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[Frank D. Lincoln]

This message was self-deleted by its author (Frank D. Lincoln) on Tue Feb 4, 2025, 06:18 PM. When the original post in a discussion thread is self-deleted, the entire discussion thread is automatically locked so new replies cannot be posted.

[CurtEastPoint]

1. Acting like? No acting involved. He's fucking lost it.

[Frank D. Lincoln]

2. Agreed! nt

[bucolic_frolic]

3. Totally agree. Some EOs even seem unconstitutional.

He wrote an EO contradicting SCOTUS ruling that banned TikTok.

Hate to raise the word, but it is not an official act to sign EOs that destroy the Constitution or SCOTUS rulings. That is not the way things work.

[TBF]

25. "seem"? Check out the birthright one. He doesn't care

at all. And neither do Musk and the rest of them. They are bullies and are going to push it as far as they can.

[travelingthrulife]

95. It's also not an official act to provoke an insurrection but here we are.

[Silent Type]

4. Just in time for mid-terms gearing up in fall. Hope GOPers in Congress get worried.

[Frank D. Lincoln]

11. The silver lining.

Trump's madness could lead to the biggest Republican wipe out in history in 2026.

But then again, if Trump is able to consolidate his power, will the mid-term elections even matter?

It's hard to predict how this is going to go.

[CentralMass]

12. What did we just witness during this election along with its outcome

[chicoescuela]

31. Mid term elections? Ha. I'll believe that when I'm allowed to vote

[yellow dahlia]

51. Right. Who thinks they are giving up control?

Not me.

[William Gustafson]

98. yes....

they are run by the states, where he has no power to stop them...

[kerouac2]

5. Look at the video someone posted

With the guy showing trumpers the video of musk doing Nazi salute. They don't care. They laughed. Most of this stuff doesn't matter to them. Like Ukraine. They don't even know what dei stands for and they opposed it vehemently. You cannot rely on his voters for anything. Jack squat.

[Frank D. Lincoln]

17. Trump voters are not a monolith. Many are sane but uninformed. nt

[Walleye]

76. But they have invested too much of themselves in supporting the madman to turn back now

[Frank D. Lincoln]

81. That's probably true for some of them but not all of them.

In the last analysis, we'll have to wait to see how things unfold.

In the meantime, we need to prepare for what's coming as best we can.

It's probably not a bad idea to stock up on canned goods and other grocery essentials.

Also, becoming much more frugal in general with our spending is probably also a good idea.

Opening up a foreign bank account and moving most of our savings there might be a good way to protect ourselves if/when they get rid of FDIC, etc.

I'd say that it would be a good idea for Latinos and dark-toned U.S. citizens to make sure they always carry their proof of citizenship on them.

So forth and so on.

[bdamomma]

48. They may have

to be left out of the equation because of their own ignorance. But when they see themselves being hurt or safety nets taken away from them, and living in poverty may wake them the hell up. Or even deny that they voted for him.

[Straw Man]

101. Here's something that might be fun.

They don't even know what dei stands for and they opposed it vehemently.

Send an e-mail to the Stasi-like rat-line at the Office of Personnel Management where you're supposed to report stealth DEI efforts and tell them you heard about this new conspiracy that some federal employees are involved in. It's call Opus Dei ...

[Irish_Dem]

6. Some of his cult may peel away. Others may double or triple down.

This is according to cult research.

But we are seeing a cult in such large numbers and totally immersed in the propaganda,
I don't know how things will unfold.

[Frank D. Lincoln]

16. What will wake them up FAST is pocketbook issues.

The effects of the tariffs.

The sharp rise in food prices because of the mass deportations.

Runaway inflation.

Cuts to the social safety net.

The end of the FDIC and other important U.S. government agencies that protect Americans' financial and consumer interests.

The loss of overtime pay.

And more.

Trump supporters are in for a lot of pain along with the rest of us.

