I think we need to stop and take stock how surreal this is right now.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

The two major stories in the US this week are:

1. The CIA has alleged that the Russian government sought to interfere, or at the very least, influence the US election to the benefit of Donald Trump.

and

2. Donald Trump just named his choice for Secretary of State--our chief diplomat on foreign affairs and relations--and it is an oil executive who has a very close and personal relationship with the Russian Government. As in having drinks with Vladimir Putin. Literally. There are pictures:



Now, just one of these stories in the news should be cause for major alarm.

But both of them in the news simultaneously? And people shrugging it off like it's nothing?

It's absolutely mind-blowingly astonishing.

This all is happening today. In the United States of America. And it's way, way, way too real.

[pbmus]

1. To:

[URL=.html][IMG][/IMG][/URL]

[Cha]

68. Thank you, pbmus

[Calculating]

2. Yeah

And what are we gonna do about it? Bitching on DU while our country falls to this madness isn't gonna do crap.

[get the red out]

3. I worry that there isn't crap to be done!

I don't see how regular citizens can actually do anything. I guess I keep reading everything that pops up here on DU hoping that someone with some kind of authority will have woken up to the fact that we are in Oz, and it's not pretty.

[hamsterjill]

39. I called my Congressional representatives.

I live in Texas and I realize just how that was a complete waste of time, but I did it anyway to feel a little better.

It didn't work. I didn't feel any better. I feel horrible as I sit helplessly watching our very way of life be destroyed by a bunch of morons who couldn't tell the difference between fake news and the real deal, and who voted accordingly.

Good God! This is America! We are the last line of defense for much of the free world!

[get the red out]

41. Yes, my reps totally suck

Mitch McConnell
Rand Paul
Andy Barr

[lagomorph777]

44. Hold on there - 2 out of 3 of your reps have expressed concern

Call them and get them to support the investigation.

[hamsterjill]

51. Absolutely.

Call and keep calling, etc.

No surprise, of course, but I got upset when I called Cornyn's office because the woman on the other end of the line didn't even pretend to take me seriously. I asked her - "so you think this is funny"? She said no, ma'am, and that she'd make a note of the comments. I guess she thinks she's special because she works for him.

Guess what? She's not. No one will be immune to their greed.

[yesphan]

88. Yes, they're concerned

and their concern will be duly noted and there will be an investigation.
Then there will be a report of their findings that will consist of 3200 pages
of circumlocuitous bullshit that points to nothing. Thus, they will contend that
there is not conclusive evidence of tampering...yada...yada...yada.....

My cynicism spilleth over......

[Stonepounder]

64. Yeah, while Kentucky has many good qualities,

our Congresscritters are most assuredly NOT one of them!

[pangaia]

70. McConnell is scared shitless right now because he's been found out.

CALL HIM !!!

[get the red out]

79. I think I will

[zippythepinhead]

76. Oh barf

that really sucks.

[RKP5637]

10. Short of mounting a revolution, what do we the people do? Calling, writing, meaningless

petitions only do so much. We voted, and this is what we ended up with. It's all fucked up, totally. Suggestions? Even the democratic PTB seem hamstrung. Suggestions?

[Calculating]

24. Nothing will matter

Short of basically shutting the country down. If we could get 50+ million people to stop showing up for work to protest that would probably make an impact. People won't do that though, because they usually have families to feed and expenses.

[RKP5637]

30. Same thoughts here, nothing will matter, same reasons. n/t

[Bohunk68]

75. I just posted on my fb page about this and several other items.

Beyond this faulty election. The appointments overall including a stockholder of the company building the NDPL, Rick Perry, for Interior Dept. They will be raping the environment to protect their own, the 1%. Our troops are stationed everywhere in the world, protecting the assets of the 1%. They protect the output of the lithium and copper deposits in Afghanistan combined with the heroin/opiate trade. Of which, we are seeing an entire generation getting hooked on and dying from. In our rural, small county in Upstate NY, we lost 4 to overdose in one weekend. We are certain that there is an impending environmental disaster. Feeding our increasing numbers is wrecking the environment. Coupled with the warming. It is all complex and interwoven. But, my belly tells me that we are in for very interesting times, indeed.

[RKP5637]

87. In essence, the ignorant portion of the US has voted in a cartel of wealthy elitist billionaire

gangsters to run this country for the profit of them and their cohorts, while the stupid factor voting them in thinks this group of billionaire elites cares about them. I think the US will be forever changed as most people will slide into a dystopian society.

