Trump's "slow-motion Mafioso-style coup" shapes executive branch that serves only him and his family

[Miles Archer]

http://www.rawstory.com/2017/05/dont-get-too-distracted-by-the-comey-scandal-trump-is-still-moving-forward-with-his-slow-motion-coup/



Since being elected, Trump has initiated what can only be termed a slow-motion coup. And while he appears to be sinking into a swamp of criminality and lies, he is pushing ahead with his plan to twist the executive branch into a mafioso-style operation that serves only him and his family.

That’s why it’s vital to not become mesmerized by the Russia scandal. The heat and noise is overshadowing one power grab after another.

Take these recent events. Trump signed an executive order establishing a “Commission on Election Integrity” headed by the architect of the “voter fraud” myth and aimed at suppressing African-American and low-income voters who tend to favor Democrats. A journalist in West Virginia was arrested for “willful disruption of state government processes” for questioning Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price about the House healthcare bill. Trump’s Justice Department notched a conviction and potential one-year prison sentence against a 61-year-old woman who laughed during Senate confirmation hearings for Attorney General Jeff Sessions. The government slapped seven more felony charges on more than 200 people indiscriminately arrested by police on inauguration day in Washington, D.C. They are all staring at 75-year prison sentences. Then there is Trump’s relentless assault on the federal regulatory apparatus, most recently with the hollowing out the EPA’s scientific integrity board. This is capped off by Trump’s demands for more power, such as calling for a “good shutdown” of the government and pushing for the Senate to end the filibuster, which tends to give the minority party say in the legislative process.

Trump is using government to squash any opposition whether in the streets, at the voting booth, or in Congress and the courts. In this context his demands for personal loyalty are moves toward a dictatorship. The FBI and U.S. military explicitly warn of such a scenario, stating that officers who swear loyalty to the president instead of the Constitution could enable officials “to gain control over the military and become dictators.”

[luvMIdog]

1. UGH I could live without ever seeing that photo again *gag*

yes 45 and his gang of pious frauds are trying to end our freedoms and steal the country. I can't believe we are forced to watch and nothing is being done.

[smirkymonkey]

2. Ugh - I know - I so HATE the sight of his face!

His mouth just drives me insane! I can't even say what violent impulses I have when I see it. I just cannot stand the sight of him. I actually flinch when I see him, he is that repulsive to me.

[luvMIdog]

4. lol me too

[Madam45for2923]

5. To me it's as attractive as seeing cockroaches.

[Scarsdale]

9. Ugly bloated toad.

He is repulsive. However, he is NOT intelligent enough to take over, without serious help from the gop and Russia. There are dark forces at work, getting their agenda through this supremely ignorant, un-intelligent person. He is the perfect foil for the gop, since he has no shame, no low he will not go to. A person without any morals, compassion or empathy. He is DESPICABLE. He is making this country a laughingstock overseas. All respect garnered for the US by President Obama has been squished under the golf shoe of this cretin. I LOATHE him, his family and the top level gop who are behind him, pushing him forward. This can not come to a good end, we are in a boat load of trouble with this bloated, crude, rude supremely DUMB person in the WH.

[dhol82]

12. Agreed

Not sure it can be stopped even if the toad is replaced.

[Dustlawyer]

27. While Trump is a repulsive corrupt dumbass, Kris Koback, former Kansas Secretary of State

and all around douche bag is the really dangerous one. In Presidential elections that are so close, this man's work to suppress the vote is one of the biggest threats to our Democracy and elections

He must be protested everywhere he goes. We must let our Representatives know he must be stopped!!!!

[Chemisse]

7. I always scroll quickly down to avoid seeing his face. n/t

[47of74]

35. Yeah I don't watch the news that much

Because I'd probably wind up putting my fist through my tv or chucking my laptop out the window. Mainly because of the love affair the M$M has with that Orange Fornicate

[catbyte]

30. No kidding. That sphincter-like mouth grosses me out to no end. I can actually

feel my stomach start churning when I see that creep. I've actually had to up my blood pressure medicine since January 20 which pisses off that I'm letting that worthless, treasonous POS affect my health like that.

I can't stomach the fact that the white House is infested with traitors and criminals, and Congress is filled with spineless, duplicitous, complicit Republicans. Each and every one of them should be recalled and impeached for violating their oath of office to uphold the Constitution. The only thing Republicans are protecting is their pathetic hold on power. Each and every one of the make me sick.

[trusty elf]

33. Make America Gag Again

[img][/img]

[lark]

36. Exactly, that's where I got the idea to call him orange assface.

Anus mouth would also be appropriate in many ways.

[Cha]

3. There's gotta be a way to take down those assholes..

the bigger they are the harder they fall..

[Madam45for2923]

6. There are more of us.

[Ligyron]

38. There were more slaves in Rome and the South than masters.

but it still didn't work out well for them.

We may have to do something different.

