points by jauntywundrkind 2 days ago | 0 comments
i for one am pretty exhausted by "elections have consequences" being codeword for all previous rules systems norms obligations and institutions are totally ok to be thrown in the hopper. it's an exhausting and ridiculous shrug of the shoulder that in no way meets the moment, that is just the laziest "what can you do" nothing.
you'd hope that an internal insurrection against the United States would not be so ragingly popular. and part of the reason it's let slide, is so poorly seen as what it is is because of "elections have consequences". it's bad.
[–] madaxe_again 2 days ago
The US is hardly alone in this. The UK voted to shoot themselves in the face, because brown people are scary.
Elections (and referenda) do indeed have consequences.
It is however perfectly reasonable to look further up the causal chain and say "propaganda influences elections".
[–] ndsipa_pomu 2 days ago
The UK's Brexit fuck-up was somewhat different in that the referendum didn't have clear rules or objectives. No minimum majority was specified (e.g. referendum will often specify that there has to be >5% majority) and the "Brexit" was not at all specified which meant years of arguments about "soft" or "hard" Brexit.
I voted Remain, and it's not entirely fair to say that all pro-Brexiters were racist, but the racists did certainly vote that way.
[–] aaronblohowiak 1 day ago
I don’t want any of this to slide. I weep for the institutions that were destroyed, the faith in those institutions and our standing on the global stage. The apathy of voters, failures of Biden to step aside or the DNC to oust him in a timely manner and the alienation of the working class by the party that cares for them are all incredible failures. I dedicated thousands and thousands of dollars to attempt to stop DJTs reelection. “Elections have consequences” isn’t defeatest-it is a call to arms that people need to engage more in the election process.
[–] cosmicgadget 2 days ago
But that is exactly what happened. He ran on deportations, ending the war in Ukraine, and Project 2025. He explicitly said he was going to do as much as possible through executive action. SCOTUS has already shown its deference to him.
And the American people elected Trump and gave him both houses. There is very, little that can be done until his term is up. Norms mean nothing when you re-elect the guy famous for creating the world of alternative facts.
[–] cowlevel 2 days ago
[–] jauntywundrkind 2 days ago
49.8% of people voted for "this". After he disavowed Project 2025 which was a bit of a boogeyman prospect.
But, turns out, yes, he was Mr 2025. He also didn't care at all about affordability, medical costs (big promises of reproductive care access for example), or anything else. He elected himself to ally with dictators and foreign powers, to rip up and destroy the government.
We'll see but I don't think the people voted for this. And I don't think that one election entitles you to usurp the power of the purse from Congress, to use the FCC for jawboning, to use the DOJ as a puppet, to go after non-violent student protestors, to... It just goes on and on.
The people who did vote for this have been lied to by the Republican controlled media. The powell memorandum is real, and these people have been sold lies. It's almost a miracle that the truth is just so in the face of the lies that the propaganda lies sold to tear down and destroy the USA are going to be so evidently false that even huge swarths of red America won't be able to keep their head in the sand and slumber through another round of billionaire insurrection with the same ease they've supported it for for decades.
We don't get to just tear everything down because of one election.
[–] aaronblohowiak 1 day ago
Get and stay engaged in elections to prevent this. Norms and laws are only as powerful as the people in power.
[–] cosmicgadget 2 days ago
GOP voters will somehow find the sex trafficking cabal in the non-existent basement of a pizza parlor and Obama's illuminati connections but when asked to connect Trump to P2025 it's, "he said he hasn't read it, case closed."
> also didn't care at all about affordability, medical costs
If only the 2020 money printer or the ACA "repeal and replace" that never happened could have warned us of this.
> ally with dictators and foreign powers
Kim, Putin, MBS... all his best friends/financiers before 2024.
> We'll see but I don't think the people voted for this.
They either voted for this or they can't be bothered to use recent memory to inform their voting decisions.
> I don't think that one election entitles you to usurp the power of the purse from Congress...
For some, he's exactly the president to land these questions in front of the Supreme Court, whose majority loves unitary executive and hates stare decisis. For others, he's allowed to try without consequence because SCOTUS declared presidential actions to have absolute immunity.
[–] cowlevel 2 days ago