Our next president....

[Aardvark86]

All of these threads got me thinking...are there any actions that our next president, whoever he or she may be, will take that will not result in the immediate and catastrophic downfall of the American experiment/empire?

(Hint: None of them will.)

 

[HROT]

The great thing about not following through on any campaign promises is you can always blame the House, Senate, or both.

 

[lucas80]

All of these threads got me thinking...are there any actions that our next president, whoever he or she may be, will take that will not result in the immediate and catastrophic downfall of the American experiment/empire?

(Hint: None of them will.)

I kind of like you, but folks like you are sleepwalking. Trump is telling us what he will do. He is building a permission structure for violence if he loses. He is telling us exactly what he will do that no other president has ever dreamed of doing. He is threatening everyday Americans with prison. He is telling us he will break laws because he can. A lawyer such as yourself should give slight pause when Trump's underlings talk about circumventing Senate confirmations for large number of positions at DoJ.
He is LITERALLY telling us what he will do. He tried many of these things as POTUS. This time he has less scrupulous people around him, and a subservient SCOTUS instead of a co-equal branch of government.

 

[BelemNole]

I kind of like you, but folks like you are sleepwalking. Trump is telling us what he will do. He is building a permission structure for violence if he loses. He is telling us exactly what he will do that no other president has ever dreamed of doing. He is threatening everyday Americans with prison. He is telling us he will break laws because he can. A lawyer such as yourself should give slight pause when Trump's underlings talk about circumventing Senate confirmations for large number of positions at DoJ.
He is LITERALLY telling us what he will do. He tried many of these things as POTUS. This time he has less scrupulous people around him, and a subservient SCOTUS instead of a co-equal branch of government.

Yeah but none of that will affect him PERSONALLY, and the tax break will be great!
Besides we all know the brown people, women and gays probably deserve what's coming, just ask Jesus.

 

[lucas80]

Yeah but none of that will affect him PERSONALLY, and the tax break will be great!
Besides we all know the brown people, women and gays probably deserve what's coming, just ask Jesus.

Nailed it. Older lawyers who lay low will be fine. It's the others who will bear the brunt of a second Trump Administration. The homos, the non whites, the women who think the should decide what to do with their bodies. Tough luck if they have a bad go of it

 

[BelemNole]

Nailed it. Older lawyers who lay low will be fine. It's the others who will bear the brunt of a second Trump Administration. The homos, the non whites, the women who think the should decide what to do with their bodies. Tough luck if they have a bad go of it

The American Catholic Church breeds this sort of attitude.

 

[MichaelKeller99]

All of these threads got me thinking...are there any actions that our next president, whoever he or she may be, will take that will not result in the immediate and catastrophic downfall of the American experiment/empire?

(Hint: None of them will.)

No. We live in a Corporatocracy and they’ve all been bought off. Sad.

 

[NorthernHawkeye]

Some would argue that those concerned about the possibility of lawfare being carried out by a new administration are the same people dismissive of the current administration allegedly engaged in lawfare.

Such strange times we find ourselves in.

 

[Aardvark86]

I kind of like you, but folks like you are sleepwalking. Trump is telling us what he will do. He is building a permission structure for violence if he loses. He is telling us exactly what he will do that no other president has ever dreamed of doing. He is threatening everyday Americans with prison. He is telling us he will break laws because he can. A lawyer such as yourself should give slight pause when Trump's underlings talk about circumventing Senate confirmations for large number of positions at DoJ.
He is LITERALLY telling us what he will do. He tried many of these things as POTUS. This time he has less scrupulous people around him, and a subservient SCOTUS instead of a co-equal branch of government.

I actually don’t doubt that there would be something of a vengeance tour, but the country has survived this sort of demagoguery before, whether it be a cross of gold, the trusts, or university professors (who I’m quickly learning in my new communities are total grifters!!).

And just as certainly, to be clear, if Kamala wins, I’m not expecting a migrant invasion, sex changes for everyone, or anything out of Orwell.

 

[Chishawk1425]

I actually don’t doubt that there would be something of a vengeance tour, but the country has survived this sort of demagoguery before, whether it be a cross of gold, the trusts, or university professors (who I’m quickly learning in my new communities are total grifters!!).

And just as certainly, to be clear, if Kamala wins, I’m not expecting a migrant invasion, sex changes for everyone, or anything out of Orwell.

You are breathtakingly dumb. I'm embarrassed for you

 

[Tom Paris]

All of these threads got me thinking...are there any actions that our next president, whoever he or she may be, will take that will not result in the immediate and catastrophic downfall of the American experiment/empire?

(Hint: None of them will.)

Project 2025. Maybe look into it. We already had catastrophic events affecting women. 0/10

 

[Aardvark86]

You are breathtakingly dumb. I'm embarrassed for you

Chis, congrats on the progress. A response without a meme. Keep it up. Second grade for you next year.

 

[Tom Paris]

I actually don’t doubt that there would be something of a vengeance tour, but the country has survived this sort of demagoguery before, whether it be a cross of gold, the trusts, or university professors (who I’m quickly learning in my new communities are total grifters!!).

