There's nothing 'normal' about this moment: Even if Trump reluctantly leaves office, immense damage

[Roisin Ni Fiachra]

Joe Biden defeated Donald Trump by more than 6 million votes, and has also received 306 votes to Trump’s 232 in the Electoral College. Both outcomes are a mandate from the American people that the Age of Trump is over and its leader should be left on the ash-heap of history, a nightmare to be awakened from.

In response, Trump’s agents and followers are staging public protests, filing lawsuits on Trump’s behalf claiming that he lost because of “voter fraud,” “fake ballots” and other conspiracies, They have threatened violence and an “uprising” against Biden and the Democrats. Trump has not conceded defeat and under legal pressure is now only begrudgingly offering assistance in the transition of power. He is creating an overall environment of political instability, putting his most stalwart loyalists in key national security positions. As befits a political strongman and neofascist, Trump continues punishing the American people by further damaging the nation’s economy and literally killing thousands of people each day through a campaign of negligence and sabotage in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
snip----
In reality, Donald Trump, his Republican Party and their allies are playing a different game, one entirely outside of “normal politics” and the “folk theories of democracy” that the Fourth Estate and many other political elites worship like a religion.

Donald Trump and his movement’s real goal is to make invalid any future election where Republicans do not win.

https://www.rawstory.com/2020/11/theres-nothing-normal-about-this-moment-even-if-trump-reluctantly-leaves-office-immense-damage-has-been-done/

We must remain united against fascism, add to our numbers, and take radical, innovative steps to prevent the Republican party from ending democracy and creating a one party fascist dictatorship.

We have identified the enemy, we have met the enemy, and the enemy is the Republican party.

"When Fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying a cross"

[pansypoo53219]

1. he is a cancer.

[lark]

2. Fascism has already come and is dug into America.

All our salivating over the rich and rich corps is a totally fascist thing to do. Militias, white separatists, KKK - they're all fascist leaning and drumpf and some of assmouths' crew, like Miller and Pompeo, Jordan and Gaetz are full on fascists. The repug party is almost full on fascists, as you can tell by all their lies and refusal to acknowledge any truth that goes against their minority and worker hating creed of give everything to the rich. That is what fascism was all about and it is working full time to kill our democracy.

[ananda]

5. Corporate fascism has been here for at least twenty years.

Now it's fullblown naziesque fascism, with a religious clown face.

[SLClarke]

3. 800 executives

A Guardian article today lays out the challenges, in America, for a new government to form. For starters there are 4100 positions that have to be filled (4100 !!!!!!!), which includes 800 executives. These are all political appointments.
Isn't it time for the US Congress to change the majority of these to civil service jobs? No wonder it takes so long for the incoming President et al to get going. And it certainly paints a different picture for me as to why the Obama regime took so long to become effective.
It must take at least a year to fill all those spots, plus, of course, the necessary training time that it takes before someone actually knows how to manage their job.
And it also makes clear why the foot-dragging of the Republicans is so dangerous and so onerous.

[Roisin Ni Fiachra]

7. Joe will have most of these positions ready to be filled by the end of transition.

I suspect Trump appointees will be notified that their services will no longer be required as of Jan 20, 2021.

[Delphinus]

10. Except

A small snippet of a newsletter I get daily from historian Heather Cox Richardson:

In October, Trump issued an executive order that created a new category of federal employees who could be appointed without going through normal civil service channels, but could not be removed for political reasons. This will enable him to fill government departments with Trump loyalists. And this is no small deal: Real Clear Politics obtained a memo saying that the Office of Management and Budget, which under Trump has been a vehicle for implementing the president’s plans contrary to law—it was the OMB that held up appropriated money to Ukraine in 2019, for example—is planning to put 88 percent of its employees into this new category.

[HUAJIAO]

4. putin is getting just what he is wants...

next he wants the balkans....

[ewagner]

6. Actually a bone-chilling article...

It deals with two issues which we haven't yet addressed:

1. Trump and his team are pulling stunts that are meant to damage the legitimacy of Biden's administration but not only that, they are trying to undermine any election in which Republicans do not win. In that sense, democracy itself is being undermined right before our eyes.

2. Trumpism at the grass-roots level has to be exposed and de legitimized if we are going to return to anything that even slightly resembles "normal".

[Locrian]

8. good points, yes.... AND

please do not forget to understand the HOW of all this.

Flying under the radar - especially for the older generation - is the stunning efficiency of social media creating an alternate reality for people to live in. This is is a game changer, and if we do not address is I fear that we will lose.

"getting the word out" and "information" are not enough.

[turbinetree]

9. No more mister or misses nice person............I want him held accountable and along with "anyone"

that enabled him to basically attack our republic and think he / they can get away with it, and just for starters an American Journalist was killed on his watch and he did fucking nothing, and then to add salt to his homicidal madness he did fucking nothing when he was told that this virus was deadly, he fucking did nothing and we have over 13 million infected and over 260,000 dead human beings and counting ..........

Lock them all the fuck up...............