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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsA Second Trump Term Would Be A Hellscape Of Indescribable Proportions
No impeachment, no 25th Amendment, no indictments. And, worst of all, no election. Nothing.
https://thebanter.substack.com/p/a-second-trump-term-would-be-a-hellscape
WASHINGTON, DC -- For some time now, Ive been trying to crystalize into words specifically why a second term of the Donald Trump poseur presidency would be catastrophic for the American republic. And I think Ive landed on the central reason why it would be a nightmare of gargantuan proportions. Weve all witnessed, front row center, the ceaseless firehose of news -- endlessly blasting us in the face, around the clock in some cases, with all varieties of soul crushing nincompoopery, maliciousness, racism, misogyny, indecency and genocide-level death since inauguration day. Indeed, the horrendousness extends further back in time to the campaign, but the existential crisis began when Trump officially kerplunked his way into the White House.
So far, weve been rendered mostly powerless when it comes to fighting back. While there have been some significant gains in the House through special elections and, naturally, the 2018 midterms, Trump has been able to continue his disruption of the American system without being truly handcuffed. This is, to me, the primary reason for this sense of powerlessness. When it comes to accountability in a second term, theres little to no chance Trump will be removed through another impeachment. Even if the Democrats take back the Senate, there wont be 67 votes to remove -- and thats if Nancy Pelosi is willing to impeach Trump again. So, while a Democratic Congress would thwart the Trump legislative agenda -- and thats nothing to sneeze at -- Trump will have little fear of another impeachment.
We also know that Bill Barrs Justice Department will never indict him, at least while hes president. That doors shut, too. Likewise, it should be relatively obvious by now that there wont be any removal through the terms of the 25th Amendment, either. Mike Pence doesnt have the guts for it, and Trumps cabinet is, by now, mostly loaded with sycophants and spineless weasels. As of today, the only way Trump can be removed is through the election, and I know very few of us who are 100 percent confident that Trump will lose. Despite that, Trump is constrained by the fact that he has to run again. Sure, he desperately wants -- and needs -- a second term, primarily to keep himself out of prison for a while longer. However, he knows that if he hauls his ponderous bulk too deeply into the realms of despotism and totalitarianism, he might lose in November. Believe it or not, Trump is absolutely constrained by the accountability of the election. It often doesnt seem like it, but he is. Along those lines, heres why a second Trump term would be a hellscape of indescribable proportions.
For a moment, think back through the last four years of Trump, including the deadly incompetent response to the plague. Now, imagine all that amplified by a factor of a gazillion, knowing how Second Term Biff would be operating for another four years completely unfettered by all accountability, including an election. No impeachment, no 25th Amendment, no indictments. And, worst of all, no election. Nothing. Four more years, and literally zero constraints on the blood-curdling horror show that would begin on November 4, should this election go badly for Joe Biden and the Democrats. An unconstrained, unaccountable Trump is what some of the more radical Bernie Sanders supporters dont seem to grasp. In their effort to kneecap Joe Bidens general election campaign before its barely on the ground, and thus helping Trumps chances, theyre losing sight of the very basic, textbook aspects of what itd mean to have a president who didnt really care about or respect the array of constitutional strictures in his first term, and they certainly havent stopped to consider how or why hed become far worse in a second term. All they care about is their agenda, but their agenda will be set back decades if Trump gets the chance to immolate the foundation upon which that agenda would be built.
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msongs
(69,322 posts)Atm I see a 52-48 Democratic majority
Lose AL
Defend all other Blue seats
Flip IA, AZ, NC, ME, CO, MT
Fair chances at: GA (the regular election, Perdue is weak), KS (Open seat. Sibelius refusing hurts us badly, I would have put it in the flip category if she had run, but Bollier has a shot)
More remote chances but not impossible: KY (grrrr, McTurtle is almost a bigger threat than Trump, and more than Barr IMHO), GA (special election, Doug Collins will unfortunately win I think, Yates and Abrams refusing to run in either GA seat race hurt our chances in both) TN (Open seat. I would have put it in the flip category if Tim McGraw had not refused to run, grrr, James Mackler has a chance, but still, Mcgraw, especially as he had said for years )
Forget it category: AK (we do not even have a Dem running, Al Gross, an indie, is probably toast) and TX (not even Beto or Julian Castro would have toppled Cornyn, who is far more popular than Cruz)
The House is probably, probably safe, but CA-25 2 days ago is a warning shot. All it takes is for us to lose a net 16 seats and the Rethugs pull it back. We are defending 50 to 60 very close and/or flipped House seats, so it is not in the bag by any means.
lunatica
(53,410 posts)I think it would lead to a real civil war. The outcome for such a thing would be a split up of the country into at least two or more countries. It would get worse after that as the red states would fail utterly due to having to make it on their own. They would soon slide into 3rd world status due to incompetent and greedy leadership and an even more ignorant populace.
The Blue states would do just fine.
roamer65
(36,903 posts)The money will be prettier, too.
lunatica
(53,410 posts)Or Texans. Why not just make it formal?
Ilsa
(62,070 posts)could be returned to Mexico! Make the Nueces River the border, or maybe the San Marcus/Guadalupe River. A taco truck on every corner!
LuckyLib
(6,850 posts)smirkymonkey
(63,221 posts)He reminds me of Hitler in that picture. Seriously. That is not hyperbole.
smirkymonkey
(63,221 posts)There are too many pictures like that. Way too many.
Celerity
(46,154 posts)Hitler was better looking.
Cha
(302,566 posts)that ****** OUTTA There!
Celerity
(46,154 posts)How does Medicare-For-All and a Green New Deal emerge when the entire system has been crippled? Hell, we wont even be able to take to the streets given the current crisis. Anyone whos actively undermining the Democrats today is directly or indirectly manifesting this worst-case outcome. Untold death, persecution, and division is just the beginning. We all know from experience that if Trump is given an inch, he takes a thousand miles. We cant let him have another term because he lacks the character, the personal restraint and the respect for the American system to keep himself from overreaching -- steamrolling everything we hold sacred, and literally no one who will tell him no. These are the stakes, and we all have an urgent and unwavering responsibility to weigh these stakes heavily between now and election day. Nothing is more important.
Cha
(302,566 posts)that, Celerity.
Celerity
(46,154 posts)Cha
(302,566 posts)You BeSafe, too!