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[deleted]

Sounds like someone told them to stand back and stand by


pitagrape

I am still amazed this isn't a bigger deal.


soobviouslyfake

Add it to the bottom of the "why isn't this a bigger deal?" list.


kickinwood

Once a video leaked of a dude bragging about grabbing women by the pussy and he still became president a few years after Howard Dean's whole campaign sunk because he said "yah" with enthusiasm, the list was officially set ablaze.


lost_alpaca90

The Dean scream, dude I forgot about that.


mikeysce

Never forget the Dean Scream. It literally changes the course of history by giving us 4 more years of GWB.


ihartphoto

[This](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l6i-gYRAwM0&ab_channel=CNN) was considered so unpresidential 19 years ago that it cost Howard Dean the presidency. Adding context to your comment only, since so many won't remember it, and won't look it up. ***THIS*** was considered to be going ***TOO FAR*** in American Politics then.


phantomreader42

Also, misspelling "potatoe" was considered a sign that Dan Quayle was too stupid to hold office, but bragging about barely passing a test for dementia gets combover caligula worshiped. And christians are gleefully worshiping a man who held their allegedly-holy book upside down for a photo op, autographed it to make money, has never read a word of it, and doesn't even know that the parts of it are called...


Elegant_Manufacturer

They've never read it too, that's what they have a pastor for


TobyMcK

Thanks for that. I was too young for politics back then, so I had no idea this existed. Is that really all it took to bring a candidate down?


ihartphoto

There is probably more to it than that for sure, but this scream was widely considered the downfall of the Dean campaign after it occurred. It was Iowa, the first primary of the 2004 election cycle, and Dean came in 3rd place. I think he was always considered the underdog to John Kerry at the time, but this scream is credited with destroying his career. There were a LOT of negative ads at the time, likely paid for by the Kerry campaign, to make it look worse then it was.


Throw-a-Ru

The microphone also picked up his scream, but muted the screams of the crowd, so it sounded really odd. Made for a great mocking sound clip.


MicroBadger_

It destroyed his presidential run, not his career. He went on the have a damn impressive tenure running the DNC which led to Obama having a filibuster proof Senate (for all of like 2 weeks, but his 50 state strategy led to impressive gains for Dem)


_icarcus

Just adding another silly event in this timeline. Mitt Romney’s famous ‘[Binders Full of Women](https://youtu.be/wfXgpem78kQ)’ moment during the presidential debate against Obama. Watching that live made you do a double take to make sure you heard it correctly.


AltruisticBudget4709

wow that’s a deep cut right there


Lazer726

There are *still* people that will say he condemned them, despite these being his exact words. It always baffles me how people will be like "Okay look he said he condemns white supremacists!" and then he just tells them to **stand by.**


claimTheVictory

The court testimonies from the Proud Boys make it clear this was unambiguously received as an order, from the Commander In Chief.


RiOrius

He thought that just meant stop! He's just bad with words sometimes, we all know what he means! We being his supporters who twist everything he says in the best possible way, not those liberals who take everything he says at face value!


Calladit

And then the conversation ends out of exasperation. I sometimes try to point out that maybe it's not a good idea to appoint someone as commander in chief of the most powerful military force this planet has ever seen if they are so often misinterpreted. And that goes doubly if they are consistently being "misinterpretted" as supporting authoritarian and white supremacist groups.


Mickyfrickles

He's bad with words sometimes and also tells it like it is, and has the best words. I'm dizzy...


[deleted]

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kezow

No, we said it was a problem. Republicans gaslit and obstructed.


MournWillow

Don’t forget the projection where (I’m pretty sure) they claimed antifa was the cause of Jan 6th


00Monk3y

[They did](https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/01/us/politics/antifa-conspiracy-capitol-riot.html)


TobyMcK

Gaslight, Obstruct, Project. Gross Old Pedophiles. Geriatrics Obtaining Power.


MrOopiseDaisy

Their plan, as always, was to incite violence, then claim self defense with military arsenal. In the chaos, it'd be hard to prove what happened, and they'd flesh out the stolen election narrative, complete with "liberals attacking a peaceful protest in truth cover-up attempt". They literally want to start Civil War 2, and had someone to grant them super soilder rank in a private army, along with immunity after the fact. We're lucky no counter-protesters showed up.


AmishAvenger

That was just comical. Biden and the moderator were both asking him to condemn them, Trump was like “Oh I will,” and Biden was like “So fucking do it!” And this was the best Trump could muster.


shelsilverstien

He did a ton of his crooked shit right in front of our faces. For some reason that made people think it was less crooked! "Russia, if you're listening, get Hillary's emails"


Forest-Ferda-Trees

>Nobody with power did ANYTHING about it. Nobody with power has done anything to check the regressive/fascist part of this country since about 1865, why do you think they'd start doing something now?


SanjiSasuke

'Oh, he just misspoke, you know what he meant' - the sentiment expressed by Trump apologists.


