The GQP: Trumpist Death Cult

[wildcat09 29,579]

8 minutes ago, Sawbonz said:

Really? Give some examples as pertains to transfer of executive power

I can't put myself into the brain of one of these lunatics, so I can't give you an example of what they might say. But I bet you there's a lot more General Rippers in our military than any of us would like to admit. 

[Sawbonz 28,220]

Just now, wildcat09 said:

I can't put myself into the brain of one of these lunatics, so I can't give you an example of what they might say. But I bet you there's a lot more General Rippers in our military than any of us would like to admit. 

I quit reading at “retired”. Feel free to worry though 

[wildcat09 29,579]

Just now, Sawbonz said:

I quit reading at “retired”. Feel free to worry though 

I'd be a lot less worried if a lot more people were a little more worried.

Any military organization is a very conservative organization, by its nature. History tells us which side militaries usually side with during fascist coups. If/when our political system breaks down so completely that all conservatives reject the results of an election and attempt to violently seize power, there is no reason to be confident that institutions that are and have always been anti-liberal (whether that be the military or the courts) will stop them. 

[Goredho 17,656]

On 5/11/2021 at 6:14 PM, Hugo Stiglitz said:

It’s Jeff Flake 2.0

She has more balls than Flake.

[Sawbonz 28,220]

Just now, wildcat09 said:

I'd be a lot less worried if a lot more people were a little more worried.

Any military organization is a very conservative organization, by its nature. History tells us which side militaries usually side with during fascist coups. If/when our political system breaks down so completely that all conservatives reject the results of an election and attempt to violently seize power, there is no reason to be confident that institutions that are and have always been anti-liberal (whether that be the military or the courts) will stop them. 

And yet they literally had a chance to intervene for a right wing president and didn’t. How much would you be willing to bet that the winner of the most EV in 2024 is sworn in in Jan 25 without the military being involved 
 

 

 

[Bozo_Casanova 26,850]

14 hours ago, washparkhorn said:

He and his neighbors don't want the wretched scum near them. The Mar-a-Lago crew just wants the wretched scum to continue supporting policies that benefit the ultra-wealthy.

A few sneak in from time to time - which is why they serve the hamburger steak with chopped parsley.

Fools them every time and it is "The most tenderest steak in the World!!!"  

Champions Grill at Trump Doral has a pretty good hamburger steak offering. 

[Aqua Buddha 14,806]

Liz Cheney is the same person who went to her sister’s wedding and the came out against gay marriage so she could run for office (Not even he dad did that.). She then ran against her dad’s friend in a Senate primary because after a lifetime in DC, she felt entitled to one of Wyoming’s Senate Sears.  She’s also the person who flirted with the birthers.

Fuck Liz Cheney.

[wildcat09 29,579]

Just now, Sawbonz said:

And yet they literally had a chance to intervene for a right wing president and didn’t. How much would you be willing to bet that the winner of the most EV in 2024 is sworn in in Jan 25 without the military being involved 
 

 

 

The odds are still pretty good that that's the case. But they're the worst they've been since the Civil War. That's why I'd really like it if more people took the danger a little more seriously.

We can, in fact, lose our democracy. Getting Trump out of office doesn't prove that our Constitution is impervious, it simply proved that he and his lackeys were too disorganized and unprepared to finish the job. If 2024 is as close as 2020 was, the entire Republican party will absolutely try to steal it. I'm not talking about some House reps and Senators objecting in pointless show votes. I'm talking about the actual cogs in the state electoral processes that we need to certify votes. I'm talking about states that vote blue but have Republican-controlled legislatures casting their electoral votes for the Republican nominee. They didn't do it this time because they hadn't prepared for it and because the Democrats controlled the House. The Republican party will be more evil and more prepared in 2024, so we need to make sure we don't find ourselves in a scenario they can take advantage of. 

