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Who is the bigger threat to democracy trump or biden?

I think you got Trump figured correctly. His authoritarianism is almost entirely him running his mouth. During his term, until Election Day, his actions didn’t match his rhetoric. After the 2020 election, most of what he did which his opponents claim was authoritarian is simply shooting off his mouth. While in office, he used the system to impose his ideas. Most of the time it worked, sometimes it didn’t. I don’t think working within the system, is authoritarian.

Biden is different. He has the constitutional duty, reinforced by his sworn oath, to faithfully execute the laws of the United States. He not only refuses, but in the case of the southern border he repudiates said laws. He does the same with budget authority. And no president in my memory has so frequently used intimidation to affect state legislation. That’s authoritarian on steroids. And don’t forget the accounting errors he used to get areound congress and the Supreme Court.

Not sure how you could fit more hypocrisy into one post but congrats
 
I think you got Trump figured correctly. His authoritarianism is almost entirely him running his mouth. During his term, until Election Day, his actions didn’t match his rhetoric. After the 2020 election, most of what he did which his opponents claim was authoritarian is simply shooting off his mouth.
Utterly stupid.

Biden is different. He has the constitutional duty, reinforced by his sworn oath, to faithfully execute the laws of the United States. He not only refuses, but in the case of the southern border he repudiates said laws. He does the same with budget authority. And no president in my memory has so frequently used intimidation to affect state legislation. That’s authoritarian on steroids. And don’t forget the accounting errors he used to get areound congress and the Supreme Court.
Equally dumb
 
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I think you got Trump figured correctly. His authoritarianism is almost entirely him running his mouth. During his term, until Election Day, his actions didn’t match his rhetoric. After the 2020 election, most of what he did which his opponents claim was authoritarian is simply shooting off his mouth. While in office, he used the system to impose his ideas. Most of the time it worked, sometimes it didn’t. I don’t think working within the system, is authoritarian.

Biden is different. He has the constitutional duty, reinforced by his sworn oath, to faithfully execute the laws of the United States. He not only refuses, but in the case of the southern border he repudiates said laws. He does the same with budget authority. And no president in my memory has so frequently used intimidation to affect state legislation. That’s authoritarian on steroids. And don’t forget the accounting errors he used to get areound congress and the Supreme Court.
The only reason Trump's attempts to overturn the election turned out to be 'all talk' is that there were still some principled Republicans in key positions that told him the wouldn't help him break the law. He has actively been working to replace those people with loyalists. He's also talking about gutting the federal government and removing all the checks and balances some people think will safeguard us from his slide into authoritarianism.

I do think Paul Ryan of all people has it right about Trump though. I don't think he's actually smart or malicious enough to do what he's being accused of doing. I do think he's narcissistic enough to do it though. Authoritarianism - and probably some nihilism - is the vehicle to feed his narcissism.
 
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Not sure how you could fit more hypocrisy into one post but congrats
no what he did was eloquently explain how this "trump is a threat to democracy" is just a partisan take and of no moment to at least half the country. in fact more independents accdg to that poll view biden as a bigger threat to democracy. so it'd be nice to get away from the jan 6 nonsense and the threat to democracy silliness and debate who would be better for lives of americans. who would keep us safer, make our dollars go farther, create more opportunities, etc. i've already lost hope that the two will be divisive as both are equally divisive.
 
The only reason Trump's attempts to overturn the election turned out to be 'all talk' is that there were still some principled Republicans in key positions that told him the wouldn't help him break the law. He has actively been working to replace those people with loyalists. He's also talking about gutting the federal government and removing all the checks and balances some people think will safeguard us from his slide into authoritarianism.

