Post
by Forty Two » Tue Nov 14, 2017 9:14 pm
Well, here's the thing, I am not here to defend Republicans, and they are, generally speaking, holding views I disagree with. That being said, it is a minority of Republicans, in actual fact, who would "convert the US into a theocracy." Recall, there is a libertarian wing of the Republican party which tends to want the government out of speech, religion, and other affairs involving fundamental rights. There is, of course, the religious right wing of the GOP too, which does want the government to regulate speech, expression, religion and whatnot. So, I do share your concern, just not to the same degree, I suppose.
There is plenty I hate about the Republican Platform - I am pro choice, pro gay marriage, anti-speech code, freedom of religion oriented, and against strong police powers in terms of search & seizure and all that. I am against the death penalty, and against the war on drugs, and all that. I am no supporter of Republicans.
I don't, however, have the view that Democrats or the Democratic party have some benevolence and special care and concern for the world, nor do imbue them with any sort of trust or confidence. I also oppose most of their platform in the arena of economics, and their decided leftward momentum - their vector in that direction - is not for me.
That's why I typically say here that there is nobody to vote for. That's why I opposed every Republican candidate except Trump (who I initially opposed, and actually was won over by his campaign over time. I still think he has a chance to do great things, and we shall see. I realize why people object to him, and I share the distaste for his language, his juvenile tweets and such, and his mannerisms - I would not like him in person, and I would not like working for him - I've worked for people of his style and ilk before, and I loathe them. But, one thing you can say about that style and people of his mindset and mind - they get shit done. And, before you scoff at Trump, what he did was mindblowing. Remarkable. To go from laughing stock in July 2015, with everyone against him, and those that weren't against him laughing at him or not taking him seriously - to dismantling his Republican opposition one by one -- when there were establishment members of his own party against him - forming coalitions of "Never Trumpers" and doing everything in their power to beat him -- he managed to defeat them all, and then went on to keep his promise of defeating Hillary.
If there is one thing the Trump election did for me was give me a sense of relief - that the election really isn't rigged. If it was, Trump could never get elected. You can't be hated by that many people who hold the power in a system and win if it was rigged. Even if Russia wanted Trump elected and helped him do it with propaganda and even if they did hack the DNC -- the fact that Trump got himself elected President of the United States is the single most impressive feat in modern electoral history. It says something about his capacity and capabilities.
“When I was in college, I took a terrorism class. ... The thing that was interesting in the class was every time the professor said ‘Al Qaeda’ his shoulders went up, But you know, it is that you don’t say ‘America’ with an intensity, you don’t say ‘England’ with the intensity. You don’t say ‘the army’ with the intensity,” she continued. “... But you say these names [Al Qaeda] because you want that word to carry weight. You want it to be something.” - Ilhan Omar
