(November 29, 2016 at 1:22 pm)Minimalist Wrote: Opoponax
Looking at things in a historical perspective - 50+years - rather than our customary 24 hour news cycle these days, it is apparent to me that the long-term decline of the US began with the Vietnam War. We have never recovered from the anti-war divide which split the nation and which came relatively quickly on the heels of the Civil Rights struggle. As a nation we have not accomplished much if anything since the Apollo program which ended in 1972 just when Nixon was re-elected. Drumpf is certainly not the man to re-invigorate the nation. And this flag burning shit is exactly the type of wedge issue that republicunts have used to distract people from the fucking over they are getting from the upper 1%. Simple people need simple issues and that is the republicunts stock in trade.
I'm glad I'm old enough to know that when the end comes I'll be long gone. I do feel sorry for young kids today. They are going to grow up in a shitstorm.
I wouldn't be so sure about being too old to see the end. Trump takes the oath of office in January along with the Republican House and Senate.
There is a generally proffered opinion right now that Trump will be limited by checks and balances. But it's only hope dressed up in willful naiveté. The abuses of office witnessed under Bush/Cheney were by no means the extent of which the Executive can be abused.
And maybe I'm being alarmist, but I don't see GOP politicians having the backbone to stand up to Trump. They have marched in mindless lockstep for so long that it's become a kind of muscle memory for them. There will be a few dissenters, sure. But most will go along without much prodding. That means passed legislation and appointments to positions of power without much dissent, if any.
The Executive also controls federal policing power.
The FBI director is appointed by the President.
The head of the ATF is nominated by the President.
The President appoints the head of the CIA.
Et-fucking-cetera.
Trump is going to appoint those people. And those people will appoint those below them.
All that's going to be needed is marching orders.
Again, maybe I'm being paranoid. I hope so.
