Professor Snyder’s analysis is always a welcome and informative reflection even though the subject matter is already deeply disturbing. I am as grateful for his work throughout this extended debacle as I am of Professor Richardson’s. They both have won my deep respect, appreciation and gratitude.
Thanks for the referral to professor Snyder. Another prominent professor from Yale, Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, wrote an article in Time last week that explains the Russian dilemma. Here’s a link: https://time.com/7261449/putin-donald-trump-russia-ceo-essay/
You ask THE question. Why did the spectacle in the Oval Office really happen?
I don't think was so much about Putin himself and it is more about a global order of authoritarianism for which Putin is the authoritarian's model authoritarian, the one all others want to grow up to be for the future they envision. The people who are running this from behind Musk and Vance and T rump -- Yarvin, Thiel, Andreessen, etc. & with The Heritage Foundation doing the plan's heavy lifting -- don't want democracy anywhere on this planet. It gets in the way of their plans and needs to be quickly eradicated. The plans that they've been working on for decades are for all kinds of global dictator-led nation and network states, the US being one of them, where they, as the only rightful monarchs who worship at the altar of capitalism, decide everything and we, the peasants they detest, provide them with the cheap and desperate feudalistic labor they want and need, and should we resist or complain they simply toss us out into some wasteland or worse. Putin fits right in. But key to their success is that they act fast before the giant that is the American people truly awakens and we align with our former allies to fight for our very lives. As we witnessed in the Oval Office, I think it's pretty clear they will stop at NOTHING, keeping in mind we are disposable to them, to make this dystopian world a reality NOW because they know they will never get this chance again. In case you haven't seen this yet, here's their insane but very real endgame vision already underway -> https://skywriter.blue/pages/did:plc:we7sidyj3b5or2r7trtpfzt7/post/3lizd3knupc23
I wonder if that wasn't also an intimidation tactic to pressure Zelensky, like Putin was in the room too as part of the ambush, plus a signal domestically in the US and Russia in case there was any remaining doubt which side T et al had long ago decided we were going to be on. V & T held nothing back in trying to execute the plan they were all in on but I don't think it ended up working out the way any of them thought it would which makes me fear what will come next. T will have to make it up to Putin for having not closed the deal as planned and that surely won't mean anything good for us.
Very good point. Putin's representatives were in the room. Which includes Vance and Trump. For Zelensky this must have been like walking into a room in Hell.
Spot on. Check out Yarvin's Substack Dark Mirror. Don't subscribe! But do read his deceptive blather. He describes (intention mixed with lies and twisted history) what Musk and Vance and Thiel and Andreesen want to do: take control of the US government. The "right of conquest" in this era is immense assets, gathered by the AI techies who think they are smarter than everyone else. And therefore deserve to run the government. Without opposition.
Musk's actions, including his control of Trump and the Cabinet and the GOP side of Congress, are clear indicators of what's coming next! And fast!
I understand why you'd characterize them as "AI techies", but for what it's worth: Musk, Vance, Thiel, and Andreesen have one thing in common when it comes to tech: they are pirates. They do not create, they seize and exploit. They perceive life as zero sum. And they are very damaged people recapitulating their various traumas.
The "real" AI techies are mostly mathematicians on a quest for truth and the meaning of intelligence. Or are pure technologists driven by challenge and what they perceive to be scientific achievement. Some have runaway unacknowledged death anxiety and are trying to make God. But most are just driven by the same human nature that led us to make wheels and harness fire. Importantly, though, they make things and solve problems. I don't mean to defend them, but they are a different breed from the pirates. For them, the science is the thing. For the pirates, the science is incidental. They would use magic if it were a more expedient cultural symbol. (Their ilk did, historically.)
I don't know if this distinction is important in the grand scheme of things, but in case you find it interesting.
Yeah, I've got his "A Conversation on Monarchy" on my desktop to reference it every time I can share his sick vision and plans. Jenny Cohn over on Bsky and others update their research on them and an ever-widening gang of co-conspirators daily. And I don't know if you think this too but I've got this itch in my brain that tells me the GOP side of Congress was filled in on all of this and told if they get in the way too much, a little performative "pushback" is fine, but if they really do resist, they won't end up on the privileged side of their dystopian universe but will be relegated to where they expect all of us to end up and that's a big reason why they are so despicably docile and compliant... well, except for those who really are into the kind of cruelty they're pursuing just for its own sake.
yes, the number of Republican members of both houses of Congress who get death threats against them and their families if they appear about to do the decent or moral thing is appalling.
