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Trump administration 2024-2028

Oldgateboatdriver said:
I suggest you look at Musk's DOGE people going into agencies to get access to classified documents, including peoples' social security info, etc., without having any clearance, and when confronted by the people who are tasked with protecting that information, having Trump's cronies remove them and fire them. I hate to make the analogy, but a private little gang of people above the law terrorizing people who are actually doing their job in order to gain info and control by fear over other people's lives for political/doctrinal reasons is exactly how the Gestapo came to be.
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Little bits and pieces of people acting without authority do not make authoritarianism. Those things happen in pretty much all governments, including those chosen by democratic means, regardless of which political parties dominate.

I reiterate, the US is not in imminent danger. When the courts at all levels, the legislative bodies, the police forces, the military forces, and the media all line up behind the leader (Trump), then it'll be authoritarianism. None of that happened during his first administration; none is likely to happen now.
 
Brad Sallows said:
Little bits and pieces of people acting without authority do not make authoritarianism. Those things happen in pretty much all governments, including those chosen by democratic means, regardless of which political parties dominate.

I reiterate, the US is not in imminent danger. When the courts at all levels, the legislative bodies, the police forces, the military forces, and the media all line up behind the leader (Trump), then it'll be authoritarianism. None of that happened during his first administration; none is likely to happen now.
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Authoritarianism isn’t a binary option that flicks on or off like a light switch. It advances in fits and starts as various institutions and mechanisms are captured and reinforce each other. He’s essentially has the Supreme Court since the immunity decision last summer. His party controls both houses of Congress and his Senate has been able to push through his nominations so far, including an absolute loyalist as SECDEF. He’s pulled in Musk & Co via an entity not authorized by any congressional action nor subject to confirmation or oversight and they’re taking over the federal bureaucracy wholesale. There’s an ongoing political and ideological purge in the executive branch. Inspectors General have been illegally purged without the required notice to Congress. Guardrails, checks, and balances are being knocked down across the border at a fierce rate.

If you don’t see it happening right now, you’d watch someone on fire and toss them sun screen.
 
brihard said:
Authoritarianism isn’t a binary option that flicks on or off like a light switch. It advances in fits and starts as various institutions and mechanisms are captured and reinforce each other. He’s essentially has the Supreme Court since the immunity decision last summer. His party controls both houses of Congress and his Senate has been able to push through his nominations so far, including an absolute loyalist as SECDEF. He’s pulled in Musk & Co via an entity not authorized by any congressional action nor subject to confirmation or oversight and they’re taking over the federal bureaucracy wholesale. There’s an ongoing political and ideological purge in the executive branch. Inspectors General have been illegally purged without the required notice to Congress. Guardrails, checks, and balances are being knocked down across the border at a fierce rate.

If you don’t see it happening right now, you’d watch someone on fire and toss them sun screen.
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I mean has there ever been a POTUS who nominated a SECDEF knowing they would oppose the CiC?

The voters voted for an ideological purge of the executive branch.

The pendulum is swinging back.

Your whole post is like a Rachel Maddow segment.
 
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QV said:
The voters voted for an ideological purge of the executive branch.
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More DOGE discoveries of where US tax payers dollars were going:

$1,500,000.00 to advance DEI in Serbia's workplace.
$70,000.00 for a production of a DEI musical in Ireland
$47,000.000 for a transgender opera in Colombia
$32,000.000 for a transgender comic book in Peru
 
Jarnhamar said:
More DOGE discoveries of where US tax payers dollars were going:

$1,500,000.00 to advance DEI in Serbia's workplace.
$70,000.00 for a production of a DEI musical in Ireland
$47,000.000 for a transgender opera in Colombia
$32,000.000 for a transgender comic book in Peru
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How much in farm subsidies to not grow anything?
 
Bibi must own a real estate company, getting ready to sell prime lots on the Los Gaza strip (beachfront edition) to every last dime of the CUPE pension into it.
 
brihard said:
Authoritarianism isn’t a binary option that flicks on or off like a light switch. It advances in fits and starts as various institutions and mechanisms are captured and reinforce each other.
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Sure. I can fit parts of any past administration's behaviour to "fascism" or "authoritarianism", which is why I'm obstinately certain of my assessments - little bits that "look like" don't count.
brihard said:
He’s essentially has the Supreme Court since the immunity decision last summer.
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The Authoritarian leader "has" the courts when they - at all levels - pretty much rubber stamp whichever way he wants decisions to go. I've commented before about the reality of what American observers describe as a "3/3/3" court. To ignore that reality is to lie to oneself.
brihard said:
His party controls both houses of Congress and his Senate has been able to push through his nominations so far, including an absolute loyalist as SECDEF.
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Republicans have nominal majorities. We'll see how far "control" reaches when the first piece of legislation Democrats don't like hits the Senate filibuster, or the first piece of legislation some moderate Republicans in the House don't like hits the floor there.
brihard said:
He’s pulled in Musk & Co via an entity not authorized by any congressional action nor subject to confirmation or oversight and they’re taking over the federal bureaucracy wholesale.
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All they can do is peruse information and make recommendations to department heads. If they overstep themselves and give commands, it'll be up to those commanded to push back. I suppose they might not push back, the same way Congress sometimes doesn't push back when presidents step into Congress's lane. Only Congress can establish departments, and whatever they want to call themselves, Congress has not established a "Department of Government Efficiency".
brihard said:
There’s an ongoing political and ideological purge in the executive branch. Inspectors General have been illegally purged without the required notice to Congress. Guardrails, checks, and balances are being knocked down across the border at a fierce rate.
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The courts are there - if anyone cares to use them - to resolve disputes over what is and is not permitted. Of course, successful actions in the courts against the executive branch will necessarily establish limits on executive powers. Don't be surprised if Democrats appear to roll over on some exercises of executive power.
 
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