Even if Biden wins, I think our Democracy is still in danger.

[SKKY]

Trump has proven that America is absolutely susceptible to an authoritarian figure. Lucky for us, the one chosen this time happened to be an incompetent idiot surrounded by even more incompetent idiots. Republicans have failed in every respect to counteract those authoritarian tendencies so long as they get their Obamacare repeal, their judges, and as long as their assault on entitlements is allowed to continue. Plus, it's obvious COVID-19 probably saved the US from a 2nd Trump term.

But, here's what worries me; what happens if said future candidate isn't an incompetent idiot? What if it's someone eloquent, politically savvy, highly educated, and with the charisma to actually pull off the populism Trump tried to pull off? Perhaps I'm being hyperbolic. Who knows? I just have a sense that the past 3 1/2 years have shown us that our democracy, durable as it may be, wouldn't survive the above scenario.

[still_one]

1. If we capture the WH and both houses of Congress, we will be fine

[RhodeIslandOne]

5. Until the next time America whines things aren't going their way

And installs Tom Cotton or some other pig.

[SKKY]

26. I hope so, although I have argued for a while now if we focused on the Senate...

...and were able to flip it, the WH would follow suit. If I was given the choice of either winning the WH, or flipping the Senate, I'd pick the Senate every day of the week, and twice on Sundays.

[denem]

2. There is no "even" here.

The end of trump is the sine qua non of anything worth while.

[blitzen]

3. I think the danger will still be the GOP as a whole rather than a single figure...

They have shown that they never change their ways. They need to be squashed.

[Ahpook]

4. I've been thinking this for years

My wife and I went to bed election night in 2000 knowing Gore had won. We all know what happened after that, and it changed us forever.

Thankfully we had Obama since then, but there is always the potential for a rogue popping up and seriously fucking us up. We have it now! Who is next? Could it get worse?

If we do get control, we better rollback whatever BS gave Mitch and co the insane powers they have been given. I mean, there is seemingly not a GD thing we can do but watch these people run us over. Its bullshit!

[SKKY]

14. Just the fact that the Executive can basically ignore requests from the Legislative...

Last edited Thu Jul 16, 2020, 12:04 PM - Edit history (1)

...to testify, allowing them to perform their constitutional duty of oversight, is what scares me the most. There are a lot of "suggestions", but there doesn't seem to be any bite to them. So, they basically blow them off and say, "So, whatcha gonna do?"

[Ahpook]

17. I know

All I have heard since 2000 is what we NEED to be doing.

Where is the fucking fight? The pubes get everything they want over and over.

[lunatica]

6. There is a segment of American people who are susceptible

just like there are in all countries and throughout history. This has been a fact since this country fought and won the Revolutionary war. Even then there were Americans loyal to Mad King George. It was the same faction that were fine with owning slaves and rejecting Democracy. They’ve always been in this country and they have been losing from the beginning. For the same reason they will lose again after only a handful of years because they are mental throwbacks who want to have everything under control. Why? I think it’s because they’re greedy cowards who fear uncontrollable things.

[Thekaspervote]

16. This for the post of sanity! Nut jobs are always going to be just around the corner

[abqtommy]

7. Definitely. Let's remember that even after tRUMP and the rabid reTHUGS/cultists are locked up

the Never-tRUMPER reTHUGS will still be in the mix and will still be reTHUGS...

[walkingman]

8. I think Trump has divided this nation so much that it will never be the same for generations. Just

think about it - in today's world the idea of a Kanye West becoming President is actually possible. We are in deep trouble. This pandemic has shown just how incompetent America has become. If it wasn't for our ability to print as much money as we want - we would have already sunk.

[JI7]

9. Support for Trump was mostly about White Supremacy. The population

of white people is decreasing.

populism mainly appeals to white racists .

[Blue_true]

19. White people will be a major part of America for a long time.

Even when they lose their absolute majority in numbers, they will be the largest single group in the USA until Hispanics overtake them many decades into the future.

