not in the office of the president, but our local politics is a series of interlocking feifdoms - and that has invited authoritarianism historically in the time of company stores and teapot domes, and more recently in places like Flint, who had their elected government removed and replaced by an appointee of the Governor.
We don’t have quite the same toolbox as many have had, but we do have some tools.
[quote=“anon36155390, post:44, topic:93731”]
Patrick Monahan (pattymo)
Fuck Steve Bannon. Less-healthy-looking Edgar Suit motherfucker
[/quote]Those lumpy mashed potatoes look like they need a little gravy on them, although hot tar might be a more pleasing topping.
So to extend the parallel laid out above, tRump is either going to take voting rights away from millions, or he’s prepping for mass deportations. I’m inclined to think the latter is more likely, as it’s thoroughly in keeping with his populist rhetoric. The idea that he’s merely going to take away voting rights seems too mild for his fevered shrunken mango brain.
Either option is chilling and I fear that his acolytes and his supporters would turn a blind eye and allow him to get away with either quite readily. That attitude scares me even more than the orange one himself.
The New York Times, for its public service in publishing in full so many official reports, documents and speeches by European statesmen relating to the progress and conduct of World War I.
Ken White is a smart fellow, but his whole schtick is to be The Pragmatic Neutral Guy who doesn’t choose sides, he just looks at the law and points out why things are okay or not crazy.
Fuck that. This isn’t a time to be pragmatic. We have a book-burning white supremacist pulling the strings of a mentally impaired figurehead and they’re actively working to destroy our healthcare, our freedoms, our educational system, our press, and our international relations. Things are crazy, Ken, and your shtick isn’t helpful.
This. I know that the usual attention span is two weeks or so but Trump and his cronies obviously forgot the atrocious conduct of the US media before and during Iraq War 2: uncritical repetition of US government propaganda (WMDs anyone?), vilification of the few journalists who asked questions and refused bleary eyed jingoism, (self-) censorship.
It’s an entirely unnecessary fight. They could’ve used the US media as compliant mouthpieces by pressing the right buttons.
The US media has problems adapting to Trump because it was to busy sucking the previous governments cock that it forgot it’s original purpose.
From my point of view, the press acted as Trumps media arm - repeating everything he said and obsessing over him when all we wanted was for them to ignore the clown. I feel like Trumps win could not have happened without the non-stop 24 hour Trump cycle.
This is Empire, not Star Wars, the plucky rebel media already won, and big bad Darth T is still in power. In order to beat Trump they’ll have to sacrifice all the credibility they once afforded him, Steve Bannon knows this, it doesn’t matter what they say about him as long as they keep talking about him. These guys are trollies and a trollies winning conditions are different from regular people’s wining conditions.