Fredrik Logevall’s Pulitzer Prize-winning biography of the 35th president begins with him observing and sorting through what he was witnessing below his Berlin balcony.
Whoa, chillingly nailing it. I can't tell you how I can hardly find anyone I know willing to utter a word about this or is not in fierce denial. I am 78 and can't stay for the fight. I am a Jew and always vowed I wouldn't live in a fascist country, I am preparing to emigrate. I am a student of history, once taught Holocaust studies to high school kids, I have long believe this moment could happen I just thought the US was....I don't know, too strong, smart, to submit, but it's happened. Finally, the reasons are complex, algorithms that were used to manipulate the populace, foreign interference, Russia, Egypt, and other countries, a GOP that decades ago found finance and support from Putin starting with Dana Rohrobach of California, gerrymandering, a federal government (and State ones too) run on minority rule, an electorate dazzled by spectacle and bullshit who just got pulled into the CON of their lives. The British people know they were lied to (Russia was involved there too) and one day Americans will know this too. Meanwhile, life is going to get tough.
Having read many dystopian books, I always thought the it COULD happen here. But I never dreamed that it could happen so quickly. After seeing Sen. Joni Ernst bend the knee so quickly, now it is easy to see how it happened so easily (but not nearly as quickly) in Germany.
I am 80, and I will stay and fight to keep this nation a democracy. Citizenship is not a passive state, but always active, keeping the nation in its democratic values.
I'll be 77 in March. I will stay, but to be honest, I really have no other option. And to say that I'm scared half to death is putting it mildly! I will fight, the best I can, with what fight I have left in me.
There is a dangerous chance that extremist groups like the Proud Boys, Three Percenters, and Oath Keepers will become quasi-official federal enforcers. From the NYT:
"A few days after the election, William Teer, who runs the Texas Three Percenters, a local far-right militia group, wrote to President-elect Donald J. Trump with an offer: His organization could help Mr. Trump carry out his plan to deport millions of people who are in the United States illegally."
In what other ways might these racist thugs help the Trump/Maga movement achieve its goals? Is that why Trump will pardon the 1/6 convicts, so that they can become his Gestapo and ultimately SS?
Doesn't this scenario make Biden's pardon of Hunter seem innocuous?
I read recently that trump is dressing in a black suit with a gold tie as a signal to the Proud Boys that he is on the same side. Before, he was all blue and red. So he is as close to wearing the insurrectionists' uniform as he can be ---- but will still lie about what he is doing.
I've been fairly sure we'd see Trump wearing those colors. Musk wears those 'Dark MAGA' colors. Danger ahead. Said "Patriots" can commit atrocities & be pardoned...
The militias who have been standing back and standing by, combined with the pardoning of the J-6 insurrectionists (released from jail as "Patriots"!) and Trump's "enemies list", which includes anyone who opposes him is a stage set for extreme violence and extreme chaos. Yes, this seems very similar to Hitler's Gestapo and the SS, with citizens reporting on other citizens for various reasons, including protesting Fascism. Danger ahead....:-(
First will come TFG's version of the brownshirts. When they become too unruly they will be brutally suppressed but the cream of the crop will be enlisted into TFG's version of the SS and the Gestapo.
It really doesn't matter what they all end up calling themselves. We have seen this movie before and it always ends up the same - badly. TFG's boys are already planning the concentration camps. They will be filled with all the usual suspects but there will be a high number of Hispanics this time. If the Nazis had Hispanics they would have ended up in their camps too.
How long will it take for the MAGAts to move on to the final solution? Prolly when they figure out it's too expensive and too much trouble for manhunts and deportations. First the gas vans and then the shots to the necks and finally the crematoriums.
“The people were complicit with a mix of actions and accommodations that ranged from the eager to the transactional. People got in line because that was the easiest thing to do. A central lesson of history is that people who submit to tyranny incited by lassitude lack the grit to easily recover it. Most don’t.”
True, these people were complicit, including rich Jews, who were also transactional in nature. Yet, back then, the Germans at least had an excuse; the German Mark was worthless, people had to barter just to survive, and the unemployment rate was the worst in German history. Today, in America; not so much!
So Steve, as to your questions at hand for 2024? The answer is simple. Close to half this country couldn’t care less about democracy, as long as their guy is in charge. As for corruption? Most Americans believe on good authority, that all politicians are corrupt; and they give Trump a pass, because he’s their anointed one. And they feel he has been unfairly targeted by corrupt federal institutions. They are wrong, but you can’t debate STUPID!
Furthermore, I no longer believe that Harris could have won the election, even if she ran a flawless campaign. With the plutocrats and MSM were cowering in fear, and pledging fealty even before the election began; she was a sitting duck.
In the end, America will get the government we deserve: good and hard. However, if you’re relying on the American public to give a damn, then you need to see a good therapist.
America has become complacent and entitled. As Robert Hutchins once said, “The death of democracy is not likely to be an assassination from ambush. It will be a slow extinction from apathy, indifference, and undernourishment.”
We give a damn Robert. You and I give a damn. Steve really gives a damn! We can’t throw in the towel because we feel outnumbered. Washinton was outnumbered, and that never stopped him. It is my hope that the defenders of freedom and democracy will become the vocal majority once the shit starts to hit the fan, once a majority experiences the reality of what we have created/destroyed.
You write:
Yet, back then, the Germans at least had an excuse; the German Mark was worthless, people had to barter just to survive, and the unemployment rate was the worst in German history. Today, in America; not so much!
To which I respond:
Right or wrong, too many Americans have felt worthless for too long. They have worked hard but have no reward of the Golden Years. Too many have felt forgotten and emasculated. Then Trump came along, and told them what every human longs to hear.. that they have value, that they are loved, that he will speak for them and be their protector.
Many who voted for him actually do not work hard. They are young male incels located in their parents' basements waiting for their 500k/year salary despite no skills, education, work ethic, ability to function off their video console. We are so much farther gone than any other time in US history except the Civil War. I fear that is our best case scenario. More likely is Gilead/Idiocracy, since we are already 3/4 of the way to that combo. Oh, and which side has all the firepower?
I'm thinking that this will change very rapidly in the coming days. Not every liberal and progressive is going to take this $hit laying down. So far I don't see any sign of the right curtailing gun sales to anyone who wants one. Maybe later, but not yet.
I’m not disagreeing with you, but were not the 75 million who voted for him, or the 80 million whose apathy let them decide to sit out the election.
And whether people feel undervalued or not, they continue to vote against their own interests. Trump even got the majority of union members to vote for him, even with an atrocious union record, which is about to get worse.
