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DURHAM D

(32,973 posts)
Mon Jan 19, 2026, 11:42 AM Monday

All my life I have lived in a dictatorship. I just did not know it.

How come no prior President just did what he wanted to do like Trump does?



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All my life I have lived in a dictatorship. I just did not know it. (Original Post) DURHAM D Monday OP
Nixon faced a Democratic majority in Congress, I think. John1956PA Monday #1
Decades of corrupting and co-opting the media. unblock Monday #2
And giving all the money to the least deserving people on earth. Initech Monday #3
worse, the billionaires have the ability to destroy politicians' careers in a flash unblock Monday #4

John1956PA

(4,868 posts)
1. Nixon faced a Democratic majority in Congress, I think.
Mon Jan 19, 2026, 11:52 AM
Monday

Although he did get the opportunity to pick replacements for retiring progressive Supreme Court Justices.

unblock

(56,004 posts)
2. Decades of corrupting and co-opting the media.
Mon Jan 19, 2026, 11:53 AM
Monday

Bill Clinton got savaged over a consensual affair. Hillary got savaged over a technical IT decision involving a mail server that handle over 100k email, of which they retroactively decided a fraction of a percent of which should have been classified.

There's an endless list of nothing burgers that the media uses to derail careers.

Meanwhile, Donnie has been formally found liable for sexual assault and defamation and guilty of fraud and contempt. Those stories and many more outrages are treated as basically footnotes of history.

Donnie is ignoring the constitution and laws because neither Congress nor the courts nor the media will hold him accountable.

No other politician has been allowed to operate without those guardrails.

Initech

(107,675 posts)
3. And giving all the money to the least deserving people on earth.
Mon Jan 19, 2026, 01:31 PM
Monday

The billionaires are living the high life and going to black tie galas every weekend, while we get told to live within our means because the minimum wage hasn't increased in 15 years.

unblock

(56,004 posts)
4. worse, the billionaires have the ability to destroy politicians' careers in a flash
Mon Jan 19, 2026, 01:36 PM
Monday

one billionaire abandoning a politician, or jumping in on the side of a challenger (whether primary or general) is enough to scare the bejesus out of any of them, so they dance to the turn the billionaires play.

it's not yet a perfect strategy for them as sometimes the good guys win, but not enough to shift the balance of power.

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