The right has a near-monopoly on public policy by violence. The left by and large - very large - does not do that. It will criticize but it does not threaten, publicly or privately.
This should be pointed out much more often. It is NOT legitimate.
Yarvin preaches the smart rich parasites should emulate Putin in the US and take control. The hosts/serfs only live to serve them. Otherwise we are all disposable.
The parasites are not hiding. Blonde Politics is also a good follow.
I think the GOP senators are smart enough to realize they chose to make a soul pact with the Devil. And most of the House reps. There are some in the House who are so stupid they think they've just sold out for money. They are all sellouts.
Let's remember that one in five Americans are illiterate. Musk and the rest of his parasite gang depend on that base to believe whatever con they are selling. Musk claims the purpose of DOGE is to cut out the bloat and fat from the government. The actual purpose is to control all three branches. He's almost there.
Oh, yeah, that video, also cued up to share far and wide, blew my mind when I first came across it. "He's almost there" is so frighteningly true and makes me worry a lot about what is going to come out of the joint session of congress T will be addressing on Tuesday. NOTHING good can come out of that! And I also can't get out of my mind a few of the details in Yarvin's works that haven't yet happened but that I have no reason to believe aren't in the works. Two pieces from "A Conversation..." that are stuck in my brain are 1) a national lockdown (aka martial law?) and 2) centralizing and arming the police. The pieces are nearly in place for both to happen. Lately, I've begun to think we are gonna need outside help to overcome all this but we have to get organized ourselves first. Making this stuff we've been talking about known to everyone is crucial because they're hoping we stay focused on the front/henchmen T & M. We need to do that too but so much more. I've begun sharing this information with Dems in Congress who are actually doing things, asking them to start investigating it and talking about it and even with the CA AG who has jurisdiction over them for a state charge of treason since what is going on at the federal level is also an attack on the state constitution, etc. I figure gotta try.
And, Kara Swisher has done a lot to expose this odd corner of the industry and some of these monsters in it. Musk, Vance, Thiel, Andreesen: they are, or have become, monsters regardless had they landed in tech, finance, politics, wherever.
Thank you. I think their next step, in cahoots with their fellow fanatical BRICS oligarch autocrats (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa), will be to announce that the US dollar will no longer be the reserve currency for these nation states. Harbinging in a ruthless Profiteer’s Age of yet more inhumane global ecological, social and cultural destruction.
I've been wondering about the timing of that. I know that is in the works but how soon can that realistically happen? There's some mechanisms in place but there's a lot of dollars in play in the current system for it to happen fast, though these idiots could lose control of how it happens anyway. But assuming it will be the yuan that at least somewhat replaces it, with China in ascendance as the dominant capitalist power, I wonder if they will be keen to play the let's demolish the entire world economy game by having that shift happen abruptly. Regardless of how and when, I totally agree that there are extraordinarily destructive forces at work and more to come and we all are gonna need a very big, very bold plan for when everything falls apart. So far we're protesting at Tesla dealerships and other places pretty well. But we should probably ramp things up PDQ to meet the challenges of a not impossible global financial collapse.
I totally agree. Thanks so much for being so engaged with the chaotic insanity being indulged in by our Western ruling class amd sharing your insights. Holdfast All 🐈⬛
The big hurdle for Yarvin/Trump to print Trump money is that the US Dollar is a meme in the brains of 7 billion humans around the world. Like Coca-Cola, you can't erase the meme in all these brains. The internationally accepted currency is the US $100 bill.
Trump (Musk) could gain control of the Federal Reserve by firing the Fed governors. Trump has spoken repeatedly about how the President should have the power to create money. Musk could sew chaos. Create a financial emergency. Anarchy in the world stock and bond markets.
Few people understand how money works. It's like fish swimming in the ocean. Bottom line: humans will work for money they can use to buy food, shelter and security (a safe place to sleep). If the grocery store or landlord doesn't accept Trump Money or crypto for payment, then people won't devote their work energy for it. Try paying employees with Bitcoin!