So honestly, as much as I agree with you about Steve and the rest of us, my comment was directed towards the other two thirds of the American electorate: the third that voted for Trump, and the third that stayed home!….:)
Yes, and people are addicted to their cell phone and their attention is prey for what shows up on their social-media algorithms -much of it from Russia.
Also, teaching history and civics in our schools became too low of a priority.
In the last few years I have begun to view America as a country that never figured out how to overcome the original sins of its' founding. In fact, a large % have no desire to and remain upset that the Confederacy lost the war. A large % today do not want equality. They want their side to win something at the expense of others. And while that tribalism plays out, the billionaires just keep getting richer and consolidating power. Sad reality from the optimism that those of us who were alive to see the hope of the Kennedys and the 60's....
Oh boy, you said it! “A large % today do not want equality. They want their side to win something at the expense of others.” Case in point, and it’s personal. My brother is a gun-nut, ex-cop who has amassed over a dozen firearms because “2nd Amendment” and “self-defense”. He also has stated, “Not everyone SHOULD vote!” Clearly, when it comes to the rights of others this same man, who is so concerned about his own rights, has a “f*ck ‘em” attitude rather than a “Protect and Serve” attitude. It’s never really been about self-defense. It’s about his rights, not ours. For him it’s about entitlement and domination.
LAS- sadly I think your brother is in the majority for police. The police unions supported Trump. They are all about guns and domination over others especially minorities.
I have sadly come to the same view. I was 14 when I heard Kennedy's inauguration address which inspired much of my career. Now approaching 78, it is the death of that optimism that weighs on me. We are about to get the government we deserve -- good and hard.
I’m about 10 yrs your junior but still at an age where we have enjoyed a level of optimism, have seen the passage of civil rights, have witnessed marriage equality for LGBTQ+… all of it is note under direct threat. Our parents would be so sad. 🥺
Excellent article this morning ☕ Steve, and the future of our country has already been written in history, and it will end in disaster, no matter. If and when we get another Democrat back in the White House, it's going to be decades before we Right all the Wrong's from 45 years of Reaganomics,to this next administrations damage to the Democracy and the Rule of Law. Thank You, again, Steve and will reStack ASAP 💯👍❄️🎄⛄
The answer to each of your ten questions is the same: At the moment, not enough of us. But that fact won't stop the rest of us from trying to make this a better country. And who knows, when the full horrors that the Trump regime intends to wreak upon this country become clear to even the most befuddled of his supporters, that number might increase sufficiently to make a difference in 2025 and beyond.
Doug Ford, Premier of the Canadian province of Ontario has threatened to cease sending electricity to the U.S. if Trump imposes tariffs on Canada. Canadian hydroelectric power comprises 85% of the electricity imported to the U.S. and cutting it off would cause great pain, especially in the New England states that rely heavily on it.
Add that to the inevitably higher prices and economic contraction that will result from tariffs and the impact on food prices of deporting undocumented immigrants and we may see a lot more anti-Trump/Maga sentiment.
The disgust over Trump's plans to pardon 1/6 insurrectionists may grow as it becomes common knowledge that one of the leaders, Russell Taylor, who organized and led a mob, armed with a knife, a bullet proof chest plate and bear spray, has been invited to Trump's inauguration. Doesn't look good.
Do it Doug. Do it on Jan 21st. And I hope Justin finds some courage and the other premiers do too. Close the northern border to anyone without a CDN passport.
And there will be Trump's excuse for invading Canada. He's already referring to it as a "State" with a "Governor". I know, sounds crazy, right, but I think that's his plan for Canada.
So far, fascism seems just fine with many in our country. They have their grievances and the fact that innocent people will be hurt doesn’t seem to matter.
People have an uncanny ability to think that they are safe, simply because they are in allegiance with the monster they stand behind but the monster knows nothing of allegiances. The monster is never satisfied, it is always hungry, and it will ultimately turn around and devour the deluded. It’s amazing we’ve lasted this long.
16.4 million American troops served during WWII; 404,000 KIA. Those men and women fought alongside our British brethren, our Aussie & Kiwi brethren, our Canadian brethren. The U.S. president-elect refers to those KIA as "losers". Those losers and the living among them fought against the very evil and sinister plague this president-elect wishes to resurrect; to unleash upon us and the world.
Pogo, the comic strip character from long ago: "I have seen the enemy and he is us." The self-described "patriot" who wants to burn the house down as his/her statement of love for country is deeply flawed and conflicted. They are a walking contradiction; a catastrophe. They are a DANGEROUS contradiction. Yet, one cannot help but blame Democrats for this national crisis. While Republicans were stacking local and state governing boards, the Democrats were sitting back all misty-eyed ignoring the rot staring right at them. They did next-to-nothing when McConnell took out a pact to obstruct Obama.
In a few short weeks we will witness the great awakening. Are you ready? Are we ready? Batten down the hatches, full steam ahead!
And let’s not forget the huge factor that wealth inequality has played in politics. This is what happens when <1% of the population is allowed to buy elected officials, and the elections themselves. Our votes have become watered down. At the same time, we are, as a nation, slipping badly in terms of education. To think, all “they” had to do was to legitimize the grievances of the disenfranchised. Oh, and LIE and deceive.
At my house, and within my circle of family and friends, we are getting prepared. How, may I ask, are you preparing?
At my age, 80, I am simply keeping watch and focusing on keeping ""heads up" while not dwelling on the negative. My family has served our Military since the American Revolutionary War. All the blood spilt to prevent what now seems to be the unpreventable. You speak of the education "slippage". That has been by design. Reflecting on German Pastor Martin Niemöller, none of us is untouchable. Emphasis on NONE. We have born and bread one or two generations of dummies. The ruling class relies on that.
I am preparing by stocking up on basic supplies, toiletries, canned goods, dried foods, crackers, etc. I’m selling some of my stocks & holding more cash; also getting some physical cash to have at home.
There’s no doubt that if T follows through with the tariffs & mass deportation as he’s said, the economy will go to hell.
That's all true Steve. So what can we do? I am 77 and will not give up what I served the country for. Just being appalled is not enough. Recognizing the fascist threat, that has been blindingly clear for many months is not enough. The ignorance of my fellow citizens is discouraging, but again, what can we do that is overt and within what our laws were until Trump came to town?
The Democrats seem to lack a fundamental understanding of what's going on. I certainly don't understand why the right wing seemingly wants to burn the barn down. I do know Trump is looking for a fight and his supporters in and out of government appear ready to join him.
