American authoritarian oppression - a long history

 The United States has always had two energies in its history - idealism and equality on one side, oppression and opportunism on the other - good America and bad America, it seems to me.

In the beginning, we had a country founded on the ideal that "all men are created equal" - equality is the dream of America.

But, also in the beginning the Founding Fathers had to allow slavery.  Slavery was the first brutal authoritarian oppression.  There was no democracy nor equality in the Southern Slave States.

Then we had President James Polk and Manifest Destiny - i.e. the idea that white Americans were properly blessed and destined to annihilate native Americans and take over all the land to the Pacific.  There was no democracy nor equality in the barbarous subjugation of the native Americans who were already here.

Then we had the Civil War and a brief freeing of the slaves in the south, only to have that freedom and equality taken away by the infamous Compromise of 1877 where a disputed presidential election was resolved by allowing the Republican, Rutherford B Hayes, to win the election in return for the removal of Federal Troops who were enforcing the reconstruction laws.  The result was nearly a century of brutal Jim Crow South where blacks did not vote, did not have rights under the laws, and were intimidated, crushed, lynched.  There was no democracy nor equality in the Jim Crow South.

Then we had the Women's RIghts Movement that finally gave women the right to vote in the 19th amendment in 1920.  This was democracy and equality.

Then there was the Civil Rights movement of the '50s and '60s culminating in the Voting Rights act of 1965 to protect the Constitutional amendments no. 14 and 15 allowing blacks to vote and have equal civil rights. This was democracy and equality.

Then there was the infamous Roberts Supreme Court that gutted the Voting RIghts act in Supreme Court edicts in 2013 and 2023. This was an attack on democracy and equality.

So, now, we have a new Republican in Name Only MAGA administration openly Ruling as a King, Ruling by Fiat, usurping Constitutional Congressional authorities by destroying Congressional laws and agencies at their destructive whim. Democracy and equality are being destroyed. Right now.  At the direction of a hostile foreign power, Russia, I believe.  It could be just stupidity and ignorance, but it seems to me to be too disciplined and focused to just be the blatherings of a nitwit.

Once the Orange Contagion is gone, his MAGA fanatics will still be with us. And what used to be our allies know it. How can they ever trust America again knowing that the millions of Americans who voted for, supported, and worshiped the Orange Contagion are still here. What will they do?  What need they do now?  

What used to be our allies will look to markets and supply chains outside the U.S.  They will need to develop their own nuclear weapons since it becomes obvious that this group of fools will not protect them.  They will fight any invasion of their territory by a nitwit led U.S.  

For now, there is a quick victory of authoritarianism over America.  It is not the first authoritarianism in America.  It is back again. This is horrifying to me.

But this is not the end of the story.  I truly believe that democracy and equality will prevail and that Goodness, Truth, and Beauty will triumph over the threats, violence, and fear of authoritarianism.

But it is ugly right now. We have work to do.  

Do we need to become a Parliamentary Country?

 I have never paid much attention to the parliamentary systems, but one thing I do notice is that when a current government is collapsing they can call for an election to replace it. But here? We’re stuck with a literal madman collapsing the country and perhaps the world, and we have no way of calling for a new election. 

What do we do?  We are left with a Republican Party that has disappeared and been overrun by an equally mad MAGA.  The only recourse is that MAGA impeaches him, finds him guilty, and removes him from office. What egregious atrocity could trigger that?  Invading Canada? Proof that he is a Russian Asset?  Hanging political opponents or critical journalists?  

What is it going to take?  This isn’t about a difference of political philosophy. This person is nuts. 

Trump joins Putin in attacking Ukraine

 It is more and more clear to me that the person Americans voted into the White House is a Russian asset.  Why do I think so? Because he just stopped America from sharing battlefield intelligence with Ukraine and the next day Russia launched a brutal attack on Ukraine without American intelligence to for-warn and inform their defense. In other words, the American Asset helped Russia attack Ukraine. So…

He is helping Russia conquer Ukraine. And…

He is actively ending American soft power by crippling USAID which is our providing food, healthcare, infrastructure assistance and compassionate aid to the poorest and most vulnerable in the world. And…

He is destroying the Department of Justice, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the U.S. Intelligence services by installing leaders who are astonishingly unqualified and dedicated to the destruction of their capabilities in obeisance to the revenge lust of their deranged master. And…

He is gutting the various militaries of leadership under the fake cover story of getting rid of “DEI” appointments. This is like racists in the middle of last century getting rid of a Jackie Robinson, Willie Mays, and Frank Robinson from baseball. And…

He is destroying the U.S economy with tariffs and inflation. 

