Infinite Chaos;@Evilroddy - I asked a similar(ish) question about the future for Democracy in the USA as several external political; commentators have suggested there is a real threat to Democracy. Answers are generally here
Is Trump dismantling American "democracy?"
I've put democracy in quotation marks as I have heard many Americans say America is not a democracy, it's a Republic. With that out of the way, how valid are the charges being laid by the two journalists in the program below? Disclaimer - they are British journalists, used to work at the BBC...debatepolitics.com
To be honest, I don't know how much people care. In another thread, this subject again came up today and the feeling is that this is not a new phenomenon and has been happening since FDR.
Does the US government have separation of powers?
Beginning under Bush, accelerating under Obama and culminating in Trump, the executive branch of the government has seized more power for itself. Now the legislature is rendered useless, and the judiciary toothless, can and should the government have separation of powers?debatepolitics.com
Personally, it appears like conversations to do with the UK first-past-the-post system - those making the plea for change are usually the supporters of the party not in power and those whose party are in power are perfectly happy with the situation even if it gets slightly worse each time a new politician is in power.
Maybe because I wasn't around for FDR but the wholly supine press and people arguing for Trump to have his portrait on Rushmore or a currency unit before he's even established any kind of positive legacy all feel different, that maybe this time - there really is something to worry about (as an American).
As a neutral - and not threatened by his moronic rolling of Greenland and Canada, it's popcorn time for the rest of us watching.
Most Americans didn’t believe the democrats prior to the election that Trump was a threat to democracy. They viewed that as nothing more than political campaign vote for me or my candidate rhetoric. Exit polls didn’t specify who was a threat to democracy. But they did show that 25% of all Americans thought our democracy as being secure, they went for Trump 49-48 over Harris. 73% thought our democracy was threatened, either by Trump and the republicans or by Harris and the democrats, they also went for Trump 50-48.To all Americans:
Do non-MAGA Americans not care about their futures and their republic/democracy? Are they frightened to defend their own liberties peacefully but publicly and with determination? Is it just apathy? Will the almost 250 year old republic die in its sleep of recoil from nightmares?
America is noy its political parties. America is its people and people by the tens of millions have peaceful political power which no state can resist. Why aren't the streets of America full of protesters and engaged citizens demanding that the US Administration respect the US constitution and the Rule of Law?
Protect yourselves from your would-be king and his junta now or lose all the liberties which you hold dear soon. But no violence, just mass and a political inertial mass which no government can withstand. Paralyze your country until the Administrative Branch is reined in and broken to the peoples' will once again.
Be well and be strong but peaceful
Evilroddy..
If you did some research you'd see that there are protests happening all over the USDo non-MAGA Americans not care about their futures and their republic/democracy? Are they frightened to defend their own liberties peacefully but publicly and with determination? Is it just apathy? Will the almost 250 year old republic die in its sleep of recoil from nightmares?
If this happened in Canada there would be a real threat of a mob burning our Parliamentary buildings for a third time!
I just don't get it.
Perotista:Most Americans didn’t believe the democrats prior to the election that Trump was a threat to democracy. They viewed that as nothing more than political campaign vote for me or my candidate rhetoric. Exit polls didn’t specify who was a threat to democracy. But they did show that 25% of all Americans thought our democracy as being secure, they went for Trump 49-48 over Harris. 73% thought our democracy was threatened, either by Trump and the republicans or by Harris and the democrats, they also went for Trump 50-48.
https://www.cnn.com/election/2024/exit-polls/national-results/general/president/0
What you had is about as many people who thought Trump was a threat to democracy was countered by those who thought the democrats were a threat to democracy by using the power of government to go after their political opponents, lawfare. Those who weren’t avid Trumpers or avid anti-Trumpers were and probably still split as to which party is the biggest threat to democracy. Hence no protest.
I'll give you a few reasons:To all Americans:
Do non-MAGA Americans not care about their futures and their republic/democracy? Are they frightened to defend their own liberties peacefully but publicly and with determination? Is it just apathy? Will the almost 250 year old republic die in its sleep of recoil from nightmares?
America is noy its political parties. America is its people and people by the tens of millions have peaceful political power which no state can resist. Why aren't the streets of America full of protesters and engaged citizens demanding that the US Administration respect the US constitution and the Rule of Law?
Protect yourselves from your would-be king and his junta now or lose all the liberties which you hold dear soon. But no violence, just mass and a political inertial mass which no government can withstand. Paralyze your country until the Administrative Branch is reined in and broken to the peoples' will once again.
Be well and be strong but peaceful
Evilroddy..
I think it's largely just a sense of disgust and exhaustion. I mean they are living in a nation which just voted a 34-count convicted felon, and known rapist, traitor, and grifter to the White House. That level of shock is just going to be paralyzing. What's a protest here and there going to do?To all Americans:
Do non-MAGA Americans not care about their futures and their republic/democracy? Are they frightened to defend their own liberties peacefully but publicly and with determination? Is it just apathy? Will the almost 250 year old republic die in its sleep of recoil from nightmares?
America is noy its political parties. America is its people and people by the tens of millions have peaceful political power which no state can resist. Why aren't the streets of America full of protesters and engaged citizens demanding that the US Administration respect the US constitution and the Rule of Law?
