I don’t understand why there needs to be some grand conspiracy. Authoritarianism is self-fulfilling – you seek out power through whatever means necessary, and then you hold onto it through whatever means necessary. Foresight and awareness of consequences is not necessary beyond answering “Will that make us gain or lose power?”
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So far in the 21st century, we have had two GOP administrations that cheated their way in. In between we overwhelmingly elected Barrack Obama. Twice.
Something didn’t quite go according to plan for 8 years. And I don’t think things are going according to plan for them right now either - they’ve been jumping ship like crazed rodents in Texas. Now that just doesn’t look like or sound like a party that thinks it is going to take over and rule all on its own in the next year or two.
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And pretty fucking true. Are you going to be ok?
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No argument there. But they’re suddenly betting the existence of their party, and maybe the republic, on maintaining power after already making a disastrous bet last year. The country’s not in a mood to go along with it. Never was, and we’ve seen that. So I continue to ask anyone how they think it will play out, step by step. I’m not asking if they’re bad. I know they’re bad. I’m asking what they’re imagining are the steps in the process. Because my own theory is they’re as bad as you think they are, but they don’t have the competence or courage to actually try to take power directly. And for the gradual power grab, things are coming to a head. With a more competent Trump, maybe that could have kept going. But they cheaped out with the greasy kid stuff and now they’re in a jam.
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Damn straight. Thanks for asking.
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Just imagine their hysteria if they were all high on pot, and were superduper paranoid that the FBI was out to get 'em.
Uh-oh! I think we found their reasoning…
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Well, as you said earlier, they aren’t led by the best and brightest. Fascists rarely are. And I’m encouraged by polls, recent electoral victories and what seems to be strengthening enthusiasm and passion on the left. But I’m honestly terrified at what may come next, particularly if and when we start another war and/or the stock market crashes.
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Trump lost the popular vote, and about half of the country didn’t even vote. You think we’re all going to vote for these traitors after what they’ve done?
Please. This isn’t Mother Russia.
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Aw shucks. I guess there’s just something about existential danger to the two-centuries republic I make my home in that concentrates the mind.
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I see what you hanged there.
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There’s nothing quite like a person who gets your references and allusions and so forth. 
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I guess I simply see that roughly a third of the country, which controls more than half of the states, is actually in the mood for it. There are certainly more of us than them, but because of our increasingly flawed electoral system, that doesn’t matter as much as it should.
If Dems can take back either the House or the Senate (or both, which would be amazing) then I think the tide turns very fiercely against the Republicans. But I feel like winning back at least one of those chambers is absolutely imperative.
I’m also convinced that if and when Trump finds a way to can Mueller, Republicans are going to go along with it, and I’m not sure what happens after that.
I think my larger point is that the rise of fascism is much more akin to a frog in boiling water than a big boom where everything’s suddenly different. And I know far too many people from my hometown and elsewhere in the Midwest that are on board with everything the Republicans are doing and then some.
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Chuck Toad on MTP just floated the “Bob Mueller is Ken Starr” balloon.
What a…toad.
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I understand how you feel.
And there is no answer to what terrifies you except this - I have found through long experience of being afraid that it changes nothing.
I don’t like being terrified about things that haven’t happened. I can be plenty terrified when and if they actually do. I’m sorry it’s the best I got. I spent all 8 years of W’s terms terrified, angry, lots of times in tears. And I learned.
I don’t worry about things that have not happened or are not imminent. It’s a learned thing for me and I really like living this way.
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I came out of the womb that way. And after a semi-lifetime of it, i realized that it doesn’t actually have any cause or effect on external events.
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Well, T rump sure sees himself as a Mother Somethin’. If that’s a Mother Fucker, i’d have to agree with him on that.
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I’m watching this and am just shocked. First of all, I must be more masochistic than I realized because I shouldn’t ever watch Chuck Todd. Second, he is arguing that Mueller will get fired, that the public will accept that, and that it will not cause anyone in the GOP to do anything about Trump. Todd is spewing FOX talking points with a straight face.
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Trump can stop Mueller but not Schneiderman.
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IF they let Trump stop Mueller, do they imagine that automatically shuts those grand juries down? It does not.
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No, fake elections. They are getting better at them.
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