I don’t need the testimony of former Russian spies saying he was recruited by Russia in 1987 and 2013. I can see the works of a Russian Asset every day. 

But the only way America and the world can be saved is if Republican MAGA impeaches him and convicts him, removing him from office. And that only happens if there is undeniable evidence that he is a Russian Asset. 

But, how many in the MAGA Congress and Senate are also compromised by Russia?

America is waking up. This shall not stand. 

Trump AND Vance - pledge their fealty to Putin in front of the world

 Simply one of the most disgusting things I have ever seen, since January 6, 2021, was that nauseating display of Trump AND Vance publicly trying to bully and humiliate Ukrainian President Vlodomyr Zelenskyy in the WHITE HOUSE OVAL OFFICE!!!!! Demanding that he capitulate to Putin because “he had no cards to play”

This was a world wide shouting declaration by TRUMP AND VANCE that America is completely aligned with Russian monster, Putin, in his invasion of Ukraine. 

I am ashamed of the America that put these filthy people in the White House. I find this nauseating. 

Zelenskyy said “I didn’t come here to play cards”.

It is going to take generations for America’s reputation to recover from the MAGA assault on its goodness, it’s character, it’s value to the world. 

America is reaping what it has sown. 

What fraud and waste?

 Let's call out the bullshit scam being told by the bullshit scam artists.  This MAGA/Trump/Musk firing federal workers is not about saving federal dollars. It is not about cutting waste and fraud. 

For Trump it is about destroying the U.S. as he is being directed by Putin. 

For Musk it is about privatizing these essential government services with him taking a cut off the top of every dollar so that he can become a multi-trillionaire. 

For Republicans it is a nearly century long effort to end aiding the middle class and poor so as to keep them downtrodden and desperate for and grateful for for any jobs from the wealthy. 

For MAGA it's just about being fooled by decades long Republican politicking against government waste. 

Say goodbye to rural hospitals and elderly managed care facilities. 

Couple of facts:

• First, only 3% of the federal budget pays for civilian federal employees.  This is a drop in the bucket. If you cut it in half you save about 1.5%. Big f'ing deal.

• Second, 50 years ago the federal workforce was about 2.8 million and today it is about 2.9 million per ChatGPT, and the U.S population has grown from 215 million to 330 million over that same 50 years. So the workforce has been essentially constant while the population grew 50%. 

So spare me the bullshit scam and lies. Of course there are some things you can find. They find anecdotal examples of abuse that do not tell the real story of the tremendous help government programs and government employees provide. It’s a con. 

Time for America to wake up and smell the stench of corruption that has taken over what used to be the Republican Party.

Is the Orange Fool actually Russian Asset Krasnov?

I think it is time to say the obvious.

There is no proof, but it would certainly explain pretty much everything about the current president if indeed he was recruited as a Russian (Soviet) asset in 1987 - as former Head of Kazakhstan's National Security Committee, Alnur Mussayev claims, and given the codename "Krasnov".  

Apparently, in 1987 the failing real estate developer was about one BILLION dollars in debt, went to the Soviet Union, and came back to New York and took $130,000 full page ads saying the U.S. should pull out of NATO. Really? And there was lots and lots of dirty Russian money given to him via a money laundering scheme into his properties over the years.  

Then, as we know all too well, during his first presidency he claimed that he "might not" honor article 5 of the NATO treaty to use the U.S. military to defend a NATO country if they were to be attacked by Russia.

Of course, we have seen him praise and defend Putin over and over. And, indeed, it was shown decisively in the Mueller Report that Russia aided in his 2016 successful presidential victory, although there was no evidence that he actively coordinated with nor collaborated in that attempt, he just welcomed it. Therefore, there was not enough to impeach and convict him on that count.

And he extorted Ukraine early in his first presidency, only to be impeached but acquitted by his subservient Republican Senate.

Don't forget that he withdrew U.S troops from Syria and invited Putin's Russia to take over, prompting the resignation of Jim Mattis, his Defense Secretary - and Russia did all it could to help the war criminal Assad to slaughter and stay in power. And to expand Russian control of the region.

Dan Coats, hard core conservative Republican who served as Director of National Intelligence in his first term, was deeply suspicious that Putin "had something" on the president, as there was really no other explanation as to why he would just do whatever Putin demanded of him.

And now, what we see in his second term is horrifying to me. He has committed the U.S. to be an ALLY of Russia in its attempted takeover of Ukrainian territory with its illegal invasion of three years ago.  

And he is attacking U.S. allies - Canada, Mexico, Panama, Denmark. He is unconstitutionally destroying government agency after government agency - notably the Department of Justice, the Department of Defense, the FBI, the IRS. Obliterating the Constitutional Separation of Powers.

