Backsliding is far too weak a term. The US collapse of democracy has already progressed and will never return as long as we continue to be a foolish, uneducated nation ruled by selfishness, greed, hate and indifference that crowned an ignorant, power hungry thief, cheat, and liar.
We are ruled by human nature . That is why democracy will ultimately fail. A strong leader will always win over a weak leader, even when the weak one is right and the strong one wrong.
Big Orange is not a strong leader. To the contrary, he's a very weak leader. He is a strongman and there is a difference. See Ruth Ben-Ghiat's book, Strongmen.
Sorry, you guys were ruining our society. Look around at this dump. This is what happens when we put fussy HR ladies and angry lesbians in charge. The proof is in the pudding, leftists have been in charge for 85 years and it’s all but killed us
Nothing changed. No democracy has lasted more than 200 years or so. Thats around the limit. We are close to the end. The founders recognized this and were afraid of putting too much democracy in the system. But as time went on, more and more democracy was added until we came to where the system produced a Trump…twice. Also, at the founding there were no political parties. Madison, who called them factions, thought they were a real danger.
The US ceased to be a democracy in the 1940s. You lost your stupid precious democracy generations ago. All that’s changed is that America decided your team sucks. That’s it. Nothing else has changed
It is mostly brainwashing and propaganda. So, how do we address that? Our free speech laws are so unfettered that it seems only lawsuits can keep people in line and that is often a temporary fix, like with the FOX and Dominion lawsuit (there should also be no nondisclosure agreements). Had that gone to trial, we might have avoided Trump 2.0.
Maybe we need to fast track this sort of thing and set up some sort of defense fund.
Good grief, I saw some major publications stating lies as fact about Harris and Biden in the run up to this election and it would be nice to see them sued.
Agree, although the courts have been packed with magas and any legal action is very expensive. I don't know any solution other than separating into two countries. It is sounding less extreme these days.
Today is an awesome day! Today “We the People” will show that convicted felon that he is in for a rough time! We will not sit back and watch him or his bunch of baffling baboons try to destroy our country! Both political parties are in deep trouble. There is no Republican Party any more and the Democrats are fiddling around trying to be the nice guys. Well I say to hell with that! We will NOT become another Hungary!! Convict Donny is a disgrace and all those cultists that voted for him are about to find out he scammed them! Just my opinion.
Don't think, KNOW! Elmo Musk didn't spend 277 mil $ for Dumpy to be back in office for nothing. Musk now has a desk in Congress and MAGA people gave it to him!
The Trump Administration is a lot better with Musk than it would be without him. At least there is an accomplished person with a brain and a science background who has some influence with Trump.
You should educate yourself on who Elon Musk really is and what he stands for and what he really is trying to accomplish. Are you into the guy doing the Nazi salute on Jan 19th because that pretty much sums up who he is!
I’m sure there were Trumps never done anything in his life without cheating . It may take some time but we will find the crooked in this election result .
Me too. With smart aleck Elon Musk acting as campaign advisor for Tramp. It took several years after his previous election to learn what the Russians did to help. Our FBI hasn't been ll that smart.
Of course there was! If you add everything up: his stupid actions at his rallies, people walking out on him, etc., there is no way he won fairly. Thanks, Dems, for turning us over to tyranny. I've had it with their constant caving.
Yes we did! And it must be "we the people" who vote him out. That is why we must recruit and/or convert "those" people out of the lying propaganda machine of Trump.
Every day we must call out the MAGA facsism to "show us the facts". Speak up, speak loud , and speak the factual truth. OR, at least support those who do!!
Right On!! Never give in and Never give up! Email, talk, text, phone, scream to family, and friends, “Get involved, do everything you can to save our country from the maga republican party!!
BTW, I just posted this on several sites… perhaps a reader has the answer for us?
“How/why, given all the disqualifying factual elements, did our governmental leaders ALLOW Trump to be sworn in?
