this post was submitted on 11 Mar 2024
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An ex-MAGA activist warns "no civic savior is coming" as Donald Trump's cognitive decline becomes undeniable

What if Donald Trump defeats President Biden and takes control of the White House in 2025? He has already announced his plans to become the country’s first dictator, and to launch a reign of terror and revenge against his so-called enemies. As detailed in documents such as Project 2025, Agenda 47, and elsewhere, the infrastructure is being created right now to put Trump's neofascist plans to end multiracial pluralistic democracy in effect on “day one." The so-called resistance will not have the courtesy of ramping up or mobilizing to stop Dictator Trump’s onslaught. It will be a “shock and awe” campaign visited upon the American people.

Dictator Trump’s reign of terror will be made even worse by the fact that as shown during recent speeches, interviews, and at other events he appears to be encountering severe difficulties in cognition, language, and memory.

In a series of recent conversations with me here at Salon, Dr. John Gartner, a prominent psychologist and contributor to the bestselling book "The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump: 27 Psychiatrists and Mental Health Experts Assess a President," has issued this warning: “Not enough people are sounding the alarm, that based on his behavior, and in my opinion, Donald Trump is dangerously demented. In fact, we are seeing the opposite among too many in the news media, the political leaders and among the public. There is also this focus on Biden's gaffes or other things that are well within the normal limits of aging. By comparison, Trump appears to be showing gross signs of dementia. This is a tale of two brains. Biden's brain is aging. Trump's brain is dementing.”

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[–] [email protected] 19 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Sounds like he's well qualified to be the first king of the USA. He's got everything. A ridiculous family tree, he's loony, he's corrupt, he's bankrupt. All hail king Trump the first!

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[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 year ago (2 children)

If this were a healthy democracy, we would have a press corps that would put a spotlight on what is real and not “both sides” everything while focusing on the horse race instead of the consequences of the election.

Oh, I don't know about that one. The job of the press corp is to report, not to speculate. This is one of the problems we have now, there's far too much opinion and speculation in the "news" media. I have to use quotes for news because what most Americans choose to observe as the news today is a shell of what it once was. The call should be for less speculation and more unbiased reporting and interviews for both sides.
Incidentally, since I was a kid, I've always thought the news and government leaders have failed to educate the people about policy and intents. This seems to be where speculative and opinion based journalism have taken seat.

That the media are focused on Biden‘s age, while ignoring Trump’s infirmities is absolutely maddening.

Agreed. Because (again) "the news" doesn't so much care about their responsibility as the fourth pillar of democracy but about their responsibility to advertisers and share holders. Trump and fear have always been the Big Stories that generate ad revenue.

As James Fallows pointed out, in the New York Times there were headlines on Super Tuesday’s outcomes that Trump romped and Biden has trouble while Biden got a significantly higher percentage of votes than did Trump, which tells us all too much about media bias.

I mean, he is the incumbent president. Does anyone even know who's running against him in a primary? No. because the media isn't reporting that (enough).

I'm honestly a little more distraught about what the press has become than four more years of Trump. It's in large part because of the press and media outlets pretending to be news that we have Trump in the first place.
Although, I do blame The Public's lack of interest and attention more so. People just don't care to watch actual news. They only care about headlines and short video clips and thriving in their echo chambers. So, as much as I'd love more federal funding for non-profit journalism, that's not going to overcome our disinterest in real unbiased reporting and interviewing.

I think the future of this country is very, very dismal. The polarization of politics can only get worse as we hand over all our Power of The People to social media and content makers and (eventually) AI – unless we adopt Ranked Choice Voting. RCV could very well reduce the polarization and extremism on both sides of the aisle while (eventually) cultivating a congress that works together to enact legislation making this country more representative of The People. As would public funding of all elections and regulating the power of special interest groups in DC.

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[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago

I have been saying this for awhile. They need to be forced into a restructure like they did in the past. Remember the whig party? No I don't either but its in the history books as should be the only place for the GOP.

[–] [email protected] 55 points 1 year ago (2 children)

No.

No mercy.