Plus, a lot of Trump's voters aren't cult members. A great many are just low-information voters who were easily deceived. I personally have known a lot of people who fit that profile.

[Irish_Dem]

20. I don't know, I am hearing Magas already blaming Dems for any problems.

If SS and Medicare gets cut, it is the Dems' fault somehow.
They should have stopped the cuts, etc.

Frank, you are thinking like a rational person, cause and effect, rationality, etc.

But these people have lost all sense of reason.
They sound crazy when you talk to them.

I agree that at some point you could be quite correct.
But it may take some time.

[Frank D. Lincoln]

33. Irish_Dem, I understand what you're saying. I agree up to a point.

Bear in mind that if you've been exposed to too many of the crazies, that's going to skew your perception.

Let me briefly summarize my own personal experiences with right-wingers.

The vast majority of them I would describe as sane, non-cult members who just vote Republican. They've just always been politically biased toward the right.

Of the ones that I would describe as crazy Trump cult members that are completely beyond reason, I've met exactly two people that would fall into that category. Of those two, one of them turned against Trump over a year ago.

I'm pretty sure that millions of sane, normal, rational Americans voted for Trump because they were fooled by those slick TV ads paid for by Elon Musk that made Trump and his policies seem like the greatest thing since sliced bread. These are low-information voters who fell for it. I'd wager that millions and millions of Americans fall into this group.

Yes, there will always be people who'll blame Democrats for bad things that Trump causes, but Trump has gone so completely over-the-top insane with his outrageous executive orders and other extreme actions that I think a great many low-information voters are going to wake up and turn against him.

Irish_Dem, I understand that you didn't state otherwise, but keep in mind that my OP didn't mention anything about future elections. Even if most Americans turn against Trump, it might not matter just as it doesn't matter if most Russians are against Putin.

[yellow dahlia]

52. They have been trained to blame Dems.

[Frank D. Lincoln]

19. Not all Trump voters are cult members. Many aren't.

Possibly millions aren't.

[Irish_Dem]

26. Yes, others are hate filled racists and bigots.

The thing you have to understand about them is that they don't care about any of the other issues at all.
Price of eggs, economy, housing, etc.

All they want is someone who will hate the same people they hate.

So if the US tanks, that is OK with them. As long as Trump gives these hate filled performances,
they are fine.

Also some of the Trump voters are rich. They have some immunity from a bad economy and
may in fact benefit from it.

Another factor is that the GOP voter opinion may not matter at all.
Trump will make sure the next election is rigged again.
He doesn't need voter approval at all.

But the time his followers realize any of the bad news it may be too late.

I have been following politics and psychology for a very long time.
And I am not sure how all of this will unfold.

[Maru Kitteh]

38. "All they want is someone who will hate the same people they hate." BINGO.

That’s it in a nutshell. They will hang their “fight fight fight” flag from a tar=paper lean-to and die from exposure with pride in their cold, dead hearts knowing their Gawd has oficcially sanctioned them as the Real True Americans, and the bad brown people and wimmin have been put back in their place.

[Irish_Dem]

72. I agree, their hatred and venom is a hill they are willing to die on.

[yellow dahlia]

57. There are many combinations of variables that make up those who voted for the grifter.

One of the key elements of the brainwashing, that has claimed so many, is their willingness to be convinced to hate the Left and Dems.

It boggles the brain.

[Irish_Dem]

71. Yes the cult may be made of various subgroups.

And there may be other Trump voters who do not fit the cult definition.

There is much needed research on this phenomenon.

[ITAL]

7. Not sure we're even gonna have elections

So what does he care.

[Frank D. Lincoln]

35. My OP didn't say anything about elections.

My only point is that I think Trump is going to end up turning most of America against him. Whether or not that matters remains to be seen.