Rebel, I think there's a whole lot of truth in your comment. I submit, however, that the christo-fascists have been at this game decades longer than the techno-facsists.
The christo-fascists want two things:
1. They want the U.S. to be a Protestant Evangelical Theocracy, ruled by the Western equivalent of Sharia Law.
2. They want to accelerate the entire geo-political world toward Armageddon, which ushers in The Millennium, the thousand years' reign of peace under the reign of King Jesus who will return from heaven to take his place on the global throne.
They have been seeking the right puppet to make this happen. They thought Ronald Reagan was going to fill the role, but he was a demented disappointment. Next, they thought George Bush 2.0 was going to hand over the reigns, but 9/11 and Katrina derailed his trajectory. Donald is their last, best hope. His ego and incompetence during his first term almost ruined things, so they got the Project 2025 gang together to design a roadmap that could be followed by an idiot. But they have to work fast, before the majority of Americans can put a halt to the plan.
The christo-fascists have known they are a small minority, so they've welcomed assistance from anyone who seeks roughly the same objectives, including conservative Catholics, whom they do not acknowledge as "real Christians." They also tolerate the techno-fascists insofar as they're a useful demolition crew.
I am convinced that a day of reckoning is coming when there will be a showdown between the christo-fascists and techno-fascists. Currently, they are running on parallel courses, but the two groups seek world orders on diametrically opposed foundations.
The question is, are there enough U.S. democracy-lovers to overwhelm both of these two groups?
Not just parallel courses now (or likely before); they have joined up. "Those of us who study the Theo Bros have long suspected a financial connection between them & the Tech Bros, but were unable to find it. Forbes just did. The connection is thru Marc Andreessen (who advises DOGE & is involved w/ Network States) & New Founding (led by Nate Fischer & Josh Abbottoy)." - Jenny Cohn
Your final question is the one we face and I think it is going to take more than US democracy-lovers. I think we need an international coalition. If we can get our own coalition together, I know a whole bunch of nation states that just broke up with their former partner who might be willing to help us out.
I'd heard the "tech bros" nickname before, but not "theo bros." I like it, except these monikers make the two groups sound "cute" rather than the ominous threats that they are.
Agree but fascistic, neo-Ayn Rand fan boy, tech/capitalist-worshipping, logic-denying, Hitler-embracing, democracy hating, monarchy-obsessed coup co-conspirators instead of Tech Bros is just a bit too long to use in most posts. But yeah, we definitely need way more accurate monikers for these cretins.
I'm afraid the US will quickly decline in moral and ethical and human rights and personal freedom leadership in the world. We only represent 5% of the world's population. Our historical love of liberty and the rule of law and popular culture put America on top. Now we are sinking. Free Europe is rising. Indian and Chinese culture are rising. Even though their leaders are autocrats. The soul freedom of Roger Williams and John Milton, the equality of human individuals, the respect for unoppressed speech and assembly are faltering. We are about to experience the "right to conquer" by Bad King Elon and his Dark Lords.
This is a good analysis! I'm afraid the christo-fascists are out gunned by the tech parasites. Musk manipulated the "White Jesus" cohort in the last election. Using AI and behavioral propaganda he and his Yarvin-led pals are gaining control over the minds of a large minority of Americans.
Are there enough US democracy lovers to fight back? 185 million of 265 million American adults did not vote for Donald. 70% to 30%.
I didn't make a prediction about who will win because I think it's an absolute toss-up. The techno-fascists may outgun the christo's in terms of technology, but it remains to be seen how far they can distort religious dogma and still hold them.
Not sure where your election statistics come from, but here's how I look at it:
The number of votes for Harris vs. Trump differed by a rounding error. Of the total, non-Dem and non-GOP votes were negligible. An estimated 88 million eligible voters didn't vote. I postulate that half of them didn't want to vote for Trump and the other half didn't want to vote for Harris. It is my opinion that an overwhelming majority of eligible voters didn't vote because they knew in advance that their votes would not count, thanks to gerrymandering and the Electoral College. In the end, the election was a draw. But the Electoral College handed the election to Trump.
To my mind, the U.S. is evenly divided politically. It will take some third, powerful force to move the needle in one direction or the other.
I so absolutely agree with you! For a time I got stuck on the belief that no one would ever want democracy to fail. The “Can you believe they did this!?!?” phase. Now I understand that they really do want to end democracy! Accepting that helps the waking up process!