It might not seem all that important, but he is destroying USAID, which provides charitable help around the world with food, medicine, and economic support to people and regions in dire need. There are two forms of U.S. power - hard power (military - and he is gutting the military leadership) and soft power (USAID - that shows the goodness of the U.S to the world). The total budget of USAID is less than 1% of the U.S. budget, so I do not believe for a moment that cost cutting is the reason. It is about destroying U.S. soft power.

Is he really the Russian Asset Krasnov? Or is he just a stupid, easily manipulated by Putin dumbass? It was nice to think he was only a psychopathic ignorant avaricious toxic narcissist (and he is), but now I think he actually is under the control of Putin, whose passionate goal is to destroy democracy and the rule of law in all of the world so that his corrupt regime and enormous graft and riches are not threatened. And, oh yes, so that Putin will go down in history as the greatest Russian ruler since Peter the Great as he reconquers the territory the Soviets lost in 1990.

So, why don't the Republican Congress and Senate fight him, refuse him, and say no? Well, some agree with him. Most do not but only say so in private. Maybe some are also under threat from Russia, but most certainly many of them have been given credible death threats to themselves and their families - from MAGA and maybe Russia as well. So, in addition to the threat of being primaried in the next election and losing their careers, they are under threat of death or violent harm. Just Mafioso stuff? or maybe Putin the killer threat? It is no mystery why those who oppose Putin die in obviously Putin ways - "falling off" balconies, being poisoned by openly Russian radioactive poisons - it's a blatant, "Yep it was me, Putin who ordered this" death. Over and over. In Russia, and in OTHER COUNTRIES as well.

It has been said many times that if you understand that his job is to destroy the U.S. as demanded by his boss, Putin, then everything he has done, and will do, makes total sense. He is Putin's puppet. And as long as he becomes richer and more famous, he thinks he is "a winner". Dumbass.

By the way, how on earth did the Russian KGB think that this nitwit would become president? It appears that what they did, and I imagine they still do, is find younger people that might have political ambitions, or have media persuasion, or who have possible military influence, and who are vulnerable to the many tools of Russian Kompromat (bribery, blackmail, entrapment, philosophical agreement, etc.) and recruit them hoping that some of them could help Russia in the future. They struck oil with Trump, but I would strongly suspect that there are at least a few in the MAGA leaders and influencers are also compromised, perhaps some are in the Congress or Senate. 

Russia is not good at many things, but they are masters at disinformation, propaganda, lies, "alternative realities" - and blackmail, extortion, threats, force. They’ve been doing it for a century. We are seeing fascism in action. Right here in "River City".

Ugly ugly ugly. 

But I believe America is waking up and smelling the stench of this putrid president and his corrupt band of MAGA shock troops, and perhaps the enemy behind them as well. 

Reincarnation?

 Trump always looked to me like a parody imitation of Mussolini with his jutting chin and pompous posturing…well…

Mussolini - died April 28, 1945

Trump - born June 24, 1946

If the orange menace actually is a quick reincarnation of Mussolini, he didn’t seem to learn anything between lifetimes. Mussolini was executed and hung upside down along with other fascists in public display. And, by the way, he was subservient to the bigger monster, Hitler. 

So, is the orange one Mussolini redux?  Thinking he just won’t make any mistakes of weakness this time? I don’t predict a happy future for this wanna be king. I do not expect he will trigger a war and be killed in retribution. I expect his attempted autocratic takeover and destruction of American democracy will fail. 

He thinks he was elected king of America.  America has something to say about that. 

Putin, Netanyahu, and a Dope walk into a bar…

 Netanyahu turns to the Dope and says “You could go down in history as the greatest man in the history of the Middle East by clearing out all the two million Palestinians in Gaza, and building a Miami Beach of hotels and beach mansions on the seashore.”  The Dope said “Can they be Trump Resorts?”  “Well” says Netanyahu “You drive a hard bargain, but OK”. And the Dope says “What a great genius am I, I’ll do it”

Then Putin turns to the Dope and says “You could be the Greatest Peacemaker in history by ending the vicious and barbaric Ukrainian bloody war against the great historic and peaceful and righteous empire of Russia”. The Dope says “I’ve got a great idea, I’ll stop any U.S. assistance to Ukraine and give Russia vital U.S Intelligence, and maybe some weapons too, to help our dear ally, Russia, take back the Russian territory of Ukraine. And the evil Nazi Ukrainians will be defeated, and their war criminal leaders will be tried and executed on worldwide TV, and the great Russian leader Putin will praise and thank the Great Peacemaker, Me. On worldwide TV.”

