Trump's attempt to remain in power failed because the military told him to fuck off

[octoberlib]

Last edited Tue Nov 24, 2020, 10:46 AM - Edit history (1)

Link to tweet

?s=20


Trump's attempt to overturn the election and remain in power has failed. It failed for many reasons, including simple ineptitude, but we should not overlook that it failed primarily because America has a professional, apolitical military that told him to fuck off. (1/7)


Thread:

The way this tends to go in politically unstable countries is the side with the military wins. Trump never had the military. And as much as people make fun of being "saved by the generals," we kept the Republic because our generals were adamant about playing no role. (2/7)


At the height of the chaos in June, Joint Chiefs Chairman General Mark Milley sent a memo to the military emphasizing it. He included this handwritten note:

"We all committed our lives to the idea that is America — We will stay true to that oath and the American people." (3/7)


The handwritten note was a signal and it was a turning point for Trump. It was only *after* that that he shifted away from trying to co-opt the military and began using unmarked and very willing DHS agents to carry out his dirty work. (4/7)

Using DHS agents worked fine for isolated protests, but it was never going to be enough to maintain an anti-democratic grip on power. Not without the military. (5/7)

Our military has many shortcomings, but the way it has behaved this year, under these circumstances, in the context of world history, is notable.

It stood in stark contrast to DHS and even local police departments that chose to follow Trump every step of the way. (6/7)

I hope Americans appreciate that and don't take it for granted. Flag of United States (7/7)

[Demsrule86]

1. This is twice now. General Butler ratted those involved in the Businessman's

Revolt out to congress. Thus saving Roosevelt and our republic from being overthrown.

[marble falls]

11. Never heard of this before, but of course I heard of Gen Smedley Butler ...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Business_Plot


The Business Plot (aka The White House Putsch)[1] was an alleged political conspiracy in 1933 in the United States. Retired Marine Corps Major General Smedley Butler asserted that wealthy businessmen were plotting to create a fascist veterans' organization with Butler as its leader and use it in a coup d'état to overthrow President Franklin D. Roosevelt. In 1934, Butler testified before the United States House of Representatives Special Committee on un-American Activities (the "McCormack–Dickstein Committee" ) on these revelations.[2] No one was prosecuted.

At the time of the incidents, most major news media dismissed the plot, with a New York Times editorial characterizing it as a "gigantic hoax."[3] Most agree that some sort of plot was discussed by General Butler; they disparage his contacts as unreliable.[4][5][6][7]

On July 17, 1932, thousands of World War I veterans converged on Washington, D.C., set up tent camps, and demanded immediate payment of bonuses due to them according to the World War Adjusted Compensation Act of 1924 (the original act made the bonuses initially due no earlier than 1925 and no later than 1945). Walter W. Waters, a former Army sergeant, led this "Bonus Army". The Bonus Army was encouraged by an appearance from retired Marine Corps Maj. Gen. Smedley Butler; as a popular military figure of the time. A few days after Butler's arrival, President Herbert Hoover ordered the marchers removed and U.S. Army cavalry troops destroyed their camps under the command of Gen. Douglas MacArthur.

Butler, although a self-described Republican, responded by supporting Franklin D. Roosevelt in the 1932 US presidential election.[8] By 1933 Butler started denouncing capitalism and bankers, going on to explain that for 33 years he had been a "high-class muscle man" for Wall Street, the bankers and big business, labeling himself as a "racketeer for Capitalism."[9]

Roosevelt's election was upsetting for many conservative businessmen of the time, as his "campaign promise that the government would provide jobs for all the unemployed had the perverse effect of creating a new wave of unemployment by businessmen frightened by fears of socialism and reckless government spending."[10] Some writers have said concerns over the gold standard were also involved; Jules Archer, in The Plot to Seize the White House, wrote that with the end of the gold standard, "conservative financiers were horrified. They viewed a currency not solidly backed by gold as inflationary, undermining both private and business fortunes and leading to national bankruptcy. Roosevelt was damned as a socialist or Communist out to destroy private enterprise by sapping the gold backing of wealth in order to subsidize the poor."[11]

Roosevelt's election was upsetting for many conservative businessmen of the time, as his "campaign promise that the government would provide jobs for all the unemployed had the perverse effect of creating a new wave of unemployment by businessmen frightened by fears of socialism and reckless government spending."[10] Some writers have said concerns over the gold standard were also involved; Jules Archer, in The Plot to Seize the White House, wrote that with the end of the gold standard, "conservative financiers were horrified. They viewed a currency not solidly backed by gold as inflationary, undermining both private and business fortunes and leading to national bankruptcy. Roosevelt was damned as a socialist or Communist out to destroy private enterprise by sapping the gold backing of wealth in order to subsidize the poor."[11]



The rest of this is worth the read.