And just as certainly, to be clear, if Kamala wins, I’m not expecting a migrant invasion, sex changes for everyone, or anything out of Orwell.

What. The fvck??

 

[Chishawk1425]

Chis, congrats on the progress. A response without a meme. Keep it up. Second grade for you next year.

The fact you think you are intelligent and ho hum how terrible Trump and MAGA are and will be if somehow elected again proves my point. Embarrassing.

 

[Chishawk1425]

What. The fvck??

I know. Someone supposedly intelligent has this as a thought. It does show us why we are here. Endless examples like this. Pitiful

 

[Formerly Rockymtnole]

I actually don’t doubt that there would be something of a vengeance tour, but the country has survived this sort of demagoguery before, whether it be a cross of gold, the trusts, or university professors (who I’m quickly learning in my new communities are total grifters!!).

And just as certainly, to be clear, if Kamala wins, I’m not expecting a migrant invasion, sex changes for everyone, or anything out of Orwell.

So the chance at tax cuts and a few more dollars in your pocket makes this all worth it for you?

 

[lucas80]

I actually don’t doubt that there would be something of a vengeance tour, but the country has survived this sort of demagoguery before, whether it be a cross of gold, the trusts, or university professors (who I’m quickly learning in my new communities are total grifters!!).

And just as certainly, to be clear, if Kamala wins, I’m not expecting a migrant invasion, sex changes for everyone, or anything out of Orwell.

So, a little bit of vengeance won't move the needle for you? And, no, we've never seen anything like this. I am a bit of a student of history and politics, and the US has never seen anything approaching this level of vitriol and threats of violence from a mainstream party and their leader.
Again, they are literally telling us what they will do, and you cannot tell us who/what will stop them. Mitch McConnell? Speaker Johnson? The courts? This time around Trump will not make the mistake he made the first time of having people around him who said "no".

 

[Aardvark86]

So, a little bit of vengeance won't move the needle for you? And, no, we've never seen anything like this. I am a bit of a student of history and politics, and the US has never seen anything approaching this level of vitriol and threats of violence from a mainstream party and their leader.
Again, they are literally telling us what they will do, and you cannot tell us who/what will stop them. Mitch McConnell? Speaker Johnson? The courts? This time around Trump will not make the mistake he made the first time of having people around him who said "no".

Actually, it's one of my biggest concerns (if not the biggest). Oh, and for those who inquired/implied, tax policy is among my lowest.

At the end of the day, as I've thought about my uncertainty at this election, I found my way back to something I told my kids when they went to college: you have to actually be "for" something, and not simply "against" something else, and for god's sake act out of courage rather than fear. Because thankfully you can, as it's a really big ship with the kind of associated inertia that doesn't allow it to turn on a dime. Notwithstanding the weird neo-hegelian mindset of people these days.

So, we're in an election where both candidates (and their online surrogates) seek to motivate pretty much exclusively out of fear. I'll certainly not be voting based on fearmongering (as it seldom plays out). And honestly I won't likely be voting based on 'mere' policy proposals (being offered choices somewhere in the center of gravity among incoherence, the absence of policy, and stupidity). What I will be doing between now and November is thinking a lot about first principles and what outcome is likely to end up most aligned with what I believe the right mix of those principles to be in the long term, so that whether the ship turns to port or starboard, the wake is minimized. Make no mistake, both sides have something to offer in that calculus.

 

[Formerly Rockymtnole]

Actually, it's one of my biggest concerns (if not the biggest). Oh, and for those who inquired/implied, tax policy is among my lowest.

At the end of the day, as I've thought about my uncertainty at this election, I found my way back to something I told my kids when they went to college: you have to actually be "for" something, and not simply "against" something else, and for god's sake act out of courage rather than fear. Because thankfully you can, as it's a really big ship with the kind of associated inertia that doesn't allow it to turn on a dime. Notwithstanding the weird neo-hegelian mindset of people these days.

So, we're in an election where both candidates (and their online surrogates) seek to motivate pretty much exclusively out of fear. I'll certainly not be voting based on fearmongering (as it seldom plays out). And honestly I won't likely be voting based on 'mere' policy proposals (being offered choices somewhere in the center of gravity among incoherence, the absence of policy, and stupidity). What I will be doing between now and November is thinking a lot about first principles and what outcome is likely to end up most aligned with what I believe the right mix of those principles to be in the long term, so that whether the ship turns to port or starboard, the wake is minimized. Make no mistake, both sides have something to offer in that calculus.

You could’ve just said “I’m voting for Trump.”

 

[Aardvark86]

You could’ve just said “I’m voting for Trump.”

or, i could have said, yet again, I'm really not sure who i'm voting for, if anyone, for the presidency.

I can say, however, that whoever wins is my president

 

[artradley]

All of these threads got me thinking...are there any actions that our next president, whoever he or she may be, will take that will not result in the immediate and catastrophic downfall of the American experiment/empire?

(Hint: None of them will.)

The biggest threat is Trump losing the election but successfully overturning results in a couple conservative states to steal it, thus forever changing the nature of our elections.

