There is nothing persuasive about this piece. It is a study in false comparisons and cognitive dissonance. The only valid comparison between what has happened in Turkey and the US is that the wealthy elite of both countries could not stop their perpetual greed from causing a continuous decline in socioeconomic circumstances for everyone else. However, the response and result is nothing similar. There have been no constitutional amendments attempted by Republicans. The Trump Administration is following the same letter of the law that Democrats leveraged to stay in power.
The cry of the Trump-related "fascism", "dictator", "threat to democracy", frankly is the stuff of hysteria and mania perpetrated by the radicals as directed by their Wall Street-backed Professional Managment Class masters. It completely ignores that the election of Trump, as demonstrated clearly during the COVID episode, was a correction to the REAL threat to democracy that is a globalist authoritarian collectivist cabal.
I don't really see particularly strong parallels between Erdogan and Trump policy-wise -- Erdogan is far more ruthless -- but the political parallel is apt. Erdogan and co. were only able to rise to power because westward-facing Istanbul-sequestered Kemalists had become so corrupt and indifferent to the views and interests of ordinary citizens, much as there was only an opening for Trump because the Democratic Party had become so indifferent to (or actively hostile to) the views and interests of voters in the American hinterlands.
The question is; why is Trump acting so quickly when he has at least until the 2026 midterms to get the job done? If Trump acted more slowly, the damage to our constitutional democratic republic may not be noticed until, perhaps, it was too late. By acting quickly Trump is risking the opposition to his policies quickly coalescing around a few major issues and a few leaders. One possibility is that Trump sees the opposition, primarily the Democrats, is such disarray that he believes the time to act is now. (The threats to our republic have been identified ad nauseam, but true leadership is no where to be found.) There are other possibilities.
"Americans must take to the streets to peacefully push back against Trump’s assault on rights and freedoms. The recent 'Hands Off' protests were a promising start, but to have real impact, the movement must widen its base—amplifying the everyday economic struggles caused by Trump’s policies, not just the cultural concerns of a narrow slice of society."
The second half of that prescription is all-important. Taking to the streets gives the participants a sense of doing something, but it's essential that Trump be opposed by a broad, supra-partisan cross-section of ordinary Americans and the institutions that are respected by that cross-section (if any remain); not by the predictable street-takers with their predictable placards.
Sheer passion may feel like power, but it isn't. Coordination, coordination, coordination.
There is nothing persuasive about this piece. It is a study in false comparisons and cognitive dissonance. The only valid comparison between what has happened in Turkey and the US is that the wealthy elite of both countries could not stop their perpetual greed from causing a continuous decline in socioeconomic circumstances for everyone else. However, the response and result is nothing similar. There have been no constitutional amendments attempted by Republicans. The Trump Administration is following the same letter of the law that Democrats leveraged to stay in power.
The cry of the Trump-related "fascism", "dictator", "threat to democracy", frankly is the stuff of hysteria and mania perpetrated by the radicals as directed by their Wall Street-backed Professional Managment Class masters. It completely ignores that the election of Trump, as demonstrated clearly during the COVID episode, was a correction to the REAL threat to democracy that is a globalist authoritarian collectivist cabal.
I don't really see particularly strong parallels between Erdogan and Trump policy-wise -- Erdogan is far more ruthless -- but the political parallel is apt. Erdogan and co. were only able to rise to power because westward-facing Istanbul-sequestered Kemalists had become so corrupt and indifferent to the views and interests of ordinary citizens, much as there was only an opening for Trump because the Democratic Party had become so indifferent to (or actively hostile to) the views and interests of voters in the American hinterlands.
Sadly, I agree
The question is; why is Trump acting so quickly when he has at least until the 2026 midterms to get the job done? If Trump acted more slowly, the damage to our constitutional democratic republic may not be noticed until, perhaps, it was too late. By acting quickly Trump is risking the opposition to his policies quickly coalescing around a few major issues and a few leaders. One possibility is that Trump sees the opposition, primarily the Democrats, is such disarray that he believes the time to act is now. (The threats to our republic have been identified ad nauseam, but true leadership is no where to be found.) There are other possibilities.
- I've alway said that Bukele is Trump on Steroids.
"Americans must take to the streets to peacefully push back against Trump’s assault on rights and freedoms. The recent 'Hands Off' protests were a promising start, but to have real impact, the movement must widen its base—amplifying the everyday economic struggles caused by Trump’s policies, not just the cultural concerns of a narrow slice of society."
The second half of that prescription is all-important. Taking to the streets gives the participants a sense of doing something, but it's essential that Trump be opposed by a broad, supra-partisan cross-section of ordinary Americans and the institutions that are respected by that cross-section (if any remain); not by the predictable street-takers with their predictable placards.
Sheer passion may feel like power, but it isn't. Coordination, coordination, coordination.
https://thefamilyproperty.blogspot.com/2025/03/fight-fire-with-water.html