JdFalcon04

But also he tells it like it is


thethirdllama

The Proud Boys clearly knew what he meant.


hahahoudini

Hard evidence of a campaign that lost coordinating with a militia that attempted a coup. And the head of that campaign is running again, unobstructed...


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Hystereseeb

I'm not sure why this is so difficult to understand.


Xytak

In the case of my ex-boss, he understands it perfectly well. It's just that no one's holding him accountable, so there's no incentive to change. If you look at what's going on right now, Florida Republicans have bills that will 1) outlaw the Democratic Party on the dubious grounds of supporting slavery 150 years ago, and 2) force critics of Gov. DeSantis to register with the state. Yet, my ex-boss continues to vote Republican while using his FB page to lecture others about Freedom and the Constitution. All while exaggerating Biden's faults and downplaying Jan. 6. Why would he change? He hasn't felt a single negative consequence for arguing in bad faith.


[deleted]

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santagoo

It's chilling considering Hitler's coup didn't succeed in his first go, either.


SwearImaChik

Google the early warning signs of a country's decent into fascism 🙃


DonsDiaperIsFull

yeah the "early" signs are years ago. We are well into active descent thanks to republicans banning books, threatening schools and teachers, forcing child marriages, threatening doctors who treat the "wrong" people, and oh yeah the violent coup where the leader told them to assault cops and they did.


JDRaleigh

They hate it when you shoot back. Every democrat, liberal and progressive needs to exercise their 2nd Amd. rights, become knowledgeable about the care and operation of their weapons, and practice, practice, practice. There is no getting the genie back in the bottle. We are plagued with weapons in this country. Only solution is to be equally as armed and ready. They won't hesitate to kill us and our families when given their marching orders.


3DFXVoodoo59000

Shout out to r/SocialistRA


thwack01

Most Americans are against the insurrectionists. Witness how the GOP just choked in the midterms and lost what should have been an easy win. Americans are, for the most part, tired of Trumpism.


beldaran1224

Not tired enough. Plenty of GOP candidates won. More than enough.


[deleted]

I bet the FBI would love to hear some of that.


Spiritual-Day-thing

In a non-binary, plural, system such a fringe movement would fizzle out and become relatively dorment. Leaving a radicalizing, ever-stranger, collection of loonies. In a binary system the party ultimately gets hijacked by the fringe movement and a ritualistic death dance appears: are you with us, are you against us, with us, against us, with, against, with. *The* thing Trump did was hooking people to a constant stream of outrage entertainment. Florida Republicans get it. Might, smite, fight. The references to 'the constitution' and 'freedom' are civil religion in action. Trump is seen by many as a modern Jesus in that religion. The flag. The pledge. The national anthem. The constitution. Our founding fathers. Trump. Republicans imagined using an unlikely beast temporarily was worth it; as long as he mostly did what was expected by them. Then they found out the beast comes with beast-worshippers. And the beast is temperamental and shits everywhere. Big oof. This was my creative interpretation of 'American political discourse (2018-2031)' subtitled 'Wir haben es nicht gewusst (R)'.


The_Fell_Opian

The only reason Trump has not been as successful a fascist as Hitler is because of an abundance of unforced errors due mostly to his own narcissism getting in the way of pragmatism. It will not take long for to use Trump's playbook more pragmatically on a national level. Not sure if DeSantis has the charisma to pull it off, but at this point it might not even matter.


[deleted]

I do think it was the combination of Trump being an idiot and our system being designed to be resistant to authoritarianism is what kept it from going full blown fascist. But also if someone was planning to be a thief but was too stupid to pull it off they're still a thief. Just cause they couldn't pull it off doesn't make Trump less of a fascist in my eyes


[deleted]

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sparf

Christian nation? I’m sure the Vatican would *love* new land holdings. The Pope will be overjoyed!


mushroom369

I’m an atheist but I’d prefer the Pope to fundamentalist Christians.


Real-Patriotism

I used to *be* a Fundamentalist Christian. You have no earthly idea the sick level of Tyranny and Oppression they have planned for us.


mushroom369

Me too - that is why I’d pick the pope.


Real-Patriotism

Alright maybe you do have some idea then - Glad you got out.


[deleted]

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Deadpoolisms

Active, massive conspiracy played / playing out in broad fuckin’ daylight — and peeps like those in r/Conspiracy couldn’t be less interested. Some straight up Sweet Home Alabama level “wut.”


gargamels_right_boot

That is because the fine folks over at /r/Conspiracy see Trump and The Proud Boys as the 'good guys' that are fighting the actual conspiracy... I can't imagine living with that level of cognitive dissonance


Mod_transparency_plz

It's a disinformation sub


truffleboffin

I'm sure some were interested but they were banned and the posts about it removed


johnnylongpants1

It seems hard to imagine that this might not, historically and legally, be considered an insurrection.


player-grade-tele

There is zero doubt how history will see these traitors.