Exactly! i read the introduction and thought the same thing. Never heard of Yarvin but I think somebody better do an ancestry.com tree on him. Thanks for-posting,Victoria.
The Hill had an article on Wednesday suedeggesting on some plausible evidence that Trump was recruited by the KGB in 1987, and given the cover name Krasnov. I discussed that in my Substack, The Old Curmudgeon, yesterday: https://jonmargolis.substack.com/p/many-people-are-saying . Take a look. One of my readers suggested that our “chief executive” is now President Krasnov. Works for me. [Edit: It now appears that "Krasnov" has been scrubbed from a number of articles, including the one I linked to. But it appears in an article on The Guardian from 2021. I'm going to have to post on this later.]
It very much left that impression. Notably neither Trump or Vance showed any interest in letting Zalinsky say his piece, even to refute it. They just feigned serial offense to the few words he managed (and his dress; it has been observed that Musk's Oval Office business attire is casual). It was all bogus as hell (and Fox calls Trump's performance Nobel Prize material). War is Peace in MAGA land.
Absolutely! And if there was any doubt, him ending by saying this "will be great television" sealed the deal. Trump is an asshole for sure, but Vance (who I had little regard for anyhow) came off like a butt kissing sycophant. He didn't look tough, he looked like he was watching for Trump's reaction in his side vision with his "me, too, boss!" comments. It made HIM look even weaker.
Totally right Deborah but, not to justify the scumbag president, it was a Manchurian Candidate scheme. Trump looked surprised at the beginning and was late to react and when he did, it was like a spoiled toddler in a gang of two. Special shame on Marco Rubio, sinking into the couch.
Exactly Deborah. The fact that a member of the Russian government described the meeting ahead of time and that a TASS representative was "inadvertently" in the press pool in the room on Friday and more than enough indication that this was a set-up. Never mind that it was all over the Russian media within moments after the ambush took place. Just appalling stuff.
I can’t escape the impression that this was a rehearsed ambush by Trump & Vance.
https://open.substack.com/pub/snyder/p/the-war-trump-chooses?r=71u79&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false
Please read Timothy Snyder's column today, which brings up this scenario. It's a long piece but worth the time.
Professor Snyder’s analysis is always a welcome and informative reflection even though the subject matter is already deeply disturbing. I am as grateful for his work throughout this extended debacle as I am of Professor Richardson’s. They both have won my deep respect, appreciation and gratitude.
Thank you, Laura. Thanks to you, I just read it. What an eye opener.
Yes. Links to reliable donation and for whom.Excellent. Anyone have insider references?
Thanks for the referral to professor Snyder. Another prominent professor from Yale, Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, wrote an article in Time last week that explains the Russian dilemma. Here’s a link: https://time.com/7261449/putin-donald-trump-russia-ceo-essay/
That was a great article by Time, TY.
Thanks for the link.
Read! Really good writing and perfect analysis. Thanks, Laura!
Their fear of offending Putin was obvious. Why are Trump and Vance so afraid of the little gangster in Moscow?
You ask THE question. Why did the spectacle in the Oval Office really happen?
I don't think was so much about Putin himself and it is more about a global order of authoritarianism for which Putin is the authoritarian's model authoritarian, the one all others want to grow up to be for the future they envision. The people who are running this from behind Musk and Vance and T rump -- Yarvin, Thiel, Andreessen, etc. & with The Heritage Foundation doing the plan's heavy lifting -- don't want democracy anywhere on this planet. It gets in the way of their plans and needs to be quickly eradicated. The plans that they've been working on for decades are for all kinds of global dictator-led nation and network states, the US being one of them, where they, as the only rightful monarchs who worship at the altar of capitalism, decide everything and we, the peasants they detest, provide them with the cheap and desperate feudalistic labor they want and need, and should we resist or complain they simply toss us out into some wasteland or worse. Putin fits right in. But key to their success is that they act fast before the giant that is the American people truly awakens and we align with our former allies to fight for our very lives. As we witnessed in the Oval Office, I think it's pretty clear they will stop at NOTHING, keeping in mind we are disposable to them, to make this dystopian world a reality NOW because they know they will never get this chance again. In case you haven't seen this yet, here's their insane but very real endgame vision already underway -> https://skywriter.blue/pages/did:plc:we7sidyj3b5or2r7trtpfzt7/post/3lizd3knupc23
And here is the fuller plan of what we see happening now: https://tinyurl.com/5y6erh5w
Don’t forget that the Russian media was in the room. To make sure Trump followed his instructions?