My fear is the opposition doesn't know how to fight fire with fire and therefore is not ramped up to fight this growing movement.
To gain a greater understanding fas to why things are the way they are, I recommend Ruth Ben-Ghiat’s brilliant book, “Strongmen, Mussolini to the Present”. It will give you nightmares but it will also give you insight.
Thank you for that. But Italy and Germany in 1920s and 30s were in an economic crisis grasping for solutions. Our current economy is fairing pretty well, some improvement needed in places, but the groundwork is being done. I can't help think the Whites like me resent the power gains minorities have made. White men abetted by White women recognize their status in society is being challenged, and rightly so, and will continue to come up with ways to challenge it. Look no further than the the North Carolina legislature.
Speaking of North Carolina: Last November there was a candidate (Republican) for Governor who stood for taking away women's rights to vote. Though he lost that election he still got a lot of those votes. Many of those votes were probably cast by women. What woman would defend that stand? And why?
I have no earthly idea why a woman would vote for that, except for the Christian Nationalist Evangelical ones, who have been brainwashed from birth to devalue themselves. Their only value is in 1)how well they obey their husbands & never do or say anything that might embarrass him in the community & 2)her ability to have lots of babies & to raise them to be good god-fearing children.
I pity those women, but I’m also extremely angry at them.
Democracy is definitely in the cross hairs. Let’s not just agonize; let’s organize and do something. Here’s a way to use quiet but deliberate courage to counter what’s about to happen: check out WhiteChalkCrime.com and listen to teacher whistleblowers who for years have been trying to do something about the corruption in our schools that’s been slowly dismantling democracy. They can teach you what needs to be done so that democracy regains its rightful place in our schools. Getting the public to distrust teachers was the ingenious act that stole our schools - democracy’s foundation - from us. Trusting called to teach teachers is the only way to get our foundation back. Then run or help others run for school boards on a “save democracy” and “end school shootings” platform. You don’t need a child in the school to do so. We have corrupt schools because good, democracy loving people don’t run for school boards, plain and simple. And now these boards are the only thing we can seize and flood with democracy. So go for it - either run or help people run in blocks to control each board.
Another promising way to organize took place during the American Revolution. These were the many "committees of correspondence" which watched the movements of the British soldiers and alerted one another. Today these committees could watch the movements of these private insurrectionists. They could be witnesses in the trials of these insurrectionists when they lose their battles.
Great idea. Creating local online and F2F networks and communities of citizens concerned about local, state, and national issues is one way to counteract right-wing media dominance.
Electing Biden was a barely successful last gasp of “leaving the Democracy in the hands of the voter”.
The first order of action for Joe was to nurse a damaged nation back to health.
There was a constant cry by Biden’s electorate to establish a bulwark against the rising tide of Trumpism.
Biden clinged to the ideas that fairness, compromise and justice; and that everyone getting their share of a rebounding economy would win the day.
No attention was given to the insidious effects of repetition of conspiracy theories, misinformation, and distorted news stories. These were effectively used to destroy some people’s confidence in institutions and science, to the degree that Trump’s lies pushing fear and hate took hold.
Inaction to head off the sources of bad information, and to deter the construction of violence focused MAGA forces has brought voters to the sorry realization that they are going into a gunfight armed only with ideals.
Greg Olear listed 16 steps that our lame-duck Democracy could take, before it’s dead, to head this off.
Jim: Your sentence, "Inaction to head off the sources of bad information..." Opens up a teaching moment: There are two types of "bad information". One is "misinformation" where the source was honestly believing that what he was saying was true. The other is "disinformation" where the source knew in advance that what he was about to say was not true. "Misinformation" can be treated by education. But "Disinformation" must be treated by exposure to the public what it truly is. Disinformation launches a cascade of misinformation in its wake. It's truly sad that we have to distinguish between the two.
Hi Steve, can you please write about, those who opposed hitler & the nazi’s, & what they did to try and stop his march to dictatorship.
We have tried to stop trump, the media, journalists, criminal indictments, citizens marching, but nothing has stoped this madness of a criminal, racist & sexist who lies every time he speaks. What else can we do to be the resistance against the billionaire/oligarchs, who are about to pillage the nations wealth? And why are those currently in power, allowing people like Musk, who is not an elected official, keep interfering in our administrative state. This is the richest person in the world, wanting to destroy any and every safety net for the American people, and not one Dem has spoken out or even tried to shut him down.
A slight Majority of those voting , voted for Trump.. Were they just blind? Or just Stupid?
Of course, those who watch just MSNBC and its related thinking are nodding their heads, and thinking “yes” about those who watch Fox News and related media. And those who watch only Fox News are thinking the same in the opposite direction, both sides with self righteous indignation about the other, probably thinking the other side of this great divide is incredibly stupid or just blind to the realities of the situation.
One side thinks Trump is the Messiah; the other sees him as the Anti- Christ. Both sides hesitate to say these things out loud for fear, I think, of being seen as too extreme by some of their own tribe.
Not all are religious zealots.
If I am close to the truth, then how do you bridge the divides?
If Trump lost the 2024 election -- if just 2% of votes switched to Harris -- wouldn't we now be in civil war, or close to it? If he was assassinated in Pa in July, even his so-called "moderate" supporters said there would have been bloodshed if not actual civil war. https://jimbuie.substack.com/p/trumps-assassination-would-have-led
He and his supporters essentially held the U.S. hostage in this election. I'm now hoping that the irrational nature of Trump's policy proposals, with internal contradictions, will cause his fragile coalition to fragment within two years. Democrats will retake both houses of Congress and provide some accountability, and a broader coalition will come roaring back in 2028. Granted, this may be cockeyed optimism or wishful thinking. We thought his peak support was 46%. I choose to believe, at least for now, that the 2% of low-info voters who decided the election did not deliberately vote for an authoritarian who would destroy their birthright, democracy. For now, I choose to forgive them, that they didn't really know what they were doing.
Then there was the voter, a friend of mine, who abhorred Trump but didn't want a woman who supported trans rights in the White House. She chose to leave her ballot for president unmarked, while voting for all the state issues and representatives. This politically naive person didn't realize she was making a Trump win more likely. I am appalled, but forgive her ignorance. There may be many politically non-savvy persons who need schooling in the ins and outs of voting.
No doubt. I read that undecided voters in the last week or two before the election spent less than 10 minutes a day taking in information, after blocking out politics for most of the last four years. These voters went overwhelming for Trump.
Close elections in democracies are almost always decided by low-information voters following their gut. Inflation hurts, therefore Biden-Harris must be to blame.