Our Constitution is the ultimate authority and it declares that he is barred! But he was sworn in any way?!? What am I missing here?
He may have received more votes, but that DOES NOT overwhelm the declarative demands of Article 14 Sec 3; just as a non-natural born or underaged would not. What is going on? Honestly, all of us need to know!! Please explain this to your subscribers.
One variable that I think is insufficiently appreciated is that Trump is sundowning. He is likely to steadily lose what little interest he has in the job and will spend increasing time doing what he loves, namely grifting, golfing, and tweeting insults. The government will be run by his cabal of toadies, but it is unlikely that they will speak with one voice or that any of them have the power to force others to fall in line. We may be in for four years of chaos rather than a plung into authoritarianism. Perhaps the lesser of two evils.
Yeah, I thought that too but at this point he just seems like the useful idiot who will take every opportunity to line his pockets while his owners take over the reins. This is like GW Bush in my mind, Cheney, Rumsfeld et al were handling the reins and Bush was just a front man...and a dipshit. And Reagan in the end...front man and a dipshit.
I agree there will be chaos. Trump is only interested in devotion and loyalty, certainly not helping the American people. However, the Project 2025 cronies actually have brains and they will try to push through every disgusting, despicable, un American, undemocratic and unconstitutional piece of legislation that they can. I hope you are right, but these people have been planning for a long time and I think they are better organized than we think.
As long as there is an Electoral College deciding who is President, there will be no fair elections in America. Example: in 2016, Americans were ready for a female President, but America (= the Electoral College) was not. Unfortunately, it may be too late to get rid of the Electoral College, which leaves the outcome of our most important election in the hands of a minority of Americans. Sure, at times a presidential nominee succeeds in both, but when that doesn't happen, we have minority rule.
Everything you say is of the utmost importance. One small tweak re: "...the American people, or a majority of them, seem unmoved by the gravity of Trump 2.0" As I understand it, it was merely a plurality of voters who put Trump in office, and I like to keep reinforcing this point against Trump's claim of a mandate (although it may certainly be legitimate to say a majority seem unmoved if we also count those who were eligible to vote but did not--then again, there are impediments to voting in a number of states so it's hard to know how to characterize the majority--certainly quite true that too many Americans were unmoved but also true that too many of them are absorbing a steady diet of misinformation from FOX, social media, etc. and therefore do not recognize the gravity. Incredibly disturbing all around.) Thanks for the clarity and force of your words.
Too many Americans are just plain ignorant , morally and ethically void and Fooled by the Lies . They are getting drunk right now and seem to believe it's a free for all to do or say anything . Delusional. But getting America back will forever be a struggle now 😫
We already are like Hungary. That's why CPAC met there. And the press/media takeover -- which was such a key in Hungary (see below) is well underway in traditional press, TV, and online!
Thanks for posting this link. The article takes my breath away. Indeed, the story being written here in the USA is tracking almost identically to Hungary’s. We have our work cut out for us. Every person who supports American democracy must take every opportunity to resist; even small acts will strengthen our cause.
Plus he’s a lame duck President and this will be his last 4 years. Honestly as much as I despise Trump I’m hoping he makes it through the end of his Presidency before Vance steps in. I don’t think Vance could win the Presidential election on his own and this will give the Country an opportunity to break this MAGA lunacy and have some real contenders for the Presidency that actually care about the Country and Americans.
This country is no longer a Democracy. It ended when the Supreme Court ruled that a president cannot be held accountable for crimes he commits in office pursuant to his official duties. There is no need to keep fooling the public by the myth that we have a democratic government.
How do we break through to the millions who watch Fox religiously and drink in their lies and conspiracy theories? It seems to me that there needs to be a news network that is the antithesis of Fox and broadcasts only truth to VIEWERS. We cannot rely only on outlets that require reading or listening.
