If it's any consolation, once we're past the TSF Nightmare,

[no_hypocrisy]

I don't believe this phenomenon will re-occur anytime soon.

IOW, there will other republican leaders, but they won't have the power and sway that TSF has right now. They'll be reduced to rhetoric and they won't have a MAGA voter base. This is a personality cult. Subsequent Republicans won't have that charisma or fear/threat that he generates.

[bucolic_frolic]

1. I don't know. There's an ample supply of angry incompetent people

Always has been an undercurrent. Keeping them politically active is the Republican's challenge.

[no_hypocrisy]

2. I call that the "9-11 Strategy" where you keep the masses in perpetual fear.

Angry. Unsatisfied. Disgruntled.

The "I'm mad as Hell and won't take it anymore!" motif.

[sakabatou]

3. I fear there may be a new one coming

War with Venezuela, possibly other countries.

[usonian]

4. The fascist playbook gets played out every so often.

As long as there are fearful, cowardly, splintered people who want to feel superior to others by any means, and who project their weaknesses, failures and fears onto others, we will see the book re-opened and re-played.

We are all not better, nor worse than others, just different, and that's how the universe rocks and rolls.

The usual appeal is to racism "but they're different", immigrants, people of different belief systems, people from other countries, and people fall for it, because they want to feel superior and privileged without having to earn that privilege.

• We are all different.
• We all have different beliefs, viewpoints and experiences.
• We all were born somewhere, not somewhere else, and were brought up in that regional culture.

It's incumbent on this warring human race to recognize our 99.99999% commonality and get along, and make ourselves better by making life better for others. It's the old "rising tide", and "golden rule" maxims that are ignored, because the part of us that dodged saber tooth tigers still resides in us, mainly to dodge autos these days, but is only part of a spectrum of feelings we can attain.

Hate and fear are their own rewards, and crappy ones at that.

But easily stirred by real discontent, or manufactured discontent consisting of repeated exaggerations and lies.

Get real. This is all bullshit, to our disadvantage and someone else's (i.e. cult leader's) advantage.

To wit:



The Science Fiction writers were right. We snap out of this mutual hatred, envy and war or the planet is doomed (more than it is now).

How? Well, weren't you and I put on this planet to find out and to make happen?

Even if we need a little outside help?



To Serve Man

[Irish_Dem]

5. Other criminals have learned how easy it is to commit the greatest heist in US history.

With no consequences or jail time.

There is a huge incentive to repeat the crime.

[WarGamer]

6. Disagree.

Trump is only here because a core of assholes found an asshole as big as themselves to vote for.

The only way they disappear again is if the GOP nominates another Romney or McCain.

[Initech]

7. No, we still have to get rid of the root causes.

And that's mainly the Heritage Foundation and Fox News. The propaganda created this nightmare.

[WarGamer]

9. You can't "get rid" of them without becoming what you claim to fight.

[Celerity]

8. disagree, AI super-powered social media can enable a new cult leader to seize the levers of power

[WarGamer]

10. Absolutely!

The problem is...

Not enough people ask the question "What exactly allowed a right wing populist to amass a power base that led to TWO Presidential election victories, sweeping all swing states?"

Answer that question and you have a road map for the future of the Democratic Party.