Every once in awhile, I watch segments from Rachel Maddow’s show on YouTube. During the afternoon yesterday, I saw a couple of segments from her show that gave me chills. It’s strange for me– an American living in Germany– to watch the United States from afar these days. It seems like there’s a group of radicalized culty Republicans who are trying to turn the United States into a dystopian nightmare. It’s so disturbing for me, even as I realize that part of Rachel Maddow’s job is to stir up the masses and score ratings for her network.
The first video I watched was about how attorneys general in 19 red states signed a letter to Joe Biden about how they want to be able to track female residents who leave the state for abortion care. This idea, to me, is extremely creepy and wrong. What’s especially upsetting is that not all of the people who signed it were men! Have a look at Rachel’s commentary on this. It’s not just abortion care that is at risk, either– it’s also gender affirming care for people who are transgender… even potentially fertility care or birth control!
What the hell has happened to our country? Have people lost their minds? Are some people so fixated on money, power, and control over women that they are willing to harass them over their PRIVATE medical records and healthcare choices? This is fucked up. What’s sad is that so many people just don’t care, and are willing to hand over their freedom and privacy to people who would champion this kind of public policy.
Later, I caught another segment on Rachel’s show… This one was even scarier to me, because unlike the one about reproductive rights, this one affects everyone if Trump gets re-elected. I doubt his fans are listening, but if they vote for him, they are voting for the end of the United States as we know it. Trump would like to be a literal dictator, and there are some dimwitted minions who are still trying to help his cause.
I hear so many Republicans talking about how important the Constitution is. But, according to Rachel Maddow, Trump and his buddies would like to toss out the Constitution, which was supposedly “made up by liberals”, and give the president all of the power. What Rachel described in her segment was pretty much the Russian model of government– you know, the government controls everything, and we no longer have the right to speak up or criticize on pain of going to prison? Seriously… watch that segment. It’s scary stuff, and so many people are sleepwalking, simply responding to Trump’s nauseating brand of charisma. He says what they want to hear, but what he actually wants to do is control everyone and everything. He is a very dangerous man.
Weren’t Republicans supposed to be the party of less government control? According to Rachel Maddow, Republicans want to take away states’ rights– “identify the pockets of independents and seize them”. It’s being pushed by a group called the Heritage Foundation.
Since I have a subscription to the New York Times, I can gift the article that explains this plan in depth. Click here if you want to read about it. Here’s a brief excerpt for those who don’t want to read the gift article.
“The president’s plan should be to fundamentally reorient the federal government in a way that hasn’t been done since F.D.R.’s New Deal,” said John McEntee, a former White House personnel chief who began Mr. Trump’s systematic attempt to sweep out officials deemed to be disloyal in 2020 and who is now involved in mapping out the new approach.
“Our current executive branch,” Mr. McEntee added, “was conceived of by liberals for the purpose of promulgating liberal policies. There is no way to make the existing structure function in a conservative manner. It’s not enough to get the personnel right. What’s necessary is a complete system overhaul.”
Mr. Trump and his advisers are making no secret of their intentions — proclaiming them in rallies and on his campaign website, describing them in white papers and openly discussing them.
Why in the HELL should Donald Trump, someone with a long record of screwing over people, have any right or ability to overhaul the US government? This is a man who only cares about money and power. Voting for him is like voting for Saddam Hussein or Kim Jong Un. And his followers, mainly, are just plain blind to the fact that by empowering them, they are causing their own demise!
I really hope that Trump’s campaign goes right down the sewer, where it belongs. He’s a criminal madman, who needs to be put away somewhere before he completely destroys our country. Below is a little bit more from the article…
“What we’re trying to do is identify the pockets of independence and seize them,” said Russell T. Vought, who ran the Office of Management and Budget in the Trump White House and now runs a policy organization, the Center for Renewing America.
The strategy in talking openly about such “paradigm-shifting ideas” before the election, Mr. Vought said, is to “plant a flag” — both to shift the debate and to later be able to claim a mandate. He said he was delighted to see few of Mr. Trump’s Republican primary rivals defend the norm of Justice Department independence after the former president openly attacked it.
People wonder why I passively hope to be beamed up… it’s because of people like Donald Trump. Rich, powerful, corrupt, and evil people… and I don’t feel like there’s anything I can do except vote and write blog posts… and donate whatever money I can to causes that fight against fascism and taking our country back 100 years. He’s still got his cheerleaders, though.
Steven Cheung, a spokesman for Mr. Trump’s campaign, said in a statement that the former president has “laid out a bold and transparent agenda for his second term, something no other candidate has done.” He added, “Voters will know exactly how President Trump will supercharge the economy, bring down inflation, secure the border, protect communities and eradicate the deep state that works against Americans once and for all.”
Yeah, cuz he did so much during his first term… golfing, feeding football players fast food, making racist and sexist statements, and otherwise fucking up on the daily! And none of the “promises” he made during his first term ever came to fruition, either. Instead, it was one scandal and circus act after another! Now we’re stuck with Trump’s terrible Supreme Court picks, who are fucking extremists! More from the Times…
The two driving forces of this effort to reshape the executive branch are Mr. Trump’s own campaign policy shop and a well-funded network of conservative groups, many of which are populated by former senior Trump administration officials who would most likely play key roles in any second term.
I am quite worried about this. And I would love it if a well placed lightning strike hit Trump during his next golf game. Of course it won’t happen, but I can dream, can’t I? People say Biden is demented… I say Trump and his cronies are much worse. The New York Times and Rachel Maddow are warning us.
Personal power has always been a driving force for Mr. Trump. He often gestures toward it in a more simplistic manner, such as in 2019, when he declared to a cheering crowd, “I have an Article 2, where I have the right to do whatever I want as president.”
Mr. Trump made the remark in reference to his claimed ability to directly fire Robert S. Mueller III, the special counsel in the Russia inquiry, which primed his hostility toward law enforcement and intelligence agencies. He also tried to get a subordinate to have Mr. Mueller ousted, but was defied.
Early in Mr. Trump’s presidency, his chief strategist, Stephen K. Bannon, promised a “deconstruction of the administrative state.” But Mr. Trump installed people in other key roles who ended up telling him that more radical ideas were unworkable or illegal. In the final year of his presidency, he told aides he was fed up with being constrained by subordinates.
FUCK YOU, TRUMP!!!!! AND FUCK TRUMP SUPPORTERS, WHO WANT TO FOIST HIM AND HIS SICK BRAND OF “LEADERSHIP” ON THE REST OF US! At least I still have the right to say these things… for now.
As much as Trump’s first term was a disappointing farce, a second term for him would be disastrous. He would have no constraints, and no reason to rein in his impulses to try to control the country and its citizens. He must be stopped.