I wonder if that wasn't also an intimidation tactic to pressure Zelensky, like Putin was in the room too as part of the ambush, plus a signal domestically in the US and Russia in case there was any remaining doubt which side T et al had long ago decided we were going to be on. V & T held nothing back in trying to execute the plan they were all in on but I don't think it ended up working out the way any of them thought it would which makes me fear what will come next. T will have to make it up to Putin for having not closed the deal as planned and that surely won't mean anything good for us.
Very good point. Putin's representatives were in the room. Which includes Vance and Trump. For Zelensky this must have been like walking into a room in Hell.
Spot on. Check out Yarvin's Substack Dark Mirror. Don't subscribe! But do read his deceptive blather. He describes (intention mixed with lies and twisted history) what Musk and Vance and Thiel and Andreesen want to do: take control of the US government. The "right of conquest" in this era is immense assets, gathered by the AI techies who think they are smarter than everyone else. And therefore deserve to run the government. Without opposition.
Musk's actions, including his control of Trump and the Cabinet and the GOP side of Congress, are clear indicators of what's coming next! And fast!
I understand why you'd characterize them as "AI techies", but for what it's worth: Musk, Vance, Thiel, and Andreesen have one thing in common when it comes to tech: they are pirates. They do not create, they seize and exploit. They perceive life as zero sum. And they are very damaged people recapitulating their various traumas.
The "real" AI techies are mostly mathematicians on a quest for truth and the meaning of intelligence. Or are pure technologists driven by challenge and what they perceive to be scientific achievement. Some have runaway unacknowledged death anxiety and are trying to make God. But most are just driven by the same human nature that led us to make wheels and harness fire. Importantly, though, they make things and solve problems. I don't mean to defend them, but they are a different breed from the pirates. For them, the science is the thing. For the pirates, the science is incidental. They would use magic if it were a more expedient cultural symbol. (Their ilk did, historically.)
I don't know if this distinction is important in the grand scheme of things, but in case you find it interesting.
I am reminded that every Baron Vladimir Harkonnen has his Mentat.
Yeah, I've got his "A Conversation on Monarchy" on my desktop to reference it every time I can share his sick vision and plans. Jenny Cohn over on Bsky and others update their research on them and an ever-widening gang of co-conspirators daily. And I don't know if you think this too but I've got this itch in my brain that tells me the GOP side of Congress was filled in on all of this and told if they get in the way too much, a little performative "pushback" is fine, but if they really do resist, they won't end up on the privileged side of their dystopian universe but will be relegated to where they expect all of us to end up and that's a big reason why they are so despicably docile and compliant... well, except for those who really are into the kind of cruelty they're pursuing just for its own sake.
yes, the number of Republican members of both houses of Congress who get death threats against them and their families if they appear about to do the decent or moral thing is appalling.
The right has a near-monopoly on public policy by violence. The left by and large - very large - does not do that. It will criticize but it does not threaten, publicly or privately.
This should be pointed out much more often. It is NOT legitimate.
I will check out Jenny Cohn. Thanks!
Yarvin preaches the smart rich parasites should emulate Putin in the US and take control. The hosts/serfs only live to serve them. Otherwise we are all disposable.
The parasites are not hiding. Blonde Politics is also a good follow.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5RpPTRcz1no&t=525s
I think the GOP senators are smart enough to realize they chose to make a soul pact with the Devil. And most of the House reps. There are some in the House who are so stupid they think they've just sold out for money. They are all sellouts.
Let's remember that one in five Americans are illiterate. Musk and the rest of his parasite gang depend on that base to believe whatever con they are selling. Musk claims the purpose of DOGE is to cut out the bloat and fat from the government. The actual purpose is to control all three branches. He's almost there.
