---

 ![](https://mail.citywatchla.com/images/stories/Dec-2018/097b.png)

 [ LOS ANGELES ](https://mail.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&id=312)

#  Three Undercurrents Threaten the Republic

December 03 2018

Written by Richard Lee Abrams.

<a class="a2a_button_facebook"></a><a class="a2a_button_twitter"></a><a class="a2a_button_email"></a><a class="a2a_button_print"></a>[](https://www.addtoany.com/share)

CORRUPTION WATCH-A Passion for Ignorance, Corruptionism and Group Rights act like three riptides at Venice beach to drag the American Republic out to sea and drown it.

**The Passion for Ignorance**

The Right Wing, which used to grouse about the Lame Street media, has embraced Fake News in its most tabloid form where the President of the United States repeatedly declares that the media is the “enemy of the people.” The irritation of a leftist bias in the national media has morphed into an attack on facts. There is a world of difference between pointing out that the media omits crucial facts, (something the *LA Times* is adept at doing) and the outright heralding of falsehoods.

Excesses on one side liberates the other side to engage in similar bad behavior. We now see headlines like, “Trump fires tear gas at women and babies.” Millions of people believe such headlines to be true. Even allowing for the use of Trump as a metaphor, millions still believe that acting on his orders, the border patrol for no rational reason fired tear gas directly at women and babies. The left of center’s passion for this ignorance is as great as the right of center’s passion for nonsense like Hillary murdered Vince Foster.

**Passion Trumps Reason**

Emotional memes override common sense and dispense with any analysis. We are presently seeing the left gripped by the memes of “Medicare for All” and “Single Payer” without acknowledging that these memes have no fixed meaning. Newly elected Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Perez (D-NY) likens the migrant caravan to the origins of the Holocaust. Talk about a mixture of ignorance and cultural misappropriation! On the right side we see an exuberant love of the continual lies about the criminality of immigrants, who have a lower crime rate than native born U.S. Whites.

Ignorant passion feels good, as people think it is cathartic. Basing decisions on fact gathering and sober analysis is laborious. The Mueller Investigation is an example – it is slow because it takes a long time to gather all the evidence. For months, left leaning pundits have been proclaiming each morsel found as conclusive proof of Trump’s collusion. If Mueller had reached that conclusion based upon evidence, he would have issued his report.

The latest news about Trump’s private attorney Michael Cohen suggests that Trump was using his political campaign to benefit his business dealings in Russia. Trump’s repeated pro-Putin statements appear to have been his signaling that if Trump won the Presidency, Russia could expect favorable treatment. The (unspoken) *quid pro quo* was for Russia to help Trump win. “Russia, if you’re listening, I hope you’re able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing,” Trump said at a [July 2016 news conference](https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/13/us/politics/trump-russia-clinton-emails.html).

**We do Not Know Yet**

While many see the handwriting on the wall, we do not know what Mueller will report. Considering Trump’s reckless disregard for the truth and his extreme agitation over investigation into his private business (as if one’s business cannot be treasonous), it would be surprising if the Mueller Report does not end Trump’s Presidency. We need to put passion aside and wait for the facts. Anything less harms the Republic itself which rests upon the rule of law.

**Corruptionism**

As this column is usually subtitled, “Corruption Watch,” I have written much about Corruptionism, especially in the City of Los Angeles. Corruptionism exists when the system itself is based on corruption as opposed to individual criminal behavior. The FBI’s focus on Councilmember Huizar’s individual attempts to have his wife replace him on the city council will no doubt be blind to the decade’s long Vote Trading system at LA City Council. Since Penal Code 86 criminalized vote trading, the City Council fuses corruption with the political system, thereby meriting the appellation, “Corruptionism.” In December 2016, Judge Richard Fruin approved this criminal enterprise by declaring the City Councils’ actions are “non-justiciable,” i.e. above the law.

Nationally, the United States finally shifted from Keynesian economics to Corruptionism with the repeal of Glass-Steagall and the legitimization of credit default swaps. While Obama had the mandate to reverse the economics of Corruptionism, he chose a regressive form of economics which could be called “Wall Street-ism” where trillions of dollars flowed to the bankers, i.e. the 1%, while Americans become poorer. In addition to the trillions that went directly to Wall Street, another [$15 trillion secretly went to European bankers](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/09/17/the-real-cost-of-the-2008-financial-crisis?reload=true).

Few admit to the destructive undertow that national corruptionism has affected the American Republic. Its devastation of Whites in the Rust Belt laid Trump’s path to the White House.