Thank you Harry Litman. We are all bracing for the darkness that is coming our way. We cannot bow down we cannot be afraid. In honor of Martin Luther King, we must all remember that communities of color have already been here. They fought with their lives for equality and humanity. Our lesson ? We can do the same and we will. Every American no matter what color must fight now.
It's the grip on media that helps the right-wing agenda. If one uses words contrary to it, or if you openly dislike trump, you will have your instagram/facebook account suspended for "we need to protect our community" reasons.
This of course is absurd, but, as I am percieved as a lefty, then I must be considered a threat.
This is how U.S. companies operate today.
Enjoy the worst president the U.S. has ever inflicted upon the world. We are done with trump....frankly.
But even Hungary has universal healthcare, paid parental leave and low-cost university education. We’ve given up democracy and gotten literally nothing in exchange.
Backsliding is far too weak a term. The US collapse of democracy has already progressed and will never return as long as we continue to be a foolish, uneducated nation ruled by selfishness, greed, hate and indifference that crowned an ignorant, power hungry thief, cheat, and liar.
Preach
And the slim majority do not care about democracy until its gone
We are ruled by human nature . That is why democracy will ultimately fail. A strong leader will always win over a weak leader, even when the weak one is right and the strong one wrong.
Big Orange is not a strong leader. To the contrary, he's a very weak leader. He is a strongman and there is a difference. See Ruth Ben-Ghiat's book, Strongmen.
I agree that he is not a strong leader, but a majority of voters think he is and he plays to that in a very effective way. Perception is what counts.
Marla, the time we paid attention to cat ladies is officially over. If you had kids you’d have something to occupy that spinning little mind
Oddly, you are proving the afore statements with your ignorant, nasty, juvenile spouting.
Sorry, you guys were ruining our society. Look around at this dump. This is what happens when we put fussy HR ladies and angry lesbians in charge. The proof is in the pudding, leftists have been in charge for 85 years and it’s all but killed us
Maybe being an offensive moron is what all but killed you.
It worked fairly well for over two centuries through some very tough times. What has changed?
Nothing changed. No democracy has lasted more than 200 years or so. Thats around the limit. We are close to the end. The founders recognized this and were afraid of putting too much democracy in the system. But as time went on, more and more democracy was added until we came to where the system produced a Trump…twice. Also, at the founding there were no political parties. Madison, who called them factions, thought they were a real danger.
Sadly, we appear to have changed ... in ways that Trump and his co-conspirators are so far successfully leveraging.
Yes the USA is no longer a democracy in any sense of the word.
The US ceased to be a democracy in the 1940s. You lost your stupid precious democracy generations ago. All that’s changed is that America decided your team sucks. That’s it. Nothing else has changed
It is mostly brainwashing and propaganda. So, how do we address that? Our free speech laws are so unfettered that it seems only lawsuits can keep people in line and that is often a temporary fix, like with the FOX and Dominion lawsuit (there should also be no nondisclosure agreements). Had that gone to trial, we might have avoided Trump 2.0.
Maybe we need to fast track this sort of thing and set up some sort of defense fund.
Good grief, I saw some major publications stating lies as fact about Harris and Biden in the run up to this election and it would be nice to see them sued.
Agree, although the courts have been packed with magas and any legal action is very expensive. I don't know any solution other than separating into two countries. It is sounding less extreme these days.
Thank you Harry for the much needed guidance, legal expertise and support throughout these very dark days ahead.
Today is an awesome day! Today “We the People” will show that convicted felon that he is in for a rough time! We will not sit back and watch him or his bunch of baffling baboons try to destroy our country! Both political parties are in deep trouble. There is no Republican Party any more and the Democrats are fiddling around trying to be the nice guys. Well I say to hell with that! We will NOT become another Hungary!! Convict Donny is a disgrace and all those cultists that voted for him are about to find out he scammed them! Just my opinion.
Who in the world is this "we" that's going to have any impact (= rough time) on Trump? "We the People" voted him in.
