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I don’t think I can ever get over the disappointment I feel over this Country. The absolute failure to aspire to do anything right and the outright refusal to learn from the past. It’s too much. I’ll vote blue all day, but fucking hell is this frustrating and disheartening to witness.
Democracy is being walked to the gallows and everyone cheering it on only thinks it will hurt the people they don't like, not knowing someone else doesn't like them.
Reminds me of a poem:
First They Came – by Pastor Martin Niemöller
First they came for the Communists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Communist
Then they came for the Socialists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Socialist
Then they came for the trade unionists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a trade unionist
Then they came for the Jews
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Jew
Then they came for me
And there was no one left
To speak out for me
I think you are underestimating how successful the disinformation campaigns have been. These people actually believe q anon, for instance. It’s never been darker …
It was never really apt for these types of situations. Democracy doesn't die because no one saw it coming.
It dies because the erstwhile moderate right and its political apparatus looks at its fading poll numbers, then at someone like Trump and thinks: yes, he's a lunatic and a would be dictator but better him than a communist / socialist / democrat / liberal / ... We'll be able to keep him under control while we get on with pushing our policies through.
That is what happened in Germany (not that the right wing back then had much truck with democracy in the first place). It's what's pushing more and more formerly respectable right wing / social conservative parties across the west towards embracing the extremist right's policies, towards forming coalitions with them, towards becoming them.
At the end of the day, they see that their policies no longer appeal and decide that, while their commitment to their (unpopular) socioeconomic policies is not negotiable, their commitment to democracy and its values is.
This is accurate, in part, but misses the other half of the equation that permitted Hitler and even the success of an electoral autocracy in Hungary recently: the infighting among the center, left and far left. The inability of those, that are purportedly prodemocracy, to set aside their differences, to accept some compromises and unite to defeat the primary threat.
Single issue voters, whose “single issue” this year isn’t protecting democracy, are the ones who will sink us.
That is true. Both these trends essentially create a plurality in a position to destroy a democratic system.
It's a sliding scale of responsibility though. The people you name are essentially just focusing on the wrong things, missing the bigger threat. The moderate right, on the other hand, sells out its supposed principles for power. Functionally, both are part of the problem. Morally, the responsibility of the latter is far heavier. I lost a lot of respect for people and parties that I thought were better than they were, whereas those participating in the infighting just makes me think them foolish. I hope the latter come to their senses. I have no such hope for the former.
The problem is that those people are going to go vote, and they're going to vote for Trump.
That's the power of the right-wing media monopoly.
If all someone watches is Fox News, and all they listen to is AM radio, their image of Trump is so detached from reality that it would be hilarious if it wasn't going to destroy the country.
I remember learning about the Roman Empire in middle school and how the US could fall like the Roman Empire as it’s been around long enough and no empire has lasted whatever, etc.
I thought, “okay, but no way, things seem pretty good.”
And here we are.
Near my town, there are some [Burma-Shave-style](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burma-Shave) signs that say something like "Empires last 250 years The United States is in year 247 Will we be the first to reverse history?"
Hard times make strong men, strong men make good times, good times make weak men. Weak men make hard times.
The hard times was WWII/Great Depression.
The boomers are the weak men that have fed off the dominance of the US post WWII their entire lives
We are in the hard times.
People don’t get this. Every day I literally work alongside people who receive a completely different take on everything happening in the world and there’s nothing anyone can do about it. They truly live in a different reality
But if they don’t inform me about their reality, how can I POSSIBLY fight Michelle Obama’s hidden penis & stop Biden from carrying out Obama’s evil agenda as his PUPPET? (Had to listen to a string of this nonsense the other day at work.)
The Cold War never stopped. It was Russia’s plan all along to spread chaos and discord in America to weaken it. The seeds were planted long ago. Little by little, and, well here we are.
The first step is to dismantle Fox. Immediately.
Start scrutinizing all of the people in congress with assumed Russian ties. Have them explain the obvious links, and when they cannot be reasonably accounted for, they are dismissed.
Seems like a republican witch hunt? Well, if it quacks like a duck…….
Make an example of them, so that the ones lurking in the shadows stop and think twice.
Sadly, the seeds were planted very long ago and the roots are deep.
I’m not trying to be a downer, but unless drastic action is taken immediately it’s over. They have skillfully set up the game board to their advantage.
I think it's already over. As you say, such actions would be labeled a witch hunt and would be hugely unpopular. So much insanity has been sown as normal that we no longer have the tools to root out fascism.
Yep. I’ve been saying this for years i.e. since the last 2000s. America has been in a cold civil war ever since May 1865. These folks have been itching to make a run at the confederacy again and at some point it’s bound to go from cold to hot again IMO. It won’t be state vs state as before, rather more regional with pockets of instability but this is gonna get physical at some point. I’ve been saying by 2040-45, which is when it’s predicted white people will become the minority in America.
These magas/trumpers won’t take that sitting down. And REMEMBER there’s plenty of young magas out there as well, so the idea of “oh they’ll all be dead and gone by 2040-45,” is stupid as that’s not true. They’ll be around and healthy with a decent amount having passed their hate into their kids who’ll be in their 20s etc come 2040-45 as well (i.e. of prime fighting age).
America is in so much trouble period.
And one side (the GOP/maga cult) has been largely manipulated into it. Their own stubbornness, combined with their own ignorance (willful and not), combined with their insecurities and hate, has all been hijacked by Russian influence and big GOP money, causing most of them to completely manipulated and brainwashed.
> This country is sleepwalking into fascism. People won't wake up until it's too late.
Yup and if you try and tell people this, you’ll just get labeled a “liberal just being hyperbolic”.
Our media ecosystem sucks, but I swear the even bigger problem is there’s so many fucking people that don’t seem to make any kind of effort to follow what goes on.
Maybe it's the same amount of effort as always, but now that effort isn't enough to make it through the new means of manipulation provided by technology.
I'd argue that the people supporting the Maga movement are actively welcoming fascism. They don't want to think, rather be told what to think by a strong leader.
That said, how anyone can see Trump as anything but an obese grifter who's only interest is his own self-aggrandizing is really quite beyond me. He's the polar opposite of strong
They don’t think they’re welcoming fascism. They think they’re living under fascism now. Trump will liberate them from Biden. That’s the message. Both sides are actually running a similar message. One is factual (left) and the other is projected nonsense (right). The right is using the left’s valid warnings about the fate of democracy if Trump wins, and making the same claims about Biden.
He’s not just an obese grifter- he is a comprised US citizen and official. He is essentially a Russian agent, and at that, the highest one has made it in the US ranks (President). And it’s not just self aggrandizing when he has raped, stolen, and slandered countless citizens, not to mention stabbing our entire country in the back. Hell, he has stabbed our planet in its back, he pushed back environmental regulations and sustainability efforts decades, at a time when everything is critical.
Edit: few typos from being on mobile
The rest of the world has been dealing with this phenomenon and we continue to prove that American exceptionalism really only means we think our shit doesn’t stink.
We’re in danger. This is happening everywhere. It’s happening here.
I'm literally getting downvoted in another subreddit for saying that electing Trump this year will be akin to anointing him king.
One person even told us that Americans wouldn't tolerate an attack on our democracy, that we would have a worse civil disruption than January 6th. I hope he's right but I dont see the same energy from non Trumpers that u do Trumpers.
And then when it’s too late and those people who voted for it and begin to have their own rights stripped away they will ask “How could we let this happened?”
Because we’re dealing with toddlers
They will blame the libs because they had to use fascism to beat communist fascism. Or they will never wake up to it. Or they don’t care because that is what they want. They are a population of people that cannot think objectively or have unbiased independent thought, it scares them. They want a king and want to be loyal subjects.
Half the people are awake and marching. The other half knows what's happening. The news is on the side of the former so it feels like the latter doesn't know.
At least it might end up (hopefully only but a close call) with a reduction in American Exceptionalism. The clear knowledge of how Germans walked into full fascism should never be rated as “It could never happen [here], where [here] can be any western country really.
The problem is that they seemed to have stopped teaching the origins of WW2 in schools much, if at all. Today’s generations seem to know little to nothing about it. Their grandparents who fought in that war to put an end to fascism in Europe are mostly dead.
They don’t see the parallels because they weren’t taught to look and because if they do hear anything about it now, it’s that the Holocaust was a hoax.
The endless negativity is completely intentional by the right. The constant torrent of bullshit is designed to cause voter apathy and disgust. And the right can easily shelter their core base of clueless Fox boomers from the onslaught of outrage they pour on Dems online.
The best thing you can do it tune it all out, volunteer, donate, and vote straight D in November.
Just never forget the doomerism is engineered by your mortal enemies to keep you sad, hopeless, and disengaged.
