The Thread of Democrats

[pErvinalia]

I conclude you are being ridiculous.

[Brian Peacock]

eacock doing his impersonation of 42 again by refusing to own his words.

I'm more than happy to own my words, the question is are you prepared to represent my views honestly and in good faith or are you going to continue with this kind of lazy, contrarian drivel?

Jury's out on that one at the moment.

So are we governed/controlled by fascists or not? Keeping in mind that fascism is an actual thing. It's not a rhetorical flourish.

Hey, don't discount the rhetorical flourish - it's all you've got to bring to the table after all.

But to answer the question, it depends what you mean by fascist I guess, or if one is applying a literal or absolutist definition. Are you, and if so what is it?

If one sees fascism and capitalism as different expressions of the same core values, different branches on the same tree as it were, then I think it's pretty uncontroversial to say say that fascism is a rising feature of our politics. Being as the majority of the Western World is governed by conservatives of varying degrees of nastiness at the moment I'd say that fascism has carved itself a natural foothold in our politics and therefore has an increasingly strong influence on how States acquire and wield their authority. My personal view is that fascism is capitalism on steroids and that capitalism and fascism's tendency towards the exploitative are one and the same thing - that is, as capitalism tends towards ever greater levels of exploitation it tends inevitably towards fascism.

[pErvinalia]

eacock doing his impersonation of 42 again by refusing to own his words.

I'm more than happy to own my words, the question is are you prepared to represent my views honestly and in good faith or are you going to continue with this kind of lazy, contrarian drivel?

Jury's out on that one at the moment.

So are we governed/controlled by fascists or not? Keeping in mind that fascism is an actual thing. It's not a rhetorical flourish.

Hey, don't discount the rhetorical flourish - it's all you've got to bring to the table after all.

But to answer the question, it depends what you mean by fascist I guess, or if one is applying a literal or absolutist definition. Are you, and if so what is it?

Wiki:

Fascism (/ˈfæʃɪzəm/) is a form of far-right, authoritarian ultranationalism[1][2] characterized by dictatorial power, forcible suppression of opposition, and strong regimentation of society and of the economy[3]

We might be treading down the path to fascism, but we are not ruled by fascists. To suggest otherwise is just hyperbole.

[Brian Peacock]

Ok, so literalism it is then. So let's call them proto-fascists or social fascists instead.

[JimC]

Wannabe fascists?

[Seabass]

[Seabass]

[Scot Dutchy]

Can he pay the Russians enough?

[pErvinalia]

When he turns the US into the USSSR, it won't matter!

[Woodbutcher]

When he turns the US into the USSSR, it won't matter!

USA is simple to manipulate, because it has been made ussrfriendly.

[Sean Hayden]

[Tero]

Trump relieved when disgusting rodent dies:
In 2015, when riots erupted on the streets of Baltimore after the death of a 25-year-old black man in police custody, Cummings called for justice while urging calm.

He had been the victim of what Democrats said were racist attacks by the president, who tweeted that his congressional district covering parts of Baltimore was "a disgusting, rat and rodent infested mess."

[Svartalf]

well, thne white house is full of excrement and trash these days...

[L'Emmerdeur]

Clinton trying on the tin foil hat. It doesn't do a thing for her.

'Hillary Clinton Appears to Claim Russians ‘Grooming’ Tulsi Gabbard to Run as Third-Party Candidate'

Hillary Clinton appeared to claim in a podcast interview this week that Russians will support Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard as a third-party presidential candidate—and called Jill Stein “a Russian asset.”

Clinton made the remark on Campaign HQ with David Plouffe. “I’m not making any predictions, but I think they’ve got their eye on someone who’s currently in the Democratic primary and are grooming her to be the third-party candidate. She’s the favorite of the Russians,” said Clinton, apparently referring to Rep. Gabbard, who’s been accused of receiving support from Russian bots and the Russian news media. “They have a bunch of sites and bots and other ways of supporting her so far.” She added: “That’s assuming Jill Stein will give it up, which she might not because she’s also a Russian asset. Yeah, she’s a Russian asset—I mean, totally. They know they can’t win without a third-party candidate. So I don’t know who it’s going to be, but I will guarantee you they will have a vigorous third-party challenge in the key states that they most needed.”

Clinton spox Nick Merrill later clarified, when asked if Clinton was referencing Gabbard: “If the nesting doll fits.”

In August, Gabbard overtly pledged on CNN that she would not run as a third-party candidate if she does not win the Democratic nomination. During the podcast, Clinton also repeatedly barbed at President Trump, calling him “Vladimir Putin’s dream.” Gabbard’s campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

[L'Emmerdeur]

Gabbard's thoughtful and measured response: 'It’s now clear that this primary is between you and me.' It seems to me that when somebody polling at around 1% (challenging an 'opponent' who isn't even in the race) comes out with a statement like that they're living in a fantasy world. Clinton at least was referring to genuine reports; it seems rather likely that there is Russian support for Gabbard, who has been known to parrot Russian talking points. I still don't think that justifies Clinton's accusation.

'Rep. Tulsi Gabbard Has Harsh Words for Hillary Clinton: "You, the Queen of Warmongers, Embodiment of Corruption"

Tulsi Gabbard responded to an insinuation made by Hillary Clinton on a podcast that Russia is grooming one of the candidates running in the Democratic presidential primary to be a third party candidate favorable to their interests—and that Gabbard was the one being groomed—with a string of strongly-worded tweets.

"Great! Thank you @HillaryClinton. You, the queen of warmongers, embodiment of corruption, and personification of the rot that has sickened the Democratic Party for so long, have finally come out from behind the curtain. From the day I announced my candidacy, there has been a concerted campaign to destroy my reputation. We wondered who was behind it and why.

"Now we know — it was always you, through your proxies and powerful allies in the corporate media and war machine, afraid of the threat I pose. It's now clear that this primary is between you and me. Don't cowardly hide behind your proxies. Join the race directly," said Gabbard in three tweets on Friday afternoon.

...

NBC News and The New York Times have posted analysis that shows Russian news sites and social media linked to the Kremlin had been promoting Gabbard's presidential candidacy leading up to her announced run, beginning in February and continuing in the months since.

CrooksandLiars is of course less circumspect than Newsweek:

'Tulsi Fires Back And Proves Hillary Clinton's Tweet Correct'