Oh, yeah, that video, also cued up to share far and wide, blew my mind when I first came across it. "He's almost there" is so frighteningly true and makes me worry a lot about what is going to come out of the joint session of congress T will be addressing on Tuesday. NOTHING good can come out of that! And I also can't get out of my mind a few of the details in Yarvin's works that haven't yet happened but that I have no reason to believe aren't in the works. Two pieces from "A Conversation..." that are stuck in my brain are 1) a national lockdown (aka martial law?) and 2) centralizing and arming the police. The pieces are nearly in place for both to happen. Lately, I've begun to think we are gonna need outside help to overcome all this but we have to get organized ourselves first. Making this stuff we've been talking about known to everyone is crucial because they're hoping we stay focused on the front/henchmen T & M. We need to do that too but so much more. I've begun sharing this information with Dems in Congress who are actually doing things, asking them to start investigating it and talking about it and even with the CA AG who has jurisdiction over them for a state charge of treason since what is going on at the federal level is also an attack on the state constitution, etc. I figure gotta try.
And, Kara Swisher has done a lot to expose this odd corner of the industry and some of these monsters in it. Musk, Vance, Thiel, Andreesen: they are, or have become, monsters regardless had they landed in tech, finance, politics, wherever.
Thank you. I think their next step, in cahoots with their fellow fanatical BRICS oligarch autocrats (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa), will be to announce that the US dollar will no longer be the reserve currency for these nation states. Harbinging in a ruthless Profiteer’s Age of yet more inhumane global ecological, social and cultural destruction.
I've been wondering about the timing of that. I know that is in the works but how soon can that realistically happen? There's some mechanisms in place but there's a lot of dollars in play in the current system for it to happen fast, though these idiots could lose control of how it happens anyway. But assuming it will be the yuan that at least somewhat replaces it, with China in ascendance as the dominant capitalist power, I wonder if they will be keen to play the let's demolish the entire world economy game by having that shift happen abruptly. Regardless of how and when, I totally agree that there are extraordinarily destructive forces at work and more to come and we all are gonna need a very big, very bold plan for when everything falls apart. So far we're protesting at Tesla dealerships and other places pretty well. But we should probably ramp things up PDQ to meet the challenges of a not impossible global financial collapse.
I totally agree. Thanks so much for being so engaged with the chaotic insanity being indulged in by our Western ruling class amd sharing your insights. Holdfast All 🐈⬛
The big hurdle for Yarvin/Trump to print Trump money is that the US Dollar is a meme in the brains of 7 billion humans around the world. Like Coca-Cola, you can't erase the meme in all these brains. The internationally accepted currency is the US $100 bill.
Trump (Musk) could gain control of the Federal Reserve by firing the Fed governors. Trump has spoken repeatedly about how the President should have the power to create money. Musk could sew chaos. Create a financial emergency. Anarchy in the world stock and bond markets.
Few people understand how money works. It's like fish swimming in the ocean. Bottom line: humans will work for money they can use to buy food, shelter and security (a safe place to sleep). If the grocery store or landlord doesn't accept Trump Money or crypto for payment, then people won't devote their work energy for it. Try paying employees with Bitcoin!
I worry about all the cryptocurrency.
Crypto is a scam. A very big scam.
Rebel, I think there's a whole lot of truth in your comment. I submit, however, that the christo-fascists have been at this game decades longer than the techno-facsists.
The christo-fascists want two things:
1. They want the U.S. to be a Protestant Evangelical Theocracy, ruled by the Western equivalent of Sharia Law.
2. They want to accelerate the entire geo-political world toward Armageddon, which ushers in The Millennium, the thousand years' reign of peace under the reign of King Jesus who will return from heaven to take his place on the global throne.
They have been seeking the right puppet to make this happen. They thought Ronald Reagan was going to fill the role, but he was a demented disappointment. Next, they thought George Bush 2.0 was going to hand over the reigns, but 9/11 and Katrina derailed his trajectory. Donald is their last, best hope. His ego and incompetence during his first term almost ruined things, so they got the Project 2025 gang together to design a roadmap that could be followed by an idiot. But they have to work fast, before the majority of Americans can put a halt to the plan.
The christo-fascists have known they are a small minority, so they've welcomed assistance from anyone who seeks roughly the same objectives, including conservative Catholics, whom they do not acknowledge as "real Christians." They also tolerate the techno-fascists insofar as they're a useful demolition crew.
I am convinced that a day of reckoning is coming when there will be a showdown between the christo-fascists and techno-fascists. Currently, they are running on parallel courses, but the two groups seek world orders on diametrically opposed foundations.
