Tag: House Trump

Some Thoughts From What I’ve Read So Far Of Ezra Kline’s ‘Why We’re Polarized’


by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

I’m really digging Ezra Kline’s book, “Why We’re Polarized.” It’s helped to crystalize a number of abstract fears I have right now and make them concrete. I now understand why the United States will be indistinguishable from Putin’s Russian in less than a generation.

The chief thing is the America I grew up in was the product of white people feeling on top and there being an obvious dominate political party. Throw in that when I was growing up the average blue collar dude without a college education could provide for a family of five all alone and, well, the changes since then make it clear that an autocrat was bound to happen soon enough.

The center-left is so God-awful weak in the United States, that once an actual autocrat (instead of the empty-suit would-be autocrat of Trump) takes power , we won’t know what hit us. All my nightmare scenarios from the last few years will come to be and I will definitely be snatched by a member of the weaponized ICE.

So, enjoy the next few years of liberal democracy while you can. I haven’t gotten to the end of Kline’s book yet, so I don’t know what his solution to this clusterfuck is yet. But it seems to me, as I keep saying, if you can get out of the United States now, do so.

Trumplandia is coming back in about four years and it ain’t going to be pretty.

The Fist Of A Clown


by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

Another option in America’s inevitable slide into autocracy is Trump comes back and is simply an incompetent, deranged figure head for his veep. Because make no mistake about it — we’re completely, totally fucked.

The only reason why I’m not in an ICE camp right now starving to death in, say, Arizona, is Trump was so incompetent that he couldn’t go the last mile. Lady Liberty was spread eagle in front of him, ready to get — to put it politely, fucked — and he couldn’t get it up.

Next time, alas, we won’t be so lucky.

And either Trump will be something of an autocratic Trojan Horse for, say Mike Pompeo, Tom Cotton, Josh Hawley, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc or we really will go full autocrat and we’ll just elect one of those thugs directly. The America we assumed would always be there is now nothing more than a zombie.

The reason I know this is Twitter liberals are STILL not taking the MAGA bullshit seriously. Things have gotten so bad that it’s just too late. All the fucking MAGA cocksuckers have to do is win ONE presidential election in the next, day 20 years and that’s all she wrote. The macro changes taking place in the United States are just too powerful.

The United States is now two countries that hate each other and the lone question is, will there be a civil war during the process of transformation into autocracy or will liberty be smothered without a peep.

And, if you really want to get oh-my-God-this-is-ironic, there are indications out of Florida that the reason why Trump was so popular in the Latino community is they LIKE AUTOCRATS.

So, while I embrace the browning of America, in the end it may be that very browning that allows an autocrat to strangle our freedoms once and for all. How’s that for ironic? In the end, the question may be more about if MAGA grows so deranged that they’re overthrown for American Killing Fields or not.

In other words, get out. Leave the country.

Or be prepared to make some existential choices.

Of ‘Cancel Culture’

Shelt Garner

by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

The issue for me is, does cancel culture even exist? I would say, in real terms — no. So many people who should be “canceled” never are. In fact, it can get so bad when a white male is involved that you’re surprised when someone who has a cannibalism fetish scandal has to face any sort of accountability.

Or, let me put it to you this way — if “cancel culture” does, in fact, exist, are we really prepared to give power to deranged would-be autocrats like Donald Trump in an effort to rid ourselves of it? It seems to me that “cancel culture” is part of a broader problem — the MAGA Right longs for a time when women and minorities “knew their place” and, as such, white men could do whatever the fuck they wanted. It helped that this was also a moment in time when an white man without a college education could support a family of five on his income and his income alone. Such men, who are, in a real sense, the backbone of any liberal democracy now feel “stuffed” as the book title says.

They feel fucked over.

Because the liberal-progressive movement hasn’t figured out how to bridge the gap between Modern America and the America of when it was “great” for white men without a college education…we’re in the situation we’re in right now. And, honestly, I don’t see what we can do about it.

