Trump doesn’t keep anything secret. He is telling us his plans for his next stint as president. If he wins, it will be curtains for our democracy. He will be our first American tyrant.
Donald J. Trump and his allies are planning a sweeping expansion of presidential power over the machinery of government if voters return him to the White House in 2025, reshaping the structure of the executive branch to concentrate far greater authority directly in his hands.
Their plans to centralize more power in the Oval Office stretch far beyond the former president’s recent remarks that he would order a criminal investigation into his political rival, President Biden, signaling his intent to end the post-Watergate norm of Justice Department independence from White House political control.
Mr. Trump and his associates have a broader goal: to alter the balance of power by increasing the president’s authority over every part of the federal government that now operates, by either law or tradition, with any measure of independence from political interference by the White House, according to a review of his campaign policy proposals and interviews with people close to him.
Mr. Trump intends to bring independent agencies — like the Federal Communications Commission, which makes and enforces rules for television and internet companies, and the Federal Trade Commission, which enforces various antitrust and other consumer protection rules against businesses — under direct presidential control. (New York Times, July 17, 2023)
This manifesto tells us that if Trump wins he will centralize power in himself as president, take control of the media, deconstruct government so that he can exert his authority directly, as well as create and enforce rules for corporate America for his own personal benefit. He will punish his “enemies” by weaponizing the Department of Justice. In other words, Trump will rule America as a dictator.
This is totally un-American.
And yet the Republican Party is all in on ending our democracy in the next election. The end of democracy is brought to you by the Heritage Foundation representing the interests of right-wing organizations who are sick and tired of having to compromise and follow rules. They want to elect a bully who will run the show for their benefit. If it weren’t Trump it would be some other would be dictator.
“Project 2025,” (is) a coalition of more than 65 right-wing organizations putting in place personnel and policies to recommend not just to Trump, but to any Republican who may win in 2024. Project 2025 is led by the Heritage Foundation, once considered a conservative think tank, that helped to lead the Reagan revolution. (Heather Cox Richardson)
TRUMP’S EVOLUTION
Although Trump started out with people in his administration who acted as his guardrails, over time they were expelled one by one or they quit. By the end, right before January 6th, anyone who did not want do Trump’s bidding had been sidelined. January 6th happened in large part because Trump decided to listen only to the advisors who told him what he wanted to hear- that he had not in fact lost the election, and that it was stolen from him, and he could and should take action to stay in power. If Trump were to be reelected he would start out by installing only the people who tell him what he wants to hear who would support his deconstruction of democracy.
Trump now understands how to rule the country as the tyrant he wants to be. If he regains the presidency and tries to end our democracy, it will be a time of overwhelming chaos. Even if the other branches of government to try to stop him- our legal system (which respond too slowly as it is) will be overwhelmed with lawsuits to try to fight back and prevent him from doing what he is planning to do to our democratic system. Congress will be in chaos with nonstop fighting and gridlock. Americans will take to the streets in protest.
Do Americans understand what could be coming?
WHY DANGER IS BREWING
Danger is brewing because Trump WILL be the Republican nominee. He has just been sent a target letter by Jack Smith for his activities leading up to January 6th. This tells us he will be indicted for the third time- this time for his role in the January 6th insurrection although we do not yet know the extent of the charges. In the short run, that will only help Trump consolidate his base and make more money off of his cult followers. It will not lessen his hold on the GOP at least not immediately.
Biden will be the Democratic nominee. Even though Biden won last time, there is no guarantee he will win against Trump this time. Memories are short in America, voters are tribal in their alliances, and presidents are blamed for whatever isn’t going well in peoples’ lives. In addition, there is a powerful and extremely well funded anti-democratic movement afoot in America with Fox News and other rightwing megaphones spreading mis and dis information and the Heritage Foundation and 65 conservative organizations on board “Project 2025”.
BIDEN HAS BEEN A GREAT PRESIDENT
Biden has done a brilliant job of getting us through the pandemic and out the other side, making sure our country has a soft landing economically instead of the hard landing Europe is experiencing (we have the lowest inflation rate of all the G7 countries), doing his best to keep abortion rights, human rights, and voting rights intact, trying to help students with crushing loan debt get out from under, trying to be sure that middle class Americans have a way forward, trying to push for climate change advances, lower gas prices, protecting the social safety net including Social Security, Medicaid and Medicare, getting infrastructure funding at long last and internet expansion into red rural areas of America, and he has been masterful when it comes to NATO and maintaining European support for the Ukrainian fight for democracy against Russia.
The Citi Economic Surprise Index — a quick-and-dirty snapshot of how the economy is faring against expectations — just hit its highest level in two years, Axios’ Matt Phillips writes.
- Why it matters: Last week’s great reports on weakening U.S. consumer inflation, slowing wholesale price increases, falling import prices and lower-than-expected claims for jobless benefits helped send the surprise index to the highest level in two years.
But Americans don’t yet seem to understand what Biden has done to help them. People complain that Biden is too old. Really? How well would you do taking a transatlantic flight followed by meeting after intense meeting with European leaders, then attending dinners, and then fielding tough questions from reporters? Trump spent most of his time in the Oval Office watching TV, by-the-way. It’s not like that guy was energetically trying to help Americans have better lives. He was laser focused on getting himself and his rich cronies more money. But Biden’s approvals currently malinger at 40% despite performing very well as president.
