this post was submitted on 05 Jan 2024
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The U.S. will mark the anniversary of the January 6 insurrection on Saturday, a milestone that will confer upon the reality-dwelling citizenry a grim reminder of the potency of propaganda and how quickly it can warp perception when introduced into the public square.

Just three years ago, most of the country watched with dismay and horror as a violent MAGA mob beat back authorities and stormed the country’s citadel of democracy. The Donald Trump-incited crush of disillusioned rioters, fueled by a stream of fantastical lies, believed that the 2020 election had been stolen by sinister forces working to undermine the democratic election.

Of course, not only was their belief flatly incorrect, but evidence later emerged indicating that it was Trump who, in fact, had tried to subvert democracy.

Facts, however, have little bearing on the sentiment inside the Republican Party, which has been fed a steady diet of lies and half-truths by Fox News and the rest of the sprawling right-wing media machine. To wit, the false notion that Joe Biden nefariously stole the 2020 election is now widely shared inside the GOP. A CNN poll conducted over the summer found that nearly 70% of Republicans believe Biden’s win was not legitimate, a number that has continued to tick up.

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[–] [email protected] 204 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (102 children)

IMO, this event was worse for America and the world than 9/11. What goodwill and credibility can America exercise on the world stage when Trump can incite a violent attack on the US Congress, and he is still the front runner?

If he had convinced the Capital Police to get rid of the metal detectors, as he tried to do, America would be under a Trump dictatorship right now.

As if his capitulation to Russia, Saudi Arabia, China, or North Korea shouldn't immediately disqualify him, or the millions of dollars he personally received from foreign governments during his presidency.

[–] [email protected] 78 points 10 months ago (27 children)

It's a matter of degrees .... American establishment wants fascism, they are just taking their time getting there.

The problem isn't Trump, Trump is an idiot and dime a dozen, once he dies, there will be another idiot just like him that the establishment will court and push into our faces every day.

The problem are the millionaires and billionaires of America that are funding all this crap and keep maintaining it all. If all this relied on Trump's charisma, it would have died out a long time ago ... it's just a huge marketing machine that keeps it afloat.

As long as we keep seeing these headlines, no matter if it's Trump or someone else ... it's just a sign that the wealthy want fascism to keep growing because they know it will mean a win fall for them at the cost of all of us.

Thanks America ... you're doing a bang up job.

[–] [email protected] 39 points 10 months ago (1 children)

As an American. You are 100% spot on. Had Republicans not enabled and helped trump at every step. He would have gotten nothing accomplished. They were there every hour of every day ready to lick his greasy taint in an effort to please their voters. It could be any idiot. It just happened to be Trump

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[–] [email protected] 12 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

With many other countries I could agree. But America is the global reserve currency and basically the world’s police. For the theocrats pushing a takeover it wouldn’t end well. F35s and other highly technical defense system would crumble. Our soft power would evaporate overnight. Many Billionaires would wake up only to find their billions are worth a fraction. Sounds Improbable.

[–] [email protected] 19 points 10 months ago (2 children)

This is a pretty solid take imho, but I’m not sure the ultra wealthy see it that way. Look at how deluded they show themselves to be when there isn’t a PR handler in the mix to filter their thoughts on platforms like Xitter. Their ego and hubris from living in the alternate reality their great wealth affords them presents tremendous risk in this situation.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

I believe this.

I'm a bit older (40+) and when I was in college, it was pretty popular for students from more prestigious colleges to be paying students at my college and other less prestigious colleges to do original research for them. Plagiarism with extra steps and pay. The poor student gets paid, and the rich student gets to put their name on it and get the grade.

I think the elite have been buying their credentials for too long and fully believe their own lies. They love the smell of their own farts, as it were.

They are so many generations removed from real knowledge about international markets and so on that there is real possibility that they will make the whole house of cards collapse in hubris.

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[–] [email protected] 6 points 10 months ago

There are two types of wealthy people ... those who have all the power and those that want all the power

Those already in power probably don't want change .... but those that don't have it all certainly would like to see change and a reshuffling of wealth and the chance of gaining control of more, or even everything.

