12 Comments
User's avatar
тна Return to thread
R Mercer's avatar

They won't have a choice if they want to remain in business. I would be willing to bet that, if Trump wins, this place gets shut down at some point.

Expand full comment
JF's avatar

Can we at least be on the same party barge to Gitmo? Sorry; I donтАЩt feel at all as light hearted as that sounds.

I still think that destroying the lives of so many American consumers would be bad for business, on the large scale. I plan to make as many necessary purchases as I can before the elections, and if Trump wins I will quit spending. But then I suppose Trumpie bureaucrats will just seize my bank accounts to compensate. Things will get darker than MAGAs imagine; liberal tears wonтАЩt solve every problem.

Expand full comment
R Mercer's avatar

I plan on being safely out of country if there is another Trump Presidency. They will have to extradite me from Canada (and I will claim political asylum).

None of these MAGAts know how to actually run an economy. It's going to be a fecal fiesta. Trump certainly doesn't know much about economics, that's for sure.

Expand full comment
JF's avatar

IтАЩm seriously thinking of heading to Canada for a тАЬvacationтАЭ right before the election. However it plays out, violence is guaranteed. IтАЩd rather view it from afar. And if Trump wins, I expect the borders to shut down - not to keep migrants out but to keep Americans in. People think itтАЩs hyperbole; they thought that when I predicted Trump would refuse to leave if he lost in 2020. Imagine the worst, and youтАЩll be in the ballpark.

Expand full comment
David Court's avatar

Canada, Europe, South Pacific, it does not matter if TFG creates Fortress America, with armed guards, dogs, and attack drones at every entry point to CONUS (not sure what he will do with Hawaii and Alaska, but probably would sell the latter back to Vlad for a song).

Expand full comment
JF's avatar

Yes, that has crossed my mind. Plus, with loved ones left behind, whatтАЩs the point? Another important detail is the fact that authoritarianism is a creeping global phenomenon. I read a comment from Australia to a NYT opinion essay yesterday by an Iowa journalist about the close, lifelong friendships he has lost over MAGA - well written and poignant; the comments were riveting. The Australian comment indicated there are similar nascent political divisions growing there as well. Authoritarianism is a rising global phenomenon. I guess resistance is the only option; for elders maybe passive resistance, like my first comment about no discretionary spending, to hurt the authoritarian economy. And some advance stockpiling of essentials. IтАЩm already trying to do that, even with medical procedures, like getting any deferred dental treatments done now.

Expand full comment
David Court's avatar

GG, I write from a remote location, being an ex-pat in Germany since the days of Peanut v Peabrain (aka 1976). Yesterday and 10 days ago I took part in Frankfurt's peaceful, stationary rally/demo (+/- 20,000 participants) against the AFD, the local version of MAGA, which also happens to be a political party with representation in many "state" assemblies and in the Bundestag since we have a multi-party, parliamentary system. Rallies like that have been occurring for the past several weeks all over Germany, big cities (Berlin had 150,000 attendees last Saturday) and small, where the attendees amount to half or more of the population (OK, many come from "outside" the town).

What finally shook the broad population out of their lethargy (the AFD has formally existed for a decade or so), was a meeting, evesdropped upon and videoed by a crew of investigative journalists, between recognized neo-Nazis and some AFD representatives, including a close advisor (now, belatedly, fired) of the deputy leader of the party in which the topic was "remigration". That means to them, sending non-German appearing, sounding, being, acting immigrants "home", even those who "improperly" received German citizenship!! In other words, deportation of lawful citizens. Know anyone in the US who has talked about mass deportations if HE gets to be in charge?

OK, with Germany's history, perhaps it was to be expected that, in addition to the anti-semitic comments accompanying the anti-Israel demonstrations due to Bibi's Gaza campaign, some reaction would eventually occur. It remains to be seen what ultimate effect this has, but "polls" are already showing reduced public support for the AFD.

Expand full comment
JF's avatar

Wow, youтАЩve been gone since 1976? ThatтАЩs extreme prescience. IтАЩve been following AFD since the Syrian mass migration. IтАЩm so conflicted about migration; itтАЩs a natural human response to so many crises, but itтАЩs also very destabilizing to the receiving society. I recall reading a detailed math/population analysis that, because of the significant differences in birth rates between native Germans and arriving Syrians (mostly males, admittedly), the fears of a cultural takeover were well founded, and would occur in a short period of time. Germany was making more of an effort than most host countries at assimilation, so it seemed they might escape the more dire predictions. I also felt there was some hypocrisy on the left regarding cultural protectionism in general; more тАЬprimitiveтАЭ cultures seemed legitimately in need of тАЬprotectionтАЭ, but when advanced cultures felt threatened by a foreign influx, that was proclaimed тАЬracist". ItтАЩs a conundrum that still intrigues me. You should write a Substack; youтАЩre in a fascinating perch for observation.

Expand full comment
R Mercer's avatar

Attempting to stop migration has been a loser's game since forever.

Attempting to stop cultural change has been a loser's game since forever.

Modern civilization, our modern nations have been built on the corpses of past civilizations and populations. With rare exceptions, people are where they are because people migrated there in response to environmental, economic, or political pressure.

Expand full comment
JF's avatar

Yup, I totally agree. I just embrace being an observer in real time, with more sentience than prior societies. I enjoy reading laymanтАЩs archeological stories in the media, now more fascinating with DNA revealing elements of migration that were previously unavailable. What a window into the past! YesterdayтАЩs archeologists could only dream of such a view. It gives me a euphoria that feels almost transcendent.

Expand full comment
R Mercer's avatar

Amidst the fecal fiesta of day-to -day life, there is a magnificent and aw[e]ful (using awful in its original sense) story that has been unfolding since... forever. We are surounded by unfathomable things and great beauty, even in dire circumstances--indeed, often because of dire circumstances.

When you apprehend it, it IS transcendent.

Expand full comment
Kim Nesvig's avatar

For sure. This any any place that even hints at disapproval of the god-king.

Expand full comment