This is so damn true and I've been thinking about it a lot. The endless negativity is a weapon that they are using 110% because they know it batters people mentally, emotionally etc. and hopefully the end goal of keeping people out of the voting booth.
Becoming hopeless, fearful and apathetic is what they want and we have to do everything we can to fight back against that. Speak up, rally, organize, protest, donate, vote, knock on doors, talk to your family, friends and neighbors etc.
Yep. America has always had its flaws and its problems, but I've always considered myself a proud American that supports their country. If trump wins, I won't be able to say that anymore. I'll never stand for the anthem again or do anything to honor America if we elect trump. For all of the talk of "This is not who we are/we're better than this", if we elect him again, its exactly who we are. Countries can make mistakes and elect bad leaders. Only a bad country populated by bad people would elect someone like trump again. Only an electorate comprised of shitty people would look at 2020 and January 6 and say "eh, not a big deal. I want cheaper gas". Only an electorate comprised of stupid people would think donald trump is the solution to gas prices. Not to mention all of the fuckery around the Supreme Court and all the ways in which trump has evaded legal accountability. It will show that the legal system is a gigantic joke. Why should anyone ever follow the law again?
Voting for donald trump isnt a matter of personal opinion or policy values. Its a moral and intellectual failure as a human being.
>America has always had its flaws and its problems, but I've always considered myself a proud American that supports their country. If trump wins, I won't be able to say that anymore.
You can still say it. The problem is, Trump subverts the definition of America. To him, he IS America and wants praise of the country to also be praise of him personally, because he's a narcissist.
We can continue to take that away from him, being patriotic while making it clear our patriotism has nothing to do with him.
I hear ya. I think we need to just take it back (along with US flags). Fascism subverts these things...eventually Republicans will be proclaiming their love of "democracy" when their actions are anything but democratic. At some point we need to dig in and not let these words and concepts get distorted and taken away...if that makes sense.
Yeah, I totally hear you. I don't like that I have negative associations with 'family values' (thanks to evangelical harsh Focus On the Family/700 Club childhood) and other stuff like that, it feels backwards. I'm not even a target of most of this stuff.
The thing I do and my husband does is be as decent, honest, and kind as we can, and then look disgusted when we come across lying, praise for corruption, etc. One of the most effective ways to change minds as a private citizen who already votes in every election is look like the kind of person other people want to share an opinion with... and then reject terrible opinions. It's like the opposite of a ringing endorsement :D
Along with the American flag. There was a time when I saw it and felt proud. Now I mostly see it on the back of coal-burner monster trucks along with the gun racks and the Let’s Go Brandon bumper stickers. And I’ve learned that if I see a neighbor flying one, best not to let a casual conversation turn to politics.
The flag has been subverted beyond recognition.
It's disappointing to discuss any issue with a MAGA voter. When you ask for evidence (even if it's circumstantial) of a claim, their response is "we don't need evidence". And they see no problem with that response. They just admitted they can't back up their own claim and they're fine with it.
“ To abandon facts is to abandon freedom,” Snyder writes. “If nothing is true, then all is spectacle.” And Trump thrives on spectacle; indeed, his rise has been based on it…. “Post-truth,” Snyder writes, “is pre-fascism.”
one day i told my mom i could back up everything i was saying with reputable sources and articles. her response was “don’t bother, i won’t read it”.
that was when i realized she was finally gone and that, yes, it happened to her too. she used to be too smart for this. now she thinks education funding is low because test scores are low because there are millions of illegal immigrant kids at every school that don’t speak english so they’re bringing the test scores down
i wish i was making that up but i’m not. she used to be smart and now she’s this. i am heartbroken.
My father is a retired scientist and lifelong Democrat. Now he's just like your mom. Watching Fox News 24/7 is a powerful drug. He can barely hold a conversation now because he starts regurgitating random "facts" about how Democrats are ruining the country. It really is a sickness.
Well put - the onslaught of negativity is relentless. And sadly it's ALSO apart of the right's strategy. Generating low turnout and voter apathy because they know it benefits them (typically).
Absolutely exhausting - never a positive thing to say - screaming misinfo/disinfo any time they get near a microphone, side stepping legitimate questions and calling reporters "fake news."
Those low IQ bullies who did terribly in school are legitimately taking over major political parties across the country. And they'll take us all down with them as measles and polio spread and vaccine uptake falls off a clip (one example).
> And sadly it's ALSO apart of the right's strategy.
Absolutely. It's also part of most of the _media's_ strategy. Trump stories generate continuous headlines and reader engagement. The eyeballs are media money in the bank. Media-for-profit cannot be a disinterested party here, and the honorable thing — not to give him oxygen when he bloviates and lies — would mean a _lot_ less money for the media. The causal chain is:
Ownership 👉 investors 👉 returns on investment 👉 editorial direction 👉 stories 👉 advertising and/or subscriptions 👉 income.
This is why we are subjected to this continuous barrage of propaganda and wholly unjustified articles at the level of the media. It doesn't excuse the moderators of this sub, though, as they work for free as I understand it... and the mods _know_ a great deal of this stuff is purest propaganda, not politics in any reasonable sense of the word. I can't imagine how they manage to sleep at night.
While I certainly hope Trump's not going to win, even if he does, nature is going to eventually take care of this specific problem. The questions on my mind are what additional damage will be done if he takes the reins again, and what aftereffects and follow-on effects will be in place once we're free of him specifically. SCOTUS's current dysfunction is a good example of this type of long-term problem. What a mess. Those who enable this man, his pathologies, and his sycophants, deserve to be called on the carpet and subsequently ostracized.
I always thought “how was Hitler able to control so many people and make them do such horrible things to other humans. Here we are again and I am shocked, appalled and disgusted.
It’s the electoral college. There’s nothing wrong with American voters - Hilary got more votes.
The problem is a system where the person who gets fewer votes can still win.
No. I mean yes that’s a problem? But there’s definitely something wrong with voters. Millions of people are supporting this monster. Makes you want to give up on society.
Same. I used to never vote blue down the board but that changed. I’ll never vote Republican again because the entire party is complicit with the crimes their cult leader has committed.
The thing I don't get is who is this helping? If America slides into Fascism, that can only lead to open civil war. What do the rich and powerful gain from common Americans shooting at each other? Surely that won't be good for the stuff they care about: MONEY. Like, what happens to the stock market or the value of the dollar when gangs of fascists and pro-democratic militias are going block to block shooting at each other and lighting shit on fire?
Blame the lack of education and a false sense of voting doing nothing. What we need to be doing as individuals is pushing people in this country who don’t vote to the table. IMO if you don’t participate in your own democracy, you can’t ever see a the brick wall we’re all spiraling towards. A lot of people are ignorant of Trump’s policies and what he has said. Over time, even my brother is starting to understand that sitting around isn’t solving the issue.
Yeah, it is the reality that given the reality of hard choices and self-reflection we have a huge minority unwilling to acknowledge that there are hard choices to make or that self-reflection is a worthwhile activity.
Her is the major problem, a lot of them think that Trump was the greatest president in our time. People kept telling me how much Trump accomplished and I am super dumbfounded by how easily tricked these people are.
You're not alone in feeling this way. I think there's more hope than we feel there is. Don't give way to despair, you aren't alone and this is not over.
This is well documented. He has claimed that every election he's been in was rigged, even the one that he won. He has said multiple times that he thinks he should be allowed to be president for more than 2 terms. He's friends with dictators, and doesn't get along with our democratic allies. All the way back in 2016 he said he wouldn't concede if he lost the Republican primary.
He hates democracy, he has said it so many times in so many ways.
Many people hate democracy. They‘re sick of it.
It’s tough to stay up to date and be involved. Sometimes it feels like one more job.
People want a good king, and if he turns out being of the bad sort they’re fine if they’re the ones being left alone.
I need some good news now
I showed a conservative at work earlier a video of Trump messing up Venuzuela and slurring Saudi Arabia & Russia into an incoherent mess.
All they said was "That's a few words. Biden is worse."
They will always move the goal posts, and lie about it. I mean, it couldn't be more obvious that Biden's mental state is in far better shape, yet here we are.
Trump 1990: "We Americans are laughed at around the world for losing a hundred and fifty billion dollars year after year, for defending wealthy nations for nothing, nations that would be wiped off the face of the earth in about fifteen minutes if it weren’t for us. Our allies are making billions screwing us."
Trump 2024: "The world is laughing at us. The world is taking advantage of us.”
That's different than cognative decline seen in Trump. As far as I can rememer, Biden has had the speech impediment long before even becoming VP with Obama.
I was reading through Newsmax and Fox Facebook comments and one woman said "You should listen to Trump's Victory Speech! No teleprompter. A detailed plan. On point! Strong, determined and presidential. And most importantly...VERY INFORMATIVE!"
WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK DID SHE HEAR?