As I keep saying, either we have a revolution / civil war in about four years, or we turn into an autocracy. The end game for people who rant about “cancel culture” is to be in a position to “cancel” anyone who objects to any policy they may want to implement. People who rant about “cancel culture” ultimately will make the issue moot because the people who would otherwise be “canceled” are going to be the ones throwing people into ICE camps, never to be seen again.

Or, put another way, enjoy the next few years of liberal democracy. We’re totally fucked. The end is coming for the America that we know now. People like me are going to be rounded up, put in ICE camps and probably murdered in cold blood.

Either get out of the country while you can, be prepared to submit to Big Brother, or be willing to risk your “life and scared honor” to what you believe in when the Bad Guys finally win.

How Red States Could Win A Second American Civil War


by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

You wanna know how Red States “win” a Second American Civil War? Don’t have one — just be patient. Wait until 2024, win that election — one way or another — and then turn the United States into an autocratic managed democracy like they have in Russia.

It’s when Red State people grow so bloodthirsty and impatient that they start jumping the gun and wanting a civil war NOW that they get themselves in trouble. Red States have a huge political advantage. Trump showed how weak and ineffectual liberal-progressives are on a political level. What happens, of course, is Red State cocksuckers see that and think, “Just imagine what we could get if we started murdering people in cold blood!”

Why that misses the point is as long as you’re dealing with things on a political level, then Red States win. Much like with Slave Power in the 19th Century. They were pretty much getting everything they wanted on a political level and it was when they freak the fuck with the election of Lincoln that they lost everything. Even the biggest fey soyboy might get a bit more spunky if a gun is pointed in his face.

But the point of all of this, I think, is we have to take seriously the idea that the Republican Party is now a full-blown fascist party. And, what’s more, it’s far more powerful in real terms than the Nazis were in the 1931-1932 era. The Republican Party is only one of two major parties in the United State. So, all they have to do is get the presidency and Congress again and that’s it — they can strangle liberal democracy once and for all in the United States and slowly turn us into Fortress America.

There will be white minority rule for decades to come and all without firing a shot. Sure, some of the bigger Blue States might grumble about leaving the Union, but I just don’t see them doing it. But if President Pompeo or Cotton drives them out of the Union in an effort to reconstruct them in MAGA’s image, then, well, all bets are off.

Or, put another way, the United States is already an autocracy without an autocrat. MAGA can stroke one out all it wants to the idea of revolution or civil war, but it would be extremely self-defeating. If you REALLY want to destroy America and turn it in to Trumplandia — just be patient, you fucking cocksuckers.

Time To Do Preemptive Triage


by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

On a macro level, the United States is doomed. We have a very stark choice ahead of us — fascist autocracy or civil war / revolution. The election of Joe Biden simply punted the crisis down the road about four years. And that punt happened because of one person and one person only: Donald Trump.

Trump is such a lazy idiot that the very thing that any other thug in his position would have done, he didn’t do. If Tom Cotton or Mike Pompeo was president in 2017 I probably wouldn’t be writing this now because I would be locked up in an ICE concentration camp — or worse. Every republic has to fall and so here were are — the United States is an autocracy without an autocrat.

No one is going to save us. We’re doomed. The Republican Party will grow more radical and powerful over the next four years, not less so. And, so, in the end, the only real question is how violent will the transformation from liberal democracy to fascist autocracy be. Will there be a civil war / revolution as we transition, or will it be such a historical sucker punch that when the media is purged and people like me are snatched off the street will anyone even care?

I’m talking about macro trends here. On a macro level, the United States is fate is sealed. It’s over. The forces of white identity politics are simply too strong. Someone like Trump was going to rise in the 2016-2024 time frame, it just happened to be Trump. What everyone missed, however, was Trump was strictly an avatar — he was successful for simply being himself. A sizable chunk of the electorate sees liberal democracy as a threat and, as such, they wanted the guy from The Apprentice.

