We've reached level four. That isn't a good thing.

[berg80]

Trump’s Stifling of Dissent Reaches a New Level​

The crackdown on dissent and speech in Minnesota this winter follows a pattern that is common in countries that slide from democracy to autocracy: A leader enacts a legally dubious policy. Citizens protest that policy. The government responds with intimidation and force. When people are hurt, the government blames them and lies about what happened.

The New York Times editorial board published an index in October tracking 12 categories of democratic erosion, based on historical patterns and interviews with experts. Our index places the United States on a scale of 0 to 10 for each category. Zero represents the United States before President Trump began his second term — not perfect, surely, but one of the world’s healthiest democracies. Ten represents the condition in a true autocracy, such as China, Iran or Russia.

Based on recent events, we are moving our assessment of one of the categories — stifling speech and dissent — up one notch, to level four:

The wide-ranging abuses in Minnesota are the main reason for the change. The Trump administration is conducting a military-style operation in an American city under dubious pretenses.

Opinion | ICE and Minnesota Have Pushed the U.S. Closer to Autocracy

Measuring America’s slide toward democratic erosion.

www.nytimes.com

The sister piece to this one with a link in the second paragraph is.............

Donald Trump has wielded power as no previous president has, often in open defiance of the law. His actions have raised a chilling question.

ARE WE LOSING OUR DEMOCRACY?

Countries that slide from democracy toward autocracy tend to follow similar patterns. To measure what is happening in the United States, the Times editorial board has compiled a list of 12 markers of democratic erosion, with help from scholars who have studied this phenomenon. The sobering reality is that the United States has regressed, to different degrees, on all 12.

Our country is still not close to being a true autocracy, in the mold of Russia or China. But once countries begin taking steps away from democracy, the march often continues. We offer these 12 markers as a warning of how much Americans have already lost and how much more we still could lose.

Opinion | Are We Losing Our Democracy?

Donald Trump has wielded power as no previous president has.

www.nytimes.com

The other categories are as follows.
1. Persecuting political enemies. 5
2. Bypassing the legislature. 4
3. Defying the courts. 3 (That should be higher after the 100 times ICE defied court orders in MN)
4. Declaring false emergencies. 5
5. Using the military at home. 3
6. Vilifying marginalized groups. 6
7. Controlling information. 2
8. Trying to take over universities. 2
9. Creating a cult of personality. 6
10. Using power for personal profit. 7
Authoritarians often turn the government into a machine for enriching themselves, their families and their allies. Mr. Trump glories in his administration’s culture of corruption.

He openly uses the presidency as an opportunity to pad his bottom line, in ways that range from the comically petty (like charging the Secret Service up to $1,200 per night for rooms at his hotels) to the shamelessly greedy (like the $40 million that Amazon paid for the rights to a Melania Trump documentary or his recent demand that the government pay him $230 million because he was investigated for breaking the law). He solicits favors from foreign governments, including an airplane from Qatar. His children also profit from their father’s position, through real-estate deals, crypto, a private club in Washington and more. And he rewards those who enrich them, recently pardoning the head of a cryptocurrency firm who worked with the Trump family.

In the first six months of this year, the Trump Organization’s income soared to $864 million, up from just $51 million a year earlier, according to a recent Reuters analysis. It’s worth noting that recent Supreme Court decisions have made corruption harder to police.
11. Manipulating the law to stay in power. 2 (In other words, lawfare)

We can quibble about where the levels are set but not the facts underlying the concern. As difficult as it is, given our long history as a democratic republic, to grasp the full extent of the direction trump is taking us the evidence is indisputable. Though trump fans will no doubt employ all the tools of denial, false comparisons, and lies in an effort to credibly dispute it. They will fail.

 

[TNHarley]

Donald Trump has wielded power as no previous president has

 

[struth]

Trump’s Stifling of Dissent Reaches a New Level​

The crackdown on dissent and speech in Minnesota this winter follows a pattern that is common in countries that slide from democracy to autocracy: A leader enacts a legally dubious policy. Citizens protest that policy. The government responds with intimidation and force. When people are hurt, the government blames them and lies about what happened.

