I bet he cried

It's a long overdue purge. Well, they destroyed themselves. Less 4D chess than Tic-Tac-Toe.

Shouldn't it be the government that decides what to censor or is it up to private organizations? — FreeEmotion

The US Constitution restricts The State (or the states) from interfering with free speech. Private organizations (like churches, corporations, universities) are not so limited. That's why speech codes are more common on private campuses than public ones, or why Congress can not make Donald Trump shut the fuck up.

There is no such thing as free speech at work. If the boss wants to forbid his employees from discussing unions at work, he can.

And Sidney Powell is on the receiving end of a $1.3 billion lawsuit brought by Dominion Systems for her outrageous and utterly baseless slander which she has used for fund-raising. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2021/01/08/dominion-voting-systems-files-defamation-lawsuit-sidney-powell/6596372002/

Worse than Trump alone are the groups like the Proud Boys, QAnon, and millions of demented Republicans who have a symbiotic relationship with Trump. Even if we lynched Donald tomorrow, his followers would remain at large and in a position to cause more, maybe much more, trouble. — Bitter Crank

But without Trump in the White House as a rallying point it's going to be very hard for them to maintain any cohesion, they'll simply revert to being the rabble they are. Yes, they'll continue to cause trouble, but they will be up against a properly-constituted and professional administration, unlike the collection of sycophants and bootlickers who ran the Trump adminstration.

Trump won Democrats the presidency and the senate and destroyed the right-wing online media space almost in its entirety. All in the space of a few months. Undercover operative?

Smart guy. (Was).

Trump won Democrats the presidency and the senate and destroyed the right-wing online media space almost in its entirety. All in the space of a few months. Undercover operative? — Baden

A friend of mine told me this theory soon after Trump won. He said that Trump and his family were lifelong democrats. And so, he was planted to destroy the republican party and all it's supporters from within.

I didn't believe him of course because cmon. But who knows?

didn't believe him of course because cmon. But who knows? — 8livesleft

Nah. No conspiracy theory here. Things are as they appear.

Mass delusions of the political kind are quite common. We socialists in American engage in delusional thinking just about every day. In this we share delusional thinking with people who think that through hard work and inspiration they will become rich, maybe as rich as Elon Musk or Bill Gates — Bitter Crank

Well yes, I agree with you here. I do not think Trump is delusional. With the people who came forward to say various things about election fraud forged mail in votes, and the people like Rudy Guliani who alleges more votes than voters, it is reasonable that he thinks so. The question is, if these were all lies, who misled him? How would he know if ballots were scanned multiple times? How would you know?
Is this a moot point? Will we ever know - I feel the truth will out in coming months.

Some talk of a 'K' shaped post pandemic recovery - a recovery for some and not for others. It may be time to look beyond Trump and both parties and question why things are the way they are, who really is in power and who is benefiting. History is rife with examples of the common population revolting against the elite. Even in North Korea communist party members enjoy increased privileges.

To paraphrase an old saying: we have nothing to gain but more chains. I think it is time to bow down to people in power and accept our lot with meekness and thanksgiving.

Michael Hobbes, Senior Enterprise Reporter, The Huffington Post, wrote in The Huffington Post:

“Other than Netflix, Andrew Cuomo and the virus itself, no one has benefited from the COVID-19 pandemic more than American billionaires.

https://countercurrents.org/2020/10/the-pandemic-has-benefited-billionaires/

I'd like to know your ideas on how ordinary people can get out of this mess.

The US Constitution restricts The State (or the states) from interfering with free speech. Private organizations (like churches, corporations, universities) are not so limited. That's why speech codes are more common on private campuses than public ones, or why Congress can not make Donald Trump shut the .... — Bitter Crank

So those private 'speech codes' are not subject to government regulations, is that right? If Twitter has decided to take sides, shouldn't there be an alternative for those who are banned from Twitter from expressing their views? I am not saying it is a good thing, for example China only permits media channels to operate with their approval, but I am not sure denying evil Trump supporters from expressing their views is in line with allowing free speech. Am I missing something?

