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Cake day: June 22nd, 2023

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  • No, we agree that we’re electing a person with the power to be a king. That’s already objectively awful. The way it could get worse is if we elect someone who will actually use the power of a king. Because that moment is the end of the game, not merely an escalation.

    Right now we have a candidate that I think we both agree will not use that power. Holding the presidency and keeping it away from those who would use that power is the best outcome, until enough Supreme Court justices turn over (which could even be a single 4-year term, though it’s not likely).


  • Sorry to be so blunt, but you’re sharing a fantasy. The outcome will be no different from a right-wing autocratic takeover, even if it starts out more in your favor. The institutions of democracy will be destroyed either way.

    You use “ruleset” like this is a game, but there’s no change-back in “ruleset” without a bloody revolution, after probably decades of suffering, and decades of reconstruction, if that - I expect we won’t see a return to pre-autocratic democracy in our lifetimes. Modern autocratic rule is too savvy, they will maintain the facades of our institutions while hollowing them out and making them meaningless, leading to efficient, soul-draining, Orwellian oppression like in Russia.

    What you’re describing is a technical victory when you’ve also conceded that the playing board will be destroyed. And it won’t work as a deterrent. The opponent is irrational.


  • So you’re just all-in on autocratic rule then? Fight fire with fire, even though the forest is a mostly-dead tinderbox?

    Yes, Biden will not assassinate Supreme Court justices. That’s a strength. If the Supreme Court intends to give a president king-like power, then I’m sure as hell going to vote for a president that I don’t believe will exercise that power.

    As soon as we have a president that exercises the power of a king, left or right, there will be no going back. That power will corrupt left politicians just as surely as right, institutions will begin to act corruptly causing people to lower their expectations of the rule of law, freeing institutions to be corrupted further, in an endless cycle. Mexico is far down that spiral, despite nominal “left” politics. And if we even seen another “president” in our lifetime they will only slip further down the slope. The only way you can win this game is by not letting it begin.













  • I think the most interesting thing about the debate fallout is that republicans, who usually will pile on and gaslight and push the Overton window to the right no matter what the reality is, are basically impossible to even hear over the distress and doomsaying on the left wing.

    That’s because we’re doing their job better than even they could.

    Look, it was a bad debate performance, but this is 2016 replaying all over again, and these repeated commentary cycles are overkill. We’re focusing all our attention on a non-representative bad detail for a democratic nominee. Republicans love that for us, and it’s fantastic for them. We are letting a less-than-two-hour block consume us, our momentum, and drain our morale. And every second we’re not focusing on Trump and him being a (thanks to the Supreme Court) literal king, and what that could mean for us, is another shovelful of dirt out of democracy’s growing grave.

    I get it - everyone is screaming “Biden should drop out” with the best intentions (mostly). Trump is the anti-Democracy. He needs to be stopped. But I actually don’t think the debate was bad enough to warrant all this desperate doomsaying. I know what Biden is. He’s a well-meaning but old guy who probably needs time and the support of his staff to understand every issue. But - sorry if this pegs me as crazy - that doesn’t really bother me.

    And Republicans have been spending the last 8 years learning to distort Trump-related reality - not only ignoring inconvenient truths about Trump, but actively Orwellian double-speaking ahead of time. They are much much better at this, even without this unforced error. So unless we’re ready to get out in the streets to demand Biden step down (which republicans certainly have wet dreams about), or can personally call up Biden to convince him to drop out, I’d suggest we stop feeding these self-destructive news cycles.