I do think Paul Ryan of all people has it right about Trump though. I don't think he's actually smart or malicious enough to do what he's being accused of doing. I do think he's narcissistic enough to do it though. Authoritarianism - and probably some nihilism - is the vehicle to feed his narcissism.
no he lost 61-0 in court. and he is still availing himself of the court system, not holed up on the island protected by an armed militia. at this point independents view biden as a bigger threat for the reasons coh set forth
 
i don't think so. many of the people i know are now anyone but biden, and will vote for trump, like myself. they believe in the institutions and believe they will keep him in check as they have done. and if he won't leave in 2028 i'd be there with anyone else to boot him out
Leaving in 2028 isn't what people should be concerned with. If you believe in the institutions of the federal government and the checks and balances they help hold in place, Trump should be the last person you vote for. It's no secret that Trump is planning to gut the civil service and install loyalists. Some reports have suggested they may cut up to 50,000 federal positions.

I wouldn't put it past Trump to try and remain in power in 2028, but that's not what I'm concerned with now. What are you and your Trump voting friends going to do when Trump guts the federal government and starts actually doing what he's claiming he'll do in his second term? He's already promised to weaponize the federal government against people he deems his political opponents.

It's time people start listening to him. If he gets into office and starts doing what he's claiming he wants to do, it'll be too late.
 
Leaving in 2028 isn't what people should be concerned with. If you believe in the institutions of the federal government and the checks and balances they help hold in place, Trump should be the last person you vote for. It's no secret that Trump is planning to gut the civil service and install loyalists. Some reports have suggested they may cut up to 50,000 federal positions.

I wouldn't put it past Trump to try and remain in power in 2028, but that's not what I'm concerned with now. What are you and your Trump voting friends going to do when Trump guts the federal government and starts actually doing what he's claiming he'll do in his second term? He's already promised to weaponize the federal government against people he deems his political opponents.

It's time people start listening to him. If he gets into office and starts doing what he's claiming he wants to do, it'll be too late.
cutting the fed gov sounds fantastic. as coh said we had 4 years of trump and saw what he did. i believe biden after three years is a far worse threat, as do more independents in in that article. nevertheless reasonable minds. both sides should return to issues. cutting the fed gov sounds good.
 
Trump

Biden's forte is ****ing up the economy and giving away the farm.
This has been covered ad nauseum here. So much so that bringing up all the ways the economy has improved over the last three years isn't worth it. At this point, anyone making the statement you made just isn't paying serious attention and probably needs a helmet to go out in public.
 
The only reason Trump's attempts to overturn the election turned out to be 'all talk' is that there were still some principled Republicans in key positions that told him the wouldn't help him break the law. He has actively been working to replace those people with loyalists. He's also talking about gutting the federal government and removing all the checks and balances some people think will safeguard us from his slide into authoritarianism.

I do think Paul Ryan of all people has it right about Trump though. I don't think he's actually smart or malicious enough to do what he's being accused of doing. I do think he's narcissistic enough to do it though. Authoritarianism - and probably some nihilism - is the vehicle to feed his narcissism.
How do you think Trump can "remove" the federal court system?
 
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This has been covered ad nauseum here. So much so that bringing up all the ways the economy has improved over the last three years isn't worth it. At this point, anyone making the statement you made just isn't paying serious attention and probably needs a helmet to go out in public.
in spite of biden. not because of biden. biden wanted to keep giving the farm away which gave rise to inflation and finally got blocked. he even tried to skip congress to do it.
 
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Leaving in 2028 isn't what people should be concerned with. If you believe in the institutions of the federal government and the checks and balances they help hold in place, Trump should be the last person you vote for. It's no secret that Trump is planning to gut the civil service and install loyalists. Some reports have suggested they may cut up to 50,000 federal positions.

I wouldn't put it past Trump to try and remain in power in 2028, but that's not what I'm concerned with now. What are you and your Trump voting friends going to do when Trump guts the federal government and starts actually doing what he's claiming he'll do in his second term? He's already promised to weaponize the federal government against people he deems his political opponents.

It's time people start listening to him. If he gets into office and starts doing what he's claiming he wants to do, it'll be too late.
Too late for what?

Is it really so bad if a special prosecutor was appointed to look into Hunter-Joe Biden? Would that really be "too late" to save democracy? Even if there is nothing there, there is enough smoke to make it seem legitimate. Whether either Biden would be found guilty would depend on our court system. How is Trump going to circumvent that, exactly?
 