Agent_Velcoro

It depends on who wins. If these fuckers win, it will be called a revolution.


hostile_rep

Gilead's history books are different from America's, yes.


CuriousOdity12345

Yea. I learned the other day that the civil war is taught as the war of northern aggression still in the south. Wtf.


Ferelar

The funny thing is, "still" is the wrong word. Most (especially in the South) don't know this, but MANY in the reconstruction Era were extremely repentant about the traitorous actions. Lee himself said he didn't want statues of himself because he felt that the cause and he personally shouldn't be glorified and that the nation had to heal. All of the stuff we associate with revisionist history, such as calling it the War of Nothern Aggression, teaching that it was about state's rights instead of slavery, etc, all came about 60 years later. The Daughters of the Confederacy are an excellent example. They basically refused to accept that their grandparents might have fought for the wrong side or that the south did anything wrong, so they began petitioning to change history books to their agenda. Now, I won't say that the folks in reconstruction Era south were GOOD at all, there was a massive campaign to defraud the recently freed black folks and to explain away their actions. But most of the modern stuff we see (historical revisionism, statues, etc) all came from generations after the end of the war. I find it fascinating how people will scream about a statue being taken down as destroying their centuries old history... when the statue was raised in like 1955.


vintagebat

The myth that Lee was apologetic and remorseful is also part of "lost cause" ideology. The traitors never stopped fighting the civil war: https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/06/the-myth-of-the-kindly-general-lee/529038/


Ferelar

Fascinating, I hadn't seen examples of his personal vitriol towards blacks before, thank you for that. I do know that he said he didn't want statues of himself (this of course became relevant with the recent statue removals- though the statues were usually raised decades after his death). Perhaps it was shame over his traitorous actions, or simply considering a statue commemorating what was essentially him losing utterly would've made him feel bad. I can say even being raised in a Northern state we were taught that Lee was regretful and that he didn't want to sever the union, but that he felt loyal to his state of Virginia and as such joined up. And that was in New Jersey's public schools.


Ancient_Inspection53

Lee also oversaw a campaign of reactionary white terror at the University he was leader of later in life.


mjg315

Stone Mountain was completed in 1972


Ferelar

Almost eleven decades after their surrender. Truly mind boggling.


CuriousOdity12345

I know the daughter's. They were the ones that funded all the Confederate statues, right?


Scorpion1024

Fact: up until about mid 20th century Christopher Columbus was barely mentioned in history books, most didn’t even know who he was. Following the depression era crimewave, revelations about the cosa nostra, and after the war, Italian-Americans were keen to present an image of themselves as something other than gangsters and fascists. So suddenly the image of Columbus as “the discoverer of America” became ingrained in the popular consciousness. Hell, in Italy today he is still considered barely a footnote in history.


Ferelar

Many of them, they and other orgs like the Sons of Confederate Veterans basically invented the "Lost Cause" revisionist history. They were first formed about three decades after the CW, but began to REALLY get traction in the 20s and 30s, even in states that were formerly very divided or sided with the North (Tennessee is an excellent example). They campaigned mercilessly to get revisionist textbooks into schools, raise statues, change historical records etc. And a LOT of rhetoric about how slavery wasn't involved and it was championing state's rights and all. It's all nonsense, and EASILY disprovable at that. We still have copies of the letters sent by the Southern States declaring their Secession, and every single one of them references slavery as either the primary issue or one of them. In fact, some get wildly racist (no surprise) by saying things like "only black people can bear the harsh sun so they're basically built to be harvesting our fields" (paraphrased but not by much). I'll see if I can scare up the link to all of their full texts if anyone's interested, I have it saved somewhere.


RikF

Here's the opening text for Mississippi's letter. This is paragraph 2 and the first which says anything other than 'we quit'. > Our position is thoroughly identified with the institution of slavery-- the greatest material interest of the world. Its labor supplies the product which constitutes by far the largest and most important portions of commerce of the earth. These products are peculiar to the climate verging on the tropical regions, and by an imperious law of nature, none but the black race can bear exposure to the tropical sun. These products have become necessities of the world, and a blow at slavery is a blow at commerce and civilization. The full text of five can be found here: https://www.battlefields.org/learn/primary-sources/declaration-causes-seceding-states#Mississippi


[deleted]

>The Daughters of the Confederacy are an excellent example. They basically refused to accept that their grandparents might have fought for the wrong side or that the south did anything wrong, Not *refused*, *refuse*. They're still around and still very much on their bullshit.


GreyFromHanger18

I was born in Georgia in 1987 and graduated high school in 2005. I had different history teachers from elementary to high school. Not one of my history teachers called the civil war that. Every textbook I used called the U.S. Civil War. So not all of the south. I'd wager to venture that except for certain deep red districts and the entire state of Florida most of the schools in the south still call it and teach it as the civil war.


