• Astronauticaldb@lemmy.world
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    2 days ago

    What’s with the consistent amount of “American Democracy is dead” rhetoric I’ve been seeing lately? It’s not like Trump is president yet. And sure, Biden isn’t going to make too much impact as a lame duck, but even after Trump takes office again, there’s a lot he can do, and a whole lot more he won’t be able to. The power is still in the hands of the people, especially at the local level. America’s democracy isn’t dead, and saying anything of the sort is obeying in advance.

    • zephorah@lemm.ee
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      2 days ago

      Oh you sweet summer child.

      A key component of 2016-2020 was Trump was surrounded by people who wouldn’t, including generals who wouldn’t entertain his talk of maybe using nukes. It’s not that he couldn’t in 2016-2020, it’s that he was surrounded by people who wouldn’t and he didn’t know how himself.

      That’s no longer the case. And the people around him have studied up on how.

      One of his first big speeches post win this week, claiming to be about defending 1A, he states he’s going to use/mobilize “my Department of Justice” to prosecute anyone trying to enforce the Hatch Act. The Hatch Act is the thing that keeps polling locations safe and neutral. The Hatch Act prevents the threatening of voters in or within 100yds of polling locations, as well as making the buying of votes illegal. That latter part keeps voting free.

      Think about the possibilities. Think hard. In fact, if you’re a creative type, sit down and write a short story about what that could look like on the present political climate.

      He’s reading a script, the entire speech lacks his usual meandering bullshit. It’s cagey. He totally didn’t write it. The only piece that smells like trump is the piece about no longer being able to ban social media accounts without a court order, probably because that’s personal for him.

      And remember. SCOTUS basically said he can do anything while President without fear of prosecution. It’s simply that Biden is unwilling to go there that we haven’t seen what that looks like yet.

      I don’t read hard left media for this info. I listen to direct talk, from Trump, from his people, and listen to/read interviews with individuals in or very close to the 2016-2020 term. I then find a historian or lawyer who can add nuance. I then read the hive mind of We The People and other countries for more perspective.

    • ඞmir@lemmy.ml
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      2 days ago

      Have you seen Project 2025, Trump’s unofficial but kind of official election plan? Republicans have all three branches of government now. They would have to willingly choose to not follow their own proposed plan, and there’s no reason to do that. So, logically, they will execute it - and that’s it. The end of US democracy.

      Go read it or summaries of it if you think it’s hyperbole.

      • zephorah@lemm.ee
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        2 days ago

        It’s not a bullet list or headline so they’re going to continue to ignore all 996 pages of it.

    • Petter1@lemm.ee
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      2 days ago

      Yea, have you heard about project 2025?

      With choosing trump, the American people have chosen that they approve that project.

      At least, so do I see it.

    • Saleh@feddit.org
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      2 days ago

      If you tell people now that Democracy is dead, they don’t bother fighting the real fight, if and when push comes to shove.

      Dems said this election is the end of Democracy, but still put an uninspiring right candidate. They said Trump is the fascist danger to all the US stands for. But having him and his crownies dismantled by getting criminal charges on them seemed to go too far. When grassroots movements came up and demanded change instead of embracing them, taking them seriously and talking with them properly, they were shunned and pushed down.

      Now the greatest danger to corporate America are people to start organizing and taking to the streets. So hammer down the defeatist message, so the people suck up to their corporate overlords. The corporate overlords who won yet another election as both candidates represented their class interests.

      • zephorah@lemm.ee
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        2 days ago

        I just don’t see how that broken down old man who says they’re eating the cats and dogs is inspiring to anyone. But then I don’t vote on inertia.

        • schizo@forum.uncomfortable.business
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          2 days ago

          Because Trump voters are poorly educated, and frankly, stupid.

          You heard something about eating cats and dogs, they heard someone telling them that Those people they don’t like are doing horrible things, and he will make things even with Those people.

          Literally a dog whistle, but you have to be a blithering moron to understand it, because anyone who isn’t just hears a senile old dumbass saying stupid shit.

          • zephorah@lemm.ee
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            2 days ago

            One of my parents, not Trumpers in spite of age, thinks Vance is trolling him to 25th him later. Either way, that tired, not looking too good medically, old man isn’t likely for long going forward. I think this is a Vance, Heritage, Musk game. Game in full essence of the word where Musk is concerned. That egomaniacal child of Apartheid is even playing with Putin. Evidence even of thwarting Ukraine insofar as he is able.

            • schizo@forum.uncomfortable.business
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              1 day ago

              I’m not sure I buy that: Trump is a cult, and his cultists are going to have an absolute riotous fit if someone tries to depose him.

              Short of him dying or doing something you just can’t ignore - like, say, he eats shit out of his diaper on national tv - he’s not going anywhere.

              Vance isn’t smart enough to 6D chess his way into the presidency without his nominal constituency rioting over it, so I’m doubtful that’s his play.

              He’s probably just going to pull the last-guy-in-the-room thing, since that’s the only person Trump listens to or remembers anyway which means you keep the cultists happy AND you get the figurehead to do what you want anyways without the mess.

              • zephorah@lemm.ee
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                1 day ago

                I don’t either for all the reasons you stated. Trevor Noah was talking about a de facto African dictator who was in name only while other people ran the show.

                I think it’ll be like that. They can’t openly push him out or there will be cult members storming the capital again, granted, the level of permissiveness that occurred the first time won’t happen while this admin is their target. No, they’ll let Trump bumble about while working their own angles. And Trump is such an easily manipulated dipshit he probably won’t even realize it.

      • taladar@sh.itjust.works
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        2 days ago

        All you are describing really only suggests that American democracy has been dead for even longer, not that it isn’t dead yet.