This is going badly

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It would take a handful of republicans in the House and senate to end this before tomorrow morning.

Alas.

I don’t think it’s as hopeless as you think. The hits are adding up. People I know who live outside of DC and voted for Trump, did not vote for this. They’re losing jobs and worrying about how to find work. The hat trick the project 2025 people want to perform was not on the ballot, and most people would never vote for it. The 18% that are falling for it, are untouchable koolaid drinkers, but the rest aren’t.

what Idid they vote for then? racism and xenophobia?

Yes. They were afraid the US wouldn't remain white enough. Pretty much just this.

Yep. This is the reason. They won’t say it - that’s why whatever nonsense they do say makes no sense … and why logical explanations don’t work. They don’t actually care about those other
Issues. They just don’t want non-whites taking control

[Anonymous]

Giving our personal data to Russia
Crashing the stock market
Kidnapping people off the street and sending them to concentration camps in El Salvador
Firing people
Wiping out contracting agencies that do not belong to Musk
Thinking we can cut our own forests for wood when Canada has the older (and many more) forests with better and stronger wood
Getting rid of N95 masks by firing 92% of NIOSH staff
Firing everyone at USAID because the hurt Musk's feeling and he was scared he'd go to jail

Musk spreading his seed among his harem and spawning secret children

What's not to like?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, I’m genuinely curious. When he said this was what he would do, did you not believe him?

OP here. Sort of. A lot of this is stuff that I knew he'd find appealing, but the guy says a lot of stuff that isn't true-- mexico paying for it and all that. Plus, for all his faults, I did think that he was sort of correct in his complaint that he was constantly stymied in his first term by entrenched power structures that hated him and thought he was a joke. Tbh, I still think that. The fact that a huge share of the country called themselves the Resistance-- as though they were standing up to tanks in the streets of 1968 Prague-- was sort of absurd, and I thought it was revealing that so many members of our social elite were like "yeah, that's a reasonable thing to do."

This time though it seems different. It seems like he's able to do a lot more of the stuff he said he'd do. But he's also not doing some of the better stuff he said he would. So from my vantage point, a big vibe I got from his campaign was that he would be pragmatic and approach even some Dems to high-level positions (which he did, I guess) and avoid weapon using the justice system. The hardcore small-government shtick and the EOs though all seem like he's just out for blood.

You need to read up on authoritarianism and follow how Putin, Orban and Erdogan came to power and consolidated it. Because if you can't see what Trump and the GOP is doing as straight from the authoritarian playbook, and what follows, then that is on you.

Trump is aligned with the tech bros, who want to create fiefdoms out of the US. They would then each control their own fiefdom.

You can read about their "Butterfly Revolution." They've been writing about this and attending conferences on the topic and talking about it in the open for years. Peter Thiel, JD Vance, Elon Musk, and other white tech bros.

Vance is their chosen leader for the post-MAGA and authoritarian world they want to create.

Their first step was to campaign on autocracy.
The second was to dismantle the government.
Another step is to ignore the courts.
Then co-opt Congress.
Eventually, they turn out the people. That's the final step.

[Anonymous]

https://www.mediaite.com/tv/we-are-all-afraid-republican-senator-admits-colleagues-are-terrified-of-being-punished-for-criticizing-trump/

So if Murkowski is afraid of speaking up and using her power as a Senator, then maybe she isn't cut out for the job. We don't need 50 craven republicans be scared while our country falls into the abyss. That isn't what the founders envisioned when they came up with our system of governance.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:https://www.mediaite.com/tv/we-are-all-afraid-republican-senator-admits-colleagues-are-terrified-of-being-punished-for-criticizing-trump/

So if Murkowski is afraid of speaking up and using her power as a Senator, then maybe she isn't cut out for the job. We don't need 50 craven republicans be scared while our country falls into the abyss. That isn't what the founders envisioned when they came up with our system of governance.

I respect her for saying out loud what so many GOP politicians feel: "We are all afraid." She continued, “It’s quite a statement. But we are in a time and a place where I certainly have not been here before. And I’ll tell ya, I’m oftentimes very anxious myself about using my voice, because retaliation is real. And that’s not right.”

Think about that for a moment, MAGA. Does that seem normal to you that the members of Trump's own party fear him?

[Anonymous]

So here is how this works....they sell the HUD building, and Elon buys it for like $5M
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-04-17/hud-building-put-up-for-sale-as-trump-looks-to-unload-properties

Then, Musk leases it back to the US government for 100 years at $5M/Yr with an inflation escalator.

