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[Lord Shonus]

They are a minority, but they are (or are perceived to be, which is not the same thing) a minority too crucial to the Republican position to lose. Even if they're in the 20% range, if that 20% just decides to stay home it could lead to electoral disaster for the GOP. Even in their strongholds, the margins aren't that great. And those margins are thinning, not widening.

In the long term, ditching the "Klan vote" and trying to reach out and attract conservative minorities would be the winning play. But it is going to take a long time before that will work - as it is even solidly conservative black/LGBT/Muslim/etc voters tend to look at things in a "these guys agree with me more, but these guys think I should be allowed to exist" lens. Shedding that baggage will take years, and trying means you'll be politically crippled in the meantime.

[Micro102]

There is absolutely nothing the majority has done to seize power. There were less than 1000 stormers. While their general apathy towards the coup is worrying, they did nothing else which is what damns the "Republicans are fascists" argument IMO. Where are the non-stop street fights between the "SA" and communists? Where are the assassinations? Where is the authoritarian rhetoric? As someone who studied the history of the Nazi Party, this simply looks like fearmongering. I'm simply not convinced that anything of that scale will happen, especially with Trump out of office.

147 (56%) of republicans in congress voted to overturn the election results and make Trump president.

Did the majority of the Nazi party personally do anything during the night of long knives? Or did Hitler simply command his SS to kill everyone? If the latter, then we can also say the majority of the Nazi party didn't do anything to seize power. I guess they weren't fascist?

Street fights are unlikely to be commanded by politicians so I don't see how this addresses the fascism of the politicians. There have also been plenty of street fights here in the US just between random self-assembled Trump-loving militia and leftists. Probably fewer deaths but note that if DeSantis got his personal army then we would have something a lot similar to the SA around. Note that Germany had a higher population density, leading to more conflict. Note that this happened after the Nazi Party got voted rights to have dictatorial powers and a personal army. The pieces are all there on the republican's side, they just failed to succeed. If there aren't consequences, then why not try again?

As for assassinations, the only thing I can find are maybe 4 members of 2 parties (wiki is being quite vague here so I don't even know if they were politicians). They were killed by a mob so once again not ordered by the politicians, and resembling the murder attempts on Biden, Hillary Clinton, and Obama. Should I mention the coup again? I think I should. We were one 'barricaded doorway being guarded by someone with a gun' away from a mob killing whoever they wanted in congress and establishing Trump as the head power in the US. Again, I don't want to wait until they succeed with the murder to condemn them as fascists.

As for authoritarian rhetoric, if you quote something I'm willing to bet that I can find some republican saying something similar. Followed by the party not punishing them for said rhetoric.

[Starver]

Did the majority of the Nazi party personally do anything during the night of long knives? Or did Hitler simply command his SS to kill everyone? If the latter, then we can also say the majority of the Nazi party didn't do anything to seize power. I guess they weren't fascist?

If there were any lessons to be learnt from history, it's the SA (amongst others) being wiped out by the SS (and others) that should scare the ragtag Trumpite militias and 'individual supporters' if anything.

In a well-organised Fascist take-over, there's always the threat of smeone using Summon Bigger Fish on whoever happens to have the possibility of destabilising the thing they destabilised things to bring into being. You can't make an Order Omelette without breaking Chaotic Eggs.

[Dostoevsky]

Worth noting that Trump is currently far and away the leading contender for the Republican presidential nomination for 2024, getting roughly 50% support. Next closest contender is DeSantis with about 15% (who to me is kind of New Trump).

This is part of what has led to Trump loyalty being a litmus test for candidates, as losing the Trumpists can easily nuke one's ability to survive a primary. Relatedly, while Trump was president he replaced much of the national and state party leadership with loyalists who are still in those positions post-presidency.

Republican voters aren't quite as strongly Trump-supporter as the elected members are, but Trump supporters are the largest - and most fervently loyal - contingent of both the party and the Republican-aligned electorate at this point. This is one reason why Trump never followed through on his threats to found his own party - he already owns this one, so he can simply purge instead of schism.

[feelotraveller]

Did the majority of the Nazi party personally do anything during the night of long knives? Or did Hitler simply command his SS to kill everyone? If the latter, then we can also say the majority of the Nazi party didn't do anything to seize power. I guess they weren't fascist?

If there were any lessons to be learnt from history, it's the SA (amongst others) being wiped out by the SS (and others) that should scare the ragtag Trumpite militias and 'individual supporters' if anything.

In a well-organised Fascist take-over, there's always the threat of smeone using Summon Bigger Fish on whoever happens to have the possibility of destabilising the thing they destabilised things to bring into being. You can't make an Order Omelette without breaking Chaotic Eggs.

You'd need a trigger, like 'say' pipe bombs detonated at poltical party headquarters, or something.  The ones planted on Jan 5th weren't triggered, for some reason...