**The Pernicious Evil of Group Rights**

As previously written, Group Rights in the form of slavery is America’s original sin. Group Rights in any form imperils the Republic, but for decades neither political party could claim national representation of any group.

According to Tascha Mounk’s [article](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/07/02/the-rise-of-mcpolitics) in *The New Yorker Magazine*, “At the federal level, the two parties resembled loose associations of disparate interests rather than ideologically cohesive movements. They had few resources and virtually no means of insuring ideological discipline among their members. Many Democrats were more conservative than many Republicans.”

Starting during the Lyndon B. Johnson Presidency, the GOP oriented itself nationally with a brand of Group Rights. It combined an amorphous Silent Majority (which basically meant fundamentalist Christians) while the Democrats sought to build a national coalition of minority groups, claiming that each group, as opposed to each individual, represented the origin of one’s rights. The quota system under Affirmative Action manifested this approach, while the anti-abortion GOP position was a group rights pitch to Fundamentalists.

**The Undercurrents Imperil the Nation**

Today, the undertows of Ignorance and Corruptionism are combining to drown the Republic in an ocean of Group Rights. The decency of George H. W. Bush in contrast to the crass buffoonery of Donald Trump highlights the imminent danger. A republic based on corruptionism which capitalizes on emotional memes and calls for group rights cannot survive. “A house divided against itself cannot stand." -- Abe Lincoln, 1858

*(Richard Lee Abrams is a Los Angeles attorney and a CityWatch contributor. He can be reached at:* **<Rickleeabrams@Gmail.com>***. Abrams views are his own and do not necessarily reflect the views of CityWatch.) Edited for CityWatch by Linda Abrams.*

 [ ![benzinga ad](https://mail.citywatchla.com/images/ADS%20FOR%202026/benzinga%20headlines%20350.png) ](https://mail.citywatchla.com/component/banners/click/106 "benzinga ad")

 [ ![save up to 4000 on used evs](https://mail.citywatchla.com/images/LADWP/dwp%20ev%20ad2.png) ](https://mail.citywatchla.com/component/banners/click/107 "LA DWP | Save $4K, Green | Priority Ad")

 [ ![Donna Tryfman](https://mail.citywatchla.com/images/ADS%20FOR%202026/Donna-Tryfman-Ad-Final-Complete-Border-White-Margin.png) ](https://mail.citywatchla.com/component/banners/click/98 "Donna Tryfman - HS1-1")

 [ ![LA DWP #2 (Pay Your Bill Help)](https://mail.citywatchla.com/images/LADWP/dwp%20level%20pay%205-7-25.jpg) ](https://mail.citywatchla.com/component/banners/click/82 "LA DWP #2 (Pay Your Bill Help)")

 [ ![David DeJute Campaign](https://mail.citywatchla.com/images/ADS%20FOR%202026/DejuteAd.png) ](https://mail.citywatchla.com/component/banners/click/111 "David DeJute Campaign")

 [ ![Pay Water Bill Help](https://mail.citywatchla.com/images/LADWP/dwp%20-%20cares-ad.jpg) ](https://mail.citywatchla.com/component/banners/click/97 "Home - LA DWP #2 (Pay Water Bill Help)")

 ![](https://mail.citywatchla.com/images/banners/signup-for-cw.png)

## Get The News In Your Email Inbox Mondays &amp; Thursdays

 Message

 ---

##  Featured CityWatch Stories

 [ ![](https://mail.citywatchla.com/media/yootheme/cache/1c/072d-1c016ddf.jpg) ](https://mail.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=33319:when-the-last-minute-power-play-failed-sacramento-finally-ran-out-of-time&catid=375)

### [When the Last-Minute Power Play Failed: Sacramento Finally Ran Out of Time](https://mail.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=33319:when-the-last-minute-power-play-failed-sacramento-finally-ran-out-of-time&catid=375)

MY THOUGHTS - Gavin Newsom came to the final days of his final regular legislative session with one more major problem…

 [ ![](https://mail.citywatchla.com/media/yootheme/cache/88/071n-88bb0b90.png) ](https://mail.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=33300:follow-the-money-how-does-a-3-662-apartment-become-affordable-housing&catid=312)

### [Follow the Money: How Does a $3,662 Apartment Become “Affordable Housing”?](https://mail.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=33300:follow-the-money-how-does-a-3-662-apartment-become-affordable-housing&catid=312)