And the Dope says “What a genius I am. I will be the most important man in all the history books.  

Maybe even greater than Hitler”

Rabid vengeful Kash Patel confirmed as FBI Director

 The intimidated MAGA Republican Senate just confirmed the man sworn to serve his King Trumpy and persecute those who tried to hold him accountable for a few of his crimes. 

Look at his eyes…Charles Manson eyes. Not good for American Constitutional democracy.

All Hail The King…

 I have written over and over that the 2024 election was about one thing - saving democracy (and the rule of law, and the free press, and the separation of powers, and the Constitution, and an independent military - all the necessary institutions that comprise democracy).

Well, at least to one person, and his slavish MAGA Cult, it is clear that democracy is over and the reign of King Trumpy I has been enshrined. Proof?  How about this official message from THE WHITE HOUSE:

And this from his “X” account:

People try to convince themselves that this doesn’t mean what it obviously says. But I take it very seriously indeed. 

Was the congestion pricing experiment no good? I don’t care. That is for the City of New York to deal with. Not the a fetid king.

This delusional fool is on a path of destruction. 

Welcome to Potterville USA 2025

Welcome to Potterville USA 2025:

The purpose of Potterville is making the super-rich bigger and everyone else smaller. 

Constitution? They don’t need no stinkin’ Constitution….

Honorable courageous real Americans

In this disgraceful chapter of American history, with the Republic party overrun by white supremacist, theocratic, oligarchic autocrats, I pause to honor the dignity and courage of two of the greatest Americans - Frederick Douglass and Harriet Tubman.  It is an honor to be part of the same nation where these two fierce giants rose up.

They brought the light, so can we.

Don’t let him confuse you

 David French made a clarifying observation - everything that Trump does is just one thing: he is saying I am your king, submit to me. 

It seems like there are so many things coming at us nonstop, from all directions, ever more illegal, unconstitutional, corrupt, stupid, nonsensical - pardoning criminals, firing essential workers, shutting down Congress authorized programs, Canada, Mexico, Panama, Gaza, tariffs, ending security protections, eliminating pennies, naming water, it goes on and on and….

But it is actually only one thing - I am your king and I CAN DO WHATEVER THE HELL I WANT, and you can’t stop me, so hahahahahahahaha….

But the orange HUMPTY DUMPTY is going to fall. Sooner would be better than later.  

By the way, why the hell is the Republican Congress just handing over their Constitutional powers to this moron?  I think death threats are involved.

I think the worm is going to turn, and once it does it will find out that THE EMPEROR HAS NO CLOTHES. 

Time to wake up

When Musk says he is Dark Maga - this is what he means - Tech-fascist destruction of democracy, here is the playbook:

1.  Campaign as autocrats - done and ongoing

2.  Purge the bureaucracy - happening now

3.  Ignore the courts - coming soon

4.  Co-opt Congress - done

5.  Centralize police and government powers - coming soon

6.  Shut down the media and elite educational institutions - happening and coming

7.  Turn out your violent people at stressful moments - happened and coming

This is the tried and true fascist playbook to destroy the democratic and political systems of a country. It is in motion.

But, who are the fascists?  Looks to me like there are more than one group - oligarchs, theocrats, and Jim Crow racists.  And, oh yes, Trump. Will they turn on each other? One can hope. 

Theocrats are clear they plan to purge the nation of sin and free it from the grip of Satan and enforce their warped view of a Christian nation on us all. 

The Jim Crow racists, who are mostly theocrats, want a Jim Crow nation where white men rule over their families, businesses, local, state, and federal governments. 

The oligarchs are doing the only thing they know how to do, become more and more and more and more wealthy and powerful. Plus, oh yes, if you are to believe their philosophical gurus like Belagi and Curtis Yarvin they are out to literally eliminate the country and establish tech-bro independent fiefdoms, each run by one of the tech billionaires, scattered across the nation.

Right now, Trump and Musk are illegally and unconstitutionally destroying the government, and Project 2025 will be installing rabid theocrats throughout. And, oh yes, Trump will destroy people he hates.

But, I think America is starting to realize what’s going on.  It’s time to wake up and smell the stench of fascism. 

The worship of power

 David French just recently wrote a quote that seems to me to summarize today’s terrible political moment:

“Those who worship power see compassion and empathy as weakness”

And there we have a one sentence synopsis of Trump and MAGA. 

They are going to fail, I believe, because they are going to destroy themselves. 

