I wish I was optimistic enough to believe that even that would stop anything. The police would instigate with the protesters and goad them into getting arrested if they didn't just arrest them outright. The military gets called in, meh- they'll likely do the same. Even thinking about the absurd- assume a bunch of Trump-humpers with guns came to confront the protesters, would the police and/or military step in then? And for whom? Probably not the protesters... One of the authoritarian experts I follow on Twitter (I believe Sarah Kendzior but I may be mistaken) said a while ago that as he realizes how little the traditional institutions can (or are willing to) check his presidential powers, Trump becomes less likely to accept any election result that doesn't see him winning as legitimate. All of the stuff we're hearing/seeing about election tampering will be used by him to sow doubt, and from there- guess what, he has to remain in office until one of the government organizations he's corrupted determines that he really won. Even if the senate is flipped, welp, that needs to be investigated too, and the dopes in there now aren't going to stop it from happening. I really believe things get pretty dark from here, and I don't think there's much that can (or will) be done to stop it. but I'll probably just stay in Aurora
The academic literature suggests that mass protest-type political action actually tends to be pretty effective. Maybe not so coincidentally, the peak of the "protest is the new brunch" period of 2017 coincided with the lowest ebb of Trump's approval ratings.
There are two ways to stop Trump. First, and best, will be at the polls in November...if we believe that democracy still exists at all. There must be an overwhelming vote of repudiation against him. It must be so overwhelming that there can be no hint of concern. It must be a mandate, a landslide victory for the other candidate. If he wins reelection, the "people" have spoken and the rest of us are screwed. (assuming the election is not rigged). Second, removal from office. Protests will not drive him from office. Mass protests against a sitting president have never worked. It is hard to see that protests would drive one the cruelest, stupidest, most corrupt people to ever hold the highest position in the land from the office. Of course, he does strive to be accepted and maybe it would hurt his ego. The only president to resign was, of course, Nixon. The mass protests in 1968 were not about Nixon or even LBJ. One could argue that the protests factored into LBJ deciding not to run, but that would be overly simplistic. The mass protests in 1969-1970 did nothing to Nixon. It was the Republicans, when it was clear that Nixon was going to be impeached and, once it went to the Senate, would removed, who told him to go. Of course, we would not go until there was a deal the Gerald Ford (who had never been elected as Vice-President) agreed to pardon him. It is hard to see the Republicans, who have been complete sycophants to Trump, turning on him. It could happen. He has Barr protecting him. He has Gaetz, Graham, Jordan, etc. practically fellating him. Hell, he was impeached, some (like Lamar Alexander even declared he was "guilty") and they still did not convict. However, if McConnell, the evil motherf*cker that he is, thought Trump was more hindrance than help, he would turn on Trump as fast as his turtle body would let him. If there were mass protests and HIS position was under threat, McConnell would drop his support of Trump in a heart beat. Oh, crap, with mass protests, McConnell may be our only hope.
Maybe rebrand Democratic Socialism for the people too stupid for independent thought? The Nordic Model? Not manly enough? The Viking Model? Nailed it. Edit: Tongue firmly implanted in cheek.
Last night on Jeopardy: Clue: Woody Guthrie had written on his guitar: "This Machine Kills this" Contestant: "What are 'Trees'?"
Trump just announced the pardons of Eddie DeBartolo and Bernie Kerik, and the commutation of Rod Blagojevich’s sentence $%^^%%$$##@@
[QUOTE="LIZZIE $%^^%%$$##@@[/QUOTE] I'll 2nd that motion. I think you just won the internet for today Lizzie.
I don't like that he got clemency because his family repeatedly and publicly kissed Trump's ass. But I always felt like 14 years was too much from the beginning.
What really bothers me is Trump lets these legally convicted persons go, while going after, amongst others, Alexander Vindemann and James Comey. And his name calling. Makes me ill.
Once he pardoned the war criminal that posed with the bodies of dead children, I felt like this was inevitable, and his way of telling those convicted for crimes that he's also involved in to stay tight lipped, because he'll let them go, too.
What's the point in trying to save money if a single surgery can bankrupt you? Moving to a first world country soon somewhere warm. Does that exist? Australia? Fly to New Zealand walk up mount doom and toss my passport in?
Not for $200+ a ticket. Cheapest (section 308) are $135. Most expensive are pushing $1,000.00. (I would say, not at any price. The only time I saw them, it was at the Metro in 1993, and it was free, as we were friends with the opening act. For the first band, there were about 6 people and then it was packed for Rage Against the Machine. I listened to three songs, was not impressed, realized I knew the guitarist from high school, and then left).
I have not, fortunately. However, I am too busy fending off Warren (my choice for president), Sanders and Mayor Pete to notice. At least, Yang is leaving me alone now.
Early last summer, I went to Australia for a couple of weeks. After a few days, I came down with "Melbourne metabolism" or "Sydney squirts." I was having kidney failure from the dehydration. I was hospitalized in Melbourne for 3/days - 2/nights before I could rejoin my group and continue the trip. Anyway, being a US citizen, not on the Australian national health or not being from a nation with reciprocal universal health, I had to pay up front and submit the receipts to my travel insurance policy for reimbursement. What shocked me was as a full paying patient, receiving the exact same care I would here in the US, the bill was 1/3 of what it would have been in the USA. And, yes, even during the southern hemisphere winter, it was warm.
Who's going to Megadeth in July? Was willing to drive to Springfield this summer but, in for Tinley Park.
It's amazing what a country can do when it makes reasonable decisions to keep costs in check. Unfortunately no one seems willing to get specific on how to handle that here. Any national health plan would turn into a gigantic cluster******** until candidates get serious about cost controls, but most dems have been unwilling to get specific about this.