[Mrs Whiggins 13,050]

Just now, wildcat09 said:

The odds are still pretty good that that's the case. But they're the worst they've been since the Civil War. That's why I'd really like it if more people took the danger a little more seriously.

We can, in fact, lose our democracy. Getting Trump out of office doesn't prove that our Constitution is impervious, it simply proved that he and his lackeys were too disorganized and unprepared to finish the job. If 2024 is as close as 2020 was, the entire Republican party will absolutely try to steal it. I'm not talking about some House reps and Senators objecting in pointless show votes. I'm talking about the actual cogs in the state electoral processes that we need to certify votes. I'm talking about states that vote blue but have Republican-controlled legislatures casting their electoral votes for the Republican nominee. They didn't do it this time because they hadn't prepared for it and because the Democrats controlled the House. The Republican party will be more evil and more prepared in 2024, so we need to make sure we don't find ourselves in a scenario they can take advantage of. 

We also have (Y)esper, showing some backbone for once but then being fired in order to install Christopher Miller and Kash Patel. Miller was questioned yesterday and it doesn't give one confidence when some of that testimony shows a rather blase response to what was occurring inside the Capitol. By that time, one person (Babbitt) was already deceased. Did anyone ever discover why the panic buttons in some offices were removed?

 

[Brisketexan 106,893]

34 minutes ago, Aqua Buddha said:

Liz Cheney is the same person who went to her sister’s wedding and the came out against gay marriage so she could run for office (Not even he dad did that.). She then ran against her dad’s friend in a Senate primary because after a lifetime in DC, she felt entitled to one of Wyoming’s Senate Sears.  She’s also the person who flirted with the birthers.

Fuck Liz Cheney.

All of this is true.  Liz Cheney is shitty.

What is also true is that we live in a country where the vast majority of one of the two major parties is much, much, much shittier than Liz Cheney.

That's how bad shit is.

[Mrs Whiggins 13,050]

2 hours ago, tokamak said:

Let's slow down before we anoint Liz Cheney as some kind of hero. She's still going to vote with Kevin McCarthy, the man who just publicly humiliated her and helped Trump end her political career, like >90% of the time for the next two years.

And herein lies the problem. The traditional left/right divide in American politics is utterly meaningless right now. The only distinction that matters anymore is Trumpist versus anti-Trumpist. Why does a cretin like Erdogan keep winning, even though a majority of Turks know he's a cretin? It's because the opposition is divided, weak, and unable to stop infighting. This pattern repeats itself again and again in both history and current events. Any political issue that Liz Cheney thinks she holds dear - abortion, gun rights, tax rates, regulation, you name it - is nothing but noise unless and until we completely scrub our country of the large antidemocratic plurality that currently exists. The only way for Liz Cheney to make any real change - the ONLY way - is for her to come out and say, "fuck you Trump, fuck you Kevin McCarthy, fuck you GQP, I'm riding with Pelosi from now on".

A lot of people on the left fucking love reading impassioned op-eds from the likes of Jeff Flake and Liz Cheney, or 100 former-Republican nobodies threatening to make a 3rd party. The mainstream media, too. They looooooooove that shit. I think because it gives them hope. But that's all wrong. Those people are actively making shit worse. Either anti-Trump voices coalesce into one solid faction together, or they're not anti-Trump voices at all.

This is a good point and it's something I brought up yesterday. The fascists don't have the numbers right now. They're about 7 million short. One thing that fascists do (I've been listening and reading works from people who study this) is form coalitions. It isn't just what happened with Hitler's gang, it is something the various groups in history seem to have done, it gets the foot in the door so to speak. I argue that this is what the Tea Party/Freedom caucus/Trumpist group did within the Republican party, it was aided and abetted by controlling the dollars, the polling results, Roger Stone with the muscle and behind the scenes crap, and Fox Corp but they have still come up short. They will not be satisfied to stay that way, however, so I agree: a united voice against the rising tide of nationalist Trump style party is paramount.

