What did people think would happen if the republicans won the WH, and both houses of Congress?

[still_one]

[Orrex]

1. Honestly, I figured that Putin would have the launch codes by noon on Jan 20, 2017.

And I figured that women be formally declared chattel.

So far I'm batting 1000.

[Big Blue Marble]

2. Well they have done it before

and nothing like this has ever happened.

[maxsolomon]

9. all that happened was 9/11 and 2 wars that haven't ended 15 years later

nations in ruins, terrorist horrors across the planet, & millions dead.

so far, President Worst Person on Earth hasn't matched Bush the Lesser's achievements with total control of the Federal Government.

[still_one]

12. last but not least, the financial implosion which came very close to initiating another Great

Depression

but other than that.....................

[Big Blue Marble]

37. As much damage as the Bush Administration caused the country,

when "this" administration" is finished, the destruction will be far worse because it is penetrating our core institutions and norms at at an unprecedented level.

And with all of the faults that W had, he never welcomed a major enemy to the highest levels of government.

Our very democracy, our republic, is unraveling before us. And so far, no one seems to have the capability to stop
our country from falling into the abyss.

[pnwmom]

49. +1

[tonyt53]

3. It's not like they weren't warned. But oh Jill Stein sure was worthy of their vote.

[Afromania]

4. Everybody that looks like me would be subjugated and booted from "polite" society

and shown their proper place in the hierarchy of this country. The people that don't look like me but close enough would be put in their place, I.E. shown the door. That's it, that's all it is, was and will ever be. Somehow, in their warped republican world view this purge of the other would automagically restore prosperity to their idiotic asses.

EOM

[mcar]

5. But her emails...

[MiddleClass]

46. Classified server in the basement, we can't have women using emails in this day and age

We are structuring the Benghazi hearings to discredit Hillary Clinton, and the FBI is investigating the emails.
So we showed her to be untrustable – Congressman McCarthy (R–California)

[leftstreet]

6. Status Quo

But I never imagined the nutter in the WH would be putting his own party in danger

So that's delicious

[awesomerwb1]

7. I honestly thought the Senate and House

would keep him in check.

b) I had seen him in person as a speaker a couple of times and cheeto spoke like a Democrat so I thought this was all an act.

c) I had no idea cheeto was deranged and so so so corrupt.

d) I didn't know there were many billionaires wanting to become part of executing Bannon's, Sessions's and Miller's xenophobic, destructive and corrupt agenda.

[still_one]

33. Trump was always about what would benefit him financially. He switched parties as easily as a new

pair of shoes. Not just with the Democratic and republican parties, but good ole Pat Buchanan's reform party

Losing the Senate is what really made this a disaster. Every Democrat running for Senate in those critical swing states lost to the establishment, republican, incumbent

The 47% who didn't bother to vote are going to feel the consequences of that, as will we all

[awesomerwb1]

35. Yep. We will all suffer the consequences of apathy and/or lazyness. n/t

[mcar]

47. The far right House and Senate would keep him in check?

In what way?

[Jim Lane]

58. To some extent, they HAVE kept him in check

If Congress were to send him a one-page bill repealing the ACA, with or without a delay, he would sign it. The reason it hasn't been repealed is that the Republicans in Congress have been less deranged than Trump.

From what I've heard, it's unlikely that they'll approve the funding that a wall would need. Maybe they'll toss a few bucks toward a design team or toward building a small section, to keep the base happy, but they won't do a full-on wall.

Of course, they've gone along with many other parts of his agenda. The credit they can claim for keeping him in check is, to put it charitably, limited.

Their next big chance to keep him in check will be on huge tax cuts for the rich. I'm not optimistic.

[LakeArenal]

8. I thought America would be great again...

[Cosmocat]

10. Pretty much what we have seen

Knew congress would roll over to him and he would be what he was on November 7th.

[GoCubsGo]

23. Yep. None of this should surprise anyone who has paid attention for the past 30 years.

Those of us who have watched the lot of them know that they put their own and their party's interests above the country's, and how completely corrupt they all are. Even the infighting is unsurprising. There is no honor among thieves. I hope they completely obliterate themselves. It will be a joy to watch.

[Cosmocat]

39. Same $hit as the 90s

only after decades of relentlessly spewing their bullshit it they are even meaner and more deranged.

[maxsolomon]

11. I thought we'd become an Authoritarian Kakistocracy

and that any hope of progress in the US would be dashed.

That's exactly what's happening.

