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US election 2020 thread

Decent piece in the Graun by Marilynne Robinson about the meaning of Trumpism, highlighting the aspect of it that does bear comparision with fascism. I don't necessarily go along with everything she says here, but I do with this bit:

To compare our extremists to early European fascists is fair, to a point. Action Française and the Nazis used bands of thugs to terrorize and kill journalists and civil officials, to make a place for themselves in the public mind, where they planted the notion that they were the true, essential, Frenchmen and Germans. They claimed to speak and act from a kind of authenticity that nullified law and reason, that shamed the cosmopolitanism that exposed their nations to foreign ideas and influences. Trump says to his crowds, “You are the real people, you are the people who built this country.” Narrowing the meaning of American, as he does incessantly, he makes a minority, white people who sympathize with him, into a Volk. They sense that the vote was rigged, they say, which gives the much-debunked claim the standing of truth, all evidence to the contrary notwithstanding.
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'Narrowing the meaning of American' is the crucial bit here, I think, the fascist bit, even if it isn't accompanied by the 'all for the state' parts of early Euro-Fascism.

She finishes with

They might break into the Senate chamber, but they will never take a step into Mar-a-Lago.
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Spot on.

For Donald Trump, what began as farce is ending as tragedy | Marilynne Robinson
 
killer b said:
have you actually seen this on parler? I've seen lots of people sharing it around and laughing, but I have my doubts that's it's very real, or if it is, that it has many/any serious replies.
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No, havent been in the Parler today, but posted by trusted account who spends all their time on reporting what’s going on in that pit.
 
StoneRoad said:
My spidery senses think that's more likely to be a front for the FBI ...

or if there was any justice in this world, it would be !
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I think they have rules about entrapment in the US, which would probably make this into a bit of a foot bullet.

OTOH, if it were a public-spirited citizen, then...
 
quiet guy said:
That's one hell of a political broadcast with a heck of a swipe at all the grifters who facilitated Trump over the last 4 years
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I nearly threw up near the end, tbf, but yes, coming from a well-known Republican, it carries some power.

I've certainly learned a couple things since this election. First, the US is the oldest democracy in the world, and second, the US is the shining light on the hill for the rest of us. Who knew?
 
existentialist said:
I think they have rules about entrapment in the US, which would probably make this into a bit of a foot bullet.

OTOH, if it were a public-spirited citizen, then...
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don’t think so as they’ve already committed the crimes
The cops have done stuff like inviting criminals with arrest warrants to a sale, or telling them they’ve won the lottery and to pick up their winning at a location and arresting them when they arrive
 
bimble said:
No, havent been in the Parler today, but posted by trusted account who spends all their time on reporting what’s going on in that pit.
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I'm unconvinced. I think there's a tendency on the left to assume the right don't really have a sense of humour. Imagine there'd been a big anarchist riot in London - you can imagine someone putting up something like this as a joke on here, and loads of people replying with pisstake details. It's much more likely to be something like that than a blatantly obvious fake-nose-and-glasses FBI sting.
 
killer b said:
I'm unconvinced. I think there's a tendency on the left to assume the right don't really have a sense of humour. Imagine there'd been a big anarchist riot in London - you can imagine someone putting up something like this as a joke on here, and loads of people replying with pisstake details. It's much more likely to be something like that than a blatantly obvious fake-nose-and-glasses FBI sting.
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True, I mean I definitely think it’s a troll, but you have to also bear in mind that the target audience are people who chose not to wear masks and to post selfies & livestream themselves whilst doing crimes so, bound to fool a few. Have seen screenshots of earnest-looking responses (name, address, I smashed stuff up etc) but who knows, they could be trolls too.
 
killer b said:
I'm unconvinced. I think there's a tendency on the left to assume the right don't really have a sense of humour. Imagine there'd been a big anarchist riot in London - you can imagine someone putting up something like this as a joke on here, and loads of people replying with pisstake details. It's much more likely to be something like that than a blatantly obvious fake-nose-and-glasses FBI sting.
Click to expand...

I’d assumed the original post was a piss take/troll, trying to get people to incriminate themselves for the LoLs. I’d also expect most answers to be taking the piss too, although given the credulous nature of some of the Qanon lot I’d not put it past a few falling for it. I don’t think the FBI are sharp enough or fast-acting enough to have done it.
 
Smokeandsteam said:
The closing of the neo-liberal ranks - from social media billionaires, to finance capital; from the manufacturers organisations previously cautiously supportive to previously supportive elements within the GOP - against Trump demonstrates the extent to which the ruling elite, backed by all the forces of the state are determined to restore a neoliberal status quo. Their analysis is that liberal democracy remains the best option for the restoration of their control.
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For the time being. Lets see what economic crisis and austerity for the next few years does to their beliefs. They're always going to prefer a liberal democracy, but if things get on top they know they have other options.
 
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