109 Comments

None of this matters if he declares himself supreme leader for life and the Supreme court backs him. Talking about politics as usual seems absurd in the face of whats coming.

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That is what I keep asking, with no answer. How can we apply business as usual optics when it is clear the whole intent is to burn everything to the ground.

The only consolation is in looking at other countries. I read recently that it took Orban decades to consolidate power and eliminate their democracy. Perhaps we can fight back long enough to partially wrest power back in 2026. The other hopeful thought is they fight amongst themselves so much they won’t get anything done - like the House under Johnson.

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Rooting for more dysfunction in congress which is already broken because the alternative is dictatorship doesn't really make me feel optimistic about the future.

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yes,

if the 2025 agenda goes forward

it will facilitate the AMOC failure

do MAGAS know what AMOC is?

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You're kidding, right? They can't even spell "border" and global climate change is a "hoax" in their alternate universe.

No way would they know what AMOC refers to.

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For readers who may not know the acronym: https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/amoc.html

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Okay, I looked up AMOC. Although I already knew of it, I'm not great at acronyms. Now, what is this "MAGAS" you mention?

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MAGAS, I don't know, thoughtless followers of Trump; Make America Great Again is where MAGA comes from.

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🤣🤣 Most Albino Gorillas Argue? Major Alterations Gain Approval? Mini Axes Give Amputations? Maybe All Goofballs Advance?

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I am humiliated to state that I don’t know what AMOC is. Looking it up now. Thank you!

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I agree. What if there are no elections ( or at least not “real” ones). We really don’t have anything to compare this to. Unless we compare it to Russia etc. With an FBI ready to arrest the opposition, and a sc ready to rubber stamp these moves, I don’t see a way through to the “other side”.

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I agree. Nobody in the incoming administration cares about how things are supposed to be done, or what the laws are. They will abuse the law and take advantage of the fact everyone else is too flabbergasted to react to get away with it. I mean - look at what they had gotten away with so far. Is it not sinking in that we are about to have a treasonous r*pist at the White House - for the SECOND TIME? Had our law and order worked as they are supposed to, would any of his cabinet picks be walking free and still have all of their fortunes and privileges?

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Nothing happened to any of them with all they did the first time. Rule of law means nothing when they got away with treason and will pardon all the insurectionists. If crimes against the constitution have no bearing on who can be president then literally nothing else matters. They are lawless, we've literally handed the reason to think they can do what they want because they are above the law. I've literally been worried about Tritler getting away with his attempt at overturning the election and becoming president again since 2021, this is absolutely my worst nightmare for this country.

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Why would the Supreme Court back him on this? Then they would lose all of their authority.

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Because The Federalist Society tells them to? If you hadn't noticed, thats who runs the court now, the judges just make up whatever bullshit they have to to justify to the masses doing what their masters tell them to. It will be no different this time. Trump is a fugurehead for an entire cabal of evil rich people who are going to use Project 2025 as a smokescreen to cripple the federal government and put themselves in charge permanently. Ask yourself why the richest man on earth is all in on Trump this cycle. Heres a hint, its not out of his abiding love for the lower class and his sincere belief that Trump will improve the country for all. He's about to be the worlds first trillionaire when this is all said and done.

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You have to distinguish between conservative policy, which a majority support, and the 2025 playbook, which a majority will never support, Elon Musk and all the money in the world notwithstanding.

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What the people want is irrelevent. Once they have power they aren't listening to anybody else ever again. They know Americans are too lazy to revolt so this is the endgame. Choose to live in denial or make peace with the fact that the rich just permanently won the class war and there won't ever be real elections again. The die has been cast, the future is all but set in stone already. You go to a protest next year and they will black bag you and throw you in the work camps next to the immigrants making widgets for corporations for free for the rest of your life. There is no bottom with fascists. The time to act was in November. The people chose a dictator and thats what they are going to get whether they like it or not.

