the plan isn't to cancel elections, it's intimidate opposition with draconian crackdowns on protests, investigations into dissidents, and stripping power and authority from the entire opposition's political ecosystem. elections that are neither free nor fair but are, technically, still elections - ThreadSky

fleerultra.bsky.social • 9 days ago

the plan isn't to cancel elections, it's intimidate opposition with draconian crackdowns on protests, investigations into dissidents, and stripping power and authority from the entire opposition's political ecosystem. elections that are neither free nor fair but are, technically, still elections

Reposted from Zack Beauchamp

This is, quite literally, how democracies die www.nytimes.com/2025/03/19/u...

Comments

bettypf.bsky.social•9 days ago

It's a popular approach with authoritarian governments. There are many ways to prevent free and fair elections.

boredompeejeterson.bsky.social•9 days ago

That's also why calling the US a democracy before 1965 is a joke, and should get you laughed out of any room.

mouseofthewest.bsky.social•9 days ago

Based on Trump's statement that Vance is not an appropriate replacement, I think there is a desire to extend his personal rule but no regime plan beyond that

They admire Orban (competitive authoritariansim), but Trump's idolizes of Nixon. If there is a break-in at a Democrat headquarters...

weirdobeardo.bsky.social•9 days ago

if he dies or they can't circumvent the 22nd we're gonna see JD Vance win 396 Electoral votes and 85% of the popular vote?

ridder.bsky.social•9 days ago

I'd say it's working to an extent. My belief is that Schumer backed down because he wants to avoid the real confrontation, so he keeps telling himself it's not the right time. Better to wait for Trump or the GOP to stumble, whatever. Schumer is doing exactly what you describe, and what they want.

lucasalami.bsky.social•9 days ago

Yeah, almosg every authoritarian regime on the planet still has elections, they're just not worth anything.

thom6502.bsky.social•9 days ago

If you atack every thing, you can also grab power without elections, this is what happend in Germany 1939. Hitler was elected in 1933, and atackt the media, and every body who was against him, and became the dictator. The USA should be very carefull right now.

tyranitar14.bsky.social•9 days ago

I am once again asking for people to read up on illiberal democracy/competitive authoritarianism, because that’s Republicans’ goal

srubenfeld.bsky.social•9 days ago

the Erdogan model

mouseofthewest.bsky.social•9 days ago

Yeah but I think they like Orban more, because Orban is closer to Putin (and racism and religious bigotry against Erdogan)

Bukele and Melei are also on their radar. The Russian system is admired, but Orban has a PR operation. Some of them probably have posters of Franco and Pinochet...

srubenfeld.bsky.social•9 days ago

I agree with all of this, but recency bias (this morning) makes Erdogan particularly salient

mouseofthewest.bsky.social•9 days ago

I missed what Erdogan did today (almost typed Ordoban)

srubenfeld.bsky.social•9 days ago

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/19/world/middleeast/turkey-istanbul-mayor-arrest.html

mouseofthewest.bsky.social•9 days ago

Oh.

Yeah, that's not good.

cripdyke.bsky.social•9 days ago

Don't forget telling media that they can't repeat the messages of Dem candidates b/c the in collusion with terrorists and then the media, rebels at that they are, run with huge headlines, "This Dem candidate might be a terrorist, but it depends on your definition of terrorism!"

cripdyke.bsky.social•9 days ago

No analysis pieces about how trump's very accusation is anti-democratic, just an analysis piece about how terroristic is the Democratic Party, really? And hey, in the 48th paragraph they come to the conclusion that Dems don't really fit any of the usual definitions, so that's fact checked, right?

keithmo.bsky.social•9 days ago

When Trump declares martial law and mobilizes the military -- and they obey him -- it's all over. The fat man will have sung.

Hope it never gets that far.

david.uncensored.zip•9 days ago

It's to rerun the hungry strat.

theangelofhistory.bsky.social•9 days ago

As I keep saying to anyone who is waiting for the mid terms, you only need to deter about 250,000 Democrat voters in 5 states to win the mid terms. And you don’t need to arrest or kill or harass that many people to scare 250,000 into staying at home.

It’s really not hard.

eyegah.bsky.social•9 days ago

So, still elections, but Trump may try to arrest the next nominee for reasons he makes up?

lorilk.bsky.social•9 days ago

This actually happened today in Turkey.

eyegah.bsky.social•9 days ago

Exactly. And of course we know what Putin did to Navalny.

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