If Trump Wins

People keep acting like if we defeat him this election we are safe. Trump isn't the mastermind behind all these horrible policy changes. He didn't write "Project 2025". He is just the populist figurehead. The GOP has gone off the deepend and very election cycle will just be another chance for them to implement their BS. In the mean time congress will delay progress until they get their chance in the WH again.

The difference is republican voters gargle his balls to an extent I've never seen, not even with Regan. The whole thing about being able to shoot someone on fifth avenue might be the truest thing he's ever said.

What this means is, with the help of a willing Congress he can do anything. Even things previous republican presidents couldn't without losing support for themselves and their lackeys in Congress. Republicans in purple districts couldn't pass just anything and expect to get reelected, but with Trump taking the lead you hardly even hear about individual representatives so they're willing to vote for some crazy shit.

He can feed them shit and call it caviar all day, every day. Republican voters will eat it up and never question it no matter how much it harms them.

Republicans always do this to some extent, but usually there is a limit.

Trump has no limits.
- I disagree: it took me years, but finally I understood that it'll take him a few years to go from "I'm dictator" to "I'M DICTATOR".
  
  That process is an identity-remaking.
  
  There will be literal human-sacrifice after a few years, but not at the beginning.
  
  I hope I'm wrong, but .. certain I'm right, on this point.
  
  _ /\ _

This is fucking dark...but very possible. Everyone needs to fucking vote against this prick and his cronies. He won't live another cycle anyway.

If they change how the government works, they won’t need him anymore anyways.
Additionally terrifying repercussions of abstaining are the down-ballot effects. There are 33 Senate seats on this November’s ballot. If Trump wins due to Democrats abstaining, Republicans will likely control Congress too.
Honestly, I’m not sure it’s dark enough. I genuinely do think this is only scratching the surface.
- Agreed. I could see him and his disgusting underlings trying to exact revenge on all blue areas in general, and very specific citizens in particular. There is mention of trying to use military force in Democratically controlled cities, but if that is allowed to happen, we are in very, very dangerous territory and that's likely to be the spark that sets off much worse things. Remember - they wanted to punish blue areas during a fucking pandemic and dole out things like ventilators based on loyalty to the annoying orange.
  
  Also when it comes to punishing entire sets of people, I believe donnie and his team were thinking that covid would impact urban (read: POC and Democratic) areas more so than the rural (read: white cons) areas and so their concern about covid was tempered by that. So sad it did not work out quite that way, but they seemed to have their hopes up.
  
  Then there is the targeting journalists for prosecution thing - we should not forget that he wanted to be able to do something about SNL making fun of him - if he's allowed to do this to journalists, we are well and truly fucked and we are basically Putin's Russia at that point.
- I think there’s a lot of naïveté out there amongst democrats. They don’t realize the stakes and are unwilling to take the necessary measures.

I feel like there's a chance - not good odds, mind you - but a chance that America ends up sanctioned and diplomatically isolated.

Exactly what "America first" idiots want (but not actually, because they're stupid).
- It's like the Brexit folks that wanted the benefits of the EU and short lines at the airport but what they got was fucked and didn't seem to understand why. "This isn't the Brexit I voted for!". Yes it is.
  
  "He's not hurting the right people!"
By who exactly? We are moving toward permanent tri-polar authoritarianism: China, Russia, and the United States. Nobody is coming to save us with "sanctions". We already lost the war. It's fucking over. People just haven't come to terms with that reality yet.
- we? already lost what war?
  
  you think Russia today is top 3 global power? by what metric?
- The blyats can’t even manage a war of aggression on their own border.
Like the other person said: who could sanction the US? Without us military presence China and Russia could bully the rest of the world. What's happening in Ukraine and the South China Sea but in overdrive.

Tanking the us economy means the us might get desperate and the US really only has one lever that works on everyone: force.
Meh, least of our concerns. I wouldn’t be surprised of putin moved on Alaska and trump said “yes, daddy, it feels so good!”.
- All his idiotic cult would pivot immediately, too - "Alaska was too woke anyway", "we didn't really need it anyhow", etc....

Let's just ignore the literal fascist government take over and mass deportation (to Africa??? Who the fuck will pay for that??? Cus the world's poorest countries sure as hell won't!).

But like, his great strategy to fix the US economy is to FUCKING SANCTION IT SELF?!? Oh yea! Let's show China! They'll be in real hot water once NOBODY IS DOING BUSINESS WITH THE US, BUT IS FORCED TO CHOSE SOMEONE ELSE!!! And then he wants to overspend on excessive policing, great mix.

You gotta remember that he’s putin’s bitch. This all makes perfect sense.

This should be shared as a response to every far left clown that posts here suggesting that people not vote.

I suspect that a lot of those (especially on Instagram and other more popular socials) are right wing astroturf
- I do think a lot are exactly that. Though I know a few types (IRL) that are the perfect embodiment of the horse shoe theory come to life - people so intent on proving themselves somehow so perfect and so smart that they'll work themselves into a frenzy to even voting for donnie to really stick it to "the centrists" or whatever.
  
  So when I see them online doing the same sort of thing I see some current/former associates do, I believe at least some really do hold these absurdist positions.

The coup marches on.

Indeed.

Thanks Merrick.

I'm mostly surprised the NYT is the one publishing this. It's read more like a capitalist shill rag trying to play both sides for at least a decade. Never taking the shots it needed to at the right even when there were facts to do so and not editorials/opinions.

They're playing a game of access journalism, where they do puff pieces to gain access to wealth and power, and value that over pretty much anything else.
I thought the same thing.