[Pato del Muerto 53,495]

1 hour ago, Biff Tannen said:

Yeah why do you think that phrase was available to me?

[Biff Tannen 46,165]

6 minutes ago, Pato del Muerto said:

Yeah why do you think that phrase was available to me?

Just wanted to make sure everyone got it.

[Asithappens 978]

1 hour ago, Aqua Buddha said:

Liz Cheney is the same person who went to her sister’s wedding and the came out against gay marriage so she could run for office (Not even he dad did that.). She then ran against her dad’s friend in a Senate primary because after a lifetime in DC, she felt entitled to one of Wyoming’s Senate Sears.  She’s also the person who flirted with the birthers.

Fuck Liz Cheney.

Yeah, I get that, but it's politics, dude. Be an optimist.

[Pancho 46,307]

 

 

[Longhorn_Fan68 34,104]

buahahahaha

[Hookah Horns 3,089]

7 hours ago, Nice Guy Eddie said:

There is no way that Hawley and Cruz would sit on the sidelines so they would have to engage Trump and call him wrong for America.

I completely disagree with this. Their fear of his base overrides everything else. And they are smart enough to know there's a 100% chance they'd get killed (figuratively and threatened with the literal sense daily) and be voted out of office. 

[Beau Vine 55,864]

WTF?

 

[Longhorn_Fan68 34,104]

4 minutes ago, Beau Vine said:

WTF?

 

remember, trump was actually reelected and is the legitimate president. or he's in a Joe Biden mask. or he's secretly governing from Mar-a-lago. I dunno, can't keep up 

[washparkhorn 9,973]

Never-Trumpers, like Cheney or the Lincoln Project, hold questionable policy views in my opinion.

But they can also be helpful on the right flank. They open up another front requiring the Dark Side to respond and defend.

2022 is coming up quickly. And 2024 is a looming specter. It is time to shape the battlefield. 

[atomheartbevo 90,645]

6 hours ago, GW Hayduke said:

We are witnessing a battle within the GOP.  Cheney is leading one side of that battle. That side is wanting to rid the party of Trump.  That side will likely get slaughtered in the 2022 primaries.  I hope not.  We need less trumpists in elected office.  

They engage in this Republican Civil War at their own risk.  With Trump, they lost the House, the Senate, and the White House. If they believe their only option is to be even more Trumpy, then they are making it easy for the Democrats.

[atomheartbevo 90,645]

5 hours ago, wildcat09 said:

I'd be a lot less worried if a lot more people were a little more worried.

Any military organization is a very conservative organization, by its nature. History tells us which side militaries usually side with during fascist coups. If/when our political system breaks down so completely that all conservatives reject the results of an election and attempt to violently seize power, there is no reason to be confident that institutions that are and have always been anti-liberal (whether that be the military or the courts) will stop them. 

The military had their chance, and even after Trump tried to stick more of his people into DOD positions, multiple times they reiterated that they weren't going to get involved.

Milley even said as much to Congress

https://www.militarytimes.com/news/pentagon-congress/2020/08/28/top-general-says-no-role-for-military-in-presidential-vote/

 

And yes, they are very conservative, so how do you think the senior leadership felt about a cowardly guy who dodged the draft multiple times and boasted that STDs were his own Vietnam? And who tangled with Gold Star families and shit on veterans that he didn't like?  Who mocked Vietnam POWs?

Edit: Keep in mind that today's senior leadership came in when the DOD was run by Vietnam vets.

The military leadership had their chance. 

Edited May 13, 2021 by atomheartbevo

[atomheartbevo 90,645]

4 hours ago, Mrs Whiggins said:

This is a good point and it's something I brought up yesterday. The fascists don't have the numbers right now. They're about 7 million short. One thing that fascists do (I've been listening and reading works from people who study this) is form coalitions. It isn't just what happened with Hitler's gang, it is something the various groups in history seem to have done, it gets the foot in the door so to speak. I argue that this is what the Tea Party/Freedom caucus/Trumpist group did within the Republican party, it was aided and abetted by controlling the dollars, the polling results, Roger Stone with the muscle and behind the scenes crap, and Fox Corp but they have still come up short. They will not be satisfied to stay that way, however, so I agree: a united voice against the rising tide of nationalist Trump style party is paramount.