[brush]

26. Not helpful. What are you going to do. I'm calling my Rep. and Senators office.

[Locut0s]

4. I am not suggesting that we are headed for another holocaust...

I don't think the interested players involved this time are quite the ideologues that were in power then. This gang seems more interested in looting the country, raping the planet, and leaving it in ruins. At any rate there is an important lesson still to be learned from 1930s Germany and that is that back then people stood in stunned silence too. I'm sure the events of that time didn't seem real either, just too surreal to be true. And at the same time, just like we are witnessing today each individual step that was taken was just small enough so that that voice of doubt in everyone's mind was allowed to take over. We normalize it because we don't want it to be that bad. And when the steps are small enough it's easy to do so. There is NOTHING normal about ANY of this!

[Tommy_Carcetti]

5. Trump doesn't have to be the second coming of Hitler to be the worst thing to happen to the US

All he needs to be is along the same line of some second rate autocrat--say Mubarak or Yanukovych or Mussolini--and he'll have done enough damage for a generation.

[Locut0s]

9. Agreed. And that's basically what I was saying...

I didn't and don't think he and his cronies are along the lines of a Hitler. More like a gang of loosely organised thugs. I'd look to some elected African rulers who were democratically elected but raped their nations dry. What I was saying is that the sense of surrealness, the stunned silence in which everyone sits and watches, that is where there is a similarity I think.

[DonCoquixote]

29. what people need to do once per day, like taking meds

watch this clip:

[duffyduff]

63. Trump is not the second coming of Hitler. Putin is. n/t

[hamsterjill]

43. I just don't know that - one way or the other.

There are so many strikingly similarities between Trump and Hitler. This gang may very well be more interested in looting the country, raping the planet and leaving it in ruins, but they've got sick egos and personalities and I'm not quite sure that I believe there will be any limits to what they will try.

There truly IS nothing normal about any of this. But all I see thus far IS people standing in stunned silence. I don't see much of anything being done whether it's the 1930's or it's today. We need some at the top, some who have some power, to DO SOMETHING.

The best thing yet that I've seen is the four senators (2 Republicans; 2 Democrats) calling for an investigation.

[TeamPooka]

46. You can only do all that looting & raping if you distract the populace with a war or internal enemy

like rounding up the Muslims or Mexicans or eventually the Jews, because they always make every list like that.
So look for the war with Iran, because Exxon wants that oil they can't have right now
and/or the Muslim/Mexican round up, or all three within 6 months.
By Aug or Sept at the latest.
Maybe they wave the You need to Hate China flag too

[Greybnk48]

6. Do people really think we can let this happen and

still have a country left that resembles the USA?

[Tommy_Carcetti]

7. That's why I wish I could get more enthusiastic into 2020 talk.

And for the life of me, I can't. Because I worry what the situation will be like in 4 years. I can only hope our basic democratic tenants remain intact, but that's not a guarantee.

[Greybnk48]

45. I'm not counting on it.

Trump and the Russians are a clear and present danger, as they say, not just to us but to the entire world. It should be clear that he's conspiring with a foreign country for $$, which makes him a traitor pure and simple. I'm hoping it will be proved before the coup is complete. He won't understand the charges because he doesn't understand allegiance or loyalty. We are in for a nightmare if he's is allowed to be installed.

2020? How can we even think of 2020? This is like falling into an abyss.

[TeamPooka]

47. Just think about how many Democratic voters will be purged from the voting rolls by 2020 with

no Justice Dept working to stop it?
That popular vote we had this year will be a thing of the past if only half of us get to vote in 2020

[Whiskeytide]

61. And that's the real scary vibe that has ...

... been percolating around inside my brain for a couple of weeks. I think the Republican leadership - or actually the money interests they represent - genuinely believe that changing demographics and the politics of the last 35 years has taken its toll on the chances of continued republican rule in this country via the so called democratic process.



They have decided to rip down the curtain because they don't really care anymore. It's no longer important to them to maintain the illusion. There is no predicting where we'll be in 4 years. I remember the jokes about how Obama was supposed to declare martial law so he could remain in power forever. It was funny, right? Just a joke, right? ..... Shit, I'm going home to put on my tinfoil hat now.