Jeebus. That sound a lot like what almost happened here. Including the attempt at burying it after the 'coup' failed.

Thanks for waking me up. I knew about the bonus Army and MacArthur's slaughter at the encampment, but did not know about the bigger picture.

[octoberlib]

20. I tend to believe there was a plot. At the time fascist Mussolini was the darling of the American

press and business leaders.

Benito Mussolini secured Italy’s premiership by marching on Rome with 30,000 blackshirts in 1922. By 1925 he had declared himself leader for life. While this hardly reflected American values, Mussolini was a darling of the American press, appearing in at least 150 articles from 1925-1932, most neutral, bemused or positive in tone. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/how-journalists-covered-rise-mussolini-hitler-180961407/

Add in the business community's absolute vitriol towards FDR and the New Deal and I can totally see this happening. Why would Butler lie about it?

[Wounded Bear]

21. Few people realize how close to Fascism the US was in the 1930's...

In fact, FDR saved Capitalism from itself. In many ways, Fascism is just unfettered Capitalism. Regulation and oversight are necessary evils to maintain freedom.

[Poiuyt]

22. Madison Square Gardens, 1939

[marble falls]

30. Fred Trump was arrested outside with two KKKers. Donnie says that was another Fred Trump.

[marble falls]

32. Father Conklin, the Silver Shirts, The Ameican-German Bund, the America Firsters ...

... if the Japanese hadn't attacked Pearl Harbor, we might have gone fascist.

[BComplex]

71. "in many ways, Fascism is just unfettered Capitalism." SO TRUE, Wounded Bear!!!

That is what we have to educate the public about. And I mean, across the board, in every media outlet. So many Americans have no idea what all this "deregulation" shit is. Regulations against capitalism's most dangerous abuses are all that keeps the United States from being the United States of Fascism.

[volstork]

76. Prescott Bush,

father of GHWB and grandfather of GWB was instrumental in the the plot against FDR. How fascinating that his son and grandson both became President and were able to inflict such damage on our Republic.....

"It isn't that the evil thing wins — it never will — but that it doesn't die.”
-- John Steinbeck

[NameAlreadyTaken]

52. My grandparents knew him socially

100 years ago the Marine Corps was smaller and more close-knit. My grandfather was a Lt. and served in some of the same places that Butler did. I would bet that he even visited our house in San Diego. But I never met him; he died 20 years before I was born. I remember as a kid my parents referring to a "Smedley Butler" but I thought they were talking about some cartoon character. It was only years later that I began to understand and appreciate who he was.

[Hekate]

82. The first I ever heard of Gen. Smedley Butler was during Bush/Cheney while working with ...

...the Veterans for Peace. He was a shining hero of the republic for the Vietnam vet who was our chapter head.

The USA has come perilously close to ending itself more than once — and afaiac we are not out of this particular forest yet.

[ProudMNDemocrat]

2. the June 1st photo op was the tipping point for General Milley.

He regretted partaking in that stunt, for that is what Dictators do. Use the Military as props of THEIR power.

[lastlib]

23. And Shitgibbon didn't seem to talk about "my generals" after that......

As if they pledged fealty to him!

[dware]

3. Thank you!!!!!

As a retired Marine, I really appreciate this.

It is drummed into our heads from day one that our oath is to the Constitution, not to any individual and it is our sacred duty to refuse to obey an illegal order, which seems to be the case here, the JCoS let it be known in no uncertain terms that it wouldn't interject itself into the elections, nor involve itself in civilian law enforcement duties.

[octoberlib]

9. Thank YOU for your service!

[Skraxx]

26. Yup, Thank You!

[calimary]

50. Indeed. An exceedingly worthwhile reminder!

This civilian appreciates it greatly!

