learned the difference between democracy and dictatorship!
Riight! So, government schools, controlled by the rabidly leftist teachers unions, have ditched civics and are teaching critical race theory, the 1619 history curriculum that casts America as fundamentally racist in which everything must be viewed through the prism of slavery, etc. But somehow, despite their best efforts to indoctrinate students to be good little leftists, the kids wind up supporting Trump!
The recent New York Times/Siena poll gives the lie to Beschloss's looney theory. The youngest age group, people 18-29, are the most likely to support Biden. In other words, the leftist indoctrination since the ditching of civics has been successful with them.
The people most likely to vote for Trump are middle-aged, 45-64, who went to school when civics were still being taught, and leftist doctrine had not yet totally gained domination of the curriculum.
Here's the transcript.
MSNBC
The Weekend
3/3/24
8:05 am ETMICHAEL BESCHLOSS: We're not only facing, as you said, a domestic authoritarian threat from Donald Trump and people who want to see this a dictatorship next year, but at the same time, he is connecting with dictators abroad: Viktor Orban, Putin, perhaps the leader of Turkey, possibly elements in China and elsewhere.
These people are going to lock arms -- and I'm only responsible for the past, not the future, but, given all of this, if these hostile governments would like to see a Trump elected, take a look at October 2024. The chances that they're not going to make a big effort to make trouble and chaos to make Joe Biden look bad -- I think those chances are very large.
. . .
ALICIA MENENDEZ: I wonder in what ways you expect the State of the Union address we're going to hear from President Biden on Thursday, yes, he will take credit for things that his administration has done. To what extent will he also be creating a contrast with Donald Trump?
BESCHLOSS: He has to! And that's what Roosevelt did in '41. He said, this is not a normal year. You know, Americans have to make a choice. We have to, essentially, choose between freedom and democracy, or worldwide slavery and dictatorship.
Any other year, that would be an overstatement, you know, of people running for office in this country for president say, the most important American election in history. Usually, it's not. It's over tax cuts or something.
This year, it could have to do with whether people literally end up going to prison by the threat of Donald Trump, who has threatened to use our police and our military forces to go after his political enemies.
MICHAEL STELLE: Help us if you can. What is it about people? Their move towards this type of a leader. I mean, see, I put it in terms of, are you really that desperate that you, that you're going to sacrifice your personal freedoms, thinking that his guy, who's telling you he'd going to be a dictator for a day, okay?
BESCHLOSS: No dictator is ever a dictator just for a day. He's being very clear aboutwhat he wants to do.
STEELE: We've seen that a lot in history where a guy takes all the power, and here, have it back in 24 hours.
BESCHLOSS: [Inaudible] believe anything.
STEELE: Why are people sort of susceptible to believing that, and moving into that space so readily, without critically tepping back and going, I'm looking around me, and looking around the world, and seeing where this type of behavior has not led to good things, you know? It's not elevated peoples' freedoms, but has taken those freedoms away. And they're like, okay, let's do that. What -- do you have some understanding of what moves people?
BESCHLOSS: I think it begins with, you know, the schools don't teach civics anymore. they've cut out a lot of history and social studies. So, a lot of very smart people around the country with very good intentions no longer really know the difference between dictatorship and democracy.
Plus, if we get to this fall, and there's chaos in the world, and it makes Joe Biden look like some elements of Jimmy Carter in October of 1980. A lot of people told pollsters, we think Carter is a good person, but he's lost control.
If that happens, and let's say there's domestic unrest in American cities. I'm afraid you're going to see, to put it very specifically, independent women in the suburbs of Philadelphia saying, you know, Trump makes my skin crawl and I hate what he's going to do, but Biden has lost control, and we have to do something.
God help us if we come to that. It may happen.