"Democracy? What's that exactly?"
I'm not optimistic that more warnings and fear-mongering about "authoritarianism" in the second Trump administration will reach these people. They will have to feel real financial pain from the Trump-Vance administration to abandon them.
In the late 1950s my high school taught civics, the Constitution, and U.S. History. I think they did a good job. A few years ago I made an appointment at another high school (in another part of the state) to examine the textbooks used today and came away disappointed. I recommend you do the same.
I have reviewed several social studies textbooks. The ones from the 1950s and 1960s do not age well, IMHO. Textbooks tend to be dull, consensus-driven, and written by committee. Teachers now are more likely to distribute articles or offer online access to compelling content that requires students to engage in critical thinking as a response.
Financial pain….& I fervently wish that for them. Between now & 1/20 I am stocking up on (hoarding) basic supplies, canned & dried foods. I’m rebalancing my stock market accounts to have a lot more cash, & also getting a supply of physical cash at home. If T follows through with tariffs & mass deportation, the economy will go to hell in a hand basket.
Wishing financial pain on others may also mean we are wishing it on ourselves. Isn't there another way to learn the lessons? ;-)
I'd guess that the downward trend on inflation by the middle of the year will start to tick back up, from 2.7% now to 3% and rising. Trump knows he needs to keep the investor class happy, so the stock market will continue to rise. Half of Americans aren't in the stock market.
I hear you. I stopped teaching because of the hostility to knowledge among some of the 32 8th graders I was assigned per class, or the overwhelming nature of the assignment. I felt I was a behavior manager more than a teacher. It was a red county that starved public schools. If I had started in the nearby blue county where I live now which provides far more resources, my experience might have been different. It will be interesting to see if the education system in the red county, Alamance, here in NC, continues to decline or if they begin to realize the terrible path they are on.
I can’t view your friend as politically naive, just like I can’t forgive one of my nephews for voting for T due to that very same reasoning. They are both ignorant about the phenomena of transgender & they refuse to learn, they refuse to develop compassion. They fear people who are different from them & I believe they are secretly or even openly disgusted by trans persons.
Voters like that have traded our democracy for an oligarchy, & I am really, really angry at them. I’m not in a forgiving mood.
The Senate in 2 years is a lost cause, with a bunch of red state GOP incumbents. In 4 years the Trump effect on the courts will have been multiplied. Extreme gerrymandering almost guarantees very narrow House margins. People are apathetic and inundated with propaganda, with poor critical thinking skills. That doesn't even touch on the threat to national security, education and public health at the hands of Trump's unqualified, unfit, dangerous, even traitorous appointees. I forgive nothing!
The 2026 Senate elections are not a lost cause. Nearly twice as many Republicans are up for re-election than Democrats. Presumably McConnell from KY will retire or should. Dems are making gains there. Thom Tillis from NC is not popular on the right. If former NC Gov Roy Cooper (D) runs he will win. It is way too early to do assessments.
Yeah and Amy McGrath raised millions running against Mitch and got trounced. The map is not favorable to Democrats, who need to pick up 4 seats to have a majority.
Being the grandchild/child of Holocaust survivors who had to flee from their home in Berlin in 1939, I see exactly what is coming and it will be horrendous. I've been saying for years now, "Watch out, this guy is as close to Hitler as you can get." Everybody thought I was a nutcase... My mother, who was 8 yrs old in 1939 told me over and over again - "Don't think it can't happen here". When I moved up to the countryside in NY my mother told me to go around the neighborhood to check if any other Jews lived nearby, just in case. That was back in 1993. Glad she's not around to see all this. Her fear remained forever. Berlin was a sophisticated city. There were a lot of Jews living there. A lot of wealthy Jews whom I suspect may have voted for Hitler. A lot of people do not realize that Hitler was elected! My grandfather owned a business in Berlin which was destroyed during Kristallnacht. Shortly after, the brownshirts and SS rounded up all the remaining businessmen in Berlin and threw them into Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp where he remained until they offered him a deal. "We'll let you out to sell your business and then you must get out of Germany or you'll be in a camp for good." This is a very long story, but he managed to get out and then so did my grandmother and mother. I hear people saying, "Oh, the courts, the guardrails, etc., etc." Trump will not respect the courts or anyone else. He has immunity, he doesn't give a crap about the laws. He'll offer pardons to anyone underneath him so they also have permission to break the laws. He's going to pardon the Jan. 6 rioters to show that he means it. I asked my grandfather why they didn't leave sooner and his answer was, "First we never thought he would win the election, and then we thought he would never get away with his plans." Sound familiar? Too many people just don't seem to understand what is going on here. The question - where to go? Where in the world will be safe?
Sherry, this is a first hand account, stunningly written, of why we need to understand that history repeats itself because human nature does not change…unless we continue to be aware of the dark nature of humans. Now we are complacent, spoiled
because we do not appreciate our riches and our nation’s successes at trying to achieve good for all. We are not perfect. But the dystopian America Trump describes
is actually the one he wants to creat. As Steve has suggested, read Dorothy Thompson’s Who Goes Nazi, written a few months before Pearl Harbor; it could have been written this year. I don’t go to a party without looking around and wondering: who voted for Trump? One and the same, right?!
We are all shocked at the millions who voted for Trump. I understand your fear:where is safe? I don’t know. I do know everyone I love feels the same and we are a huge block of the electorate. Don’t give up and thanks for your post!
Whoa, chillingly nailing it. I can't tell you how I can hardly find anyone I know willing to utter a word about this or is not in fierce denial. I am 78 and can't stay for the fight. I am a Jew and always vowed I wouldn't live in a fascist country, I am preparing to emigrate. I am a student of history, once taught Holocaust studies to high school kids, I have long believe this moment could happen I just thought the US was....I don't know, too strong, smart, to submit, but it's happened. Finally, the reasons are complex, algorithms that were used to manipulate the populace, foreign interference, Russia, Egypt, and other countries, a GOP that decades ago found finance and support from Putin starting with Dana Rohrobach of California, gerrymandering, a federal government (and State ones too) run on minority rule, an electorate dazzled by spectacle and bullshit who just got pulled into the CON of their lives. The British people know they were lied to (Russia was involved there too) and one day Americans will know this too. Meanwhile, life is going to get tough.
Having read many dystopian books, I always thought the it COULD happen here. But I never dreamed that it could happen so quickly. After seeing Sen. Joni Ernst bend the knee so quickly, now it is easy to see how it happened so easily (but not nearly as quickly) in Germany.
I’m glad you’re able to leave. I would, too, if I could get my children and grandchildren to leave. Where will you go?