I still think there were shenanigans
Don't think, KNOW! Elmo Musk didn't spend 277 mil $ for Dumpy to be back in office for nothing. Musk now has a desk in Congress and MAGA people gave it to him!
The Trump Administration is a lot better with Musk than it would be without him. At least there is an accomplished person with a brain and a science background who has some influence with Trump.
Without a moral compass, Elmo Shmucks is just another MAGA fascist.
You should educate yourself on who Elon Musk really is and what he stands for and what he really is trying to accomplish. Are you into the guy doing the Nazi salute on Jan 19th because that pretty much sums up who he is!
I’m sure there were Trumps never done anything in his life without cheating . It may take some time but we will find the crooked in this election result .
Me too. With smart aleck Elon Musk acting as campaign advisor for Tramp. It took several years after his previous election to learn what the Russians did to help. Our FBI hasn't been ll that smart.
Of course there was! If you add everything up: his stupid actions at his rallies, people walking out on him, etc., there is no way he won fairly. Thanks, Dems, for turning us over to tyranny. I've had it with their constant caving.
I'm thoroughly convinced.
Not all of us!! Have a wonderful day!!
Exactly! And thank you for making the distinction between an American and America.
Yes we did! And it must be "we the people" who vote him out. That is why we must recruit and/or convert "those" people out of the lying propaganda machine of Trump.
Every day we must call out the MAGA facsism to "show us the facts". Speak up, speak loud , and speak the factual truth. OR, at least support those who do!!
Right On!! Never give in and Never give up! Email, talk, text, phone, scream to family, and friends, “Get involved, do everything you can to save our country from the maga republican party!!
BTW, I just posted this on several sites… perhaps a reader has the answer for us?
“How/why, given all the disqualifying factual elements, did our governmental leaders ALLOW Trump to be sworn in?
Our Constitution is the ultimate authority and it declares that he is barred! But he was sworn in any way?!? What am I missing here?
He may have received more votes, but that DOES NOT overwhelm the declarative demands of Article 14 Sec 3; just as a non-natural born or underaged would not. What is going on? Honestly, all of us need to know!! Please explain this to your subscribers.
Thanks”
One variable that I think is insufficiently appreciated is that Trump is sundowning. He is likely to steadily lose what little interest he has in the job and will spend increasing time doing what he loves, namely grifting, golfing, and tweeting insults. The government will be run by his cabal of toadies, but it is unlikely that they will speak with one voice or that any of them have the power to force others to fall in line. We may be in for four years of chaos rather than a plung into authoritarianism. Perhaps the lesser of two evils.
Yeah, I thought that too but at this point he just seems like the useful idiot who will take every opportunity to line his pockets while his owners take over the reins. This is like GW Bush in my mind, Cheney, Rumsfeld et al were handling the reins and Bush was just a front man...and a dipshit. And Reagan in the end...front man and a dipshit.
I have to agree with you on this however I don't think it makes the situation any less dangerous.
I said that about Regan and Bush then- it was so obvious. And it worked for the Republican party and they just doubled down.
I agree there will be chaos. Trump is only interested in devotion and loyalty, certainly not helping the American people. However, the Project 2025 cronies actually have brains and they will try to push through every disgusting, despicable, un American, undemocratic and unconstitutional piece of legislation that they can. I hope you are right, but these people have been planning for a long time and I think they are better organized than we think.
Trump doesn't want to work. He will get Elon Musk to do the work while he sits on his ass all day tweeting or playing golf or partying at Mar a Lago.
This is the sadly the best case scenario and I’m definitely rooting for Steve Bannon and Elon Musk to implode together.
great imagery!
As long as there is an Electoral College deciding who is President, there will be no fair elections in America. Example: in 2016, Americans were ready for a female President, but America (= the Electoral College) was not. Unfortunately, it may be too late to get rid of the Electoral College, which leaves the outcome of our most important election in the hands of a minority of Americans. Sure, at times a presidential nominee succeeds in both, but when that doesn't happen, we have minority rule.