Welcome to Jim Crow America

At the direction of Donald Trump, whose father had once been arrested at a KKK rally in New York, the U.S. has revoked a 60-year-old executive order that protected equal opportunity in employment.  He has called for an end to all diversity, equity, and inclusion programs. This February 1, today, neither the Pentagon nor the State Department will recognize Black History Month. These are very loud statements of his ugly character. 

Showing his racism again, he immediately accused diversity hiring for the tragic accident of a helicopter and plane crash at the DC airport, long before an investigation into the crash had come to any conclusion. 

The Republican Party has been systematically impeding black voters ever since the racist Roberts Supreme Court gutted the Voting Rights laws of the ‘60s. They have found their leader, and not only voted for him, but some literally worship him. 

The South has risen again - to be more specific, the Jim Crown South has risen again. 

It is a very, very ugly sight. 

Putin gets his American Secretary of Defense - Hegseth

 I believe that Putin controls Donald Trump.  He tells Trump what to do and Trump does it. Blackmail? Extortion? Bribery? Drugs? Threats?  Who cares?  

So Putin got what he wanted, a much weaker, much more incompetent, much more inexperienced American Secretary of Defense.  Did Putin pick out Hegseth?  Maybe Russian operatives just made little expert KGB trained “suggestions” through chosen influencers.  Hegseth is just one of a dozen MAGA nitwits that look good to the orange nitwit. So any would do.  

Congratulations Vladimir!  America has shot itself on the foot and is much, much, weaker with a Secretary of Defense who knows nothing of the intricacies of the world, or of the vast military, or of strategy, or of….just give him a drink and let him pretend to be really, really, really manly, manly, manly tough - oh so tough…see him do push-ups…

Next Putin conquest is the Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, dedicated to sharing America’s military and intelligence secrets with her dear friend, Vladimir. 

And a fanatic, Kash Patel, to head the FBI and ignore protecting against foreign threats and pursue rabid attacks on the Justice system that dared to bring the deeply corrupt and dangerously fascistic politician to justice.  How dare they disrespect THE KING? 

Putin thinks he has been saved by his little puppet, Donny. 

Oh boy…

Bow down?

Please don’t be confused and think that Donald Trump is a politician that  has been elected to be president. In his mind he has been granted his God Given Right to be an autocrat for life. Screw the Congress, screw the courts, screw the Constitution, screw the media, screw the citizens, he sees himself doing “whatever the hell he wants” until he dies in office. 

Here is a clue. How autocrats project tyrannical power - giant sculptures while alive in office.  

America:

North Korea:

Bow down, submit, give in, give up, accept that you are powerless in the face of the all powerful god-leader.  That is, let the autocrat dominate … or, 

how about we take our power back?  

He targets those he hates

 The new president of the United States has removed the security protection from Bolton, Pompeo, and Hook.  Why? Because he knows Iran is trying to assassinate them in retaliation for the assassination of their leader, Soleimani. And because they said “bad things” about him. So he wants them to fear for their lives for not worshipping him. Or he wants them to be killed. Take your pick.

And the president of the United States removed security protection from Dr Fauci. Why? Same thing, because he was critical of Trump’s moronic mismanagement of the COVID pandemic. And he wants Fauci to fear for his life. So, he openly targets Fauci for some MAGA anti-Fauci who wants to please the president he worships to assassinate Fauci. Take your pick

I think we need to see this mentally ill man as a full blown murderous dictator dedicated to crushing all who he hates. And hate seems to be what he is made of.

Americans asked for this ugliness.  

Why the pardons?

What does an autocrat need in order to force his whims and will on an intimidated and submissive people? A fundamental tool is a civilian paramilitary to beat people up, threaten them, kill them if needed. 

Where have we seen this in the past?

• Black Shirts in Mussolini’s Italy
• Blue Shirts in Franco’s Spain
• Brown Shirts in Hitler’s Germany
• Silver Shirts in America’s American First Nazis in the 1930s

So, what color shirts will the J6 “Hostages” choose as they recruit those already undergoing paramilitary training in red area hills?  MAGA red?

Trump and MAGA are very clear that democracy and the rule of law have been crushed and replaced by the rule of Trump and the rule of MAGA and the rule of Theocracy and the rule of Oligarchy. 

Oops - too many rulers?  Do they first attack each other?  Remember that Stalin killed Trotsky, and Hitler killed Rohm. So I expect each to try to “get rid of” the others and take over.  Isn’t “taking over” what autocracy/fascism/authoritarianism all about?

We’ll see. 

America - sold!

Trump is sworn in. Count the billionaires!  Trump’s American government - of the billionaires, by the billionaires, and for the billionaires. The Party of Lincoln plummets to the depths of the Party of Trump.

