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.
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.
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.
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…
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.
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.
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.”
Huh? Did I say that?
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.
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.
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.
And on top of that, what they just imagine the Constitution and laws say.
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.
Go and do other stuff as well.
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.
To which I always say, “It’s a fight”. This is our battle.
It’s a fight. But only one side has sworn to stay peaceful. Do you see the problem?
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.
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.
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?
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.
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.
No. Unless Trump is a revolutionary. Because that’s exactly what he’s done.
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.