Mornin’ Politocadoes!
As we head into the homestretch of the 2024 Presidential election the candidates have begun to make their closing statements. Trump’s arguments can be summed up as a cosmic gumbo of racism, blood oaths of vengeance, French fries, and awkward dancing. His opponent Kamala Harris has made the case for the Ex-President to be manifestly unfit for office: incompetent, greedy, vicious, and actively destructive to the very principles that are the foundation of the country.
Harris called Trump a fascist in a CNN town hall. The quiet part finally being said out loud. It came after Trump’s longest serving Chief of Staff, John Kelly, was interviewed in the NY Times and The Atlantic and warned that Trump meets the definition of a fascist. Kelly’s interview also brought to light certain things Trump wanted in his administration: loyalty uber alles. He also repeatedly showed an admiration for Adolf Hitler and his Nazi generals.
It being too little, too late aside, having someone like Kelly opine that Trump is an existential danger to the United States is important. We have a tendency to memory hole administrations and having someone like him pop back up helps. It is a reminder that we’ve already had him in office. There’s no reason to think he’s changed or that things are gonna turn out fine. It was bad last time around. The difference is that there were people willing to curb his impulses.
Harris went on to repeat her warnings. The guardrails will be off for Trump this time around. There are less people willing to tell him no, there will be fewer bureaucrats willing to ignore what he orders and hopes he forgets about it. There will not be some secret resistance in the White House. The True Believers will be coming into the office with him and the dismantling of the government will begin in earnest.
Trump has sometimes been described as an opportunistic fascist in that he doesn’t have to be ideologically fascist, he just needs to be egomaniacal and corrupt. People can quibble about how much of a fascist Trump actually is but it doesn’t matter. If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it’s a fascist goddamn duck. The fact we have to relitigate this point after his own dang Beerhall Putsch nearly four years ago is ridiculous in itself.
Welcome to Thursday! Please be excellent to each other in the comments. The Mayor McSquirrel Rule remains in effect. Something to keep in mind! Police are using digital data to prosecute abortion seekers, and Facebook and Google are helping them! Even if they are not legally required to do so, the tech giants will aid them in this since it’s technically against the law. Please be careful when looking for abortion providers or helping someone who is looking for that assistance.
The Covid-19 pandemic continues even if the emergencies end, continue to vaccinate using the latest version of the FDA approved vaccines by Phizer and Moderna. Even if you are vaccinated, please continue to maintain social distancing measures in accordance with current CDC guidelines. Also, according to recent polls approximately 50% of adults are not planning on getting their Covid-19 boosters. So please get them and older adults should also look to be vaccinated for RSV!