All he’s got to say to his MAGA Cult is “Thanks suckers - and - send me more money.”

Now for the autocratic, oligarchic, theocratic choo choo train into the abyss of corruption. Hang on. 

These ugly people are as likely to destroy themselves as they are to destroy us, but it’s likely to get pretty ugly. 

Russia calls Trump the American Gorbachev

 Russians call Trump the American Gorbachev. That is not a compliment. It is a mocking of Trump. Putin sees Gorbachev as a disaster, as the leader who lost the Soviet Empire.

They clearly see Trump as the fool who will lose the American Empire. And they are right. 

Trump is actively destroying Pax Americana. He doesn’t even know what it is. It is the glue that kept the world from blowing itself up after the horrors of WWII.  It is the inspiration that protected and promoted democracy and the rule of law throughout the world. It was the Bullwark against autocracy in the world. 

But Trump is an autocrat himself. He admires and imitates autocrats. He intends to end democracy and the rule of law in America. He is succeeding. There’s lots of riches to me made by autocrats, doncha know?  Plus, the autocrat “gets to do whatever the hell he wants”.

Besides, it’s fun to be cruel; it’s a way to prove to your insecure self that you actually are a manly, manly man; it’s soooooo satisfying to crush people. 

My best hope is that he and his idiot administration will simply be too incompetent and bungling that they’ll just destroy themselves before they destroy America and the world. 

Are we in a democracy or an autocracy?

 It is clear to me that Trump thinks he WON and has been anointed as king, and he gets to do whatever the hell he wants - punish his "enemies", extort billions, and have everyone kiss his ring.

It is clear to me that theocrats think they WON and they have successfully overturned democracy and get to enforce their theocracy, and they get to do whatever the hell they want - control the sex lives of all of us.

It is clear to me that oligarchs think they WON and have captured the country to rule as an oligarchy, and they get to do whatever the hell they want - eliminate all regulations and constraints on their endless greed.  

It is clear to me that white supremacists think they WON and have finally put white men back in charge of America, and they get to do whatever the hell they want - crush the freedoms and powers of women and all non-white races.  

I think the rest of us think that we still live in a democracy where public opinion polls, midterm elections, helpful government programs, persuasive debates, attractive candidates, elections, the legal system and the Rule of Law still mean something. 

Trump will act like a king, theocrats will act like the Taliban, oligarchs will act like Musks, white supremacists will act like it’s Jim Crow. Looks like there will be a lot of combat between those convinced that the world has changed to be dominated by THEM, but not their rivals. If we’re lucky, it will be amusing. But it could get very violent. 

And the rest of us? Not sure, but I think the political and legal systems are likely to be ignored, at least for a while

They don’t play well together

 Autocrats.  They are domineering authoritarian threatening violent bullies.  And they have put their autocratic leader, the orange blob, into the White House come January 20, 2025. But, how is it going for them?

Well, it turns out there seem to be three brands of authoritarian autocrats who put their autocratic leader blob on the top of the heap - oligarchs, theocrats, and nativists. And they are not built to play well together. 

Oligarch autocrat Elon Musk wants smart technocratic immigrants to come to America so he, and the techno oligarchs, can pay them below what they would have to pay American techno geeks. Plus the imports would be trapped in the company they work for or be deported if they leave, as I understand it. 

Oops!  The nativist autocrats are murderously furious. These extremists want NO immigrants, especially immigrants that replace White American workers. So, war…

When do the theocratic autocrats go to war with another autocratic extremist wing?  What will be the trigger?

What is the orange king to do?  Pick sides? Waffle?  Punish?  One thing we know he is incapable of is diplomacy, negotiation, compromise.  

Could be amusing to watch. Or the fallout could be terrible for the rest of us? Violence is part of the air they breathe. 

Well, this is what Americans voted for, but I think many will be surprised at the results. 

Musk proudly declares his white supremacy

 Elon Musk, America’s richest man, raised in racist Apartheid South Africa, has just proudly declared his Nazi self:

“Elon Musk claims ‘only AfD can save Germany’…

AfD is Germany’s neo-Nazi party. The world does not need a rise of German Nazis. Nor the rise of American Nazis. 

What else does white supremacist Musk want? He is giving England’s right wing extremist xenophobic Nigel Farage… $100 million!  

His takeover of Twitter has clearly been for the purpose of spreading extremist right wing lies and anti-Semitic attacks, designed to have him take over the MAGA autocracy. 

MAGA just keeps going lower and lower. 

The shakedowns begin

 Welcome to Mob Boss America.  Trump just shook down ABC News for $15 million.  He will claim this to be a proof of his innocence.  No, it is a proof of his corruption. 
 
