I think it is going to be clear that when Mueller ends his investigation and the prosecutions of lesser figures are done, that Trump will be found to be guilty of many, many crimes.

And I don't think anything is going to happen about it. The GOP congress will say "so what"?

And even if we win back the house this year, and Democrats investigate and impeach (which seems unlikely), the GOP Senate will say "so what"?

Paul Krugman's recent column detailing just a few of the ways that the GOP is seizing power, with no regard to law, precedent, or tradition, means that the only thing stopping us from a full slide into fascism is the GOP's sense of shame. Which is to say, nothing.

Democrats are still trying to play by the rules, and I love them for it, but it isn't going to stop this evil minority from taking over our country and turning into a white christian nation, and all of the foul, vicious tragedy that implies.

What if Trump refuses to leave office? Or gets hackers to muddy up the election results just enough so that all anyone can say is "we'll never know how this really turned out". There is no recourse. We can get mad, and that's about it.

sigh

just feeling bad. Like the moment when they pull back the curtain to reveal the brick wall is getting very close.

Businesses are dictatorships. Your boss tells you what to do, and their boss tells them what to do. You can (usually) be fired at will. Accountability, if there is any, comes from how much money the owners make.

You can see that Trump is longing to run the country like one of his (failed) businesses. Where he is the dictator, citizens immigrants can be fired at will, and it is all about the money he can drain out of it before it goes bankrupt.

I do not want a government run like a business. I do not want government run _by_ business.

- ‪Now there’s no longer a living Republican politician that you can at least say something nice about.‬

Frank Conniff

https://www.facebook.com/frank.conniff.9/posts/10215266809597284?__xts__%5B0%5D=68.ARBXZEjClVpfqzcgd6XGfv3WVWjXz3ZWmc8kdFDkSIoMM7Fyv01xBX67AJTVf7n8oLTEOBufXRqy-6V9yHVGhQgXXhD7EdUrLmzjoN2MuWWQUIl37BlG1G5TsQOkMYAmHSicWjs&__tn__=-R

A well-balanced and appropriate tribute to this complex politician

a large number of crimes. You _know_ that keeping you in office or removing you from office will cause major turmoil, unrest, and political and constitutional crises.

This is another reason I hate Trump. He knew he was a felon. He knew that getting elected would be traumatic for America and its people, regardless of whether he was prosecuted/indicted/impeached. He didn't give a fuck.

Populism is a powerful way to win elections. It is basically telling people that you are going to help them. Trump used racism, but also a healthy dose of populism in his campaign, basically promising his idiot followers the moon.

Our establishment elite freak out about using populism, though. The reason why AOC seems to have everyone from Faux News to congresspeople riled up is that she wasn't afraid to use populism. She told/is telling people that she will try to do things that people would like from their government.

We need democratic politicians to embrace and use populism, both as a means to put the brakes on Trump, and as a way to improve things in this country. The government can end wage stagnation very quickly if they choose to. They can create medicare for all. They could regulate polluters. They can actually help fund higher education. They could create a much more progressive tax structure.

These are all things people would like. They would enjoy these things from their government.

Democrats (and this is just my opinion - I love this party and don't want to divide it, but I want to move it in a more progressive direction) as a group seem to be scared to talk the populist talk, and the reason seems to be that if they get elected on a populist platform, the people might expect changes to be made.

And corporate donors don't want those changes.

The key to winning elections from now until the eye can see into the future is right there. Promise people good things from their government, and then deliver, and then brag about it like crazy. Screw the corporate donors. They will have to live with a country where people are educated, healthy, not in poverty, and hopefully happier. Poor babies.

Where was law enforcement? (specifically the FBI). The guy has clearly been a Russian asset for decades, and laundering money for them. Is money laundering for the Russian mob legal now?

WTF. If I ever did something illegal I'd probably be busted in 10 minutes. How is this clueless schmuck still on the streets? And how many more people (with a lot more intelligence and savvy) are money laundering for the Russians right now, and still free to roam the streets/campaign for leader of the free world?

How did this happen? It seems to me like an intelligence failure as huge as 9/11.

He's already posted a link to it, but I thought it deserved it's own thread. Great stuff.

http://showercapblog.com/vote-goddamn-midterms/

Lots of house and senate races highlighted

If your voting system can be hacked, you can say after an election "well, we'll never really know who actually won".

This is great for people who want to destroy a democracy.

It is great for people who would lose the election in a trustworthy vote.

It is great for people who want to cheat.

PLEASE DEMOCRATS, make this a TOP TOP priority. Secure our voting system! Paper ballots, and preferably carefully hand counted.

Rather than just, say, the already rich and powerful.

I tend to use the term "socialism" for things like the police, fire department, the military, the court system, food inspection, etc. where people all pool their resources to provide common goods and services that help all of our lives be better. But some people seem to be objecting to that term, applying strictly only to a Marxist vision of the government owning the means of production.

So what are the alternatives?

I'm open to suggestions

"Kindness"
"Humanism"
"All Togetherism"
"Solidarity"