I think if there is violence, it will be instigated by anti-gov militia types. The military won’t likely do anything, but local, state, and possibly Fed (FBI) will act accordingly. FBI has stopped one terror plot locally a month or two ago.
I would say an armed populace adds some insulating protection against an over reaching government. Even if they ultimately lose, it gives authority cause for pause because their overzealous use of force would have some repercussions.
I think it will depend widely on the situation. Yes I could see a scenario that proves your point.
But again, this is mostly academic. Despite the shit show I don’t see this becoming widespread issue, just like I don’t see Trump actually trying to halt or postpone the election past Jan 20th.
Yep. Watch who he bullies the most in press briefings.
That is possible. The best defense against that is to not let this race get that close in any state that matters. Fingers crossed?
You might not have noticed that Obama was not a completely unhinged lunatic with only contempt for the nation he governed. The circumstances are not remotely similar.
That armed populace is much more likely to back the tyrant in this scenario than remove him from power. You can go ahead and use a Sharpie to cross off that talking point.
That, and it has been a while since there were truly fair and free elections (if there ever were). The gerrymandering, voter suppression have been well documented - I think that is a bigger concern than Trump trying to cancel the election.
The “anti-gov” militia types have largely morphed into “pro-Trump” militia types. Turns out they’re fine with jackbooted thugs as long as the boots are resting on other people’s necks.
Huh? Whose fault is it that there’s a tyrant in the White House or whose fault is it that the armed populace worships him?
No, but they also don’t leave when people cause violence in the streets. He’s got the big guns, and the more violence, the more likely the real power of the state consolidates behind him. Again, what makes him leave is when people who perform the actual functions of the government just ignore him.
what i fear the most is armed white men. i could probably stop there. in this case more specifically is armed white men attempting to stop people from voting. open carry rallies to stop “voter fraud.”
fortunately, despite all the stupidity out there, people still don’t seem emboldened enough for that. and, like @DukeTrout said about trump, most of his followers are also cowards. this whole presidency is like a master class in white fragility
I think they are plenty bold enough to stake out polling places. They did it in 2016, and they’ll do it in 2020. That’s one of the benefits of vote-by-mail (which doesn’t have to be by mail - there are ballot drop boxes), is that people can’t intimidate voters at one spot in a precinct at one set time.
My plan, assuming travel opens up by then, is to go somewhere where voter suppression is likely and it’s going to be a close race. Michigan and Georgia come to mind. And volunteer as a polling place monitor, to counterbalance the voter intimidators.
we don’t have one Federal election. we have 50 state (and 1 DC) elections, which include votes for national offices. i mean, i guess Trump could try and declare martial law and the end of federalism… he could also declare himself emperor of the moon, and require each of us to send him $5 every time we look at it… the rub is: would enough other people go along with it? with his negative level of popular support for the entire length of what passes for his political career, i sure wouldn’t bet on it.
States open-up early. COVID deaths spike. POTUS declares emergency martial law, deploys troops to state offices to maintain order. Dissidents are detained in protective custody for their own safety. Only loyalists make it to controlled polls. If other nations can see 95% re-election tallies, why not here?
Who is carrying out those orders? The people who hate him or the people who merely loathe him? Or are there enough members of his friends & family club to pull it off?
Yeah, I think one aspect that no one wants to contemplate because it’s so horrible is that by November, we will probably have bodies in the streets.
It’s hard to rally if you’re in ICU or a refrigerated truck. That’s where they’re headed, because they continue to drink the ever-more-poisonous Koolaid.
