Tag: Autocrats Never Lose

Why There Is No Solution To Trump

by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

The reason why there is no “solution” to Trump is our political system is so rotting and broken that we refuse to do the one thing that would douse the burning embers of MAGA — raise taxes.

Here are two “solutions” that we could have to MAGA if we were willing to raise taxes.

Training
If we could train and retrain blue collar men so they can code and once again provide for a family on a single income, then, yeah, maybe we wouldn’t have the “problem” of MAGA anymore.

Child Care
Because many conservatives are moralistic, simplistic twats, they believe that if they can only force women into having children, then all their bigoted, racist dreams will come true. This is totally wrong. If we would just raise taxes, then we could afford the type of extensive child care that might make women actually WANT to have children, despite what a pain in the ass it otherwise is.

Bonus:
National Service
If we had National Service that young people just out of college had to participate in for a year, that would be a way to force people from diverse backgrounds to interact with each other in the real world.

But, again, when conservatives think “taxation is theft,” then, well, it’s difficult to fund stuff like this.

Welp

by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

It is becoming more and more clear that barring a Black Swan event, the only chance we have to avoid a fascist state in the United State is if Trump loses in 2024 and just fades peacefully into political oblivion.

As of now, in January 2024, I don’t know what to tell you. I’m of the opinion that if every election your democracy has is existential that you’re not a democracy anymore. And that’s where American finds itself.

It seems as though we need to buckle up. Late 2024, early 2025 could be rather momentous.

The Mad Red King

by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

The key thing to remember about all of this “dictator” talk by Trump is he just wants that idea rolling around people’s minds should he get re-elected. It will, in his ding-dong brain — give him more wiggle room when it comes to what he can actually do.

While I hate to compare someone as lazy and dumb as Trump to an actual Great Man of history, it is easy to compare Trump as Julius Caesar. Just like Caesar, Trump could be a transitional figure for our hobbled Republic. It could be that for no other reason than Trump is old, fat and lazy as fuck that it won’t be him who turns us into a Russian-style autocracy, but, rather his next Republican successor.

But all of this won’t happen in a political or historical vacuum. The United States is not a one-to-one with the late Roman Republic, as much it might be easy to assume that it is. The US is more likely to collapse into revolution and civil war than it is to peacefully transition into autocracy — especially under the ham-handed “guidance” of someone like Trump.

And, remember, after Caesar’s death, there was a huge civil war. So, I think rather than us assuming Trump is an American Caesar, we need to think seriously about the global implications of the world’s hyperpower buckling into autocracy, revolution and civil war.

Does The USA Need A ‘Dictator?’

by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

The short answer is: fuck no.

We could see a few of these in late 2024, early 2025.

The longer answer is — it’s complicated. I think there is a good chance that through a combination of Executive Orders and using the pardon power that Trump could probably be something akin to a dictator in 2025 should he win in 2024.

But the thing that the liberal popinjays on Twitter miss is the nation’s slide into dictatorship would NOT happen in a vacuum. People would get pissed! As such, if he did such a thing, I think the following MIGHT happen — Trump is somehow “deposed” and we might get something akin to a military junta with someone like James Mattis as acting president.

That is all VERY SPECULTIVE.

But the point is — it’s at least possible that late 2024, early 2025 could see some amazing, unprecedented political and historical events take place. What’s more, if the USA implodes, the the entire post-WW2 global order will implode, too.

We could see about 1 billion people around the globe die DIRECTLY because of ding-dong Trump being such a fucking idiot.

What The Fuck Is Wrong With The USA?

by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

All I can say is, it definitely seems as though we’re careening towards a very, very dark future. As I keep saying, they say you go bankrupt gradually, then all at once and it definitely SEEMS as though in late 2024, early 2025, we’re going to reach the “all at once” part of that particular rule of thumb.


It’s just all very sad. All great empires must come to an end and so, lulz, either America somehow manages to punt our problems down the road or there’s some sort of Black Swan event that saves us — otherwise, yikes, we’re going to implode.

We’re going to turn into an America First autocracy and the post-WW2 liberal world order is going to collapse. Then, oh Lort. Only the good Lawd knows what will happen then.

It just seems very possible that the next few years could be very, very bumpy in ways that we simply can’t predict or control. Trump is a one-person chaos agent and, as such, pretty much no matter what, he is going to put us to the test.

Assessing The Next 12 Months

by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

The issue of what might happen in the next year could be rather profound in hindsight. The issue first and foremost that no one can predict the future. So, I can write all dystopian hellscape verbiage I want, in the end, only the good Lort knows for sure what is going to happen.

