Interesting how this is shaking out, I must say. We seriously have two schools of thought on this, Democrats and Republicans alike, as the nation reacts to Donald Trump’s seditious crack about suspending the constitution and restoring him to power. As an example, I received a DM on Twitter from a writer, who could have posted their views here, but chose not to. Fair enough.
S/he said, “Your latest headline is hyperbolic. As an event in American history Trump’s proclamation lies somewhere between the story of Norton I., Emperor of the United States and Ruby Ridge. The best response to it is ridicule.” That’s on the one side. On the other side, a reader wrote me an email,
The MSM has been absolutely silent on dumpty’s latest insanity. There’s been not a word; nothing. So here are six (6) links for all of you to share with family and friends. Spread the word that TFG is now OFFICIALLY a clear and present danger to our democratic way of life.I was not old enough at the time, but I remember people talking about British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain proposing that they appease Hitler by giving him what he wanted. Many in GB believed that if he wanted Poland or The Netherlands it was no skin off their noses.Oh how wrong they were! Whether it is called megalomania, sociopathic narcissism or anything else, Hitler would not have been satisfied with anything less than total world domination. Even then perfect total compliance would not have been enough.
Is this sick clown any different? Does anyone really believe that? Can they?What he has had to say has all been posted on his personal social media platform. If he does not deny (and prove) that the words are not his, then he has publicly declared war on the Constitution and this nation. It is long past time for our media outlets and our government to acknowledge this danger and intervene.
The context is that he is someone who has previously attempted a coup by assembling a violent mob that hunted the VP to try and hang him after he vowed to follow the Constitution, and is the likely GOP nominee again. https://t.co/gJUmkZFQKb
— Ron Filipkowski 🇺🇦 (@RonFilipkowski) December 4, 2022
Joyce isn’t taking Trump seriously at all — not that they ever have when he’s misbehaved. This is more of the same but with a slight difference. The GOP’s new posture seems to be that they probably can’t use Trump anymore to stay in power, but on the slight chance that they can, hey, how’s he gonna blow up the constitution, huh? Pshaw, don’t worry about it.
The underlying moral principle that Trump has ACTUALLY called for the suspension of the constitution, this smashing of the Overton window, is completely ignored. If the phrase “Overton window” is new to you, it means “the range of policies politically acceptable to the mainstream population at a given time.”
We are seeing a battle on Twitter now whether anti-Semitism is to be tolerated. Now we’ve got Trump saying he wants to suspend the constitution. The fact that the GOP has not resoundingly come down in condemnation of Trump and that this is not considered the disqualifying statement that it should be, pushes the Overton window to the breaking point, at least in my humble opinion.
Now, we are to ignore a candidate for president of the United States, who openly dines with Nazis and proselytizes sedition on his social media platform? The rebuttal to this is, oh yeah, but that’s Donald Trump. He’s nuts. We all know that.
What I know is that the GOP won’t stop their Frankenstein’s monster. They never, ever have been willing to. Now they’re laughing at him, they’re pooh poohing his ambitions for 2024, but they’re not STOPPING him.
By not stopping him, they are ratifying this kind of dialogue and at some future time, the day may dawn, when we have some candidate who is serious about abrogating the constitution and becoming a dictator. And since they didn’t stop Trump, they won’t stop the new person, either.
A lot of Germans thought Hitler was a joke. They didn’t stop him. He rose to power through the inaction of the people. They allowed it to happen.
In this country, Trump was elected president of the United States. That horrifying result was made possible by a dumbed down, semi-comatose electorate who thinks that politics is a form of entertainment, and a cynical, debased, Republican party who is only too happy to give them their bread and circus.
You will never get a straight answer from the Republican party on this or any question. They’re too corrupt and they’re fighting for survival. We saw that on other Sunday shows. Here’s Mike Turner, also a GOP Rep. from Ohio, soft soaping the whole thing.
President Trump on his own social media platform called for the “termination” of the constitution while repeating his false 2020 election claims. When asked if this should disqualify Trump for reelection, Rep. Mike Turner says it's “not consistent with the oath we all take.” pic.twitter.com/hGpAjzLrrZ
— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) December 4, 2022
Now, in a real world context, I basically agree that Trump is a joke and he probably won’t get the GOP nomination. But that is what people were saying in 2015, as well.