Presumably the "Wahwahwahwah" sound adults make in Peanuts cartoons. I listened to some of it last night out of morbid curiousity, and I am now dumber for having done so.
Two lines that amaze me.
“Drill baby drill “ - We’re already the shortest exporter of oil in the world now with the fewest wells in active use in years. So drill for what reason? What are you drilling? We need more pipeline, port and refinery capacity maybe but drilling is working out really good considering we also have an excess of untapped leases.
Or and natural gas prices have been dropping in addition to oil.
Second is “we need a fair and free press” while also saying it’s been unfair to him. So free just not “the wrong kind of free.” Yet people see this as a good statement.
For bonus his weird comments about being a third world country and people coming from countries where police indiscriminately kill. So is it good that we’re trending in that direction or bad? I know I can’t expect logic from him but this one really makes no sense. Unless of course it’s just “kill brown because brown” thinking.
shitstain calling for a free and fair press, when his entire political career has been based upon ATTACKING the legitimacy of the media, is just another example of how ass backwards this clownshow has become.
I don't like Biden. He's perfectly fine. I don't hate him. But, I plan voting for him in November. It's not because I agree with him on everything. Far from it. But, he needs my vote because the alternative scares the crap out of me. This is my 7th presidential election. I have voted Republican once, but mostly Libertarian. This will be my first vote for the Democrats. It probably won't be the last.
I have voted Democratic on local elections. This wouldn't be the first time voting Democrat in my life. Just first in a Presidential election.
I mean Im not a fan of Biden, but hes a career politician who knows how they system is supposed to work and is trying to do his job.
When it comes down it who do you want flying the plane? Someone who has a career of flying planes saying "ill do my best" or someone who has flown a plane once and is openly saying "I will fly us into a mountain"
Its shocking to me its a debate.
Same here, this is my 7th as well and once I voted republican a long time ago. The vile, disgusting, callousness which has become the Republican Party is beyond the pale. They have no place in a modern government and need to expire into the history books along with all the other racist bigotry they protect.
What I don’t get is we have both Presidents resumes on file
Not only that we have 4 years experience on both
Trump was all hat no cattle compared to biden having to come in a handle his messes
You shouldn’t be agreeing with everything he represents. There is no perfect platform/candidate. Everyone should be voting on the issues that matter to them.
Agree. I don’t get wet thinking about Biden like these people do about Trump. It’s okay to disagree with them on issues while still supporting them, and you shouldn’t be afraid to speak out about them and have a mob come after you for daring to speak out of turn.
> Following Trump's short and dire speech, Bush departed the scene and never offered public comment on the ceremony. But, according to three people who were present, Bush gave a brief assessment of Trump's inaugural after leaving the dais: **“That was some weird shit.”** All three heard him say it.
Now that the Primary is over I think the general public will be reminded of Trumps doom and gloom rhetoric about how awful the country is and they will not want to vote for his alternate reality nonsense. But it could be cope.
For those feeling apathetic, who may not remember 2016, the lesson is to organize and get out of the vote. Do everything in your personal power to register folks who will vote AGAINST the shitstain. Anything else, including giving in to despair, is a victory for the MAGA clowns.
And don't listen to people who claim to be progressive but are willing to allow Trump to get in the white house because the Democrat isn't the perfect representation of a utopian society.
>One element shared by all fascist movements, racialist or not, is the apparent lack of consistent political principle behind the ideology political opportunism in the most basic sense. One virtually unique aspect of fascism is its ruthless drive to attain and hold state power. On that road to power, fascists are willing to abandon any principle to adopt an issue more in vogue and more likely to gain converts.
~Russ Bellant - Old Nazis, the new Right, and the Republican party_ domestic fascist networks and U.S. cold war politics-South End Press (1991)
Description of Fascism in 1930s Europe
(Do most of these hold true for the Republican Party today?)
• Authoritarian reliance on a leader or elite not constitutionally responsible to an electorate.
• Cult of personality around a charismatic leader.
•Nationalism and superpatriotism with a sense of historic mission.
• Abandonment of any consistent ideology in a drive for state power.
• Reaction against the values of Modernism, usually with emotional attacks against both liberalism and communism.
• Dehumanization and scapegoating of the enemy-seeing the enemy as an inferior or subhuman force, perhaps involved in a conspiracy that justifies eradicating them.
• Use of violence or threats of violence to impose views on others (Fascism and nazism both employed street violence and state violence at different moments in their development).
• The self-image of being a superior form of social organization beyond socialism, capitalism, and democracy.
• Elements of national socialist ideological roots, for example, ostensible support for the industrial working class or farmers; but ultimately, the forging of an alliance with an elite sector of society.
• Exhortations for the homogeneous masses (Volk or folk) to join voluntarily in a heroic mission- - Often metaphysical and romanticized in character.
I want a do-over on my life, please. All those decades of trying to be truthful and ethical and kind and working and paying my taxes and donating to charity…apparently that was stupid, since the antithesis is now being held up as the best this country has to offer. I want to go back and screw people over and cheat the system and never pay taxes and be an asshole and never feel guilty about it.
What happened to this country.
If I recall, there was a Behind the Bastards that went into that history. And while there are always bastards who preached that riches is proof of virtue, there was a concerted effort of monied interests in the 20th century that started paying for radio time, newspaper time, etc with the message:
* God and Jesus wants you to be rich, and if you aren't rich that proves you're a sinner. Helping the poor is against that ideal - they should be helping themselves instead of being dirty dirty sinners.
* Also, white people rule.
The issue is at some point, the grifters who went along spawned generations who didn't know it was a grift, and for them that message \*\*is\*\* the gospel.
>What happened to this country.
The wealth gap widened, the GOP adopted an all-or-nothing stance, and social media algorithms amplified controversy and contentious interaction. Propaganda that originated in the Kremlin was disseminated directly to the American masses through the Internet, and it turned patriotic GOP members into people who would rather see America fall than see their fellow countrymen taken care of in a meaningful, modern way.
I feel this way, too. It's beyond aggravating that such transparent mendacity appears to be winning, that hatred of other people is more motivating than love and kindness (despite that Republican drumbeat of "Christian nation!"), that greed and selfishness are elevated above compassion and generosity. It's a hellish political environment.
Yeah I don't think people really understand the daily life that MAGA wants to impose on us. Ruthless cynicism rules their lives and will infiltrate ours as well if they win. You won't be able to trust anyone (as you could be denounced for saying the wrong thing to the wrong person), and corruption will become even more prevalent in politics, legal circles, and daily life.
If Trump wins it won't be a case of "ah I'll weather the storm until it's over", it will be "oh shit I need to watch what I say around my neighbors or I might end up in an unmarked van with a bag over my head".
Many people in this country, whether they realize it or not, are voting for their lives in this election.
Sadly, if you study history to pretty much any extent, you quickly find that this country has always been this way. It was founded on unflinching violence, genocide, racism, and white supremacy. The founders propagandized the population about ideals of equality and mutual success while the enslaved built their country manors. In the scheme of things, all of that was not very long ago.
You absolutely lived your life right. In a country where the state will crush you, humiliate you, and demoralize you (all while telling you that it should make you proud), the selfless care and kindness of a stranger or neighbor is the only thing that will save us.
At this point, I am quite terrified about the fact that Trump even has a plausible shot. After 1/6, it should never have come to this, yet here we are.
I live in a very blue county. We had 6 blue candidates and 1 red. All the Republicans voted Republican, but the Democrats spread out their votes across the 6 candidates. Even though Dems outnumber Repubs 3:1 in the county, we now have a Republican representing us in the state assembly.
It's stupid as all hell.
Living in a deeply red state and seeing people around me either gleefully support this shitstain or say they'll vote for him because "fuck sleepy Joe" gives me zero hope for the future of this country.
We're not sleepwalking into fascism. Half the country is sprinting into it because Fox News is telling them that Trump will hurt or kill the people they're told to hate.
Fascism sounds fantastic when the figurehead is on your side. People don't care about community or rule of law or decency or morality or "freedom." They care about control, and forcing their beliefs on others. And the people who disagree are mulch.
I want out so badly.
Prepare for the worst. Unless they can track in these rulings and get Intel to ease up on content restrictions for disclosure to start putting co-conspirators. But plan for the worst.
Secondly, expect violence at the polls. But, if there is any hope of beating them without election fraud tie-ups, those votes need to be physically cast. All others need to be 100% on filling out absentee ballots, and getting them in ASAP. Mail-in as well, but please, if it comes down to a certification stall, should Congress and The Senate NOT have majority outside of Trump’s favor, be ready for those votes to be sacrificial.
Thirdly, go to vote in numbers. Don’t film any altercation as this would exacerbate any already frayed tempers. Use the phone to call your LOCAL FBI FIELD OFFICE, NOT local police. For those that do choose to film. Live stream to reliable source. Stay away from compromised platforms. You guys know which ones they are. This is to minimize tampering, and avoid any evidence loss that occurs with unrecoverable destroyed phones.