[still_one]

14. That is pretty much where I stood after the shock faded

[Orsino]

13. I predicted worse things.

Fortunately, Trump is a total fuck-up in those rare moments when he tries to president, and flings figurative feces at everyone.

Pence might be accomplishing things beyond paralyzing the government, but Russia looks to be neutralizing him, too.

[still_one]

15. you are much more optimistic than I am Orsino

[Orsino]

19. I dunno.

A major humanitarian or environmental disaster will demonstrate the ineffectuality of a Trump Administration mired down in mutual recriminations. They could do terrible things to the nation just by failing to keep the lights on, so to speak--never mind the horrors if they ever got their shit together,

[still_one]

24. your last sentence I definitely concur

[Orsino]

28. And unfortunately the moment they get their shit together....

...will be the day they finally realize they fear the Koch's wrather more than they fear elections. Tht will be the end of us.

[Freethinker65]

16. Exactly what is happening now, but more gradual

This is a nightmare.

[workinclasszero]

17. See the Handmaids Tale

The republicans are anti-science, want to impose a right wing religious theocracy and punish their enemies, democrats/liberals etc.

They want to enslave the working class and destroy the old, the sick and the poor.

This is what they are doing.

And we cannot stop them at all. The only chance we have is 2018. If there is not a huge blue wave election then this country goes down the fascist road forever and its dead.

[Cosmocat]

40. YEP

WE are pushing mud - we can't even lead the horse to the water, much less make it drink it.

But, to your point, 2018 is the last stand, all the chips are on the table now.

Country has a clear choice - come back to a representative democracy or let the Rs know they have total free reign to proceed fully toward authoritarianism.

[workinclasszero]

44. Imagine Trump as El Presidente for life

And his crime family installed permanently as the ruling dynasty of America Inc.

Pence would be the pope I guess to keep the fake Christians happy as they outlaw any and all religions that don't worship the all mighty dominunist/prosperity/holy dollar.

Religious sharia laws will soon follow. It's coming. People want to think this could never happen here yet its happening as we speak.

Look to Saudi Arabia to see what America will become if democrats don't win big in 2018.

I'm sure the republicans want us all living in garbage dumps with zero safety net, child labor, no public education or public anything health care for the rich only, social security nothing but a distant memory and only white male land owners allowed to vote. MAGA baby.

Amerika will withdraw inside its borders while Russia and China rule the world. Well maybe our bloated military will be used to fight Putin's wars who knows?

Hopefully I'll be dead before all this gets into high gear but I pity the kids I see nowadays and the young adults that never give a thought about voting. They have no idea whats coming down the road for them.

[Cosmocat]

45. Yep

not too far from where it appears things are headed.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

18. The problem is, we have an absolute narcissitic madman in the White House. That part is new.

Bush with both houses of Congress was bad enough. Thankfully we fought back in 2006.

But this is much worse because the country has never seen anyone as deficient as Donald Trump before as President.

[L. Coyote]

20. A thousand year Christian Reich.

Just like they said would happen.

[nini]

21. The baby jeebus would come down and make everything hunky dory I guess

I can't even try and figure out those morons any more.

[librechik]

22. They didn't win. That's what people should be thinking about.

[still_one]

27. and exactly how will that change the current situation we are in? The electoral college count has

been certified, as have been the Senate and House elections

[librechik]

29. assuming there is a solution

I've always believed we should solve the problem we actually have, rather than the shiny one we're distracted by. Unfortunately getting folks to agree on anything at all is less possible than ever.

[triron]

31. Have been thinking a lot about your premise

(that they did not win) and I agree. I rarely have anger that I can't resolve
by forgiveness or love but this anger toward the events surrounding the election
I have not been able to shake. In fact I think it has grown stronger.
Many people I know feel very similarly. I think I need a support group and sometimes
DU seems to fit. However we are not free even here to say the things we feel sometimes!

[librechik]

34. thanks, triron

[Progressive dog]

25. We've had that experience before,

but not with these particular Republicans. These aren't establishment Republicans, they don't believe in compromise.

[JHan]

30. ++++++++ but but but..

establishment types are horrible.. they're the worst..

SMH.

[davekriss]

26. What I expected/still expect

Since Republican leadership new the fix was in they denied Obama his selection for the Supreme Court knowing they'd get to install their own. (They'll probably also get to place two more rapid right judges before Trump's or Pence's presidency ends.)

