My hope is that politics still matter. Trump is taking steps that those around him must know will alienate the entire non-MAGA voting populace. Can he or they be made to care?
I don't think he can be made to care, though I think that his followers may defect if their economic circumstances become sufficiently painful. We will need a critical mass to turn the ocean liner around. It is one of the few sources of hope I allow myself to entertain.
It is indeed sadly ironic that the strongest basis for hope we have is that Trump isn't just evil; he's profoundly, ignorantly stupid. (Stupid because he doesn't understand, or cannot acknowledge, the depths of his own ignorance.) And the damage and suffering caused by his stupid ignorance should hopefully awaken enough Americans to the threat he poses to enable us to reverse course. If he were smarter--e.g., if he understood enough about international trade to abandon his fixation on tariffs--he might have had a better chance of succeeding in his authoritarian project.
It is a sad day when we need to rely on the stupidity of the president to save democracy. I agree. Trump is a profoundly self-centered man which has long destroyed any curiosity about the world beyond immediate and impulsive self-interest. For those with any depth, democracy is sustained, not merely by its practicality, but by the wisdom and elegance of the idea. Trump, who has absolutely no background in participating in any organization built on democratic principles, and does not read, I believe, simply does not understand the concept, let alone be attracted to it.
Essentially yes. It's clear that MAGA office holders stubbornly seek the power that emerges from holding their office, well beyond their loyalty to country and the Constitution. It is this self-interested investment that may cause some to break ranks with Trump if their constituents vociferously complain with the threat that they will vote them out. They will then be forced to choose between maintaining their jobs or sustaining loyalty to Trump and his destructive policies. If the former, I see glimmers of hope.
My hope is that politics still matter. Trump is taking steps that those around him must know will alienate the entire non-MAGA voting populace. Can he or they be made to care?
I don't think he can be made to care, though I think that his followers may defect if their economic circumstances become sufficiently painful. We will need a critical mass to turn the ocean liner around. It is one of the few sources of hope I allow myself to entertain.
It is indeed sadly ironic that the strongest basis for hope we have is that Trump isn't just evil; he's profoundly, ignorantly stupid. (Stupid because he doesn't understand, or cannot acknowledge, the depths of his own ignorance.) And the damage and suffering caused by his stupid ignorance should hopefully awaken enough Americans to the threat he poses to enable us to reverse course. If he were smarter--e.g., if he understood enough about international trade to abandon his fixation on tariffs--he might have had a better chance of succeeding in his authoritarian project.
It is a sad day when we need to rely on the stupidity of the president to save democracy. I agree. Trump is a profoundly self-centered man which has long destroyed any curiosity about the world beyond immediate and impulsive self-interest. For those with any depth, democracy is sustained, not merely by its practicality, but by the wisdom and elegance of the idea. Trump, who has absolutely no background in participating in any organization built on democratic principles, and does not read, I believe, simply does not understand the concept, let alone be attracted to it.
So, in the end, you are saying that the worse things get under Trump, the more likely his agents in government will be in danger of being voted out.
Essentially yes. It's clear that MAGA office holders stubbornly seek the power that emerges from holding their office, well beyond their loyalty to country and the Constitution. It is this self-interested investment that may cause some to break ranks with Trump if their constituents vociferously complain with the threat that they will vote them out. They will then be forced to choose between maintaining their jobs or sustaining loyalty to Trump and his destructive policies. If the former, I see glimmers of hope.