And a state with open carry.
You know, I support all the Bill of Rights, even the 2nd. BUT- it’s bad enuf to have a crowd of brainwashed morons storming the US capitol, but a heavily armed crowd of brainwashed morons… that wont end well.
I expect more mass shootings targeting Democrats, minorities, “turncoat” Republicans, any remotely plausible object of their rage.
The Weimar Republic was the poster-country for runaway hyper-inflation, and that economic disaster was the ground on which the Nazis started becoming popular and eventually took over. I know the US economy has suffered, and so have a lot of people during the pandemic, but it is nowhere near that condition, and should be getting better soon.
The strength of government institutions is one thing. The strength of the economy is what will give us time, if we have the will, to fix the problems in government institutions that Trump has drawn attention to. Comfortable people don’t revolt.
Are you saying Trump didn’t drain the swamp? But he promised! I’m shocked, I tell you.
Maybe he was too tired after he got done building the wall.
“Should be getting better soon.” Well, if you’re metric is the performance of the stock market, it has been doing pretty well. However, if you look at the number of people who have been left indefinitely without employment, who are experiencing food insecurity, and facing the prospect of being evicted, the rose colored glasses come off, as does the massive amount of debt incurred by businesses shuttered by public health orders, many of which will not be able to recompense even if they make it to the point that they are allowed to reopen. And then there is, of course, the massive debt that the federal government has racked up over the last four years not even including stimulus packages necessary to keep the actual economy–not stock exchanges but people buying necessities and paying rent and mortgage–afloat. In short, I am not sanguine about the prospect of economic recovery especially if there is not a concerted effort by the incoming administration and legislature to work together to avert massive debt default, unemployment, and permanent changes in the job market.
The other hallmarks of the Weimar Republic–social and political unrest, a sense of ‘betrayed nationalism’, xenophobia and the stoking of fears about foreign adversaries both real and imagined, and exploitation by a minority of industrial leaders who seek to more tightly control the government–are all readily apparent in American society today. This isn’t to say that we have to go down that path, but the country is ripe for a capable demagogue to come along and lead the nation down the path of autocracy and fascism. That Trump was able to do so to the extent that has occurred over the last four years despite his ineptitude is telling of how close and steep that slope is.
Stranger
Stranger
Charlottesville was distinct.
The killings of protestors were pretty obviously unplanned.
And it blew up in the faces of the Nazis, because other marches became more strongly opposed, & were often cancelled.
I wasn’t commenting on the cause, which is legitimate.
The social isolation & boredom has altered the perceptions of the participants.
So the form & outcome are different.
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It will depend on how aggressively the Capitol invaders are pursued and punished. If there’s a message that everyone who crossed a police barrier will be charged with criminal trespass, everyone who fought with a police officer will be charged with felony assault, and everyone who broke into the Congressional chambers will be charged with domestic terrorism, then there will be a strong and obvious disincentive for future actions. If the pursuit of criminals fizzles after the initial outburst, as it’s seeming too, then it will embolden similar events in the future.
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It will also depend on the message that goes out in the near-future. Biden, state governors, and law enforcement leaders need to make clear that peaceful protests are allowed, but occupation of government buildings, violence against law enforcement officers, violence against those with opposing views, and incitement of violence will all be prosecuted. And, if necessary, they’ll need to enforce that message.
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If either of the above does not happen, then I would expect a quiet period followed by some minor incursions, and then another major incident. By minor incursions, I mean intimidatory counter-demonstrations intended to provoke violence between opposing sides, or disruption of a political rallies. Examples would be blocking the path of a BLM march, or marching onto the stage and grabbing the microphones during a Democrat state representative’s rally. A major incident would be the occupation of a soft target, followed by the temporary kidnapping of its occupants and the destruction of the property. For example, a takeover of the offices of a well-known liberal political action group, or some Congressman’s state headquarters. I wouldn’t imagine another US Capitol invasion, and I expect (or at least hope) that the state legislatures and governors’ mansions will be secured. But there are lots of other targets, and just a dozen armed, organised mayhem-makers could easily overwhelm those targets. The questions are how much support will they receive, and if they think they can get away with it.
I think authorities need to also go to the next level, and look into all associates of the above criminals. Particularly those who broke into Congress. Authorities should go over the social media and connections of these people with a fine toothed comb, contact all of them and let them know that the seditionist activities of their (former) friend are being thoroughly investigated.
Here’s a relevant statistic:
Twelve percent of Americans “said they supported the actions of those people who took part in the riot.”
I saw that last night, but because it was an online poll, I wasn’t sure of its accuracy, so I found this PBS Newshour/Marist poll but got too sleepy to post it:
Nationally, 8% of American adults support/strongly support those who broke into the Capitol building,18% of Republicans, 7% of independents, and 3% of Democrats.
Almost 1 out of 5 Republicans supports the insurrectionists. Mind-boggling.
And 35% of Americans don’t trust the election results, over 1/3. We’re in deep trouble, my friends.
The CEC has poisoned their minds.
Not much can be done about those who are willfully ignorant, I fear.
The danger exists if another Trump picks up the reins where he left off.
Hopefully those in the RNC (can’t see DNC doing this) have recognized the monster for what it is.
Conservative Entertainment Complex. Led by the likes of Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Glenn Beck.
Cool term. I like it. Just hadn’t heard it before. Thank you.
But it should be the “Reactionary Entertainment Complex”. Those folks left “conservative” some time back around 1985. 1990 at the latest. There is nothing left of conservatism in their messages or their spokespeople.
Now it should be the Reactionary Entertainment Trump’s Complex of Hate.
R.E.T.C.H. for short… 
Au contraire, they have confirmed Trump’s choice (Ronna Romney McDaniel) as the head of the RNC. This means that Trump is the titular head of the Republican party.
The real worry is that they will regroup under a more competent great leader. Josh Hawley was clearly auditioning for the role.
If I were running things, I would abolish the entire capitol police force and start over. There must be some way of keeping out the authoritarian rotters that seem to be drawn to policing.
Don’t count on it: The Lincoln’s Projects Rick Wilson on the future of the GOP
Stranger
Appreciate it.
My hope is that as the Boomers (me) fade out, along with their notions of White Privilege, our kids (mine do) see the worlds people as less different because of their color, gender, or who they like to sleep with.
There will always be bigots and the uneducated, but I have hope for the effects of a true melting pot.
As long as they stayed outside the capitol building and just demonstrated and yelled slogans and waved flag, werent carry weapons or anything- I am going to give them a pass.
Why? Because most honestly believed that the Dems had stolen the election. The president said that. Their Senator or Congressman said that. Their TV news said that. Their radio said that, 24/7. The people that they followed on FB (Such as Larry Correia) or twitter said that. How could they believe elsewise?
Let us say trump got the election into the House , which voted state by state, and overruling the will of the people- voted trump in- i.e. trump stole the election. Wouldnt we be out there demonstrating about “Stop the Steal”?
We need to hold trump, and Cruz and Rep. Garcia and Rush and Correia all responsible. Everyone who continually spread the lie about “stop the steal”. trump needs to be removed, Cruz voted out and taken off every committee, Garcia given no House budget or committees, and people like Correia needs to have their publishers written so no one will publish their books anymore. Everyone needs to be punished.