My point is that he should be disqualified right now. The Republicans don’t want to come out and heartily endorse him, but make no mistake: they don’t want to send him packing, either, because maybe, just maybe, they can use him.
And if Trump would get the nomination and then somehow regain the office — and indeed, I do think that’s a far-fetched proposition — then he will become dictator. And just like Hitler, who telegraphed his plans for future rulership of Germany in his book Mein Kampf, Trump will have telegraphed his. As Maya Angelou said, “When somebody tells you who they are believe them.”
Again, I think Trump’s political star has set and he’s not going anywhere. That is not the point. The point is that nobody can talk this way and remain any kind of a viable candidate for president of the United States. Nobody. The GOP won’t shut down their monster because they’re keeping their options open.
That is not acceptable. There is no option for a candidate to remain running for POTUS when sedition and overthrow of the government are being broadcast by the person, and particularly in this case, by a man who broke bread with Nazis last week. Trump needs to be disqualified from running, end of story. That is the only solution that keeps American values safe and restores sanity and restraint to our public discourse.
The GOP is talking about moving on from Trump. Terrific. Move on. Move on right now. Do a surgical cut, once and for all, and remove Trump from the body politic. That’s the only way to move on. You know and I know they won’t do it. And so what’s the next step down the dark dark ladder? Because the fact that the Overton window has moved this far, that we’re even having this discussion, is already horrifying enough for me.
Yes, Trump is a total joke. Agreed. But this is not a joking matter. A stance needs to be taken on this. The gutlessness of the Republican party is phenomenal to behold. If this nation ever does fall into a dictatorship, it will be because they laid the groundwork for many years for that to happen. You and I are bearing witness.
Well said Ursula! Now, if we could someone in a position of power to act.
TFG has been and will continue to be a National Security Threat. The FBI knew it in 2016 and the evidence has only increased exponentially. I believe there are lawyers attempting to keep him off the ballot in various states due to the Insurection, but these type lawsuits have had mixed results regarding other rethug candidates. As long as Ronna Romney McDaniel is head of the RNC, they will do nothing to impede the Mango Menace. We beat him in 2020, we’ll do it again in 2024, but we shouldn’t have to put up with all the mayhem he’ll create in the interim. I’m hoping Jack Smith indicts him early next year and they expedite the trial so that if he still wants to run, he’ll have to do it from a jail cell.
January 6, 2021 Trump PROVED his willingness to shred the Constitution – and how hard he’d fight to get to the shredder with it. He personally never said it explicitly, but NOW he’s done so and my guess is not for the last time. He’s under attack on multiple fronts and this latest lashing out is telling. I’m reminded of that seminal moment in A Few Good Men when Col. Jessup is on the stand and gets goaded into saying what so many in the courtroom had come to think during the back and forth between him and the attorney questioning. Resenting a Navy Lt. shouting “did you order the code red? Jessup loses it and admits “Your goddamned right I did and I’d do it again!” That’s Trump.
And it SHOULD be a top topic in the news. Along with the refusal of the GOP to roundly denounce him.
Emperor Norton was at least right on some things, and people had a genuine love for him, even though he was a little lunie. He even had a cool jazz song in his honor.
Re: “I remember people talking about British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain proposing that they appease Hitler …”. Once, when I was a kid, I remember my grandmother sounding off “I HATE THE BRITISH! They gave away that which wasn’t theirs to give!” She was born in Bohemia, later part of Czechoslovakia.
I have no doubt that this evil clown would like to regain power and shred all the doctrine that governs the country replacing it with, “The law is whatever I say it is right now!” And, “I will tell you what your rights are!” I think what really saved us the first time he had his hands on the levers of power was his maverick style coupled with his ineptitude. Of course it didn’t hurt that he’s surrounded himself with “the very best people” mostly from the C list in the beginning and devolving to the D and F list towards the end. Milley was certainly qualified but The Don wanted yes men and not their expertise among those for whom it was present so he departed early. Mattis was also able but again, The Don didn’t want his opinions, he wanted Mattis duck walking right behind himself. Believing oneself superior when you are not doesn’t usually work out so America continues on, albeit somewhat precariously, but we’re still kicking!