# Pitting Der\_Trihs **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [March 5, 2026, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pitting-der-trihs/1028214 "2026-03-05T01:20:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 11
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2026, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pitting-der-trihs/1028214/201 "2026-03-20T16:54:00Z")
> [@Frodo](#): > > There was a way, I think, but IMHO Obama decided that it wasn’t worth the political risk. How much political risk is Trump putting himself in? Some maybe (his numbers are down) but he is getting the things done that he thinks need to get done. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2026, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pitting-der-trihs/1028214/202 "2026-03-20T16:59:29Z")
His own numbers are only slipping a little, but gas prices, fertilizer prices/shortages and just getting us involved in a war at all, eats away at the Republican Base and makes it more likely for them to lose Congressional Seats. Not that people are jumping to vote Dem instead, but that they’ll stay home and not vote. Also plenty of independents that vote their wallet will end up voting Dem and those that hated Biden’s Palestine policy will finally realize how much worse Trump is. There is even a small block of older Republicans from the Cold War era that will either not vote or vote Dem as they’re unhappy with Trump’s handling of the Ukraine War. I know someone in that category. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2026, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pitting-der-trihs/1028214/203 "2026-03-20T17:22:27Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > His own numbers are only slipping a little, but gas prices, fertilizer prices/shortages and just getting us involved in a war at all, eats away at the Republican Base and makes it more likely for them to lose Congressional Seats. All true, of course, but I have to believe that Obama’s decisions would not have led to eating away of the Democrat’s base. Sometimes I just wished Obama would have pushed harder to get shit done. ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2026, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pitting-der-trihs/1028214/204 "2026-03-20T17:24:18Z")
Yup, in that aspect, it would be better if Obama was more like Trump, not completely of course, but a bit less respect for norms and institutions would’ve been good. Of course Trump is a WASP, there are things you can do as a WASP that for some reason someone like Obama cannot do without punishment. It’s a mistery… ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2026, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pitting-der-trihs/1028214/205 "2026-03-20T18:32:34Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > We’re not done yet, these mid-terms will probably tell us though. > > If they stop the elections, Democracy in the US is doomed. If the elections proceed, the fight will continue at least and the Republicans will lose the House and maybe the Senate. They’ll still have the Executive and Judicial though. > > We are teetering on the brink, but we haven’t gone over quite yet. Agree. With the slight quibble that “elections occurring” is not the same as “free and fairly counted elections occurring nation-wide”. Lotta ways for the forces of Evil to have elections where only the right people get elected. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2026, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pitting-der-trihs/1028214/206 "2026-03-20T21:46:08Z")
> [@Leaper](#): > > But all I have on this board is what people say, and I don’t think I’m being unreasonable to draw certain conclusions based on what they say. Hope and morale are important. They’re the main reason why anyone does anything in times like these. If you’re discouraging that in the name of “being realistic about the situation,” I’m gonna judge, and I don’t think I’m wrong to do it. I just don’t see how judging those who feel hopeless helps anyone become more hopeful. I don’t see how attacking people for low morale helps boost morale. Don’t get me wrong. I get the frustration when you are fighting your hardest and see people who seem to have given up. But they’re not the enemy. They’re the ones who care the most. They often are the ones who have been trying and are worn out. And, even if they aren’t, they’re the people whose mental health is being harmed by this world around us. If you want to help solve the problem, I would argue you need to try and build these people up, not tear them down. I know that is what has helped me when I am depressed. Attack me, and my native response is to go “fuck you, you won’t get what you want.” You’re making it harder for me to side with you, or to think you care and that I want to partner with you. It makes it feel like it’s more about you being better than me than it is about trying to help me–to help us all. So please stop attacking the people who are in despair. Stick with those principles about creating hope and boosting morale. Don’t let your own despair at these people lead you to make it worse. ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2026, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pitting-der-trihs/1028214/207 "2026-03-20T21:50:20Z")
And my point was that there are some posts on this board tead an awful lot like trying to persuade the rest of us to join them in despair. THAT is my major issue. That’s also why I disagree with your persuasion point; I think they have made up their minds and that posts on a message board will not make them change their minds. I actually can’t think of a lot that can’t be shut down by “It’s over” and “we’re fucked.” ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2026, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pitting-der-trihs/1028214/208 "2026-03-20T21:52:45Z")
Huh? Did I say that? 🤔 ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2026, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pitting-der-trihs/1028214/209 "2026-03-20T22:09:32Z")
