I agree that you might lose effectiveness of messaging if you keep repeating the same claims , I think that is conventional wisdom, but how is it that the other side will repeat the same ridiculous lies(immigrant-DEI-LGBTQ to blame for all of our problems )& it works , Jon, explain that
He wasn’t saying that Trump isn’t fascist, but that the power Trump is exercising now are the democratically granted rights given to the US President. The same power that Biden and Obama had.
If you don’t want Trump to be able to do all this, then we need to take that power from all Presidents.
Eh, it's a bit reductive. He does not have the same power as Biden and Obama - he has immunity from prosecution, a loyalist supreme court, a loyalist party and direct support from large swathes of media and tech. He has consolidated power in a way they never had, and now he's testing the water.
But Biden could have had that power if he had the same things. Thats all I’m saying. The ability for Trump to pardon the insurrectionists was always there. He didn’t give himself that power. It didn’t become an overreach just because Trump is the one who did it. No president should be able to.
Yeah, fair enough. I feel like the entire American government is basically a house of cards built upon the assumption that no one would ever intentionally shake the table.
I agree with that part of his message: much of that excessive power is legal though strange for a democracy (though I think Jon literally said Trump was not a fascist). Presidential pardons are a good example of a power that should be limited and regulated.
He is speaking the truth as I see it. Knowing that the alt right controls everything in our government makes all the marches, and protests, and resistance absolutely futile unless and until something drastic and/or violent takes place.
Hmmm maybe you should have been harder on the right during the election instead of the bothsidebadism bullshit, you helped oust Biden you helped this happen
Another part of vigilance is not ignoring, normalizing, or poo-pooing the small steps that lead to fascism. I think Germany has some experience with that.
Jon you're starting to sound more and more like Bill Maher as he started to approach the cliff of both-sidesism before he fully jumped off & I find that a little depressing. Where's the old Jon Stewart? We are in deeper shit with this Trump 2.0 administration than before. Call it like it is! Fascist
We also need to stop using his name and blaming the entire republican party for what he is doing. They allowed him that position, put the blame completely on all of them. Then they have to choose sides. Force them to.
"omg they're boiling us alive!", I scream as the water starts steaming and the chef stirs the pot
Jon replies, "No no - you're right to be vigilant - but I discern that we're getting a hot bath. Now, if the water was to start boiling, then we could discuss whether or not we're being boiled alive 😊"
Spot on. I love Jon, but we really need to stop giving the guy who's copying The Nazi playbook play-for-play the benefit of the doubt. He's a fascist. We can call a spade a spade.
Yes, and. Rising via free election does not rule out anti-democracy. Consolidation of executive power. Eliminating the disloyal. Extreme nationalism. Demonization of the Other. Maybe a week was enough to discern? Help us act.
Jon they have a majority but we have the intellect the smartest the most dedicated hard working citizen and working together we are going to get all back
Trump lied to people that voted for him, he told them he would do one thing then did the other.
Also just because 1/3 of people elected him the other 1/3 that didn't vote should just accept it and the fact his right hand man is fascists as fuck, just ignore?
A year from now, he will "Why didn't Democratic bring up the issues sooner". Followed by, "Sure, they brought up the issues, but why didn't they communicate them better"
US has no credibilty. Your supreme court is political, your presidents pardons friends, family, traitors etc. You current president threatens allies and tries to pressure other countries to give up territory. The USA has the plaque and is by now a failed state. You used to be great, makes me sad😪
Not the voters’ fault but definitely the leadership of the dem party, if you stick with the existing incompetent leadership you can never win in hundred years.
Claiming “We have granted them [power] electorally” is a disingenuous IMO when the entire political system has been so blatantly rigged against regular citizens having any kind of impact for decades now, they have “legally” cheated and lied their way to this position.
If real people’s voices actually mattered, we’d scrap the electoral college, lobbyists, SuperPACs, we’d implement ranked voting and expand voter rights, hold politicians accountable with 3rd party watchdog groups. But if we did all that, then the GOP wouldn’t have a chance would they?
Of course. I’m just tired of blaming massive diverse groups for actions that are clearly tied to specific people. I can’t take any more “Latino voters” did this, “Americans believe this…,” “men voted this way,” or “Dems are silent.” None of that is true. Let’s call out the actual people and acts.
Pretending that the end game isn’t an authoritarian right wing admin isn’t useful, and if inflammatory language is used somewhat improperly I do not care. They will continue to pull at the threads, push the boundaries and erode our govt and we need to keep pushing back. Language is not our issue!
Calling something what it is - is exactly what we need to do. He said he’d be a dictator on day one & he did. It’s open season for committing countless crimes, corruption at a massive scale & violating constitution.
I love Jon, but I think he has a wrong reading here:
- Trump is blatantly violating the law (halting funding; firing civil servants...)
- German fascists or Nazis took power legally.