They, as a whole, couldn't keep Barrack Hussein Obama, a Black atheist, Marxist, Socialist, Communist, Muslim born in Kenya, raised in Indonesia, planted in Hawaii, out of office.

Twice.

Against a decorated Vietnam War, and a successful white businessman.

And it will only take a small amount of Republicans temporarily bailing to make things even worse for Republicans - that's why Liz Cheney terrifies Kevin McCarthy, and she's probably even more scary than a phone call from Trump.

This is why Mormons in the past went really hard in the paint against those Mormons who were breaking with the church, and worked to expel them and get them out of sight and out of mind.  They couldn't have those Mormons stirring shit up.  If McCarthy could, he'd strip Liz of everything he could in the House.

[wildcat09 29,579]

8 minutes ago, atomheartbevo said:

The military had their chance, and even after Trump tried to stick more of his people into DOD positions, multiple times they reiterated that they weren't going to get involved.

Milley even said as much to Congress

https://www.militarytimes.com/news/pentagon-congress/2020/08/28/top-general-says-no-role-for-military-in-presidential-vote/

 

And yes, they are very conservative, so how do you think the senior leadership felt about a cowardly guy who dodged the draft multiple times and boasted that STDs were his own Vietnam? And who tangled with Gold Star families and shit on veterans that he didn't like?  Who mocked Vietnam POWs?

Edit: Keep in mind that today's senior leadership came in when the DOD was run by Vietnam vets.

The military leadership had their chance. 

I really wish you would read the tiniest bit about history.

[atomheartbevo 90,645]

22 minutes ago, wildcat09 said:

I really wish you would read the tiniest bit about history.

I was thinking the same thing about you.  The examples you and others cite were a perfect storm, in a relatively confined area, with a bunch of people who had nothing to lose because they were at rock bottom.  Our military is not in that situation (paychecks and benefits aren't stopping), and a shitload of Republicans have a helluva lot to lose if things go sideways.  That's why there were hundreds of fucking Qanon cosplayers at the Capitol, not thousands of armed mainstream/moderate Republicans who were at the end of their rope.

Actually I was wishing you would read up on our military.  It's not what you think it is.

The military could not take over this country.  Hell, our military could not pacify Iraq, a country smaller than Texas, with pretty lenient rules of engagement.   250,000 troops rolling through a country of 30 million+ is far different than say the United States with 330 million people and that is 22 times larger than Iraq.

We simply do not have a large enough military to do the kind of shit that some are fantasizing about.  The vast majority of our military are not 11B (infantry in the Army) or 31B or 31C (forgot, but military police) types.  The majority are logistics, medical, repairs, and other duties that would not involve pacifying a population.  

A massive chunk of our military is deployed overseas, or on ships, or on bases here in the US where they would not be coming off of those bases to engage civilians, and that's assuming you could get a lot to obey illegal orders (it would be far harder than you think). 

And that's before we get into the fact that in this scenario, many military members would be more concerned about protecting their families and making sure that they are fed and sheltered from whatever shitstorm is going on,  than carrying out the illegal wishes of Republicans who aren't even in power.  

Edited May 13, 2021 by atomheartbevo

[atomheartbevo 90,645]

And yes @wildcat09 I do think plenty of Republicans do not give a shit about the US anymore, and the Constitution, and all they care about is party over country and are in full FUPM mode.  

But they couldn't keep Barrack Hussein Obama out of office. Twice. And they couldn't keep the Dems from flipping multiple states back (including states that were longtime (D), but that Donnie flipped in 2016).

