Jeet Heer on Trump's Boat Attacks, Democratic Timidity, and GOP Gender Wars

Trump Administration's Boat Attacks

• 🎯 The Trump administration has been blowing up boats in the Pacific and Caribbean for three months without clear justification, targeting "cocaine narco-terrorists."
• ⚖️ Jeet Heer argues these actions are not a war but simple murder, potentially constituting war crimes akin to those prosecuted at Nuremberg, especially the alleged secondary attacks on survivors.
• ⚠️ The lack of media and Democratic attention is attributed to a fear of appearing "soft on national security," a legacy of the post-9/11 era.

Democratic and Media Inaction

• 🗣️ Despite the severity of the boat attacks, Democratic leaders like Chuck Schumer and media outlets have remained largely silent or offered weak critiques, focusing on congressional authorization rather than illegality.
• 🏛️ This timidity is seen as a continuation of an "imperial presidency" tradition, with Democrats hesitant to challenge presidential war-making power for fear of it being used by future Republican administrations.
• 📺 The media's delayed scrutiny, exemplified by a New York Times piece, is questioned, with suggestions that leaks from within the military or Congress might be driving the recent attention.

Internal GOP Strife and Gender Dynamics

• 💥 A "mutiny" is brewing within the Republican House caucus against Speaker Mike Johnson, fueled by internal tensions and a sense of missed opportunities after their narrow window of power.
• 🚺 A significant subplot involves women in the GOP feeling alienated by Johnson's fundamentalist views and perceived sexism, leading to a resurgence of "gender wars" within the party.
• 🧠 Johnson's views on gender, comparing men's brains to "waffles" and women's to "spaghetti," reflect a broader ideological faction within conservative media that blames women for societal problems.
• 📉 The Republican party's declining number of women in leadership positions and the lack of female committee chairs highlight these internal gender-based conflicts.

Shifting Geopolitical Landscape

• 🌎 The era of U.S. dominance in the Western Hemisphere through "gunboat diplomacy" is seen as over, with actions like the boat attacks increasing incentives for Latin American governments to strengthen ties with China.
• military The military, particularly the Pentagon, is suggested to be unhappy with Secretary Pete Hegseth, potentially leaking information to Congress and the media to oust him and maintain their ability to bomb boats while replacing him with someone more competent.
• 📉 The election results, like the significant swing towards Democrats in Tennessee, indicate broader discontent and a potential shift in the political landscape.