I’m honestly torn. Trump is definitely being “handled” by the Project 2025 architects (the Heritage Foundation), but he is such an idiotic narcissistic ass that he also tends to fuck their plans up a bit. Vance, on the other hand, will be a dutiful little soldier boy, and not get in their way so much - which is why the HF got Trump to pick him despite the bad blood between them. I’m really a bit more scared of that - kind of a “be careful what you wish for” situation.
You’re forgetting that cults don’t continue when the leader is gone. Trump doesn’t his entire life getting people to believe him and love him or hate him he is good at it. Vance sucks. No one likes him and he will not be able to continue the grift when Donny dies. They have no one past him that can handle the base and the party. There is going to be a lot more pain when he is gone because of all the fighting. Better case unfortunately would be for midterms to happen then he dies then at least there’s a chance the GOP won’t have full control over the government
These are just taking in the cults that have succeeded. It’s survivorship bias. There’s countless more cults that have died out, or faded away time, and time again.
That’s kinda what I mean - if Trump dies now, the HF still has plenty of time left before the midterms to do the most damage possible using Vance. I’m sure they have their marionette strings tied to enough Republican Congress critters to get their stuff done even without Trump’s bullying & they can coach Vance on the rest. If Trump goes, I think I’d rather it be a LOT closer to the midterm election.
ETA: Don’t forget they’re the party in power, and can change all sorts of things that will affect their chances in the election, too. Those things don’t have to hold up legally, just cause legal delays that let them keep power.
All true, but we are very near a point with USA where Vance doesn’t need a cult following, he can rule as a dictator supported by oligarchs. He already has the military and intelligence services and the supreme court. The rest will follow, as resistance is weeded out by those powers.
They’re still going to be loyal to the party because they’ve been brainwashed to think Democrats (who are unfortunately the only other viable option) are out to destroy them & their way of life. It’s gonna take a long time for that to wear off for any significant number of them - during which time another acolyte may be found to carry the torch.
I think the cult will carry a torch for Trump, and Vance - as Trump’s “chosen” successor - can be coached by the HF (likely already has been) to rally the troops effectively enough to achieve their goals. I agree Vance is likely to fuck something up enough eventually to turn the base off, but not right away - and that’s possibly just enough time to do a lot more damage.
Don’t get me wrong - I hope I’m wrong and you’re right - but I just can’t be sure, and so am hoping for the best while planning for the worst.
I would prefer that, too, but reality is that’s extremely unlikely to happen. As such, I’m more focused on getting through this so the damage can be undone as quickly as possible.
I think the incredible amount of shit he’s been able to get away with demonstrates that there’s virtually no chance of him being removed from office by the current Congress. He could probably murder someone, and as long as they were unimportant to Republicans he’d get away with it.
No, unfortunately it was not a hold. It was an unconditional discharge. Basically a sentence of nothing. There will be no consequences for him committing all those felonies.
I have no hope for him to face real punishment. My greatest hope is that her suffers real badly in the polls and is terribly unliked - so badly his consonant dissonance has to be at full steam trying to gaslight out of it.
There’s a pretty high chance that he will go unpunished until the day he dies, so you’re going to want to plan for getting justice in other ways. Probably from people who are still alive at that point.
With his caretakers who are relatives of those he whose lives he ruined and secretly torture him whenever no one else is around and he can’t tell anyone.
There are more important things than that you get to see an old man unhappy. In the grand scheme, it doesn’t matter compared to the ongoing global chaos and harm to humans.
Punishing Trump is about the ongoing global chaos and harm to humans. The people most responsible for perpetrating these crimes see themselves as beyond the law. They need to see that there are lines that, if they cross the line, they will die in disgrace like a common criminal.
At this point it is more important to not have him damage the world any further than to get justice. I’ll be happy if he stops being president even if he doesn’t get any sort of justice coming for him. This just has to stop.
Sorry if anyone got their hopes up.
I’m honestly torn. Trump is definitely being “handled” by the Project 2025 architects (the Heritage Foundation), but he is such an idiotic narcissistic ass that he also tends to fuck their plans up a bit. Vance, on the other hand, will be a dutiful little soldier boy, and not get in their way so much - which is why the HF got Trump to pick him despite the bad blood between them. I’m really a bit more scared of that - kind of a “be careful what you wish for” situation.
You’re forgetting that cults don’t continue when the leader is gone. Trump doesn’t his entire life getting people to believe him and love him or hate him he is good at it. Vance sucks. No one likes him and he will not be able to continue the grift when Donny dies. They have no one past him that can handle the base and the party. There is going to be a lot more pain when he is gone because of all the fighting. Better case unfortunately would be for midterms to happen then he dies then at least there’s a chance the GOP won’t have full control over the government
I mean, Scientology is doing pretty well since the death of L Ron Hubbard.
And Mormonism, The Children of God/The Family, Aleph/Aum Shinrikyo, etc.
Hell, Christianity pretty much started as a Roman era cult around Jesus.
These are just taking in the cults that have succeeded. It’s survivorship bias. There’s countless more cults that have died out, or faded away time, and time again.