The tragedy of the situation is that so many millions of people have been sucked into his vortex of delusion. — Wayfarer

Now that we've all chanted "we hate Trump!" about a billion times, it seems about time to start focusing on understanding why that happened. A few thoughts...

1) While we all seem to agree that Trump voters made an exceedingly poor choice in voting for Trump, there are ample good reasons for voters to be reaching beyond the traditional political class. The same thing is happening on the left in the popularity of Bernie Sanders.

2) Not enough focus has been directed at the media, whose business model is built upon drama. The media is not in the news business, it's in the ad business. Trump got elected by understanding this reality better than any of his competitors. So long as corporate media profits depend upon poring fuel on every fire the wackos will always have a voice.

3) It's way past time for Democrats to start looking in the mirror and asking ourselves how we lost to a cartoon character like Trump. As I see it, the relentless chanting of "we hate Trump" is we Dems trying to hide from our own failures. A lot of those "sucked into Trump's vortex of delusion" were traditionally our voters. How'd we lose them? If we don't figure that out they are likely to remain lost and will be sucked up by the next con man to come along.

He tweeted from @POTUS but they've been deleted too.

I feel very bad for what's happening to your country. I sincerely hope you all find some unity and stability soon.

In my opinion, however, the root of the issue is with how information is being passed. I notice that you have major news organizations being extremely one sided.

This should not be. News agencies must present all sides and clearly state whether a piece of information is verified or not.

Right now, it seems that even opinions or conjectures are being presented as facts and this is dangerous.

Wherefore President Trump, by such conduct, has demonstrated that he will remain a threat to national security, democracy, and the Constitution if allowed to remain in office, and has acted in a manner grossly incompatible with self-governance and the rule of law. President Trump thus warrants impeachment and trial, removal from office, and disqualification to hold and enjoy any office of honor, trust, or profit under the United States. — CNN, Articles of Impeachment, Excerpt

@Wayfarer Is that the old articles of impeachment or a new one? Got a link?

It just gets better and better. :party: :party:

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/01/08/us/draft-articles-of-impeachment.html

Thanks!

It just gets better and better. — Baden

How about more?

Michael Cohen says he's cooperating with officials probing Trump and his family

Sweet. Put the whole mafia family in jail.

With 80 million followers and ample funding Trump could easily start his own Twitter-like platform. It is a free country, after all.

And run it from jail? You do realize how insanely fucked he is, right?

Trump should really start a third party and split the right for a generation. That will show them libs.

I am not sure denying evil Trump supporters from expressing their views is in line with allowing free speech. — FreeEmotion

Free speech is free speech, no restrictions apart from reckless endangerment (like yelling "FIRE!" in a crowded theater that isn't on fire). So yes, crazy Trump supporters can repeat the QAnon story about Satan-worshipping child molesters running the country. And you can call Trump supporters evil and/or insane.

Twitter doesn't have to allow QAnon posters, or vegans for that matter. They are under some obligation to play fairly, however. They can't ban blacks from Twitter, for instance.

To paraphrase an old saying: we have nothing to gain but more chains. I think it is time to bow down to people in power and accept our lot with meekness and thanksgiving. — FreeEmotion

As in "Eat shit and die"? Clearly you are not feeling well. Take two aspirins and call me in the morning.

“Other than Netflix, Andrew Cuomo and the virus itself, no one has benefited from the COVID-19 pandemic more than American billionaires. — FreeEmotion

It's not clear to me how billionaires have benefitted from Covid-19. When you have that much money, it is quite difficult to not come out ahead regardless of what is happening,

How would he know if ballots were scanned multiple times? How would you know? — FreeEmotion

Democratic and Republican poll watchers were observing voting and ballot counting, both with vested interests in the outcome. Fraud (such as multiple re-scanning) would have been visible to the observers.

There are also statistical checks: the number of potential voters in a precinct is a known quantity. The historical average of votes is known. Voting patterns in precincts, districts, and states can and do change, but extreme changes are not common. When there is an actual landslide (such as in 1972 when McGovern (D-South Dakota) lost to Nixon by a landslide) the landslide occurs everywhere, pretty much.