[doc03]

8. Do you know any MAGAs? The ones I know find an excuse to

back Trump so far, no matter how outrages. They are fine with letting the J6ers out. They were fine with
with his trans gender EO. Muskrat's Nazi salute was OK. Like he said he could literally shoot someone on
live nationwide TV and they would deserve it. As long as he doesn't arrest people for wearing a MAGA hat fine.

[Frank D. Lincoln]

27. Not all Trump voters are MAGA.

But even MAGA are going to be hurting bad once the full impact of Trump's destructive policies are felt.

There's a good chance that some (many?) MAGA will end up turning against Trump, despite how crazed they are now.

To put it bluntly, if many MAGA end up broke and homeless, then that might cause them to question their loyalty to Trump.

[bdamomma]

49. I agree

with this sentence.

To put it bluntly, if many MAGA end up broke and homeless, then that might cause them to question their loyalty to Trump.

[Traildogbob]

9. Russia HAS

Elections. So just having them means squat when they control the outcomes, or even who they allow to vote.

[Frank D. Lincoln]

37. My OP said nothing about elections.

I just said that I think Trump will end up turning most of America against him. Whether or not that matters remains to be seen. But I wasn't thinking about elections when I wrote the OP.

[Traildogbob]

40. Was directed to post number 4

Not your origin post. I should have tapped it directly to respond to number 4.
I for one have little confidence 2 years will gives us an out. Midterms may be for show only.

[Frank D. Lincoln]

46. Oh, I see.

Regarding mid-terms, I do share your concern.

[madaboutharry]

10. Wait until the reversal of the $35.00 cap on insulin goes into effect.

Somewhere north of 35 million Americans are diabetic. They are now paying $35 a month for insulin. Trump, in his twisted mind thinking he needs to do away with every single thing Joe Biden did, swept that away last night in an executive order. All those people, depending on their insurance, will soon be paying more. Some will be paying much more.
Will they say that they didn't think he really meant it even though he made it clear that he did?

I hope there is a blow out two years from now and that Trump is stuck with a House and Senate that just lets the clock run out on his presidency. A stalemate in Washington is the best we can hope for. And if there are any openings on the SC during that time I hope that the democrats apply The McConnell Rule, which goes something like this: "Sucks to be you!"

[harmsc12]

13. Mighty optimistic take, bruh.

Hah. You've got more faith in humanity than I do. Never underestimate the power of cult thinking. His supporters will stay on the boat as it sinks, while insisting the holes he keeps shooting into the hull will make it go faster.

[GP6971]

39. Back again I see.

[yellow dahlia]

58. And blaming the Dems for the holes.

[Blue_Roses]

103. Yep

Welcome to DU

[Arazi]

14. lol, nope. It's a cult

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

15. But he will still be President.

[osteopath6]

21. We won't win every election

Never have and never will. The best we can do is present a factually better alternative, which only gets easier with each blunder.

So far has been mild, I'm saving my energy for real controversies. I'm not going to jump at every pre-planned ambiguous outrage generating event one of them stages.

The good news is our politics do work. Not neoliberalism or pro-war, of course not. But our economic and social policies, those are tested globally and they work. Under Clinton we had peace and prosperity, innovation was booming. We did that. Despite ridiculous obstruction, we the Democratic party did THAT!

[osteopath6]

18. Yep!

This.

Obstructing and the same business as usual isn't going to get us anywhere. To win, we must debunk. And to do that, people have to see their solutions aren't going to work.

Or maybe they will and I'll eat my words. I can live with being wrong. Eaten crow before 🤷‍♀️

Allegheny Democrats are fundraising, quietly reinforcing our people when they need it and preparing for the midterms. Don't get hung up on this one blip. Four years go by fast, two even quicker.

We got this

[LogDog75]

22. He knows what and why he's doing

We all know Trump doesn't give a damm about us or those who voted for him. He is the president of the Oligarchy of America and he's going to do everything he can to bleed this country dry until he and his billionaire oligarchs become even richer. The EOs he's issuing are being done early one reason.