And as a former long-time Republican, who has a shitload of relatives scattered across Texas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas, most of whom are Republicans, along with a shitload of Republican friends and former co-workers, I also know that many of them are far less right-wing than many think.  They want their lower taxes and less government, and to just pull the lever for (R), but they are not into some cult-of-personality for Trump, and they were not pleased with the instability that Trump was pushing.  In fact, some openly boasted of voting for Biden or sitting it out because Trump bugged the shit out of them.  

They want stable stock markets and to go to work or collect their pensions and benefits, etc., not watch the Republicans plunge the country into fucking chaos.

They tolerated the Qanon shit because they really didn't dig too deep into it.  They tolerate Fox News because plenty don't watch it as they have other shit they want to watch or do with their time.

The GOP is self-destructing quite a bit right now, and are in no way unifying, which is what would be a huge concern.

[atomheartbevo 90,645]

Those of us who are independent or even Democrats here in CR tend to forge our own echo chambers.  We post the shit that Tucker Carlson or Matt Gaetz or whoever is doing, and we sometimes lose site of the fact people like Tucker are not as widely popular as we tend to believe, and that most people couldn't tell you who Matt Gaetz is outside of being in Congress.

Last month, Tucker was the most-watched cable news host, averaging 3 million viewers.   Out of a country of 330 million people.

And among the 25-54 crowd, he was pulling in 500,000 viewers.

To put it in perceptive, more people watch this Masked Singer shit on Fox:

Than watch this shit on Fox News:

 

 

Edited May 13, 2021 by atomheartbevo

[Sawbonz 28,220]

Welp I guess now we know why W has stayed quiet

 

[Mrs Whiggins 13,050]

"Training fire?" Ouch.

George. Fire your twitter person or if that was your idea, you need a person. Trust me.

Edited May 13, 2021 by Mrs Whiggins
Edit to add, and yes, I noticed he did not use 'former' in front of President. That's another reason right there.

[wildcat09 29,579]

3 minutes ago, atomheartbevo said:

Those of us who are independent or even Democrats here in CR tend to forge our own echo chambers.  We post the shit that Tucker Carlson or Matt Gaetz or whoever is doing, and we sometimes lose site of the fact people like Tucker are not as widely popular as we tend to believe, and that most people couldn't tell you who Matt Gaetz is outside of being in Congress.

Last month, Tucker was the most-watched cable news host, averaging 3 million viewers.   Out of a country of 330 million people.

And among the 25-54 crowd, he was pulling in 500,000 viewers.

To put it in perceptive, more people watch this Masked Singer shit on Fox:

Than watch this shit on Fox News:

 

 

This is a very good point, but there's also a flipside to it. It means most people aren't aware of how quickly and how severely the GOP has radicalized. My primary exposure to the "moderate" GOP voter is through my mom and stepdad and their friends, and they dislike Trump. But they all view Trump as an aberration, not as a symptom of something deeper in the Republican party, and still voted for Republicans up and down the ballot last year. There are millions of people who aren't themselves enthusiastic nazis who will nevertheless pull the lever for nazis because they simply don't realize that's what they're doing.

After the hell that was 2020, Trump still pulled in more than 11 million more votes than he did in 2016, despite running against a genial old white guy that most Americans like. It's not Tucker's viewers that worry me (except in the sense that they're the ones likely to actually carry out violent attacks). It's the people who will vote with them because they're not paying any attention and the rest of us aren't doing a good enough job of convincing them of the danger that the GOP poses to American democracy.

[atomheartbevo 90,645]

1 minute ago, Mrs Whiggins said:

"Training fire?" Ouch.

George. Fire your twitter person or if that was your idea, you need a person. Trust me.

He's running for office in Texas.  That was totally his idea.