> [@We\_re\_wolves\_not\_werewolves](#): > > > [@Thing.Fish](#): > > > > Der Trihs contributes about 1000% more to this board than the troll who baited him into that warning. > > so what? The rules still apply to him, just like everyone else Following the rules is never a goal unto itself. The purpose of the rules here is to have a better community with better discussions. The claim that Der\_Trihs contributes more to the board is obviously relevant to that goal. I don’t particularly object to the Warning itself. But the spin it was given here is silly. It wasn’t him obsessing over his pet topic. He made an on topic post. Someone was incredulous at that wording. So he defended that wording, and that was considered too far afield and a hijack. Honestly, the guy replying to him “broke” the same “rule.” The part he objected to was tangential to the point being made. Both that post and Der Trih’s subsequent post expressed frustration\* without discussing the thread’s main topic. \*for lack of a better word. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2026, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pitting-der-trihs/1028214/210 "2026-03-20T22:23:46Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > I refuse to believe America, the great experiment, is done. > > If you line countries up 1, 2, 3…we are no where near the worse. We can be stick-a-fork-in-us done as a democracy without being in the bottom 10 or even 20 worst authoritarian regimes. But we are not now, nor will we ever be, what we were. And we haven’t been, since January 6th. American democracy depends on most people believing that the Constitution protects everyone, and no one is above the law. That fractured sometime prior to 1/6, but that was when it became starkly apparent to me. Half of my countrymen & women now believe that the Constitution only protects half the country, and the rule of law only binds the other half. That is not a Republic. That is over. No amount of wishful thinking is going to put that back together again, not for several generations anyway. We will still have a country, but it will be be more violent, less equal, poorer, with less opportunity for the vast majority. The words we held sacred, “We The People”, “All Men Are Created Equal”, and “With Liberty, and Justice For All” ring rather hollow now. If anything, I think DT has been too optmistic. We haven’t seen the worst yet. Not by a long shot. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2026, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pitting-der-trihs/1028214/211 "2026-03-20T23:58:02Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > > [@MrDibble](#): > > > > Only the executive overreach that gets the results I want, yes. Intent and outcomes matter more to me than procedure, especially in the face of evil. > > I agree. If you break procedure in order to stop people from being tortured or killed, the violation of procedure is less important. > > (…) Those of us in opposition need to be very clear on that and be willing to shake off the norms that bind us, as long as our opponents refuse to be similarly bound. This isn’t a game, and the stakes are too high to let ourselves be unilaterally hobbled. And that has a name: Revolution. It’s even explicitly justified by the Founders in the Declaration of Independence (of course like all good revolutionaries, they soon legislated that you could not plot or revolt against _them_ ). As I mentioned, a Revolutionary _will not_ be elected to that high office, anyone who was expecting that from Obama was just projecting on him. > [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > Half of my countrymen & women now believe that the Constitution only protects half the country, and the rule of law only binds the other half. And on top of that, what they just _imagine_ the Constitution and laws say. ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2026, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pitting-der-trihs/1028214/212 "2026-03-21T00:38:21Z")
> [@Leaper](#): > > And my point was that there are some posts on this board tead an awful lot like trying to persuade the rest of us to join them in despair. I think this is partly your interpretation and kudos for having the honesty to say so further upthread. My response to over the top characterizations is to laugh, for better or worse. Even when they are accurate upon reflection. But that’s me. Honestly, most of the posting here and the doom-scrolling on social media is a waste of time. Luckily the virtuous need only redirect 10% of their energy towards constructive purposes (which is a heavy lift, human nature being what it is). The next **No Kings** demonstration is March 28th, a week from tomorrow. Make plans to go, coordinate with your associates to cover for you. Those who do so are supporting the cause as well. Tell them that. Progressives do a poor job of appealing to normies: this is one method. > **[No Kings](https://www.nokings.org/)** > > As the president escalates his authoritarian power grab, the NO KINGS non-violent movement continues to rise stronger. We are united once again to remind the world: America has No Kings and the power belongs to the people. Go and do other stuff as well. > [@Great\_Antibob](#): > > Look back on any right wing poster who has actually been banned, and the common thread is they act like unapologetic jerks. I.e. it’s not the political persuasion that’s the issue but the bad behavior. For many years, the common thread among the banned was, _Failure to obey moderator instructions._ Der consistently obeys them, even when they involved a _de facto_ ban from GD. By way of context I confess to some concern that some of the latest moderator actions have been less than crystal in their clarity. No substantiation: that’s for ATMB. > [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > If anything, I think DT has been too optmistic. We haven’t seen the worst yet. Not by a long shot. To which I always say, “It’s a fight”. This is our battle. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2026, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pitting-der-trihs/1028214/213 "2026-03-21T01:09:06Z")
