Update: 11/13/23 Charlie Sykes made a good observation. Look at the plans Trump has for becoming an autocrat/fascist/dictator: Do not focus on his gaffes. https://plus.thebulwark.com/p/its-not-the-gaffes-its-the-plans?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=imm3e Update 11/19/23 https://www.nytimes.com/article/trump-2025-second-
Donations have surged to groups linked to conservative Project 2025 (nbcnews.com)
What is obvious from this: Trump and his party want to end democracy as we have known it.
Coriginal post:
Ron DeSantis had an entire segment on Morning Joe this AM to make his case on a wide variety of issues, and Joe Scarborough asked him hard questions and let him answer. One phrase he coined caught my attention: While DeSantis indicated support of America First, with Trump, it is "Putting Trump First. ". That is putting a finger on the "democracy is on the ballot" in 2024 in very simple terms. If you think Trump's use of fear and threats of violence or threatening revenge on critics are just bloviating, , just look how he has completely taken over the GOP. It is by threats of revenge, violent or by other means, against those who are not loyal to him. That is how he wants to govern the whole country if he gets his hands on the White House again. He is very open about his plans, and he has every reason to believe it will work to put him first because it is working so far. DeSantis knows that as he watches his support fade away, but he deserves to be credited with coining the "Putting Trump First" phrase in context of instead of putting America First.
Putting Trump First is a simple, understandable way of pointing out Trump's designs to be a dictator, a fascist one in the most classic definition, but those words come with baggage. Instead, we should describe what these terms mean when put in practice. The Biden pitch has been to " look at all of the things I have done to make your lives better or national security more protected" and leave it at that. It is not working.https://www.reuters.com/world/us/biden-trails-trump-states-likely-decide-2024-us-election-polls-show-2023-11-05/ He needs to make the contrast with what a Trump second term would do after every promotion of an administration accomplishment. Relying on "America's good sense" to figure that out on their own is not working now, either. The campaign season has already begun. Taking a page from Trump," fear is still the most influential political driver," and fear of how Trump would harm those good programs and democracy itself because he already did it as president and now wants to double down on it by seizing more power in the future. The key is to realize that freedom is only for his loyalists, not anyone else, and both loyalists and Trump want to take your rights to protect yourself from an autocrat or a political governing group away from you.. However, while Trump is the mouthpiece, he reflects and plays to a movement that does not stop with Trump because even without him, the body of MAGA will still be about what Trump has advocated. It is fear and hate-driven, subverting any separation of powers, checks, and balances, abusing the reins of government to give themselves more power and to take revenge on their enemies, and restricting our civil rights to express ourselves and shape public policy, whether we are a majority or a minority. Then, ask ourselves, is that how we want to be governed?
How Trump engineered this takeover of the GOP is by using fear of revenge, exhorting political violence, and promoting himself and his power with fraud and lies. His plan to accomplish this on a national scale, lording over everyone else is no secret. It is to replace thousands of civil servants (Schedule F) and House members and the judiciary with loyalists and to surround himself with yes people. This will not be limited to the executive branch but to the legislative and judicial branches as well. Trump intends to legitimize the very same criminal actions for which he is now being charged in various trials by forcing federal employees to work and make decisions on behalf of his wishes and to use the Justice Department to become his enforcers. He will govern with fear and revenge against those not loyal to him. He has been very public with how he will do it. He will appoint prosecutors loyal to him to administer "justice" with targeted prosecutions of those who do not pledge allegiance to Trump. By replacing appointees with proven loyalists, he intends to subvert the intentions of the rule of law and the people who have tried to abide by its provisions. Still, he can use the same techniques to control any checks to his power grab in Congress and in the courts.
If you question whether he could do that, recent events should be instructive. Making Trump First using fear and retribution was happening before our very eyes in the recent three weeks of chaos in the mess to choose a Speaker. Fear and retribution threats work. It is not just fear of loss of a political seat, but it is threats of political violence. When GOP members had their vote for the Trump-favored candidate put on the public record, they voted their loyalty to Trump, but in a secret ballot in the GOP caucus, they voted the other way. Fear of political violence against the families of judges and House members (described graphically in a biography of Romney), the unleashing of the unhinged, mentally unbalanced to do his dirty, violent work is in plain sight from January 6 to his tirades against judges and their staffs in defending himself in criminal and civil trials taking place now. , Threats of being primaried as a RINO is the mildest weapon. This is how he wants to govern us all, non-MAGA and MAGA. For those of us who are not MAGA, be afraid. Be very afraid and take action before Trump First gets a chance to seize the power centers of government.
One large group is mired in nihilism and wishes for another candidate. It is Generation Z and X. For the cynical youth vote paralyzed with " a plague on all your houses," they need to ask themselves if they want to support science deniers, crippling student debt, restrict the choice of health care and control their reproductive lives, rampant misogyny, racism, and homophobia. Take this advice from grandma who has been there, done that. Electing MAGA candidates would just make all of this awfulness worse and make it powerless to do much about it. At least Biden and those who support him oppose those policies and have delivered some tangible results.
Whether or not Trump is still on the ballot by November 2024, sitting on your hands and longing for someone younger to run is the same as supporting those MAGA candidates who personify those policies harming younger voters and their values. In 2024, the vote count still matters since we still have our democracy, and non-votes do not get counted. Duh. What you do still matters..It is not just a matter of casting your vote, but it also is voicing this to peers on social media or in everyday conversations.
Update: 11/13/2023 Trump's plans if he returns to the White House include deportation raids, tariffs and mass firings (msn.com)
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