That’s kinda what I mean - if Trump dies now, the HF still has plenty of time left before the midterms to do the most damage possible using Vance. I’m sure they have their marionette strings tied to enough Republican Congress critters to get their stuff done even without Trump’s bullying & they can coach Vance on the rest. If Trump goes, I think I’d rather it be a LOT closer to the midterm election.
ETA: Don’t forget they’re the party in power, and can change all sorts of things that will affect their chances in the election, too. Those things don’t have to hold up legally, just cause legal delays that let them keep power.
All true, but we are very near a point with USA where Vance doesn’t need a cult following, he can rule as a dictator supported by oligarchs. He already has the military and intelligence services and the supreme court. The rest will follow, as resistance is weeded out by those powers.
That is the goal of Project 2025 and the Heritage Foundation.
The goal isn’t so much who leads it, as long as it’s the wealthy white Christian Nationalists.
Oh yes, I don’t think Trump planned this alone, he simply doesn’t have the brains for it.
Trump, like the other billionaires involved in HF, definitely had a part in crafting it.
Probably less of a “this is how we do it” and more of a “who do I have to grift to get what I want?”
I agree. Hopefully without popular support we could get his grip to crumble from within if enough people despise him both internally and externally.
Yeah but MAGA doesn’t have cult leader boner for Vance. They wouldn’t let him shit in their mouths. Trump on the other hand…
They’re still going to be loyal to the party because they’ve been brainwashed to think Democrats (who are unfortunately the only other viable option) are out to destroy them & their way of life. It’s gonna take a long time for that to wear off for any significant number of them - during which time another acolyte may be found to carry the torch.
I disagree. As I said, they will not let Vance shit in their mouths.
I think the cult will carry a torch for Trump, and Vance - as Trump’s “chosen” successor - can be coached by the HF (likely already has been) to rally the troops effectively enough to achieve their goals. I agree Vance is likely to fuck something up enough eventually to turn the base off, but not right away - and that’s possibly just enough time to do a lot more damage.
Don’t get me wrong - I hope I’m wrong and you’re right - but I just can’t be sure, and so am hoping for the best while planning for the worst.
Caption: “My disappointment is immeasurable and my day is ruined.”
What the fuck was he reviewing? I watched a couple of his food reviews before, but never had the honor of seeing whatever thing from Popeye’s.
I believe he was taste-testing the Popeye’s chicken sandwich
I went and did the work I should have before asking. It wasn’t their chicken sammy, it was the cheddar biscuit butterfly shrimp.
I don’t want Trump dead. I want to see him pay in some way for his countless crimes.
If he just dies because he’s old, then he’s never faced any justice.
I would prefer that, too, but reality is that’s extremely unlikely to happen. As such, I’m more focused on getting through this so the damage can be undone as quickly as possible.
He’s been convicted of 34 felonies. If he is removed from his position due to poor health, for example, he can at least be sentenced.
I think the incredible amount of shit he’s been able to get away with demonstrates that there’s virtually no chance of him being removed from office by the current Congress. He could probably murder someone, and as long as they were unimportant to Republicans he’d get away with it.
He already was sentenced for that. He can’t be re-sentenced. Unfortunately.
How did I miss that? I thought his sentencing was simply delayed. “Unconditional discharge”? Fuck that.
He wasn’t sentenced (given the terms of the punishment) yet right? The judge, put that step on hold for after his term.
No, unfortunately it was not a hold. It was an unconditional discharge. Basically a sentence of nothing. There will be no consequences for him committing all those felonies.
I have no hope for him to face real punishment. My greatest hope is that her suffers real badly in the polls and is terribly unliked - so badly his consonant dissonance has to be at full steam trying to gaslight out of it.
did you mean cognitive dissonance?
There’s a pretty high chance that he will go unpunished until the day he dies, so you’re going to want to plan for getting justice in other ways. Probably from people who are still alive at that point.
I also don’t want him dead. I want him locked in after a massive stroke.
He could be double locked in. Locked in syndrome while locked in prison.
With his caretakers who are relatives of those he whose lives he ruined and secretly torture him whenever no one else is around and he can’t tell anyone.
There are more important things than that you get to see an old man unhappy. In the grand scheme, it doesn’t matter compared to the ongoing global chaos and harm to humans.
Punishing Trump is about the ongoing global chaos and harm to humans. The people most responsible for perpetrating these crimes see themselves as beyond the law. They need to see that there are lines that, if they cross the line, they will die in disgrace like a common criminal.
Would making Trump face justice undo any of his crimes?
The same could be said for any crimes, yet we still punish those criminals. I simply think he should be held to account like any other human would be.
Exactly, punishment as a concept is a backwards method of solving crime.
So, the solution in your opinion is…?
Rehabilitation and harm reduction.
At this point it is more important to not have him damage the world any further than to get justice. I’ll be happy if he stops being president even if he doesn’t get any sort of justice coming for him. This just has to stop.
you think this will end with dumpy? The oligarchs have already planned for dumpy’s demise. The call him baby faced vance.
They won’t get far without the support of Americans. Vance won’t rally the Trump cultists.
It’s not an actual dictatorship. Yet.
I don’t even care if he dies, just let him drool in a corner somewhere.
It would certainly mitigate the impact of his crimes on his many victims.
How so?
Well JD said he was ready to step into the president’s position. Maybe he was disappointed, or ahead of himself a bit.