America has been intentionally broken. It may take decades to rebuild.

[Cyrano]

Under Trump, the Republican Party has fulfilled much of their wet dream. They have destroyed the American judiciary by appointing mindless, unqualified nuts to lifelong seats on federal courts.

They have destroyed any equitable tax system by giving gifts of trillions (yes, trillions) to the already wealthy. They have stolen the "American dream."

They have virtually destroyed any sane immigration system for Latin Americans. Not to mention the horrendous crime of kidnapping their children, locking them in cages and traumatizing them for life.

They have fucked American veterans by shortchanging all V.A. hospitals and countless benefits owed to all veterans.

They have ignored Corona-19 which has devastated the jobs and incomes of countless millions of Americans who may never recover. Not to mention the countless virus victims, living and dead. (Republicans really don't give a shit about your survival or your death.)

And many Republican congress critters were and are profiting from our corrupt system of donations that come from the super rich, as well as from Russia, and who knows where else.

Yes, we all know that Trump is an incredibly ignorant buffoon and madman. But virtually the entire Republican Party in the senate and the house have licked the boots of dear leader and have been rewarded accordingly by the administration, the zombies who vote for them, and their donor/owners. They aided, abetted and own all of Trump's crimes

Assuming we can stop the theft of the presidency and senate this November, we have a tremendous task before us. They have spent decades trying to destroy democracy and Trump has tried to deal it a death blow in less than four years. (Building is hard. Destruction is easy.)

It will take us a long time, perhaps decades, to rebuild our society to a decent standard of living for all. And one thing that must be done to ensure that this can be done. Today's Republican Party, and their propaganda machine must be totally destroyed. They can never again be allowed to come to power to complete their mission of fulfilling their nightmare version of America.

And let me add that we need a sane opposition party. Any one-party country will quickly become a dictatorship. Perhaps the Republicans that opposed Trump (Steve Schmidt, et. al.) can build that sane opposition. However, let's never forget that most of them created the environment and party that resulted in a madman running amok over the constitution. Let's hope they don't travel that same road again.

[cp]

1. Brilliantly stated!

It will have to be a whole other opposition party. The Republican party is kaput. It should be. As Charles Pierce says, the prion disease eating away the brain of the Republican party since Reagan has completed its destruction.

This, along with Covid-19, is what brings us to despair. However, I will vote November third and work to restore our country, starting locally.

[iemitsu]

2. The opposition party needs to be made up of liberals and progressives.

[NurseJackie]

4. Really? How do you feel about moderate or centrist Democrat who oppose the GOP?

Really? How do you feel about moderate or centrist Democrat who oppose the GOP?

[iemitsu]

5. Fine. I'm one of them.

[NurseJackie]

6. Whew! Good to know I'm not being tossed out on my ear...

... for not being "progressive" enough.

[NurseJackie]

3. This is why I'm delighted to have the help of the Lincoln Project!

We need all the help we can get. It could very well be that the efforts of the Lincoln Project end up being the difference in a toss-up state whose electoral votes could decide the winner.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100213733875

[Ferrets are Cool]

7. I was telling my wife esentially this earlier today.

I said at least 20 years.

[Hortensis]

8. No, it won't take decades. To the contrary, disasters tend to

break the stasis that keeps big progress from being made.

Not the happiest example, but Germany rebuilt after being smashed twice in two world wars less than 20 years apart for Germany. Within 10 years after WW2 people were speaking of the German "miracle," and that was after being dreadfully smashed, to the point of mass starvation without American intervention, and while regrowth was seriously handicapped by restrictions imposed on industry by other nations.

What worries most experts is reestablishing those ethical standards and procedures that can't be concreted in with hard rules and laws but depend on routine commitment to traditions of what is right and appropriate. The Republicans are showing us what happens to too many people when the ethical frameworks they behaved honorably within are removed.

[Nevilledog]

11. +1

[procon]

10. Don't settle for just rebuilding, let's start fresh

and remake everything that Trump touched so the entire system is modernized and benefits the common good.

[roamer65]

12. I don't see the United States surviving intact.

Reminds me a lot of Roman Empire. It eventually split in two.

[Caliman73]

13. It has been a project DECADES in the making.

Nixon started with the "silent majority", stoking racial grievances and conservative backlash against the social movements of the 60's. He, a young Roger Ailes, and Pat Buchanan put together what would eventually become Fox News. Ronald Reagan started the project in ernest, installing people like Donald Reagan into Treasury, who had a perverse economics, and William Bennet into Education, who wanted to dismantle the federal role in education. George HW wasn't in long enough to do anything major, but his son continued the destruction.

You also have to remember that people like Rumsfeld, Cheney, Kissenger, Abrahms, Negroponte, Schultz, and Weinberger were around for decades starting with Nixon and going through to the 2000's.

Trump and his crooks just peeled off the mask.

[Cyrano]

16. Yep. Your nailed it.

Today's disaster that we still call "America" has been brought about by almost 50 years of Republican rule. And when they weren't ruling, they undermined, sabotaged, and straight out fucked Democrats who were ruling. (Impeaching Clinton for a blow job???)

My guess is that if (a Democratic) Justice Dept. ever went after Republicans, many, many of them would be watching the world pass by through the bars of their cells.

Hopefully, when a Joe Biden administration comes to be, they will go after Trump, and those who aided and abetted him, with all the power at their disposal. No matter how you spin it, Trump and his enablers are guilty of treason at worst, and sedition at best.

[Edwcraig]

14. Trump just jumped in front of a Republican parade and just blaming this on Trump...

gives these assholes a free pass on their demonic policies and their efforts to destroy our democracy and our country. The Republican Party just like Russia is controlled by powerful oligarchs whose interest is only in oppressing the masses to feed their greed. Until we can overturn Citizens United we will never defeat these bastards.

[Caliman73]

15. On "opposition parties".

I do agree that any One party, if in power too long, can become authoritarian or it can become complacent. I think that is what happened to the Democratic Party from the post war period. Having been solidly in power since the mid 1930's, there was stagnation in policy making, not necessarily authoritarianism.

I think however that while liberalism may be a "flawed" political ideology, conservatism is a FAILED political ideology. I think that the desire to change should likely be tempered by some opposition that questions WHY. That however is not the goal of conservatism.

Conservatives have a world view that is based on preserving or constructing a hierarchy with rich White men at that top, and everyone else at other levels, serving the top tier.

An opposition party is necessary to avoid excesses or stagnation. The problem is that conservatism is not a "sane" ideology. It is an ideology built on the false premise descended from the time of monarchy and aristocracy.

[Cyrano]

17. Couldn't agree more.

Do you have a concept of what a "sane" opposition party would be? I wish I could define one, but at the moment, I'm too focused on getting rid of the opposition party that is, in effect, an enemy of humanity. (Guess I can't walk and chew gum at the same time.)

[Caliman73]

18. It is really complex...and I am biased as all hell.

I think that opposition parties will develop organically against the excesses of any party in power.