The scariest part of what's going on with the far right( I think far right is a more appropriate term than conservative), and the new people that are emerging in the Republican party, is that we'll look back a few years from now and look at Trump as a moderate.

Yeah, I don't think that liberal democracy is the default view and that we should explain opposition to it by its own failure (not to say that it doesn't have failures) or people's unhappiness. Instead, I think authoritarianism is an opposing model of the state that many find attractive on its own merits. Obviously people who support authoritarianism will be unhappy with liberal democracy, but this is parallel to liberals who are unhappy with authoritarianism.

I agree. I'd equally argue that liberal democracy thrives on the failures of authoratarian states.

but I obviously have a strong view on which is better. I speak from that perspective

Sure, I agree, but I also think there is a value difference here, that opposition to liberal democracy by authoritarians is often rooted in different values and goals for what society and the state should be like, eg some religious and nationalist values.

Can’t really see liberal democracy failing to any greater degree than it has done in the past. That’s doomscrolling speaking more so than reality.

Democracies murder a lot less civil rights protesters and anti-war protester than they used to, people don’t get jailed for their being gay, half the population is much closer to equality, most forms of artistic expression is now legal... the list goes on.

That some knuckleheads still toy around with fascist ideals to some degree of popularity is unfortunate, but we’re hardly at a stage where we have taken giant leaps backward.

Sorry but I agree with that as well

Strongly disagree although I totally agree it's not failing because of any of the bolded.

Deserves a much longer reponse when I have mroe time. Maybe we could have a new thread on this stuff?

I'm sure this specific effort will fail, but probably points to a trend of the GOP taking a larger interest in Secretary of State positions and eventually running for those offices on an explicit promise of "I will not certify a Democrat as the winner of any statewide election". They made the mistake of not installing cronies in these offices ahead of Trump losing, leading to people with even a minimum level of integrity (like Brad Raffensperger) shutting down their attempts to overturn it; they won't **** that up again

Holy looney tunes batshit birdbrain ****ing crazy lunatic nonsense!

To our republican friends.

McCarthy, Trump hold ‘very good and cordial’ meeting focused on 2022 midterms



Former President Donald Trump met House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy on Thursday for what was later described as a “very good and cordial” meeting in which the top agenda item was taking back the House of Representatives in 2022...

...“They worked very well together in the last election and picked up at least 15 seats when most predicted it would be the opposite,” said the readout, which was released with a photo of the two men smiling in an ornately decorated room at Mar-a-Lago in Florida. “They will do so again, and the work has already started.”...

...“Today, President Trump committed to helping elect Republicans in the House and Senate in 2022,” he said. “A Republican majority will listen to our fellow Americans and solve the challenges facing our nation.”

The readout also quashed any speculation that Trump would step aside from the Republican Party, praising the former president for his popularity and championing the weight of his endorsement.

“President Trump’s popularity has never been stronger than it is today, and his endorsement means more than perhaps any endorsement at any time,”...

...“The president wanted me to know, as well as a handful of others, that the president is a Republican, he is not starting a third party and that anything he would do politically in the future would be as a Republican,” ...

And the deal with the Snake continues.



The Deal with the Devil in a misguided belief that Trump will work towards any ends that do not further compromise the Party in service to Trump. They seem to not understand that Trumpism requires them to remain weak and vulnerable and compromised in service to him.


..."and now the (party) will die! ...You knew I was a snake before you took me in..."

I don't get it. Maybe I'm just a dummy.
Thanks to Trump, Republicans lost the Senate seat in Arizona, although you could argue against that. And thanks to Trump, without a doubt, Georgia lost both Senate seats. Something unheard of.
And the Republicans are still licking his boots.
Now he's opened a presidential office!
Some new insurrection conspiracy is brewing.
Maybe these people have truly lost their minds and will all really end up in Federal prison.
One can only hope.

He also got 75M votes, most ever by an incumbent President and 2nd most ever. The Republicans have been getting crushed whenever he is not on the ticket, like 2018.

It is a deal with the Devil.

A properly harnessed Trump almost certainly would have given the Republicans Georgia. But wildcard Trump showed up, full of self interest.

The GOP sees no path to power in 2022 and likely decimation if the party splits. It is tough medicine but necessary medicine. They know it, but they simply cannot take the shorter term pain to do the things necessary to set the party up for the longer term rebuilding and gain.

So they will dance with the devil once more. Hoping he sees his self interest as aligning with the GOP to gain as much power in 2022 as possible while hoping they can subvert his worst self nature. But the latter will never be done. The more Trump knows he has you levered up and over a barrel the further he pushes you into contemptable and corrupting things for his self interest.

Trump will never do anything for a greater good or bigger play. Everything is about the immediate and himself.

If the GOP is to be saved from Trump it will be by Bidens AG or any of the other prosecutions succeeding. And the GOP will secretly be very relieved as they can blame it on yet another 'witch hunt' and the 'elites striking out to hold power' and hope to hold Trump's base as they then cry they need power to get 'revenge for Trump'.

The trend in modern politics is that the presidents party usually loses House seats in the mid terms.
Yes, Republicans got crushed in the 2018 mid terms. Guess who the president was.

And he wasn't on the ticket. They lose or gain in the 2020 election?

You're not making any sense.
And he won't be on the ticket next mid terms, so why pander to him?

Very good take on it. The problem is of those 75 million voters are they going to vote democrat? I doubt it. I think the 2022 runoffs will tell alot

The thing about Trumps 75 million voters is, Biden's 81 million voters.
The right seems to continue to disregard this fact. I guess The right isn't too strong on facts, anyway. The question is, will those 81 million voters continue to stay engaged?
They certainly did in the Georgia Senate run off elections. If this trend continues is the question.

They lost the Senate and the presidency, both of which they previously held, and continued to not hold the House. TRUMP! MAGA!

lol at conservatives, all of whom before the election were like "hurr durr Sleepy Joe has no campaign, he's just like orange man bad", now trying to act like Trump is an electoral force when "orange man bad" turned out to be the biggest driver of turnout in our lifetimes and single-handedly caused a Democratic trifecta

Have to be watry of very dangerous complacency. Winnign 81M to 75m when its someone as incompetent and ridiculous as trump is not some great result (beyond the immense relief of winning).

https://thedsrnetwork.com/was-trumps...ng-much-worse/

Reality is the last two elections were lost by two incompetent candidates

Article makes sense. American politics are broken because American society is so. Where exactly it will lead, I don't know. Civil war is highly unlikely I think.
Because there is one big difference to 1861. Populations are mostly mixed and scattered. Whereas in 1861, borders, the North and South, were clearly defined. But that doesn't mean we won't have continued unrest and violence in the near future. We will.

Note:
Failed attempted insurrection movements are a far cry from an actual revolution or civil war. Already many who took part in storming the Capitol are starting to soil themselves when faced with the possibility of prison time.
The main reason why people like Cruz and Green and Paul continue with their seditious bolster is because they have no fear of being held accountable. Read below post.