Appalling to be sure, but let’s face it: There was no way the orange sewage fountain and his puppets were ever going to accept defeat. Until the problems that allowed a monster like that to get elected in the first place have been dealt with there will be no lasting victories. The best you can hope for is to stay in the game for another round.
It would appear to me that Trump’s main concern at this stage of the saga would be avoiding a stretch of porridge in some federal slammer, jug, pen, hoosegow or whatever such is currently called down Mar-a-Lago way..
We all saw this coming. I don’t think anyone seriously thought that Trump would accept an electoral defeat and leave office gracefully. What I didn’t expect is that officials like Pompeo would continue to support the lie like this; that is concerning.
Pompeo’s support is concerning if not all that surprising, but maybe more concerning is the sudden changes at the Pentagon, with four top positions being handed to Trump loyalists. Defence experts are saying that there’s no cause for alarm as the armed forces do not get involved with politics, but with Trump seemingly set on pulling off his coup is it wise to be complacent? Can he convince a general or two that they’d have power in a new regime if they agree to deploy troops against civilian protesters if the shit hits the fan? He’s already got Barr investigating his bogus claims of election fraud, so how long before they ‘find’ evidence incriminating Biden, Harris and other leading Democrats and have them arrested?
I’m generally an optimist but Trump-induced paranoia has me imagining things getting really bad before Jan. 20th. because he’ll stop at nothing to hold on to power.
Unless you’re planning on purchasing firearms I don’t really think complacency is an issue… but that’s just me. Trump will do what he will do; all we can hope is that it isn’t too damaging.
@greg_doucette has a good thread (or possibly split over three) in which he is very patiently explaining to people how the legal and constitutional process works.
I think he can be summarised thus:
1. Trump’s legal arguments and shenanigans have no merit and no hope of succeeding.
2. If States run by the GOP attempt to mess with the electoral college, the result will be either a win for Biden or a deadlock in Congress resulting in the House Speaker becoming acting President either for 4 years or until the deadlock is resolved (whichever comes first). Assuming the Dems don’t screw themselves over.
3. If you seriously believe Trump and Co are going to ignore the rule of law and constitution and stage a coup (autogoipe!), then stop tweeting and go buy guns and ammo and spend time on a shooting range.
He says “Don’t be concerned until there is reason to be concerned.”
He seems to be determined to get the DoD under his control all of a sudden:
When Jim Anderson was fired yesterday as Acting Under Secretary for Policy, he was given a “clap-out” as he left the building […] The WH called to request names of any political appointees who joined in so they could be fired.
It makes no sense to be placing political appointees now when they’ll be replaced by the new administration in less than ten weeks, and I don’t buy the idea that some are floating that Trump is placing people just to let them add to their c.v.s – Trump doesn’t do favours unless he benefits, so he has to be expecting something in return.
Is he petty enough to be purging those seen as not loyal enough to him before his term is up, or is it something more sinister disguised by a veneer of pettiness?
Don’t be concerned until there is reason to be concerned.
By which time it’s probably too late to act. Does one start to plan a defence when the country next door starts sabre-rattling, or wait until their tanks start rolling towards the border?
I know that if I were in America I’d be very concerned right now; for the first time in my life I’d rather be shouting my concerns from the rooftops and be happy to be accused of paranoia if nothing untoward happens than to adopt a wait-and-see attitude and regret it. I really do think that things could get very bad very quickly, and that’s not like me at all.
What good does being very concerned do though? Those in the place to actually do something about it are already concerned… those of us that aren’t can worry certainly and we do…
AoS @10 & 11, This thread is pretty informative I think.
Something is up — Nunes' other goon, Michael Ellis, who also was in the NSC, was made General Counsel of NSA today. It's like Crabbe and Goyle infiltrating the Pentagon and NSA. https://t.co/8myUpBQZnh— Asha Rangappa (@AshaRangappa_) November 10, 2020
AoS @ 12, I’n not in Doucette’s head, but I take him to mean not ‘don’t be concerned that Trump and so many of the GOP are prepared to trash norms and possibly break the law’ but rather ‘don’t be concerned that there is any legal and constitutional way that they can retain power’. I think his point is that if you seriously believe that they will try to retain power by extra-legal and unconstitutional means, then Twitter is the last place you should be spending time – but also, don’t run around screaming and waving guns right now because the FBI will stomp all over you.
The toadies are paying lip service to Trump’s delusions because they’re afraid of riling him up while he still has some power, and perhaps afraid of riling up his heavily-armed, easily-enraged moron legions as well.
Very few figures in the government would actually help Trump carry out a coup. They’ve seen how easily he turns against people, no matter how loyal they’d been. Everyone knows that giving Trump genuinely unlimited power would be dangerous to themselves in the long run.
Rob, thinking about things logically I know that the odds of Trump causing anything but temporary and minimal disruption are slight, but for some reason I cannot shake the feeling that he might just upset the odds one more time.
Infedel753:
They’ve seen how easily he turns against people, no matter how loyal they’d been. Everyone knows that giving Trump genuinely unlimited power would be dangerous to themselves in the long run.
That describes every would-be dictator ever, and not all of them saw their designs on a country die in the planning stage.
Is he petty enough to be purging those seen as not loyal enough to him before his term is up
Yes, he is that petty. Probably even pettier. That might not be what he’s doing, but it certainly could be. He could just think that, since he lost, he will fire everyone not on his side to “show them”.