Protect yourselves from your would-be king and his junta now or lose all the liberties which you hold dear soon. But no violence, just mass and a political inertial mass which no government can withstand. Paralyze your country until the Administrative Branch is reined in and broken to the peoples' will once again.
Be well and be strong but peaceful
Evilroddy..
Luce:I'll give you a few reasons:
1. It doesn't work. All the Musk protestors are already being called terrorists.
Wear party masks or MAGA hats upside down over the face with eye holes cut into the top.2. It gets you into the facial recognition database, assuming you weren't there already.
One prison in El Salvador and one in Gitmo, millions of Americans - the math doesn't work.3. If you get too uppity, you might accidentally get mixed in with the people being sent to that gulag in El Salvador. Given that there is no due process in that process, a person here or there could get disappeared and nobody would ever know.
F... defeatism. Defeat the usurpers, not the usurped.4. The time to peacefully resist fascism was 2024. We failed. Now you watch your own neck, and the devil take the hindmost. Welcome to flaming toilet nation.
And nothing will happen.Luce:
Keep the protests peaceful and non violent and film every aspect of it.
Copper-based paint on the face works, too.Wear party masks or MAGA hats upside down over the face with eye holes cut into the top.
Yeah, they had the same exact problem at Treblinka and Dachau, but they found a work-around.One prison in El Salvador and one in Gitmo, millions of Americans - doesn't work.
It's worse. It's either enthusiasm for the bullshit, or utter indifference.F... defeatism. Defeat the usurpers, not the usurped.
So fear and a lack of courage on behalf of the American people? I don't believe it.
Do non-MAGA Americans not care about their futures and their republic/democracy? Are they frightened to defend their own liberties peacefully but publicly and with determination? Is it just apathy? Will the almost 250 year old republic die in its sleep of recoil from nightmares?
Why aren't non-MAGA Americans Organizing and Protesting Peacefully in the Streets Against Mr. Trump's Policies and Usurpation of the US Constitution?
Luce:And nothing will happen.
Copper-based paint on the face works, too.
Yeah, they had the same exact problem at Treblinka and Dachau, but they found a work-around.
It's worse. It's either enthusiasm for the bullshit, or utter indifference.
many people don't sincerely believe Trump is cheeto Hitler
There are two options right now.Luce:
The beginning of positive thinking. Baby steps! I have faith in you all. You will meet the challenge eventually and prevail.
Cheers and be well - safe is no longer an option.
Evilroddy.
noonereal:Americans are far to spoiled, stupid and in denial that "it can happen here."
There's also the fact that the opposition is unable to understand that the rules changed.It's a mixed bag.
Part of it is that many people don't sincerely believe Trump is cheeto Hitler. Another part is that many people don't truly identify with the 'nation' as a homeland, it's more a transactional marketplace or economic zone i.e. why people are so quick to talk about emigrating instead of staying and fighting like Washington. This is probably a consequence of globalism, but also likely a consequence of rootless liberal capitalism.
The last piece is that in order for liberal democracy to challenge Trumpian populism, it would require them to understand the Schmittian state of exception. In other words, they would need to be illiberal in order to halt illiberal challenges to democracy. This is a fundamental contradiction in liberal democracy, its institutions are always going to be vulnerable to demagoguery the moment a consensus politic dissolves.
Luce:There are two options right now.
1. Meekly acquiesce to fascism, or
2. The option that involves molotov cocktails and bodies all over the place.
Those are the two remaining choices. There is no recourse to law, and *peaceful* demonstrations do nothing at all, and haven't since the 60s/70s.
What makes you think they aren't already doing things?To all Americans:
Do non-MAGA Americans not care about their futures and their republic/democracy? Are they frightened to defend their own liberties peacefully but publicly and with determination? Is it just apathy? Will the almost 250 year old republic die in its sleep of recoil from nightmares?
America is noy its political parties. America is its people and people by the tens of millions have peaceful political power which no state can resist. Why aren't the streets of America full of protesters and engaged citizens demanding that the US Administration respect the US constitution and the Rule of Law?
Protect yourselves from your would-be king and his junta now or lose all the liberties which you hold dear soon. But no violence, just mass and a political inertial mass which no government can withstand. Paralyze your country until the Administrative Branch is reined in and broken to the peoples' will once again.
Be well and be strong but peaceful
Evilroddy..
What makes you think they're non-MAGA?What makes you think they aren't already doing things?
I mean, haven't you heard about all the non-MAGA people flooding and disrupting Republican politician's townhalls?
That’s the Winston Churchill in you speaking; Americans will do the right thing after they have exhausted all other options, (paraphrasing here.)Luce:
The beginning of positive thinking. Baby steps! I have faith in you all. You will meet the challenge eventually and prevail.
Cheers and be well - safe is no longer an option.
Evilroddy.
There's also the fact that the opposition is unable to understand that the rules changed.
That world actually existed to some degree from 1972 to 1992, but that was a long, long time ago.True, but this is in part due to the fact that the opposition is so naive that they cannot imagine a world outside of the rules based order they made up in their fairytale book.
Yeah, well...Lots of people make fun of Libertarians, but what liberals do today with Trump is literally no different from the Libertarian screeching "B-but the non-aggression principle!" as a brown shirt stomps his head into the curb.
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