[global1]

8. How Could It Be That This Power Grab Is Going On By Trump....

at the same time a lot of us here at DU say that the Trump White House is in disarray; Trump has senile dementia; he's inexperienced in government and is running the presidency like he has run his business for all his years?

On one hand he is given credit for a brilliantly maneuvered 'power grab' and on the other hand he is going senile and doesn't know what he is doing and needs minders like Ivanka and Jared.

What is it? It can't be both?

Chuck Todd, yesterday, went through a litany of things that Trump had gotten away with during the primaries; during the run-up of the election and the time that he has been in office - that if it was any other person or president they would have been drummed out of the Party or impeached.

Yet Trump is being allowed to get a pass.

His own Party that should be worried about a bloodbath in 2018 is constantly covering his ass. Why? How is this possible?

How does he seem to know when things are getting to close for comfort for him - to fire the very people that are getting close to sink him? Is he privy to leaks that tip him off?

And to his Party. Why do they continue to support him? Is he blackmailing them for their support? Does he tell them if they take him down that he'll take the Party with him? He certainly has been given inside knowledge of their tactics and dirty dealings that he can now use against them. I know that every time I raise this question I get the response that the Party is using him. But who is using who?

Why doesn't his Party get worried that they will lose in 2018 & 2020 unless they know that they are positioned to steal those elections too and remain in power?

There are too many contradictions here that we are being made to deal with. The conclusion that I keep coming back to is that we are living through a coup d'etat.

That's the only thing that makes sense to me and I want to know why we are afraid to come to grips and acknowledge that?

[Miles Archer]

10. It's orchestrated disarray

It's a distraction to divert attention from the power grab.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

11. His party is worried, but they hope gerrymandering & enhanced voter suppression will save them. . nt

[global1]

14. They Hope? Or Do They Know?....

gerrymandering and enhanced voter suppression will save them.

His Party don't look that worried to me.

Didn't you see them at the White House beer bash after the ACHA vote - slapping backs, taking selfies and smiling and laughing.

Doesn't look like a Party that worried to me.

What do they know?

[Bernardo de La Paz]

20. I saw a lot of frowns and glumness there too. Yes, they are worried. More or less.

Darrell Issa ran an ad praising a Hillary Clinton program. He's very worried.

A Republican Senator called for a Special Prosecutor.

There are other signs. But they aren't as worried as they should be or could be. Not as worried as they would be if they didn't have Fox Propaganda going or RWAFs softened up after years of bombardment who are by now reflexively unwilling to even think about anything/anyone with a D attached. Not as worried as they would be if there weren't gerrymandering and voter suppression.

[dhol82]

13. This is what has my head in a spin

Don't understand how, if he is so stupid, can so much crap be actully happening?
Somebody else has to orchestrating this.

[Sculpin Beauregard]

18. Christ. They are in the process of consolidating their power

so that there can be nothing to stop them. What does this mean? They are turning USA into an authoritarian state, not a democratic state.

Ask yourselves: why, with all the outrage at town halls, and all the negative press, WHY IS GOP NOT MORE WORRIED ABOUT LOSING MORE SEATS?

Answer: BECAUSE THEY KNOW THEY CANT LOSE. Let that sink in.

[lastlib]

23. Fascism is coming.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/1016173227

[global1]

31. Bingo!!!!! Hit The Nail On The Head!!!!! You Get It!!!!!......

Only thing is I still hold out hope that there is something that will stop this from happening.

Maybe a peaceful military takeover - until the traitors are dealt with and then a special election. I don't know - but I have to have hope and faith that we aren't over with.

[ecstatic]

44. "What is it? It can't be both?" Umm, yes it can if Trump's being personally

coached on what to do and say by PutinCo. All of the disarray and senile tendencies is real. But the power grabs are being pulled off with the advice of someone very experienced in that area. And it could be that Trump doesn't even realize what the end game is. Or maybe he does...

And no, I don't believe the 2018 elections will be free or fair.

I want to know why we are afraid to come to grips and acknowledge that?

I had never been confronted with the idea that democracy in the US could end until 2016. I'm sure I wasn't alone. I took AP history and this wasn't covered. People think the US is a self sustaining miracle democracy and we're not taught how to preserve it or that it would even need preserving.

[tomp]

15. I must say, it surprises me there isn't more noise about....

....the commission on election integrity FROM THE DEMOCRATS!

This is an OBVIOUS sham and has potential to do more harm to our electoral system.

Both we and the democrats are the losers from the lack of electoral integrity, but there has been no real progress in this realm since 2000 and to my eye things have gotten worse since then.

And that guy who's heading it is a known opponent of electoral integrity, with four court cases lost to the ACLU.

Why not connect the Russia thing to this..both about lack of electoral integrity?

WTF?

[47of74]

37. Electoral fraud should be a capital crime.

And punished the same as treason. It is actually worse than treason in my book because of the damage someone like shrub or the Putinfluffer can do to all of Earth.

[OldRedneck]

16. Everyone needs to read:

"On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century," by Yale historian Timothy Snyder.