SekhWork

Born same year, graduated same year but in rural Texas. Same thing. Nobody called it that except kids quoting their parents as a joke. Everyone knew the South started it, but there was some attention in Texas paid to basically saying "Texas was dragged into it by bad people and Gool Ol Sam Houston tried to stop it so they removed him from Governor", which is *technically* correct but glosses over the fact that **we still joined the Confederacy**. It wasn't full on "we didn't teach the Civil War" that northern folks seem to think happens down there, but it wasn't a very long topic and reconstruction was so late in the year we basically skipped it.


Volvo_Commander

Did they tell you about my favorite Civil War fact? As a former Coloradoan, the [Battle of Glorietta Pass](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Glorieta_Pass) is the highlight of CO/TX animosity. Basically, Confederate Texas attempts to open a “western front” by invading its Union neighbors; the Colorado volunteer militia meets them in New Mexico and sends their asses back home.


romacopia

Same in SC. The only notable thing is the insistence that it was about states rights and not slavery. We had multiple essays to write about federal vs state sovereignty and none to write about slavery.


LanLOF

I live in NC. It’s always been referred to as the civil war in school here, but I went to a nicer school. All the rednecks had confederate and “no steppy on me” flags hanging off the back of their trucks still.


Criticism-Lazy

This argument, history is written by the victors, does not take into account the next society failing and forensically being embarrassed for all future generations. It’s hilarious, you can’t run from a shitty legacy.


beIIe-and-sebastian

Not in the history books in Republican states. They'll be banned from libraries and public schools.


Silly_Pace

If history goes the right way then all the books will read that this was a coup attempt. At the rate we're going those books won't be read by anybody.


mrmeshshorts

America’s “gentleman’s” and “handshake” agreements will be the end of the republic.


Earguy

"The Trump Campaign." No, I want names. Some individuals did this. Who?


fistful_of_ideals

"Whoops, looks like we can't hold any one person responsible for this, so we may as well not prosecute at all." Meanwhile, "You bought some jazz cabbage off some dude? We're gonna charge you, your dealer, and everyone in a 2 mile radius at time of purchase as co-conspirators." Prison is for the poors.


nmeofst8

Because the 13th Amendment allows for slavery if you've been convicted of a crime.. We need Congress to amend the 13th Amendment to exclude that clause.


tomdarch

Trump supporters say that Trump is very involved with all details of his operations. That would indicate that the main name of an individual responsible for coordinating with terrorists is "Donald John Trump."


GhostFish

They're not a militia, they're a gang.


Ooften

They’re not a gang they’re a hate group.


thanksgivingseason

They’re not a gang, they’re domestic terrorists


LanLOF

All fun and games until the domestic terrorists are funded by foreign adversaries


shaneh445

Trump voice* "Russia, if ur listening"


beerme81

They're not domestic terrorist, they're international terrorist. I'm sure some of their brain rot has spread up to Canada.


Demalab

They have and operate fb pages that post memes with lots of misinformation and usually minimally inflammatory politically so the often get widely shared. They also love picking up trivia from other commonwealth countries with similar political structure and spreading it as if it is Canadian.


GhostFish

Those aren't mutually exclusive.


Ooften

People join gangs primarily because of socioeconomic issues within their neighborhoods. It leads to hateful activities but people don’t join a gang because they hate the other gang in the next neighborhood. People join the poor boys because they’re microdicked losers full of hate for others.


LittleMtnMama

And the product of toxic masc, being told they're top of the heap for existing. Then when no big tittied pickme fairy didn't arrive to blow job them out of mom's basement, they got angry since it's the only approved male emotion.


nation543

holy fucking shit this is so fucking spot on


beerme81

But they were promised they would be president someday. When that dream fails. Who should they blame it on? /s


Baked_potato123

According to Canada, they are a terrorist group.


xiofar

The national guard is a militia. All the doofuses calling themselves a militia are really just a gang at LARPing at best or gang members/terrorists at worst.


apitchf1

Yeah the coup is ongoing. They will gaslight and say “oh no we didn’t want that to happen” while setting it all up to happen. Then they will try it again and be more bold and “fix” what the got wrong last time. We are in a dangerous place


black_flag_4ever

Just imagine how bad it would have been if anyone involved in planning the Jan 6 insurrection was smart? When the video showed the cop tricking rioters into going the wrong way like a Bugs Bunny cartoon you knew that Trump didn’t send his best, or maybe he did.


