Given Youngkin's performance during 2021's campaign for governor of Virginia (primary and general), who said he was a “respectable” Republican? Less calamitous at best.
He's been bitten by the presidential ambition bug, and there's only two ways to gain that nomination these days: be a bigger asshole than Trump, or seem a more efficient Prophet of MAGA than Trump. Prudence suggests going down both paths since they're hardly mutually exclusive.
The danger that Trumpism poses has always been there. Wondering if Mr Sykes, whether the sensible/ex-GOP'ers, or Democrats of any persuasion have seen this coming is kind of a moot point.
The danger is here, and it's here right now.
I'm just an old retired guy, nothing special, but i've been saying this for quite a while now. This movement is beyond anti-democratic or authoritarian, it is insane. Literally. The "perfect storm" coming features not just the crackpot "dear leader" nor the twisted visions of QAnon, it HAS for long included all the "crazies" that used to only exist in pockets of isolation but who have now discovered the power of networking via the Internet which has enhanced and magnifed their power. Power beyond anything we've seen in fringe movements before. Not the Klan, not Father Coghlan, not the John Birchers. Moreover as we know from the near continous wailing of punditry, these people have seats of power in local, State, and Federal Government including the Judiciary.
Speaking of that power, it's not just words. These people, thanks to the NRA an gun lobbies, are now literally armed to genuine para-military levels including all the necessary "cos-play" gear any special operater wanna-be could ever dream of. Automatic weapons, assault rifles, silencers, body armor, night vision...you name it, they got it. And they are VERY willing to use it.
Make no mistake what this danger is, not just to our way of governance, nor life. It will LITERALLY be your (and my) actual life that is at risk. These people are SAYING they want to execute the non-believers of Q, those who oppose Trump, the liberals, the gays, feminists, intellectuals and yes PUNDITS too. Just as Russian marched into Ukraine with "kill lists" and then, as we have seen, set up torture and murder operations almost immediately in occupied areas. Rape, brutality, child murder it's all be dug up right now. If you think that his can't happen here you ARE delusional.
What do we do? Let's start by crackdowns and arrests. Get ringleaders off the street and off the Internet. Start right now with declaring groups like Oath Keepers to be domestic terror organizations and PURSUE them as such. Get serious about sedition, incitement of violence and intimidations of poll workers and other lower level government employees.
Stop wringing our hands and start DOING something.
Will all of them see a Guantanmo cell? Maybe not , but in the meantime we can disrupt their growing network, remove leadership. People locked up in jail awaiting trials CANNOT lead revolts, insurrections or mass murder.
Sounds harsh? I fear only time will tell us how harsh that is. Maybe we can mull it over in some MAGA-gulag.
Rusty Bowers will probably still vote for the fascists because, well, Democrats.
Liz Cheney has laid it out clearly that no Republican who doesn't separate itself from The Big Lie (about 80% of Republican candidates) should be supported.
And yet the visceral and reflexive need to reject Democrats qua Democrats will assure either a lesser of two evils vote (because fascists are obviously less evil than Democrats) or voting third-party and wasting the only weapon they have to stop the fascists.
I have become quite comfortable knowing that for the foreseeable future I may be voting for some sucky Democrats because they are committed to preserving democracy and the rule of law.
The Index fingers in the air, - - How is this different, re needs and emotions, from the arms raised by those 'brown shirts' as they shouted, "Sieg Heil"?
The more violence his followers commit, the worse his electoral chances get. So yes, indict him. Do whatever can be done to provoke the crazies. There are still way too many people who think they're voting about tax cuts, or they don't like Biden, or inflation, or there's too much political correctness. January 6 woke up some people, and more violence will wake up more people. I don't want violence, but if these people are threatening violence, by all means, encourage them to show their true faces again and again. Better people wake up now than after TFG is in the White House again, or someone with the same evil intentions like DeSantis.
And it's the only one I intend to lift in defense of any of them who should choose to throw their lives away for this knuckle-dragging, feces-slinging loser. Though I'm confident the vast majority of them won't.
But, to whatever extent some of them do, they will only prove to the part of the country that wants to stick their heads in the ground (or elsewhere) just what a threat their totalitarian toddler actually poses to the stability of our country. A few news clips of beer-gutted baboons running around with guns shooting up Federal buildings in red states will likely put a sock in the mouth of the Jack del Rios of the world. This will separate the cosplayers from the real lunatics, so if the Insurrection Act has to be invoked (God help us), America will know why.