INVESTIGATIVE ANALYSIS - ED 1 Is Redeveloping Los Angeles—One Neighborhood at a Time You know that persistent, annoyin…

 [ ![](https://mail.citywatchla.com/media/yootheme/cache/4b/070i-4ba64015.jpg) ](https://mail.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=33283:newsoms-next-immigration-gamble-defy-federal-law-and-dare-washington-to-fight-back&catid=375)

### [Newsom’s Next Immigration Gamble: Defy Federal Law And Dare Washington To Fight Back](https://mail.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=33283:newsoms-next-immigration-gamble-defy-federal-law-and-dare-washington-to-fight-back&catid=375)

MY THOUGHTS - Gov. Gavin Newsom is about to decide whether California should take another extraordinary gamble with fed…

 [ ![](https://mail.citywatchla.com/media/yootheme/cache/44/071d-441a7ed2.jpg) ](https://mail.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=33308:as-california-debated-sharing-data-on-drivers-homeland-security-subpoenaed-17-million-records&catid=425)

### [As California Debated Sharing Data On Drivers, Homeland Security Subpoenaed 17 Million Records](https://mail.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=33308:as-california-debated-sharing-data-on-drivers-homeland-security-subpoenaed-17-million-records&catid=425)

TECHNOLOGY - California lawmakers wrestled with a difficult question earlier this summer: Could the state safely share…

 [ ![](https://mail.citywatchla.com/media/yootheme/cache/1a/071i-1a9188c0.jpg) ](https://mail.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=33304:l-a-s-unlimited-political-money-pipeline-when-public-officials-become-fundraisers-for-powerful-interests&catid=401)

### [L.A.’s Unlimited Political Money Pipeline: When Public Officials Become Fundraisers for Powerful Interests](https://mail.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=33304:l-a-s-unlimited-political-money-pipeline-when-public-officials-become-fundraisers-for-powerful-interests&catid=401)

THE BOTTOM LINE - Los Angeles limits campaign contributions, restricts gifts to public officials and requires financial…

---

##  [ LOS ANGELES ](https://mail.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&id=312)

 [ ![](https://mail.citywatchla.com/images/stories/Sept-2026/071n.png) ](https://mail.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=33300:follow-the-money-how-does-a-3-662-apartment-become-affordable-housing&catid=312)### [Follow the Money: How Does a $3,662 Apartment Become “Affordable Housing”?](https://mail.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=33300:follow-the-money-how-does-a-3-662-apartment-become-affordable-housing&catid=312)

 [ ![](https://mail.citywatchla.com/images/stories/Sept-2026/071a5.jpg) ](https://mail.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=33295:7-ways-to-turn-la28-hype-into-lasting-youth-sports-growth&catid=312)### [7 Ways to Turn LA28 Hype Into Lasting Youth Sports Growth](https://mail.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=33295:7-ways-to-turn-la28-hype-into-lasting-youth-sports-growth&catid=312)

 [ ![](https://mail.citywatchla.com/images/stories/Sept-2026/071a4.jpg) ](https://mail.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=33294:7-simple-ways-to-keep-pets-safe-this-halloween&catid=312)### [7 Simple Ways To Keep Pets Safe This Halloween](https://mail.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=33294:7-simple-ways-to-keep-pets-safe-this-halloween&catid=312)

 [ ![](https://mail.citywatchla.com/images/stories/Sept-2026/071a.jpg) ](https://mail.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=33291:6-secrets-keeping-la-worksites-safe&catid=312)### [6 Secrets Keeping LA Worksites Safe](https://mail.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=33291:6-secrets-keeping-la-worksites-safe&catid=312)

 [ ![](https://mail.citywatchla.com/images/stories/Aug-2026/070d.png) ](https://mail.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=33281:designed-to-fail&catid=312)### [Designed to Fail](https://mail.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=33281:designed-to-fail&catid=312)
<div data-id="1" 
	class="eb-inst eb-hide eb-emailform eb-1 eboxContentLocker"
	data-options='{"trigger":"onPageLoad","trigger_selector":"","delay":3000,"early_trigger":true,"scroll_depth":"percentage","scroll_depth_value":80,"firing_frequency":1,"reverse_scroll_close":true,"threshold":0,"close_out_viewport":false,"exit_timer":1000,"idle_time":10000,"close_on_esc":false,"animation_open":"slideInDown","animation_close":"fadeOutDown","animation_duration":400,"disable_page_scroll":true,"test_mode":false,"debug":false,"ga_tracking":true,"ga_tracking_id":"G-P16BQ7X1SW","ga_tracking_event_category":"EngageBox","ga_tracking_event_label":"Box #1 - Global Email Signup Form","auto_focus":false}'
	data-type='popup'
	>