[RegexReader]

65. and why do you think that there were three

generals appointed first? To nail down the military to support him when tRump does take the curtain down and puts all of us against the brick wall. And all the redneck NRA members would be buying lottery tickets to be on the firing squad.

Sick fucking world we live in.

[CousinIT]

8. Apparently at Heritage today Gingrich said goal of Trumpism is to "eradicadicate FDR gov't"

https://twitter.com/JoyAnnReid/status/808759677454585857

Meaning ALL social safety nets and public services that improve ordinary American's lives.

[RKP5637]

12. In other words, the GOP wet dream, a dystopian society. n/t

[Generator]

59. Joy Reid from MSNBC tweeted that

And I tweeted back, world economic depression leads to world war. That's how Hitler actually came about. Trump doesn't have to be Hitler but destroying our economy affects the whole world.

[smirkymonkey]

11. It just baffles me that people with power in this country are just letting this slide,

like it's just business as usual. I really feel like I have slipped into some alternate reality. It's so disorienting I feel like I have lost my balance. Does anyone else feel completely stunned beyond belief that this is happening?

[CousinIT]

14. mostly, I'm quite frightened. For myself and others, and for our future.

There is no other way to describe it - we're just DOOMED.

[RKP5637]

15. I think Obama needs to lead a charge. This, is outrageous. The US is in a self-destruct mode.

Someone needs to pull the lever of power and do something outrageous and shut this coup down!

[SpicyBoi]

18. Why do you think he hasn't done anything yet?

I've been wondering why he hasn't done more.

[RKP5637]

22. I know he has done some things, but I wonder if it's enough. I really feel like

a total bunch of con artists are seizing control of the country with the intent to plunder and leave most citizens in a dystopian society. As far as I know, the US has never experienced anything as concerted as this regime. I also feel it's a coup of some kind.

[SpicyBoi]

28. Obviously it's not enough...

Because the orange one is ready for his inauguration in January.

[Blanks]

32. Too ready...

It's almost like they're planning and scheming in overdrive to draw attention away from the possible bumps in the road: the recounts, the electoral college vote etc.

[RKP5637]

33. Like a speeding freight train coming down the tracks out of control. n/t

[Eliot Rosewater]

35. Our great president needs to understand this is not about his legacy, which the

GOP spent 8 years trying to destroy.

This is about the country, and in reality this is about all life here, all people, it is THAT serious.

The Supreme Court situation is complete bullshit, his appointment should be on the court now. Beyond that, he needs to see that he may be the last hope of all people.

[RKP5637]

37. "Beyond that, he needs to see that he may be the last hope of all people." !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! n/t

[seaglass]

23. Not saying Trump equals Hitler but this Tweet encapsulates my feelings

Caissie St.Onge ?@Caissie Dec 10

"People should never again say that if they had a time machine, they'd go back & stop Hitler. Because we now know nobody would." - my kid

[BlancheSplanchnik]

72. woa.

[TeamPooka]

49. The people have been promised tax cuts so most of them are beating off in a closet over the thought.

[hamsterjill]

52. This! Yes!

Where are the generals? Where are the Democrats? Harry Reid has been out there, but where are all of the others?

I am definitely stunned beyond belief. And I'm mad about having to feel that way.

[Generator]

60. Yes exactly

Then today he's meeting with Kanye. Doesn't have time to talk about business conflicts, he's too busy but has time for Kanye West (who was in mental hospital last week) This is so normal! And ever since the election I pray this is alternative world and we are in the wrong one. It's all that helps sometimes!

[BlancheSplanchnik]

73. yes: me. It feels that way to me too.

and I can't believe the goddamn media. Their hand in this is so pernicious.....

[zippythepinhead]

80. I do

It's like a nightmare dream come true.

[MFM008]

13. We now have a CO-Presidency

with the KGB.

[RKP5637]

16. I think many Americans are taking this far too lightly. Way too lightly. n/t

[MFM008]

20. exactly

..............

[marybourg]

17. Yes it seem surreal. But it's real.

The only thing our founders provided for relief in this situation was the Electoral College.

I think we all agree that it's unlikely that it will fulfill the role intended for it.

The next thing that can constitutionally be done is to reject any and all of the PE's cabinet choices.

After inauguration, impeachment proceeding can be brought.

As far as I know those are the constitutional remedies.

No laws can supersede the constitution, so there are no laws involved, except that the president, once inaugurated, can violate a law and that can serve as grounds to be impeached.

