People fantasize about going back in time to kill baby Hitler. By all measures Trump would like to be a new Hitler and his most fervent supporters see him as that. Is it surprising people would support such an action to stop him?
I don’t know if you’re being sarcastic but I talked to a friend last night who lives in Mississippi and he said that he talks to people who think that Trump is legit a good Christiana and a good person.
Dunno much about it, I’m not american, but at what I could find with a quick online search, it looks pretty awful. Looks nowhere near the control you’d need for a dictatorship.
Not only is it terrible, it’s an actual threat to democracy.
I don’t know how anyone is surprised though. When you use words like “Nazi” and “existential threat” and “threat to our democracy” it can’t be a shock when someone tries to become a historic hero for taking out the supposed next Hitler, and people who buy into that propaganda language are going to cheer them on and want more of it. They’re frothing at the mouth, imagining they’re on the right side of history.
I get what the Dems are trying to do with pushing that language, but it really is playing with fire. It was a 50/50 chance that they could get him ineligible to run, alive or dead, and they’ve lost each bet.
OceanSoap being loaded into the train car: “Ok guys, any minute now will be the prime opportunity to stop these fascist guys. Just remember to consider both sides, they might have a really good reason for taking us out to this isolated camp.”
Calling the traitorous self-serving felon that caused an actual attack on the government and the Democratic process “a threat to democracy” seems tame, honestly. And that’s not even getting into his promises to jail political opponents, be a dictator on day one, suspend the constitution, call the free press an enemy of the people, and claim absolute authority and absolute immunity.
But then that whole political group also seems convinced that a barely progressive status quo “let’s work together” administration is literally totalitarian tyranny.
On top of that, if trump would have been killed, there is technically nothing stopping the US from postponing elections, coming up with an intermediate solution to have a functioning government without a D. president (like, no appointing of judges and such) and then have an election next year when the Republicans had enough time to find a new candidate.
If trump pushes through the things he said he’d do and what his supporters are supporting like project 2025, there’s a real chance that there are no actually democratic elections in 2028. And this is ignoring the fact that gerrymandering and the electoral college are already questionable and regularly abused by or benefit Republicans the most.
I see republican voters shooting republican candidates as pretty much reasonable outcome rather than some newly emergent threat to democracy. Trump made his image himself, it was him who decided to harass miniorities and brag about reading Mein Kampf often. It was him who made republican message extreme, provoked an insurrection, had all those criminal charges and appointed obviously corrupt judges. He groomed americans into feeling insecure and threatened and radicalized a lot of them. I think random depressed kids trying to suicide by shooting him is the least he should expect, especially seeing that USA has a gun cult focused around right to bear arms against threats to democracy. Also a child rapist, which alone is enough for millions of people to pull the trigger. You’re seriously blaming his bad image on anyone else?
Right, sorry, it was his wife that outed him for having Hitler speeches book “My New Order” back in 1990, which he apparently kept in a cabinet next to his bed. In the interview he also admitted having a copy of Mein Kampf, though he never openly claimed to read that book often. When he quoted Hitler in 2023 he said it was just a coincidence. Which caused no one to feel uneasy, no one at all. His former chief of staff claimed that Trump praised Hitler for doing some good things, like rebuilding the economy.
So right, sorry, I mixed the “Mein Kampf” for “My New Order”, and it was his wife that outed that, he only confirmed.
Do you have a source for Biden paying off that kid?
Also, Trump should serve time for the financial crimes he committed outside of being president. Him being in prison wouldn’t be that much of an issue for a lot of his fans
After thinking about this REALLY REALLY HARD…offing him will do nothing to stop the creep of facism. You have an entire party now aligned with the idealogices that the 3rd Reich had. And it’s the entire party. MAGA killed the GOP after they got rid of Cheney. You cut one head off and 3 more will pop up identical to him…with vindication. Its going to be a yearly struggle and I’m afraid we won’t be able to hold them back forever.
After thinking about this REALLY REALLY HARD…offing him will do nothing to stop the creep of [fascism]
Who would step in to replace Trump? Trump has worked hard to discredit anybody who could potentially challenge him. Strongmen often groom a son to take over for them, but only after they’ve been in power for many years. Trump might want Junior to take over, but I doubt even Trump’s hand-picked yes-men would accept Junior at this point.
Instead you’d almost certainly get a power vacuum with various Republican factions trying to take over.
