"Right-wing strategist Steve Bannon, who once pledged to make the world 'as exciting as the 1930s,' promotes the ideas of the Italian Traditionalist Julius Evola, who wrote: 'We would like a more radical, more intrepid Fascism, a really absolute Fascis...

[wdlindsy@toad.social]

@Kraemer_HB It's hard, indeed. And none of this makes a dent in his cult followers, who seem to be at least a third and maybe more of Americans.

[wdlindsy@toad.social]

@Phreba Deeply sad. I know signs have been taken in the past, perhaps by people from every political stripe — but not in the blatant, contemptuous way I am seeing (and hearing reports about) in this election cycle, as Harris-Walz signs are taken all over the place.

[wdlindsy@toad.social]

@JustRosy Thank you for this good summary of reasons to maintain hope. When I recently posted on my Facebook page a quote (in graphic form) by Jess Piper reminding white women that their ballots are secret and their husbands have no right to instruct them how to vote, Facebook immediately took that posting down.

[wdlindsy@toad.social]

@locksmithprime Yes, you're right. And, yet, we have no option except to keep sounding the warning bell, with so much at stake.

[wdlindsy@toad.social]

@Myerman I can well imagine. The neighbors who live catty-cornered across the street from us in Little Rock have had their Harris-Walz signs pulled up twice and thrown on the ground. The second time, they were torn. And we live in the most liberal-voting neighborhood in the whole state, where there are Harris-Walz signs galore and I've seen only two Trump signs. The contempt for people's free speech in putting up political signs this election cycle is astonishing and troubling.

[laloofah@mstdn.social]

@wdlindsy . It would define us as a nation too stupid, shallow, hubristic, cruel, destructive & self-destructive to lead in this world, or for decent people to bear living in. And I absolutely think most of us ARE decent, kind, law-abiding, responsible citizens, but if we don’t all rise up w/our votes against this existential threat & seriously address the systemic flaws in our society (politics, economics, media, etc) that allow & encourage such malignancy to flourish & spread, we are doomed.

[dave_goldsmith@mastodon.scot]

@wdlindsy

This important. The system was always corrupt but the players knew the rules, generally abided by them, and were punished when they ostentatiously broke them.

Trump has only one principle: The whole world is a con and only suckers play by the rules.

If Trump wins in two weeks the old system is gone, the first American Republic is over and we are in unchartered territory.

[kraemer_hb@mastodon.social]

@wdlindsy I just read a psychological analysis about this cult and its mental dispositions. It said "only" around 10% of voters were Trump cultists. (So the rest of GOP voters are what?)
https://mastodon.social/@univienna@fediscience.org/113356217168600884

[myerman@toot.bldrweb.org]

@wdlindsy it’s super childish of the little pricks to do it. And counter productive as I had about twenty signs in my garage and kept replacing them and giving money to my candidate.

[wdlindsy@toad.social]

"Kelly raised two bright red flags that paint a dark and deeply disturbing picture for our nation if Trump were to return to office. First, there was Kelly’s comments to The Atlantic that Trump made it clear that, 'I need the kind of generals that Hitler had.'”

#Trump #JDVance #Republicans #fascism #JohnKelly
/16

John Kelly is warning us that JD Vance was right: Trump is “America’s Hitler.”

Trump wants Hitler-esque loyalty

(deanobeidallah.substack.com)

[wdlindsy@toad.social]

"Then Kelly went further. Kelly noted that Trump 'met the definition of a fascist, would govern like a dictator if allowed, and had no understanding of the Constitution or the concept of rule of law.'”

#Trump #JDVance #Republicans #fascism #JohnKelly
/17

[wdlindsy@toad.social]

Diana Butler Bass kindly offers a gift link to the New York Times interview with Trump's presidential chief of staff General John Kelly, in which Kelly warns us that Trump meets the definition of a fascist, will govern as a dictator of elected, and has no respect for the Constitution or rule of law.