And don't forget - the people who showed up for Jan 6th were, by and large, comfortably middle class, many of them successful professionals. People who are *actually* driven to the brink of desperation through dire economic peril brought on by factory closures and jobs shipped overseas have neither the time nor the money to hop on a bus or plane and drive halfway across the country to be present for an impromptu CPAC flash mob on the steps of the Capital. Spoiled, petulant, overfed first-world denizens animated by petty cultural grievances and the recreational value of delusional hero-play, do.
So let's get this over with already. Drop the hammer on this buffoon, and let whatever cretins truly believe in him fall where they may.
So trump is now threatening The United States with war waged by him and his followers against all of us and the United States. What he could not yet attain by tens of thousands of lies and a failed coup, he will attempt to take by force. He is a clear and present danger to the US.
I’m sure our military is quite prepared should any of these violent threats being made by Trump and others be attempted. Our military is too strong and large to not put the next insurrection or so- called civil war start down quickly. And no doubt have infiltrated all these groups. I don’t think Milley or Biden (Commander-in-Chief) are sleeping on the job. Bring it on and let Flynn finally be court-martialed and jailed with those he’s preparing for battle.
That's not hard to believe. What Trump is is so plainly obvious to anyone willing to see it. I don't understand the brinkmanship played by so many of his supporters. If any of these people could have experienced Trump anonymously for 30 minutes before the 2016 election, I doubt any of them would have been willing to trust him to do anything important for any of their family members, so why are they willing to trust him with our country? Clearly the thirst for political power in some Americans is crazy making.
Given Youngkin's performance during 2021's campaign for governor of Virginia (primary and general), who said he was a “respectable” Republican? Less calamitous at best.
He's been bitten by the presidential ambition bug, and there's only two ways to gain that nomination these days: be a bigger asshole than Trump, or seem a more efficient Prophet of MAGA than Trump. Prudence suggests going down both paths since they're hardly mutually exclusive.
Let Justice be done though the heavens fall. (FIAT JUSTITIA, RUAT COELUM) Lord Justice Mansfield 1772.
The danger that Trumpism poses has always been there. Wondering if Mr Sykes, whether the sensible/ex-GOP'ers, or Democrats of any persuasion have seen this coming is kind of a moot point.
The danger is here, and it's here right now.
I'm just an old retired guy, nothing special, but i've been saying this for quite a while now. This movement is beyond anti-democratic or authoritarian, it is insane. Literally. The "perfect storm" coming features not just the crackpot "dear leader" nor the twisted visions of QAnon, it HAS for long included all the "crazies" that used to only exist in pockets of isolation but who have now discovered the power of networking via the Internet which has enhanced and magnifed their power. Power beyond anything we've seen in fringe movements before. Not the Klan, not Father Coghlan, not the John Birchers. Moreover as we know from the near continous wailing of punditry, these people have seats of power in local, State, and Federal Government including the Judiciary.
Speaking of that power, it's not just words. These people, thanks to the NRA an gun lobbies, are now literally armed to genuine para-military levels including all the necessary "cos-play" gear any special operater wanna-be could ever dream of. Automatic weapons, assault rifles, silencers, body armor, night vision...you name it, they got it. And they are VERY willing to use it.
Make no mistake what this danger is, not just to our way of governance, nor life. It will LITERALLY be your (and my) actual life that is at risk. These people are SAYING they want to execute the non-believers of Q, those who oppose Trump, the liberals, the gays, feminists, intellectuals and yes PUNDITS too. Just as Russian marched into Ukraine with "kill lists" and then, as we have seen, set up torture and murder operations almost immediately in occupied areas. Rape, brutality, child murder it's all be dug up right now. If you think that his can't happen here you ARE delusional.
What do we do? Let's start by crackdowns and arrests. Get ringleaders off the street and off the Internet. Start right now with declaring groups like Oath Keepers to be domestic terror organizations and PURSUE them as such. Get serious about sedition, incitement of violence and intimidations of poll workers and other lower level government employees.
Stop wringing our hands and start DOING something.
Will all of them see a Guantanmo cell? Maybe not , but in the meantime we can disrupt their growing network, remove leadership. People locked up in jail awaiting trials CANNOT lead revolts, insurrections or mass murder.