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Well, these "too lazy Americans" did revolt and won a whole bunch of down ballot races. Misogynists and racists our fellow citizens are but the majority of us are lazy is a world a bit too far to comprehend.

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I was not talking about what “the people” want. I’m talking about how members of the Supreme Court will vote.

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This court premptively declared Trump a king to kill his court case for treason. Your faith in the juduciary is sorely misplaced.

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The court had just granted him immunity for anything he did while in office. I think that makes their position very clear.

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Becoming a rubber-stamp court may suit a few of them just fine. Perks like free luxury vacations along with zero accountability for misdeeds, past or present, may be of more interest to them.

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Not 5 of them…

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Remember that Trump is likely to nominate a few more Justices during his term. There is a good chance that Kagan and/or Sotemayor need to be replaced by Trump. Possibly with Aileen Cannon.

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No, Kagan and sotomayor are not stepping down so barring their deaths, the ones Trump will get to replace are Alito and Thomas, who will take this opportunity to resign.

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More like 6, and a couple could be induced to resign when Kash Beria Patel is done with them.

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People are in denial about whats coming. It brings me no pleasure to keep reminding them, but the mass delusion about Trump's fitness as a president has to fucking stop.

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4 possible, Gorsuch, Thomas, Alito and Kavanaugh.

Barrett and Roberts would never go along with anything that would demolish the power of the Supreme Court.

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I'm not so sure about that. I hope it's true, but Roberts doesn't seem that concerned with how many people already view the court.

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Thank you for the guts to name names - we the people need to know!!!

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I’m turning off notifications for this thread

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We don't care...

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Really! Only the troops stopped him before and now he’ll have the troops. Most talk about “resistance” is nonsense.

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Stop assigning more power to Trump than he has. Engaging in extra-constitutional behavior requires cooperation from a lot of different institutions- Congress, the courts, and in some cases the military. While he will get that cooperation from some, he won’t get it from all. Assuming he will and “there’s nothing we can do,” is a form of obeying in advance. Which we absolutely must not do!

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This ^^^, a thousand times, this.

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This is all assuming we will have elections in 2026. Can’t say that is something guaranteed at this point. If the convicted felon crashes hard in year one going in to year two he will do all he can to prevent a midterm electoral disaster.

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But he will fail.

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Is Donald Trump Following Bush's Footsteps to Self-Destruction?

Welcome to the post-election landscape of American democracy, a scene resembling a soap opera that forgot to include a script editor. As Donald Trump settles into his second term, political analysts are dusting off their history books, drawing striking parallels between his trajectory and that of George W. Bush post-2004. Both emerged from narrow re-election victories with delusions of grandeur. Bush squandered his goodwill with Social Security privatisation, Katrina's mismanagement, and the Iraq War; Trump seems poised to replay the greatest hits of political overreach with his divisive agenda.

Bush Redux: Mandates and Misfires

Let’s rewind to 2005: George W. Bush, buoyed by a wafer-thin popular vote win, swaggered into office ready to privatise Social Security. It didn’t matter that the American public wasn’t clamouring to gamble their retirements on Wall Street, Bush forged ahead, ignoring bipartisan opposition and alienating allies within his own party. Approval ratings nosedived faster than a rigged stock market, bottoming out at 40%. Democrats capitalised on this misstep, trouncing Republicans in the 2006 midterms.

The moral of the story? Mistaking a contested victory for a universal mandate leads to a political pyre.

Trump's Déjà Vu Moment

Fast-forward to 2024: Trump eked out a win, carrying the popular vote by a razor-thin 1.6%. It was a historic Republican achievement not seen since Bush himself. Yet Trump, ever the maestro of self-congratulatory hyperbole, misinterpreted his marginal victory as an emphatic mandate. Cue a cabinet of eyebrow-raising appointments, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as Environmental Tsar, Tulsi Gabbard in the State Department, and an agenda promising a rollback of abortion rights and dismantling the Department of Education.