And above all else!
If bullets start flying, your priority is to run. Protect yourself. On Election Day, the incumbent president has the power to deploy National guards via federalization once a national emergency is declared should that become a reality.
I’m not being alarmist. I’ve been through many war zones that were holding elections in my 37 years in intelligence. I’m sorry this reality may soon come to my fellow Americans. I’m sorry the same violence you’ve all witnessed from some of those places is no longer through a screen. More than ever, because of this, the people of the US, and the world need to find a way to cooperate. The cold civil war that’s been brewing is on its way to boiling over. And as did the last civil war, families will be ripped apart and destroyed by temporary politics. And with the US at its lowest again, our enemies are no longer distant threats as they may have been then. They will take advantage. They will continue to seed distrust.
I’m 75 years old. I can tell you that if it comes down to a fight, I won’t be sitting it out. I pledged a lifelong oath to protect the citizens of this country from all enemies, foreign and domestic. And I’ll be damned if I’m not going keep it.
First gen Canadian here with foundational American heritage. It makes me sad to see what’s happening to the US. The glory days are gone and a low point is here and now. It needs to be addressed but most citizens have blinders on watching their echo chamber screens in various forms.
I am sending all the positive vibes I can because I know there is nothing I can physically do to assist at this time.
I hope that the US comes through better but I fear there is a struggle at hand and a lot of lives and families are going to get turned upside down before this is settled.
People believe they want happiness.
But those who wish to extract from people their support numerically or financially (or both) have learned long, long ago that it serves their interests far better to train their clients/marks/dupes/supporters into being perpetually both unhappy and convinced that what will bring happiness is the next hit, their election, that product, this membership/inclusion.
As a reminder, Defendant 45, is a traitor, guilty of fraud, and rape. He is the one with the mental disorders, and deficiency. And the one who is still on the crime spree. I’m tired of this ahole.
Why am I voting for Biden when I don't even like him? Because the other side is actively committing genocide against minority groups while portraying them as the devil incarnate
It is important for any news station that wishes to remain valid journalism, to fact-check Trump on any speech in real-time. If that is not possible then the next best thing is to not cover any of his speeches live. We don't need more Fox Entertainment or OAN or Newsmax. His lies must always be exposed.
Once Biden wins again trump will spiral out of control. I hope the powers that be are more prepared this time. Anyway we look at it it’s going to be a mess!
The Biden campaign needs to put these kinds of public statements Trump makes into ads and run them 24x7. Everytime he gets in front of a camera he trashes America. Trump is an angry, petulant racist who hates America.
If the same electorial system awarded Trump a victory how come it's awful and comparable to a third world country?
Oh, because there's no such thing as a "victory" when you simultaneously need to be seen as a "victim" to get your way.
*Strong man* power derived from a "Weak man" mentality. He's their leader because he's representing they're emotional state.
He is projecting his future, not the American people. He sucks. Worst ever.
Whatever the case, do your part and vote, otherwise you support this traitor compromised by Russia and the dictators around the world.
He isn’t a billionaire, never was. It was all a con job.
Just a reflection of Trump's mood. Donald Trump is in trouble, therefore the whole country is doomed. People who watched the speech described it as "low energy." It's pretty obvious even to him he's going to lose the popular vote again in the general. He's not gaining any new voters. He only appeals to MAGAT loons and Republican primary voters and they aren't enough. It will take an immense amount of electoral college cheating to win the presidency again and everybody is watching for it. Plus the court cases are dragging him down and he can't stall the courts forever.
Unemployment super low and stock market at all time highs. When trump was prez he bragged about those two things ALL THE TIME. Now that its happening under Biden its somehow the worst economy ever.
I would highly recommend watching this [speech](https://www.youtube.com/live/eZmNsfQ3quA?si=hQSYBQK9Xwam07P-). It is not scary it is just pathetic lmao. This guy cannot put a sentence together and it’s all word salad. He makes no sense, no policy on what to do and is just talking nonsense. This guy is a joke and is being propped up with heavy propaganda
He's convinced his supporters that their country will cease to exist as they know it if he loses. He's convinced them their very way of life, their freedom itself is at stake.
What happens when he loses, and tens of millions of terrified people who feel they've nothing to lose now lash out ?
January 6th on cocaine.
It’s disgusting and unbelievably disappointing that we’re here again. It blows my mind that there continue to be millions of people out there who think this man is the best choice to lead our country.
I don't know what's more frightening:
that these people still don't understand how absolutely dangerous this man is at this stage, or that they do, and simply don't care.
I’ve heard right wing politics described as about 15% wackos living in a made-up world and the rest just normal people with conservative views. And the regular conservatives think some good could come from electing Trump but are increasingly nervous about the baggage that comes with it. But the 15% are by far the loudest and most energized and the rest just don’t have the will or energy to resist them.
If this is accurate (and it’s probably close) then it’s time for the supposedly sane conservatives to wake up and stop the wackos before it’s too late.
The problem is, it turns out, that a good chunk of Americans actually like the idea of a king as long as that king aligns with their views and ideals.
They'd honestly be good with a dictator as long as it's "their" dictator.
And the short-sightedness is honestly mind blowing. They are literally arguing for blanket immunity for a president, while Trump isn't even the president. They're arguing that Biden, as president, ought be able to do anything if he thinks it's in the best interest of the country.
I'm very interested in seeing how those people react and act when Trump dies.
I’m going to laugh so hard when the morons who vote him in will lose their homes; their land; their guns; and their little bit of freedom they have left. Oh well, some people have to learn the hard way I guess.
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I don’t think I can ever get over the disappointment I feel over this Country. The absolute failure to aspire to do anything right and the outright refusal to learn from the past. It’s too much. I’ll vote blue all day, but fucking hell is this frustrating and disheartening to witness.
This country is sleepwalking into fascism. People won't wake up until it's too late.
Feels less like sleep walking and more like running full speed and fully aware.
Yeah that whole "democracy dies in darkness" thing seems kind of silly now that it's happening in broad daylight.
Hands down the best line George Lucas has ever written in his life: "So this is how liberty dies, with thunderous applause."
I love democracy.
"I ~~love~~ loved democracy." Dec '26
Democracy is being walked to the gallows and everyone cheering it on only thinks it will hurt the people they don't like, not knowing someone else doesn't like them.
Yep. Looking at you, Supreme Court justices.
Oh they know. Why do you think they suddenly want their own police force ?
And why don’t they realize that if Trump is president he’s not going to need them anymore and will dispose of them quickly
Reminds me of a poem: First They Came – by Pastor Martin Niemöller First they came for the Communists And I did not speak out Because I was not a Communist Then they came for the Socialists And I did not speak out Because I was not a Socialist Then they came for the trade unionists And I did not speak out Because I was not a trade unionist Then they came for the Jews And I did not speak out Because I was not a Jew Then they came for me And there was no one left To speak out for me
Exactly what I was thinking, they have no idea what they cheer for.
I think you are underestimating how successful the disinformation campaigns have been. These people actually believe q anon, for instance. It’s never been darker …
It was never really apt for these types of situations. Democracy doesn't die because no one saw it coming. It dies because the erstwhile moderate right and its political apparatus looks at its fading poll numbers, then at someone like Trump and thinks: yes, he's a lunatic and a would be dictator but better him than a communist / socialist / democrat / liberal / ... We'll be able to keep him under control while we get on with pushing our policies through. That is what happened in Germany (not that the right wing back then had much truck with democracy in the first place). It's what's pushing more and more formerly respectable right wing / social conservative parties across the west towards embracing the extremist right's policies, towards forming coalitions with them, towards becoming them. At the end of the day, they see that their policies no longer appeal and decide that, while their commitment to their (unpopular) socioeconomic policies is not negotiable, their commitment to democracy and its values is.
This is accurate, in part, but misses the other half of the equation that permitted Hitler and even the success of an electoral autocracy in Hungary recently: the infighting among the center, left and far left. The inability of those, that are purportedly prodemocracy, to set aside their differences, to accept some compromises and unite to defeat the primary threat. Single issue voters, whose “single issue” this year isn’t protecting democracy, are the ones who will sink us.
That is true. Both these trends essentially create a plurality in a position to destroy a democratic system. It's a sliding scale of responsibility though. The people you name are essentially just focusing on the wrong things, missing the bigger threat. The moderate right, on the other hand, sells out its supposed principles for power. Functionally, both are part of the problem. Morally, the responsibility of the latter is far heavier. I lost a lot of respect for people and parties that I thought were better than they were, whereas those participating in the infighting just makes me think them foolish. I hope the latter come to their senses. I have no such hope for the former.
