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| Democracy Lost |
I have read a lot of disturbing posts recently that document Donald Trump's plans for the next four years. None has been so frightening as a recent Axios piece that literally portrays the United States as maliciously mutating into an authoritarian government. With Trump as the emperor. And the U.S. Congress--including Democrats--as his lackies. Followed by a mass of U.S. corporate CEOs who are sucking up for future favoritism. Sounds to me like it is cut and dried and I wonder just how many of us are waving the flags of despair.
"It's rare, if not unprecedented, for a newly elected leader to have so many world leaders and CEOs shift their policies or posture so blatantly during the transition to curry favor with a new president."
Check me on this, but aren't we talking about the despot who was voted out of office in 2020, and the demagogue who the Washington Post reports made 492 suspect claims in the first 100 days of his presidency. A total of 30,573 misleading claims over 4 years. Yet we sent this blatant liar to the White House in 2020 and will send him back again this coming January 20. From the beginning, Donald Trump has demonstrated his racist attitude with actions against immigrants, most recently to deport even those who are legal.
Zuckerberg's Facebook has closed its fact-checking operation to match Trump's interests. News media has become more Trump-friendly. Democrats have basically shut down and now want to work with Trump. He has opened the door to Elon Musk who has taken advantage of every opportunity possible to pursue issues that will put money in his till. Trump's latest suck-up, Jeff Bezos, made a $40 million deal for a Melania documentary. Throughout all this Trump continues to berate a less trusted media.
And finally, Trump has asked SCOTUS to block the sentencing in his New York hush-money case, arguing presidential immunity should extend to the transition period. In addition, he even placed a call to Justice Alito. The wheels have come off and democracy is reeling.