Whenever a new president, governor, or company leader takes charge, they initiate change early and fast. The reason for this is to get the controversial issues done early and to set the new policies in stone. By the time the next election rolls around, most of the electorate will have forgotten what was done.

With half the country opposing him, we Democrats need to keep educating the American public as to what he's doing. We can't do anything about the results of the 2024 election but we do have the mid-terms coming up in 2 years and we need to pressure republican elected leaders to publicly state they either endorse or oppose Trump's policies. Don't stop telling voters who really supports them and who has been screwing them over.

[brettdale]

23. NO THEY WONT

Thanks to media, like Faux, its wall to wall, "BIDEN CRIME FAMILY"

We have moved on from Clinton Did it, Obama did it, now its Biden did it.

[surfered]

24. I don't think he cares. He got elected and that's all he wanted. He doesn't face reelection and may not leave office.

[bdamomma]

53. He's not in good health

and it's a matter of time that he has some sort of health issue. Plus, it seems like he's going heavy with the make up.

[Lonestarblue]

28. He sees himself as above the law and can do any damn thing he wants. He has immunity.

[dwayneb]

79. He is above the law - the SCOTUS decided that

The rule of law in this country is more or less a fiction. It only applies to serfs.

[IzzaNuDay]

29. If folks weren't paying attention and still voted for him

Then they should spare their outrage and STFU.

[mucifer]

30. Yeah, I thought that in 2016. Look where we are now.

[Frank D. Lincoln]

43. My OP didn't say anything about elections.

I wasn't thinking about elections when I wrote the OP.

I just said I think Trump is going to turn most Americans against him. Full stop.

[Dan]

32. That is why control of the media is so important.

The MSM plus the other means of mass communication will inform the public of what is or is not happening.

X, Twitter, Tic-Tok, Facebook, etc., will tell the story and maybe the story will be that everything is rosy going according to plan.

Sad to say the least.

[Maru Kitteh]

34. Really? I just watched an interview of a man who said outright he will lose everything if tariffs

go forward. He said it directly, himself. He will lose a fairly large business with a couple hundred employees. GUESS WHO HE SUPPORTS.

Few will leave him, in the next 4 years, we can only hope it’s enough.

[keithbvadu2]

36. He does not care now. He got the WH. He has the big money behind him. Soros is petty cash.

[Polybius]

41. I just asked a coworker who voted for him

She's loving him more than ever. They seem to be loving this.

[Norbert]

42. I'm sorry. I think they will be back.

Remember, 01/06/2021 was appalling before it looked like a group of tourists.

[Docreed2003]

44. That might be true, if people were actually paying attention

Sadly, I don't think they are and I don't think they will care, until something he does affects them directly. But then it will be too late

[Frank D. Lincoln]

45. Here's what's going to make a difference in terms of American sentiment.

Before January 20, 2025, we lived in a democracy. Flawed though it was, it was a democracy.

We used to have U.S. presidents, some good, some bad.

Now, for the first time in U.S. history, we've entered an autocracy that could swiftly devolve into a brutal fascist dictatorship with the U.S. military cracking down on American citizens.

Trump could also lead us into a recession. He might even eventually lead us into World War III.

Remember all of those threads proclaiming that Trump voters will "F**k Around and Find Out?"

My OP wasn't about elections. It was just my speculation that the majority of the country will turn against Trump because of his destructive policies and other extreme actions.

[bdamomma]

47. Not only

Americans, but other countries too, will see him for what he is. I see him making many enemies, foreign and domestic.

[2naSalit]

50. The sooner the better.

[patphil]

54. Works for me.

There are millions of birthright citizens who fall into the category of people Trump wants to strip of their citizenship and deport. Some of them have been in the country for quite a long time; long enough to have grandchildren.
But then, he sees these people as not being true Americans. In actuality, this is just plain racism; ugly, vicious racism.