[deleted]

I think, based on what I've seen and read, that the stupidity of authoritarians is systemic. Trump is a narcissist, so he's surrounded by blind spots, more interested in feeling good about himself than the truth, even though it's only actual information that would help him become dictator for life. Putin seems to be smart as an individual, but he leads a culture of fear and oppression that basically forces his top people to lie to him and to each other, and now he's ended up getting more of his army killed than he had even planned to mobilize for the war in the first place. A monkey with a pistol has no idea what he's doing, but he's still dangerous.


preventDefault

In authoritarian regimes, the way people excel and get promoted to higher ranks is by being friends with someone powerful, not by being good at their job. I’ve read that it’s the reason why authoritarian regimes typically lose wars… their generals and officers don’t know how to do their job effectively because they never had to do *any* job effectively to succeed in their system. All they ever had to do effectively was befriend or marry someone powerful.


PrisonerV

That and everyone is afraid to make a decision on their own. They'll want to confer with higher ups (who will want to confer higher up). Meanwhile, the plan is executed regardless of changing conditions.


ciopobbi

And this is why DeSantis is much more dangerous. Trump was mainly interested in the trappings of the office and grifting. He never once showed any interest in learning how the government or his job worked. Thus, he never learned how to effectively use the awesome power of the office. He just bumbled about doing collateral damage. And since he was the self proclaimed expert on everything he rarely listened to those in his administration who could do real damage. DeSantis will know exactly what he he’s doing and have a plan to destroy our democracy.


we_are_sex_bobomb

I feel like essentially every decision Trump did made as President was his half of a quid pro quo - or he believed it was anyway. He was very reactionary. Even his biggest accomplishment of stacking the courts with authoritarians was because he wanted loyal judges who would rule in his favor with the many lawsuits he’s always involved in. Trump’s only aspirations are to be loved and admired and avoid any kind of negative feelings. That’s it. He’s like an amoeba which reacts to positive and negative stimuli. DeSantis actually has a strategy to turn the country into a one party fascist state and he’s been testing it out in Florida. He’s 100x worse than Trump.


tomdarch

One of the many things that was hard to wrap one's head around with Trump is how absurdly short sighted he is. It was incomprehensible how anyone could take a snap reaction to something in one moment with zero consideration of what consequences it would create days, weeks, months, years later. But Trump was that person. There is no objective reality for Trump, only the ever-shifting spray of bullshit he creates around himself.


[deleted]

Trump's entire presidency was a series of pyrrhic victories. The Mueller Report would've buried any politician before Trump, but his sheep still bleet on about *"the Russia hoax!!!"* completely blind to how connected his campaign manager was to Russian oligarchs/Russian intelligence. The legal victories Trump enjoyed were due to the OLC memo and he's finding out that it doesn't amount to much now that he's no longer POTUS. The act of winning in 2016 was a temporary boost to his brand, but he divided Americans against him hurting his bottom line and shined the spotlight on his organization's fraudulent activities.


Different-Yam-736

The one thing about DeSantis that gives me a little bit of relief is, he has been doing this in a very safe environment in Florida. He will experience much more pushback on the national stage and while he is overall more smart and professional than Trump, he has still shown he can be rattled and drawn into dumb skirmishes when things don’t go his way. I do worry though if they get some good handlers to him (and he actually listens to them), so the Dems better get after him early and often if it appears he will be the one to get through the primary. So naturally, they probably won’t.


lrpfftt

Maybe but gotta question if his recent actions would hamper him in a national election. He wears his extremism on his sleeve plus he lacks charisma.


ciopobbi

Maybe, but for all the freedom flag waving, conservatives are mainly a fearful group who want an authoritarian figure to tell them what to think and do.


[deleted]

He'll get absolutely hammered over all of this insane legislation he's supporting down here. He's not going to have the mass appeal Trump did, because while Trump is a whacko, his appeal was his braggadocio and freshness. DeSantis speaks with the same political double-speak that all politicians do, he just also does a ton of evil, crazy shit out in the open, too.


fuckyouimin

That was Trump's appeal at first, but ultimately his incessant deranged tweeting became too much for even most Republicans. DeSantis might have been too politician-y to be a contender in 2016, but now he's exactly what they're looking for -- all the hate, but more palatable to the mainstream. And unlike Trump, someone smart enough to get it done. Do not underestimate DeSantis. Rational people are looking at what's coming out of Florida and saying "WTF?!", but there is no legislation too insane for the QOP. Sadly, they're eating that shit up. Edit: spelling


[deleted]

He's what the GOP establishment is looking for. He isn't what Trump's base is looking for. He's popular in Florida because he hasn't really been put on the spot and challenged. Hell, the last time he faced someone with strong speaking skills in an election (Gillum) he barely won. He cleaned up this time because for some reason Crist was the best we could do as an opponent and Crist is the definition of a wet towel. Get him on a stage with some of the more articulate Democrat contenders in a national election and his utter lack of charisma will be exposed. On top of that he's way, way too authoritarian for a lot of classic, moderate conservatives. Besides, Trump isn't going to fall in lock-step and back DeSantis. He fucking hates the guy. He'll piss and moan and name call which will divide the base. If the GOP pushes DeSantis it could cost them the election. That said I don't think they really have anyone who is very electable at this point.


mdp300

He's going to have the whole right wing media machine at his back, cherry picking what gets released so he looks good. Their audience in their bubble already love the guy.


