politics
Welcome to the discussion of US Politics!
Rules:
- Post only links to articles, Title must fairly describe link contents. If your title differs from the site’s, it should only be to add context or be more descriptive. Do not post entire articles in the body or in the comments.
Links must be to the original source, not an aggregator like Google Amp, MSN, or Yahoo.
Example:
- Articles must be relevant to politics. Links must be to quality and original content. Articles should be worth reading. Clickbait, stub articles, and rehosted or stolen content are not allowed. Check your source for Reliability and Bias here.
- Be civil, No violations of TOS. It’s OK to say the subject of an article is behaving like a (pejorative, pejorative). It’s NOT OK to say another USER is (pejorative). Strong language is fine, just not directed at other members. Engage in good-faith and with respect! This includes accusing another user of being a bot or paid actor. Trolling is uncivil and is grounds for removal and/or a community ban.
- No memes, trolling, or low-effort comments. Reposts, misinformation, off-topic, trolling, or offensive. Similarly, if you see posts along these lines, do not engage. Report them, block them, and live a happier life than they do. We see too many slapfights that boil down to "Mom! He's bugging me!" and "I'm not touching you!" Going forward, slapfights will result in removed comments and temp bans to cool off.
- Vote based on comment quality, not agreement. This community aims to foster discussion; please reward people for putting effort into articulating their viewpoint, even if you disagree with it.
- No hate speech, slurs, celebrating death, advocating violence, or abusive language. This will result in a ban. Usernames containing racist, or inappropriate slurs will be banned without warning
We ask that the users report any comment or post that violate the rules, to use critical thinking when reading, posting or commenting. Users that post off-topic spam, advocate violence, have multiple comments or posts removed, weaponize reports or violate the code of conduct will be banned.
All posts and comments will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. This means that some content that violates the rules may be allowed, while other content that does not violate the rules may be removed. The moderators retain the right to remove any content and ban users.
That's all the rules!
Civic Links
• Congressional Awards Program
• Library of Congress Legislative Resources
• U.S. House of Representatives
Partnered Communities:
• News
view the rest of the comments
i don't think it's that deep with trump. these are people he likes, respects, and agrees with. they're who he views as aligned with his political aims
Nah he wants cult deputies who he has leverage over so their loyalty is synonamous with their survival.
BTW, it doesnt have to run deep, Trump leaves all the thinking to his handler, Putts
oh for sure. america just voted that the hell in eastern Ukraine seems great and we want some of that in Mississippi too, please. it's deeply… sad? funny? upsetting? hysterically perturbing? definitely something
Also people that will do what he wants without question. His first time around, he had actual grownups that would talk him out of stuff. This time around, we may not have that luxury and and he might actually nuke hurricanes.
I actually 100% agree that he hasn’t thought it through that far but also 100% believe it will play out how I described.
He’s an instinctual fascist.
i can cosign this view. it's just the fallout against his "enemies" will also not be strategic. the whole thing will be a grand tragedy
Yep, this is my read on it too. I don't think he did it on purpose, but it's what's happening, and it'll work out for him, because everything does. Seeing the R congressmen suck his dick on live TV has been disgusting and terrifying
I imagine a dimly lit room with Steve Bannon and Roger Stone telling Trump with a grin "pick Gaetz, that will really piss off the libs". Then he smiles, thinking he's the big man making all this happen, as he takes another bite of his McDonald's.
It's not so much about alignment of views as it is pure loyalty. He wants people who will unquestioningly follow foolish, immoral, or illegal orders. And the best way to do that is to pick people who are completely dependent on Trump himself.
Think of someone like Gaetz. He was likely about to be kicked out of the House. Or Tulsi Gabbard, someone with zero political future on either side of the aisle on her own. He's not just looking for people he likes; he's looking for weirdos and political wash-outs who have zero future prospects without him. If Gaetz is working for Trump, and Trump fires him, where exactly does Gaetz go from there? The pro-Trump folks will see him as a traitor. The anti-Trump folks will still see him as the sex pest he is. He ran for Congress right out of law school, so he can't really just go back to practicing law.
Gaetz's only real path forward in life is complete subservience to Trump. If he gets and stays in Trump's good graces, he can be supported through the Trump regime, and then, if he leaves on good terms, he'll remain popular among the MAGA-set going forward. At that point he can always get a high-paying consulting job at some Trump-friendly company.
Compare Gaetz to Trump's previous AG, Bill Barr. Prior to Trump's first term, Barr had a decades-long legal career in multiple presidential administrations and in indsutry. I'm sure he was already well off enough for quite a comfortable retirement prior to becoming Trump's AG. If Trump had ever told him to do something that he absolutely would not do, he could simply retire to life as a private citizen quite contentedly.