DC Unrest Megathread

[GeneralMacArthur]

These past few days have been surreal. Of all the many things I could have seen going wrong in the future, I never would have guessed that the all-powerful government that fought the War on Terror and dominated the planet would have faced a failed coup.

I mean, it's fun using these words, but there was always a 0% chance this "coup" would actually work.

Even if the mob managed to execute every Democratic member of Congress, Biden would still become president in the eyes of everyone who matters on January 20, and the military and national security apparatus would immediately report to him.

If you think all the levers of power in our country would say "oh, well I guess Trump is still our boss then" just because a mob killed everyone involved in ceremonially ratifying Biden's presidency, you're wrong.

[Agonized-Statism]

These past few days have been surreal. Of all the many things I could have seen going wrong in the future, I never would have guessed that the all-powerful government that fought the War on Terror and dominated the planet would have faced a failed coup.

I mean, it's fun using these words, but there was always a 0% chance this "coup" would actually work.

Even if the mob managed to execute every Democratic member of Congress, Biden would still become president in the eyes of everyone who matters on January 20, and the military and national security apparatus would immediately report to him.

If you think all the levers of power in our country would say "oh, well I guess Trump is still our boss then" just because a mob killed everyone involved in ceremonially ratifying Biden's presidency, you're wrong.

Of course this had zero chance of succeeding, but the intent was there. It's the fact that they even got this far in such a militarized country that's surprising.

[Storebought]

These past few days have been surreal. Of all the many things I could have seen going wrong in the future, I never would have guessed that the all-powerful government that fought the War on Terror and dominated the planet would have faced a failed coup.

I mean, it's fun using these words, but there was always a 0% chance this "coup" would actually work.

Even if the mob managed to execute every Democratic member of Congress, Biden would still become president in the eyes of everyone who matters on January 20, and the military and national security apparatus would immediately report to him.

If you think all the levers of power in our country would say "oh, well I guess Trump is still our boss then" just because a mob killed everyone involved in ceremonially ratifying Biden's presidency, you're wrong.

There are millions of people in the US, including a great many police and a distressing number of active military personnel, who would indeed accept Trump as president if, god forbid, every other constitutional officer were assassinated. To those folks -- Völker -- that's just the DC swamp being cleared out once and for all.

There are even more who have so little knowledge of the constitution (the actual framework and operations of the US government, not just the "scrap of paper" slowly decomposing in the National Archives) that they would passively accept that Trump is still president because everyone else is dead.

This sounds like "dooming", but really, Trump and his backers do not uphold common law traditions of executive authority.

[Inmate Trump]

These past few days have been surreal. Of all the many things I could have seen going wrong in the future, I never would have guessed that the all-powerful government that fought the War on Terror and dominated the planet would have faced a failed coup.

I saw it happening but almost everyone said I was a doomer.

The only fix going forward is to vote like you never have before and ONLY for Democrats...never a Republican, and never third party.

[🐒Gods of Prosperity🔱🐲💸]

Pelosi asked the military to effectively carry out a coup

www.nytimes.com%2F2021%2F01%2F08%2Fus%2Fpolitics%2Ftrump-pelosi-nuclear-military.html
https://twitter.com/wokal_distance/status/1347889764427464712?s=20

[Agonized-Statism]

These past few days have been surreal. Of all the many things I could have seen going wrong in the future, I never would have guessed that the all-powerful government that fought the War on Terror and dominated the planet would have faced a failed coup.

I saw it happening but almost everyone said I was a doomer.

The only fix going forward is to vote like you never have before and ONLY for Democrats...never a Republican, and never third party.

Pass, and I guess I'll accept the dogpiling that comes with that. I accept neither Trump nor Bush 2.0.

[GeorgiaModerate]

https://twitter.com/parlertakes/status/1347050705110986753

[Middle-aged Europe]

Pelosi asked the military to effectively carry out a coup

www.nytimes.com%2F2021%2F01%2F08%2Fus%2Fpolitics%2Ftrump-pelosi-nuclear-military.html
https://twitter.com/wokal_distance/status/1347889764427464712?s=20

Pelosi didn't ask the military to remove Trump from office = No coup.

Strictly speaking, she asked the military to refuse carrying out certain orders from Trump. That's asking them to not to do something instead of doing something.

But I understand that you're post was meant as a "both sides do it!" construction.