[CanonRay]

55. If January 6th didnt stop people from voting for him

I doubt any of this will.

[Frank D. Lincoln]

63. Once again, my OP said nothing about elections. I wasn't alluding to elections. nt

[Arazi]

80. You keep saying that but the election is a measure of his support that's self evident

People still support him now despite the already awful stuff he’s already done.

We know this because he was just elected.

And (most?) of the folks who elected him also know what’s he’s going to do in the future/now because he promised this shitty stuff many many times on the campaign trail.

•Free J6 prisoners
•Mass deportations including American children, TSP residents etc
•The creation of DOGE and empowering oligarchs
•Erase trans people and denigrate the gay community
•Seize Greenland and antagonize/dissolve our relationship with NATO
•Withdraw from international climate and health organizations

Etc etc etc

They’re perfectly ok with all of that

[Frank D. Lincoln]

83. I keep saying it because it's true. I wasn't thinking of elections when I wrote the OP.

And as I've said repeatedly now, Trump voters are not a monolith.

The reasons they voted for Trump varies from one person to the next. But many of them were single-issue voters.

Some (could have been millions) voted for him purely because they didn't want a black female president. That doesn't mean they're on board with all of the crazy stuff. They just voted based on that one issue (meaning, they were driven by racism and sexism).

Some voted for Trump because they (foolishly) thought he'd bring down food prices. They were struggling to make ends meet and (foolishly) thought Trump would help.

Some are tribal and have voted Republican all of their lives and would never consider voting for a Democrat no matter what.

Millions of them were deceived by those slick TV ads funded by Elon Musk that made Trump seem like a normal presidential candidate and that promised people a lot of good things they wanted to hear (for example, the promise of no more taxes on tips, no more taxes on Social
Security, etc.). This group includes the millions of low-information voters that don't follow politics.

Etc.

And yes, there are also millions of them who are just as you described and fully support Trump no matter what he says and does. Those are the bigoted, racist, misogynistic, homophobic, xenophobic, unpatriotic Trump cult members who are also sociopaths. Most of the Trump voters I know are not cult members. But they're in for a lot of pain like the rest of us.

[yaesu]

56. I doubt it because the majority of americans are dumb as fuck according to the last election nt

[Ferrets are Cool]

59. It wont matter when he declares martial law.

[Frank D. Lincoln]

64. I fear Trump's going to do that sooner or later.

Even if he doesn't, I fear he's going to seek and get a third presidential term.

[Astraea]

60. My fear is that...

if this happens, if enough people turn on him, he'll go full-on fascist. As it is, it looks like he wants to target the people who didn't vote for him or figures who publicly opposed him. When he gets to the point that he suspects EVERYONE of not being loyal enough, when no-one is safe, the steps that could be taken could be quite severe, and violent. Not just for us, but for the whole population.

Or maybe he's just a lazy tyrant who just wants to play president, soak in the glory, play golf, and just fuck off and mostly leave people alone.

I am a pessimist.

[JI7]

61. He isn't doing anything that we didn't expect

by "we" I mean those that paid attention to what he has said and done.

[Frank D. Lincoln]

66. Agreed. I'm not surprised by anything Trump has done since his inauguration.

Prior to the 2024 election, Trump and his allies announced their intentions over and over again.

Project 2025 and Agenda47 openly laid out in detail what would happen if Trump won.

Anyone who read the Wikipedia article on Project 2025 got a detailed glimpse of what would happen if Trump won.

Plus, for those of us who paid attention to what Trump tried to do in his first term and failed but is doing now, are not surprised.

However, what couldn't be known in advance are the unpublished parts of the 180-day playbook of Project 2025. There's no telling what that will involve.

[Mariana]

62. His disastrous Covid-19 policies should have turned his supporters against him.

Don't you remember the knots they twisted themselves into in order to avoid blaming him for anything bad that happened? He lost very little if any support from his voters because of that. I don't know why you think this time it will be different.

