02-19-2024, 01:31 PM
(02-19-2024, 02:33 AM)pally Wrote: The worst person is always the one who will lie or change ideas on a whim in order to gain power.
Cheney at least had a moral line she would not cross. Trump has shown no indication that he has any moral fiber. He will do or say anything that he believes will benefit himself
Using this logic you think Trump is definitively worse than Hitler.
(02-19-2024, 08:22 AM)Belsnickel Wrote: Oh, you will get no disagreement from me. I hated the majority of GOP positions pre-MAGA and Liz Cheney represents that institution. The difference for me is that I am first and foremost a proponent of little-d democracy. While I can make several arguments that the pre-MAGA GOP was not as democratic as I would have liked--their policies led to the rise of MAGA after all--the MAGA movement is a cult of personality around Trump and has abandoned the democratic principles inherent in the foundations of our government. Even if you don't think Trump is a wannabe dictator, there is no way to objectively deny that they are pushing for more power and authority vested in the executive as well as a lower level of accountability for the role. That is the antithesis of what our government was based on.
Indeed, and it raises, for me, the most interesting question. Is this a phenomena confined to Trump? I think a large part of his allure, for those who like him, is that he doesn't play by the "rules" of politics. He's an outsider in the truest sense in that regard, or he at least can appear that way. He has disdain for business as usual, as many people do, and in increasing numbers. He also speaks plainly, and has zero issue saying insanely insulting things about pretty much anyone. He's the unleashed Id for many people, vicariously expressing their disdain and frustration with the status quo. If I thought any aspect of his behavior was pre-planned or contrived I'd honestly give him credit for being brilliant in this regard, as it gives he free reign to say, or do, whatever he likes without fear of losing support. But I think this is just who he really is.
Dave Chappelle raised a very interesting point about Trump, when he openly commented on manipulating the tax code to not pay taxes, because doing so was smart. He then ripped Clinton apart saying she would never fix the loopholes he used as all of her friends and donors use the exacts same "cheats". It was brilliant, and, again, I don't think planned, because he was being 100% honest and expressing what many people already knew or thought.
This all being the case, can someone else come in an pick up the reins when Trump is done? Or will he be an anomaly, an outlier that will provide fodder for historians. I'd be inclined to say the latter, and honestly think he'd already be in the background if he hadn't been propped up the last four years, in various ways by various parties. I guess only time will tell.