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to those polled it looks pretty evenly split between trump and biden. absurd we can't get rid of both. that seems like something most of america actually agree on
Ummmm……neither. It’s dopamine hits for bored humans (that includes me as well).
 
Too late for what?
unfounded, unfettered paranoia consumes some on the left w/ re to trump. trump is a narcissistic fat ass who is old as dirt who if re-elected would pardon himself, pardon his friends, play golf, sleep, and do next to nothing in office which would inure to the benefit of all of us. he'd be the opposite of transformative. the real worry is if we had another covid type deal as he clearly isn't good at governing
 
The only reason Trump's attempts to overturn the election turned out to be 'all talk' is that there were still some principled Republicans in key positions that told him the wouldn't help him break the law.
Oh my. That’s not the “only” reason. Not even close.
He's also talking about gutting the federal government and removing all the checks and balances some people think will safeguard us from his slide into authoritarianism.
I missed this, what are you talking about? The only removal if checks and balances I’m aware of is the Democrats who want to get rid of the electoral college, want get rid of the filibuster, and who want to reform the Supreme Court.
 
Oh my. That’s not the “only” reason. Not even close.

I missed this, what are you talking about? The only removal if checks and balances I’m aware of is the Democrats who want to get rid of the electoral college, want get rid of the filibuster, and who want to reform the Supreme Court.

You want to bring up the Supreme Court after turtle stole a seat on it?

Not sure how much of your hypocrisy is needed in one thread.
 
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Too late for what?

Is it really so bad if a special prosecutor was appointed to look into Hunter-Joe Biden? Would that really be "too late" to save democracy? Even if there is nothing there, there is enough smoke to make it seem legitimate. Whether either Biden would be found guilty would depend on our court system. How is Trump going to circumvent that, exactly?
Why do you and others here think this revolves around Hunter Biden? I can't think of a single person here who hasn't said that if something comes from indicting him, throw the book at him.

I'm more concerned about Trump gutting the civil service and appointed federal judges that he deems loyal. These are all things he's said he will do. Your ideal of the federal judiciary working as a safeguard only works if there are good people willing to stand up to - in contrast to - those in power.

And it should be noted that you're willing to vote for someone who you fully admit would likely NEED to be reigned in by the federal courts. Why sign up for that in the first place?
 
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Oh my. That’s not the “only” reason. Not even close.

I missed this, what are you talking about? The only removal if checks and balances I’m aware of is the Democrats who want to get rid of the electoral college, want get rid of the filibuster, and who want to reform the Supreme Court.
I almost feel sorry for Ohio and Hickory when they try to engage in a battle of wits with you.
 
For anyone truly scared about Trump ending democracy as we know it by firing a bunch of civil servants, here's a decent run down of the various checks on presidential power from the ABA, hardly a bastion of conservative dogma:


Please note, that the accrual of power in the presidency is a bipartisan phenomenon, most recently seen when Biden attempted to unilaterally erase $430 billion in student loan debt:

 
My two cents:

We don't need God. The judicial branch will stop the worst you fear from happening, including Trump appointees (and if he appoints dummies and loyalists like you say, it will be that much easier, as shown during his last term). Federalism will also act as a bulwark, along with an independent military, filled with generals at the top who respect civilian rule and democracy. And if this is the biggest threat to the United States, maybe the Dems should move to the middle to stop this and win back the House? That, too, would hobble any bad intentions from Trump.

Does this mean Trump couldn't do damage to the country if determined to do so? Nope. And I agree with you that the worst thing he did while in office was call the election stolen and engage in a Big Lie. But our institutions shut that lie down quickly and absolutely. The odds our democratic institutions will end with a Trump reelection are ridiculously low--think IU winning the National Championship next year in football low.

Our institutions are strong and resilient, as shown by their response to the last Trump administration. They become weakened each time we change their use and our norms to go after one man because we've bought into the hyperbole that he's some kind of mini-Hitler. He's not.
We don’t need God? That’s another thing I don’t get. When did so many of you Pubs (the GOP used to be the party of church-goers and family values) become heathens?