I am 80, and I will stay and fight to keep this nation a democracy. Citizenship is not a passive state, but always active, keeping the nation in its democratic values.
I'll be 77 in March. I will stay, but to be honest, I really have no other option. And to say that I'm scared half to death is putting it mildly! I will fight, the best I can, with what fight I have left in me.
There is a dangerous chance that extremist groups like the Proud Boys, Three Percenters, and Oath Keepers will become quasi-official federal enforcers. From the NYT:
"A few days after the election, William Teer, who runs the Texas Three Percenters, a local far-right militia group, wrote to President-elect Donald J. Trump with an offer: His organization could help Mr. Trump carry out his plan to deport millions of people who are in the United States illegally."
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/11/us/politics/far-right-militias-border-trump.html
In what other ways might these racist thugs help the Trump/Maga movement achieve its goals? Is that why Trump will pardon the 1/6 convicts, so that they can become his Gestapo and ultimately SS?
Doesn't this scenario make Biden's pardon of Hunter seem innocuous?
I read recently that trump is dressing in a black suit with a gold tie as a signal to the Proud Boys that he is on the same side. Before, he was all blue and red. So he is as close to wearing the insurrectionists' uniform as he can be ---- but will still lie about what he is doing.
Charlotte, I did notice that black suit and gold tie all of a sudden. Whoa- calling his team to action.
I wonder if Hugo Boss AG is ramping up production of a new MAGA line of apparel and uniforms. Got to admit those SS guys were dressed pretty snappy.
I've been fairly sure we'd see Trump wearing those colors. Musk wears those 'Dark MAGA' colors. Danger ahead. Said "Patriots" can commit atrocities & be pardoned...
The militias who have been standing back and standing by, combined with the pardoning of the J-6 insurrectionists (released from jail as "Patriots"!) and Trump's "enemies list", which includes anyone who opposes him is a stage set for extreme violence and extreme chaos. Yes, this seems very similar to Hitler's Gestapo and the SS, with citizens reporting on other citizens for various reasons, including protesting Fascism. Danger ahead....:-(
First will come TFG's version of the brownshirts. When they become too unruly they will be brutally suppressed but the cream of the crop will be enlisted into TFG's version of the SS and the Gestapo.
It really doesn't matter what they all end up calling themselves. We have seen this movie before and it always ends up the same - badly. TFG's boys are already planning the concentration camps. They will be filled with all the usual suspects but there will be a high number of Hispanics this time. If the Nazis had Hispanics they would have ended up in their camps too.
How long will it take for the MAGAts to move on to the final solution? Prolly when they figure out it's too expensive and too much trouble for manhunts and deportations. First the gas vans and then the shots to the necks and finally the crematoriums.
“The people were complicit with a mix of actions and accommodations that ranged from the eager to the transactional. People got in line because that was the easiest thing to do. A central lesson of history is that people who submit to tyranny incited by lassitude lack the grit to easily recover it. Most don’t.”
True, these people were complicit, including rich Jews, who were also transactional in nature. Yet, back then, the Germans at least had an excuse; the German Mark was worthless, people had to barter just to survive, and the unemployment rate was the worst in German history. Today, in America; not so much!
So Steve, as to your questions at hand for 2024? The answer is simple. Close to half this country couldn’t care less about democracy, as long as their guy is in charge. As for corruption? Most Americans believe on good authority, that all politicians are corrupt; and they give Trump a pass, because he’s their anointed one. And they feel he has been unfairly targeted by corrupt federal institutions. They are wrong, but you can’t debate STUPID!
Furthermore, I no longer believe that Harris could have won the election, even if she ran a flawless campaign. With the plutocrats and MSM were cowering in fear, and pledging fealty even before the election began; she was a sitting duck.
In the end, America will get the government we deserve: good and hard. However, if you’re relying on the American public to give a damn, then you need to see a good therapist.
America has become complacent and entitled. As Robert Hutchins once said, “The death of democracy is not likely to be an assassination from ambush. It will be a slow extinction from apathy, indifference, and undernourishment.”
We give a damn Robert. You and I give a damn. Steve really gives a damn! We can’t throw in the towel because we feel outnumbered. Washinton was outnumbered, and that never stopped him. It is my hope that the defenders of freedom and democracy will become the vocal majority once the shit starts to hit the fan, once a majority experiences the reality of what we have created/destroyed.
You write:
Yet, back then, the Germans at least had an excuse; the German Mark was worthless, people had to barter just to survive, and the unemployment rate was the worst in German history. Today, in America; not so much!
To which I respond:
Right or wrong, too many Americans have felt worthless for too long. They have worked hard but have no reward of the Golden Years. Too many have felt forgotten and emasculated. Then Trump came along, and told them what every human longs to hear.. that they have value, that they are loved, that he will speak for them and be their protector.
Many who voted for him actually do not work hard. They are young male incels located in their parents' basements waiting for their 500k/year salary despite no skills, education, work ethic, ability to function off their video console. We are so much farther gone than any other time in US history except the Civil War. I fear that is our best case scenario. More likely is Gilead/Idiocracy, since we are already 3/4 of the way to that combo. Oh, and which side has all the firepower?
"Oh, and which side has all the firepower?"
I'm thinking that this will change very rapidly in the coming days. Not every liberal and progressive is going to take this $hit laying down. So far I don't see any sign of the right curtailing gun sales to anyone who wants one. Maybe later, but not yet.
I’m not disagreeing with you, but were not the 75 million who voted for him, or the 80 million whose apathy let them decide to sit out the election.
And whether people feel undervalued or not, they continue to vote against their own interests. Trump even got the majority of union members to vote for him, even with an atrocious union record, which is about to get worse.
So honestly, as much as I agree with you about Steve and the rest of us, my comment was directed towards the other two thirds of the American electorate: the third that voted for Trump, and the third that stayed home!….:)
Yes, I agree with your clarification. Seems to me that apathy is another product of feeling valueless.
Yes, and people are addicted to their cell phone and their attention is prey for what shows up on their social-media algorithms -much of it from Russia.
Also, teaching history and civics in our schools became too low of a priority.
Great understanding of the current events. We need to expand this understanding to everyone we can.
Yes, knowledge is power.
Actually it seems that ignorance and conformity have the power at this point.
What a conundrum; ignorance, conformity & apathy over-rode knowledge.
