Trump

[Nick Jones]

4 hours ago, BiTurbo228 said:

Although I much preferred the idea of Nigel Farage being lost at sea for some reason. Seems more poetic to me.

A gruesome accident with one of those automatic self-sanitising toilets (desperate to flush the turd) would seem fitting.

[BiTurbo228]

@PaulAA Agreed it's a bleak outlook. The article I was reading making historical comparisons noted that it was the gullibility and lack of unified action of the rest of society that allowed the majority of fascist dictators to rise to power in the first place, and that once they were there it took considerable effort (usually very violent effort) to get them out.

They missed a golden opportunity to convict him, barring him from office, and failed to take it.

@JohnD It's a slim hope certainly. Seeing as an appeal to sanity hasn't swayed the American public, slim hopes appear to be our best shots!

12 minutes ago, Nick Jones said:

A gruesome accident with one of those automatic self-sanitising toilets (desperate to flush the turd) would seem fitting.

Now we're talking!

[zetecspit]

On the bright side, at least he cannot run for president again. 

[mattius]

Lol did you not see he was saying he could go for 3 or 4 terms?

There is a reason he likes Putin so much

 

It's a scary thought that he has the senate and the majority of supreme court judges on side too. Who knows what could happen?

[BiTurbo228]

58 minutes ago, zetecspit said:

On the bright side, at least he cannot run for president again. 

I wonder what one of the first rules he repeals might be...

My prediction is he'll go through the standard power-grab playbook. Manufacture some internal national emergency (remember him talking about all of these nebulous 'enemies within', or teeing up Haitian immigrants as untermensch representatives of 'illegal immigrants'). Use that to enact some extreme measures against his political opposition, with the promise that they'll be temporary (he's stated that he'd only be a dictator for a day if he gets in). Then sail straight past the time window he said and continue on in power until he dies or is otherwise ousted from power.

This is what I was thinking as I was typing 'we'll see how robust the American democratic system actually is'. If it can weather this and still produce a transfer of power (to anyone other than Trump) after 4 years, it will be more robust than I was expecting.

There are some things in its favour though. It's a lot more of a stable system than either Hitler or Mussolini co-opted, and the US Federal system is designed in part to limit the powers of the president. Perhaps that will be enough.

I think @JohnD's 9 year life expectancy at aged 78 is going to be more important than we think. I wonder how being a despotic head of state affects that life expectancy...

Edited November 6, 2024 by BiTurbo228

[Nick Jones]

14 minutes ago, BiTurbo228 said:

think @JohnD's 9 year life expectancy at aged 78 is going to be more important than we think. I wonder how being a despotic head of state affects that life expectancy...

His mental state is already questionable (on a number of levels). Not sure how effective the system will be at removing a drooling maniac, especially seeing as that’s pretty much what is about to be installed!

[mattius]

Did you watch his acceptance speech?

His cognitive abilities were certainly in question.

He went on a 5 minute talk about why spacex's rockets weren't white when they came back 

[Steve 13-60]

I see a lot of folk on here are suffering from TDS!

[Nick Jones]

Frankly, the whole sorry saga is a very poor advertisement for democracy, especially the American version. No one with his legal history should be eligible to run. It’s also a pretty shocking indictment of American society/attitudes/education/media etc that they chose him.

Although, given that had the result gone the other way there would have been endless wailing, gnashing of teeth (even shooting) about fraud and stolen elections….. from the right, surely there are questions to be asked, especially given some of the election meddling proclivities of certain overseas supporters….

[JohnD]

Some dictators live a lot longer that you would imagine.    I give you Francisco Franco, Generalissimo and Dictator for Life of Spain, who died at the age of 82.  Even then, suffering from multiple organ failure he was put onto life support machines in Intensive Care, and took another two months to be declared dead.   Despite his prolonged illness, such was his power that his Falangist State persisted until after his death.

Now there's a model for Trump!

[Nick Jones]

Mugabe…

Devil takes care of his own.

[JohnD]

Perhaps a TV series, shown between 2019 and 2023 would be worth watching again. "The Rise of the Nazis" used original film and photographs, acted reconstructions, and interviews with eminent historians and other experts (eg General Sir Mike Jackson!) to discuss and explain the events and personalities.

It's available on BBC iPlayer.

I wonder why.

John

[mpbarrett]

4 hours ago, zetecspit said:

On the bright side, at least he cannot run for president again. 

he has enough power/control to do anything......

 

[mpbarrett]

1 hour ago, JohnD said:

Perhaps a TV series, shown between 2019 and 2023 would be worth watching again. "The Rise of the Nazis" used original film and photographs, acted reconstructions, and interviews with eminent historians and other experts (eg General Sir Mike Jackson!) to discuss and explain the events and personalities.

It's available on BBC iPlayer.

I wonder why.

John

excellent series and makes the rise of the Nazis understandable. Looking backwards to that time you wonder why didnt anyone stop him. His method of focusing all the problems on the Jews/Immigrants and persuade everyone all the problems are due to them seem so like Trump/Reform. Then you watch the rise of Trump and feel very scared.....

[SpitfireBGT]

I'm one of the few Yanks on this forum and I'm embarrassed by my fellow Americans. But not surprised. The democrats are a bunch of peace loving pussys that think the cream rises to the top without any work. The last 6 months has been one long advertisement telling us how Biden and Harris are trying to destroy the country from the Trump side. The Dems message is "Do the right thing and all will be well" 

I got sacked today so I was in a few different pubs celebrating my freedom. Even in my liberal corner of Pennsylvania the bars were full of want to be macho, Giant diesel pick up driving, ball cap wearing, Assholes gloating about their victory. It made me nauseous. There seems to be an unofficial contest in this country to be the biggest prick. Voting for a senile buffoon somehow scores you points in this bizarre game.