Thankfully for everyone else, when they elected “the guy from The Apprentice” what they got was Chauncey Gardner from Being There.

But this is simply a historical quirk that will work itself out soon enough. We have, in fact, crossed the Rubicon and we’re all in Rome waiting for Caesar’s forces to reach the city. As such, we have to accept that it’s over. America’s decline is set to accelerate to the point that we leave NATO and pretty much pull all our troops from the entire world so we are Fortress America. This is now a historical absolute. Trump simply sliced the seal on fascist autocracy. A big chunk of the American electorate wants a fascist autocracy because they’re afraid of the browning of America.

As such, we have to do triage. As I’ve suggested before, you need a passport. And if you don’t have the means to leave the country within four years, move to a Blue State. When the Final Fall happens, it’s likely to be a historical thunderclap. And, as I keep saying, my only question at this point is literally will there be a revolution / civil war in the 2024-2025 timeframe or will the fascist autocracy be established peacefully?

From my Webstats, I can tell that there is a huge amount of interest in second civil war porn. If my tiny little blog is getting most of its traffic now from people wanting to stroke one off to my dystopian hellscape scenarios, then, well, we got a problem.

Let me be clear — the extremism of the Republican Party is a feature, not a bug. As America grows more diverse, the Republican Party is only going to grow more radical and fascist. And, as such, we have to get woke to what’s really going on — the Republican Party is a fascist party and in the end they either split into the Patriot Party (MAGA) and the Republican Party or fascist Trumpism completely consumes the Republican Party. From what I can tell, it definitely seems as though any civil war in the Republican Party is over and MAGA won.

So, get out while you can. Move to Europe. Or Australia. The United States is rotting from within politically and will buckle soon enough. Something pretty big — something I could never possibly imagine — would have to happen to prevent this transformation. The era of indecision is over. Pick a side. Or it will be chosen for you.

‘Q Nation’


by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

I hate to break it to you, but the bad guys are going to win. There continues to be a lot of chatter around that the Republican Party is going to wither away because it’s too growing too extreme and is too consumed with the bonkers Q conspiracy theory.

Sadly, I think the opposite is true — we have to accept that for a sizable chunk of the population liberal democracy is no longer seen as a legitimate form of government. There are a lot — a lot — of reasons for this, but generally I would say it boils down to white blue collar men without a college education not being able to settle down and expect “the American Dream” to be waiting for them as they grow older.

As such, they voted for “the guy from The Apprentice” in 2016, hoping for a Putin-style autocrat. That’s what they wanted. But that’s not what they got. Yes, plutocrats got their massive tax cut. And social conservatives got their hundreds of young hack MAGA judges. But, in the end, when America was spread eagle in front of Trump, he, well, he couldn’t get his figurative autocratic cock up. He turned out just to be an idiot, like Chauncey Gardner from Being There. So, while he had plenty of autocratic or fascist impulses and inclinations, in reality he just didn’t have it in him.

So where does that leave us?

Well, barring something I just can’t predict, we have about four years of something akin to a Weimar Republic ahead of us. Or, even more specifically, we have TWO years of being in political neutral, then another two years of the Republican Party plotting how they can consolidate power once they win back the presidency in 2024.

Republicans now wallow in white identity politics to such an extent that when they do get back to 2017-levels of control, they aren’t going to let the opportunity slip through their fingers again. It will either be the Velvet Fist of Lara Trump / Mike Pompeo or just Mike Pompeo (or someone like him) being full autocrat.

And, really, at this point, the question is not so much if America is an autocracy without an autocrat, it’s when President Pompeo has two years to consolidate power does he cause a secession crisis / civil war / revolution, or do we just slip into an autocratic fascist state without so much as a struggle.

I honestly don’t know the answer to that question.

All I know is the ICE infrastructure is going to be weaponized in about five years and people like me are going to be thrown into concentration camps. All my nightmares from the Trump Era were simply a few years too early. They would have happened if Trump had anywhere near the political acumen that I — and people like The New York Times’ Maggie Haberman — ascribed to him.