The thing is, Trump loves “you’re fired”. It’s his catch phrase.
Again, it may definitely be something more sinister. Let’s hope it isn’t.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQ9__8UJSc4
Appalling to be sure, but let’s face it: There was no way the orange sewage fountain and his puppets were ever going to accept defeat. Until the problems that allowed a monster like that to get elected in the first place have been dealt with there will be no lasting victories. The best you can hope for is to stay in the game for another round.
Jen Houston says it all on YouTube.
It would appear to me that Trump’s main concern at this stage of the saga would be avoiding a stretch of porridge in some federal slammer, jug, pen, hoosegow or whatever such is currently called down Mar-a-Lago way..
.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnFQ4s5MQzY
We all saw this coming. I don’t think anyone seriously thought that Trump would accept an electoral defeat and leave office gracefully. What I didn’t expect is that officials like Pompeo would continue to support the lie like this; that is concerning.
Pompeo’s support is concerning if not all that surprising, but maybe more concerning is the sudden changes at the Pentagon, with four top positions being handed to Trump loyalists. Defence experts are saying that there’s no cause for alarm as the armed forces do not get involved with politics, but with Trump seemingly set on pulling off his coup is it wise to be complacent? Can he convince a general or two that they’d have power in a new regime if they agree to deploy troops against civilian protesters if the shit hits the fan? He’s already got Barr investigating his bogus claims of election fraud, so how long before they ‘find’ evidence incriminating Biden, Harris and other leading Democrats and have them arrested?
I’m generally an optimist but Trump-induced paranoia has me imagining things getting really bad before Jan. 20th. because he’ll stop at nothing to hold on to power.
Acolyte,
Come on, now. It’s not a coup they’re attempting. It’s an autogolpe.
(Hey, I learned that word yesterday, and have been waiting for a chance to use it.)
I stand corrected, Screechy, and thank you for the new word.
This place is educayshunel for shore. :-)
Unless you’re planning on purchasing firearms I don’t really think complacency is an issue… but that’s just me. Trump will do what he will do; all we can hope is that it isn’t too damaging.
@greg_doucette has a good thread (or possibly split over three) in which he is very patiently explaining to people how the legal and constitutional process works.
I think he can be summarised thus:
1. Trump’s legal arguments and shenanigans have no merit and no hope of succeeding.
2. If States run by the GOP attempt to mess with the electoral college, the result will be either a win for Biden or a deadlock in Congress resulting in the House Speaker becoming acting President either for 4 years or until the deadlock is resolved (whichever comes first). Assuming the Dems don’t screw themselves over.
3. If you seriously believe Trump and Co are going to ignore the rule of law and constitution and stage a coup (autogoipe!), then stop tweeting and go buy guns and ammo and spend time on a shooting range.
He says “Don’t be concerned until there is reason to be concerned.”
He seems to be determined to get the DoD under his control all of a sudden:
It makes no sense to be placing political appointees now when they’ll be replaced by the new administration in less than ten weeks, and I don’t buy the idea that some are floating that Trump is placing people just to let them add to their c.v.s – Trump doesn’t do favours unless he benefits, so he has to be expecting something in return.
Is he petty enough to be purging those seen as not loyal enough to him before his term is up, or is it something more sinister disguised by a veneer of pettiness?
Oops, forgot the link.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-election-2020/white-house-department-of-defense-pentagon-jim-anderson-b1721307.html
Rob:
By which time it’s probably too late to act. Does one start to plan a defence when the country next door starts sabre-rattling, or wait until their tanks start rolling towards the border?
I know that if I were in America I’d be very concerned right now; for the first time in my life I’d rather be shouting my concerns from the rooftops and be happy to be accused of paranoia if nothing untoward happens than to adopt a wait-and-see attitude and regret it. I really do think that things could get very bad very quickly, and that’s not like me at all.
What good does being very concerned do though? Those in the place to actually do something about it are already concerned… those of us that aren’t can worry certainly and we do…
AoS @10 & 11, This thread is pretty informative I think.
AoS @ 12, I’n not in Doucette’s head, but I take him to mean not ‘don’t be concerned that Trump and so many of the GOP are prepared to trash norms and possibly break the law’ but rather ‘don’t be concerned that there is any legal and constitutional way that they can retain power’. I think his point is that if you seriously believe that they will try to retain power by extra-legal and unconstitutional means, then Twitter is the last place you should be spending time – but also, don’t run around screaming and waving guns right now because the FBI will stomp all over you.
The toadies are paying lip service to Trump’s delusions because they’re afraid of riling him up while he still has some power, and perhaps afraid of riling up his heavily-armed, easily-enraged moron legions as well.
Very few figures in the government would actually help Trump carry out a coup. They’ve seen how easily he turns against people, no matter how loyal they’d been. Everyone knows that giving Trump genuinely unlimited power would be dangerous to themselves in the long run.
Rob, thinking about things logically I know that the odds of Trump causing anything but temporary and minimal disruption are slight, but for some reason I cannot shake the feeling that he might just upset the odds one more time.
Infedel753:
That describes every would-be dictator ever, and not all of them saw their designs on a country die in the planning stage.
Yes, he is that petty. Probably even pettier. That might not be what he’s doing, but it certainly could be. He could just think that, since he lost, he will fire everyone not on his side to “show them”.
The thing is, Trump loves “you’re fired”. It’s his catch phrase.
Again, it may definitely be something more sinister. Let’s hope it isn’t.