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[Max™]

Nevermind, I don't care.

[thompson]

Surely closing high-risk businesses isn’t a human rights violation, though. The US predicament isn’t so much a result of not locking people in their houses (neither Japan, South Korea, nor Australia did that), but rather Trump being a dumbfuck and actively advocating flaunting social distancing guidelines. Then his dumbfuck supporters dutifully obeyed, because “fuck the Libs”.

There IS a middle ground here, which is basically having the decency not to politicise the crisis and work in a bipartisan manner to resolve it while remaining clear-headed about the risks and challenges, and proportionate in response.

Trumps opposition to postal voting is curious, I must add. Does he not realise which demographic this will penalise most? I doubt the mostly young who lost their hospitality jobs will be deterred from physical voting.

[McTraveller]

Yes I agree that having a government leader speak sensibly would probably help things. But I guarantee that, in the US, if you had a sensible government leader speaking, people would still ignore the rules all on their own - it's that "American Culture" thing.

It's probably unknowable to know how much different it would be with a more sensible leadership would be; it would be better, but how much better?

At this point the speculation isn't helpful, we don't have that leadership.  So where do we go from here? Playing "woulda-coulda-shoulda" doesn't help anything in the past, and probably doesn't help anything in the future.

Also, I didn't say closing down businesses is a human rights violation; the method matters:  Closing down businesses and forcing people to stay in their homes with the use of force and armed guards would be a human rights violation - it's imprisonment.

[MrRoboto75]

Trumps opposition to postal voting is curious, I must add. Does he not realise which demographic this will penalise most? I doubt the mostly young who lost their hospitality jobs will be deterred from physical voting.

I am of the belief Trump is ultimately going to call the election off entirely or call the results false, and try to stay in office.  Obama will be the last peaceful exchange of power in the US.  Trump probably knows his chances of a legitimate win are near nil anyway (he barely won in the first place, and its not like he really gained support since), and he also knows he's basically a wanted criminal the minute he leaves.

Its known the Trump spoken of or 'joked' of removing the term limit or just holding office beyond 2024.  He also (trys to) have positive relations with leaders that have non-specific or indefiniate terms, such as China, Russia, and North Korea.

Consider the state elections held during the quarantine, such as in Wisconsin.  The number of polling places was cut drastically per capita, and most of those closed conveniently enough were in minority areas.  Queue times were basically "all day", in summer heat in the middle of a plague.  Furthermore, the infrastructure needed for the jolt in demand for mail ballots simply isn't there.  States lack the funding to send, receive, and count that many mail ballots. Also consider the constant smear campaign to make mail ballots look insecure, and Trump will use this as an excuse to illegitimize the election.

Consider also how DC and the white house handled (are handling?) the BLM protests.  Trump 'inspecting' an underground bunker, and constructing multiple walls around the WH?  Multiple alphabet soup agencies and Texas penitentiary guards pressed into DC riot police with no jurisdiction nor deputization?  In unmarked or even vaguely-marked ("United States Police") police equipment?  Its entirely possible this is how he seals himself in and here's his secret police to defend him.  I am not confident Trump plans to leave office without violence.

[wierd]

Trump DOES fancy himself "The very best-- The best president. The most presidential president, there's no need for another president, he's the best. The very best."  and very much likes the totalitarian leaders of the world, yes.

However, his internal power plays inside the whitehouse are far from iron-clad.  See for instance, the near open revolt against his desire to use the military to curb BLM protesters. They basically all told him to go F himself, "no, we wont do that."   If he tries an illegal coup to suspend elections and stay in power, it will be a shitshow, not him having ultimate victory.

[Max™]

Nevermind, I don't care.

[Rolan7]

Trump DOES fancy himself "The very best-- The best president. The most presidential president, there's no need for another president, he's the best. The very best."  and very much likes the totalitarian leaders of the world, yes.

However, his internal power plays inside the whitehouse are far from iron-clad.  See for instance, the near open revolt against his desire to use the military to curb BLM protesters. They basically all told him to go F himself, "no, we wont do that."   If he tries an illegal coup to suspend elections and stay in power, it will be a shitshow, not him having ultimate victory.

Particularly since there are actual procedures for "What if the term ends with no election?" and they very specifically don't include "keep the expired president in power".
The founding fathers had many faults, but they sure were wary of tyrants.

[MrRoboto75]

However, his internal power plays inside the whitehouse are far from iron-clad.  See for instance, the near open revolt against his desire to use the military to curb BLM protesters. They basically all told him to go F himself, "no, we wont do that."   If he tries an illegal coup to suspend elections and stay in power, it will be a shitshow, not him having ultimate victory.

Of course.  I don't expect him to win, but I do expect him to try.

And I think a non-peaceful transfer of power is a very dangerous thing to have in a divisive political climate such as this, and could easily spiral into worse.

[WealthyRadish]

I think any competent fascist would've been able to manage it this year. They might have kept the House past the midterms and been able to expand the SC by a couple seats, for instance.

[wierd]

There are a number of adjectives I would use to describe the president, but "competent" is not among them.

[Zangi]

I’m pretty sure he is competent at slash and burning businesses.  He may think of himself as CEO of Best a Murrica. 
There ain’t enough coverage of how he has fired folks set to watch where covid19 aid money goes.

And appointing friends of industries to muck about with regulation or sit on their arse and do nothing.

[wierd]

https://www.cnn.com/2020/07/01/us/seattle-chop-protesters/index.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1B4KktOxLYo

Police "disperse" protesters.  "Stunned" at the "Graffiti and property damage".

(Nevermind all the reputable reports that the shootings were done INTO the zone, not from inside it, and that the likely culprits were white supremacists-- Also nevermind that the property damage (aside from the graffiti on the repurposed precinct building) was also mostly done by plainclothes cops and white supremacists, and that the whole damn area was peaceful as fuck until the authority figures started picking at it like a toddler with chickenpox.)

[wierd]

In more local news-- State officials in my area have a severe case of cranio-rectumitis.  Greenlight local state fair this fall.

https://www.hutchnews.com/news/20200630/kansas-state-fair-rsquogorsquo

...

WHY are our politicians SO FUCKING STUPID!?

[martinuzz]

A higher judge ruled that Trump's niece is allowed after all to publish her book 'Too much and never enough. How my family created the world's most dangerous man'.
I wonder. Did Trump's younger brother Robert really sue her to stop the publication because he didn't want it published, or did he just do it so the book got hyped more and will get better sales now...

[delphonso]

Smart move is for the Trump clan to cash out now and live off book deals, speeches, and movie rights forever.