Quote of the Day
When each side starts talking about the other as a threat to democracy — whatever the reality is — that’s a sign of a democracy that’s deconsolidating.
Daniel Ziblatt
January 7, 2024
A government professor at Harvard University and co-author of the book How Democracies Die
One attack, two interpretations: Biden and Trump both make the Jan. 6 riot a political rallying cry | Kansas City Star
Reading the book description on Amazon indicates it is a far from objective book. It was released in January of 2019 and appears to be aimed squarely at former President Trump:.
The good news is that there are several exit ramps on the road to authoritarianism. The bad news is that, by electing Trump, we have already passed the first one.
I just want to move into my bunker in Idaho, stock and grow food, reload ammo, and practice long range shooting.
This quote tells you all you need to know about his bias, “Trump has pleaded not guilty and continued to lie about the 2020 election.”
I was about to defend Joe’s bolded paragraph as neutral since the unexpected rise of a populist certainly cold be a catalyst to hidden authoritarianism being exposed.
I’m old enough to remember when net nutrality was paramount and the Federal government claimed no political prisoners. Now people defend extensive viewpoint censorship and the president brags abbot having imprisoned thousands.
Your paragraph has no redeemable basis.
If he ever brought democracy by for a visit, I would kill it for him. Mob rule is and always was the worse form of government.
As most of human history can attest to the fact mob-rulers spurred by a nattering class of busy-bodies leads to absolutism faster than any other organization known.
As we see quite plainly democracy is only democracy when you vote the way they want you to. Otherwise your shamed for not being part of the herd.
Next time someone says something positive about democracy. Ask them if it’s OK for the white majority to vote that all black people have to pick cotton for them for free?
Or would you rather live some place where slavery is completely outlawed? No need to vote on it, discuss it, debate it. It’s just not allowed because it’s wrong. And always has been.
Because as we see today in our “democracy” were back to talking about who should be who’s slave.
You own us reparations!
Why? More of my family died freeing your family than your own. And your family has been living on tax funded welfare for 50 years. Which I been working my ass off to pay for over 35 years!
No matter, were vote’in more!
F–k democracy, can’t die soon enough.
Note who is saying, “Our Democracy.” Not the people, but our betters, particularly the Democrats. They certainly are referring to Their Democracy, not OUR Democracy that of the people
If there is a civil war, the side that wins will be the one with its logistics worked out and plans for how to wreck the other side’s logistics.
It’ll be beyond the scope of “what’s constitutional” or “what’s moral”. The winners can write their justifications into the history books, later, if they have the capacity to produce books any more.
You don’t need F-15s. You’ll just need the ability to make sure the other side can’t use F-15s, especially if they still have to maintain them and use resources to protect them. Make the other side have the expenses but not the benefits. That’s not a matter of F-15s, but all kinds of things. Electric cars, for example: without power, they still use up the parking space and pose a fire hazard.
Uncomfortable thought: cheap minidrones that home in on cell and wifi devices.
To be fair, the batteries aren’t quite as nasty when they’re fully discharged. (You still don’t want to breathe the smoke, of course.)
And so instead of HARMs you have HARDs … Homing anti-radiation drones. Or maybe HAC’D – homing anti-cell drones?
Democracy? He means mob rule!
“…..that’s a sign of a democracy that’s deconsolidating.”
Actually, Americans “deconsolidated” the absolute crap out of democracy June 21, 1788.
Unfortunately, there seem to be those for whom democracy seems more attractive than the established – and proven – alternative they were provided. I would suggest they might seek solace in such geographic jurisdictions which follow the democracy they so earnestly desire.
Because we don’t want that shit here, and we spent 8 years and thousands of lives proving it.
You can have any form of government you want and if you don’t have a coherent culture, you don’t have a country. We don’t.
“The good news is that there are several exit ramps on the road to authoritarianism. The bad news is that, by electing Trump, we have already passed the first one.”
I keep reading/hearing about how Trump is/was an authoritarian. For some strange reason, no examples or other evidence are ever cited.