You can access the gift link by clicking the link to Bass' site and finding the gift link in her essay.

#Trump #JDVance #Republicans #fascism #JohnKelly
/18

Encouragement!

Gird your hearts ❤️

(dianabutlerbass.substack.com)

[hakona@im.alstadheim.no]

@wdlindsy Crooks and Liars has a CNN clip of Ana Navarro where she properly frames this, what kind of person Kelly is and how much it would take for Kelly to come out and draw attention to this. Worth the watch. https://crooklyn.social/@crooksandliars/113357448853140654

[wdlindsy@toad.social]

David Kurtz points out that two generals, Mark Milley and John Kelly, have now issued dire warnings that Trump is a fascist. As Kurtz notes,

"Kelly’s dual interviews came the same day Trump touted at a campaign event the 'extreme power' he would have if elected again: 'As president, you have tremendous — it’s called extreme power. You have extreme power.'”

#Trump #JDVance #Republicans #fascism #JohnKelly
/19

Two Generals Have Now Issued Dire Warnings That Trump Is A Fascist

INSIDE: Kamala Harris ... Rudy G ... Aileen Cannon

(morningmemo.talkingpointsmemo.com)

[wdlindsy@toad.social]

"The sobering fact is that nearly half this country is willing to dispose of democracy in order to win. They view it as a matter of survival. Well, so do we. It is not Democrats who are attempting to manage the lives of Republicans. It is the Republicans who are determined to force the rest of us to live under their warped screed."

~ Mark Mansour

#Trump #JDVance #Republicans #fascism
/20

What’s At Stake

We have two weeks left to ensure that democracy is preserved

(mmansour.substack.com)

[wdlindsy@toad.social]

"John Kelly won't let us avert our eyes. …

47 percent of our fellow Americans want this man to be commander-in-chief.

How is this possible?

Because they look away. They choose not to see."

~ Jonathan V. Last

#Trump #JDVance #Republicans #fascism #JohnKelly
/21

Mein Generals

John Kelly won't let us avert our eyes.

(www.thebulwark.com)

[wdlindsy@toad.social]

"Kelly was one of the people closest to Trump during his presidency, having served as his Secretary of Homeland Security and then as his longtime chief of staff. Kelly didn’t write a book or take a gig on a news network, so he had no financial incentive to come forward."

~ Jay Kuo

#Trump #JDVance #Republicans #fascism #JohnKelly
/22

John Kelly Speaks Out

The retired general and former Trump Chief of Staff goes on record, and in person, in a series of interviews.

(statuskuo.substack.com)

[wdlindsy@toad.social]

"Indeed, by speaking out as he has, Kelly has put his future and even his own life at risk, because if Trump regains the White House, Trump will likely seek political retribution.

Otherwise put, Kelly has no incentive to fabricate stories, and he has come forward only reluctantly because Trump has grown so extreme."

#Trump #JDVance #Republicans #fascism #JohnKelly
/23

[wdlindsy@toad.social]

"When someone of Kelly’s stature and proximity to Trump says the ex-president is a fascist and praised Hitler’s generals, it should send a great chill through our body politic. If this becomes a half-a-day story, it will be an indictment on all of us."

~ Sarah Longwell

#Trump #JDVance #Republicans #fascism #JohnKelly
/24

The Sad, Pathetic Spectacle of John Kelly’s Critics

Trump’s sycophants want us to trust them over our own eyes and ears.

(www.thebulwark.com)

[wdlindsy@toad.social]

"'Come on, Hitler isn’t going to do any of that, not really' is what old-line German conservatives told themselves in voting for the National Socialists. It is what every modern social constituency that claims to not want authoritarianism or fascism says before supporting or voting for an authoritarian or fascist."

~ Timothy Burke

#Trump #JDVance #Republicans #fascism
/25

Trump Essentials (2): Long Cons

Don't Be The Person Who Says, "I Didn't Know"

(timothyburke.substack.com)