Sorry, liberals: Donald Trump really means what he says and plans to silence...

[inanna]

and intimidate dissenters


Saturday, Jan 14, 2017 07:00 AM EST

Trump seeks to divide and conquer the media, while congressional allies like Jason Chaffetz go after critics

For liberals,and anyone with a fundamental love of our democracy, the two months since the election have been one long anxiety attack. Like most really bad anxiety attacks, this one has been fueled not just by fear, but also uncertainty. We know Donald Trump is bad, but the question is, how bad? Was Trump’s bringing-fascism-to-America act just a campaign ploy, one that he will drop in favor of being a bog-standard Republican when he steps into office? Or are we really looking down the barrel of an authoritarian regime that suppresses dissent and has no regard for the norms of democracy?

Unfortunately, the past week’s events suggest Trump is going with Door #2: Authoritarian regime that shows strong indicators of sliding into fascism. Doubly disturbing is that there appears to be no resistance from the Republican ranks on Capitol Hill. In fact, at least one Republican congressman, House Oversight chair Jason Chaffetz, is taking the initiative to instigate authoritarian crackdowns of his own.

<snip>

Trump took a divide-and-conquer strategy during that press conference. He zeroed in on CNN and BuzzFeed, attacking them as “fake news” for printing reports — reports that are 100 percent true — that a dossier implicating Trump in Russian espionage efforts was presented by intelligence officials to both Trump and President Obama. He then praised other outlets for not running with the story (though some did), a rather unsubtle effort to turn journalists against one another.

<snip>

These middle school bully-style tactics worked, Will Oremus at Slate reports:

BuzzFeed was so anathematized that by presser’s end, fellow journalists were picking up their lunch trays and moving to the other side of the cafeteria.“I can understand why President-elect Trump would be upset” with BuzzFeed, said CNN’s Jake Tapper, a co-author of the very story that had just been impugned in the press conference. “I would be upset about it, too.”

...

http://www.salon.com/2017/01/14/sorry-liberals-donald-trump-really-means-what-he-says-and-plans-to-silence-and-intimidate-dissenters/

[randr]

1. He called for violence at his rallies

Now that he has that power he will use it.

[Larkspur]

2. This is not the first time in America's history that the President tries to openly intimidate

opponents and dissenters.

John Adams, one of our Founding Fathers, used the Alien and Seditions Act to imprison newspaper editors and supporters of his political opponents. He also used gossip to attack Thomas Jefferson, his primary political opponent.

Course our last great Abuser in Chief was Richard Nixon. Nixon was politically more adept than Trump and look what happened to him.

It will be a fight, but unlike Russia, America was born on dissent against abusive authority. It runs in our blood.

[Kolesar]

4. Nixon was no natural politician, but he was smart.

Nixon didn't mix well with the public or the press, but he kept his head above water.
This current guy is low intellect and does not even know what the game is. He is going to piss off the banks or other gop powers and they will hurt him back.

[raging moderate]

3. Journalists! Grow some guts!

GUTS! Intestinal fortitude! Strengthened abdominal muscles! Stand together and stand up to bullies! As our founding fathers said, If we don't stand together, we will all hang separately! What's up with moving to the other side of the cafeteria? Do you think you are still in grade school?

[mdbl]

5. bunch of pussies

for trump to grab.