Too many people are like you, naively taking our democracy for granted. The idea that a vile human being like Trump would completely capture the GOP would have been laughable just a few years ago. But here we are. Catastrophic changes do, occasionally, occur. If you can’t see the extremity of Trump, and don’t grasp the hold he has on nearly half our country, you are simply not paying attention.

 

[Colonoscopy]

I kind of like you, but folks like you are sleepwalking. Trump is telling us what he will do. He is building a permission structure for violence if he loses. He is telling us exactly what he will do that no other president has ever dreamed of doing. He is threatening everyday Americans with prison. He is telling us he will break laws because he can. A lawyer such as yourself should give slight pause when Trump's underlings talk about circumventing Senate confirmations for large number of positions at DoJ.
He is LITERALLY telling us what he will do. He tried many of these things as POTUS. This time he has less scrupulous people around him, and a subservient SCOTUS instead of a co-equal branch of government.

He blathered on about locking Hilary up for a while.

It's not clear anything will/would come from his latest round of blathering.

 

[artradley]

or, i could have said, yet again, I'm really not sure who i'm voting for, if anyone, for the presidency.

I can say, however, that whoever wins is my president

Yes, but his suggestion was that you be straightforward and honest.

 

[bhawk24bob]

Whoever wins the executive will have the opportunity to shape the Supreme Court for the next generation, which has turned itself into a policy generator. It's not going to be BAU regardless of who wins the executive after a few justices are replaced, regardless of which side of the aisle is doing the replacing imo.

I'm going to assume that is why, given his posting history, immediate was used by OP.

 

[Aardvark86]

The biggest threat is Trump losing the election but successfully overturning results in a couple conservative states to steal it, thus forever changing the nature of our elections.

Too many people are like you, naively taking our democracy for granted. The idea that a vile human being like Trump would completely capture the GOP would have been laughable just a few years ago. But here we are. Catastrophic changes do, occasionally, occur. If you can’t see the extremity of Trump, and don’t grasp the hold he has on nearly half our country, you are simply not paying attention.

Honestly, if that's the biggest threat, I'm not that worried. And as far as the changing nature of elections (or perhaps 'post-elections' is the better term), that ship sailed a good 20 years ago.

I am hardly taking our democracy republic for granted - I'm counting on it in fact. To be sure, there are strange spells affecting many in this country, including a spell of ginned up anger, and a spell of fear as well.

To the latter point, a brief story. My new residence is in a college town, in an otherwise rural mountain area. A Harris oasis, if you will, in a Trump desert. When I meet my delightful new neighbors and talk about how we love the cycling in the area, I am quickly met with looks of shock and concern, which generally end up in some sort of comment to the effect that I am likely to become a roadside casualty. I explain to them that in my experience thus far, the roads (while somewhat high speed at around 45mph speed limits) seem to be exceptionally safe both in terms of design and traffic. "Ah, but the rural drivers!" is the typical next direction of the response. But again, in my experience thus far, the rural drivers wait to safely pass, and almost invariably wave as they do. The reality, when you dig into things, is that these people have never ridden a bike out of town, because they are strangely afraid of people they don't know.

Oh, and as to the suggestion that I'm lying Art, I don't typically say this on line, but I'll say it to you solely because I have a lot of respect for you, but go **** yourself.

 

[thewop]

The great thing about not following through on any campaign promises is you can always blame the House, Senate, or both.

Personally I root for gridlock so things can't get too out of hand.

 

[lucas80]

Actually, it's one of my biggest concerns (if not the biggest). Oh, and for those who inquired/implied, tax policy is among my lowest.

At the end of the day, as I've thought about my uncertainty at this election, I found my way back to something I told my kids when they went to college: you have to actually be "for" something, and not simply "against" something else, and for god's sake act out of courage rather than fear. Because thankfully you can, as it's a really big ship with the kind of associated inertia that doesn't allow it to turn on a dime. Notwithstanding the weird neo-hegelian mindset of people these days.

So, we're in an election where both candidates (and their online surrogates) seek to motivate pretty much exclusively out of fear. I'll certainly not be voting based on fearmongering (as it seldom plays out). And honestly I won't likely be voting based on 'mere' policy proposals (being offered choices somewhere in the center of gravity among incoherence, the absence of policy, and stupidity). What I will be doing between now and November is thinking a lot about first principles and what outcome is likely to end up most aligned with what I believe the right mix of those principles to be in the long term, so that whether the ship turns to port or starboard, the wake is minimized. Make no mistake, both sides have something to offer in that calculus.

You must have powerful filters if you have ever watched a Kamala Harris interview, or ad, and you came away thinking she's a fear monger.

 

[lucas80]

I'm really, really getting a Lone Clone vibe from Aardvark these days. That sonorous, informative tone to his posts. The sage wisdom of an older gentleman. The rigorous work to avoid reality while building a permission structure.

 

[IAFB2021Champs]

The American Catholic Church breeds this sort of attitude.

That’s weird because in all my years of going to church. I have never once heard them say the things you say they breed.

 

[BelemNole]

That’s weird because in all my years of going to church. I have never once heard them say the things you say they breed.

Oh? Perhaps you should meet my in-laws.