Sounds harsh? I fear only time will tell us how harsh that is. Maybe we can mull it over in some MAGA-gulag.
Rusty Bowers will probably still vote for the fascists because, well, Democrats.
Liz Cheney has laid it out clearly that no Republican who doesn't separate itself from The Big Lie (about 80% of Republican candidates) should be supported.
And yet the visceral and reflexive need to reject Democrats qua Democrats will assure either a lesser of two evils vote (because fascists are obviously less evil than Democrats) or voting third-party and wasting the only weapon they have to stop the fascists.
I have become quite comfortable knowing that for the foreseeable future I may be voting for some sucky Democrats because they are committed to preserving democracy and the rule of law.
The Index fingers in the air, - - How is this different, re needs and emotions, from the arms raised by those 'brown shirts' as they shouted, "Sieg Heil"?
Why does no one talk about the lone black man who is ALWAYS behind TFG at his “rally’s” - off DJT’s left shoulder, holding a “Blacks for Trump” sign?
Let's get on with it!
Ignoring Trump's evil deeds,
Serves no one but him.
To indict or not,
Has never been the question.
Let's get on with it!
I don’t say this lightly, but bring it. We lose more ground by waiting around.
The more violence his followers commit, the worse his electoral chances get. So yes, indict him. Do whatever can be done to provoke the crazies. There are still way too many people who think they're voting about tax cuts, or they don't like Biden, or inflation, or there's too much political correctness. January 6 woke up some people, and more violence will wake up more people. I don't want violence, but if these people are threatening violence, by all means, encourage them to show their true faces again and again. Better people wake up now than after TFG is in the White House again, or someone with the same evil intentions like DeSantis.
A vote for an election integrity denier is a vote for canceling elections.
Well I have a finger for Trump's supporters too!
And it's the only one I intend to lift in defense of any of them who should choose to throw their lives away for this knuckle-dragging, feces-slinging loser. Though I'm confident the vast majority of them won't.
But, to whatever extent some of them do, they will only prove to the part of the country that wants to stick their heads in the ground (or elsewhere) just what a threat their totalitarian toddler actually poses to the stability of our country. A few news clips of beer-gutted baboons running around with guns shooting up Federal buildings in red states will likely put a sock in the mouth of the Jack del Rios of the world. This will separate the cosplayers from the real lunatics, so if the Insurrection Act has to be invoked (God help us), America will know why.
And don't forget - the people who showed up for Jan 6th were, by and large, comfortably middle class, many of them successful professionals. People who are *actually* driven to the brink of desperation through dire economic peril brought on by factory closures and jobs shipped overseas have neither the time nor the money to hop on a bus or plane and drive halfway across the country to be present for an impromptu CPAC flash mob on the steps of the Capital. Spoiled, petulant, overfed first-world denizens animated by petty cultural grievances and the recreational value of delusional hero-play, do.
So let's get this over with already. Drop the hammer on this buffoon, and let whatever cretins truly believe in him fall where they may.
The Youngstown rally was very reminiscent of the 1984 “Two Minutes Hate.”
https://youtu.be/XvGmOZ5T6_Y
However, it is not fiction. And it can't be wished away. We need to take action.
So trump is now threatening The United States with war waged by him and his followers against all of us and the United States. What he could not yet attain by tens of thousands of lies and a failed coup, he will attempt to take by force. He is a clear and present danger to the US.
So this Q slogan WWG1WGA is from the movie "White Squall". So when they say "the storm is coming" they mean the "White Storm". Nice & subtle.
I’m sure our military is quite prepared should any of these violent threats being made by Trump and others be attempted. Our military is too strong and large to not put the next insurrection or so- called civil war start down quickly. And no doubt have infiltrated all these groups. I don’t think Milley or Biden (Commander-in-Chief) are sleeping on the job. Bring it on and let Flynn finally be court-martialed and jailed with those he’s preparing for battle.
That's not hard to believe. What Trump is is so plainly obvious to anyone willing to see it. I don't understand the brinkmanship played by so many of his supporters. If any of these people could have experienced Trump anonymously for 30 minutes before the 2016 election, I doubt any of them would have been willing to trust him to do anything important for any of their family members, so why are they willing to trust him with our country? Clearly the thirst for political power in some Americans is crazy making.