Outside of the law, there is always the option of massive protests, shading into insurrection.

That's it. That's why nobody is doing nutin' yet.

[Baitball Blogger]

19. I think we know how surreal it is.

The problem is how the other side is handling it. Right now they are praying to God to keep toxic people out of their lives; or they're using the zen from yoga to exfoliate negativity from their lives.

[RKP5637]

25. Yeah, that will do a hell of a lot of good. n/t

[hamsterjill]

54. Hell, half of them are listening to Jim Baker say Trump is the Messiah.

We live amongst a bunch of dumbasses. That's half of the fear. Knowing who you live next to.

[Hortensis]

21. Obama's sanctions weakened Russia tremendously.

They also blocked the partnership between Exxon-Mobile and the Russian state oil company to access some $500 billion in arctic oil.

Flipping sanctions into wealth won't just benefit Exxon, it'll empower what has become a giant, very aggressive renegade nation under Putin's murderous leadership.

[lsewpershad]

27. Indeed.

Isn't America great??

[RKP5637]

31. American Exceptionalism!

[DonCoquixote]

34. fittign more today then before

[ananda]

36. To me it's just real.

And that reality is very very harsh.

[malchickiwick]

38. If Tom Clancy had written all this as a novel...

his publishers would have thought he'd lost his mind for coming up with such a fanciful and impossible premise: A Russian mole as POTUS.

Trump voters, I for one will never forgive you for willingly trying to destroy our cherished Republic!

I sincerely hope that our constitutional rule of law and our democratic (and Democratic) institutions are strong enough to survive what's coming a/k/a The Deluge.

[RelativelyJones]

40. The Civil War never ended

And it is not simply North vs. South. It is two visions of America that can never be reconciled.

[Dworkin]

42. Only one thing left

Hi,

Sadly, there is only one thing left to hope for. Trump has not been stopped; all we can hope for now is that he f**** up big and early in office. He has many failures behind him.

That, is all I can see going forward. If anyone has some better predictions I'm all ears!

D.

[BlueJac]

48. Happened in Germany........

unreal to happen here!

[DFW]

55. Ribbentrop and Molotov

Just a little repeat performance under different names.

Probably end with the two countries in a similar situation 2 years after the "pact."

[Politicub]

50. The fall is going to happen fast

Some kind of forced international crisis, probably. Who knows. I can't stop anything. The only people who can are the electors, and I don't have much hope there.

It's so big I can't even wrap my mind around it.

[TheFrenchRazor]

53. nothing to see here folks, move along... nt

[Generator]

56. I'm well aware and I have to step away

or lose my mind. It's insane. I watched five min of CNN & MSNBC. It's all normalized. It's not a crisis. And you know why? Obama, the actual president, and the Democrats the actual opposition. aren't making it one. I fear it will never be one. Trump will steal this country blind with his billionaire Russian loving pals and only our side will know what's going on and care. It's hopeless without leaders. Bernie is blaming Hillary or being P.C. or TPP or whatever when in reality it is a COUP. No one will make Trump release his taxes or divest of his business. He will cut deals to make himself and all those he favors richer. It's not even a secret. The Newsweek story-oh ho hum. He is daring everyone and no one says-hey you might have won the most votes-however you "won" them dude- but you don't get to be president without revealing who owns you buddy. Now is the time. Do you think after he's president it will be the time? After he steals and loots? When four years from now? After he is more normalized? After he has more power? After he gives more power to Putin? When the bombs are flying?

I despise everyone in government right now. All enablers. It's sickening.

[Generic Other]

78. You said it

[NRaleighLiberal]

57. Absolutely. K and R

[spanone]

58. a slow motion coup d'etat

[world wide wally]

62. USA: 1776-2016

[uponit7771]

66. EMAILS !!!

[Cha]

67. I have been.. thanks for bringing up it so we could all

talk about it on one thread, though, Tommy.

I've been watching an English tv series lately about the II World War and part of that is showing how many wanted to get out of Germany after hitler came to power.

I keep thinking of us.. crazy? Don't think so.

[humbled_opinion]

69. 2 months from now

People suggesting such things will be labeled conspiracy theorists, or treasonous. It is how these things play out.