From the article:
 
“Stephanopoulos said in the interview that Trump "has been found liable for rape by a jury." Trump, however, was found liable in a civil case for sexually abusing Carroll, not liable for alleged rape”

Interpretation - he raped her with his fingers, not his penis, so technically the statement was slightly misleading. The presiding judge had earlier clarified
 
 “…Mr. Trump ‘raped’ her as many people commonly understand the word ‘rape,’ ” Kaplan wrote.
 
ABC could easily have simply defended their journalist with the claim that the distinction between finger rape and penis rape was no real distinction at all, that she had been forcibly penetrated against her will which is commonly understood to be a violent sexual rape.  And they could have negotiated some settlement like paying for Trump’s legal fees.
 
But ABC did something very different, they Obeyed in Advance, which is to say they submitted to the autocrat ahead of time.  Was it to preclude long legal fees?  Was it to get the difficulty behind them and move forward?  These will be the public rationales, I suppose, but that is not what it really is, it seems to me.
What it really is the victim of a shakedown making a payoff to the Mob Boss – the Mob Boss says, you know it would really be a shame if you had to go through a bunch of pain and suffering that I would inflict upon you when you don’t have to…just give me $15,000,000 and we’ll call it even – OK little bitty subservient victim?  And the little bitty subservient victim says OK Boss, whatever you say boss, is this enough boss?
 
Let the shakedowns continue.
 
And we see the real purpose of the orange one’s “presidency” -$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
 
And, of course, the purpose is vengeance.  Make them all grovel. Make them all sorry.  I just saw the brilliant portrayal of “The Penguin” string Collin Farrell - a good example of a tiny man who makes himself feel big by hurting others and making them grovel.  Sick…

Run for your stinking life, Assad…

 Anne Applebaum is always a mandatory read, for me. Is Syria a precursor of other authoritarian tyrannies being overthrown? Is there an actual reason for hope? Even a fall of Putin? From her article:

“Then, after a well-organized, highly motivated set of armed opponents took the city of Aleppo on November 29, many of the regime’s defenders abruptly stopped fighting. Assad vanished. The scenes that followed today in Damascus—the toppling of statues, the people taking selfies at the dictator’s palace—are the same ones that will unfold in Caracas, Tehran, or Moscow on the day the soldiers of those regimes lose their faith in the leadership, and the public loses their fear of those soldiers too”. … 

Russia has deliberately backed or created regimes that have not merely sought to repress opponents but have also gone out of their way to demonstrate flagrant disregard for human rights and the rule of law, ideas that Putin claims belong to the past. When Putin talks about a new world order or a “multipolar world,” as he did again last month, this is what he means: He wants to build a world in which his cruelty cannot be limited, in which he and his fellow dictators enjoy impunity, and in which no universal values exist, not even as aspirations. …. 

Nevertheless, the end of the Assad regime creates something new, and not only in Syria. There is nothing worse than hopelessness, nothing more soul-destroying than pessimism, grief, and despair. The fall of a Russian- and Iranian-backed regime offers, suddenly, the possibility of change. The future might be different. And that possibility will inspire hope all around the world”

Autocracy is violence, force, domination, fear. But once the tyrant no longer looks invincible, once the enforcers discover that they themselves are being harmed by the brute on top, bye bye tyrant…run for your stinking life. 

He thinks he’s King Henry VIII

 Once again, Trump threatens prison for Liz Cheney, unconstitutional and a lie. Liz responds with the truth....

"This morning, President-elect Trump again lied about the January 6th Select Committee, and said members of the Committee 'should go to jail' for carrying out our constitutional responsibilities. Here is the truth: Donald Trump attempted to overturn the 2020 presidential election and seize power. He mobilized an angry mob and sent them to the United States Capitol, where they attacked police officers, invaded the building, and halted the official counting of electoral votes. Trump watched on television as police officers were brutally beaten and the Capitol was assaulted, refusing for hours to tell the mob to leave. This was the worst breach of our Constitution by any president in our nation’s history. Donald Trump’s suggestion that members of Congress who later investigated his illegal and unconstitutional actions should be jailed is a continuation of his assault on the rule of law and the foundations of our republic.

"Donald Trump knows his claims about the select committee are ridiculous and false, as has been detailed extensively, including by Chairman Thompson in this July 2023 letter.

“There is no conceivably appropriate factual or constitutional basis for what Donald Trump is suggesting – a Justice Department investigation of the work of a congressional committee – and any lawyer who attempts to pursue that course would quickly find themselves engaged in sanctionable conduct.