Make it an example.

Let them be electorally crucified. Make voting GOP as reviled as voting for the KKK.

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[–] [email protected] 25 points 1 year ago (1 children)

There is no more Republican party, it is MAGA now. People who don't fall in line behind Trump are retiring and leaving office.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 year ago

No, there is a Republican party. It's MAGA and a large number of voters who vote R regardless of name.

So many Republican voters simply don't care.

Source: I worked as an election poll worker. The number of people who asked me, "Who are the Republicans?" on ballots where there is no party would shock you.

[–] [email protected] 116 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Again for the chuds and shills in the back:

“Not enough people are sounding the alarm, that based on his behavior, and in my opinion, Donald Trump is dangerously demented. In fact, we are seeing the opposite among too many in the news media, the political leaders and among the public. There is also this focus on Biden's gaffes or other things that are well within the normal limits of aging. By comparison, Trump appears to be showing gross signs of dementia. This is a tale of two brains. Biden's brain is aging. Trump's brain is dementing.

And let's be honest, Trump has shown signs of dementia since the beginning of his first term. It was obvious when hearing his communication when he was younger.

[–] [email protected] 44 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Trump is now worse than Reagan 2nd term: not only is he demented, he and his people simply can't hide it at all.

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[–] [email protected] 104 points 1 year ago (29 children)

What's terrifying about MAGA isn't Trump, it's who comes next.

A second term for Trump will be terrible, but it'll end fairly quickly as I don't think he's going to live another 10 years.

However, if you take a look at the "Next generation" they are all copying trumpism but just making it a bit more crazy. Vivek is the poster child for this behavior. They are finding more and more than just abandoning pretext and saying the quiet part outloud doesn't lose elections.

The only way to stop this is having the GOP lose over and over and over again. After Biden's presidency the GOP cannot see power for at least another decade otherwise it will just snowball into more extreme craziness (it may do that anyways as the insane base will keep moderates out of office).

[–] [email protected] 15 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (5 children)

the only way to stop this is having the GOP lose over and over and over again.

This is asking a lot imo. You’re asking everyone to be vigilant and I think the last 10 years have proven that a significant proportion of the voter population cannot be relied on to be vigilant, because they’re content in being myopic.

That seems to be the weak point of a republic. I just watched a video essay on YouTube about the politics of Star Wars and how the Republic fell to the Empire and I think the guy made a lot of good points and it included a call to action in our elections. I think Star Wars is known to have taken from the fall of the Roman Republic and there’s more recent examples of the death of a democracy in the Weimar Republic in Germany.

With the two real life examples, all it took was a prolonged period of decay (from inside and outside factors) to lead to the Roman Autocratic Empire and Nazi Germany. I’d argue the US was on this relative path before with the America First party that rose to oppose FDR in the 1930’s. All it may take is another bad world event to push people into being content with a populist autocrat like Trump.

I’m still hopeful, but we should all take the lessons of the past into account when deciding how to move forward.

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[–] [email protected] 47 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Trump has also stated he wants to be a dictator on day 1. This plus all of the other anti-democratic stances of the Republicans has me convinced that if Republicans win in 2024, there isn't going to be another real election in the US. It'll either be so corrupt, abbreviated or "managed" that it's effectively Russia, or there will be an "emergency" that delays a national election indefinitely.

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[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

TBF, the only thing that matters is if he lives another 4 years. 8 if he loses this election.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 1 year ago

The implication is that if Trump wins, he won't be leaving in 4 years. He won't be leaving until death. Because that's what dictators do.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

But doesn't that just mean they will go back to not saying the quiet part out loud? Doubt they will actually change and have someone decent as a candidate anytime soon.

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[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago

Ms swift just needs to drop the hammer.

[–] [email protected] 31 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

It is refreshing to see someone who has left MAGA and realises the full potential danger that Trump and the GOP pose.

[–] [email protected] 16 points 1 year ago

don't make me hope ;_;

i have been dreaming of this,
pleading for this.
but i never dared to consider it might actually happen
i can't afford enough copium to sustain it

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