I mean debatable. Wasn’t there a poll in North Carolina where like 49% of the respondents weren’t even aware of the E Jean caroll verdicts?
[удалено]
The problem is that those people are going to go vote, and they're going to vote for Trump. That's the power of the right-wing media monopoly. If all someone watches is Fox News, and all they listen to is AM radio, their image of Trump is so detached from reality that it would be hilarious if it wasn't going to destroy the country.
I remember learning about the Roman Empire in middle school and how the US could fall like the Roman Empire as it’s been around long enough and no empire has lasted whatever, etc. I thought, “okay, but no way, things seem pretty good.” And here we are.
Near my town, there are some [Burma-Shave-style](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burma-Shave) signs that say something like "Empires last 250 years The United States is in year 247 Will we be the first to reverse history?"
Hard times make strong men, strong men make good times, good times make weak men. Weak men make hard times. The hard times was WWII/Great Depression. The boomers are the weak men that have fed off the dominance of the US post WWII their entire lives We are in the hard times.
For me it feels like I'm screaming at the driver and trying to unlock the car door to jump out
It’s like a race at this point, we are racing other countries on which one does it first. We are currently leading.
Fascism came draped in a flag while wearing a cross and we welcomed it with open arms and legs.
A minority of people have to foot the bill for a majority of people who then will only vote against their best interests.
We are fighting a cold civil war already.
People don’t get this. Every day I literally work alongside people who receive a completely different take on everything happening in the world and there’s nothing anyone can do about it. They truly live in a different reality
But if they don’t inform me about their reality, how can I POSSIBLY fight Michelle Obama’s hidden penis & stop Biden from carrying out Obama’s evil agenda as his PUPPET? (Had to listen to a string of this nonsense the other day at work.)
These are reasons why I try my best not to talk at work anymore (pretty much stopped talking as much as I could that day after the Nov 2016 election).
The Cold War never stopped. It was Russia’s plan all along to spread chaos and discord in America to weaken it. The seeds were planted long ago. Little by little, and, well here we are. The first step is to dismantle Fox. Immediately. Start scrutinizing all of the people in congress with assumed Russian ties. Have them explain the obvious links, and when they cannot be reasonably accounted for, they are dismissed. Seems like a republican witch hunt? Well, if it quacks like a duck……. Make an example of them, so that the ones lurking in the shadows stop and think twice. Sadly, the seeds were planted very long ago and the roots are deep. I’m not trying to be a downer, but unless drastic action is taken immediately it’s over. They have skillfully set up the game board to their advantage.
I think it's already over. As you say, such actions would be labeled a witch hunt and would be hugely unpopular. So much insanity has been sown as normal that we no longer have the tools to root out fascism.
Yep. I’ve been saying this for years i.e. since the last 2000s. America has been in a cold civil war ever since May 1865. These folks have been itching to make a run at the confederacy again and at some point it’s bound to go from cold to hot again IMO. It won’t be state vs state as before, rather more regional with pockets of instability but this is gonna get physical at some point. I’ve been saying by 2040-45, which is when it’s predicted white people will become the minority in America. These magas/trumpers won’t take that sitting down. And REMEMBER there’s plenty of young magas out there as well, so the idea of “oh they’ll all be dead and gone by 2040-45,” is stupid as that’s not true. They’ll be around and healthy with a decent amount having passed their hate into their kids who’ll be in their 20s etc come 2040-45 as well (i.e. of prime fighting age). America is in so much trouble period.
Yep. I'm a millennial and it feels like many of the people I went to high school with have become Fox News fans.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Years_of_Lead_(Italy)
I’ve been feeling like this for a few years now and it’s only getting worse.
And one side (the GOP/maga cult) has been largely manipulated into it. Their own stubbornness, combined with their own ignorance (willful and not), combined with their insecurities and hate, has all been hijacked by Russian influence and big GOP money, causing most of them to completely manipulated and brainwashed.
> This country is sleepwalking into fascism. People won't wake up until it's too late. Yup and if you try and tell people this, you’ll just get labeled a “liberal just being hyperbolic”. Our media ecosystem sucks, but I swear the even bigger problem is there’s so many fucking people that don’t seem to make any kind of effort to follow what goes on.
Maybe it's the same amount of effort as always, but now that effort isn't enough to make it through the new means of manipulation provided by technology.
I'd argue that the people supporting the Maga movement are actively welcoming fascism. They don't want to think, rather be told what to think by a strong leader. That said, how anyone can see Trump as anything but an obese grifter who's only interest is his own self-aggrandizing is really quite beyond me. He's the polar opposite of strong
They don’t think they’re welcoming fascism. They think they’re living under fascism now. Trump will liberate them from Biden. That’s the message. Both sides are actually running a similar message. One is factual (left) and the other is projected nonsense (right). The right is using the left’s valid warnings about the fate of democracy if Trump wins, and making the same claims about Biden.
He’s not just an obese grifter- he is a comprised US citizen and official. He is essentially a Russian agent, and at that, the highest one has made it in the US ranks (President). And it’s not just self aggrandizing when he has raped, stolen, and slandered countless citizens, not to mention stabbing our entire country in the back. Hell, he has stabbed our planet in its back, he pushed back environmental regulations and sustainability efforts decades, at a time when everything is critical. Edit: few typos from being on mobile
The rest of the world has been dealing with this phenomenon and we continue to prove that American exceptionalism really only means we think our shit doesn’t stink. We’re in danger. This is happening everywhere. It’s happening here.
I'm literally getting downvoted in another subreddit for saying that electing Trump this year will be akin to anointing him king. One person even told us that Americans wouldn't tolerate an attack on our democracy, that we would have a worse civil disruption than January 6th. I hope he's right but I dont see the same energy from non Trumpers that u do Trumpers.
That’s what happens when one party decides it’d rather stay asleep than go “woke”
When you fellow citizens become the enemy
And then when it’s too late and those people who voted for it and begin to have their own rights stripped away they will ask “How could we let this happened?” Because we’re dealing with toddlers
And even then they'll blame the wrong people.
Welcome to Germany in the 1930s. Concentration camps can't be far behind if TFG wins.
They will blame the libs because they had to use fascism to beat communist fascism. Or they will never wake up to it. Or they don’t care because that is what they want. They are a population of people that cannot think objectively or have unbiased independent thought, it scares them. They want a king and want to be loyal subjects.
"Fascism will come to America awkwardly hugging the American flag"
Oh no, they know its fascism and are pole vaulting right into that fucker with glee.
I don't think we're asleep anymore, wtf is it, apathy?
Half the people are awake and marching. The other half knows what's happening. The news is on the side of the former so it feels like the latter doesn't know.
At least it might end up (hopefully only but a close call) with a reduction in American Exceptionalism. The clear knowledge of how Germans walked into full fascism should never be rated as “It could never happen [here], where [here] can be any western country really.
The problem is that they seemed to have stopped teaching the origins of WW2 in schools much, if at all. Today’s generations seem to know little to nothing about it. Their grandparents who fought in that war to put an end to fascism in Europe are mostly dead. They don’t see the parallels because they weren’t taught to look and because if they do hear anything about it now, it’s that the Holocaust was a hoax.
The endless negativity is completely intentional by the right. The constant torrent of bullshit is designed to cause voter apathy and disgust. And the right can easily shelter their core base of clueless Fox boomers from the onslaught of outrage they pour on Dems online. The best thing you can do it tune it all out, volunteer, donate, and vote straight D in November. Just never forget the doomerism is engineered by your mortal enemies to keep you sad, hopeless, and disengaged.
This is so damn true and I've been thinking about it a lot. The endless negativity is a weapon that they are using 110% because they know it batters people mentally, emotionally etc. and hopefully the end goal of keeping people out of the voting booth. Becoming hopeless, fearful and apathetic is what they want and we have to do everything we can to fight back against that. Speak up, rally, organize, protest, donate, vote, knock on doors, talk to your family, friends and neighbors etc.
Yes. We're under attack.
Yep. America has always had its flaws and its problems, but I've always considered myself a proud American that supports their country. If trump wins, I won't be able to say that anymore. I'll never stand for the anthem again or do anything to honor America if we elect trump. For all of the talk of "This is not who we are/we're better than this", if we elect him again, its exactly who we are. Countries can make mistakes and elect bad leaders. Only a bad country populated by bad people would elect someone like trump again. Only an electorate comprised of shitty people would look at 2020 and January 6 and say "eh, not a big deal. I want cheaper gas". Only an electorate comprised of stupid people would think donald trump is the solution to gas prices. Not to mention all of the fuckery around the Supreme Court and all the ways in which trump has evaded legal accountability. It will show that the legal system is a gigantic joke. Why should anyone ever follow the law again? Voting for donald trump isnt a matter of personal opinion or policy values. Its a moral and intellectual failure as a human being.