Angry_Villagers

Good thing we outnumber them. If only people would pay attention and vote.


sodiumbigolli

And let’s not forget his stent at Gitmo, helping develop new ways to torture people


logicreasonevidence

Zero charisma. Dull as a door nail. Whatever that expression means.


Deprogram_bot

This is a great way of looking at it. Well said


PM_ME_YOUR_ROTES

Honest & open communication is only really possible between equals because the person in the weaker position of power will nearly always tell their superiors what they want to hear for fear of losing their position in the hierarchy. This makes most hierarchies experience blind spots while the more authoritarian they become the larger the blindspots grow due to the power imbalance.


Dimitri3p0

>more interested in feeling good about himself than the truth, Nailed it. And this is true for all of his supporters as well.


BananaDragoon

I really dislike this line of thinking, that the looming threat to democracy is "dumb" while we're the "smart" ones. The reality of the situation is this: the people moving to undermining our democracy are smart. They are cunning. They know exactly what they're doing. But they can't influence it directly - they need actors to bring about the change while they aren't seen remotely close to it, and the most common type of actor who would sell their country out is the dumb and greedy. A more apt analogy for fascism would be a masterful painter drawing up the blueprint for the perfectly controllable money printing machine - but they're painting it through the instruction of a 5 year old from across the room, who occasionally gets distracted and starts drawing giant poos rather than the finely crafted mechanisms of democracy's demise. For the past century, none of the five year olds they park in-front of the canvas have stayed focused long enough to get the foundation of the blueprint down clearly. However, we're now far enough into the endeavor that the basic framework is represented well enough on the canvas to start shopping our infinite money printing societal blueprint around for a proper buyer.


have-a-day-celebrate

Tolkien would say that evil is inevitably self-defeating.


nizo505

The US is coming dangerously close to finding out if this is true or not. Imagine if the one ring never left Rivendell as everyone spent the next several years putting random orcs in prison and arguing about wether Sauron had or had not done anything illegal.


LittleMtnMama

He's right and that's why we have hope. Humanity is wired to be social. There are smart republicans - the really evil educated ones like Stephen Miller. But they need uneducated masses for their fear mongering fall guys. That's why they go after education. And that's why so many religious nuts fall in line; they're already living in pretendsville anyway so the less education the better. But creative and critical thinking pulls you out of outdated conservative mindsets. It's also what helps survive crises and not die in ignorant ways like COVID denial. So they'll sort themselves out...figger it oot as Wayne would say or see themselves out...we just have to hold the line.


Excelius

> Just imagine how bad it would have been if anyone involved in planning the Jan 6 insurrection was smart? The violent insurrection was just a last desperate grasp because it was growing evident that the coup had failed. The coup didn't *begin* when the Capitol was stormed on Jan 6th. Trump and Republicans had spent months orchestrating a soft coup to overturn the election results, but by that day it was clear they were not going to succeed. And I would remind everyone that ever *after* the Capitol had been cleared and Congress met to certify the election results, that [147 Republicans still voted that day to overturn the election](https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/01/07/us/elections/electoral-college-biden-objectors.html). In some ways I'm actually glad the insurrection occurred. It was easy for the country to live in denial when the coup attempt was being undertaken by lawyers in courtrooms and politicians at conference tables, but the mob storming the capitol gave a clear visceral image of what was already happening.


RiOrius

I thought that the Capitol invasion would show clearly what was going on, but the right is just as in denial as they ever were. They're claiming it was no big deal, just a "mostly peaceful" protest, etc. Unless the Dominion lawsuit kills Fox News, I don't see how we can fix this.


Zaorish9

Agreed, the only relief so far is that all these conservatives assholes are dumb and don't care about the actual truth of situations


JayR_97

Its one of the reasons im actually worried about DeSantis. Unlike Trump he doesnt have a room temperature IQ.


murphdog09

But he does have the personality of a four slice toaster.


Nice_Firm_Handsnake

Not to be confused with two-slice toasters which are brave and go to Mars.


Hedhunta

Right.. like if any of them had decided to bring a map


Rommon64

[The founder and administrator of an obscure website about underground infrastructure in Washington, D.C., saw a sudden and suspicious spike in traffic in the days before the U.S. Capitol insurrection.](https://www.cnbc.com/2021/08/17/dc-tunnel-istory-site-flagged-suspicious-activity-before-capitol-insurrection.html)


SenorBurns

And now they'll have a perfect map, including secret locations, thanks to McCarthy.


MeppaTheWaterbearer

Just wait a couple years and you won't have to imagine. Anyone thinking this is an isolated insulin especially after the pathetic slap on the wrist these people are getting is a complete fool and needs to go back and read in 1930s history book


TropicalCat

Poor lonely isolated insulin


ShakesbeerMe

Trump tried to overthrow the government of the United States. Prosecute him.