The judicial branch will probably be the only guardrail in a second Trump administration, and I don’t have a lot of confidence in it. Trump has put his own indelible mark on the Supreme Court and will possibly have another appointment in a second term. It is an activist Court that is not particularly enamored of precedent. Clarence Thomas has referred to stare decisis as just "a mantra when we don't want to think." I'm not sure the Court will have much regard for United States v. Nixon. We'll see.

Further, Trump has made a mockery of our justice system over the years, going back to when he smeared Judge Gonzalo Curiel (born in Indiana) as incapable of being impartial because “he is Mexican.” He’s done a hatchet job on Judge Chutkan, Judge Engoron and others, he’s referred repeatedly to the Special Counsel as deranged, he’s suggested the DA in Georgia is a slut, and he’s called his own Attorney General a “gutless pig.” If Trump is president again and there’s an order or judgment against him, he’ll defy it because there will be no one who will be able to enforce it. Are US Marshals going to come and take him away? Lol. No, he’ll be untouchable. That, in turn, will have a ripple effect on respect for the rule of law throughout his administration and beyond.

Federalism? Trump has no regard for it as evidenced by his interference with state and local elections officials after he lost in 2020.

Our institutions held in late 2020/early 2021 but barely, primarily because Mike Pence refused to cave to the pressure to delay the vote certification and/or send things back to key states for further review and/or the installation of new slates of fake electors. But that was a good dress rehearsal for Trump and the MAGA following. They’ll correct the strategic flaws from 2020/2021 and make it work the next time.

Finally, I’ve never referred to Trump as a “mini-Hitler,” so stop with the over-the-top rhetoric. It is irrefutable, though, that Trump admires dictators and despots, that he believes the rules don’t apply to him, and that he illegally tried to remain in power. That’s a pretty shitty - - and dangerous - - track record. It’ll be exponentially worse in a second term when he’s surrounded by nothing but loyalists, limited guardrails, and with no concern about a reelection campaign. Get ready for “Trump Part II - - - the Chaos and Revenge Regime.”
 
For anyone truly scared about Trump ending democracy as we know it by firing a bunch of civil servants, here's a decent run down of the various checks on presidential power from the ABA, hardly a bastion of conservative dogma:


Please note, that the accrual of power in the presidency is a bipartisan phenomenon, most recently seen when Biden attempted to unilaterally erase $430 billion in student loan debt:

the-miz-wwe.gif


as a thread hijack it's pretty wild to think of this guy as one of hte early mtv real world crowd
 
we'd get the three university presidents who are reduced to gibberish by wokeness
In all seriousness, that is some scary shit. The fact that these 3 airheads can't bring themselves to take a moral stand against anti-Semitism?

And the mayor of Boston, is - yep - a Harvard grad.

 
he wrote joe. you left out joe

Is it really so bad if a special prosecutor was appointed to look into Hunter-Joe Biden?
OK - if there is compelling evidence that Joe and Hunter Biden did something illegal then both should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. This isn't anything people on this board haven't said a million times over.
 
Why do you and others here think this revolves around Hunter Biden? I can't think of a single person here who hasn't said that if something comes from indicting him, throw the book at him.

I'm more concerned about Trump gutting the civil service and appointed federal judges that he deems loyal. These are all things he's said he will do. Your ideal of the federal judiciary working as a safeguard only works if there are good people willing to stand up to - in contrast to - those in power.

And it should be noted that you're willing to vote for someone who you fully admit would likely NEED to be reigned in by the federal courts. Why sign up for that in the first place?
Now you're making things up. I never said I was "willing to vote" for Trump. Ironically, I'm assuming you would vote for Biden, and yet, he has needed to be "reigned in by the federal courts" too (see the previously posted decision regarding student loan forgiveness).

