If you think things are bad now, then, brace yourself: it is about to get a whole lot worse. If you are alarmed at the speed with which the Trump administration has set about dismantling every institution of American government and every pillar of the international order, you must understand that this is not just the initial burst of activity, the “shock and awe” phase after which things will settle down: if anything, the pace will continue to accelerate.
The world has never before been faced with such a threat. The United States has handed the nuclear codes to a madman, a criminal, a would-be dictator and a moron, all in the same person. Whatever the purpose to which he directs these powers – to impress his dictator friends, to further enrich himself and his cronies, to seize absolute power or just to watch the world burn – we must hope for the best, but prepare for the worst.
If Dems were smart, and assuming we have a fair election next year, they’d have their own “Project 2027” in the works right now.
Of course, no one would believe them because they’ll walk half of it back before they lose power again, but it would at least show they’re adapting.
What we need is a manifesto for Rollback 2016. Any executive order from Trump? Invalid. Any appointment? Rescinded and Trump, Vance and any Trump appointee is removed from office and barred from any public office for life. Any corporation or billionaire that supported Project 2025 is guilty of treason and will have their assets expropriated as compensation. All legislation passed under Trump is summarily repealed. All regulatory decisions made by Trump appointees, likewise. Networks and sites that have repeated foreign propaganda will be sut down and their executives barred from ever running another public corportation and from holding public office. Tax windfalls for the rich from Trump’s cuts will be reclaimed.
The Democrats won’t do it. Someone will have to.
If Dems were smart they wouldn’t have fucked Bernie in 2016
I think that is definitely the point where the US was at a crossroads.
For me it’s Al Gore losing that was definitely a start of some kind of fall. I know people point to Reagan often, but for me it’s Bush winning and starting all those wars.
That’s a very good point. I think you’re right.
That was when the US moved from covertly to openly breaking international human rights laws, introduced indefinite detention without trial, legally authorised itself to invade Europe, curtailed civil liberties, and rolled out a multi-national network of surveillance of its own citizens.
It also undercut rational reactions to climate change and normalized working-class right wing pride in having a president who sounds stupid to educated people. All of these things are arguably the groundwork for what they have now.