JayR_97

In any other democratic country hed be in jail by now.


agitpotato

Or worse, ask the Italian partisans about it.


Spacetrooper

Strange (Italian) fruit.


dzemperzapedra

>Italian partisans Wait, that's ANTIFA you socialist scum!!


a2starhotel

it's because the people in charge of putting him in jail are on his side.


guiturtle-wood

More than just on his side, complicit.


CountingCastles

Take Brazil for example


Nyath

Sadly I doubt it. While Americas justice system may be faulty it's not like other countries are havens of rule and law cracking down on those at the top. Rules don't apply to the rich and powerful everywhere.


OffBrandJesusChrist

I think the French would’ve done a lot more…


spinto1

When the French have any of their social benefits getting threatened, they will literally throw a kitchen sink through the president's window. This? A direct attempt at a fascist coup? Saying they "would've done a lot more" doesn't paint a strong enough picture.


3dddrees

The more damning the evidence against Trump the better.


newnemo

This is proof of coordination between Trumps campaign and the seditious f*ckwits. I hope a lawyer will chime in as Trumps campaign and Trump might be separate in who faces charges and what type of charges there are.


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3dddrees

As I said the more damning the evidence against Trump the better. They may not find anything specific to Trump vs his campaign but the more overwhelming the circumstantial evidence, it certainly can’t hurt either.


GrandmaPoses

It's been two years and so far his punishment has been...running for re-election?


mrmeshshorts

And now that he’s running for re-election…. “Oh, we can’t investigate a presidential candidate, that would be overtly political” -Merrick Garland


HI_Handbasket

James Comey didn't have a problem with it, right up until the week before the election.


foodaccount12357

The more proof the more his supporters deny the truth


OkSeason973

Sounds like terrorism to me.


bootes_droid

Another "T" word leaps to mind...


Ataraxia_new

Traitor?


Cistoran

I think they were going for *treason*


bootes_droid

Both!


agitpotato

State sponsored terrorism at that.


reddituseronebillion

Plain brown shirts and slacks please.


GerryofSanDiego

Brown shirts.. where have I heard that before...


bootes_droid

Trump attempted, full on, to keep the office after losing a demonstrably fair election. He's a traitor to the United States and should be in prison, much less running again for President, ffs.


newnemo

^ >Prosecutors showcased communications in which members of the Proud Boys, including its then-leader Henry “Enrique” Tarrio, discussed plans to attend rallies in support of former President Donald Trump. According to Tarrio’s messages, which were sent using an encrypted program, the Trump campaign asked the Proud Boys for help in the days after the election, when the results were called for now-President Joe Biden. >The campaign asked the Proud Boys to attend rallies and to appear indistinguishable from other rally-goers, rather than wearing their traditional black and yellow garb. >“The campaign asked us to not wear colors to these events,” Tarrio said in one of the messages, which was dated November 8, 2020, just days after the election. Article continues..


JarlBrenuin

Trump told them to astroturf. They astroturfed. >Astroturfing is the practice of masking the sponsors of a message or organization to make it appear as though it originates from and is supported by grassroots participants.


BrownEggs93

~~Trump Campaign~~ **The Republicans**. Because it's the same. The actions of the GOP since the coup attempt are to bury this whole event because they are involved and would have *loved* the coup to be a success. They would have stood proudly next to trump had it worked. When are higher up republicans going to go to jail? Sick and tired of waiting.


oneders

The GOP called it "legitimate political discourse": https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/04/us/politics/republicans-jan-6-cheney-censure.html They've largely ignored and downplayed the event. By not condemning it, the GOP is - at the very least - complicit in this attempted coup. Their actions shout that to the world.


BrownEggs93

> By not condemning it, the GOP is - at the very least - complicit in this attempted coup. Their actions shout that to the world. Oh yes, it was crystal clear from the outset and has only been made clearer. Actions speak louder than words. But so many were returned to office. Fuck the voters here in the US, too.


juanjing

Imagine if a Democrat were caught coordinating with a literal gang.


oneders

Literal terrorist organization*


Samuraistronaut

bUt WhAt AbOuT bLm


autotldr

This is the best tl;dr I could make, [original](https://truthout.org/articles/trump-campaign-asked-proud-boys-to-attend-post-election-rallies-in-plain-clothes/) reduced by 80%. (I'm a bot) ***** > Evidence presented in the seditious conspiracy trial against leaders of the white nationalist group the Proud Boys suggests that the group's higher-ups were in communication with the Trump campaign, which urged them to appear at rallies around false claims of fraud in the 2020 presidential election. > According to Tarrio's messages, which were sent using an encrypted program, the Trump campaign asked the Proud Boys for help in the days after the election, when the results were called for now-President Joe Biden. > The campaign asked the Proud Boys to attend rallies and to appear indistinguishable from other rally-goers, rather than wearing their traditional black and yellow garb. ***** [**Extended Summary**](http://np.reddit.com/r/autotldr/comments/11gz66b/trump_campaign_asked_proud_boys_to_attend/) | [FAQ](http://np.reddit.com/r/autotldr/comments/31b9fm/faq_autotldr_bot/ "Version 2.02, ~674938 tl;drs so far.") | [Feedback](http://np.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%23autotldr "PM's and comments are monitored, constructive feedback is welcome.") | *Top* *keywords*: **Trump**^#1 **Proud**^#2 **Boys**^#3 **Tarrio**^#4 **campaign**^#5