You cut one head off and 3 more will pop up
And those 3 would start snapping at each-other trying to become the dominant head. And, as long as they’re distracted snapping at each-other, they’re not going to be focusing on us.
IMO, Trump is also the only thing holding this right-wing coalition together. As soon as he’s gone the factions are going to turn on each-other. The bad thing is that they’ve already shown that they’re going to get violent when they feel their grip on power is slipping. I’m sure this assassination attempt is going to lead to right-wing violence, and if it had succeeded it would have been a lot more violence.
The most dangerous thing about Trump is that he’s he’s got almost half the US behind him. There are probably more cruel Republicans, and probably some who would be more effective at implementing their cruel policies. But, not many who would be able to get so much support and keep the coalition together.
The Republican base is getting smaller each year as old people die. It’s not a popular platform with the younger voters. If the US can avoid a Trump win this year, the MAGA version of the Republican party will probably fall apart. Then it will be back to the regular corporatocracy that the US has been dealing with for decades. If he does win… well I’m glad I don’t live in the US.
I believe the same. Want it or not, Trump has the charisma that nobody else in the party does. And the luck. My only hope to stop the madness was to have Trump losing the election then dropping dead by natural causes after. That’d be safest way to take all his followers out of the spell. I really don’t see any other way for his cult to end. Then the right wing extremists go back to hate in their closets and, if democrats are smart, keep having more moderate candidates like Biden and reign the extreme left as well.
It would have to be a big loss. If it’s at all close, there’s going to be a lot of violence.
The only other thing I could think of that could end things without a lot more violence is if a scandal finally stuck to him and resulted in him losing support. Like, the Epstein stuff. The right has spent years getting their base riled up against pedophiles and groomers. If people believed that Trump really was a pedophile, it could finally sink him. But, nothing seems to stick to him.
Whatever happens, I hope scholars can study him and figure out why he’s so charismatic to so many people. I don’t get it. I look at him and I see a dumb, fat blow-hard who lies constantly and can’t even string a sentence together. Yet, for some reason, other people look at that and see a hero.
If I have a bowl of rice, and one of the grains is actively trying to end my way of life, I don’t mind when someone shoots at it with an assault rifle.
First of all: rice doesn’t have that kind of agency
Second of all: shooting at a grain of rice in your bowl with an assault rifle is many times more likely to hit you than that specific grain of rice
Third, if that’s REALLY the best analogy you could think of, you should just stop the whole “communicating your thoughts to other people” thing. Evidently it’s not something you’re ever going to get the hang of.
Fourth and finally: a propos of nothing except the fact that I just listened to an episode of My Brother, My Brother, and Me, horses are overrated, and not just by the McElroy brothers.
It’s pretty wishful thinking to think Proj 2025 and all the other MAGAs are going to fade away after the orange man is gone. Did you not see De Santis’ support before Trump entered the race?
No, the person most likely to end democracy will advocate rolling back freedoms to ‘preserve’ it, or to punish the wicked people that are considered their political enemies. The most likely person won’t be a Democrat, but will almost certainly be a leftist that starts their own populist political party
Fascism has always been a right wing ideology. While leftists have made some terrible mistakes, you shouldn’t pretend they are the only or main threat to democracy.
Leftists don’t believe America can be saved, they wouldn’t “roll back freedoms,” whatever the heck that means, they would dismantle the state and build up a new one.
So, for all your haunted ideals, at the end of the day, you are no better than him. You are a narcissistic person that gets a perverse pleasure from the suffering of your perceived political enemies
Well, what if the guy that took Hitlers place was every bit as evil, but wasn’t a bumbling idiot in military matters? Worse yet, what if he gave his scientist budgets and told them to make super weapons with no real interference? The first atomic bomb could have dropped on Bristol or Leningrad, instead of Hiroshima
There was plenty of resistance to the Nazis rise to power, until the Nazis consolidated power and suppressed it. Any authoritarian leader in 1930s Germany would have done the same thing. Remember, if you’re taking out Hitler before 1931, all the factors that allowed him to rise to power are still there, like the great depression and the treaty of Versailles. Anyone becoming a dictator during that time would have done so likely by some variation of Hilters playback with much the same results
Yes, the liberals generally aligned with the fascists against the antifascist left. This consolidation of power did happen because of the material conditions in Weimar Germany, you are absolutely correct. However, that does not mean killing Hitler would have been worthless.