[Cha]

65. Mahalo for your post & your

Service, dware!

[Tommymac]

66. Semper Fi

Your service is much appreciated.

[lunatica]

69. That the military are the ultimate patriots in this country is

indisputable. It’s another reason to be a proud American knowing our Democracy is guarded by people like you dware!

And I’m an old hippy and hate war! I just never hated our soldiers.

[Skittles]

80. you know it, dware

when I was in the military I was very young but I knew I was serving my COUNTRY. YEAH!

[Hugin]

4. !

To some, these seem like words. To others, it's a way of life.

“I, ___, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God.”

[Iliyah]

5. "Domestic" . . . .

There it is.

We were and still are under attack by "domestic" foes, i.e. WH, DOJ, republican party, etc.

[Hugin]

7. I agree, Domestic is the tough part...

Because, the US Constitution is all about the will of the people. With the only way to determine the will of the people being free and fair elections AKA democracy.

It should be clear to everyone there is an ongoing domestic attack by special interest groups on the people's ability to exercise their will.

[DonaldsRump]

6. I have real respect for the military and the sacrifices they make

For Trump to call them "losers" and "suckers" was unbelievable.

I have yet to see the final numbers on how the military as a whole voted, but I saw something in the summer or early fall that said that a distinct plurality supported Biden-Harris over Trump-Pence...and this was before the "losers and suckers" comments came out into the public.

Thank you folks for keeping us safe (and not falling for this charlatan).

[lagomorph777]

10. Very curious to learn how our military voted.

[mopinko]

62. i think it was posted here

that military votes were 4-1 biden.
i wonder what the turn out was.

[lagomorph777]

78. Holy crap. No wonder Turd had to give up the coup.

[oldsoftie]

89. Well, if that was a poll, take it with a grain of salt. They were ALL way off.

And apparently not worth the money people spend on them
I cant believe he wasnt beaten on election night. But I'll take it

[bucolic_frolic]

8. Thankfully

The attempts were feeble. DHS. Proudsters. Ad hoc militias.

[UpInArms]

12. I am so glad to know (because before it was just hope)

that our military truly remains a force for good.

General Milley has proven he is an honorable man.

[CoryTrevor]

13. He's still got "the bikers" though?

[octoberlib]

18. And the boaters.

[Mopar151]

51. Lot of veterans are "bikers". N.t

[sandensea]

14. They should refer to him as Orange Amin

Many probably already do.

[tblue37]

48. Needy Amin; Tweety Amin.

[sandensea]

56. Needy Amin!

[BlueMTexpat]

15. I had many interactions

with fairly high-level Pentagon personnel, both military and civilian, from 1989-1994.

What was most impressive to me, a former Peace Corps Volunteer, was how much career military personnel hate war as much as I do.

[dware]

16. The biggest opponents to war are the military, we're just not as loud

as the civilians who also oppose it.
Having served 3 combat tours during my career in the Marines, I am adamantly opposed to war unless our national security is directly threatened, and I don't mean for oil, I mean our homeland.

[BlueMTexpat]

17. I'm with you.

[ssgbryan]

19. The DoD has been slow-rolling Fat Nixon since 2017.

Remember the parades he wanted?

If the DoD wanted that to happen, it would have. There are enough troops nearby to make it happen. They wanted no part of it.

[Hekate]

83. Will they be able to save those two recon planes Trump wants scrapped? I sure hope so.

[dlk]

24. Who's the sucker now?

[Skraxx]

25. And That Right There is Why We Should Always Honor Those Who Serve

[LakeArenal]

27. I knew this to be true since the church photo op.

When that General said he was there to make sure peaceful protesters could protest as per the Constitution.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

28. I heard him say that generals don't like him because they

want to start wars. But enlisted men LOVE him. Actually not true. Duh. Last Military Times poll had Biden slightly ahead with military.

[WinstonSmith4740]

29. In case some of you haven't seen this movie...

Definitely worth the view, and basically scary as hell. Thank (your deity here) our military leaders understood that their oath was to The Constitution, not The Donald.

[dware]

34. Or this one.

Last edited Tue Nov 24, 2020, 12:11 PM - Edit history (1)

The military leaders were just itching to invade Cuba, which would have started a global nuclear holocaust, luckily the civilian leadership, along with Gen. Curtis LeMay, urged restraint and we barely survived what would have been the end of the world as we know it.