- Fascism is *not* typical top-down authoritarianism: it is a nationalist *culture* that demands conformity ...
It's all our fault? Fascisty (cute). He didn't win by a land slide so it's not all our fault. Hitler was elected in, I suppose he was a little fascity too? You are normalizing what we are seeing. Legally is all you are talking about. People are afraid. calm them& give them ideas don't minimize.
This both sides shit Jon keeps pushing is getting old. They ARE fascists. It’s real simple for Jon since he’s got a way out of this country if he needs it.
Jon, you are wrong.🙂↔️Democracy can legally dismantle itself. The question is not whether Trump acts within the law but whether democracy gets weakened by Trumpism.
This episode was downright bad. Stewart couldn't have possibly missed the point any more than he did. He raged against the media for being upset about all the shitty things Trump does, rather than rage against Trump for doing them. Baffling take.
Hmm it’s already aged piss poor with Trump signing an executive order to place migrants in a concentration camp in Guantanamo. Sorry Jon I always looked up to you but you’ve failed this week
Did republicans get their power through fair elections? Or did they suppress the vote, throw out ballots and pass laws that make it impossible for dem voters to cast their ballots? See Greg Palast’s data on how legal voter suppression swung the results no hacking required. Dems did not stay home!
I agree with you Jon, it’s just very difficult to see what’s happening and not be able to do much at all. I trust that those who are still in the leadership will work these things out as I am not qualified to do so.
Maybe "discernment" is part of the problem? Perhaps we were too nice and not loud enough before. This isn't the time to be passive, it's the time to get mad as hell and get out there and protest.
Jon kissed the ring or is a coward and I have been saying it since before the election. The rest of his hosts seem to understand what's happening so thank Elphaba that Jon only hosts one night a week.
would you say the Enabling Acts weren't fascism? Hitler's rise to power was done legally. just because he's operating within the bounds of the law (which isn't even true: his EOs are patently illegal) doesn't make it not fascism
I watched the whole show and the message I got is democrats need to divert their energy from outrage over everything trumps doing to taking action to fix the dem party’s issues. That we can’t have our whole platform as anti-trump.
🤷♀️If you watch the whole thing, he uses the example of the judge striking down the birthright citizenship order to show the system works when things are actually illegal. That we need systemic change to stop the legal (if unethical) orders trump is executing, and that’s where dems can focus.
I watched the entire segment (as I almost always do) and I came away feeling the way the majority did abt his msg. He should have done a better job of expressing what u claim he was saying b/c the whole thing felt like he was belittling and chastising those of us RIGHTFULLY calling a spade a spade.
John is inaccurate when he says "it's our Fault." It' snot! Trump cheated to win both his elections. There is evidence of that. Yes, 48% of American Voters are idiots and voted for Rump. The Fascist members of the Supreme court were appointed by Rump. It's the Republicans fault!
Fascist and legal are not mutually exclusive, and make no mistake - much of what the current administration is doing is demonstrably fascist. We should continue calling out every fascist move the administration makes, each and every time. If we grow tired of that, we don't deserve any better.
Comments
The notion that DJ Trump, and his surrounders are not fascist is absolutely nuts.
If you don’t want Trump to be able to do all this, then we need to take that power from all Presidents.
However, I think you’re wrongly hoping that we can control the situation from our end.
It’s not our fault that nothing changes when we point out “fascism.” It’s the people in charge’s fault for being OK with fascism in practice.
Also, credibility from whom? The Right?
They wouldn’t believe us even if Trump was establishing Martial Law and called it “The Fascist Takeover.” They’d say Fascism is good now!
Talk is cheap, and ineffective.
Jon replies, "No no - you're right to be vigilant - but I discern that we're getting a hot bath. Now, if the water was to start boiling, then we could discuss whether or not we're being boiled alive 😊"
Trump lied to people that voted for him, he told them he would do one thing then did the other.
Also just because 1/3 of people elected him the other 1/3 that didn't vote should just accept it and the fact his right hand man is fascists as fuck, just ignore?
https://www.washingtonpost.com/immigration/2025/01/29/guantanamo-cuba-el-salvador-deportations/
Maybe Jon is frustrated that people keep seeing fascism, and nothing gets fixed.
It’s not our fault people don’t believe us when we cry “fascist.” The fascism has been there the whole time.
- Trump is blatantly violating the law (halting funding; firing civil servants...)
- German fascists or Nazis took power legally.
- Fascism is *not* typical top-down authoritarianism: it is a nationalist *culture* that demands conformity ...
No. Fuck no.
MAGA will never see anybody outside of their bubble as anything, but the enemy.
2 million Harris voters didn’t sit at home because their candidate lacked credibility.
Unless you’re arguing a white male would be more “credible.”
Fuck off!
https://bsky.app/profile/philipmai.com/post/3lgopy6b3mk2z
when Trump calls him
a terrorist.