4 ms·

I think for many of us saying this out loud (or typing it out on sites like this) is a coping mechanism. During Trump 1, there were some adults in the room --

I think for many of us saying this out loud (or typing it out on sites like this) is a coping mechanism. During Trump 1, there were some adults in the room -- congress seemed to be less complacent, the cabinet appointees had more independent (and more pragmatic) judgement, and the scale of purges across the government felt like nothing compared to what's currently going on. There's none of that now. Congress is complacent and arguably complicit in an ongoing constitutional crisis, the admin is just breaking a number of laws without even putting in the work to have plausible deniability, and with every passing day the corruption's growing to levels that many of us who've been born and raised in the modern economic west just haven't seen in a few generations.

skeeter2020 2y ago
Even if I don't particularly like the individuals, it did feel like some people involved felt compelled to be there, even if they didn't really want to be... Rex Tillerson comes to mind. I can't imagine Trump's moral character sat well with a literal boy scout. John Kelly was another no-nonsense member who seemed steady & driven by a motivation that, agree with or not, was defensible vs. the current batch's motivations. Surprise - he didn't last long either. If there are anyone on the (currently) winning side in this Congress who aren't a bunch of greedy, self-serving boot lickers they better step up soon. I can't imagine someone like John McCain would remain silent in this environment. Best case scenario: history will forget most of these assholes; if not, it will not be kind.
- mathgradthrow 2y ago
  if you have any scruples and a brain, you'll shut up until you have a chance to obstruct something really important. Its easy to replace you if you vocally oppose trump.
  - gnarlouse 2y ago
    You gotta hope.
  - ffsm8 2y ago
    It's really surprising how few people seem to understand what working under a hostile regime actually means, and how civil disobedience can never be done publicly - because that would just mean you get replaced and can't help anymore.
- Brybry 2y ago
  The libertarians in the Republican party, like Massie and Paul, still seem to vote [1] according to their ideology. I don't agree with their ideology but they do seem consistent. [2] Collins, McConnell, and Murkowski have been voting against the administration for more traditional Republican policy, sometimes.[3] Nine Republican Reps blocked H.Res 282[4] because it would have killed bipartisan H.Res 164[5] and that caused the House Republican leaders to cancel votes for the whole week. It's not all lockstep boot licking. Just mostly. [1] https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/202550 https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/202550 [2] https://xcancel.com/RepThomasMassie/status/1899519328136974771 https://xcancel.com/RepThomasMassie/status/18995193281369747... [3] https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_votes/vote1191/vote_119_1_00160.htm https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_votes/vote1... [4] https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/202587 https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/202587 [5] https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-resolution/164 https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-resolutio...
Hikikomori 2y ago
Trump 1 also had no plan and most there were for their own gain in money or power, so they were ineffective and got barely nothing done. Trump 2 has the Project 2025/Curtis Yarvin plan and plenty of competent people to execute it. They prepared a shitload of executive orders and set up a system where sycophants can upload their CV to take government jobs when they fire people. After he won I started reading more about who these people were and what they were planning to do and sold all my stocks after the inauguration, there was no way it was going to be a normal presidency, even compared to the last one.
- polishdude20 2y ago
  What did you do with the money from the stocks instead? Gold?
  - Hikikomori 2y ago
    Nothing, not a particularly active or savvy investor, had most in nvidia/amd (bought both around $15) and s&p 500 index. Gold and EU arms is obvious in hindsight. Just waiting for some of this to be over and I'll buy index funds again.
    - epiccoleman 2y ago
      If your prognosis is that index funds will be worth buying after this is over, doesn't that imply that they're a bargain now?
      - Hikikomori 2y ago
        Probably. But I think its only the beginning of them fucking around like this, so far its just reactions on tariffs, we haven't seen the real impact yet. And unless congress stops them they're not going to stop.
      - BenjiWiebe 2y ago
        Not if he expects them to keep going down as long as the current administration is in power.

skeeter2020 2y ago

Even if I don't particularly like the individuals, it did feel like some people involved felt compelled to be there, even if they didn't really want to be... Rex Tillerson comes to mind. I can't imagine Trump's moral character sat well with a literal boy scout. John Kelly was another no-nonsense member who seemed steady & driven by a motivation that, agree with or not, was defensible vs. the current batch's motivations. Surprise - he didn't last long either. If there are anyone on the (currently) winning side in this Congress who aren't a bunch of greedy, self-serving boot lickers they better step up soon. I can't imagine someone like John McCain would remain silent in this environment. Best case scenario: history will forget most of these assholes; if not, it will not be kind.

mathgradthrow 2y ago
if you have any scruples and a brain, you'll shut up until you have a chance to obstruct something really important. Its easy to replace you if you vocally oppose trump.
- gnarlouse 2y ago
  You gotta hope.
- ffsm8 2y ago
  It's really surprising how few people seem to understand what working under a hostile regime actually means, and how civil disobedience can never be done publicly - because that would just mean you get replaced and can't help anymore.
Brybry 2y ago
The libertarians in the Republican party, like Massie and Paul, still seem to vote [1] according to their ideology. I don't agree with their ideology but they do seem consistent. [2] Collins, McConnell, and Murkowski have been voting against the administration for more traditional Republican policy, sometimes.[3] Nine Republican Reps blocked H.Res 282[4] because it would have killed bipartisan H.Res 164[5] and that caused the House Republican leaders to cancel votes for the whole week. It's not all lockstep boot licking. Just mostly. [1] https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/202550 https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/202550 [2] https://xcancel.com/RepThomasMassie/status/1899519328136974771 https://xcancel.com/RepThomasMassie/status/18995193281369747... [3] https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_votes/vote1191/vote_119_1_00160.htm https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_votes/vote1... [4] https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/202587 https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/202587 [5] https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-resolution/164 https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-resolutio...

Hikikomori 2y ago

Trump 1 also had no plan and most there were for their own gain in money or power, so they were ineffective and got barely nothing done. Trump 2 has the Project 2025/Curtis Yarvin plan and plenty of competent people to execute it. They prepared a shitload of executive orders and set up a system where sycophants can upload their CV to take government jobs when they fire people. After he won I started reading more about who these people were and what they were planning to do and sold all my stocks after the inauguration, there was no way it was going to be a normal presidency, even compared to the last one.

polishdude20 2y ago
What did you do with the money from the stocks instead? Gold?
- Hikikomori 2y ago
  Nothing, not a particularly active or savvy investor, had most in nvidia/amd (bought both around $15) and s&p 500 index. Gold and EU arms is obvious in hindsight. Just waiting for some of this to be over and I'll buy index funds again.
  - epiccoleman 2y ago
    If your prognosis is that index funds will be worth buying after this is over, doesn't that imply that they're a bargain now?
    - Hikikomori 2y ago
      Probably. But I think its only the beginning of them fucking around like this, so far its just reactions on tariffs, we haven't seen the real impact yet. And unless congress stops them they're not going to stop.
    - BenjiWiebe 2y ago
      Not if he expects them to keep going down as long as the current administration is in power.