History does not move by Great Man Theory, we agree on this. At the same time, fighting Nazi leaders does harm the Nazi movement.
I understand your position but I think you’re wrong. Fascists always, without exception, need a “charismatic” leader like the Nazis with Hitler or the Russians with Putin. There’s currently only Trump who can fill that role. It’s of course possible that another such person appears out of nowhere, but I don’t see anyone on their side. Trump was a TV star and tacky racist celeb (birthed) since the 80s. His brand isn’t new, he build it over a long time. Who do you think would fill his shoes if yesterday’s attempt had succeeded? There’s no one.
Raegan was a similar character previously. I don’t doubt they will arise again. Certainly, there are many Republicans with the same reactionary politics.
That’s not what Great Man Theory is. Trump is an excellent example of why Great Man Theory is wrong. Great Man Theory just states that history is guided by influential figures, which is wrong. The Material Conditions of society determine what ideas dominate, and thus people appearing to be influential become popular.
You’re arguing whether the GM theory is right or wrong, I’m saying to Trump supporters, it doesn’t matter, he’s their “Great Man”, they’ve fallen for the idea that a Great Man will fix all their problems. Because they are stupid and believe in false ideals. That’s why I’m getting the impression you’re trying to show off how much you know instead of engaging with the actual topic. Do you need a pat on the back?
You’re arguing whether the GM theory is right or wrong
Not quite. I know it’s wrong, my argument is that your analysis of Trump is wrong because it assumes Great Man Theory is correct, ie Trump’s views will die with him and there couldn’t be a successor.
I’m saying to Trump supporters, it doesn’t matter, he’s their “Great Man”, they’ve fallen for the idea that a Great Man will fix all their problems. Because they are stupid and believe in false ideals.
This isn’t Great Man Theory on the part of Trump Supporters. Trump Supporters hold fascist views because of their material conditions, not because Trump convinced them to.
That’s why I’m getting the impression you’re trying to show off how much you know instead of engaging with the actual topic. Do you need a pat on the back?
No, I genuinely was making a point, attacking it for having an understood meaning undermines your position.
We’ve missed the exit for the third-best timeline that still involves That Guy: the one where Donnie bites the dust before the elections. Unless someone fills the guy’s plane with Anthrax or something like that, we’re still on track for locking in the USA as a failed state.
(the second best timeline with That Guy would be the one where he simply loses the election. The very best would be where the DOJ makes something stick against him & he’s disqualified before the elections.)
Let’s also face it, if there’s a candidate that’s so divisive that someone looks at the massive security apparatus for people like him and still think it’s worth trying to assassinate him, that would be grounds - at least for me - to re-evaluate whether the candidate is the right guy.
We’re getting into paradox of tolerance territory, tbh. I’m not upset that supporters of fascism were killed.
I am upset that the guy with the rifle didn’t have better aim (if indeed that was actually how everything went down, and it wasn’t staged in one way or another, because there are several fishy things about this).
i wouldn’t know, according to them and their folks, my friends and family and I are not people, so I guess my definition of that must differ. moreover, I don’t dispense sympathy for people who would cheer and support the news that me and mine have been hunted down and shot in the street. I don’t sympathize with the aggressors. I’ve just been trying to mind my own business and live my life as best I can, but these people (in sudden newfound need of sympathy and feelings of safety, lmao) have been talking for years of purges of non-Whites and gays, and civil wars, and rounding up the undesirables (that’s me, apparently, by virtue of birth) to clean up the country. might as well be asking me to sympathize with a school shooter over his hearing damage from not wearing earplugs while he mowed down a classroom.
Yeah… Surviving that basically won him the election.
Not if everyone making this assumption gets out and votes, rather than staying at home and assuming they’ve already lost. The left outnumber the right after all. Losing is a turnout issue.
There’s still time for the DNC to swap Biden out for a more electable candidate and energize their own base again, for what it’s worth, though at this point I think the DNC wants to lose so they can secure more funding.
You’re on Lemmy, outside of explicitly anti-communist spaces like Lemmy.world you’re going to find more leftists.
Leftists referring to Liberals negatively is standard leftism, as Liberals support the Capitalist status quo and stand in the way of progress. The fact that Republicans are even further right than Liberals and use Lib as a slur for people less right wing does not mean leftists are without “self-awareness.”
You could read theory if you want to, plenty of people would be willing to share tips and pointers, then you wouldn’t have to rely on edgeless snark.