[resistance2016]

71. Why do I feel like a citizen of Russia?

I'm not that old, but I'm old enough to remember people being alive who would have rather burned down the White House themselves than allow this to happen. Its looking like Trump is Putin's personal puppet, and to my amazement, no one seems to care, or worse, they don't even notice. It's crazy. Was the entire last half-century just some big conspiracy leading up to this? Seriously, I'm expecting Putin to land in Washington any day now and announce on live television that he's now our true President. And if that happened, I doubt anyone would even care.

[stollen]

74. SPAH-SEE-BAH

[zippythepinhead]

77. Why wont Obama

declassify the Russian hacking? WTF is thr reason he hasn't?

[Owens]

81. Go Putin/Russia on Trump

If the Republicans can go Benghazi on Clinton and damage her credibility, then the Democrats need to go Putin/Russia on Trump. Hold endless hearings and damage his credibility up to the day he is impeached. Pray that our electors do not allow him to become President and he and his family do not set foot in the Oval Room and destroy democracy as we know it. (and I'm not even a religious person)

[Pachamama]

82. Add to that Surrealism this:

https://twitter.com/BuzzFeedNews/status/808691131835785217

Yes, this really is happening...

[sfwriter]

83. Call Electors

https://docs.google.com/document/d/15dUQfug7h3F_8vXRIMpq_FIoQJcKRNy4hWqOacBp9k8/edit#heading=h.mdka3hubp1w8


That is Trumps list of electors by state.

[Vinca]

84. If ever there was a time to learn Russian . . .

[MichaelSoE]

85. Здравствуйте товарищ

Translated ... Hello Comrade

[MichaelSoE]

86. It's Bizzaro Land

I keep thinking that I am going to wake up and it is only a bad dream

[Moostache]

89. It IS happening for sure, but there is NO United States of America left...

WE no longer have a sovereign state known as the United States of America.
WE have a full on plutocracy, bordering on outright fascism very soon.

Our politicians and "leaders" are either bought-off frauds or feckless weaklings afraid of their shadows and incapable of making a principled stand.

The Constitution is dead the minute that Trump takes the oath of office and is in violation of the provisions that forbid government officials from making financial gains from foreign governments. No one cares...they all walk around in a daze like Carrell's character in "The Big Short" said..."like they're in some goddamn Enya video".

The separation of Powers between the 3 co-equal branches of government is dead and has been since the GOP senate successfully stole the obligation of nominating Supreme Court justices by what was done to Obama and Garland's nomination. He, President Obama, should have shut the whole government down in response to that usurpation of duties. It was time to go to the matresses and instead we got nothing, absolutely NOTHING. He should have DEMANDED that hearings were held and votes taken or Garland should have been seated by Presidential Executive action in the absence of advise and consent from a partisan Senate chamber of the Legislative branch.

Democrats in leadership make me sick. They are so feckless and weak in their response to EVERYTHING that if I were not ideologically aligned with the party platform I would openly campaign against them. They are just as much a threat to the republic at this point as Trump and his evil minions readying to set fire to the entire government and the world ecology over the next 4 years.

Goddamn it, where the fuck is the leadership of the Democratic Party? Why have they all suddenly become goddamn mutes? The only ones speaking out are exceptions instead of the rule and THAT is not acceptable. It is time for a complete revolt within the party. Anyone associated with the inaction in the face of the hacks, anyone associated with the disastrous primary debacles, anyone associated with the complete disaster of a general election needs to be kicked to either back bench duty or shown the door completely.

We are about to enter a wilderness unlike any ever seen in the history of the Republic. An arsonist is in the oval office in a scant month and he has a congress with matches and a Supreme Court with gasoline at the ready.

I do not think that a "protest march" is going to cut it any longer. It is time to start really considering how the Coastal States can form a coherent nation while excising the rot in the center and south. We are fooling ourselves if we think that we can find common ground with a gang of fact-free narcissists and fascists. They seek domination while we waste time seeking compromises. Enough.

When it comes time to shoot, the GOP and their ilk will NOT hesitate...I can't come even remotely close to saying the same thing for Democrats...we will be collectively slaughtered given our current mindset and reactions. WAKE UP people, PLEASE!

[Jacob Boehme]

90. I have this recurring image.....

... of the faces of Jefferson, Washington, Lincoln and Franklin engraved similar to Mt. Rushmore...... but weeping with shame.

[Generator]

91. And Bill Gates dared to mention JFK

in the same context as orangehitler, I just can't even. I realized yesterday no matter what happens-even if he is impeached or has to step down-America will never be the same.
Hate won. Lies won.