House Republicans have gone bananas trying to try to find something, anything! to brand him with. They tried using Hunter Biden’s laptop to prove Joe Biden was corrupt, (Illogical for starters. They aren’t the same person). Then the so-called big deal whistleblower that would expose the Biden crime family turned out to be a Chinese spy who was MIA because he is on the run from the FBI because he broke the law and lied. Now Hunter Biden has pleaded guilty to misdemeanor tax violations. Big deal. Can we talk about Trump’s crime family and their violations? What about Jared and his Saudi money? What about Trump forcing everyone on his presidential traveling team to stay at his hotels and overcharging them at taxpayers expense when he was president? And how many times did that guy play golf after dissing Obama for playing golf?
Biden isn’t corrupt. Much to the chagrin of the MAGAs. So the House Weaponization Committee led by James Comer comes up dry again and again. First they make wacky claims and then they run around like chickens with their heads cut off trying to find evidence to support those claims. But they can’t. Because the claims are garbage. If Biden were corrupt we would have heard about it by now. It’s not like the Republicans haven’t had time to ferret out Biden’s alleged misdeeds. The guy is very boring. So the fishing expeditions by the GOP keep coming up empty. They are wasting our taxpayer dollars with these stupid investigations. And now MTG has lowered the bar in the House even more by displaying a nude photo of Hunter Biden taken from his laptop. Is that supposed to be damaging to Joe Biden somehow? OMG.
But are Americans watching? Do they care that Trump has vowed to be the first American tyrant? Are they tired of being worried about democracy? Are Americans hoping they can go on with their lives because Biden is president and Trump is out of office, so, nothing to worry about here?
DICTATORSHIPS ARE AWFUL
Our family recently went to Portugal for a vacation. We were surprised and delighted to find a vibrant country that is living the promise of a multicultural democracy better than we are in the United States. We arrived in Lisbon as they were celebrating gay rights with a street parade and festival. They have banned Amazon so that small businesses can flourish. Portugal is a thriving multicultural democracy in part because they suffered through the longest dictatorship in Europe (41 years). They know how horrible that can be.
We in America don’t get it… at least not yet. Salazar was like Hitler and other dictators. Dictators crush free speech. They have to because they are so unpopular. Dictators take over the justice system to imprison people they don’t want to have a voice.
The Salazar dictatorship (1932-1974) was based on a one party system, which used the secret police PIDE as a central instrument of violence and oppression against political opponents. Strongly modeled on Fascist Italy under Mussolini, the dictator António de Oliveira Salazar introduced “a new state”, “Estado Novo”, which was supported by a coalition of the military, the Catholic Church, business enterprises and large landowners.
Most of the written testimonies include haunting descriptions of mental and physical torture carried out by the infamous secret police of the time, PIDE. Some former prisoners also describe their experiences at Tarrafal, the most notorious Portuguese concentration camp for revolting military officers, communists and other opposition figures. Later, prisoners came to include members of the anti-colonial independence movements in Angola, Cape Verde, Mozambique and Guinea-Bissau as well. The camp was built and operated along the lines of camps run by the Nazi regime – camp management, senior officers and guards even visited German concentration camps on so-called “training courses”.
FACISIM AMERICAN STYLE
We are currently experiencing a fascist political movement.
Fascism is a mass political movement that emphasizes extreme nationalism, militarism, and the supremacy of both the nation and the single, powerful leader over the individual citizen.
The Republican Party is elevating extremists, allowing them to be the loudest voices in the MAGA infested House. Even Marjorie Taylor Greene is not extreme enough for them. They kicked her out of the so called Freedom Caucus. There are no heroic Republican voices left. No John McCains. None of them call out the MAGAs. They are complicit or silent.
As part of the playbook to take down democracy, MAGA Republicans badmouth our Justice Department, FBI, and intelligence services, and want to get rid of the “deep state”- the every day administrators who make our democracy work well because they follow the rules that everyone abides by. Republicans call our military too “woke”, (which is truly insane.) Florida’s Governor DeSantis is another manifestation of toxic rightwing extremism in America. He is trying to make Florida into a model autocratic state where HE is the all powerful dictator: books are banned, he fires a duly elected States Attorney he doesn’t like, he forces schools to cater to a Christian national agenda by replacing their governing boards, the state house under his direction pass laws telling people what they can and cannot do with their bodies, corporations like Disney are punished for being welcoming to all Americans, Florida residents who are not likely to vote for him get their votes suppressed, and everyone can just walk around everywhere armed with guns without needing training or permits.
This is not freedom. This is the opposite of freedom.
WE NEED TO WAKE UP AND STAY AWAKE
There is a lot we can do to stop these American fascists from winning the next election. Now is the time to get active.
- Support Joe Biden and stop whining about him!! He is doing a great job. Tell everyone you know that he is the right guy for the job.
- Get involved in election protection. Be an election worker or administrator.
- Get active canvassing and talking with voters.
- Have conversations with your friends and family about why you cannot support Republicans and why they are so scary.
- Support causes that support democracy in America.
- Share this blog post to help people understand what’s coming.