[ηєω ƒяσηтιєя]

Pelosi asked the military to effectively carry out a coup

www.nytimes.com%2F2021%2F01%2F08%2Fus%2Fpolitics%2Ftrump-pelosi-nuclear-military.html
https://twitter.com/wokal_distance/status/1347889764427464712?s=20

Oh please

[Podgy the Bear]

https://twitter.com/parlertakes/status/1347050705110986753

This is an assassination threat against the Vice President.  How long before the Feds move in on Lin Wood?  Very easy to find him here in Atlanta.

[🐒Gods of Prosperity🔱🐲💸]

Pelosi asked the military to effectively carry out a coup

www.nytimes.com%2F2021%2F01%2F08%2Fus%2Fpolitics%2Ftrump-pelosi-nuclear-military.html
https://twitter.com/wokal_distance/status/1347889764427464712?s=20

Pelosi didn't ask the military to remove Trump from office = No coup.

Strictly speaking, she asked the military to refuse carrying out certain orders from Trump. That's asking them to not to do something instead of doing something.

But I understand that you're post was meant as a "both sides do it!" construction.

Read it again.
It says right there Pelosi asked for Trump to be removed from the chain of command.   That is not military refusing orders, that would be a coup.   We are not supposed to have a problem with that now though I see, because as long as it's against Trump it's nothing to worry about.

[Catalunya]

Pelosi asked the military to effectively carry out a coup

www.nytimes.com%2F2021%2F01%2F08%2Fus%2Fpolitics%2Ftrump-pelosi-nuclear-military.html
https://twitter.com/wokal_distance/status/1347889764427464712?s=20

Pelosi didn't ask the military to remove Trump from office = No coup.

Strictly speaking, she asked the military to refuse carrying out certain orders from Trump. That's asking them to not to do something instead of doing something.

But I understand that you're post was meant as a "both sides do it!" construction.

Read it again.
It says right there Pelosi asked for Trump to be removed from the chain of command.   That is not military refusing orders, that would be a coup.

How is that anywhere close to asking for a coup? She just asked if they can make sure he doesn’t start a war because that’s a real threat with him considering what happened on the sixth.

[FrancoAgo]

In the USA is not a crime following a criminal order?

[🐒Gods of Prosperity🔱🐲💸]

Pelosi asked the military to effectively carry out a coup

www.nytimes.com%2F2021%2F01%2F08%2Fus%2Fpolitics%2Ftrump-pelosi-nuclear-military.html
https://twitter.com/wokal_distance/status/1347889764427464712?s=20

Pelosi didn't ask the military to remove Trump from office = No coup.

Strictly speaking, she asked the military to refuse carrying out certain orders from Trump. That's asking them to not to do something instead of doing something.

But I understand that you're post was meant as a "both sides do it!" construction.

Read it again.
It says right there Pelosi asked for Trump to be removed from the chain of command.   That is not military refusing orders, that would be a coup.

How is that anywhere close to asking for a coup? She just asked if they can make sure he doesn’t start a war because that’s a real threat with him considering what happened on the sixth.

If the military removes the person the Constitution states is in charge of the military from being in charge of the military, how is that not a coup?

[Storebought]

And how is Trump calling a posse to the capitol to frighten GOP senators to throw out valid ballots of millions because he wants to overturn an election he lost fair and square not sedition?

[Absentee Voting Ghost of Ruin]

These past few days have been surreal. Of all the many things I could have seen going wrong in the future, I never would have guessed that the all-powerful government that fought the War on Terror and dominated the planet would have faced a failed coup.

I mean, it's fun using these words, but there was always a 0% chance this "coup" would actually work.

Even if the mob managed to execute every Democratic member of Congress, Biden would still become president in the eyes of everyone who matters on January 20, and the military and national security apparatus would immediately report to him.

If you think all the levers of power in our country would say "oh, well I guess Trump is still our boss then" just because a mob killed everyone involved in ceremonially ratifying Biden's presidency, you're wrong.

While it was certainly a stupid coup with a very low chance of success, it was a coup attempt and it's not even very hard to see how it could have "worked". (Especially if Mitch and his crew were willing to flip back to supporting Trump no matter what.)

The margin in the House is pretty small. Kill or kidnap (kidnap might be technically better because then they're still in office but not present) a score or so of Democratic representatives. Then the GOP-majority House and Senate reject enough EV's that Biden doesn't get a majority. Election goes to the House, where the GOP-led state delegations choose Trump again.