Please link a quote from Trump where he states that he will appoint federal judges "he deems loyal." Even if he said it and meant it, your worries rely upon a real ignorance about federal judges, who they are, what they do, and how the entire federal judicial system works.
 
i saw that. It isn’t relevant. The federal bureaucracy is part of the executive department. The check on it comes from congress, not the president. I agree, congress needs to quit delegating so much authority.
So are you saying that a non-politically appointed, independent civil service is not necessary? And are you suggesting Trump hasn't talked about gutting and/or politicizing it?
 
I don't think an individual is a threat to Democracy. I do think Democrats, and their desire to control our lives, is a real threat to our Republic, or at least our Justice system.
Exactly. The democratic party tells us what we can or cannot buy what we can or cannot say and what we can or cannot use. And then claim Trump is a dictater. Lmao!
 
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We don’t need God? That’s another thing I don’t get. When did so many of you Pubs (the GOP used to be the party of church-goers and family values) become heathens?

The judicial branch will probably be the only guardrail in a second Trump administration, and I don’t have a lot of confidence in it. Trump has put his own indelible mark on the Supreme Court and will possibly have another appointment in a second term. It is an activist Court that is not particularly enamored of precedent. Clarence Thomas has referred to stare decisis as just "a mantra when we don't want to think." I'm not sure the Court will have much regard for United States v. Nixon. We'll see.

Further, Trump has made a mockery of our justice system over the years, going back to when he smeared Judge Gonzalo Curiel (born in Indiana) as incapable of being impartial because “he is Mexican.” He’s done a hatchet job on Judge Chutkan, Judge Engoron and others, he’s referred repeatedly to the Special Counsel as deranged, he’s suggested the DA in Georgia is a slut, and he’s called his own Attorney General a “gutless pig.” If Trump is president again and there’s an order or judgment against him, he’ll defy it because there will be no one who will be able to enforce it. Are US Marshals going to come and take him away? Lol. No, he’ll be untouchable. That, in turn, will have a ripple effect on respect for the rule of law throughout his administration and beyond.

Federalism? Trump has no regard for it as evidenced by his interference with state and local elections officials after he lost in 2020.

Our institutions held in late 2020/early 2021 but barely, primarily because Mike Pence refused to cave to the pressure to delay the vote certification and/or send things back to key states for further review and/or the installation of new slates of fake electors. But that was a good dress rehearsal for Trump and the MAGA following. They’ll correct the strategic flaws from 2020/2021 and make it work the next time.

Finally, I’ve never referred to Trump as a “mini-Hitler,” so stop with the over-the-top rhetoric. It is irrefutable, though, that Trump admires dictators and despots, that he believes the rules don’t apply to him, and that he illegally tried to remain in power. That’s a pretty shitty - - and dangerous - - track record. It’ll be exponentially worse in a second term when he’s surrounded by nothing but loyalists, limited guardrails, and with no concern about a reelection campaign. Get ready for “Trump Part II - - - the Chaos and Revenge Regime.”
I'm not a Republican and never have been. I am an atheist.

I agree with all of your criticisms of Trump. His statements about judges and the judiciary make him unfit to be President, in my mind.

I disagree with you about the SCt and his power over it and its justices. Gorsuch, Barrett, and Kavanaugh feel no fealty to Trump. None. To suggest that is to belie an ignorance of those judge's personal views, history of decision-making, and personalities. I'm fairly certain no SCt justice has ever felt he or she had to be "loyal" to the president who appointed them--such a notion is antithetical to the job they hold and the personalities self-selected to advance up the ladder to be qualifed for these jobs.

All of your hypotheticals and ridiculously speculative scenarios seem like "over-the-top" rhetoric to me. The President is not untouchable.

I referenced mini-Hitler because the same people typically making this argument about Trump ending democracy also compare him to Hitler. I admit you did not do that here.
 
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In all seriousness, that is some scary shit. The fact that these 3 airheads can't bring themselves to take a moral stand against anti-Semitism?

And the mayor of Boston, is - yep - a Harvard grad.

She's an idiot. So are plenty of other Harvard graduates, including Cruz and DeSantis.
 
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