[WinstonSmith4740]

42. Hadn't heard of this one...

I'm assuming it's about the Cuban Missile Crisis. and will definitely find it. And under the heading of "you can learn something new every day", I didn't know Curtis LeMay ever exercised restraint!

[dware]

43. Yep, when the Military leaders wanted to start bombing runs over Cuba,

Gen. LeMay said that he had no problem waiting for a few more days to let the diplomats try to get this crises under control

Thank you President Kennedy and his civilian cabinet for their steady leadership during this time in our nation's history, and some degree of thanks to the Soviet leader, Krushchev for his leadership also, I shudder to think what would have happened if Pissolini had been the President at that time.

[Bradshaw3]

39. A great film that I couldn't watch with it in office

Too scary and depressing. Now I can watch it again.

[Bad Thoughts]

31. Payback for abandoning the Kurds. eom.

[William Seger]

33. Let's give a shout out to the courts, too

Our first line of defense seems to be holding.

[dware]

36. Hear, hear!!!

Yes, our Judicial System, along with our Military, and millions of patriotic Americans, have been the saviors of our democracy that's been under attack by Pissolini and his enablers, IE: the Republican Crime Org.

[patphil]

35. I was pretty certain the military wouldn't get behind Trump.

The military is a very conservative organization...true conservative, not the fake conservatives of the Trump fascist ilk.
They will opt for stability and staying the course every time.
Individuals within the military may support Trump, but, as a whole, their loyalty is first and foremost to the Republic.

[dware]

37. That is absolutely, 100% spot on.

[WSHazel]

38. This is why the coup attempt failed PEACEFULLY

Trump's idiotic coup was going to fail either way, but the military staying out of it kept about 10+ million people from taking to the streets and starting a revolution.

[Sympthsical]

40. Our institutions are flushing him down

Which is a great relief. For all the damage he has done, our foundations remain intact. Hopefully Biden will restore the norms quickly, and we will have an executive that once again functions constitutionally.

[Boomerproud]

41. The military simply doesn't like to be used by politicians.

Thank God.

[Wawannabe]

44. ...

Thank you active and veteran military!

[Hotler]

45. He deserves to suffer the fate of a would be dictator. And his henchmen

(Bill Barr, Stephen Miller) need to go down for trying to pull a coup.

[bluescribbler]

46. Just last week I tried to assure a nervous friend.

She was worried that a coup was possible, perhaps even inevitable. I told her that the generals and admirals would never go along with it because they took seriously their oath to defend the Constitution, and to obey only lawful orders.

[AllaN01Bear]

49. dhs needs to go back to screening luggage at airports , and those police depts who followed trump

need to be disbanded , officers vetted and re constituted .

[BobTheSubgenius]

53. The military's stated position was a factor.

But I don't think millions of people thought "Gee. If they don't like him, maybe I shouldn't, either."

It was comforting, but not vital, in my estimation.

A different, more amorphous effect is really only an idea, but I think it has at least a little merit.
The firm position that Milley took - and, I'm guessing, a large, if not unanimous number of the other Joint Chiefs - told the WH that dialing up the rhetoric and increasing the violence wasn't going to cause the military to spring forth and, essentially, take another giant step down the road to Banana Republic.

[W T F]

54. There's no doubt in my mind that our military hierarchy have plans in place for him if he does.

[Dan]

60. I do tooo....

The Corporation would ensure our democracy ..... and is push came to shove, the Orange one would have been a footnote.

[BradBo]

55. That's all well and good but...

.... if push come to shove and we really try to cut back on military and police spending I don’t trust for a second those Generals and Police Chiefs won’t go to the dark side.
I believe we have 10 aircraft carriers in service. One of those floating money pits carries more planes than the majority of country's on the planet.
Our military and police complex is killing our country.

[paulkienitz]

57. I've been saying the same thing for some time.

Our cops and border patrollers may be dirty AF, but our military has stood strong for the constitution, and that makes all the difference.

[3catwoman3]

58. Might I add that most of the "civilian militia" assholes...

...likely couldn’t cut it in the real military that they think they are mimicking.