In the last few years I have begun to view America as a country that never figured out how to overcome the original sins of its' founding. In fact, a large % have no desire to and remain upset that the Confederacy lost the war. A large % today do not want equality. They want their side to win something at the expense of others. And while that tribalism plays out, the billionaires just keep getting richer and consolidating power. Sad reality from the optimism that those of us who were alive to see the hope of the Kennedys and the 60's....
Oh boy, you said it! “A large % today do not want equality. They want their side to win something at the expense of others.” Case in point, and it’s personal. My brother is a gun-nut, ex-cop who has amassed over a dozen firearms because “2nd Amendment” and “self-defense”. He also has stated, “Not everyone SHOULD vote!” Clearly, when it comes to the rights of others this same man, who is so concerned about his own rights, has a “f*ck ‘em” attitude rather than a “Protect and Serve” attitude. It’s never really been about self-defense. It’s about his rights, not ours. For him it’s about entitlement and domination.
LAS- sadly I think your brother is in the majority for police. The police unions supported Trump. They are all about guns and domination over others especially minorities.
Yes, very sad indeed.
I have sadly come to the same view. I was 14 when I heard Kennedy's inauguration address which inspired much of my career. Now approaching 78, it is the death of that optimism that weighs on me. We are about to get the government we deserve -- good and hard.
I’m about 10 yrs your junior but still at an age where we have enjoyed a level of optimism, have seen the passage of civil rights, have witnessed marriage equality for LGBTQ+… all of it is note under direct threat. Our parents would be so sad. 🥺
Excellent article this morning ☕ Steve, and the future of our country has already been written in history, and it will end in disaster, no matter. If and when we get another Democrat back in the White House, it's going to be decades before we Right all the Wrong's from 45 years of Reaganomics,to this next administrations damage to the Democracy and the Rule of Law. Thank You, again, Steve and will reStack ASAP 💯👍❄️🎄⛄
The answer to each of your ten questions is the same: At the moment, not enough of us. But that fact won't stop the rest of us from trying to make this a better country. And who knows, when the full horrors that the Trump regime intends to wreak upon this country become clear to even the most befuddled of his supporters, that number might increase sufficiently to make a difference in 2025 and beyond.
Doug Ford, Premier of the Canadian province of Ontario has threatened to cease sending electricity to the U.S. if Trump imposes tariffs on Canada. Canadian hydroelectric power comprises 85% of the electricity imported to the U.S. and cutting it off would cause great pain, especially in the New England states that rely heavily on it.
Add that to the inevitably higher prices and economic contraction that will result from tariffs and the impact on food prices of deporting undocumented immigrants and we may see a lot more anti-Trump/Maga sentiment.
The disgust over Trump's plans to pardon 1/6 insurrectionists may grow as it becomes common knowledge that one of the leaders, Russell Taylor, who organized and led a mob, armed with a knife, a bullet proof chest plate and bear spray, has been invited to Trump's inauguration. Doesn't look good.
Do it Doug. Do it on Jan 21st. And I hope Justin finds some courage and the other premiers do too. Close the northern border to anyone without a CDN passport.
And there will be Trump's excuse for invading Canada. He's already referring to it as a "State" with a "Governor". I know, sounds crazy, right, but I think that's his plan for Canada.
With Trump, nothing is out of the realm of possibility since he acts on whims and erroneous beliefs.
Trump is a Putin-wannabe; watch out Canada...:-(
Yes, We need a wake up call to the uniformed who voted for, LIAR, Traitor trump.
So far, fascism seems just fine with many in our country. They have their grievances and the fact that innocent people will be hurt doesn’t seem to matter.
People have an uncanny ability to think that they are safe, simply because they are in allegiance with the monster they stand behind but the monster knows nothing of allegiances. The monster is never satisfied, it is always hungry, and it will ultimately turn around and devour the deluded. It’s amazing we’ve lasted this long.
16.4 million American troops served during WWII; 404,000 KIA. Those men and women fought alongside our British brethren, our Aussie & Kiwi brethren, our Canadian brethren. The U.S. president-elect refers to those KIA as "losers". Those losers and the living among them fought against the very evil and sinister plague this president-elect wishes to resurrect; to unleash upon us and the world.
Pogo, the comic strip character from long ago: "I have seen the enemy and he is us." The self-described "patriot" who wants to burn the house down as his/her statement of love for country is deeply flawed and conflicted. They are a walking contradiction; a catastrophe. They are a DANGEROUS contradiction. Yet, one cannot help but blame Democrats for this national crisis. While Republicans were stacking local and state governing boards, the Democrats were sitting back all misty-eyed ignoring the rot staring right at them. They did next-to-nothing when McConnell took out a pact to obstruct Obama.
In a few short weeks we will witness the great awakening. Are you ready? Are we ready? Batten down the hatches, full steam ahead!
Ah, the wisdom of Pogo!
Yes there have been grievous mistakes.
And let’s not forget the huge factor that wealth inequality has played in politics. This is what happens when <1% of the population is allowed to buy elected officials, and the elections themselves. Our votes have become watered down. At the same time, we are, as a nation, slipping badly in terms of education. To think, all “they” had to do was to legitimize the grievances of the disenfranchised. Oh, and LIE and deceive.
At my house, and within my circle of family and friends, we are getting prepared. How, may I ask, are you preparing?
At my age, 80, I am simply keeping watch and focusing on keeping ""heads up" while not dwelling on the negative. My family has served our Military since the American Revolutionary War. All the blood spilt to prevent what now seems to be the unpreventable. You speak of the education "slippage". That has been by design. Reflecting on German Pastor Martin Niemöller, none of us is untouchable. Emphasis on NONE. We have born and bread one or two generations of dummies. The ruling class relies on that.
And thanks to you and your family for fighting with honor. ❤️
Back atcha! 2 uncles, WWII, Pacific. Older stepbrother and brother-in-law, Korea (not in-country). I was USAF Intel overseas on the cusp of Vietnam.
Yes, Thank You!❤️
Thank you. I will look up Pastor Niemöller.
Let me know what you come away with.
I am preparing by stocking up on basic supplies, toiletries, canned goods, dried foods, crackers, etc. I’m selling some of my stocks & holding more cash; also getting some physical cash to have at home.
There’s no doubt that if T follows through with the tariffs & mass deportation as he’s said, the economy will go to hell.
That's all true Steve. So what can we do? I am 77 and will not give up what I served the country for. Just being appalled is not enough. Recognizing the fascist threat, that has been blindingly clear for many months is not enough. The ignorance of my fellow citizens is discouraging, but again, what can we do that is overt and within what our laws were until Trump came to town?
The Democrats seem to lack a fundamental understanding of what's going on. I certainly don't understand why the right wing seemingly wants to burn the barn down. I do know Trump is looking for a fight and his supporters in and out of government appear ready to join him.
