Do you see the next two elections as existential?

[Alben Barkley]

By "existential," I mean "the existence of the United States of America as we know it depends on it."

Personally I don't think there's much point in pretending democracy still exists if the now all-but-fascist GOP manages to win both this year and 2024. I think that's all she wrote if it happens.

Maybe some Republicans have wildly different ideas and think that if the DEMOCRATS win, that's all she wrote for their idea of America.

But in any case, I'm getting the increasing sense that people are seeing the upcoming elections as defining the very existence of their idea of the country and whether it continues or not, like never before.

Do you feel this way?

[Vosem]

No. Unless one of the two parties wins a really insane landslide of a type that it's hard to imagine, it doesn't seem like the next elections are very likely to move us off of our current trajectory. It would take an insane Democratic landslide to stop the rightward trend in the courts, or an insane Republican one to accelerate it.

[darklordoftech]

Not unless it becomes possible for one party to unilaterally amend the constitution.

Predictions that Trump would become President for life if he won in 2020 were absurd. Why would a Democratic House vote to give him dictatorial powers?

[Ferguson97]

Yes.

Republicans will steal the 2024 election if they win enough gubernatorial, state legislative, and Secretary of State elections in 2022.

[OSR stands with Israel]

Ask yourself this : If you truly believe the other side would be an existential threat to the country, isn’t the logical conclusion then for you to believe that democracy should end as well or the country should just be split up .

The real issue that is harming our democracy is that too many votes on both sides view the other side as existential threats .

[President Punxsutawney Phil]

No

[Del Tachi]

Every upcoming election is the most existential.  All the other ones have already happened!

[Senator Incitatus]

No, I think this election will exist but the next one will not.

[Mr. Smith]

Not at all, that stuff is done.

[bagelman]

I mean they could be.

The PA statewide elections certainly are. The OH statewide elections not so much.

2024 we just don't know yet. The GOP could nominate a Kemp/Rubio ticket and even if too conservative to tackle climate change effectively would not be hostile to the constitution. On the other hand they could nominate Trump, one of his failsons, or someone like Blake Masters and we're screwed if they win.

[Ferguson97]

Ask yourself this : If you truly believe the other side would be an existential threat to the country, isn’t the logical conclusion then for you to believe that democracy should end as well or the country should just be split up .

No. Part of the reason why conservatives are so dangerous is because they want to end democracy. We can't "use the stones to destroy the stones."

[OSR stands with Israel]

Ask yourself this : If you truly believe the other side would be an existential threat to the country, isn’t the logical conclusion then for you to believe that democracy should end as well or the country should just be split up .

No. Part of the reason why conservatives are so dangerous is because they want to end democracy. We can't "use the stones to destroy the stones."

I mean shouldn’t Hindenburg have done anything he could in 1933 to stop the coalition led by Hitler from talking power even if that meant seizing power himself using the military rather than giving in .

Similarly I think the US made a mistake in Afghanistan of not trying to restore the old monarchy as if we did the Taliban never comes back

[Vice President Christian Man]

It depends on who the GOP nominates in 2024 but a potential economic or heating shortage could be on more people's minds.

[Ferguson97]

Similarly I think the US made a mistake in Afghanistan of not trying to restore the old monarchy as if we did the Taliban never comes back

Congrats on having the most deranged take on the Afghanistan withdraw, 1 year after the fact.

[OSR stands with Israel]

Similarly I think the US made a mistake in Afghanistan of not trying to restore the old monarchy as if we did the Taliban never comes back

Congrats on having the most deranged take on the Afghanistan withdraw, 1 year after the fact.

https://thecritic.co.uk/could-monarchy-have-saved-afghanistan/

It was considered at the time to put him back in power :

https://www.upi.com/Defense-News/2002/06/10/Afghan-council-postponed-king-steps-aside/62001023745673/

[Kahane's Grave Is A Gender-Neutral Bathroom]

2024 sure, probably not 2022 though.