So now what?????

On the domestic side he has the Senate, House of Reps, and Supreme Court in his back pocket. So there is nothing to stop his minions from doing whatever they want. I say minions because Trump himself is just a puppet being controlled by lunatics like Steven Miller and Elon Musk. He doesn't have a coherent thought of his own. They will try to accomplish their crazy agenda only to realize that its just not feasible. Experts from both sides agree that it's impossible to deport the number of illegal aliens that they want to. But there is a lot of damage to be done.

The global side scares me more. He's going to give Ukraine to Putin by shutting off aid to Zelensky. And if his buddy Vlad wants Poland he might get that too. The Ukraine aid (and maybe more) will be sent to Isreal to wipe every Muslim off of the map. He has promised to put a tariff on all imports that will start trade wars with every country that we buy from. Friend or foe. Of course the cost will be passed on to the consumers. But we will appear to be tough and in the end that is what's important.

That's it for my rant.......sorry I've had more than a few pints

On the upside my Spitfire is running really well on fuel injection thanks to help from Rodger

 

[BiTurbo228]

I expect there are a lot of people in the US feeling the exact way you do now. I remember feeling the same way after the Brexit vote. The sensation that your country had collectively shot itself in the foot in a way that would take decades to repair.

You're right there is a lot of damage to be done, both internally and externally.

Will be interesting to hear how things are going from the inside. The news we'll get will be fairly filtered I expect. Less so in the tone as most UK news outlets seem fairly confident in their assessment that it's a bad thing, but in the details of what's going on at a lower level.

[yorkshire_spam]

8 hours ago, SpitfireBGT said:

That's it for my rant.......sorry I've had more than a few pints

No need to apologize (I spelled it with a Z for you), you are more than welcome to a cathartic rant any time you like. 

 

8 hours ago, SpitfireBGT said:

I'm embarrassed by my fellow Americans

Their stupidity is not your responsibility, but sadly you (and the world) will suffer the consequences.

 

[RogerH]

I worked for many years with British Airways (engineering) and interacted with a number of American aircraft manufacturers.  They were always very polite but they all (with the exception of one person (the lovely Nancy) 

from the mid 90's, had the underlying feeling that they were embryonic TRumps. They were right and you will do this.

Very gung ho and slightly clueless

The world will never change in its reliance opon stupidity.

Anyway they can't ban assassination.

Roger

[BiTurbo228]

I was thinking that America is probably a rather personally dangerous place to attempt to be a fascist. They do have a habit of shooting at their presidents. 7 and counting.

Of course, setting the precedent that you can just assassinate someone you don't like is a deeply toxic thing for a society.

[JohnD]

13 hours ago, mpbarrett said:

he has enough power/control to do anything......

 

Indeed.   A President with the Senate, The House and the Supreme Court on their side, and the will to do so, could change the US Constitution.   I suppose that is an advantage of not having one.

Edited November 7, 2024 by JohnD

[Martin]

I was in a pub yesterday with an old colleague. Discussing the US elections , as the Company we worked in is heavily depending on our US Investment. 
Then the Breaking News hit us that the German Government disintegrated with firing the Finance Minister. Elections will come up in Spring.

We decided the best thing to do was drinking some more „Kölsch“ and go home.  
 

Edited November 7, 2024 by Martin
Typo

[Escadrille Ecosse]

21 minutes ago, Martin said:

I was in a pub yesterday with an old colleague. Discussing the US elections , as the Company we worked in is heavily depending on our US Investment. 
Then the Breaking News hit us that the German Government disintegrated with firing the Finance Minister. Elections will come up in Spring.

We decided the best thing to do was drinking some more „Kölsch“ and go home.  
 

Yeah. It's all feeling a bit shoogly at the moment 

[Nick Jones]

1 hour ago, Escadrille Ecosse said:

Yeah. It's all feeling a bit shoogly at the moment 

As a grumpy old(ish) man, The world is always “going to hell in a handcart”. 
Only now I think it actually is.

@SpitfireBGT (Mike?)

Fine and heartfelt rant. Can relate, to an extent, (as Simon has already mentioned) to the feeling of shame as delivered by the Brexit experience. The “great” British electorate has made a bunch of dubious choices in recent history, and, to a large extent for the same reasons. Media control, poor education, and a mis-match between right and left when it comes to aggression levels and methods. Notably a complete disregard for truth on the right.

12 hours ago, SpitfireBGT said:

I got sacked today so I was in a few different pubs celebrating my freedom.

A bad day on a personal level too then? Or not, if you were truly celebrating your freedom? Hope it works out for you!

The global side…… well, I refer you to my opening remarks. Too many mad, deeply evil old men clinging to power to avoid jail & sudden death.

That the whole world stands by and watches while the Israelis blatantly “ethnic cleanse” Gaza shows that mankind has yet to achieve reliable civilisation, and no sign of it happening anytime soon.

[Hamish]

On 11/6/2024 at 4:41 PM, zetecspit said:

On the bright side, at least he cannot run for president again. 

May be not …..

and he may keel over naturally. 
 

but then you have JD Vance inheriting the top job 

and going for a second term himself. 
 

sorry. 

[Nick Jones]

If that’s meant to cheer me up, it’s not working……