[Mrs Whiggins 13,050]

Just now, wildcat09 said:

This is a very good point, but there's also a flipside to it. It means most people aren't aware of how quickly and how severely the GOP has radicalized. My primary exposure to the "moderate" GOP voter is through my mom and stepdad and their friends, and they dislike Trump. But they all view Trump as an aberration, not as a symptom of something deeper in the Republican party, and still voted for Republicans up and down the ballot last year. There are millions of people who aren't themselves enthusiastic nazis who will nevertheless pull the lever for nazis because they simply don't realize that's what they're doing.

After the hell that was 2020, Trump still pulled in more than 11 million more votes than he did in 2016, despite running against a genial old white guy that most Americans like. It's not Tucker's viewers that worry me (except in the sense that they're the ones likely to actually carry out violent attacks). It's the people who will vote with them because they're not paying any attention and the rest of us aren't doing a good enough job of convincing them of the danger that the GOP poses to American democracy.

Very good point.

 

[atomheartbevo 90,645]

4 minutes ago, wildcat09 said:

This is a very good point, but there's also a flipside to it. It means most people aren't aware of how quickly and how severely the GOP has radicalized. 

But how much of it actually has radicalized?  We had hundreds of cosplaying qanon nuts in D.C., not thousands of well-armed Republicans.

None of the many Republicans I know went to Washington in January. None of them are pushing the batshit Qanon stuff.  None of them are willing to take arms against the government.  And I have Republican relatives in Oklahoma and Arkansas - in theory this is in their wheelhouse, but they just aren't interested in that shit.

Quote

After the hell that was 2020, Trump still pulled in more than 11 million more votes than he did in 2016, 

Qanon.  Many of those people didn't vote prior to 2020.

If you have Qanon-leaning relatives or acquaintances, go check out their voting records.  I did with my relatives/acquaintances, and they had very little political engagement prior to 2020 (some were even voting Democrat in previous years). I couldn't always see what parties they voted (could with Oklahoma relatives), but could see what primaries they voted in.

 

Edited May 13, 2021 by atomheartbevo

[hayden_horn 11,402]

12 minutes ago, atomheartbevo said:

Those of us who are independent or even Democrats here in CR tend to forge our own echo chambers.  We post the shit that Tucker Carlson or Matt Gaetz or whoever is doing, and we sometimes lose site of the fact people like Tucker are not as widely popular as we tend to believe, and that most people couldn't tell you who Matt Gaetz is outside of being in Congress.

Last month, Tucker was the most-watched cable news host, averaging 3 million viewers.   Out of a country of 330 million people.

And among the 25-54 crowd, he was pulling in 500,000 viewers.

To put it in perceptive, more people watch this Masked Singer shit on Fox:

Than watch this shit on Fox News:

 

 

yeah, but those watching tucker vote.

[wildcat09 29,579]

Just now, atomheartbevo said:

But how much of it actually has radicalized?  We had hundreds of cosplaying qanon nuts in D.C., not thousands of well-armed Republicans.

None of the man Republicans I know went to Washington in January. None of them are pushing the batshit Qanon stuff.  None of them are willing to take arms against the government.  And I have Republican relatives in Oklahoma and Arkansas - in theory this is in their wheelhouse, but they just aren't interested in that shit.

Qanon.  Many of those people didn't vote prior to 2020.

If you have Qanon-leaning relatives or acquaintances, go check out their voting records.  I did with my relatives/acquaintances, and they had very little political engagement prior to 2020 (some were even voting Democrat in previous years).

 

The party officials that will try to steal the election in 2024.

The party isn't my mom and stepdad and their friends or your Republican relatives. The party is the fucking lunatics they're voting for. 

[atomheartbevo 90,645]

1 minute ago, hayden_horn said:

yeah, but those watching tucker vote.

But they couldn't keep Obama out twice, and they couldn't keep Trump in once.

And Trump drove many Dems/moderates/Indies to go and vote for Biden, who otherwise might not normally vote, including plenty of younger folks.

 

[Mrs Whiggins 13,050]

3 minutes ago, atomheartbevo said:

He's running for office in Texas.  That was totally his idea.