Everything you say is of the utmost importance. One small tweak re: "...the American people, or a majority of them, seem unmoved by the gravity of Trump 2.0" As I understand it, it was merely a plurality of voters who put Trump in office, and I like to keep reinforcing this point against Trump's claim of a mandate (although it may certainly be legitimate to say a majority seem unmoved if we also count those who were eligible to vote but did not--then again, there are impediments to voting in a number of states so it's hard to know how to characterize the majority--certainly quite true that too many Americans were unmoved but also true that too many of them are absorbing a steady diet of misinformation from FOX, social media, etc. and therefore do not recognize the gravity. Incredibly disturbing all around.) Thanks for the clarity and force of your words.
Too many Americans are just plain ignorant , morally and ethically void and Fooled by the Lies . They are getting drunk right now and seem to believe it's a free for all to do or say anything . Delusional. But getting America back will forever be a struggle now 😫
He admitted to cheating. I’m doubting this.
One of the best and most well written things I’ve read today
Change the House, Change the Country. 2026 elections are only 22 months away.
We already are like Hungary. That's why CPAC met there. And the press/media takeover -- which was such a key in Hungary (see below) is well underway in traditional press, TV, and online!
https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2018/9/13/17823488/hungary-democracy-authoritarianism-trump
Thanks for posting this link. The article takes my breath away. Indeed, the story being written here in the USA is tracking almost identically to Hungary’s. We have our work cut out for us. Every person who supports American democracy must take every opportunity to resist; even small acts will strengthen our cause.
Orban is 61. Trump is physically and mentally in decline at 78 and he's not going to get better. Let's focus on the positive!!!
Churchill stayed mentally strong up to almost age 90. It seems like people who don't worry or care too much about anything last longer.
Yes, but Drumpf is already in mental decline. Plus the family history of Alzheimer's does not bode well for him.
Yes. It’s incredibly important to stay positive!
Plus he’s a lame duck President and this will be his last 4 years. Honestly as much as I despise Trump I’m hoping he makes it through the end of his Presidency before Vance steps in. I don’t think Vance could win the Presidential election on his own and this will give the Country an opportunity to break this MAGA lunacy and have some real contenders for the Presidency that actually care about the Country and Americans.
But then you could get someone else..worse even..lots of bad guys out there in the Republican Party or the uber rich
And now our American flag hangs upside down!
This country is no longer a Democracy. It ended when the Supreme Court ruled that a president cannot be held accountable for crimes he commits in office pursuant to his official duties. There is no need to keep fooling the public by the myth that we have a democratic government.
How do we break through to the millions who watch Fox religiously and drink in their lies and conspiracy theories? It seems to me that there needs to be a news network that is the antithesis of Fox and broadcasts only truth to VIEWERS. We cannot rely only on outlets that require reading or listening.
MTN, aka the Midas Touch Network. 4 million subscribers.
MSNBC comes close, but Fox has poisoned a lot of gullible people.
Thank you Harry Litman. We are all bracing for the darkness that is coming our way. We cannot bow down we cannot be afraid. In honor of Martin Luther King, we must all remember that communities of color have already been here. They fought with their lives for equality and humanity. Our lesson ? We can do the same and we will. Every American no matter what color must fight now.
It's the grip on media that helps the right-wing agenda. If one uses words contrary to it, or if you openly dislike trump, you will have your instagram/facebook account suspended for "we need to protect our community" reasons.
This of course is absurd, but, as I am percieved as a lefty, then I must be considered a threat.
This is how U.S. companies operate today.
Enjoy the worst president the U.S. has ever inflicted upon the world. We are done with trump....frankly.
Already happening! CBS is reporting today that "majority of Americans are optimistic about the next 4 years."
But even Hungary has universal healthcare, paid parental leave and low-cost university education. We’ve given up democracy and gotten literally nothing in exchange.