The next time around, however, I’m going to be right. And probably starving to death in an ICE Camp somewhere.

Preparing For America’s Inevitable Descent Into Fascist Autocracy


by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

So, here we are. If ever there was reason to believe the Great Man theory of history, this particular moment in time is it. But for the sheer stunning stupidity and incompetence of one Donald John Trump, America would be little more than a managed democracy like Putin’s Russia. Existing ICE camps would begin to welcome liberals (or anyone who’s generally a loudmouth like me) and we would continue our steady march towards Fortress America.

But Trump just wasn’t up to the task.

As such, as I keep saying, the United States is now an autocracy without an autocrat. About half the population longs for the white security of a Christian Entho state that re-assures them that they will always be the most politically powerful race in the United States, no matter their dwindling numbers in real terms.

I keep saying — America’s future is South Africa’s past.

There are a few — but significant — unknowns on a macro level for the United States as we stumble into our very own Fourth Reich. Will there be a civil war? How violent will the process ultimately be? How long will the Fourth Reich last and who, specifically, will be the craven thug who finally pulls the plug on the First American Republic?

For me, one question that looms large is — how does one prepare for this dystopian hellscape?

Since we have about four years to prepare, I would first suggest you get a passport if you can. Also, I might suggest you take concrete steps to connect to like-minded people who will be willing to risk things in the real world. When the Fourth Reich comes into existence, it will be so quick as to be something of a historical suckerpunch.

And, really, I might even suggest if you have the means that you make sure you’re living in a Blue State by 2025. That way, should the American autocrat of 2025 bungle things and the Blue States are able to bounce from the Union before he finally consolidates power, at least you’ll be in the right place.

Otherwise, you’re on your own.

Good luck.

Sometimes, They Come Back


by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

As of Monday (at the latest) I’m throwing myself back into the novel I’ve been working on the last few years. Everything is in place — I should be able to write the first draft very, very quickly.

I’ll always be the guy in the circle. Me, 2032

What started as me raging against the Trump Era now has a very different context — it’s going to be a lot more character based, a lot less preachy and…also a warning of what might be to come.

I really just want to forget the Trump Era ever happened. And, yet, given Trump’s apparent interest in the “Patriot Party” concept, I have decided to read up on Hitler. My fear is because of the “megatrends” that caused the rise of Trump in the first place, that he and his movement will come back in a big way far, far sooner than any of us might otherwise believe.

So, in preperation for the rise of honest-to-God-American MAGA-Nazism, I’m going to start to study Hitler, his rise and his use of power once he got it. My fear is that Trump — or a “velvet fist” of, say, President Lara Trump and Vice President Mike Pompeo — may finally turn us into an autocratic managed democracy like Putin’s Russia.

America is currently an autocracy without an autocrat and something pretty huge would have to happen for our democracy not to go the way of the Weimar Republic within no more than 10 years. But, let me make it clear — Trumplandia’s Fourth Reich wouldn’t be expansionistic. It’s not like Trump or Lara Trump would want to take over the world.

It would be an implosion, not an explosion.

The United States would collapse in on itself, maybe even to the point that there was a complete re-imagining of the world order. The United States would leave NATO, pull all its troops out from South Korea, etc and also have some sort of “Final Solution” for the “Liberal Problem.”

Or, to put it another way — there are some fucking dark forces at work on a macro level in the United States.

Weirdly enough, there really hasn’t been much discussion about how Elon Musk is just a few years away from ending the trucking industry as we know it. When 3 million high paying blue collar jobs fashion overnight, there are going to be a shit ton of angry men and women who might embrace neo-Luddism. And that would cause a massive jiggling of our political economy.

The Patriot Party might fuse the far Right and the far Left into an anti-technology party while the corporate elements of the Democrat and Republican parties might fuse together in response.