My fear is the opposition doesn't know how to fight fire with fire and therefore is not ramped up to fight this growing movement.
To gain a greater understanding fas to why things are the way they are, I recommend Ruth Ben-Ghiat’s brilliant book, “Strongmen, Mussolini to the Present”. It will give you nightmares but it will also give you insight.
Thank you for that. But Italy and Germany in 1920s and 30s were in an economic crisis grasping for solutions. Our current economy is fairing pretty well, some improvement needed in places, but the groundwork is being done. I can't help think the Whites like me resent the power gains minorities have made. White men abetted by White women recognize their status in society is being challenged, and rightly so, and will continue to come up with ways to challenge it. Look no further than the the North Carolina legislature.
I totally agree, and I add that the fragile male ego, particularly of a race rarely relagated the back seat, is in an uproar, a desperate uproar.
Speaking of North Carolina: Last November there was a candidate (Republican) for Governor who stood for taking away women's rights to vote. Though he lost that election he still got a lot of those votes. Many of those votes were probably cast by women. What woman would defend that stand? And why?
I have no earthly idea why a woman would vote for that, except for the Christian Nationalist Evangelical ones, who have been brainwashed from birth to devalue themselves. Their only value is in 1)how well they obey their husbands & never do or say anything that might embarrass him in the community & 2)her ability to have lots of babies & to raise them to be good god-fearing children.
I pity those women, but I’m also extremely angry at them.
These women voted against women's rights! Yes, pity...and anger.
Exactly Jim
Friedrike, I read Ben-Ghait's book in 2021. Very insightful! https://jimbuie.substack.com/p/strongmen-mussolini-to-the-present
After living in two countries that shifted to an authoritarian mindset (Turkey, UAE), I produced a mini-course in 2021, as I could see it coming to the US. Time to revive and update it, I think. https://jimbuie.substack.com/p/3-to-4-week-mini-course-on-authoritarianism
Democracy is definitely in the cross hairs. Let’s not just agonize; let’s organize and do something. Here’s a way to use quiet but deliberate courage to counter what’s about to happen: check out WhiteChalkCrime.com and listen to teacher whistleblowers who for years have been trying to do something about the corruption in our schools that’s been slowly dismantling democracy. They can teach you what needs to be done so that democracy regains its rightful place in our schools. Getting the public to distrust teachers was the ingenious act that stole our schools - democracy’s foundation - from us. Trusting called to teach teachers is the only way to get our foundation back. Then run or help others run for school boards on a “save democracy” and “end school shootings” platform. You don’t need a child in the school to do so. We have corrupt schools because good, democracy loving people don’t run for school boards, plain and simple. And now these boards are the only thing we can seize and flood with democracy. So go for it - either run or help people run in blocks to control each board.
Another promising way to organize took place during the American Revolution. These were the many "committees of correspondence" which watched the movements of the British soldiers and alerted one another. Today these committees could watch the movements of these private insurrectionists. They could be witnesses in the trials of these insurrectionists when they lose their battles.
Great idea. Creating local online and F2F networks and communities of citizens concerned about local, state, and national issues is one way to counteract right-wing media dominance.
Electing Biden was a barely successful last gasp of “leaving the Democracy in the hands of the voter”.
The first order of action for Joe was to nurse a damaged nation back to health.
There was a constant cry by Biden’s electorate to establish a bulwark against the rising tide of Trumpism.
Biden clinged to the ideas that fairness, compromise and justice; and that everyone getting their share of a rebounding economy would win the day.
No attention was given to the insidious effects of repetition of conspiracy theories, misinformation, and distorted news stories. These were effectively used to destroy some people’s confidence in institutions and science, to the degree that Trump’s lies pushing fear and hate took hold.
Inaction to head off the sources of bad information, and to deter the construction of violence focused MAGA forces has brought voters to the sorry realization that they are going into a gunfight armed only with ideals.
Greg Olear listed 16 steps that our lame-duck Democracy could take, before it’s dead, to head this off.
Someone UP THERE needs to take heed!
Jim: Your sentence, "Inaction to head off the sources of bad information..." Opens up a teaching moment: There are two types of "bad information". One is "misinformation" where the source was honestly believing that what he was saying was true. The other is "disinformation" where the source knew in advance that what he was about to say was not true. "Misinformation" can be treated by education. But "Disinformation" must be treated by exposure to the public what it truly is. Disinformation launches a cascade of misinformation in its wake. It's truly sad that we have to distinguish between the two.
🎯!!
It is amazing Steve that what you listed should be considered unalienable rights but is seen by the far right as radical ideas.
Hi Steve, can you please write about, those who opposed hitler & the nazi’s, & what they did to try and stop his march to dictatorship.
We have tried to stop trump, the media, journalists, criminal indictments, citizens marching, but nothing has stoped this madness of a criminal, racist & sexist who lies every time he speaks. What else can we do to be the resistance against the billionaire/oligarchs, who are about to pillage the nations wealth? And why are those currently in power, allowing people like Musk, who is not an elected official, keep interfering in our administrative state. This is the richest person in the world, wanting to destroy any and every safety net for the American people, and not one Dem has spoken out or even tried to shut him down.
A slight Majority of those voting , voted for Trump.. Were they just blind? Or just Stupid?
Of course, those who watch just MSNBC and its related thinking are nodding their heads, and thinking “yes” about those who watch Fox News and related media. And those who watch only Fox News are thinking the same in the opposite direction, both sides with self righteous indignation about the other, probably thinking the other side of this great divide is incredibly stupid or just blind to the realities of the situation.
One side thinks Trump is the Messiah; the other sees him as the Anti- Christ. Both sides hesitate to say these things out loud for fear, I think, of being seen as too extreme by some of their own tribe.
Not all are religious zealots.
If I am close to the truth, then how do you bridge the divides?
If Trump lost the 2024 election -- if just 2% of votes switched to Harris -- wouldn't we now be in civil war, or close to it? If he was assassinated in Pa in July, even his so-called "moderate" supporters said there would have been bloodshed if not actual civil war. https://jimbuie.substack.com/p/trumps-assassination-would-have-led
He and his supporters essentially held the U.S. hostage in this election. I'm now hoping that the irrational nature of Trump's policy proposals, with internal contradictions, will cause his fragile coalition to fragment within two years. Democrats will retake both houses of Congress and provide some accountability, and a broader coalition will come roaring back in 2028. Granted, this may be cockeyed optimism or wishful thinking. We thought his peak support was 46%. I choose to believe, at least for now, that the 2% of low-info voters who decided the election did not deliberately vote for an authoritarian who would destroy their birthright, democracy. For now, I choose to forgive them, that they didn't really know what they were doing.