Here’s the catch: these priorities are about as popular as soggy chips at a seaside chippy. Polls reveal 65% of Americans support abortion access, while dismantling public education? A non-starter for the 60% who value functional schooling systems.

Mandate Myth Meets Reality Check

Trump’s hubris mirrors Bush’s in scale and potential fallout. Let’s face it, overreach is the political equivalent of betting your mortgage at a casino: thrilling in theory, disastrous in practice. The looming consequences? A furious electorate and a resurgent Democratic Party. Lessons from 2018’s blue wave remain fresh, and Democrats are sharpening their pitchforks in anticipation of 2026.

Democratic Strategy: Channel Your Inner Pelosi

Remember Nancy Pelosi’s cunning during Bush’s privatisation debacle? Her refusal to propose a counter-plan became a masterclass in strategic opposition. Democrats must replicate this playbook, framing Trump’s missteps as an existential threat to democracy while avoiding the temptation to over-promise. In the age of performative politics, discipline is a superpower.

Echoes of the Past, Warnings for the Future

The cyclical nature of political overreach is a phenomenon that even the least astute observer can predict. Trump’s second term risks becoming a cautionary tale for future leaders blinded by narrow victories and louder-than-life egos. Yet, for Democrats, it’s a golden opportunity to rally voters against a shared antagonist.

Final Takeaway

Trump’s trajectory suggests that history, indeed, rhymes. From Bush’s Social Security bungle to Trump’s ideological pet projects, the parallels are both amusing and alarming. For the rest of us, the best we can do is sit back, munch on popcorn, and hope the cyclical wheel of political backlash delivers the accountability it promises.

Satirical disclaimer: This article isn’t meant to suggest Donald Trump has read a history book, much less Bush’s biography. Any similarities are purely coincidental, or tragically deliberate.

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Very well stated! Kudos!

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Thank you for reading!

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Sad that only 60% value the Department of Education and a functioning school system.

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All of these first round cabinet picks seem to be done to deliberately piss off and enrage us. I think they know they will not be confirmed and the second choice - the lesser of 2 evils is waiting in the wings. They are just as bad a choice, but it will leave us feeling like this is the best we’re going to get. I hope we don’t fall for the second choice, but keep pushing for someone who is at least sane and not a drugged or alcoholic. Have not seen that yet.

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But that's assuming we actually have fair elections going forward - and that the same propaganda/misinformation system that has convinced millions of Americans to vote against their own interests won't lie and dominate the media landscape again, successfully creating distractions and scapegoats to deflect responsibility for their own failures.

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Let’s just hope the orange man does not read this… Oh wait, he doesn’t read anything, especially an analysis that is critical of him. and he doesn’t listen to anybody who doesn’t tell him what he wants to hear.

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Unfortunately he has minions to read this stuff for him, and to try to keep him in power. They will at least make sure he knows who to go after.

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Remember, though that he is flying the plane. We don’t want the pilot to fail.

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HOPE!!! How desperately I've needed this!!!

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We have many reasons to still be hopeful!

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The Bigger Picture;

[https://medium.com/the-new-climate/the-atlantic-meridional-overturning-circulation-amoc-s-missing-puzzle-piece-63665f73b0d3] also published in The New Climate.

consider that in less than 35 years the currents in the Atlantic Ocean that support our the climate that we now enjoy, especially warmth to northern Europe, will grind to a halt.

big changes in rain and climate in the western hemisphere will occur

this is not surprising to the student of natural history

it also happened at the end of the last ice age when massive amounts of fresh water flowed into the oceans from the thawing glaciers in the northern hemisphere

How can you help your grandchildren, who may be live when this occurs?

