(1) I still think that Elon Musk, the Heritage Foundation, and JD Vance’s whole plan is to “retire” Trump early so JD Vance can become President. He’s young, he’s ambitious as hell, and he’s in the pocket of the technocrats (esp. Thiel) and will do anything they want. Which is, they think, great. Except, of course, that MAGA is a personality cult, based on Trump, not Vance. That is going to be a problem. And as MAGA finds out what’s actually in Project 2025, from banning porn (hugely unpopular with male conservative voters) to getting rid of Social Security and Medicare (which quite a few of MAGA voters depend on).
(2) America is not Germany.
a. First of all, Germany in 1933 was in the midst of one HELL of a depression, massive inflation, etc., such as (thankfully) we have never seen in this country. To most voters back then, the Nazis had nowhere to go but up. The American economy is currently booming. MAGA has nowhere to go but down, considering their economic “policies”.
b. America is HUGE geographically (Germany is the size of Montana), and has huge geographic and geologic differences. There are the Rockies and the Sierras, huge, dangerous mountains, with deserts on the east side of them. Large deserts. There are also a lot of people living off the grid on those deserts, in California, Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, Wyoming, even Montana. Guns are everywhere, and not just in conservative hands.
c. In 1933, the German population was around 66 million people. The American population is 330 million… that’s a lot of people to control, over a tremendous amount of territory. Half of the people of this country would have to be in the military in order to control the other half, and even then…
d. The Nazis wanted racial purity, women in the home, and to conquer massive amounts of territory. And they got it… for a while. It’s important to remember that the 3rd Reich lasted from 1933-1945. Years of hell for many. But then it was over. And from 1938-1945, its economy was based on war, war, war, and more war. And deficit spending. We’re good at deficit spending, but who are we going to fight against?
(3) The whole Project 2025 idea of mass deportations requires an army of personnel and trucks in order to carry it out. And a lot of blue states are already saying, we’re not going to help at all with this. Again, this is a vast country, made up of all kinds of religious, racial, educational, occupational differences. I’m not sure that (outside of the red Southern states, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, etc.) they’ll be able to pull it off. (I hope they can’t.) For one thing, I don’t think there’s an actual strategic plan. Lots of talk, but no plans. MAGA is not the fairly well-oiled machine that the Nazi party became during the years 1933-1938 (when they started WW2 with the Anschluss). Their most likely place to successfully pull it off is below the Mason-Dixon line, where the Confederacy has never died.
Speaking of the South, I strongly believe that this election was not about the economy, but hierarchy, an electoral Civil War that no one seemed to have noticed.
Ok, so, I've started and after a dozen items including alliance between right-wing paramilitary organizations and police, surveillance of women's reproductive status, closing public libraries, I have to quit for a little bit and steady myself. I suppose I can find some humor in "Food shortages: stockpile chocolate (along with rice, beans, canned goods, etc.).
Where does the Joel Barker question -- What seems impossible today, that if it could happen, would transform the situation? -- come in? In other words, when and where do you lay out the high value potential future?
Oh, and always remember, resistance is not futile, keep calm and carry on, and never obey in advance.
(1) I still think that Elon Musk, the Heritage Foundation, and JD Vance’s whole plan is to “retire” Trump early so JD Vance can become President. He’s young, he’s ambitious as hell, and he’s in the pocket of the technocrats (esp. Thiel) and will do anything they want. Which is, they think, great. Except, of course, that MAGA is a personality cult, based on Trump, not Vance. That is going to be a problem. And as MAGA finds out what’s actually in Project 2025, from banning porn (hugely unpopular with male conservative voters) to getting rid of Social Security and Medicare (which quite a few of MAGA voters depend on).
(2) America is not Germany.
a. First of all, Germany in 1933 was in the midst of one HELL of a depression, massive inflation, etc., such as (thankfully) we have never seen in this country. To most voters back then, the Nazis had nowhere to go but up. The American economy is currently booming. MAGA has nowhere to go but down, considering their economic “policies”.
b. America is HUGE geographically (Germany is the size of Montana), and has huge geographic and geologic differences. There are the Rockies and the Sierras, huge, dangerous mountains, with deserts on the east side of them. Large deserts. There are also a lot of people living off the grid on those deserts, in California, Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, Wyoming, even Montana. Guns are everywhere, and not just in conservative hands.
c. In 1933, the German population was around 66 million people. The American population is 330 million… that’s a lot of people to control, over a tremendous amount of territory. Half of the people of this country would have to be in the military in order to control the other half, and even then…
d. The Nazis wanted racial purity, women in the home, and to conquer massive amounts of territory. And they got it… for a while. It’s important to remember that the 3rd Reich lasted from 1933-1945. Years of hell for many. But then it was over. And from 1938-1945, its economy was based on war, war, war, and more war. And deficit spending. We’re good at deficit spending, but who are we going to fight against?
(3) The whole Project 2025 idea of mass deportations requires an army of personnel and trucks in order to carry it out. And a lot of blue states are already saying, we’re not going to help at all with this. Again, this is a vast country, made up of all kinds of religious, racial, educational, occupational differences. I’m not sure that (outside of the red Southern states, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, etc.) they’ll be able to pull it off. (I hope they can’t.) For one thing, I don’t think there’s an actual strategic plan. Lots of talk, but no plans. MAGA is not the fairly well-oiled machine that the Nazi party became during the years 1933-1938 (when they started WW2 with the Anschluss). Their most likely place to successfully pull it off is below the Mason-Dixon line, where the Confederacy has never died.
Speaking of the South, I strongly believe that this election was not about the economy, but hierarchy, an electoral Civil War that no one seemed to have noticed.
I chose therapeutic chainsawing.
Ok, so, I've started and after a dozen items including alliance between right-wing paramilitary organizations and police, surveillance of women's reproductive status, closing public libraries, I have to quit for a little bit and steady myself. I suppose I can find some humor in "Food shortages: stockpile chocolate (along with rice, beans, canned goods, etc.).
Where does the Joel Barker question -- What seems impossible today, that if it could happen, would transform the situation? -- come in? In other words, when and where do you lay out the high value potential future?