[Frank D. Lincoln]

67. Because.

1. Because we're shifting from democracy to autocracy.

2. Because we're shifting from having a U.S. president to having a tyrant.

3. Because future elections might be fixed like in Russia.

4. Because the U.S. military will likely be used to quell dissent.

5. Because Project 2025 and Agenda47 are being implemented to the max and Project 2025 is deeply unpopular with the American people.

6. Because the tariffs and the mass deportations could dramatically drive up prices and sharply increase the cost of living.

7. Because Trump might cause us to go into a recession.

8. Because Trump might start building concentration camps.

9. Because Trump's expansionist threats might lead to war.

10. Because Trump setting up Ukraine to fall might enable Putin to defeat them and then he might go after other neighboring countries in Europe which could potentially lead to World War III.

The list goes on and on.

At some point people are going to wake up. But by then, it's going to be too late, unfortunately.

[Tickle]

65. His followers are loving this.

It's been two days and he's doing everything he promised. If you watched any of his rallies, Trump said he would do these things and the crowds would go wild 😜.

[Frank D. Lincoln]

68. They're happy now, but they won't be later after Trump is done destroying the country.

Just give it time. You'll see.

[Tickle]

69. 500 billion AI investment in US

That's good news, right?

[Patton French]

70. Not likely.

Everything he’s doing he said he was going to do. Opposition needs to unite and be strong.

[DFW]

73. It won't happen

The cult has advanced to the point where even the Trumpanzees will shake the hands of the members of their own firing squad and bless the bullets about to be fired into them. Rational thinking has fled. One plus one only equals two if Trump and Fox Noise say so.

[hamsterjill]

75. Thank you!

The naïveté that some still have about Trump and his followers astounds me. Did we not learn anything the past eight years? His followers will never admit that they were duped.

Your post says it so very well!

[Frank D. Lincoln]

85. NONE of us can predict the future. We can only speculate.

Only time will tell how things play out.

My speculation is that Trump will end up turning most Americans against him including a majority of the people who voted for him.

But it's only two days after his inauguration.

Let's see how Trump voters feel a year from now.

[DFW]

97. We won't have to wait that long.

Trump's concern is not, and has never been those people who voted for him. His concern is being shown to have won--how is immaterial. What, at age 78, he thinks he has to prove, beyond satisfying his ego, is beyond me. Unless, that is, that he can somehow return to legitimate solvency before departing this world. I think the only legacy he really cares about is not going down in history as a deadbeat. If anyone really believes he has raised $50 billion with his Mickey Mouse crypto scheme, they probably believe Hostess Twinkies are organic health food as well. His followers have $50 billion to burn, but can't afford a $2 increase in the price of a dozen eggs?

Trump voters will feel exactly the same way a year from now that they feel now: Trump is some kind of improbable Messiah who can do no wrong. Everything that does go wrong is the fault of Democrats and liberals, and if what comes out of his mouth is incomprehensible, that is only because those listening are intellectually incapable of interpreting the words of God.

[Frank D. Lincoln]

102. I'll say it once more. No one can predict the future. We can only speculate.

You can't predict with certainty how Trump voters are going to feel about him a year from now, nor can I.

We can only speculate.

You have your opinion, I have mine. We happen to disagree. That's fine.

Can we just agree to disagree?

There's no point going back and forth trying to win an argument, especially while Trump is on a rampage burning down his own country.

At this point it feels like we're all doomed if both Republicans and Democrats in U.S. Congress don't impeach, convict, and remove Trump from power (and then put JD Vance on notice if he doesn't immediately undo what Trump has been doing). Sometimes I really do feel, with a very few exceptions among Democrats, that Washington politicians are against us.

We're less than five days into Trump 2.0 and it already feels like a dystopian nightmare.

DFW, I wish you and your loved ones well and hope that you'll be okay as the tyrant that is Donald Trump tries to destroy us all.

