American Politics from 2019 on

[Sean Hayden]

What do you think, Tero? You know more about this stuff than I do. If Democrats win big, I think the Republican play would be to manufacture a crisis by refusing to govern, while pushing a narrative that Democrats are trying to rule without input from the executive or the Republican Party at all. The “solution” would then be to sideline Democrats and carry on with an effectively unchecked executive until “sanity” is supposedly restored (gaslighting very much on brand here).

The Democrats then save us all by rolling over just in time to avoid holding anyone accountable…

[pErvinalia]

I can't see him leaving if he's still alive in 2028.

[Sean Hayden]

Yeah, dictator Trump isn’t really ever going to be a thing. The threat is just that the government stops working.

[aufbahrung]

Someone in the sidewings, you've never heard of but Putin has, waiting to take power and become that worst of nightmares after Trump.

[Brian Peacock]

I can't see him leaving if he's still alive in 2028.

He's just The Cartel's current figurehead, and there's enough people in the organisation with plenty of experience refreshing or relaunching corporate brands for it not to matter. Over half of Americans use social media platforms as their primary news source -- rising to around three-quarters in people under 30 -- so getting the messages out and controlling the narrative isn't a problem for those tech giants with their feet under the big table.

But it's not a stretch to imagine some sort of national crisis around election time that puts troops, DHS goons &/or volunteer militias on the streets to 'secure' the vote. And there's already a playbook for interfering with elections - all they have to do is look to what the Stop The Steal Brigade accused Biden of in 2020, but actually do it for their guy or gal.

[Tero]

It will be a rather inactive federal government. ICE still has the funding now, you could just cut off funding, salary. Agents will leave. The military is still functioning, they do not have a budget that can disappear fast. Trump will continue invading 2026-2028.

We may see some historic votes in Congress overriding Trump's vetoes, as congress people have to keep funds going to their states.

[Tero]

"President Trump said Tuesday that Venezuela would begin handing over oil worth up to $3 billion that Trump would dole out “to benefit the people of Venezuela and the United States.” On what legal basis this is being done and where exactly the money will go was not made clear by the president.

"But for the people of Venezuela, here is what is certain: If you didn’t know before, now you know. Trump came to liberate your oil, not your people. Sorry to tell you, but last Saturday was “O-Day,” not “D-Day.”

"But I don’t think that will be so easy. Here’s my prediction: Trump will soon discover that the only way to revive major American oil investments in Venezuela is to revive Venezuela’s democracy.

"Why? Because our major oil companies are serious public companies with shareholders, and what company in its right mind would make a huge long-term investment in a country where the people who stole the last election are being kept in power — minus their leader — so they can take orders from our Don Trump rather than their Don Corleone? All this while the legitimate winners of their last election are in exile or out on the streets, angry, and not wanting this rump dictatorship to survive."

"I would love to be a fly on the wall at that White House meeting. Because after talking to people in the U.S. oil industry, it is clear to me that if Trump wants to see U.S. companies invest billions of new dollars to repair Venezuela’s oil infrastructure, the first thing they will tell him is that they need a return to the rule of law in Venezuela. They will also tell him they need physical security on the ground for their people, a stable government, repayment of the debts owed for expropriated assets, a new law governing how oil profits will be shared — not according to Trump’s whims — and an agreement that any disputes will go to international arbitration, not local courts."

"I am not saying that the oil companies are crusaders for democracy. These companies are obsessed with stability, not democracy. There is no way a country ruled by an illegitimate, Trump-directed cabal of mini-Maduros — who are allowed to keep their jobs and freedom as long as they do Trump’s bidding — would be a stable place."
"Trump and his deputy chief of staff for policy, Stephen Miller, think they know how the world really works — the strong do as they like and the weak bow as they must. I guess they missed the insurgencies against the U.S. military in Iraq and Afghanistan by ragtag militias that drove us out of both places. Trump and Miller live their lives today surrounded by sycophants, and neither of them has ever lived abroad, so neither has any feel for how people can and will resist — sometimes openly, sometimes covertly — when they are humiliated by big tough foreigners telling them what to do.

"Trump thinks free and fair elections are a distraction from getting Venezuela’s oil sector up and running. I disagree. I think they are a prerequisite. No real elections for Venezuela, no big American investments, no real increase in oil exports."

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/08/opin ... cracy.html

[Tero]

Trump will continue invading 2026-2028.

Peace president will start bombing Iran.

[Tero]

Canada! Trump has two more years. Which part to liberate? Yukon?

Canada has never had an equivalent of Uncle Sam, sternly exhorting its citizens to sign up to fight for their country. That is changing. Jennie Carignan, Canada’s top soldier, is looking for Canadians—whether they are 16 or 65—who will come to their country’s aid in the event of a military attack or calamitous natural disaster. “We’re going to need heavy-equipment operators,” says General Carignan. “We’re going to need drone operators. We’re going to potentially need cyber operators as well.” Call her Aunt Jennie.

https://www.economist.com/the-americas/ ... om-america

[Sean Hayden]

I wonder how much damage he’s actually doing? It’s easy to think everyone assumes this is a temporary shift, and that things will go back to normal soon. I’m sure a lot of reassurances are being made behind the scenes. So, how much of any of this is going to be significant in 5 years?

[Tero]

Philadelphia police will arrest ICE agents if they wear masks?
https://www.threads.com/@tellittorosie/ ... zHwEvjsicw

[Tero]

Our protest today. Young woman catches the spirit with: fuck!
https://www.threads.com/@tero55gervais/ ... r0p&slof=1
First rule of protest signs: write big!