	<button type="button" data-ebox-cmd="close" class="eb-close placement-outside" aria-label="Close">
	<img alt="close popup button" />
	<span aria-hidden="true">&times;</span>
</button>
	<div class="eb-dialog eb-formVer" role="dialog" aria-modal="true" id="dialog1" aria-label="dialog1">
		
		<button type="button" data-ebox-cmd="close" class="eb-close placement-inside" aria-label="Close">
	<img alt="close popup button" />
	<span aria-hidden="true">&times;</span>
</button>	
		<div class="eb-container">
						<div class="eb-content">
				
<form action="https://citywatchla.us2.list-manage.com/subscribe/post?u=34d69f33624fd058ee9b56516&amp;id=4bfa422f51&amp;f_id=00d6c2e1f0" class="eb" method="post" id="mcform-1" name="mcform-1" target="_blank">
			<div class="eb-form-header"><p><img src="/images/2023/06/be-a-city-watcher.png" alt="be a city watcher" width="350" height="97" loading="lazy" data-path="local-images:/2023/06/be-a-city-watcher.png"></p>
<p>Sign up to receive our special e-news blasts on Monday and Thursday evenings!</p></div>
	
					<div class="eb-field-row">

			
			
			
			<input class="eb-input" type="email" name="EMAIL"  placeholder="Email address"  id="EMAIL" value="" required>

			
		</div>
										
	<div class="eb-footer">
    	<button class="eb-btn" type="submit" name="subscribe" style="background-color:rgba(93, 183, 93, 1);color:rgba(255, 255, 255, 1)">
    		Sign up    	</button>
    </div>
</form>			</div>
		</div>
	</div>	
</div>
<div data-id="3" 
	class="eb-inst eb-hide eb-yesno eb-3 "
	data-options='{"trigger":"onScrollDepth","trigger_selector":"","delay":0,"early_trigger":false,"scroll_depth":"percentage","scroll_depth_value":80,"firing_frequency":2,"reverse_scroll_close":false,"threshold":0,"close_out_viewport":false,"exit_timer":1000,"idle_time":1000,"close_on_esc":false,"animation_open":"fadeInUp","animation_close":"fadeOut","animation_duration":300,"disable_page_scroll":false,"test_mode":false,"debug":false,"ga_tracking":true,"ga_tracking_id":"G-P16BQ7X1SW","ga_tracking_event_category":"EngageBox","ga_tracking_event_label":"Box #3 - Yes \/ No Donation Popup Box","auto_focus":false}'
	data-type='popup'
	>

	<button type="button" data-ebox-cmd="close" class="eb-close placement-outside" aria-label="Close">
	<img alt="close popup button" />
	<span aria-hidden="true">&times;</span>
</button>
	<div class="eb-dialog " role="dialog" aria-modal="true" id="dialog3" aria-label="dialog3">
		
		<button type="button" data-ebox-cmd="close" class="eb-close placement-inside" aria-label="Close">
	<img alt="close popup button" />
	<span aria-hidden="true">&times;</span>
</button>	
		<div class="eb-container">
						<div class="eb-content">
				
<div class="ebox-yes-no">
	<div class="ebox-yn-text">
		
		
		<div class="ebox-yn-headline" style="font-size:22px;color:#888888">
			<p>If you only give once a month, would you consider giving to CityWatch?</p>
<p>Your support fuels our mission to promote and facilitate civic engagement and neighborhood empowerment, and to hold area government and its politicians accountable.</p>
<p>Would you like to help? Even if you can only give $5, it will make a difference.</p>		</div>
			</div>
	
	<div class="ebox-ys-buttons" style="font-size: 16px;">
		
<a
					data-ebox-prevent="0"
		data-ebox-cmd="close"
				target="_self"
		href="https://www.citywatchla.com/donate"
		rel="noopener"
	
	
	
	
	class="ebox-ys-btn"
	style="background-color:#2ec664;color:#ffffff;min-width:100px">
	Yes
	</a>
<a
	
	
			data-ebox-cmd="close"
		href="#"
	
	
	class="ebox-ys-btn"
	style="background-color:#ef2345;color:#ffffff;min-width:100px">
	Not Right Now
	</a>	</div>

	</div>			</div>
		</div>
	</div>	
</div>