[MaxTheFox]

There is absolutely nothing the majority has done to seize power. There were less than 1000 stormers. While their general apathy towards the coup is worrying, they did nothing else which is what damns the "Republicans are fascists" argument IMO. Where are the non-stop street fights between the "SA" and communists? Where are the assassinations? Where is the authoritarian rhetoric? As someone who studied the history of the Nazi Party, this simply looks like fearmongering. I'm simply not convinced that anything of that scale will happen, especially with Trump out of office.

147 (56%) of republicans in congress voted to overturn the election results and make Trump president.

Did the majority of the Nazi party personally do anything during the night of long knives? Or did Hitler simply command his SS to kill everyone? If the latter, then we can also say the majority of the Nazi party didn't do anything to seize power. I guess they weren't fascist?

Street fights are unlikely to be commanded by politicians so I don't see how this addresses the fascism of the politicians. There have also been plenty of street fights here in the US just between random self-assembled Trump-loving militia and leftists. Probably fewer deaths but note that if DeSantis got his personal army then we would have something a lot similar to the SA around. Note that Germany had a higher population density, leading to more conflict. Note that this happened after the Nazi Party got voted rights to have dictatorial powers and a personal army. The pieces are all there on the republican's side, they just failed to succeed. If there aren't consequences, then why not try again?

As for assassinations, the only thing I can find are maybe 4 members of 2 parties (wiki is being quite vague here so I don't even know if they were politicians). They were killed by a mob so once again not ordered by the politicians, and resembling the murder attempts on Biden, Hillary Clinton, and Obama. Should I mention the coup again? I think I should. We were one 'barricaded doorway being guarded by someone with a gun' away from a mob killing whoever they wanted in congress and establishing Trump as the head power in the US. Again, I don't want to wait until they succeed with the murder to condemn them as fascists.

As for authoritarian rhetoric, if you quote something I'm willing to bet that I can find some republican saying something similar. Followed by the party not punishing them for said rhetoric.

I could bother trying to refute all of this, and I have an idea how, but you seem determined enough that it's a waste of time to defend a party I despise regardless over meaningless semantics any further. I'm out.

[Lord Shonus]

One of the most important labor law reforms in decades is headed to Biden for signature.. The bill nullifies any forced arbitration agreement relating to accusations of sexual harassment or assault, including all existing contracts/employee agreements and cases that have already been brought but not yet settled.


In addition to the obvious benefit, employers have long counted on the invulnerability posed by arbitration clauses to get away with all kinds of shit. Putting a massive weakness in such clauses is going to level the playing field enormously.

[nenjin]

Mandatory arbitration has always seriously pissed me off. It's not just in labor either. Many companies put Mandatory Arbitration in their EULAs so when they dick you over/pull the plug, you are at the mercy of their arbiter.

[martinuzz]

In a TV interview on NBC News, president Biden urged all Americans currently residing in Ukraine to get out of the country immediatly, saying that things over there could go crazy, fast.
The US ministry of Foreign Affairs warns that it will not be able to evacuate Americans if Russia invades.

https://www.volkskrant.nl/nieuws-achtergrond/urenlang-overleg-in-berlijn-over-oekraine-zonder-resultaat-biden-roept-amerikanen-op-land-meteen-te-verlaten~bf9601a5/

[martinuzz]

The US government has urged the Canadian government to put an end to the trucker protest border blockades at the Canadian border.
Car factories (Fiat Chrysler, Ford, Honda, Toyota) at US locations as well as Canadian locations, had to cease their production for the second day in a row for lack of deliveries, and were forced to send their workers on unpaid leave until deliveries can be resumed.

Premier Trudeau made a personal telephone call to the mayor of Windsor and asked him to put an end to the blockade of the Ambassador bridge.

Mayor Dilkins, for now, refuses to comply. He does not want to send in the police, because he thinks this will only deteriorate the situation, expecting such action to work as a rallying call for many more protestors across the nation to come to Ambassador bridge.
He will wait until a judge gives him legal means to force the truckers to leave.

[dragdeler]

a

[McTraveller]

To which "they" are you referring here?

This is an interesting political exercise though - it's an acute example of how do you go about effecting meaningful political change in terms of balancing how much harm you are doing to others in order to make a statement.

Because while no doubt there is harm associated with whatever policy is being protested, there is also no doubt harm to many many people not directly associated with that policy due to what is effectively a blockade.  People needing the supplies that are blocked, etc.  I know this is part of the rationale - it's making it hurt to effect change.

So while it's a nonviolent (as far as I can tell) protest, I don't think it's a peaceful protest.  This is causing massive unrest in nearby communities for me (as I've posted before, I live in Michigan; so shutting down the Ambassador Bridge and tunnel has significant local impact).

[dragdeler]

a

[McTraveller]

Wait what? Isn't that backwards? I thought the protest was that Canada was saying the truckers needed to be vaccinated and the truckers want to choose for themselves?  That is, they are perfectly happy to "contaminate themselves" while shipping.

[dragdeler]

a