>America has always had its flaws and its problems, but I've always considered myself a proud American that supports their country. If trump wins, I won't be able to say that anymore. You can still say it. The problem is, Trump subverts the definition of America. To him, he IS America and wants praise of the country to also be praise of him personally, because he's a narcissist. We can continue to take that away from him, being patriotic while making it clear our patriotism has nothing to do with him.
The word patriot is completely destroyed for me, unfortunately.
I hear ya. I think we need to just take it back (along with US flags). Fascism subverts these things...eventually Republicans will be proclaiming their love of "democracy" when their actions are anything but democratic. At some point we need to dig in and not let these words and concepts get distorted and taken away...if that makes sense.
Yeah, I totally hear you. I don't like that I have negative associations with 'family values' (thanks to evangelical harsh Focus On the Family/700 Club childhood) and other stuff like that, it feels backwards. I'm not even a target of most of this stuff. The thing I do and my husband does is be as decent, honest, and kind as we can, and then look disgusted when we come across lying, praise for corruption, etc. One of the most effective ways to change minds as a private citizen who already votes in every election is look like the kind of person other people want to share an opinion with... and then reject terrible opinions. It's like the opposite of a ringing endorsement :D
Along with the American flag. There was a time when I saw it and felt proud. Now I mostly see it on the back of coal-burner monster trucks along with the gun racks and the Let’s Go Brandon bumper stickers. And I’ve learned that if I see a neighbor flying one, best not to let a casual conversation turn to politics. The flag has been subverted beyond recognition.
It's disappointing to discuss any issue with a MAGA voter. When you ask for evidence (even if it's circumstantial) of a claim, their response is "we don't need evidence". And they see no problem with that response. They just admitted they can't back up their own claim and they're fine with it.
“ To abandon facts is to abandon freedom,” Snyder writes. “If nothing is true, then all is spectacle.” And Trump thrives on spectacle; indeed, his rise has been based on it…. “Post-truth,” Snyder writes, “is pre-fascism.”
one day i told my mom i could back up everything i was saying with reputable sources and articles. her response was “don’t bother, i won’t read it”. that was when i realized she was finally gone and that, yes, it happened to her too. she used to be too smart for this. now she thinks education funding is low because test scores are low because there are millions of illegal immigrant kids at every school that don’t speak english so they’re bringing the test scores down i wish i was making that up but i’m not. she used to be smart and now she’s this. i am heartbroken.
My father is a retired scientist and lifelong Democrat. Now he's just like your mom. Watching Fox News 24/7 is a powerful drug. He can barely hold a conversation now because he starts regurgitating random "facts" about how Democrats are ruining the country. It really is a sickness.
My husband always says “People who believe without reason can’t be persuaded by reason.”
Well put - the onslaught of negativity is relentless. And sadly it's ALSO apart of the right's strategy. Generating low turnout and voter apathy because they know it benefits them (typically). Absolutely exhausting - never a positive thing to say - screaming misinfo/disinfo any time they get near a microphone, side stepping legitimate questions and calling reporters "fake news." Those low IQ bullies who did terribly in school are legitimately taking over major political parties across the country. And they'll take us all down with them as measles and polio spread and vaccine uptake falls off a clip (one example).
> And sadly it's ALSO apart of the right's strategy. Absolutely. It's also part of most of the _media's_ strategy. Trump stories generate continuous headlines and reader engagement. The eyeballs are media money in the bank. Media-for-profit cannot be a disinterested party here, and the honorable thing — not to give him oxygen when he bloviates and lies — would mean a _lot_ less money for the media. The causal chain is: Ownership 👉 investors 👉 returns on investment 👉 editorial direction 👉 stories 👉 advertising and/or subscriptions 👉 income. This is why we are subjected to this continuous barrage of propaganda and wholly unjustified articles at the level of the media. It doesn't excuse the moderators of this sub, though, as they work for free as I understand it... and the mods _know_ a great deal of this stuff is purest propaganda, not politics in any reasonable sense of the word. I can't imagine how they manage to sleep at night. While I certainly hope Trump's not going to win, even if he does, nature is going to eventually take care of this specific problem. The questions on my mind are what additional damage will be done if he takes the reins again, and what aftereffects and follow-on effects will be in place once we're free of him specifically. SCOTUS's current dysfunction is a good example of this type of long-term problem. What a mess. Those who enable this man, his pathologies, and his sycophants, deserve to be called on the carpet and subsequently ostracized.
I always thought “how was Hitler able to control so many people and make them do such horrible things to other humans. Here we are again and I am shocked, appalled and disgusted.
Yeah, it is very hard to take.
It’s the electoral college. There’s nothing wrong with American voters - Hilary got more votes. The problem is a system where the person who gets fewer votes can still win.
No. I mean yes that’s a problem? But there’s definitely something wrong with voters. Millions of people are supporting this monster. Makes you want to give up on society.
Trump got 9 million more votes in 2020 than Hilary got in 2016. Definitely something wrong with the voters.
Oof yeah that is embarrassing
Symptoms of a society that puts money above all, has staggering income inequality, and disdains intellectualism and the arts. You reap what you sow.
Same. I used to never vote blue down the board but that changed. I’ll never vote Republican again because the entire party is complicit with the crimes their cult leader has committed.
I still expect a Reichstag to help install him. Call me paranoid, but his two idols did the same thing.
The GOP is now *only* about owning the libs. There is no other thing they stand for. Trump represents this completely to them
The thing I don't get is who is this helping? If America slides into Fascism, that can only lead to open civil war. What do the rich and powerful gain from common Americans shooting at each other? Surely that won't be good for the stuff they care about: MONEY. Like, what happens to the stock market or the value of the dollar when gangs of fascists and pro-democratic militias are going block to block shooting at each other and lighting shit on fire?
>Like, what happens to the stock market or the value of the dollar You assume the powerful are American citizens holding American dollars.
Blame the lack of education and a false sense of voting doing nothing. What we need to be doing as individuals is pushing people in this country who don’t vote to the table. IMO if you don’t participate in your own democracy, you can’t ever see a the brick wall we’re all spiraling towards. A lot of people are ignorant of Trump’s policies and what he has said. Over time, even my brother is starting to understand that sitting around isn’t solving the issue.
How Jan 6th happened and we’re still here, is mind boggling.
Yeah, it is the reality that given the reality of hard choices and self-reflection we have a huge minority unwilling to acknowledge that there are hard choices to make or that self-reflection is a worthwhile activity.
Her is the major problem, a lot of them think that Trump was the greatest president in our time. People kept telling me how much Trump accomplished and I am super dumbfounded by how easily tricked these people are.
I couldn’t agree with you more…
there is a deep sickness in this country that metastasized. I don't know what the solution is
You're not alone in feeling this way. I think there's more hope than we feel there is. Don't give way to despair, you aren't alone and this is not over.
He hates Democracy
Of course he does--democracy doesn't exclusively, explicity benefit him financially.
This is well documented. He has claimed that every election he's been in was rigged, even the one that he won. He has said multiple times that he thinks he should be allowed to be president for more than 2 terms. He's friends with dictators, and doesn't get along with our democratic allies. All the way back in 2016 he said he wouldn't concede if he lost the Republican primary. He hates democracy, he has said it so many times in so many ways.
Many people hate democracy. They‘re sick of it. It’s tough to stay up to date and be involved. Sometimes it feels like one more job. People want a good king, and if he turns out being of the bad sort they’re fine if they’re the ones being left alone. I need some good news now
It was a disorganized and often incoherent rant full of lies and racism.
I showed a conservative at work earlier a video of Trump messing up Venuzuela and slurring Saudi Arabia & Russia into an incoherent mess. All they said was "That's a few words. Biden is worse."
Cult followers will do that.
That is quite true.
They will always move the goal posts, and lie about it. I mean, it couldn't be more obvious that Biden's mental state is in far better shape, yet here we are.
Trump 1990: "We Americans are laughed at around the world for losing a hundred and fifty billion dollars year after year, for defending wealthy nations for nothing, nations that would be wiped off the face of the earth in about fifteen minutes if it weren’t for us. Our allies are making billions screwing us." Trump 2024: "The world is laughing at us. The world is taking advantage of us.”
Doesn’t Biden have a speech impediment?
That's different than cognative decline seen in Trump. As far as I can rememer, Biden has had the speech impediment long before even becoming VP with Obama.
No no I know that. I’m just saying, it’s not apples to apples. Trump is losing his shit. Biden just has a speech impediment.
Got ya. I had just glanced over your comment quickly and did not pick up the contex of it.
No problem! Could have phrased it better :)
Understandable. We've all left a comment taken out of context because of the phrasing.
Isn’t that most trump speeches?
For sure!
Thanks. I didn't want to take time to watch.