The American public lose an asset and Elon and his progeny make bank for a century, and Elon kicks money back to Trump for the thanks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So here is how this works....they sell the HUD building, and Elon buys it for like $5M
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-04-17/hud-building-put-up-for-sale-as-trump-looks-to-unload-properties

Then, Musk leases it back to the US government for 100 years at $5M/Yr with an inflation escalator.

The American public lose an asset and Elon and his progeny make bank for a century, and Elon kicks money back to Trump for the thanks.

This could be its own thread.

[Anonymous]

I think the fever for T was so intense for so many of his followers that for people like OP, there was a permission structure to assume the best. I tried to assume the best in the first term! I thought, “How bad could it be?” Now, I think we are in full-on FAFO mode and it sucks, but as others have said, it may be the only thing that can break the fever for those capable of seeing the light. I just hope that happens sooner than later. Historically, fascism doesn’t last very long and in a country as big as the US with as many dissenting people as we have and will continue to gain, it will be even harder to maintain. From my thumbs to God’s ears.

[Anonymous]

Make Botulism great again

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-fda-suspends-food-safety-quality-checks-after-staff-cuts-2025-04-17/

US FDA suspends food safety quality checks after staff cuts.

So the food we already can't afford is now going to kill us.

Yay for the germs!

[Anonymous]

The food has ALREADY been killing us!!!!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think the fever for T was so intense for so many of his followers that for people like OP, there was a permission structure to assume the best. I tried to assume the best in the first term! I thought, “How bad could it be?” Now, I think we are in full-on FAFO mode and it sucks, but as others have said, it may be the only thing that can break the fever for those capable of seeing the light. I just hope that happens sooner than later. Historically, fascism doesn’t last very long and in a country as big as the US with as many dissenting people as we have and will continue to gain, it will be even harder to maintain. From my thumbs to God’s ears.

Doesn’t last long can still be more than a decade.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Make Botulism great again

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-fda-suspends-food-safety-quality-checks-after-staff-cuts-2025-04-17/

US FDA suspends food safety quality checks after staff cuts.

So the food we already can't afford is now going to kill us.

Yay for the germs!

It's all cool. Don Trump, Jr's friend is in charge of food safety. The friend was a lawyer and not a food expert, so I'm sure the food will at least be...legal?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Canadian here. What we are bewildered by is how anyone could think that someone with a history of lying over and over and over and over and over again, of throwing people under the bus to save his skin, of being petty, spiteful, and cruel; someone who has never displayed an ounce of compassion, empathy, or kindness — how on earth could you think he would make a good leader?

There is a sizable number of Americans who don't understand it either. He's a terrible, terrible, terrible person. And an incompetent POTUS. It makes no sense whatsoever to cast a vote for him. None. Zero. Zip. It's like we are all in the Upside Down.

He may or may not have lied about many things. The tariffs however, he was not lying about.

Contrast that with Democrats who you know are politicians after all and lied about many things. Take for example recycling. As it turns out, you can't recycle plastic. However, they did nothing when it came to their progressive economic agenda and class disparities. So, there is the basic reasoning. Trump has done some things (big things) that he said he was going to do that we liked.

Canadian PP here. My point was that the constant lying means here is someone who lacks personal integrity- who doesn't believe honesty is important.

Here is someone you cannot trust because he lacks personal integrity.

On top of lack of personal integrity, here is someone who has never once shown any kindness or compassion, and instead has shown the complete opposite - he's shown repeatedly that he can be cruel and vindictive, and uncaring.

Why would you elect someone like this to lead your country?

My personal opinion is that many Trump voters like that he is a racist bully.

Yes. I think they had abusive or absent fathers and like violence and abuse. Or they like the "strong" Daddy figure, which is funny since D prob poops his diapers on the regular. But whatever.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think it’s going great, sorry you can’t comprehend the big picture.

What part do you like best? The breakdown of democracy, rule of law, federal government, world class research system, relations with democratic allies or economic instability?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the fever for T was so intense for so many of his followers that for people like OP, there was a permission structure to assume the best. I tried to assume the best in the first term! I thought, “How bad could it be?” Now, I think we are in full-on FAFO mode and it sucks, but as others have said, it may be the only thing that can break the fever for those capable of seeing the light. I just hope that happens sooner than later. Historically, fascism doesn’t last very long and in a country as big as the US with as many dissenting people as we have and will continue to gain, it will be even harder to maintain. From my thumbs to God’s ears.

Doesn’t last long can still be more than a decade.

Oh, I know. But in a way, it’s practically been a decade if you count the first term. I’m hoping we can use that timeframe. I mean, someone has to manifest it! 😁