The question is, are there enough U.S. democracy-lovers to overwhelm both of these two groups?
Not just parallel courses now (or likely before); they have joined up. "Those of us who study the Theo Bros have long suspected a financial connection between them & the Tech Bros, but were unable to find it. Forbes just did. The connection is thru Marc Andreessen (who advises DOGE & is involved w/ Network States) & New Founding (led by Nate Fischer & Josh Abbottoy)." - Jenny Cohn
https://bsky.app/profile/jennycohn.bsky.social/post/3leiqi2h64222
Your final question is the one we face and I think it is going to take more than US democracy-lovers. I think we need an international coalition. If we can get our own coalition together, I know a whole bunch of nation states that just broke up with their former partner who might be willing to help us out.
I'd heard the "tech bros" nickname before, but not "theo bros." I like it, except these monikers make the two groups sound "cute" rather than the ominous threats that they are.
Agree but fascistic, neo-Ayn Rand fan boy, tech/capitalist-worshipping, logic-denying, Hitler-embracing, democracy hating, monarchy-obsessed coup co-conspirators instead of Tech Bros is just a bit too long to use in most posts. But yeah, we definitely need way more accurate monikers for these cretins.
I'm afraid the US will quickly decline in moral and ethical and human rights and personal freedom leadership in the world. We only represent 5% of the world's population. Our historical love of liberty and the rule of law and popular culture put America on top. Now we are sinking. Free Europe is rising. Indian and Chinese culture are rising. Even though their leaders are autocrats. The soul freedom of Roger Williams and John Milton, the equality of human individuals, the respect for unoppressed speech and assembly are faltering. We are about to experience the "right to conquer" by Bad King Elon and his Dark Lords.
And now we're in territory I think about all the time but don't bring up except in vague asides about the what will we do after...
This is a good analysis! I'm afraid the christo-fascists are out gunned by the tech parasites. Musk manipulated the "White Jesus" cohort in the last election. Using AI and behavioral propaganda he and his Yarvin-led pals are gaining control over the minds of a large minority of Americans.
Are there enough US democracy lovers to fight back? 185 million of 265 million American adults did not vote for Donald. 70% to 30%.
I didn't make a prediction about who will win because I think it's an absolute toss-up. The techno-fascists may outgun the christo's in terms of technology, but it remains to be seen how far they can distort religious dogma and still hold them.
Not sure where your election statistics come from, but here's how I look at it:
The number of votes for Harris vs. Trump differed by a rounding error. Of the total, non-Dem and non-GOP votes were negligible. An estimated 88 million eligible voters didn't vote. I postulate that half of them didn't want to vote for Trump and the other half didn't want to vote for Harris. It is my opinion that an overwhelming majority of eligible voters didn't vote because they knew in advance that their votes would not count, thanks to gerrymandering and the Electoral College. In the end, the election was a draw. But the Electoral College handed the election to Trump.
To my mind, the U.S. is evenly divided politically. It will take some third, powerful force to move the needle in one direction or the other.
Total population of the US: 340.1 million
Total adult population of the US: 258.3 million
2024 Voters for Trump: 77.3 million (3 million more than 2020)
2024 Voters for Harris: 75.0 million (6.2 million less than Biden in 2020)
2024 Did not vote: 106 million
Total that did not vote for Trump: 181 million (70% of total adults)
(Sorry I rounded my numbers above.)
I so absolutely agree with you! For a time I got stuck on the belief that no one would ever want democracy to fail. The “Can you believe they did this!?!?” phase. Now I understand that they really do want to end democracy! Accepting that helps the waking up process!
What President Biden had been screaming from the roof tops for a very long time, drowning out his economic accomplishments!!!
They are Russian operatives
Exactly! i read the introduction and thought the same thing. Never heard of Yarvin but I think somebody better do an ancestry.com tree on him. Thanks for-posting,Victoria.
The Hill had an article on Wednesday suedeggesting on some plausible evidence that Trump was recruited by the KGB in 1987, and given the cover name Krasnov. I discussed that in my Substack, The Old Curmudgeon, yesterday: https://jonmargolis.substack.com/p/many-people-are-saying . Take a look. One of my readers suggested that our “chief executive” is now President Krasnov. Works for me. [Edit: It now appears that "Krasnov" has been scrubbed from a number of articles, including the one I linked to. But it appears in an article on The Guardian from 2021. I'm going to have to post on this later.]
