In 2016 Pro Putin t shirts became common place at his rallies. “I’d rather be a Russian the a Democrat” was the motto even back then
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And with no Brian Glenn to enforce the dress-code, it would’ve been chaos. Churchill might’ve showed up in a siren suit or something.
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The true MAGA cultists are only about 25-30% of Americans, and many come from older demographics, 50+. If dems can make major congressional gains in the next election, provided the country hasn’t collapsed by then, Trump’s power can be nullified until 2028.
There are many here in America who voted for Trump, that are aghast at what has transpired. I have zero sympathy for these idiots, but hope for the understanding that this is wrong, and must change.
Also, I don’t think anyone else in MAGA world has the charisma and gravitas that Trump has, to keep that base cohesive. I think Vance is auditioning for that role, but he is almost at zero on the charisma scale, and doesn’t have Trump’s understanding of performance.
One of my stepbrothers is very left-wing in his politics, and has been an activist his whole life. Back in the early 80s, he was arrested several times for civil disobedience protesting the manufacture of the first generation cruise missile. Last weekend he was heard to say ‘fuck me, I never thought I would miss Reagan’.
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One or two t-shirts hardly makes a groundswell. The white nationalists were the ones pushing that narrative.
Yeah, it’s frightening to have the world at the mercy of that unhinged regime…
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I think akevitt is more appropriate at this point.
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Even if that is all true, would you not agree that it would be insanity for the rest of the world to run with that assumption ? We have run with so many assumptions the last decade. He will grow into the role. The adults in the room. He is not truly pro Russian etc.
You cannot shackle yourself to hope and the Best Case Scenario !
The fact remains, and it is crystal stark, the US has a 2 Party system and one of it’s parties, which will win elections in the future, has cast away its ideology and embraced nationalism. It is also willing to go along with its leader in breaking with its old cemented allies. How on earth can you, if you are not American but responsible for your state’s security, dare run with the assumption that it will be back to almost normal if Trump dies ? That would be naivity and gambling to an unfathomable irresponsible degree.
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I genuinely think Trump’s true power is his stupidity. It looks like off the chart shamelessness to say with a straight face a 180 degree about turn in one sentence from what you had said in the previous one. But it’s really more a case of for him words and a common understanding of their meaning having no real value to him.
None of these other pretenders can pull this off because while they may not be as smart as they think they are, in their little shriveled hearts they still force themselves to try to find a real throughline they can pretend is important to them. That is what limits their ability to simultaneously be on all sides of an issue at all times. For Trump words are just things that come out of his mouth and the second they have left he is not responsible for them anymore.
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Yeah, I think it is a melding of stupidity and amorality. He just doesn’t give shit what he says, because he’s learned that he will always get away with it. He just doesn’t care…as long as he can make money from it.
If Russia were to invade one of the Baltic countries , or Sweden or Finland or wherever for that matter , is it now safe to assume that the US would concur with whatever rationale for invasion the Kremlin came up with and call the next victims the aggressors too ?
This is completely mind-blowing for me , but I’m pretty sure that if yesterday is anything to go by , then that is precisely what would happen.
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The US, Canada, Sweden and Finland just had a big ice hockey tournament that was a clear affront to Russia by not inviting them. By accepting the invitation to play, both Sweden and Finland perpetrated an outrageous show of provocation and aggression towards Putin. What is he supposed to do in response to that? Not defend himself and his country?
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I’ve been making the same point to my wife since his re-election. She was heavily invested (being French) in his recent meeting with Macron. I told her to spare herself as whatever he said would surely be reversed the next day. And lo and behold that’s precisely what happened with his comments about the Russians being happy with EU peacekeepers in Ukraine.
It’s just fucking pointless listening to anything he ever says. Wait until you see what he does not what he says.
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I think there can be little doubt that the US would not honour the NATO alliance. Several figures around the Trump administration have stated they do not recognize the accession of new members since the 1990s as valid, and the Baltics are the obvious target of those statements.
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It was and is far more than one or two shirts. I dont think anyone should be mistaken for interpretation what we see today as the emergence of broad authentic ideological support for Russia and/or Putin. When we look at polls that sort of perspective still polls incredibly poorly. Yet we see in what people do and how they react that in practice support for Russia is actually high.
I think what we see is largely the result of MAGA having no real ideology other than being driven by a collective Oppositional Defiance Disorder. It puts them in a place where they will find themselves offering support for something/someone they claim in absolute terms they dont like, but feel backed into doing because people/things (the Dems, Europeans) they dislike even more are saying those things are bad. Its like we’re in a place where if we want people to go out and get vaccinated for measles what we need is Adam Schiff and Rachel Maddow to go out on Monday plastering the airwaves to tell people the vaccine is a sham.
There is the other issue of the RW manosphere being obsessed with a particular perspective on what it means to be strong that lends itself to offering grudging approval of Putin/Russia, but more so offering full hearted support of anything Trump does that upsets people. Because that is Trump/America being alpha, and if it is in the interest of Putin then so be it.
I think this is how you end up with only 10% of the country reporting support/approval of Russia but 49% of it actually acting in a way that offers support to them.
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https://x.com/ArtCandee/status/1895879032035766616
Well done Vermont!
“The family ultimately had to move to an undisclosed location.”
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Zelensky going to the UK? I would love it if Starmer was unequivocal in support for Ukraine, even to the point of nuclear backing.
Get in front of the cameras. Tell the world what it knows. Russia invaded Ukraine. Then make it clear that the UK stands with its allies. Starmer can tell everyone that he met with President Trump recently, and the President made it very clear that Europe should defend itself. So that’s what the UK will do.
I won’t hold my breath, but that’s what leadership looks like. Sometimes it needs to be sacrificial, and when you are willing to go there, it inspires sacrifice in others. The UK should go all in. It will be a significant catalyst for bringing a European deterrence together in the face of Russian aggression.
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