Following the two world wars, democratic republics of various types emerged from the carnage. Within a few years, most of these had turned into dictatorships. Snyder has pulled out 20 lessons that illustrate how it happened and HOW IT CAN HAPPEN HERE.

In a recent interview, Snyder predicted that Trump would stage or would take advantage of a major event -- e.g., terrorist attack -- to pull off a coup similar to Hitler's Kristallnacht.

"On Tyranny" is a short, small book that you can read in an afternoon or less. After reading it, you will want to re-read it and pass it around to your friends.

The section of "On Tyranny" that spoke loudest to me is section 2: "DEFEND INSTITUTIONS. It is institutions that help us to preserve decency. . . . " He goes on to describe how Hitler in Germany and the Bolsheviks in Russia destroyed the institutions that protected the citizens.

THE VERY SAME THING IS GOING ON HERE -- our institutions are being destroyed. First, Ronald Reagan declared government is the problem. Since then, Republicans at all levels have worked to destroy or cripple our institutions. Now, Trump is about to deliver the coup d'grace. Not only is he firing heads of agencies who disagree with him, he has fired and refused to replace EVERY SINGLE US attorney, as well as leaving vacant almost all deputy, assistant, and deputy assistant cabinet positions. He is destroying the institutions. And don't get me started on Trump's attacks on the judiciary.

[mnhtnbb]

19. I started reading it this morning.

It's very frightening to see how far we are along the path to tyranny .

So many people on this board (DU) are focused on 2018 elections, and I fear that there will be no 2018 election. It's not a stretch and I don't think
it's crazy to think that we may have had our last free (not really, but we thought it was at the time) election.

[Sculpin Beauregard]

24. This is what people don't seem to get.

[lastlib]

26. Got a link? Where can we get a copy?

Sounds intriguing and essential reading. While we're reading that, everyone should read this:

Fourteen Defining Characteristics of Fascism

Free Inquiry, Spring 2003:

Dr. Lawrence Britt has examined the fascist regimes of Hitler (Germany), Mussolini (Italy), Franco (Spain), Suharto (Indonesia) and several Latin American regimes. Britt found 14 defining characteristics common to each:
1. Powerful and Continuing Nationalism--Fascist regimes tend to make constant use of patriotic mottos, slogans, symbols, songs, and other paraphernalia. Flags are seen everywhere, as are flag symbols on clothing and in public displays.
2. Disdain for the Recognition of Human Rights--Because of fear of enemies and the need for security, the people in fascist regimes are persuaded that human rights can be ignored in certain cases because of "need." The people tend to look the other way or even approve of torture, summary executions, assassinations, long incarcerations of prisoners, etc.
3. Identification of Enemies/Scapegoats as a Unifying Cause--The people are rallied into a unifying patriotic frenzy over the need to eliminate a perceived common threat or foe: racial , ethnic or religious minorities; liberals; communists; socialists, terrorists, etc.
4. Supremacy of the Military--Even when there are widespread domestic problems, the military is given a disproportionate amount of government funding, and the domestic agenda is neglected. Soldiers and military service are glamorized.

<snip>

More at link.

[PunkinPi]

41. Amazon has it...

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0804190119/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[lastlib]

45. It's also here:

https://www.alibris.com/booksearch?keyword=On+Tyranny+Snyder&mtype=B&hs.x=50&hs.y=30

Alibris

[secondwind]

17. Did they leave out the purchase by Kushner and a group of Tribune Media, which is now called

Sinclair Broadcasting? Adding 200 more conservative-leaning, Trump-leaning, "news stations" throughout the country. This is what dictators do.

[Paladin]

21. The Mafia comparison works---trump even has two sons with "Fredo" capabilities. (nt)

[George II]

25. "Fredo was weak and stupid", and............"don't ever take sides against the family"!

[Paladin]

32. Somebody ought to do a trump-style "Godfather" movie.

With the "Don" being not too bright and unable to keep his mouth shut, "Fredo" sons messing things up every day, hapless family spokesmen, and a series of young, hot wives. "I'm gonna make him an offer he don't understand."

Hell, I'd buy a ticket.

[KG]

22. nobody in that admin appears to be clever enough.

[WhiteTara]

42. Never underestimate evil. nt

[zentrum]

28. Really important post. nt

[sinkingfeeling]

29. Terrifying.

[tanyev]

34. Do the Republicans who are enabling this really think that Trump won't ever turn on them?

[L. Coyote]

39. Not for long.

Link to tweet

Trump's New Impeachable Offenses: Obstruction of Justice, Conspiracy, Abuse of Power

[WinkyDink]

40. In all seriousness, some of us (ahem) have been making these observations for months. Trump is

Mobbed-up, local NYC/AC Jersey as well as with the Russian Mob (the ones who throw models off buildings, poison reporters, and gun down opponents).

And, like the thug associates, Trump acquires legit, loots, and leaves bankruptcy behind.

The nation is now simply another enterprise to do this with.

[dalton99a]

43. Helluva anal prolapse