There was nothing strange about the 2020 election results. There was a small shift toward the Biden/Harris ticket. That's all that it took.

Trump kept repeating that the election would be fraudulent, way before November. He was laying the groundwork for the post-election fraud claim, in the event he lost. Too bad for Trump, multiple re-counts kept coming up short. This seems to have been intolerable to him.

Trump should really start a third party and split the right for a generation. That will show them libs. — Mr Bee

Excellent idea. I'm actually really hoping this happens. It's not outside the realm of possibility, although probably unlikely.

It seems like the only two plausible outcomes are that Republicans let their party be completely consumed by insane Trumpers, or else the party splits. In either case the standard Republicans lose, but if they split the party the insane Trumpers lose too. I guess it comes down to whether it’s better to be effectively an undead zombie party ruining everything you might have once cared for, or just a dead party.

I give it a 33% chance of happening considering the possibility that Trump runs in 2024 and gets beaten in the primaries by another Republican. No way is he gonna concede as is clear with this election and he'll likely continue campaigning as an independent. It will be like 1912 all over again.

Either the GOP get completely destroyed, or they come back stronger than ever. The fate of the party literally rests on a old manbaby with a below average IQ and what he does, and even he doesn't know what he's gonna do. Heck Trump could very well just die from a heart attack while golfing and take his cult with him so these next 4 years will be interesting to see.

seems like the only two plausible outcomes are that Republicans let their party be completely consumed by insane Trumpers, or else the party splits. In either case the standard Republicans lose, but if they split the party the insane Trumpers lose too. I guess it comes down to whether it’s better to be effectively an undead zombie party ruining everything you might have once cared for, or just a dead party. — Pfhorrest

I predict the Democrats will take this great opportunity while their opponent is crippled to do something stupid enough to unite and energize the Republicans. Sunrise, sunset.

Hasn't Trumpism or cult-politics proven to be a failed strategy to maintain power? The Republican Party lost the White House and the majority in both chambers of Congress in only 4 years. — praxis

Certainly. That is how crazy things are now in the GOP.

People like Howley and Cruz may be power-hungry but they're not cult leaders who can spin a web of fantasies and lies that can capture Trump supporter's apparent appetite for faith-based leadership. — praxis

Yet that's what it has come down to in the Republican party: to appease these fringe elements that have taken over the party. Anything that the majority of Republicans believe will be their line. Or they could chosen the Mitt Romney road, which they didn't. Somebody like Cruz might otherwise appear totally normal say rational things, but he will go with the crazy ideas permutating in the Trump party. Because crazy ideas are permutating in the Trump party.

I think they bet that Republicans (and Americans in general) are separated in their own echo chambers who don't remember anything that happened six months from now. They will talk the lines people in these echo chambers want to hear and then totally turn their coats when the wind changes. They want to engage the anti-establishment crowd even if the crowd isn't rational. Because what was said a week ago doesn't actually matter.

For example, just look at what Ted Cruz is tweeting now:

What happened at the Capitol was despicable and horrific. Each and every one of those terrorists need to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

This from the senator that pushed for an "emergency audit" and made the following joint statement with other Republicans, despite requests from his own Senate leader Mitch McConnell that Republicans refrain from challenging the certification:

The election of 2020, like the election of 2016, was hard fought and, in many swing states, narrowly decided. The 2020 election, however, featured unprecedented allegations of voter fraud, violations and lax enforcement of election law, and other voting irregularities.

"Voter fraud has posed a persistent challenge in our elections, although its breadth and scope are disputed. By any measure, the allegations of fraud and irregularities in the 2020 election exceed any in our lifetimes.

Hence those who indeed believed that voter fraud and irregularities exceeding any in our lifetimes are now terrorists. And if Trump falls from favor of the Republicans, likely Cruz will say that he fought hard to prevent the excesses of Trump. Everything is as malleable as that.

That's how it works. That's how Trump works. Because past words and past actions don't matter at all.

I think he’s proven beyond any shadow of doubt to be a liability to the Republican party, but beyond that I tend to think he’s untouchable.