Tuesday, July 9, 2024

Why Trump 2024 isn't like 2016 or 2020

 So, I saw some conservative ask "you all know that Trump was president already, right?" on the fascism claim. My response is essentially that 2024 as 2016 Trump.

2016 Trump was an unknown element. He seemed different and refreshing from your normal brand of GOP politician.  He was more economically moderate and populist, seemingly distancing himself from the free market fundamentalism that the party had been most known for. On social issues, yeah, the guy was more overtly racist, but at the same time, he seemed more liberal on things like abortion, sex, and gay marriage. He wasnt a true believer in the GOP. And sure, he said crazy crap, but we also didn't know how serious he was as he seemed to say whatever he could to get a rise out of people. I saw him as a massive troll and believed if the media and the left didn't feed him, he'd go away. But the left took the troll bait, got super self righteous over his uncouthness, and he got elected. 

His first term sucked. He would bumble his way through it by being grossly incompetent, and mostly unable to accomplish the GOP's agenda. He did fall into line behind the party, fronting their Christian nationalist BS and reaganomics with a populist vibe. During COVID he was even okay with sending people money as long as his name was on the checks. He mostly just did what his base wanted, and he radicalized along with his base.

In 2020, I still believed the left was hyperbolic over the guy. He sucked, but we would survive. Anyway, he lost the election, starting crying it was rigged, starting bullying people to find more votes, did his fraudulant elector's scheme, and incited a riot on Jan 6th to overturn the election results. 

And....WHAT?!

Ok, so I didn't know what to think of Jan 6th at first. Did he actually invoke a riot? Was it just words? I let the evidence speak and the house select committee on the matter put together a convincing case that he acted with malice to overturn the election.

F THAT GUY, we need to try him and bar him from running again! But the justice system moves so glacially slow that here we are in 2024 with him running again and his cases are getting delayed over random BS. And he recognizes if he loses he's gonna go to jail so he's acting like a cornered animal and is increasingly desperate for power. 

And now he talks about being a dictator for a day and getting political retribution on his enemies. 

And now the supreme court has overturned Roe v Wade, and is looking to push a lot of crazy fundie Christian crap on people. And Trump is looking to follow their agenda.

They're also doing this project 2025 which would consolidate the electoral branch's power under unitary executive theory, and allow Trump to control the federal bureaucracy more directly and fill it with compliant and loyal people.

I wanna be clear, January 6th and corresponding efforts to overturn the election failed because people under him were principled and refused to follow through, this time, he's gonna be loading the government full of loyal true believers who will be willing to commit treason with him. If he tries something like Jan 6th again, he could succeed next time. He's leaning from his mistakes.

And now, SCOTUS gave him presidential immunity for "official acts" which means, according to one dissenting justice, he could drone strike his political enemies and be immune.

So make no mistake, this guy is like Hitler this time. Or alternatively like Putin. He will be able to actually follow through and succeed with his dictatorial ambitions if he wins again. His agenda is also far more in line with the more radical elements of the GOP and with the court flipped conservative, EVERYTHING is on the table. These guys are crazy. 

First term Trump was a bumbling idiot. Second term Trump is an aspiring dictator filling his administration with loyalists, who wants to enact a radical far right agenda to please his batcrap insane base. Second term Trump is scary and dangerous. He's not the bumbling idiot any more. He could break democracy, and cause us to slide into autocracy like Russia under Putin or Weimar Germany under Hitler. DO NOT ELECT this guy again. He is DANGEROUS. 

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