It’s a fight. But only one side has sworn to stay peaceful. Do you see the problem? ---
**Author:** ![bobsmom101](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobsmom101/32/2867_2.png) [@bobsmom101](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobsmom101)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2026, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pitting-der-trihs/1028214/214 "2026-03-21T01:13:28Z")
To me , “We’re fucked” means our choice is now to die on our feet or our knees. It doesn’t mean we stop fighting. I’m afraid D\_T is closer to a real assessment of the situation than his detractors. ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2026, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pitting-der-trihs/1028214/215 "2026-03-21T01:17:21Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > But only one side has sworn to stay peaceful. Do you see the problem? Not really. Violence produces bad optics, and currently the fight hinges on public opinion and court battles. Neither venue sympathizes with violence. The heroes of Minnesota showed the way. This isn’t about winning arguments with ICE troopers. It’s about quietly recording their behavior on cell phones. Kill Renee Good? Keep recording. Kill Alex Pretti? Keep recording. It requires discipline and physical courage to quietly record masked and unhinged goons. This is our fight. ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2026, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pitting-der-trihs/1028214/216 "2026-03-21T03:21:46Z")
I honestly wonder how many in this thread, like its subject, ARE honestly expecting to die in the next four years at the hands of the current government? Because I’m sorry, my mind always comes back to that, no matter what the subject is. I sincerely wonder what Der and those who agree think of me going to work, having hopes for the future, of the babies being born worldwide every day. Does he think all of that is worthless, with a hard expiration date? Does he think I’m a moron for living a normal life instead of, say, arming myself? How is he making decisions about his life? ---
**Author:** ![Kron](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kron/32/12444_2.png) [@Kron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kron)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2026, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pitting-der-trihs/1028214/217 "2026-03-21T04:29:24Z")
Right now I think we’re pretty fucked, but I still live my life like a normal person and have plans, hopes, and dreams. So to your question, no, despite thinking **Der\_Trihs** is more right than wrong, I’m at least one person that doesn’t think you’re a moron for doing things the way you are. ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2026, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pitting-der-trihs/1028214/218 "2026-03-21T05:43:54Z")
Assuming everything will be sunshine and rainbows improves morale for some. Running a surprisingly close 2nd in the morale maintenance business is assuming apocalypse. Why? Because the mind resists uncertainty. The underlying reality is probabilistic. We’re not on a road to tyranny or anywhere else, because there is no road: we’re on an open plain. Josh Marshall speaks of optimism as a moral choice. He doesn’t mean being pollyanna: he’s not really talking about prediction. He’s discussing attitude. Me? Sure, we could lose our 250 year experiment with democracy. I’ve been reading about middle income countries that veer in and out of democracy in the Economist Magazine for literally decades. I didn’t think it would happen here: I thought that the move to high income status was a ratchet provided the country had halfway decent policy and high income countries would naturally prefer democracy. My logic was wrong. So might we lose democracy? Maybe. But not without a fight. Josh Marshall: > Through almost 16 years of doing this, your emails have helped me think, see things I don’t see, learn. It’s been the center of my and then our editorial process. Many of these emails simply express shock, others anger and fear, to Trump, to the universe, to me. There is a lot of fear. I know. I feel it. At such a moment I come back to a thought I’ve told family members at times of stress or grief. Optimism isn’t principally an analysis of present reality. It’s an ethic. It is not based on denial or rosy thinking. It is a moral posture toward the world we find ourselves in. If everything seems great, there’s no need for optimism. The river of good news just carries you along. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2026, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pitting-der-trihs/1028214/219 "2026-03-21T06:19:18Z")
> [@JRDelirious](#): > > And that has a name: Revolution. No. Unless Trump is a revolutionary. Because that’s exactly what he’s done. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2026, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pitting-der-trihs/1028214/220 "2026-03-21T12:14:13Z")
> [@Leaper](#): > > I sincerely wonder what Der and those who agree think of me going to work, having hopes for the future, of the babies being born worldwide every day. Does he think all of that is worthless, with a hard expiration date? Does he think I’m a moron for living a normal life instead of, say, arming myself? How is he making decisions about his life? Who gives a shit? He’s an incel loser who is and has been much too dysfunctional for a “normal life” for decades. This was the case long, long, long before the rise of Trump. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pitting-der-trihs/1028214.md?page=10) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pitting-der-trihs/1028214.md?page=12)