Anyway.

The point is — Trumplandia ain’t dead yet. Sometimes, they come back.

Holy Shit: Trump May Found His Own NSDAP — The Patriot Party


by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

Well, if you want to get in on the new Trump grift, I suggest you become active in the founding of The Patriot Party. History may not repeat, but it does rhyme, so it’s very possible that Stephen Miller will ghost write a Trump book called “My Struggle” then in four years we’re going to look back at the events of January 6th as Trump’s “Beerhall Putsch.”

Trump — or some member of the Trump family — will win in 2024 and we’ll go full Nazi. Though, I doubt The Patriot Party will be expansionist. It will be more about the country imploding into itself and doing away with the “liberal problem” once and for all.

Now, history rarely goes in a straight line, so it’s very possible that the Republican Party is going to tear itself apart for one election cycle. So, in that case, it would be closer to 2028 or even as late as 2032 when Der Fuhrer assumes control.

Though, at that point, Trump himself will be so fucking old that it might be something more along the lines of a the “velvet fist” — Lara Trump as POTUS and Mike Pompeo (or whomever) as Veep. There are now a half a dozen would-be autocrats waiting in the wings to finally strangle American liberal democracy.

It’s only a matter of time before one of them becomes president or vice president. No more than, say, a decade. Probably closer to four years. The macro trends that brought us this point of being an autocracy without an autocrat aren’t going anywhere.

The United States is going to be in political neutral for about two years no matter what. We’re just going to be in something of a political daze until the Republicans — or Patriot Party? — take over the Congress and we really REALLY have something to worry about.

And, as I’ve mentioned before, if Trump was smart — which he is not — he would put his political puck where macro trends suggest we WILL BE not where we ARE: he’d really try to rearrange American politics by banking hard LEFT when it comes to technology — become a neo-Luddite. Remember, Elon Musk is just a few years away from destroying 3 million (!) high paying trucker jobs via self-driving semis. If Trump — or someone in the extended House Trump — could make saving those 3 million jobs part of a political platform, well, you got yourself a powerful political movement.

It would have to be Steve Bannon to think that up, though. Trump, himself, is an idiot.

We now know what’s potentially ahead of us now. All the overblown fears that people like me had during the first Trumplandia Reich will be a lot closer to coming true once Trump founds the Patriot Party and we have our very own Red Hats (as opposed to Brown or Black Shirts) running around, beating the shit out of people like me around election time.

Pray.

Some Idle Biden Era Predictions


by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

Biden Will Be Impeached
The moment the House flips, Biden will be impeached over simply being Biden. That’s an absolute at this point.

Kamala Harris Will Face Pressure To Use The 25th Amendment
As we grow accustomed to the Biden Era, Biden will set the tone of his era, just like Trump did. And, as such, we’re going to notice that he IS a little bit senile. The FOX News bullshit echo chamber will latch on to this, and turn it into a regular Benghazi 2.

President Harris?
I have high hopes for Biden, but he’s old as hell. I wish him a long life and eight years in office, but he IS 78. So, somehow, some way, I just don’t see him lasting through his first term. I hope I’m wrong. I usually am. Harris will be a great president that will really shake things up — and, as such, get her into a huge amount of political trouble.

A Jarring Transition
We’re just not prepared for the Biden Era. It’s going to be a bumpy first few days and weeks after Biden is sworn in. We’re just not going to know what to do.

The Trump Deep State
One of the biggest problems for Biden will be The Trump Deep State. All those MAGA hacks now “burrowed” into the Federal government are going to come after Biden and his policies in a big way. By July, that could be what we’re all talking about.

Runaway Jury?
If Trump doesn’t play his cards right, his second impeachment trial in the Senate may serve the purpose of a Trump Era Truth and Reconciliation Commission in the sense that before we know it, folks like John Bolton and Don McGahn will be testifying at it in a new political Trial of The Century. The whole thing will drag out as each side throws more and more firepower at the issue.