What does a TRUMP presidency look like?

[Tamas]

Ladies and gentlemen this is why Trump wins: he shouts, yells simple "truths" freely ignoring facts that do not support his point, and bending or making up those that do.

And then in comes John Kerry, calls out Trump's outrageous Ukraine comments by discussing that "well yeah peace is possible and Trump genuinly wants it"

THE FUCK

I mean, am I going crazy? I feel like we are on the precipice of both the (remnants of) international stability and US democracy fatally breaking, and then the side who is supposed to be fighting it comes with these "well yeah on one hand this is mildly miffing, on the other hand there is a possible constellation of hidden and uncharacteristic motivations and unrealistic agendas that if all came through this might not be a big deal".

Here's the quote:

Former US state secretary John Kerry said "the basic playing field for making peace in Ukraine is there," as he rejected Donald Trump's suggestions that Ukraine was responsible for starting the war with Russia and dismissed Russian president Vladimir Putin's logic for invasion as "lies."

Speaking at a London conference organised by the consultancy Brand Finance, Kerry, who served as the US state secretary in Barack Obama's Democratic administration, said this:

Putin individually decided, contrary to what Donald Trump said yesterday or day before, to invade Ukraine. He wants it back. ...

He said different motives expressed at different times, that it was Nazis taking over the country, and he had to go in to root out the Nazis. Well, come on, folks. I mean, that lie has been proved. There's so many lies.

Kerry lamented that "there is no system, unfortunately, by which Putin is accountable to anybody," with "a total lock" on communication, governance structure in Russia.

"I mean, we saw what happened to [Alexei] Navalny and other, many others, [Boris] Nemtsov, you name it, I mean, there are plenty people who just disappeared," he said.

"Everybody knows what is going on, so the answer is, yeah, that's evil," he said.

But, while criticising US defence secretary Pete Hegseth's comments at Nato, he insisted that Trump "is trying to find a peace," even if "it may not be the way that you or I would choose to go about the process."

He argued that in his view "the basic playing field for making peace in Ukraine is there."

And why do I say that? Because I think all of the parties need to end the war. And the question is, can you be clever enough, dexterous enough to put together the ingredients, which should be done quietly and privately, not with daily releases on who's asking for what and doing what?

That's not the way to affect really good peace diplomacy, because you do have to have a compromise, and you've got to have the capacity for that compromise.

And if you close in too much, raising expectations, or getting one group really pissed off because they believe you're about to give away the store, they'll come at you, and then that blocks you from doing what you need to do. There is a place of reasonableness in how to resolve Ukraine.

[Valmy]

Yeah that was certainly how it went during his first term. Trump would do something obviously bad and destructive or say something very unbecoming of a President and then all the enlightened centrists would come in to explain it was actually brilliant or 5-D chess or he means well or whatever. I think it is an attempt to influence him in some way.

It does make you feel like a crazy person. And yes that is how he wins. Everything he does and says gets sanewashed and normalized.

[Oexmelin]

Or apparently, people become bored and numbed.

It wouldn't be so shocking if Americans hadn't build a whole self-mythology about freedom, resistance to tyranny, etc.

[grumbler]

Or apparently, people become bored and numbed.

It wouldn't be so shocking if Americans hadn't build a whole self-mythology about freedom, resistance to tyranny, etc.

Indeed. And those most insistent on the validity of that myth are the ones most determined to undermine all the principals that myth extols. "Freedom of religion DEMANDS that we put the Ten Commandments in  every classroom!" and so forth.

I am truly mystified as to why so many Americans decided that eliminating the mythical "woke" was more important than retaining constitutional government.

[Valmy]

Or apparently, people become bored and numbed.

It wouldn't be so shocking if Americans hadn't build a whole self-mythology about freedom, resistance to tyranny, etc.

I think we are talking about different things. I am talking about the reaction to various experts and political leaders to Trump's insane actions and pronouncements. People like John Kerry.

[HVC]

Or apparently, people become bored and numbed.

It wouldn't be so shocking if Americans hadn't build a whole self-mythology about freedom, resistance to tyranny, etc.

The joy of mythology is you can pivot. Now they're resisting the tyranny of the left.

