“Republicans would never go that far”? Hold their beer, “I love beer!”
We in big trouble.
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You think the Republican war on democracy is bad now? Just imagine what it would be like if Trump won: https://t.co/ogHG88jwDa— Paul Waldman (@paulwaldman1) September 24, 2020
With the Supreme Court soon to have a 6-3 conservative majority even though Republicans have lost the popular vote in 6 out of the last 7 presidential elections, Trump could again win the presidency despite being rejected by a majority of voters. Republicans might cling to their Senate majority even as millions more Americans vote to be represented by Democrats.
[…]
Which would mean mobilizing all three branches of the federal government to fortify minority rule, a wide-spectrum attack on democracy in order to maintain Republican power in a country that with each passing day is less likely to support it.
It will require creativity and commitment, to make the attack on democracy not just defensive but offensive. They could pass an Anti-Voting Rights Act to make voter suppression easier across the country. The Justice Department, which under William P. Barr has already become Trump’s personal law firm, will devote itself to investigating elected Democrats — including potential 2024 presidential candidates.
The Supreme Court will join the effort,striking downnonpartisan redistricting commissions, gutting campaign finance laws to increase the influence of plutocrats over our elections, and perhaps evenvalidatingTrump’s move to exclude undocumented immigrants from Census counts used to determine congressional representation. State suppression laws like the notorious one in North Carolina thatan appeals court saidtargeted African-Americans “with almost surgical precision” could get the thumbs-up.
Does this sound far fetched? By now the question is absurd. Ask yourself this: Is there any action you can think of, perhaps outside of literally dropping nuclear bombs on cities where Democrats live, about which you could say “Republicans would never gothatfar”?
If they win this year, more than ever before, democracy will be their enemy. And the more threatened and desperate they feel, the farther they’ll go to destroy it.
Donald J. Trump: “Get rid of the ballots and you’ll have a very — we’ll have a very peaceful — there won’t be a transfer frankly, there’ll be a continuation.”
Those are not the words of an American President. They are the words of the First American Dictator.
Trump isn't merely refusing to say he'd respect the transfer of power. He's flatly declaring that he will try to *thwart* the transfer of power by any means necessary, even if he legitimately loses. He's putting that into operation right now. New piece:https://t.co/CGF0Rw0WjR
WhatI found is thatapproximately 18 percent of Americans are highly disposed to authoritarianism, according to their answers to four simple survey questions used by social scientists to estimate this disposition. A further 23 percent or so are just one step below them on the authoritarian scale. This roughly 40 percent of Americans tend to favor authority, obedience and uniformity over freedom, independence and diversity.
This group isn’t a monolith, and these findings don’t mean that 4 in 10 Americans prefer dictatorship to democracy. Authoritarianism is best understood not as a policy preference, the way we talk about lower taxes or strong defense, but rather as a worldview that can be “activated” in the right historical moment by anyone with a big enough megaphone who is willing to play on voters’ fears and insecurities.
When activated by fear, authoritarian-leaning Americans are predisposed to trade civil liberties for strongman solutions to secure law and order; and they are ready to strip civil liberties from those defined as the “other”—a far cry from the image of America as a country built on a shared commitment to liberty and democratic governance.
Let’s be clear what’s happening: @realDonaldTrump wants Republicans to vote by mail but if Democrats try to, we should “get rid of the ballots.” https://t.co/pDmdJRiOjZ— American Bridge 21st Century (@American_Bridge) September 24, 2020
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For the first 3 or so years of Trump's term there was certain mode of analysis fairly common among self-styled savvy centrists, #Resistance averse leftists, and tons of conservatives that basically held that everyone freaking out about Trump was being overwrought and hysterical.
The argument went, look, yes, he's a jerk and says crazy stuff, but the country is basically not that changed: unemployment is low, daily life continues as normal, there aren't tanks in the streets. You libs have lost your minds, obsessing over Russia and each new scandal, etc
Now, the counter argument was: look at the incompetence and cruelty on display in the aftermath of hurricane Maria, and the mass child abuse of child separation, and the vicious racism. Look at how far he is willing to go for power, whether in 2016, or in the Ukraine affair.
The argument always was: this man is so wildly unfit and so evil in disposition, that putting him in the most powerful position on earth *cannot help* but cause horrible ruin and danger for Americans and America.
Now look where we are: there are 205,000 dead Americans, and a thousand more every day. 7 million have been sickened, tens of million of work. His own task force staffer has come forward to say he does not care about those deaths and thinks his own supporters are “disgusting.”
The president is directly threatening violence to stay in power and working every day to undermine both the legitimacy of the vote and the administration of free and fair elections. With either explicit or tacit collaboration from the entire institutional Republican party.
AND YET!!! You stil see this savvy, arm's length mode of analysis across the spectrum.
“Oh calm down libs, is it really so bad?”
MORE AMERICANS HAVE DIED IN THE LAST SIX MONTHS THAN DURING ANY SIX MONTH PERIOD IN A HUNDRED YEARS.
YES IT'S THAT BAD. WAKE THE HELL UP.
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If Biden is ahead in Iowa this thing is an effing blowout
The suit, filed on Thursday in State Supreme Court in Manhattan, accused President Trump, his sister Maryanne Trump Barry and their brother Robert Trump of fraud and civil conspiracy.
“Now we know the disease. It affects elderly people with heart problems and other problems. But it affects virtually nobody.” —@realDonaldTrump 9/22/20