They are the losers and suckers.

[Hekate]

84. Spot on

[58Sunliner]

59. I bet the military had good intel on who DT really was.

The writing was on the wall. Grateful that they took him seriously and did not back him at the expense of our democracy.

[SheltieLover]

61. Absolutely! He wasnted a putin bully take over

Ty to our military!

[AwakeAtLast]

63. This Twitter thread is proof that we need to get rid of DHS! n/t

[Cha]

64. This is Stunning! TY octoberlib!

What actual Amazing NEWS!

From Tweets.. it seemed like the military on the whole wasn't behind trump.. but you never actually know what will happen at the end.

trumputin must have been so disappointed.

[Tommymac]

67. The Kurds had a huge part in this.

Talk to any active duty military person and I'll lay odds that the one thing they have in common is horror at how Trump deserted and betrayed the Kurds.

THAT is why they hate him.

[VA_Jill]

70. Basically

a "soft coup". Which is fine, in this case.There were times I would have supported a much harder one.

[PatrickforO]

72. Not just the military, either, but

countless career civil servants who took their oaths seriously enough to resign, or blow the whistle, or speak truth and get fired.

I never, ever, ever take them for granted.

[orangecrush]

73. ...

Kick

[Darkstar53142]

74. As a Marine...

I was taught about Gen. Butler and his two medals of honor.

The Marines hold Gen. Lewis B. "Chesty" Puller in higher regard, naming their mascot bulldogs after him and such.

I can't say for sure, but I suspect that the corps doesn't name their mascots "Smedley" is an attempt to partially marginalize the type of man and marine Butler was. I don't write this to in any way to diminish Gen. Puller.

Maybe someone better in the know could fill me in. That would be appreciated.

[stopdiggin]

75. absolutely! played their part quietly, and with honor.

recognition is tendered, and deserving.

[Larissa]

77. One of my biggest worries

. . . was DJT launching Armaggedon in a fit of spite. I tried to comfort myself in knowing that he doesn't read very well and that could be a hindrance in such an act -- like pressing the wrong button on the football or something. In Michael Wolff's book "Fire and Fury" Wolff wrote:

"Roger Stone, one of those people whose calls Kelly was now shielding the president from, spread the dark scenario that General Mattis, General McMaster, and General Kelly had agreed that no military action would ever be taken unless the three were in accord -- and that at least one of them would always remain in Washington if the others were away."(pg. 288)

As the Generals had their fill of Trump and left the administration one by one, I really started freaking out. As far as I was concerned, they were the only adults in the room that Trump feared enough -- because of their extensive military background -- to be dissuaded from committing any dangerous military action.

[oldsoftie]

88. Nukes require more than just the president saying "launch" or pressing a button.

No nukes were going to be launched under this doofus. Barring a TRUE emergency that is.

[Seasider]

79. According to this guy, the military were pissed because of what Trump did with the Kurds

Though it was likely a combination of several issues such as the naming of military bases, badmouthing certain generals, etc.

[MustLoveBeagles]

85. I love Beau's videos

Capt. Trumps has been treating our military like shit for awhile now. I think your right that it was a combination of things but the Kurd betrayal was a big factor.

[Hekate]

81. This is a wonderful narration of events. Who is the author?

I remember when Gen. Milley got played by Trump in the clearing the protestors/Bible incident. He was in his combat fatigues for the walk and Rachel Maddow raked him hard for that.

Gods, what a year.

[octoberlib]

86. Brandon Friedman used to work in the Obama admin

and now occasionally writes for the NY Daily News.

[Hekate]

87. Thank you; being an Obama admin alum is good credentials in my book...

...but up to now I hadn’t heard of him.

[onetexan]

90. The military, the elections process, and the legal system held - bottom line the center held

If in a scenario where we had crooked generals enabling the Con's overthrow, it may have not held.
The same goes for crooked judges and crooked elections officials - few went his way, but for the most part most honored their positions and held.

I hope to Goodness we never end up in a situation where these 3 pillars crumble because of another crooked tinpot dictator. Picture the likes of Tom Cotton here. Just the thought gives me chills.

[myohmy2]

91. +1

... ...

[disalitervisum]

92. Arrogant species declines dictatorship

So what?

There are trillions of stars in the universe.