[mongers]

Today marks the 1 month Trumpaversary. It's gonna be a long 4(?) years.

Well if we aim to stay at this fever pitch. Scanning the threads on first page, one would get the impression that most other things in the world have gone on pause.

Yes you're right, currently there's a unfolding famine in the Nuba mountains of Southern Sudan, SAP aren't allowing any aid in, a total of just 3 doctors in the whole region; largely not covered by western media.


But then again we just might be living through a pivotal moment in history?

[crazy canuck]

Is the state really just rolling over and playing dead?

Everybody is.

Odd given a lawsuit was immediately filed and the governor supports it.

That lawsuit and five bucks will get you a cup of coffee at Starbucks.

As I think we have discussed before the court system and our system of justice, generally relies on people acting within the rule of law. When something like this happens, the courts get overwhelmed. Not just because it takes years for a court case to wend its way through the system, but there is simply not enough judges, and not enough courtrooms to hear all of the cases that could potentially be filed based on the actions of the Trump administration in the last three weeks.

Add to that the fact that the Republicans have successfully infiltrated the court system with stooges, and I start to wonder why you would have any faith that filing a lawsuit means anything.

[The Brain]

Are any US military personnel prepared to defend the Constitution against enemies domestic?

[DGuller]

I never understood why people got reassurance from the concept that US military swears to protect the constitution.  If Supreme Court can interpret the constitution to be whatever it wants it to be, why do we expect the military to be any different, especially when for them one of the possible interpretations would require exposing themselves to court martial?  Never mind the fact that many of them would be consuming Fox News while mulling over what the founding fathers intended?

[Valmy]

I never understood why people got reassurance from the concept that US military swears to protect the constitution.  If Supreme Court can interpret the constitution to be whatever it wants it to be, why do we expect the military to be any different, especially when for them one of the possible interpretations would require exposing themselves to court martial?  Never mind the fact that many of them would be consuming Fox News while mulling over what the founding fathers intended?

Yeah, from what I understand the military is not exactly the bastion of the anti-Trump resistance and Fox News is normally what is playing at most military bases from what I understand.

[Barrister]

And then in comes John Kerry, calls out Trump's outrageous Ukraine comments by discussing that "well yeah peace is possible and Trump genuinly wants it"

THE FUCK

You have to remember who John Kerry is and how he first rose to fame.

He fought in the Vietnam war, then came home and became a vocal critic, including throwing his medals away very publicly.

There were many principled reasons to be against the Vietnam war (and indeed any war) - but we also saw what happened in Vietnam when the war ended - the US withdrew and the North Vietnamese quickly won.

Same thing happened in Afghanistan.

John Kerry is just being true to himself on Ukraine as a peacenik.

[The Minsky Moment]

Is the state really just rolling over and playing dead?

Everybody is.

Odd given a lawsuit was immediately filed and the governor supports it.

Correct, the official line right now from the state is that whatever Trump thinks he did accomplished nothing; the MTA is continuing to implement the program and ignoring the administration rhetoric.  At the same time MTA is getting a declaratory judgment from the federal court to confirm the legality.

As of today, the state of New York is in open revolt against the royal government. Committees of correspondence welcome.

[The Minsky Moment]

Of course Trump genuinely wants peace.  Do you how many corrupt deals and billion-dollar kickbacks are being blocked because of the war?

[garbon]

Is the state really just rolling over and playing dead?

Everybody is.

Odd given a lawsuit was immediately filed and the governor supports it.

That lawsuit and five bucks will get you a cup of coffee at Starbucks.

As I think we have discussed before the court system and our system of justice, generally relies on people acting within the rule of law. When something like this happens, the courts get overwhelmed. Not just because it takes years for a court case to wend its way through the system, but there is simply not enough judges, and not enough courtrooms to hear all of the cases that could potentially be filed based on the actions of the Trump administration in the last three weeks.

Add to that the fact that the Republicans have successfully infiltrated the court system with stooges, and I start to wonder why you would have any faith that filing a lawsuit means anything.

You said "everyone is" in relation to rolling over and playing dead. New York is decidedly not doing that. Whether they are effective or not is immaterial to your claim