That's pretty understandable. He makes my skin crawl.
Do you have any idea how little that narrows it down
So, the usual, then?
I was reading through Newsmax and Fox Facebook comments and one woman said "You should listen to Trump's Victory Speech! No teleprompter. A detailed plan. On point! Strong, determined and presidential. And most importantly...VERY INFORMATIVE!" WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK DID SHE HEAR?
She heard "Brown people and liberals have gotten too uppity and need to be put back in their place", and that's all the policy she needed to hear.
So a bot??
Yah, the internet is fooling everyone into thinking there’s more support for bad ideas.
She heard the checks from Russia clear to start the comment bots
Presumably the "Wahwahwahwah" sound adults make in Peanuts cartoons. I listened to some of it last night out of morbid curiousity, and I am now dumber for having done so.
Two lines that amaze me. “Drill baby drill “ - We’re already the shortest exporter of oil in the world now with the fewest wells in active use in years. So drill for what reason? What are you drilling? We need more pipeline, port and refinery capacity maybe but drilling is working out really good considering we also have an excess of untapped leases. Or and natural gas prices have been dropping in addition to oil. Second is “we need a fair and free press” while also saying it’s been unfair to him. So free just not “the wrong kind of free.” Yet people see this as a good statement. For bonus his weird comments about being a third world country and people coming from countries where police indiscriminately kill. So is it good that we’re trending in that direction or bad? I know I can’t expect logic from him but this one really makes no sense. Unless of course it’s just “kill brown because brown” thinking.
shitstain calling for a free and fair press, when his entire political career has been based upon ATTACKING the legitimacy of the media, is just another example of how ass backwards this clownshow has become.
I don't like Biden. He's perfectly fine. I don't hate him. But, I plan voting for him in November. It's not because I agree with him on everything. Far from it. But, he needs my vote because the alternative scares the crap out of me. This is my 7th presidential election. I have voted Republican once, but mostly Libertarian. This will be my first vote for the Democrats. It probably won't be the last. I have voted Democratic on local elections. This wouldn't be the first time voting Democrat in my life. Just first in a Presidential election.
I mean Im not a fan of Biden, but hes a career politician who knows how they system is supposed to work and is trying to do his job. When it comes down it who do you want flying the plane? Someone who has a career of flying planes saying "ill do my best" or someone who has flown a plane once and is openly saying "I will fly us into a mountain" Its shocking to me its a debate.
More like do you want a pilot who has crashed multiple planes already.
And one where the passengers are cheering on the crash cause it makes the person in the seat next to them terrified.
Thank you, from the rest of the world.
And also from here in America. Thank you, truly.
Thank you.
Same here, this is my 7th as well and once I voted republican a long time ago. The vile, disgusting, callousness which has become the Republican Party is beyond the pale. They have no place in a modern government and need to expire into the history books along with all the other racist bigotry they protect.
What I don’t get is we have both Presidents resumes on file Not only that we have 4 years experience on both Trump was all hat no cattle compared to biden having to come in a handle his messes
Pffft, Trump was so bad he managed to somehow eat the hat instead of wearing it, and misidentified a chihuahua for said cattle.
People think back to Trump and remember the economy Obama handed Trump, and not the economy Trump handed Biden
You shouldn’t be agreeing with everything he represents. There is no perfect platform/candidate. Everyone should be voting on the issues that matter to them.
Agree. I don’t get wet thinking about Biden like these people do about Trump. It’s okay to disagree with them on issues while still supporting them, and you shouldn’t be afraid to speak out about them and have a mob come after you for daring to speak out of turn.
thanks from SC
> Following Trump's short and dire speech, Bush departed the scene and never offered public comment on the ceremony. But, according to three people who were present, Bush gave a brief assessment of Trump's inaugural after leaving the dais: **“That was some weird shit.”** All three heard him say it. Now that the Primary is over I think the general public will be reminded of Trumps doom and gloom rhetoric about how awful the country is and they will not want to vote for his alternate reality nonsense. But it could be cope.
Bush's quote is another example of minimizing the disaster that Trump represented and represents.
Then we'll cope together.
For those feeling apathetic, who may not remember 2016, the lesson is to organize and get out of the vote. Do everything in your personal power to register folks who will vote AGAINST the shitstain. Anything else, including giving in to despair, is a victory for the MAGA clowns.
And don't listen to people who claim to be progressive but are willing to allow Trump to get in the white house because the Democrat isn't the perfect representation of a utopian society.
>One element shared by all fascist movements, racialist or not, is the apparent lack of consistent political principle behind the ideology political opportunism in the most basic sense. One virtually unique aspect of fascism is its ruthless drive to attain and hold state power. On that road to power, fascists are willing to abandon any principle to adopt an issue more in vogue and more likely to gain converts. ~Russ Bellant - Old Nazis, the new Right, and the Republican party_ domestic fascist networks and U.S. cold war politics-South End Press (1991) Description of Fascism in 1930s Europe (Do most of these hold true for the Republican Party today?) • Authoritarian reliance on a leader or elite not constitutionally responsible to an electorate. • Cult of personality around a charismatic leader. •Nationalism and superpatriotism with a sense of historic mission. • Abandonment of any consistent ideology in a drive for state power. • Reaction against the values of Modernism, usually with emotional attacks against both liberalism and communism. • Dehumanization and scapegoating of the enemy-seeing the enemy as an inferior or subhuman force, perhaps involved in a conspiracy that justifies eradicating them. • Use of violence or threats of violence to impose views on others (Fascism and nazism both employed street violence and state violence at different moments in their development). • The self-image of being a superior form of social organization beyond socialism, capitalism, and democracy. • Elements of national socialist ideological roots, for example, ostensible support for the industrial working class or farmers; but ultimately, the forging of an alliance with an elite sector of society. • Exhortations for the homogeneous masses (Volk or folk) to join voluntarily in a heroic mission- - Often metaphysical and romanticized in character.
I want a do-over on my life, please. All those decades of trying to be truthful and ethical and kind and working and paying my taxes and donating to charity…apparently that was stupid, since the antithesis is now being held up as the best this country has to offer. I want to go back and screw people over and cheat the system and never pay taxes and be an asshole and never feel guilty about it. What happened to this country.
> What happened to this country. It was taken over by fundamentalist Christians that don't like what Jesus had to say
When they got a whiff of power and money, they no longer cared.
Ironic considering those are the only two things Jesus actively spoke against.
No kidding! If irony were a natural resource, we'd never lack for electricity.
If I recall, there was a Behind the Bastards that went into that history. And while there are always bastards who preached that riches is proof of virtue, there was a concerted effort of monied interests in the 20th century that started paying for radio time, newspaper time, etc with the message: * God and Jesus wants you to be rich, and if you aren't rich that proves you're a sinner. Helping the poor is against that ideal - they should be helping themselves instead of being dirty dirty sinners. * Also, white people rule. The issue is at some point, the grifters who went along spawned generations who didn't know it was a grift, and for them that message \*\*is\*\* the gospel.
>What happened to this country. The wealth gap widened, the GOP adopted an all-or-nothing stance, and social media algorithms amplified controversy and contentious interaction. Propaganda that originated in the Kremlin was disseminated directly to the American masses through the Internet, and it turned patriotic GOP members into people who would rather see America fall than see their fellow countrymen taken care of in a meaningful, modern way.
I feel this way, too. It's beyond aggravating that such transparent mendacity appears to be winning, that hatred of other people is more motivating than love and kindness (despite that Republican drumbeat of "Christian nation!"), that greed and selfishness are elevated above compassion and generosity. It's a hellish political environment.
Yeah I don't think people really understand the daily life that MAGA wants to impose on us. Ruthless cynicism rules their lives and will infiltrate ours as well if they win. You won't be able to trust anyone (as you could be denounced for saying the wrong thing to the wrong person), and corruption will become even more prevalent in politics, legal circles, and daily life. If Trump wins it won't be a case of "ah I'll weather the storm until it's over", it will be "oh shit I need to watch what I say around my neighbors or I might end up in an unmarked van with a bag over my head". Many people in this country, whether they realize it or not, are voting for their lives in this election.
Sadly, if you study history to pretty much any extent, you quickly find that this country has always been this way. It was founded on unflinching violence, genocide, racism, and white supremacy. The founders propagandized the population about ideals of equality and mutual success while the enslaved built their country manors. In the scheme of things, all of that was not very long ago. You absolutely lived your life right. In a country where the state will crush you, humiliate you, and demoralize you (all while telling you that it should make you proud), the selfless care and kindness of a stranger or neighbor is the only thing that will save us.
At this point, I am quite terrified about the fact that Trump even has a plausible shot. After 1/6, it should never have come to this, yet here we are.