“What the public now deserves to see is the evidence and grand jury material assembled by Special Counsel Smith, including the grand jury testimony of Vice President Pence and members of Donald Trump’s former White House and campaign staff.

“The Justice Department should ensure that all that material is preserved and cannot be destroyed. As much of that information as possible should be disclosed in the Special Counsel’s upcoming report. Ultimately, Congress should require that all that material be publicly released so all Americans can see Donald Trump for who he genuinely is and fully understand his role in this terrible period in our nation’s history.'... 

Trump thinks he has been made king and can just "chop the heads off" whoever displeases him, like King Henry VIII. He can't, even though his MAGA thugs will try.  Screw this nitwit. 

Autocratic playbook

Just shining a light on what Trump and MAGA are planning, the standard autocratic playbook:

Get rid of an independent press. 

Get rid of an independent legal system. 

Get rid of an independent constitution. 

Get rid of an independent military. 

Get rid of independent political parties. 

Make billions and billions and billions of dollars. For you and for the oligarchy.

Did I mention make BILLION$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$?

But… I don’t expect America to just roll over and obey these thugs.  I am hoping the Trump election is the beginning of the end of right wing theocratic and oligarchic autocracy, not the beginning of autocratic rule.  I think a great American awakening is about to happen.  We said no to the slavery oligarchs.  We said no to the Jim Crow savagery.  We said no to the Joe McCarthy attempted extremist takeover.  It is taking time, but I trust America is going to say no to this band of extremist thugs as well .

Substitute manhood - fear

I believe so much of the damage that Trump and MAGA are doing comes from not knowing what makes a man. One much wiser than I said some years ago that for some who want to be a man, a “real man”, and don’t know how to be a man seize upon a substitute - the way to be a man is to make people fear you. And millions of males wanting to be “real men” latch on to this pretend manliness, and we all suffer the consequences.  

Here is the quote from one of Bob Woodward’s interviews with Trump:

“Asked about power, what is power, and he [Trump] said ‘Real power is … I even don’t like to use the word … but real power is fear,’” Woodward recalled to CNN’s Laura Coates.

Trump has been making people submit to him all of his long, ugly life. And now he will have “his own” Attorney General. And “his own” IRS. And “his own” FBI. And “his own” military. And “his own” nukes. 

Oh boy…

How Trump’s racism will cause inflation and food shortages

 The president elect seems to be hell bent on delivering his economically suicidal campaign promises.

First, he is committed to massive tariffs everywhere (except where Musk and the Trump supporting billionaires don't approve).  This raises prices of imports dramatically, and of course it also raises prices of competing domestic goods as well to almost as high but not quite as high as the imports.  Boom, inflation - bigly bigly bigly.

Second, he just announced that he is going to declare a "national emergency" (bullshit) and use the MILITARY as well as immigration officials to round up and deport millions of brown skinned workers in America. This, in addition to being cruel, is stupid.  Who brings food to our markets and food processing plants? You will be hard pressed to find any other than brown skinned folks in the fields.  This is just old, old, old racism all over again. This is just an autocrat finding someone to blame and promising to punish. It was his number one attraction to get votes.  It is not a stretch to imagine that the round up will not be focused and fair. It seems pretty certain, to me at least, that racists will be involved in the purging of America of all who are not White Christians. There will be naturalized citizens and born in America citizens with latin names and brown skin who will be disappeared from our neighborhoods.  Welcome to empty shelves in our supermarkets.  And higher food prices - bigly bigly bigly.

Disgusting.

But, you say, if he causes such economic calamity he and MAGA will just be voted out in 2028.  Are you joking?  The whole plan of Trump, Vance, Heritage Foundation, Peter Thiel, Elon Musk, White Christian Nationalists, Opus Dei Catholics, New Apostolic Reformation Christians, etc. etc. etc. is to end democracy and go into Russian and Venezuelan make believe elections. They gave up on democracy. 

But, you say, they won't be able to because the Courts will stop them. Are you kidding?  This Roberts Supreme Court has proven again and again that it is out to end democracy and establish a theocratic and oligarchic autocracy - from gutting the Voting Rights laws of the ‘60s to granting Trump full immunity from any action he takes while in office that he declares to be an "official act"

These folks think that they have succeeded in creating an autocracy.  Trump thinks has has been crowned king (maybe we see him in a professional wrestling ring setting being crowned "king of WWE” to the uproarious cheers of MAGAs)

 

BUT...this is America, with a quarter of a millennium of democracy and rule of law behind us.  We are not going to let this pass. The world turns, and times change, and the future is what is coming, not a return to some non-existent  America of MAGA fantasies.