I do believe the number of reactionary White people is falling pretty fast and the reactionaries are going down kicking and screaming. But so be it, the USA will be a better place for everyone, including Whites once the reactionaries are shoved aside and minimized.

[TreasonousBastard]

10. Democracy is ALWAYS in danger. Aristotle warned us of that, and look what...

happened to Athens. And then the Roman Republic.

France, Germany, Russia... How many weak and fledgling democracies went under?

Democracy is messy and fragile. "The people" are disorganized and don't always know what they really want-- this is why a dedicated autocrat can take over.

We dodged a bullet thanks to a system that makes it more difficult for the bad guys to take over. But we should never forget how close we came.

[SKKY]

13. Someone else mentioned Aristotle to me. Perhaps I need to read up.

Good looking out on the knowledge!

[Wounded Bear]

11. Absolutely!

there will be a lot of work to do just to rebuild the government, let alone protect against future versions of Trump.

[SKKY]

25. Yep. I just fear a precedent has been set that would allow someone better...

...equipped to take advantage of it.

[machoneman]

12. I say, hunt them down! Lock 'em up. Then send them all the Guantanomo.

[GulfCoast66]

15. It's a concern for sure. And democracy is never assured.

But they face an existential problem. Their entire message is based on white racial and religious grievances. Both of those groups will be much smaller in 24, less in 28 and so on.

Unless they find another grievance to pick they are in a bad spot.

The party knew that after the 2012 election but they had already painted themselves in a corner. Lindsey Graham warmed them that Trump would destroy their party. He was right.

Unless Barr moves to end democratic rights, which he may try, they are in real trouble. Barr is on record saying he really does not like liberal democracy and wants government supporting moral edicts. He would support trump becoming an American Franco.

[Blue_true]

20. Populism and Ungrounded Idealism appeals to people that only see absolutes.

I biggest problem is and will continue to be people that are so far on the fringes, who are convinced that only their way is the “right” way, that we are going to run the risk of another Trump soon, I am afraid. Rational people thought that W had ended the Republican Party, but then it gave us someone even worse and around 32% of Americans support that monster. We can assume that 32% will die off faster that those that oppose their views, but are we certain of that?

[GulfCoast66]

21. We can't be certain of anything. Such is life.

But I agree with you about populism and remind you it can come the left as well as the right.

[Blue_true]

22. I agree with your point. I just don't know how the problem can be solved, some people

block out all rational arguments, they have no sense of political balance, everything must be 100% right for them - how can a person deal with such mental intransigence?

[GulfCoast66]

23. Wish I had an answer.

But news shopping for your comfort zone and social media doesn’t make me hopeful.

[Blue_true]

18. Trump has set a dangerous template.

It is obvious now that Republican officeholders won’t put constitutional reigns on a Republican President. And McConnell is trying to stuff the Federal Courts with zealot judges.

[lastlib]

24. "A Republic, Madam...IF you can keep it."

Benjamin Franklin, after the Constitutional Convention, when asked by a woman what kind of government it created. Ben had a great point--WE have to keep it. We the People have to fight for it. Every generation.

[Awsi Dooger]

27. I argued this on MyDD back in 2005

Chris Bowers launched a project to cleanse Democratic moderates from the northeast. That's fine but I told him he was totally whiffing the big picture. If both sides started dictating nominees from party activists instead of party machinery it could only benefit Republicans. At the time there were 11% more conservatives than liberals nationwide. Now it's 9%. I emphasized on MyDD that the GOP activists would nominate so many wing nuts that eventually it would be absorbed as the norm, and many of them would be elected.

Meanwhile what would Democrats gain? A handful of senators who score more favorable on the progressive meter. Not exactly a fair swap.

We should have been thrilled when moderates were safe.

There is going to be a Republican who comes across as let's say John Roberts but governs like Trump.

[SKKY]

28. Exactly! And I should have mentioned that this could absolutely work on the other side...

...we could get a Socialist Authoritarian, and that's not a good thing either. On the right, they are bereft of anything even remotely resembling a centrist. But I wonder how long it will take for a candidate on the left to emerge as well. Neither extreme is a good thing.