I thought they'd repeal ACA without replacement. In addition to an underhanded tax cut for the wealthy, it's simply the return of eugenics: the 0.1% only need so many to cut their lawns and vacuum their pools, so many soldiers to die for them while tramping down nations that are impertinent to deny our right to economically exploit them. They need only a thin sliver of managers and magistrates to keep things running. The rest of us? Useless eaters, takers, part of the 47% and better off dead as far as they're concerned.

I thought they'd restore trillion dollar deficits by passing huge tax cuts for the 0.1%.

I thought they'd unravel the social saftey nets. Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security gone as we know it.

I thought they'd open the spigots wide to carbon-based energy, hastening the end of life on earth as we know it today.

I thought they'd get us into 1 or 2 more trillion dollar wars as every time a bomb goes off it's money in the bank for a crony. Those bombs jets and bullets need to be replaced.

I thought we'd see the end of net neutrality by now. I'm surprised the PTB haven't touched it this long. Instead, we'll have the Orwellian freedom to post what we want on sites that take 5 minutes to get to while the New Order-friendly messages zoom by at the speed of light into the ears of too many.

I thought I'd see brownshirts patrolling the streets, beating dissenters into silence.

And I expected the press to mostly support the powerful behind this coup, this end of the American experiment, the end of freedom and liberty.

[Chevy]

32. A wonderful revolution

with unicorns and rainbows delivering free health care and free college to all.

[triron]

36. kick for visibility

[bronxiteforever]

38. I was physically ill on election night. I knew what 45 was going to do from

The beginning. Stupid, arrogant and uncontrollable with a helping of Putin. 1)What I didn't expect was the level of fascism and norm breaking and cruelty that the American public was going to allow and encourage. That truly has me seriously depressed and bordering on hopeless.
2) the complete destruction of the Department of State. The only thing I believed Repugs would fight for would be for a normal DOS. Apparently I was overly optimistic when I am generally not.

Great questions.

[Cosmocat]

41. Yep

I knew the country was stupid as sin, but didn't expect it to completely roll over to authoritarianism like it currently is.

[MiddleClass]

42. Ford's River rouge, General Electric, Bethlehem plant would reopen in Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylva

Somebody really said: the coal mine will open up again and I am goingsta gets my great grandpas job from the union, you'll see, Mister Trump is going to make it happen, he is a great businessman and all

[bluecollar2]

43. Farts would smell like lilacs?..n/t

[Jakes Progress]

48. Think? Thinking had nothing to do with it.

[pnwmom]

50. This question serves to normalize DT. No previous administration posed a similar risk

to our democracy.

[still_one]

53. No it doesn't. He ran on a campaign of racism, sexism, and bigotry. Those who voted for him knew

exactly where he stood on those issues, and those who didn't even bother to vote, or voted third party didn't care

As to your comment regarding no previous administration has been like trump, that is not true

George W Bush got us involved in multiple wars, refused to heed the warnings from intelligence officials which resulted in 9/11, his policies led to the financial implosion which drove us very close to another Great Depression, his SC appointments helped whittle away women's rights and civil rights, and allowed citizens United to become part of the fabric of America, and much more. The sad thing is most people don't realize the damage the bush administration did

[pnwmom]

55. Bush didn't systematically go about dismantling the federal government, refusing to appoint people

to top positions, appointing people with no qualifications, appointing people whose whole mission was to destroy the department. He didn't appoint a non-scientist to head a science agency, or appoint someone to the EPA who wanted to gut clean air and water laws.

Bush didn't think the head of the Justice Department was his personal consigliere.

Other Presidents have had poor policies and gotten us into stupid wars. But none of them have been on a par with DT.

[still_one]

56. He tried. The only reason he wasn't able to fully implement his agenda was because most of

his term Democrats controlled at least one of the Houses of Congress. There is no doubt in my mind that if George W. Bush had the same make up of Congress as trump does, bush would have followed the exact course.

I am not going fill up my reply with the disastrous policies of George W Bush, except to say that, other than immigration, the policies of Bush and trump, are perfectly in sync

[pnwmom]

57. Republicans controlled Congress during his first six mos. and they were nothing like DT's first six.

[Alice11111]

51. Mayhem

[hibbing]

52. They've barely begun

I'm terrified, for once I'm glad I'm not young. A whole generation of young people thinking this is normal, that he is normal, the bullying culture is upon us.

Peace

[ehrnst]

54. Some thought it would show the world how much the two parties are the same...

and foment the burning down of the system, which would benefit everyone, not just white straight males as history has shown are the ones least likely to suffer from the collapse of order...

Hence the protest votes by straight white males and the women who draw their identity and power from the straight white men they align with.