Every major change in history never really changed anything ... all it ever does is change the actors and players - old wealth gets removed by new wealth - old elites are replaced by new elites

American political and military power will probably always stay the same for the foreseeable future ... the question is who will get the chance to sit at the top and rule the world.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 10 months ago (1 children)

What confuses me is that they seem to miss that historically fascists or authoritarians more generally don't actually pander to the wealthy once they have power, and many wealthy suddenly end up dead or missing. Look at Xi and Putin for instance. Or history.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 10 months ago

It's a rat cage and everyone is chasing after the hunk of cheese above our cage ..... the ones closest to the top believe that by climbing on those below them, they can reach higher .... and those close to the top are desperately trying to pull down the one just above them to gain that extra bit of chance of going up one more level.

The ultra wealthy at the top may or may not want fascism ... but those just below them might because they believe in changing the guard, reshuffling the wealth and giving a new group of a privileged people a chance ... like you say, every big political authoritarian change came at the cost of removing many wealthy people, but it also meant a new crop of people to fill the gaps.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 10 months ago

They finally found their useful idiot who was capable of energizing a portion of the population who previously didn't believe voting was important.

The majority of the GOP in office will continue to bend the knee to anyone they view to have the same power. And I fear eventually we will see the same action taken on the left.

Power is the most addictive drug.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (3 children)

People don't realize they tried this 100 years ago, with Smedley Butler. It was called "The Business Plot." But Butler was honorable, and snitched. Absolutely nothing was done, and most people don't know who Butler is. He was at the time THE most decorated Marine in history. But he fucked with the money, and they buried him and his legacy. I tweeted Oliver Stone 10 years ago that he should make a biopic about Butler.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smedley_Butler

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[–] [email protected] 3 points 10 months ago (1 children)

It's so stupid though. The German conservative aristocracy wanted fascism (mainly because they were incredibly unsettled by the post WWI shake ups and terrified of bolshevism) and thought they could control the Nazis to their own ends. That pretty much immediately backfired on them. These people have to see that...

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[–] [email protected] 19 points 10 months ago (2 children)

Nothing personal against Mike Pence, but there's a part of me that thinks it would have been better if he'd gotten in that car and been disappeared.

An assassinated vice president would have forced Biden to crack down on fascism harder.

But without effective leadership, the problem's gotten worse.

[–] [email protected] 21 points 10 months ago (1 children)

If that has happened, I doubt we would have a president Biden or an upcoming election.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (2 children)

I don't think that's accurate.

Every other aspect of the attack was unsuccessful, and not only that, but pathetically so. But if they'd manage to assassinate a VP, Biden and his administration would not have been able to simply ignore it. They would have had to act, even if it pisses off the billionaires.

[–] [email protected] 21 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

Pence stopped Trump’s group delivering the fake electors to steal the election. If Pence disappeared Trump would have never left office.

Pence made the the last minute stand to save our country. Terrible viewpoints and politics, but at the end he did his job

[–] [email protected] 19 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

Because Dan “Potatoe” Quayle told him to not go along with the coup.

Mike fucking Pence and Dan fucking Potatoe Quayle saved our Democracy and the US Democratic Republic.

What a timeline.

Still,.. there are many many timelines where it worked, Trump is the Orange King, and I’m dead now from being put up against a wall; so I’ve got that going for me, which is nice.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 10 months ago (1 children)

If they would have assassinated Pence on J6, before the certification, someone else would have stepped in, most likely Grassley. He would have accepted the alternate slate of electors and Biden would not be president.

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[–] [email protected] 5 points 10 months ago

Man, I had forgotten about that car thing. I don't know. They wouldn't have harmed him. They would have delayed him enough that he couldn't certify the vote. Then Trump had plans to use the military to seize voting machines (after which he would have obviously lied about whatever his goons found).

The Joint Chiefs memo was very comforting regarding the transition but it came on January 12th and cited the Congressional certification in saying "we will evict him with force on January 21." If the certification didn't happen, the transition and the election would have remained uncertain.

I think there is very little appetite in Washington for such uncertainty, but one side of the aisle is treasonous and would gladly acquiesce.

[–] [email protected] 18 points 10 months ago

when Trump can incite a violent attack on the US Congress, and he is still the front runner?

remember Adolf Hitler tried to start an insurrection, got caught, thrown in jail, wrote a book, and then got elected and started World War 2.

And remember how much Trump loves dictators.

[–] [email protected] 17 points 10 months ago

Ya but....9/11 was brown people, 1/6 was white people.

There is absolutely a difference in how Americans view the people involved. That's only been reinforced with this incident.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

The ONE, and ONLY thing that stopped the coup was Pence growing a backbone at the exact time it mattered. It wasn't out of honor or duty, it was out of narcissism. He didn't want to be known forever as the man who facilitated The Corporate Theocracy of America.

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