Just to clarify, these aren’t funny examples that I contrived, they’re from executive orders published in the last 24 hours. I just provided interpretations.
I don’t have any special decoder ring except that Republicans routinely and clumsily rephrase harmful policies as helpful policies. When you hear a party that speaks of nothing but harm suddenly talk about helping people, this is one obvious tell that you’re dealing with doublespeak.
Thanks for your percentages! I agree that a high “grinding chaos” percentage is likely.
I think it’s likelier because Trump is much less energetic and coherent than he was in 2017. I was shocked when I saw during the recent campaign some clips of him from the 2016 campaign: he seemed like a totally different person.
I’m not sure he really has outlined much of an agenda this time beyond tariffs and deportation.
Has he “consolidated” power? Perhaps within the GOP, yes. But he has very few people back from his first term, so it will be as if he is starting fresh in any takeover he intends. Except for his own experience, but, as stated above, that is less useful to him in his diminished state.
Not an unlikely scenario.
Any extreme tariffs will be terrible for Big Business, and TPTB will protest loudly. He is mostly catering to the tech bros at this point, but they represent a small fraction of the US economy.
I am glad that Rubio will be SoS. Not that I like him at all, but he will be a buffer against any crazy shit Trump would like to try on the international stage. That said, for that very reason, he may not last very long.
I think a schism of some sort is more likely than an outright breakup. Blue states basically saying “fuck you” to the federal government in one or more areas. I simply don’t think Trump has the energy, wherewithal, or time to institute fascism. If he tried to do anything major, such as sending troops into a state to quell any “rebellion,” that would instantly cause a breakup and probably a civil war.
Our military is competent and has contingency plans for a Chinese invasion of Taiwan. If China does that, then the military would present their ideas to Trump and the SoD, and Trump would probably more or less go along with their plans. Maybe a few embellishments to satisfy his own ego. That war would then be of historic importance, make any of Trump’s domestic interventions seem picayune in comparison, and dominate Trump’s attention as he fulfills his role of commander in chief. That’s why I have it as a third major scenario.
Oh, I understood that they were real. But they are funny for their moronity and Trumpiness. Agree with the rest you said.
Stock market up big today.
Not sure I’d count on that.
Yeah, the financial stuff is unpredictable. No one can be sure of where they stand with Trump.
Trump’s tax cuts benefited me a lot, personally, but my integrity–unlike that of many, many others, it seems–can’t be bought so cheaply. Is it really that hard, people?!
The stock market seem almost actively anti-American at this pojnt, it goes up when the prospects for the nation are bad and vice-versa.
I, too, benefit from the stock market gains, as well as tax advantages, but I see many around me who are not benefitting. I would much much rather have less money for myself, and more social programs for others. Yes, just my own personal financial sacrifices cannot do that — but there are probably millions like me, and if we all, somehow, could get it together and pay higher taxes, etc. it would be better for everyone. Even so, I help out my young relatives, and they know I will assist them whenever possible. But I am a generous person. Or a moral one, at least.
Yes. I would trade my personal advantages for a more just and equitable society for all. If we don’t collectively make such a trade, we are not going to last much longer as a society anyway.
So… Trump seems hell-bent on minor to moderate overreach, and I think it’s of the type that will hurt him and the GOP politically. The pardoning of the 1/6 insurgents is really bad for bad guys, I think. Both Vance and Bondi more or less said Trump wouldn’t do a blanket pardon, that he would go case by case. He didn’t. GOP stooges who are being asked about can only say, A-humma-na-humma-na-humma, like a Hanna-Barbera cartoon character.
Further, these scumbags will reoffend; the law of large numbers alone is enough to guarantee it, practically, while their demonstrated antisocial and criminal tendencies take that likelihood higher. That’s going to be bad press that pops up from time to time.
Even without that happening, the talking point that’s been handed to our side is simple, clear, and effective: Donald Trump freed violent criminals who attacked and injured police officers.
And that’s just one thing. The man is out of control yet doesn’t seem poised to do anything too big, whether good or bad. That’s poison for the GOP.
I’d agree if it were just those traitors. It tells the next batch of violent traitors that there will be no consequences.
Trump can only prevent federal consequences. A lot of stuff they do would have a local jurisdiction as well.
Speaking of which, can the 1/6 traitors be prosecuted under DC laws? Some of them are almost certainly subject to state laws as well, e.g., if they conspired to do something in their home states before traveling to Washington, etc.
Whoops, like I said:
He gave a specific date, Feb. 1, for the tariffs. That’s not the same as “in a couple weeks”. If he does that, prices will rise and what will the schmucks who voted for Trump because eggs were too expensive say? I suppose Trump could say that the price rises were due to some policy Biden enacted in his last week. Are they really so gullible? (Don’t answer that.)
Any tariffs he does are going to be a mess that won’t make the GOP look good.
I wonder if under Trump, people who oppose him will just start “disappearing” like in Argentina, kidnapped by Trump’s fascist goons and killed.
I think that Trump is capable of any unspeakable act. We have a monster in our midst.
Well, it’s not as though there would be a note taped to the body, reading, “Killed by Trump’s fascist goons. Do NOT investigate!”
So it would be investigated, and the goons would be caught. A huge mess would ensue. “Major overreach” achievement unlocked.
Are we reading the same list of Executive Orders?
I’d call it a bunch of mid-level crazy.
In 2017, the Muslim ban was pretty radical and hurt a lot of people all at once. We haven’t seen anything on that level yet, IMO.
Two of my transgender friends (both named Jesse, quite coincidentally) might disagree with you.
More likely the cops would say “Plant a gun on the body, call it self defense.”