Trump badly miscalculated in Portland - and even he knows it

[marmar]

Trump badly miscalculated in Portland – and even he knows it
Cas Mudde

Trump overestimated how much voters fear ‘antifa’ - and underestimated how terrible his ham-fisted authoritarianism would look


(Guardian UK) Opponents of Donald Trump often describe him as a “political genius” who has a cunning understanding of the anxieties and fears of American society, and is able to create and use crises to his favor. The current standoff in Portland shows, yet again, that this is not the case. While his alleged fight against antifa will satisfy some of his far-right supporters, it increasingly risks further alienating the so-called “moderate” Republicans – which seems mostly used to describe better-off pocketbook Republican voters – who are already feeling uneasy over his Covid-19 handling and the economic fallout of the pandemic.

An almost ignored aspect of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic is that Trump failed to use it to push through his authoritarian agenda by increasing executive powers, weakening the powers of other institutions, like Congress, and marginalizing dissent, for instance by banning demonstrations. Almost all other countries implemented a more repressive approach to Covid-19, including those governed by progressive parties (like Spain), while most far-right governments used it to push through draconian repressive measures (such as Hungary and India).

Of course, the explanation is that Trump initially denied and ignored the dangers of Covid-19, arguing that “it’s going to work out fine” and “the warmer weather” would take care of it. This made it difficult for him to later shift to an authoritarian approach. Difficult, but certainly not impossible. But clearly Trump never wanted to. Instead, he kept insisting on an economic approach to re-election, repositioning himself as the savior of the US economy, and aggressively pushing for the “reopening of America”.

.....(snip).....

But the problem is that the Portland protests play only to one of Trump’s ideological strongholds: authoritarianism. Given that Portland is the whitest big city in the US, the vast majority of protesters are white, which leaves his biggest asset, racism, largely irrelevant. Similarly, populism is largely useless, as few people will believe that “the elite” live in, or deeply care for, Portland – unlike, for instance, New York.

Portland is not only a bad choice because of the limited appeal to the broader Republican electorate. It could also seriously backfire. Police brutality against small, and even radical, groups of protesters could lead to broader support for the protesters. ............(more)

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/jul/31/trump-portland-antifa-voters-miscalculated

[soothsayer]

1. Well the goons aren't leaving, so....

[no_hypocrisy]

2. Clarification: PUTIN "badly miscalculated" Portland.

[lagomorph777]

13. Exactly. What works in a country that's never really had democracy...

won't work here. Americans don't take too kindly to government-sponsored terrorism. Trump was too stupid or too cowed to tell Putin that his scheme would fail.

[Eliot Rosewater]

3. What

Which opponents have ever described that stupid fucking traitor in the White House as some political genius?

No one

Now I’ll read the rest of it

[Harker]

7. That stopped me, too.

The only person who praises Trumpsky as any sort of genius is himself.

[Turbineguy]

4. It may also be

that people in the ICE hierarchy have figured out that trump misusing their agency will bring it into longterm disrepute. It's one thing to beat the crap out of human traffickers, another to beat up Moms, Dads, and Vets.

[Iliyah]

5. shithole and treason barr are using DHS as their personal . .

police force alongwith ICE and city police and others. Portland was bound to backfire.

But alas they are situated in Blue cities around the country. What purpose, I'll say because of the 2020 elections and republicans in congress know about it. What's their strategy?

Fear and a possible obstruction of voters trying to get to the polls, especially if treason barr deem the city or cities are a threat to various subjects from terrorism to safety of the homeland.

[Ford_Prefect]

6. One thing it made clear is that DHS and I.C.E. operate outside the Constitution.

They clearly believe their "mission" requires them to ignore domestic US laws.

It also makes clear that both organizations need radical surgery to excise their rotten cores. IMO ICE should be closed and those responsible given shovels and hoes and lifetime employment at a federal prison farm.

DHS was an aberration from its origin. It was intended to bypass congressional oversight and constitutional checks and has exceeded all expectations.

[CrispyQ]

8. +1!

Perfectly stated.

[BComplex]

9. The Homeland Security Bill and the Patriot Act ALLOWED that they could act outside the Constitution

That whole period set up the country for Trump, or some other narcissistic megalomaniac to take over the country. It has to be repealed. It never should have passed, but Cheney and Rumsfeld had this wet dream, and 9/11 made it come true.

[Ford_Prefect]

12. As I said DHS is an aberration crushed through congress in the fear of post 9/11.

It was proposed previous to Bush II's coronation but it took the ginned up fear of terrorism and fake evidence to get it passed. It is the right-wing wet dream of law-enforcement powers and violates the Constitution simply by existing.

[BComplex]

15. Absolutely. It should be repealed immediately, and trump proves it.

[dalton99a]

10. Yep

[Midnight Writer]

11. Ironically, Fox News is helping destroy Trump. He is stuck in their bubble, believes their bullshit

[AZ8theist]

14. Who the fuck called him a "political genius"????

Doturd is a FUCKING IMBECILE.

AND a TRAITOR.

NOTHING MORE.

[Skittles]

16. non Trump-humping Americans do not like fascism

who knew?

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

17. K&R