Now, in January of 2024, it definitely SEEMS as though Trump is either going to win and turn us into a very unstable autocracy, or he is going to lose and demand a National Divorce to save his sorry ass on a personal basis.

But there is always a chance that either Trump loses and just slinks off into oblivion, or some Black Swan event happens that no one can predict that gives us an off ramp from a very dark future that none of us can now predict.

And, yet, we have to take seriously at least the possibility that some fucked up shit is going to happen in late 2024, early 2025. It could very well be that the United States as we current conceive of it will no longer exist in a year. It could be that we either are just about to transition into a full-blown MAGA autocracy, or we’re just about to depose Tyrant Trump.

I am growing more and more nervous that because of where I live, I may become some sort of domestic political refugee in about a year. That I will be forced out of my home and forced to move somewhere that better fits my center-Left political views.

But at the moment, that’s kind of out there. It could be that lulz, none of that happens and we’ll somehow — somehow — punt our political and social problems down the road another four years.

We Live In Strange Times

By Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

Things are so fucked up at the moment, that it would be nice if Trump got involved in your run-of-the-mill sex scandal. It’s not like it would change anything. He would still be 60,000 votes in five swing states away from being POTUS.

But at least we would have some…entertainment…for a few days or weeks till things go sorted out.

It definitely seems as though ding-dong Trump is, at the moment, an immutable force of American political history. He’s going to either lose and start a civil war by demanding a National Divorce, or win and either transition us into an autocracy or win and cause a revolution on the part of blues which, in turn, causes a civil war by Reds.

All because white Christian (men) are uneasy about the browning of America and the rise of women having more reproductive and economic agency.

What The Fuck Is Wrong With The New York Times?

by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

The New York Times is a great newspaper — maybe even the best newspaper in the world. But as is shown by the existence of the NYTimes Pitchbot parody Twitter account — something, on a structural basis, is wrong with the place. It’s so bad that I fear that the failure of The New York Times to properly address the threat that is Trump will be written about a great deal once we sort all these issues out one way or another.

It seems as though The Times is — on an institutional basis — is really nervous about being seen as a bastion of liberal thought. It is, of course, but it’s doing its readers a disservice by not being more adamant in its defending of freedom in the face of the rise of MAGA fascism.

It’s all very curious.

I mean, if a doofus like me can notice something so obvious, you’d think the popinjays at The Old Gray Lady might do something about it. But, no, here we are. The Republic is on the cusp of either collapsing into civil war / revolution or turning into an autocracy.

Shrug emoji.

The Right’s White Hot Need To ‘Own The Libs’ & The ‘Media Narrative’

by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

One of the ways the browning of America and the increased economic and political agency of women have warped our politics is white Christian (men) get really worked out up about “owning the libs.”

Bari Weiss is among the conservatives who were “canceled” for not following the evil liberal “media narrative.”

This need to “own the libs” pops out in a variety of ways, but one of them is the idea that the evil liberal cabal is out to get people who don’t follow the liberal, mainstream “media narrative.” As part of this, many conservatives are bad faith free speech absolutist, when they are in fact, just annoyed that they can’t be racist and sexist.

They are also crybaby snowflakes who mistake their lack of engagement for being “shadow banned” when, in fact, their views just aren’t popular.

In my personal life, my conservative relatives — whom I love dearly — are quite haughty about how they’re free speech absolutist and if only the evil liberals would get out of the way, then EVERYONE would see how great and wonderful conservative ideals are.

UGH.

The whole thing is a symptom of how fucked up the political world is these days. Everything. Is. So. Fucked. Up.

The MAGA Right’s Fixation On Hunter Biden Is…Odd

by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

Of all the reasons to impeach Joe Biden, going after him for….loving his wastrel son too much…doesn’t seem well thought out. In fact, the more I learn about Hunter Biden, the more he seems like he would be a lot of fun to hang out with, at least if I was on a days-long bender. (I don’t do those anymore, but still.)

I mean, if MAGA Republicans had any wits about them, they would impeach Joe Biden over the “crisis at the border.” That, at least, makes some sort of sense. That is a political situation that is easy to understand. But to go after the president for some pretty loosey-goosey claims of some sort of connection between Biden and his son is just very very dumb.

I will note, however, that if ANY actual scandal happens between now and and Election Day 2024, House Republicans are going to jump all over it and impeach Joe Biden over it. It will all happen at light speed.