So I guess they're dropping the guns are for self defense facade and are going on the offensive?

 

[atomheartbevo 90,645]

1 minute ago, wildcat09 said:

The party officials that will try to steal the election in 2024.

The party isn't my mom and stepdad and their friends or your Republican relatives. The party is the fucking lunatics they're voting for. 

Trump ain't on the ticket in 2022 which will help Dems, and putting aside that he's lazy and figured out how to siphon money from the GOP without running, I doubt he wants to get back in the WH in 2025 with a Democrat-led House and/or Senate.  

2020 was their best chance to actually steal it.  Are they making it hard to vote now?  Yes, but everybody is aware of their shit, is putting it on blast, and people on the left and in the middle are making preparations to work around those obstacles.  

Like I said, the GOP constantly let Trump down at every step of the way in 2020.

[aggie08 21,796]

20 minutes ago, atomheartbevo said:

Last month, Tucker was the most-watched cable news host, averaging 3 million viewers.   Out of a country of 330 million people.

And among the 25-54 crowd, he was pulling in 500,000 viewers.

God damn. It really is just fear porn for the olds.

[atomheartbevo 90,645]

5 minutes ago, Mrs Whiggins said:

So I guess they're dropping the guns are for self defense facade and are going on the offensive?

Republican politics in Texas is going to be crazy the next few cycles, as we move more and more to the middle and left.  They are in full on musical chairs mode.

[Mrs Whiggins 13,050]

Speaking of Texas politics, Presler is from Texas I think and he's going to be back this way next month; note the school board mention.

 

Edited May 13, 2021 by Mrs Whiggins
Nope. Just checked.

[washparkhorn 9,973]

 

15 minutes ago, atomheartbevo said:

But how much of it actually has radicalized?  We had hundreds of cosplaying qanon nuts in D.C., not thousands of well-armed Republicans.

None of the many Republicans I know went to Washington in January. None of them are pushing the batshit Qanon stuff.

I understand and appreciate your point.

But, many don't know when then are pushing batshit crazy Q-anon tripe.

Q-anon is a shallow but wide river of nonsense (akin to the Platte River).

NPR (late 2020):

https://www.npr.org/2020/12/30/951095644/even-if-its-bonkers-poll-finds-many-believe-qanon-and-other-conspiracy-theories

 

 

Edited May 13, 2021 by washparkhorn

[Hookah Horns 3,089]

43 minutes ago, atomheartbevo said:

I was thinking the same thing about you.  The examples you and others cite were a perfect storm, in a relatively confined area, with a bunch of people who had nothing to lose because they were at rock bottom.  Our military is not in that situation (paychecks and benefits aren't stopping), and a shitload of Republicans have a helluva lot to lose if things go sideways.  That's why there were hundreds of fucking Qanon cosplayers at the Capitol, not thousands of armed mainstream/moderate Republicans who were at the end of their rope.

Actually I was wishing you would read up on our military.  It's not what you think it is.

The military could not take over this country.  Hell, our military could not pacify Iraq, a country smaller than Texas, with pretty lenient rules of engagement.   250,000 troops rolling through a country of 30 million+ is far different than say the United States with 330 million people and that is 22 times larger than Iraq.

We simply do not have a large enough military to do the kind of shit that some are fantasizing about.  The vast majority of our military are not 11B (infantry in the Army) or 31B or 31C (forgot, but military police) types.  The majority are logistics, medical, repairs, and other duties that would not involve pacifying a population.  

A massive chunk of our military is deployed overseas, or on ships, or on bases here in the US where they would not be coming off of those bases to engage civilians, and that's assuming you could get a lot to obey illegal orders (it would be far harder than you think). 

And that's before we get into the fact that in this scenario, many military members would be more concerned about protecting their families and making sure that they are fed and sheltered from whatever shitstorm is going on,  than carrying out the illegal wishes of Republicans who aren't even in power.  