It very much left that impression. Notably neither Trump or Vance showed any interest in letting Zalinsky say his piece, even to refute it. They just feigned serial offense to the few words he managed (and his dress; it has been observed that Musk's Oval Office business attire is casual). It was all bogus as hell (and Fox calls Trump's performance Nobel Prize material). War is Peace in MAGA land.
Yes appeared so
Absolutely. And if there were any doubts, Graham gave it away when he admonished Zelenskyy for taking the bait.
Ah…I hadn’t caught that.
Absolutely! And if there was any doubt, him ending by saying this "will be great television" sealed the deal. Trump is an asshole for sure, but Vance (who I had little regard for anyhow) came off like a butt kissing sycophant. He didn't look tough, he looked like he was watching for Trump's reaction in his side vision with his "me, too, boss!" comments. It made HIM look even weaker.
Absolutely!
Totally right Deborah but, not to justify the scumbag president, it was a Manchurian Candidate scheme. Trump looked surprised at the beginning and was late to react and when he did, it was like a spoiled toddler in a gang of two. Special shame on Marco Rubio, sinking into the couch.
Rubio…laughable!!!
Jeff Tiedrich composed a colorful commentary on Rubio's role in the performance.
https://www.jefftiedrich.com/p/donald-trump-shits-the-bed-on-ukraine
Yes, Laura. Trump himself mentioned it will be good television. Disgraceful.
Exactly Deborah. The fact that a member of the Russian government described the meeting ahead of time and that a TASS representative was "inadvertently" in the press pool in the room on Friday and more than enough indication that this was a set-up. Never mind that it was all over the Russian media within moments after the ambush took place. Just appalling stuff.
Apparently you have good judgment, Deborah Garcia.
Zelenskyy was sucker punched by Trump and Vance.
Agreed and the "jounalist" who berated him over is attire is the boyfriend of Marjorie Taylor Greene! Yes a planned attack!
Oh, you know it was! And FOTUS wouldn't have been able to carry this off alone - he needed his henchman JDV to support him.
Deborah Garcia - "I can’t escape the impression that this was a rehearsed ambush by Trump & Vance."
"𝑀𝑎𝑛𝑦 𝑜𝑓 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑏𝑎𝑏𝑙𝑦 𝑤𝑎𝑡𝑐ℎ𝑒𝑑 𝑤ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑡𝑜𝑜𝑘 𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑐𝑒 𝑏𝑒𝑡𝑤𝑒𝑒𝑛 𝐷𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑙𝑑 𝑇𝑟𝑢𝑚𝑝 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑍𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑛𝑠𝑘𝑦𝑦 𝑡𝑜𝑛𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡. 𝑊ℎ𝑒𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑦𝑜𝑢'𝑟𝑒 𝑎 𝐷𝑒𝑚𝑜𝑐𝑟𝑎𝑡 𝑜𝑟 𝑎 𝑅𝑒𝑝𝑢𝑏𝑙𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑛, 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑚𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 𝑏𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡𝑜 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑠𝑒𝑙𝑓, 𝑂ℎ 𝑚𝑦 𝐺𝑜𝑑, 𝐷𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑙𝑑 𝑇𝑟𝑢𝑚𝑝 𝑗𝑢𝑠𝑡 𝑠𝑐𝑟𝑒𝑤𝑒𝑑 𝑢𝑝.
𝐻𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟, 𝑎𝑠 𝑎 𝑙𝑖𝑓𝑒𝑙𝑜𝑛𝑔 𝑝𝑟𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑚𝑎𝑟𝑡𝑖𝑎𝑙 𝑎𝑟𝑡𝑠, 𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑔𝑦, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑝ℎ𝑖𝑙𝑜𝑠𝑜𝑝ℎ𝑦, 𝑙𝑒𝑡 𝑚𝑒 𝑒𝑥𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑑𝑖𝑓𝑓𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑏𝑒𝑡𝑤𝑒𝑒𝑛 𝑤ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑏𝑒𝑙𝑖𝑒𝑣𝑒 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑤𝑖𝑡𝑛𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑒𝑑 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑤ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑢𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑦 ℎ𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑑."
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1A2LQ6n5TY/
Delusional
DEFINITELY!!