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2004 was a different time, there wasn’t a national MAGA movement then. People still reasoned things out when considering their own best interests. Now, who knows how it will play out? The electorate has never been strong on critical thinking but what we have now is that pervasive embrace of magical thinking. Too many people will believe what they’re told without questioning it. I believe the press also took a stronger stance in calling out policy pitfalls than it does now. Mainstream press today seems just about worthless in that regard.

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"I may not have social security but my eggs are cheaper! Oh wait. They aren't. Fox says its the Democrats' fault!" Check, check, check.

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You are comparing two of the flat-out dumbest people to ever occupy the WH, with the biggest difference being the corruptibility of the two men, where tRump is light-years ahead of Shrub.

And as far as "over-reach" goes, Bush was aiming at "reforming" a government program rightfully considered "third-rail" territory, i.e., DON'T TOUCH IT!

tRump, OTOH, is considering bending existing government institutions to his own ends, where "blowing it up!" has a considerable constituency amongst voters, regardless whether this alleged "mandate" is 50.1% or 49.8% of the total popular vote, he's acting like it's a Putin landslide and proceeding accordingly.

Popular and Congressional pushback did in Bush's SSA "reforms", but only in the case of Gaetz - so far - was there widespread resistance to a tRump nominee determined to carry out the tRump agenda. Result: an equally odious but superficially "acceptable" nominee in place of Gaetz, also committed to the tRump agenda. Frankly, whether any more of the more noxious of tRump nominees withdraw due to pressure from any and all sources, he ultimately will get who he wants to do what he wants, full stop.

But - and a singularly important BUT, is the inescapable turmoil, incompetence, infighting, and gross mismanagement that go hand-in-hand with a tRump WH, not to mention tRump's own focus being directed toward monetizing the presidency and cashing in with massive grifting and corrupt self-dealing that will occupy the majority of his "duties", his - LOL - "executive time".

Sure, there's all the Project 2025 peeps setting up shop, there's Elno muscling in for graft-getting on his own part, there's all the "Little Shop of Horrors" vibe of the whole operation, but honestly, this is tRump, this has FUBAR written all over it, and tRump 2.0 is heading for a Boeing 737 MAX ending, count on it.

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The chaos that is going to ensue I feel is our biggest ally. Our only other hope is a handful of R's willing to recognize and fight against this anti democratic agenda

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I like how everyone lives happily ever after at the end. (only half sarcastic)

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Whenever people say “there are good police”, I respond that police who passively stand by or stand down represent a majority and are equally as culpable as the perpetrators. Police are not properly trained to handle citizens with mental or emotional challenges, but those comprise most of their calls. We need funds for well trained mental health professionals to respond in those circumstances. Another tier of street cops should be heavily trained and reserved for crimes of a violent nature. Property crimes could be handled by different group of officers who would not need to carry guns, rather just take reports and investigate. With three levels of law enforcement, the number of deaths by police could be reduced and budgets could be leveraged to target proper training and deployment at each level.

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So they don't know that it is likely that there are only < 35 years before this climatic turning point is reached. Who will survive? How should we prepare our grandchildren for this inevitable disaster? It might be that decreasing GHG very fast & protecting forests could increase the time to AMOC collapse. But is it possible to halt the thawing of Artic ice?

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This is like German commentators writing about the 1935 elections after the Fuhrer took over with just the Interior Ministry and Minister-Presidency of Prussia. Godwin's revenge indeed.

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I still don't know how these dildos get elected, well, yeah, I do, lying, cheating, stealing 🙄

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Don't forget that in all likelihood the ReThuglicans stole Ohio. Exit polls clearly showed that Kerry had won, but the final tally went to Bush -- after numerous irregularities were cited.

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Well, here’s to Jeffries channeling the fierce Nancy Pelosi!

And, here’s to the Democrats winning in the midterms!

Let’s all stay engaged and do something. There are so many opportunities to get involved with many more coming.

Thanks for the article.

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Vickie let’s hope there are midterms and that we aren’t flooded with disinformation so that even then, we can’t get enough votes. I guess we’ll find out.

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