[helpisontheway]

74. It does not matter. Not a damn thing they can do about it. The time was Election Day and they failed. Nt

[Frank D. Lincoln]

87. My OP didn't mention elections. I wasn't talking about elections. nt

[AkFemDem]

77. People may loathe him but they will approve of his changes anyway....

Don't underestimate the support for his initiatives in some areas including immigration. People will look aside for a lot if they feel like their primary concerns are being met.

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/18/us/politics/trump-policies-immigration-tariffs-economy.html

Some snips-

"Many Americans who otherwise dislike President-elect Donald J. Trump share his bleak assessment of the country’s problems and support some of his most contentious prescriptions to fix them, according to a new poll from The New York Times and Ipsos."

"A vast majority of Americans — 87 percent — support deporting undocumented immigrants with a criminal record, which Mr. Trump has said would be one of the first orders of business he carries out."

"Nearly two-thirds of all Americans — including 54 percent of Hispanics and 44 percent of Democrats — support deporting people who entered the country illegally during the last four years of the Biden administration, after it reversed many of Mr. Trump’s immigration restrictions from his first term. In that time, legal and illegal immigration soared to the highest levels in U.S. history."

" just 18 percent of Americans believe transgender female athletes — those who were male at birth — should be allowed to compete in women’s sports. Nearly 80 percent say they should not."

[Frank D. Lincoln]

94. Regarding immigration,

I think even most DUers (myself included) were of the opinion that something needed to be done about immigration and the southern border. I think it's safe to say that Americans across the political spectrum were in agreement that something needed to be done.

Remember that immigration bill that had strong bilateral support that Biden would have signed into law had that bill not been blocked by Trump?

Dems and Repubs were trying to address the problem in a way that would have made sense and not been draconian or inhumane.

[Bluetus]

78. Stop this wishful thinking.

The only way we defeat the Republicans is by bringing forth candidates who will present bold ideas, stated very clearly in terms the average dopes will understand, and fight like hell for those ideas.

Democrats have brought forth exactly zero bold ideas since the Apollo program and Great Society. And we have steadily been losing support with the public that entire time. We've had a few victories with some charismatica orators (Obama and Clinton) who said nothing not looked and sounded great doing it.

ENOUGH! We won't win a governing majority until we insist on candidates that actually stand and fight -- and communicate relentlessly for things that the people want and that will heavily benefit the average people instead of the billionaires. Basically, what FDR did. It isn't complicated. Just do what FDR did. THere is a vacuum that the fascists have filled. Most Americans are not thrilled with the fascists, but we have to give them something to be for. We can't just make our message "We don't have any ideas, but we'll tell you what we hate." That is a loser.

Given how quickly all the Republicans and a disturbing number of Democrats have fallen in line with the fascists, I'm not very optimistic this will happen absent a complete collapse of our system.

[dwayneb]

82. Dead on but

The challenge is finding those candidates. The reality is that intelligent gifted charismatic people have zero interest in entering US politics. They take their talents elsewhere.

[Bluetus]

92. I am sure you are correct. But that tells us

we need to push for changes in the attitudes within the Party from top to bottom. This has become a party of processes, not a party of ideas. They don't just give blank stares to bold ideas, they actively fight bold ideas. And THAT is why there aren't many who will enter the arena. Say what you want about Bernie, but he is one of the few who will say bold ideas out loud. And it isn't as if these are radical ideas. Bernie has simply asked why we cannot have some of the same things that virtually all western democracies have. Yet he is pummeled relentlessly by the process people that control the party.

[Frank D. Lincoln]

88. It's not wishful thinking. My OP wasn't talking about elections. You read that into it. nt

Last edited Wed Jan 22, 2025, 11:44 AM - Edit history (1)

[Hotler]

84. The orange one is a reflection of his voters. All they care about is hate and cruel punishment of Dems & Libs. nt

[City Lights]

86. I'm not nearly as optimistic as you are.

Unfortunately, most of his cult will continue to live within the bubble of whatever X, Facebook, Fox, Newsmax, OANN, et. al. tells them. They still won't know what is actually happening. The economy is great! Immigration is under control! Bird flu is just another liberal hoax! America became great the moment he was sworn in!