Then there was the voter, a friend of mine, who abhorred Trump but didn't want a woman who supported trans rights in the White House. She chose to leave her ballot for president unmarked, while voting for all the state issues and representatives. This politically naive person didn't realize she was making a Trump win more likely. I am appalled, but forgive her ignorance. There may be many politically non-savvy persons who need schooling in the ins and outs of voting.
No doubt. I read that undecided voters in the last week or two before the election spent less than 10 minutes a day taking in information, after blocking out politics for most of the last four years. These voters went overwhelming for Trump.
Close elections in democracies are almost always decided by low-information voters following their gut. Inflation hurts, therefore Biden-Harris must be to blame.
"Democracy? What's that exactly?"
I'm not optimistic that more warnings and fear-mongering about "authoritarianism" in the second Trump administration will reach these people. They will have to feel real financial pain from the Trump-Vance administration to abandon them.
In the late 1950s my high school taught civics, the Constitution, and U.S. History. I think they did a good job. A few years ago I made an appointment at another high school (in another part of the state) to examine the textbooks used today and came away disappointed. I recommend you do the same.
I have reviewed several social studies textbooks. The ones from the 1950s and 1960s do not age well, IMHO. Textbooks tend to be dull, consensus-driven, and written by committee. Teachers now are more likely to distribute articles or offer online access to compelling content that requires students to engage in critical thinking as a response.
They didn't seem to feel the good economy under Biden, so I'm not sure they will accurately assess negative trends under Trump.
Financial pain….& I fervently wish that for them. Between now & 1/20 I am stocking up on (hoarding) basic supplies, canned & dried foods. I’m rebalancing my stock market accounts to have a lot more cash, & also getting a supply of physical cash at home. If T follows through with tariffs & mass deportation, the economy will go to hell in a hand basket.
Wishing financial pain on others may also mean we are wishing it on ourselves. Isn't there another way to learn the lessons? ;-)
I'd guess that the downward trend on inflation by the middle of the year will start to tick back up, from 2.7% now to 3% and rising. Trump knows he needs to keep the investor class happy, so the stock market will continue to rise. Half of Americans aren't in the stock market.
I realize that, but at this moment I don’t really care. I’m so fed up with ignorance, willful ignorance.
I hear you. I stopped teaching because of the hostility to knowledge among some of the 32 8th graders I was assigned per class, or the overwhelming nature of the assignment. I felt I was a behavior manager more than a teacher. It was a red county that starved public schools. If I had started in the nearby blue county where I live now which provides far more resources, my experience might have been different. It will be interesting to see if the education system in the red county, Alamance, here in NC, continues to decline or if they begin to realize the terrible path they are on.
I can’t view your friend as politically naive, just like I can’t forgive one of my nephews for voting for T due to that very same reasoning. They are both ignorant about the phenomena of transgender & they refuse to learn, they refuse to develop compassion. They fear people who are different from them & I believe they are secretly or even openly disgusted by trans persons.
Voters like that have traded our democracy for an oligarchy, & I am really, really angry at them. I’m not in a forgiving mood.
Ignorance is a choice I don't forgive.
The Senate in 2 years is a lost cause, with a bunch of red state GOP incumbents. In 4 years the Trump effect on the courts will have been multiplied. Extreme gerrymandering almost guarantees very narrow House margins. People are apathetic and inundated with propaganda, with poor critical thinking skills. That doesn't even touch on the threat to national security, education and public health at the hands of Trump's unqualified, unfit, dangerous, even traitorous appointees. I forgive nothing!
The 2026 Senate elections are not a lost cause. Nearly twice as many Republicans are up for re-election than Democrats. Presumably McConnell from KY will retire or should. Dems are making gains there. Thom Tillis from NC is not popular on the right. If former NC Gov Roy Cooper (D) runs he will win. It is way too early to do assessments.
Yeah and Amy McGrath raised millions running against Mitch and got trounced. The map is not favorable to Democrats, who need to pick up 4 seats to have a majority.
Being the grandchild/child of Holocaust survivors who had to flee from their home in Berlin in 1939, I see exactly what is coming and it will be horrendous. I've been saying for years now, "Watch out, this guy is as close to Hitler as you can get." Everybody thought I was a nutcase... My mother, who was 8 yrs old in 1939 told me over and over again - "Don't think it can't happen here". When I moved up to the countryside in NY my mother told me to go around the neighborhood to check if any other Jews lived nearby, just in case. That was back in 1993. Glad she's not around to see all this. Her fear remained forever. Berlin was a sophisticated city. There were a lot of Jews living there. A lot of wealthy Jews whom I suspect may have voted for Hitler. A lot of people do not realize that Hitler was elected! My grandfather owned a business in Berlin which was destroyed during Kristallnacht. Shortly after, the brownshirts and SS rounded up all the remaining businessmen in Berlin and threw them into Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp where he remained until they offered him a deal. "We'll let you out to sell your business and then you must get out of Germany or you'll be in a camp for good." This is a very long story, but he managed to get out and then so did my grandmother and mother. I hear people saying, "Oh, the courts, the guardrails, etc., etc." Trump will not respect the courts or anyone else. He has immunity, he doesn't give a crap about the laws. He'll offer pardons to anyone underneath him so they also have permission to break the laws. He's going to pardon the Jan. 6 rioters to show that he means it. I asked my grandfather why they didn't leave sooner and his answer was, "First we never thought he would win the election, and then we thought he would never get away with his plans." Sound familiar? Too many people just don't seem to understand what is going on here. The question - where to go? Where in the world will be safe?
Sherry, this is a first hand account, stunningly written, of why we need to understand that history repeats itself because human nature does not change…unless we continue to be aware of the dark nature of humans. Now we are complacent, spoiled
because we do not appreciate our riches and our nation’s successes at trying to achieve good for all. We are not perfect. But the dystopian America Trump describes
is actually the one he wants to creat. As Steve has suggested, read Dorothy Thompson’s Who Goes Nazi, written a few months before Pearl Harbor; it could have been written this year. I don’t go to a party without looking around and wondering: who voted for Trump? One and the same, right?!
We are all shocked at the millions who voted for Trump. I understand your fear:where is safe? I don’t know. I do know everyone I love feels the same and we are a huge block of the electorate. Don’t give up and thanks for your post!
Please keep speaking out and sharing your family history. Thank you!