This article is part of TPM Cafe, TPM’s home for opinion and news analysis. It was originally published at The Conversation.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://talkingpointsmemo.com/?p=1476677
Guatemala’s Democracy Descends Into Crisis, With Implications For The US - TPM – Talking Points Memo
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://talkingpointsmemo.com/?p=1476677
Preserving the corruption. Half the job really.
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The will of the people be damned. Anti-democracy political movements are thriving around the world, even in places with a supposedly enlightened electorate (ahem). Seems Khrushchev may have been right when he said over 50 years ago ‘we will bury you’.
Well they haven’t yet stolen our government. And we’re the motivated majority that will smack them down come November. Then the challenge will be to bury the fascist cult that is springing up within our borders. It would be nice to see more old-school conservatives join our ranks for the good of our nation and of our nation’s children. Not likely, but nice.
GOTV
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“Anti-democracy political movements”
GuataMAGA
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Meanwhile over in right wing land they are celebrating Jesus
5 Things You Can Do This Christmas to Make the Marxists Miserable – PJ Media
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Hurt people hurt people.
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As asinine and full of strawmen as you might expect. Now I need to wash my eyes.
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At least Guatemalans understand this:
Guatemalans themselves understand all too well how kleptocracy reinforces the country’s social ills. They realize that democratic backsliding not only may prevent Arévalo from assuming the presidency, but it can also rob their communities of resources needed to strengthen health care, improve education, create jobs, reduce malnutrition and fight climate change.
Corruption in the US, IMO, not so well understood by US citizens
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Everywhere you look, the ultra rich and the venally corrupt are doing everything they can to hold onto and consolidate their power. Is there anything new in all of this? Is this just SOP destined to go on forever? Or is it the last big meltdown before the awakening or, instead, a precursor to the new dark ages?
Ignorance, complacency and apathy might kill our democracy - there is just no getting around that.
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The vast majority are just too fucking stupid thanks to religion. But if we ever ended up in a place where local government officials have their hand out, they’ll just say that Democrats caused it. Cognitive dissonance is impossible to shake when you’ve trained your entire life to be a moron.
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This has been the standard playbook for the rich and powerful since the fucking Babylonians. And they were very successful here too until their bullshit caused the Great Depression, which gave the left and sanity a chance to enact serious reforms on top of the rubble. The rich bitched and moaned about economic parity for decades, and might have succeeded in destroying the New Deal had it not been for WWII, which exposed the right in all its violent, psychotic glory. That set their cause back decades. 35 years to be exact, until Reagan came along with his “Aw shucks” horseshit, a werewolf in sheep’s clothing who gave the moneyed far right a daily orgasm with a criminal transfer of wealth upward. Now they’re trying to finish the job, but a handful of people are finally starting to wake the fuck up. Let’s see who makes it to the finish line first.
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I think Guatemala was MAGA before Trump even thought of it.
Now just imagine what would this country be like if we hadn’t won the Mexican-American War, with the bonus of all that land we acquired. Abbott and Paxton want to complain about the current border just think how different trying to defend this border.
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All these God bothering folks need to work one season as Christmas help at Target, Walmart, or any other fine retail establishment. You got yelled at for saying “Merry Christmas”, you got yelled at for saying “Happy Holidays”, and the only safe and appropriate thing to say was, “Next”!
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After the election, political elites, including members of Torres’ National Unity of Hope party and President Alejandro Giammattei’s Vamos party, alleged – incorrectly), it turned out – that the electoral software [had favored Arévalo’s candidacy. They attempted to stop the results from being made official.
I am a bit surprised that they didn’t blame Hugo Chavez.
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Practically a checklist for sussing out fake Christians. They have faith but no love. Love for their own certainly. Lord know even the heathens do that. But they can’t even recognize their own brothers and sister, their mother or fathers. To the extent they see pain in others it’s a joy to them. This author may have faith but she damn well has no love. Just another struggling soul.
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Had the god-botherers at the door this AM wanting to talk to me about Jeebus. 
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I had the Metropolitan Sewer Dist truck backing up in my driveway. God I hate those “beep, beeps”. The water in the creek in front of my house has been an interesting shade of gray. I had checked to see if the exposed feeder sewer line that runs over the creek had a crack. Nope, so something is going on up stream from me.
This will be interesting since we are currently at unseasonably warm temps, but that’s going to change on Monday. God I can’t think of anything worse than to try and fix a leaking sewer line when temps are at freezing.
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I guess the Jewish space lasers were busy forcing Christian women to have abortions.
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