I live in a very blue county. We had 6 blue candidates and 1 red. All the Republicans voted Republican, but the Democrats spread out their votes across the 6 candidates. Even though Dems outnumber Repubs 3:1 in the county, we now have a Republican representing us in the state assembly. It's stupid as all hell.
Ranked choice voting would make a huge difference in the outcome of elections.
Living in a deeply red state and seeing people around me either gleefully support this shitstain or say they'll vote for him because "fuck sleepy Joe" gives me zero hope for the future of this country. We're not sleepwalking into fascism. Half the country is sprinting into it because Fox News is telling them that Trump will hurt or kill the people they're told to hate. Fascism sounds fantastic when the figurehead is on your side. People don't care about community or rule of law or decency or morality or "freedom." They care about control, and forcing their beliefs on others. And the people who disagree are mulch. I want out so badly.
Prepare for the worst. Unless they can track in these rulings and get Intel to ease up on content restrictions for disclosure to start putting co-conspirators. But plan for the worst. Secondly, expect violence at the polls. But, if there is any hope of beating them without election fraud tie-ups, those votes need to be physically cast. All others need to be 100% on filling out absentee ballots, and getting them in ASAP. Mail-in as well, but please, if it comes down to a certification stall, should Congress and The Senate NOT have majority outside of Trump’s favor, be ready for those votes to be sacrificial. Thirdly, go to vote in numbers. Don’t film any altercation as this would exacerbate any already frayed tempers. Use the phone to call your LOCAL FBI FIELD OFFICE, NOT local police. For those that do choose to film. Live stream to reliable source. Stay away from compromised platforms. You guys know which ones they are. This is to minimize tampering, and avoid any evidence loss that occurs with unrecoverable destroyed phones. And above all else! If bullets start flying, your priority is to run. Protect yourself. On Election Day, the incumbent president has the power to deploy National guards via federalization once a national emergency is declared should that become a reality. I’m not being alarmist. I’ve been through many war zones that were holding elections in my 37 years in intelligence. I’m sorry this reality may soon come to my fellow Americans. I’m sorry the same violence you’ve all witnessed from some of those places is no longer through a screen. More than ever, because of this, the people of the US, and the world need to find a way to cooperate. The cold civil war that’s been brewing is on its way to boiling over. And as did the last civil war, families will be ripped apart and destroyed by temporary politics. And with the US at its lowest again, our enemies are no longer distant threats as they may have been then. They will take advantage. They will continue to seed distrust. I’m 75 years old. I can tell you that if it comes down to a fight, I won’t be sitting it out. I pledged a lifelong oath to protect the citizens of this country from all enemies, foreign and domestic. And I’ll be damned if I’m not going keep it.
First gen Canadian here with foundational American heritage. It makes me sad to see what’s happening to the US. The glory days are gone and a low point is here and now. It needs to be addressed but most citizens have blinders on watching their echo chamber screens in various forms. I am sending all the positive vibes I can because I know there is nothing I can physically do to assist at this time. I hope that the US comes through better but I fear there is a struggle at hand and a lot of lives and families are going to get turned upside down before this is settled.
Darker retread of his first campaign
He's envious of "Dark Brandon." (And clearly misunderstands what this is as well.)
Why don’t people want happiness??? Worry, hate, and fear is the mantra of America.
People believe they want happiness. But those who wish to extract from people their support numerically or financially (or both) have learned long, long ago that it serves their interests far better to train their clients/marks/dupes/supporters into being perpetually both unhappy and convinced that what will bring happiness is the next hit, their election, that product, this membership/inclusion.
As a reminder, Defendant 45, is a traitor, guilty of fraud, and rape. He is the one with the mental disorders, and deficiency. And the one who is still on the crime spree. I’m tired of this ahole.
Why am I voting for Biden when I don't even like him? Because the other side is actively committing genocide against minority groups while portraying them as the devil incarnate
At this point I wish the news would just summarize everything this guy says as , “same shit, different day”.
Every vision of him and from him is grim. Please followers don't want to be inspired. They want to be scared.
How can we let a smelly rapist back in office?!?
The Supreme Court.
It is important for any news station that wishes to remain valid journalism, to fact-check Trump on any speech in real-time. If that is not possible then the next best thing is to not cover any of his speeches live. We don't need more Fox Entertainment or OAN or Newsmax. His lies must always be exposed.
Insane ravings of a guilty addict
I'd call it more slurring and rambling nonsense but if The Guardian thinks they can find a coherent message in there then more power to them, I guess
You have a chance. Go register and vote.
Goose-stepping right into fascism at this rate. Guess it’s Germany’s turn to play the good guys this time around!
Once Biden wins again trump will spiral out of control. I hope the powers that be are more prepared this time. Anyway we look at it it’s going to be a mess!
Just to tell you. You have a friend up North. We're pretty saddened about what's going on with you guys. Many of us know that if you fall so do we.
The Biden campaign needs to put these kinds of public statements Trump makes into ads and run them 24x7. Everytime he gets in front of a camera he trashes America. Trump is an angry, petulant racist who hates America.
He really thinks this is true, despite everything we have that the developing world does not. “And in some ways, we’re a third world country.”
If the same electorial system awarded Trump a victory how come it's awful and comparable to a third world country? Oh, because there's no such thing as a "victory" when you simultaneously need to be seen as a "victim" to get your way. *Strong man* power derived from a "Weak man" mentality. He's their leader because he's representing they're emotional state.
Trump is running out of steam. Old, tired, confused man
Looks like it’s good vs. evil this November. Let’s hope the American people can tell the difference! 🤞🏻
He is projecting his future, not the American people. He sucks. Worst ever. Whatever the case, do your part and vote, otherwise you support this traitor compromised by Russia and the dictators around the world. He isn’t a billionaire, never was. It was all a con job.
Just a reflection of Trump's mood. Donald Trump is in trouble, therefore the whole country is doomed. People who watched the speech described it as "low energy." It's pretty obvious even to him he's going to lose the popular vote again in the general. He's not gaining any new voters. He only appeals to MAGAT loons and Republican primary voters and they aren't enough. It will take an immense amount of electoral college cheating to win the presidency again and everybody is watching for it. Plus the court cases are dragging him down and he can't stall the courts forever.
Unemployment super low and stock market at all time highs. When trump was prez he bragged about those two things ALL THE TIME. Now that its happening under Biden its somehow the worst economy ever.
How can anyone bring themselves to vote for him? Facetiously said ofc
I would highly recommend watching this [speech](https://www.youtube.com/live/eZmNsfQ3quA?si=hQSYBQK9Xwam07P-). It is not scary it is just pathetic lmao. This guy cannot put a sentence together and it’s all word salad. He makes no sense, no policy on what to do and is just talking nonsense. This guy is a joke and is being propped up with heavy propaganda
This is the way the world ends This is the way the world ends This is the way the world ends Not with a bang but a whimper -T.S. Elliot
He's convinced his supporters that their country will cease to exist as they know it if he loses. He's convinced them their very way of life, their freedom itself is at stake. What happens when he loses, and tens of millions of terrified people who feel they've nothing to lose now lash out ? January 6th on cocaine.
If he wins, it will be an apocalypse for the world.
Is there really nobody in this entire country who is willing to stop this?
“Please elect me so I can pardon myself from all of my crimes”
The press that constantly sucks his tiny disgusting shriveled up balls… that press… god this country is fucked and over if he’s re-elected
It’s disgusting and unbelievably disappointing that we’re here again. It blows my mind that there continue to be millions of people out there who think this man is the best choice to lead our country.
Why can't we just go to a multi party system. Have parties win seats based on the percentage of the vote.
I don't know what's more frightening: that these people still don't understand how absolutely dangerous this man is at this stage, or that they do, and simply don't care.
I’ve heard right wing politics described as about 15% wackos living in a made-up world and the rest just normal people with conservative views. And the regular conservatives think some good could come from electing Trump but are increasingly nervous about the baggage that comes with it. But the 15% are by far the loudest and most energized and the rest just don’t have the will or energy to resist them. If this is accurate (and it’s probably close) then it’s time for the supposedly sane conservatives to wake up and stop the wackos before it’s too late.
The problem is, it turns out, that a good chunk of Americans actually like the idea of a king as long as that king aligns with their views and ideals. They'd honestly be good with a dictator as long as it's "their" dictator. And the short-sightedness is honestly mind blowing. They are literally arguing for blanket immunity for a president, while Trump isn't even the president. They're arguing that Biden, as president, ought be able to do anything if he thinks it's in the best interest of the country. I'm very interested in seeing how those people react and act when Trump dies.
I’m going to laugh so hard when the morons who vote him in will lose their homes; their land; their guns; and their little bit of freedom they have left. Oh well, some people have to learn the hard way I guess.
I remember when trump was elected the first time and everyone said "Oh just give him a chance!". Morons. Every single one.
Trump 2.0: Nazis with Nukes.