[Frank D. Lincoln]

89. I'm pessimistic, not optimistic.

In my opinion, our democracy is finished.

I think Trump is going to consolidate his power and we're going to end up with a brutal fascist dictatorship.

I think the Posse Comitatus Act is going bye-bye and that the U.S. military will be used on U.S. soil to quell dissent.

I think there's a real chance that Trump at some point will declare martial law.

I think Trump is going to seek and get a third presidential term, despite that being against the 22nd Amendment.

I think Trump will withdraw the U.S. from NATO sooner or later.

If Ukraine falls to Putin I think he'll be emboldened to invade more neighboring European countries.

I think when all is said and done we might end up in World War III with the possibility of global thermonuclear war.

So, no, I'm not an optimist.

[City Lights]

105. I was referring to having most of the nation turn on him.

I'm not as optimistic about that happening as you are.

[Frank D. Lincoln]

107. Only time will tell.

Either way we're in a great deal of trouble.

[themaguffin]

90. Yes, but not the cult which is still bigger than it should be.

[sarisataka]

91. I find it odd people still believe this

How many times has he done/said this, that or the other thing and it was proclaimed "This will turn Americans against him"?

It hasn't happened. It isn't going to happen.

[betsuni]

99. I agree.

Saw clip of a senator very angry and surprised that Trump isn't a working class populist savior, same one who constantly accuses Democrats of ignoring the working class and being corrupt. A lot of people live on their own planet! They don't listen and won't change. Maybe a few.

[Ursus Rex]

93. Sounds like a rebellion may be afoot, or should I say "Insurrection"?

Time to declare martial law to protect the Homeland!

[Hassler]

96. A plurality of voters are assholes, gullible morons or enablers

Getting them to do the right thing in '26 is an open question.

[nolabear]

100. It's going to take decades to recover.

We’re losing ground every day as he guts our most important institution in health, foreign relations, human rights, things the rest of the world will continue to advance. Let’s just hope we can regain their trust and work with them again.

[taxi]

104. That is the most damaging.

It takes a moment and an Executive Order to undo the years of effort to build. Without the infrastructure and the budgets in place the process starts again. They are no different than the bastards kicking over sandcastles at a beach.

[karynnj]

106. My guess is that he prefers the power to bully

He will simply say, even if the truth is that he isn't, that he is the most well loved President ever.

[GaYellowDawg]

108. It doesn't matter.

Maybe he'll turn the majority of America against him, maybe not. The billionaires control such an outsized proportion of traditional and nontraditional media that they may find a way to pin it all on Democrats or the target of their choice.

If they don't pin it on someone else, and Trump gets the blame, he still won't give a fuck. He's got the billionaires, and they haven't just bought him, they've bought the entire Republican Party and 6 Supreme Court justices. They've got a lock on power in Washington that I never thought I'd see (in fact, never thought could actually happen). So the entire Heritage Foundation Party won't give a fuck.

Imagine that a majority of Russians turned against Putin. Would Putin give a fuck? No. He holds the power. As does, to a lesser extent, Trump in America.

It's too late.

[alarimer]

109. I wish I was that optimistic

What is happening is people are turning agaist EACH OTHER. Federal employees are turning in other employees for DEI (and it isn't clear to me if the order was for jobs that deal with DEI initiatives or for people hired under such initiatives. Maybe it's both.)

We are doing exactly what Germans did when Hitler came to power. We always thought we were better than that, but I always knew we weren't (because Republicans exist- I always thought they were horrible, nasty, soulless uncaring people).

"We" is meant to refer to Americans as a group. Surely no one here would turn in their co-workers.