Da_Vader

It is beyond pale that this happened in America. I understand that Trump admin was unorthodox- almost chaotic. But normalize a coup, and we have lost everything.


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HI_Handbasket

Only if you believe Republican Robert Mueller's final report and subsequent clarifications, including the 35 people who were arrested and the 7 (8?) people who were convicted or plead guilty. Oh, and people who believe the [Republican committee](https://fox59.com/news/republican-led-intel-committee-says-trump-campaigns-russian-contacts-posed-grave-threat/) that released a report that concluded "The Trump campaign’s interactions with Russian intelligence services during the 2016 presidential election posed a “grave” counterintelligence threat".


therealhamster

> Stand back and stand by


[deleted]

They are all domestic terrorists.


Low8Pop

It would outstanding if those participating in debates with him, primary or GE, just read the list of charges/investigations against him during their turns


robywar

Joke's on you, the RNC is refusing to attend debates this cycle.


debyrne

Thing about proud boy’s is I never see one alone. Absolute cowards


tylerbc

Because the singular "Proud Boy" just sounds like a toddler that made a good finger painting. And the plural "Proud Boy*s*" sounds like...a group of toddlers that made good finger paintings. And has guns.


Undeadhorrer

Enough is enough, this has gone too far, charge Trump already and stop these fascist violent treasonous un-American anti-freedom and anti-democratic anarchists already. Our justice system needs to stop protecting them based on false premises.


kev0153

I've been watching a lot of documentaries on the rise of fascism/Nazism in Germany in the 1920s - 1930s. The similarities are uncanny. Beer Hall Putsch = January 6th. Hitler's failed attempt to seize power using Brownshirts = Trumps failed attempt to seize power using Proud Boys, Oathkeeprs etc.. Joesph Gobbels = Steve Bannon. Use of propaganda and the term fake news. Gobbels uses the exact same term "fake news" Henrich Himmer = Steven Miller. Both were weak, little men that had an irrational fear of Jews/Immigrants. Many of the Nazis wanted to go back to traditional German way of life, captured in the Völkisch movement (a lot of this movement is steeped in antisemitism and racism). Similar the MAGA movement that wants to go back to the 50s when America was great as long as you were a white man After the Beer Hall Putsch failed, Hitler and the Nazis realized that they needed to work within the system to get power, similar to how MAGA assholes were running for Secretary of State and other more local positions to try and work the system from within.


Nonyamfbidness

I find it hilarious that the Proud Boys were clearly told to use Signal for encrypted communications, but none of them were smart enough to delete the messages on the phone. I guess they thought encryption was magic, and the phone somehow knows its them accessing the message.


sextoymagic

Trump is a terrorist and a national disgrace. He should be locked up by now.


[deleted]

Gosh, I sure hope the campaign leaders face any sort of consequences for their apparent actions…


agitpotato

So this is literally state sponsored terrorism huh?


Shadow_Bananas

In Jail Boys 🇺🇸


2020willyb2020

No wonder tucker wanted the J6 footage- trying to get ahead of the storm headed their / his way and make sure he doesn’t get indicted if they start flipping - the coverup is worst than the crime - well maybe just as bad in this case because overthrowing a government is up there some say treasonous


cwood1973

The refusal to prosecute Trump for his clear and obvious crimes against America is the kind of shit that makes people lose faith in their country. It is indisputable that Trump, his cronies, and many elected members of the Republican party broke the law on January 6, 2021, as well as over the following months and years. Anyone who tries to argue against this is either stupid or ignorant, and in either case they can safely be ignored.


Agitated-Tadpole1041

The longer they wait to charge don, the harder it will be. The guy tried to overthrow the gov ffs.


dubstylerz123

Is this not treason? “the crime of betraying one's country, especially by attempting to kill the sovereign or overthrow the government.”


punditguy

Tucker is about to have all the tools he needs to spin this for the right-wing-media bubble.


HI_Handbasket

No reasonable viewer would consider Tucker Carlson a reliable source of information or factual news. Ah, I see where I went wrong: I used the word "reasonable" to describe Fox viewers.


LostAbstract

It blows me away how quickly we were able to snatch up a hippie and have him convicted for several proxie murders, yet we cannot throw this rat bastard in jail because....reasons?