Caffeinated Politics

The indefinite suspension of Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show by ABC is more than a warning shot across the bow of American democracy. Kimmel, as my readers and anyone grounded in a mere ounce of civics education well understands, is a comedian whose job is to poke at power. In our nation and with the First Amendment, that is a central right. In fact, poking fun with satire and biting wit at power structures in this land started before our nation was even formed. Kimmel was pulled off the air after correctly criticizing MAGA supporters in the wake of conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s death. It is more than just the timing of this action, or the pressure from FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, or the baboonish celebratory tone from Donald Trump that all very well demonstrate something far more sinister than a programming shake-up is afoot. What is happening in the nation is there is a very obvious suffocation of dissent. Jimmy Kimmel is but the latest example of those facts.

There is no doubt that a joint collusion of political expediency and corporate cowardice merged and as a result the fabric of our democracy has been torn. Nexstar and Sinclair, two major ABC affiliates with questionable partisan positioning, dropped the show citing “offensive and insensitive” remarks. The FCC chair who is trying out for a starring role in a 1930s Germán remake threatened consequences. Trump lumbered about with cankles and cheered. And just like that, a voice that dared to challenge the autocratic narrative of this administration was silenced.

This is what autocracy looks like in Trump’s second term. A friend this morning told me what is happening is not being done in jackboots and tanks. I told him just to wait. The knee-bending and the deplorable compliance from corporate boardrooms and broadcasters is more than stunning. It is dangerous and absolutely scary. What I see from this desk where my column is typed is more than the removal of a critic, or the open weaponization from a regulatory body, or the shameless display of political retaliation. What is front and center and in broad daylight written in banner letters is the erosion of the First Amendment. Not by law. But by fear.

During the 2024 campaign, many warned (Caffeinated Politics was one continuing source) that a second Trump term would bring a more disciplined, more ruthless approach to consolidating power. Third Reich Germany comes to mind with Stephen Miller leading the Brown Shirts. Those warnings from all over the nation were dismissed as hyperbole. Today, my words and those from millions of Americans now read like prophecy. The FCC, once a watchdog for public interest, now appears as a lapdog and partisan tool for Trump’s ideological enforcement.

When I was a teenager, for a time, I wanted to be a constitutional lawyer. Free speech has long been a deep interest of mine. That topic along with my desire to always better understand history continually can be found on my book piles. But what I find over and over is that too many of my fellow citizens think free speech is just the right to speak. No. It is the right to use speech to offend, to provoke, and to challenge. Late-night television has long been a space where comedians serve as cultural barometers, measuring the absurdities of power.

This moment demands more than outrage. It demands vigilance. Because if a network can be pressured into silencing a comedian, what happens next? Will publishers pull books? Will universities cancel lectures? Will citizens self-censor, fearing the wrath of a government that sees criticism as treason?

I stress to my readers that Jimmy Kimmel’s suspension is not just a media story. FAR FROM IT! It’s a democratic one. And if you and I don’t speak up now, we may find ourselves in a country where silence isn’t just common, but sadly, compulsory.

I will not relent in writing what is obvious and factual. I will not allow for the lessons from my dad, a WWII veteran, who stressed why fascism was evil, to be tossed aside like another of Trump’s used up wives. America means more to me than what MAGA pretends to feel about this land I call home.

What say you?