Would the non-Trump part of the nation accept it? Probably not, but that's a path to civil war, not a path to 'Biden peacefully becomes President'. Remember, we're living in a world where up until a month or so ago, 95% of the GOP backed every single thing Trump did, no matter how foolish or criminal.

[Tender Branson]

Chilling picture of the Trump cult:

[Non Swing Voter]

https://twitter.com/parlertakes/status/1347050705110986753

Arrest him

[Non Swing Voter]

The Houston Chronicle, which is not what you'd call a bastion of liberalism, calls for Ted Cruz to resign:

https://www.houstonchronicle.com/opinion/editorials/article/Editorial-Resign-Senator-Cruz-Your-lies-cost-15857293.php

Good.  He should.  He never will, because all his cares about is his political career, even over his wife and his father.

Which is crazy because he's never ever going to be President and this should be obvious to him.  He barely won re-election in Texas.  He has no appeal to a national more moderate audience.  And he's extremely unlikable.  For a supposedly smart guy he didn't weigh the cost benefits well.

[ProudModerate2]

We had people with Nazi and Confederate symbols storm the Capitol, something the actual Nazis and Confederates were never able to do. It’s just crazy.

I never thought about it that way, but you are correct.
There was a disturbing green (lime-green) flag these Fascists had that I saw on TV, that very similarly resembled Nazi Germany's naval battle flag (Kriegsmarine).
Nazi scum!

Does anyone know more about what this green flag, exactly represented to these trump loons?

[ilikeverin]

I didn't have Lindsey Graham being chased through an airport by an angry mob of Trumpists on my 2021 bingo card. lol

Serves him right.

Wait, what? Link?

https://twitter.com/jiveDurkey/status/1347621552519577602

I know that Graham has already expressed his opposition to impeachment, but I wonder if becoming the targets of Trump's cult will make congressional Republicans more or less likely to consider impeachment. I could see someone like Mace, who clearly was particularly bothered by the storming of the Capitol, becoming hardened in their anti-Trump resolve if they are faced with the rage and insanity of his supporters. They may also feel as though they have already lost Trump's most fervent admirers by upholding the results of the election, and thus they don't have as much to lose by voting to impeach/convict him. On the other hand, they may feel increasingly desperate to please Trump's base if they feel like they may be losing favor with them.

I know this is now a ways back in the thread, but I want to point out: the single biggest worry of the vast majority of Congressional Republicans is losing a primary election. Primaries are the one risk almost all Republicans they have to their job security. Congressional Republicans will only speak out against Trump to the extent that they are confident enough in their position in a primary election (or, in some rare instances, that they worry about the general election) that they can do so; otherwise, they will continue to back everything he says or does because they worry it'll cause them to lose their primary. I firmly believe that Trump would be feeling much more worried (and may have been in trouble last year!) if primary elections did not exist.

That's why Murkowski split from her party in the Senate; she knows she can win even without winning in the primary, as she proved it herself. That's why Mace is feeling comfortable expressing her doubts, because she's worried about winning the general election. But also why we won't get many defections.

[Tender Branson]

Chilling picture of the Trump cult:

Just noticed that they played this 1984-style dystopian video from the Lansing rally before Trump spoke and before they stormed the Capitol.

This video is an incitement of hatred and contributed to the storming.

https://twitter.com/AndrewSolender/status/1335376507812917249

[Agonized-Statism]

We had people with Nazi and Confederate symbols storm the Capitol, something the actual Nazis and Confederates were never able to do. It’s just crazy.

I never thought about it that way, but you are correct.
There was a disturbing green (lime-green) flag these Fascists had that I saw on TV, that very similarly resembled Nazi Germany's naval battle flag (Kriegsmarine).
Nazi scum!

Does anyone know more about what this green flag, exactly represented to these trump loons?

Are you referring to the Kekistan flag, maybe?

[Absentee Voting Ghost of Ruin]

https://twitter.com/Olivia_Beavers/status/1347957434120351748

[Kuumo]

We had people with Nazi and Confederate symbols storm the Capitol, something the actual Nazis and Confederates were never able to do. It’s just crazy.

I never thought about it that way, but you are correct.
There was a disturbing green (lime-green) flag these Fascists had that I saw on TV, that very similarly resembled Nazi Germany's naval battle flag (Kriegsmarine).
Nazi scum!

Does anyone know more about what this green flag, exactly represented to these trump loons?

I remember seeing the Kekistan flag too.



It's used by the subset of the Alt-right community who post Pepe the Frog memes.