I don't really think we're going to have a military coup here. But, in the hypothetical, I'm not sure you can compare the US civilian population to the Iraqi insurgency. The insurgents had AKs, RPGs, grenades and shit. We've basically got a bunch of AR-15s, and I'd wager most of them are owned by the Trumpists. 

The Trumpists would obviously control the countryside, so the military could just blockade the biggest cities and subdue us via starvation. 

[Pato del Muerto 53,495]

1 hour ago, atomheartbevo said:

They engage in this Republican Civil War at their own risk.  With Trump, they lost the House, the Senate, and the White House. If they believe their only option is to be even more Trumpy, then they are making it easy for the Democrats.

Which is why they are busy getting shit passed at the state level that they believe will ensure victory by disproportionately disenfranchising their opposition. 

[Mrs Whiggins 13,050]

Just now, Pato del Muerto said:

Which is why they are busy getting shit passed at the state level that they believe will ensure victory by disproportionately disenfranchising their opposition. 

The turning against Raffensperger and others in his role at the county level is the key.

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Just now, Hookah Horns said:

I don't really think we're going to have a military coup here. But, in the hypothetical, I'm not sure you can compare the US civilian population to the Iraqi insurgency. The insurgents had AKs, RPGs, grenades and shit. We've basically got a bunch of AR-15s, and I'd wager most of them are owned by the Trumpists. 

The Trumpists would obviously control the countryside, so the military could just blockade the biggest cities and subdue us via starvation. 

What you are describing means people will be cut off from their jobs, and it will lead to power plants going offline, pipelines shutting down, and food distribution going to shit, because you are talking about the US economy shutting down in a way that makes covid, the winter storm in Texas back in February, and the current pipeline issue out East look like tiny, forgettable blips.  There's no working from home if there's no internet or electricity.  There's no tanks rolling around if there's no fuel. There's no food if the manufactures can't get the raw materials, process them, and ship them out.

The military couldn't do that - they just don't have the numbers.  They would be protecting their own bases in this scenario, and making sure they get food and fuel and stuff into their own bases.  Keeping their own bases, with their troops and civilian dependents supplied with food, water, electricity, would be their full-time job.

In this hypothetical, asking Fort Hood to keep itself running, and keep its tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians supplied, and taking on the task of blockading Dallas and Austin and Waco just ain't going to work.  You might get away with blockading Waco.  Maybe, since it's smaller and the supply lines wouldn't be too bad. 

But let's not forget: The Trumpists couldn't handle wearing a piece of fucking fabric on their face, or not being able to go to chilis or get a haircut.  Asking them to give up power, food, and gas would not play well.

 

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4 minutes ago, washparkhorn said:

I understand and appreciate your point.

But, many don't know when then are pushing batshit crazy Q-anon tripe.

Q-anon is a shallow but wide river of nonsense (akin to the Platte River).

NPR (late 2020):

https://www.npr.org/2020/12/30/951095644/even-if-its-bonkers-poll-finds-many-believe-qanon-and-other-conspiracy-theories

Agree, but counterpoint: Q is pretty much finished, and the deplatforming of Trump and a bunch of the Q stuff has really cut their profile down to nothing.  Without Facebook and twitter looking the other way, Q would never have taken off.

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12 minutes ago, Pato del Muerto said:

Which is why they are busy getting shit passed at the state level that they believe will ensure victory by disproportionately disenfranchising their opposition. 

Don't get me wrong, I completely agree the GOP has went full-on evil, and creating problems out of thin air to justify some stupid shit when it comes to voting.

But people are actively working against that though, and getting the word out, and some of those measures they are pushing through will hurt their own numbers.

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Interrupting the military talk for a moment to insert this blip; so um who lets their relatives live in the basement not of their own home, but the People's? (further down, third tweet). Wonder what the timeline was on the stay?

 

[Pancho 46,307]