The New York Times editorial board published an index in October tracking 12 categories of democratic erosion, based on historical patterns and interviews with experts. Our index places the United States on a scale of 0 to 10 for each category. Zero represents the United States before President Trump began his second term — not perfect, surely, but one of the world’s healthiest democracies. Ten represents the condition in a true autocracy, such as China, Iran or Russia.

Based on recent events, we are moving our assessment of one of the categories — stifling speech and dissent — up one notch, to level four:

The wide-ranging abuses in Minnesota are the main reason for the change. The Trump administration is conducting a military-style operation in an American city under dubious pretenses.

Opinion | ICE and Minnesota Have Pushed the U.S. Closer to Autocracy

Measuring America’s slide toward democratic erosion.

www.nytimes.com

The sister piece to this one with a link in the second paragraph is.............

Donald Trump has wielded power as no previous president has, often in open defiance of the law. His actions have raised a chilling question.

ARE WE LOSING OUR DEMOCRACY?

Countries that slide from democracy toward autocracy tend to follow similar patterns. To measure what is happening in the United States, the Times editorial board has compiled a list of 12 markers of democratic erosion, with help from scholars who have studied this phenomenon. The sobering reality is that the United States has regressed, to different degrees, on all 12.

Our country is still not close to being a true autocracy, in the mold of Russia or China. But once countries begin taking steps away from democracy, the march often continues. We offer these 12 markers as a warning of how much Americans have already lost and how much more we still could lose.

Opinion | Are We Losing Our Democracy?

Donald Trump has wielded power as no previous president has.

www.nytimes.com

The other categories are as follows.
1. Persecuting political enemies. 5
2. Bypassing the legislature. 4
3. Defying the courts. 3 (That should be higher after the 100 times ICE defied court orders in MN)
4. Declaring false emergencies. 5
5. Using the military at home. 3
6. Vilifying marginalized groups. 6
7. Controlling information. 2
8. Trying to take over universities. 2
9. Creating a cult of personality. 6
10. Using power for personal profit. 7
Authoritarians often turn the government into a machine for enriching themselves, their families and their allies. Mr. Trump glories in his administration’s culture of corruption.

He openly uses the presidency as an opportunity to pad his bottom line, in ways that range from the comically petty (like charging the Secret Service up to $1,200 per night for rooms at his hotels) to the shamelessly greedy (like the $40 million that Amazon paid for the rights to a Melania Trump documentary or his recent demand that the government pay him $230 million because he was investigated for breaking the law). He solicits favors from foreign governments, including an airplane from Qatar. His children also profit from their father’s position, through real-estate deals, crypto, a private club in Washington and more. And he rewards those who enrich them, recently pardoning the head of a cryptocurrency firm who worked with the Trump family.

In the first six months of this year, the Trump Organization’s income soared to $864 million, up from just $51 million a year earlier, according to a recent Reuters analysis. It’s worth noting that recent Supreme Court decisions have made corruption harder to police.
11. Manipulating the law to stay in power. 2 (In other words, lawfare)

We can quibble about where the levels are set but not the facts underlying the concern. As difficult as it is, given our long history as a democratic republic, to grasp the full extent of the direction trump is taking us the evidence is indisputable. Though trump fans will no doubt employ all the tools of denial, false comparisons, and lies in an effort to credibly dispute it. They will fail.

You got to be real desperate to distract from the Epstein files to come up with a post like this.....

Really? Enforcing a law passed by Congress is pushing us closer to autocracy.....geez man

 

[Mac1958]

We can quibble about where the levels are set but not the facts underlying the concern. As difficult as it is, given our long history as a democratic republic, to grasp the full extent of the direction trump is taking us the evidence is indisputable. Though trump fans will no doubt employ all the tools of denial, false comparisons, and lies in an effort to credibly dispute it. They will fail.

It's safe to say at this point that he'll go as far as he can.

So it's up to congressional Republicans and the press to stand up to this.

 

[martybegan]

Trump’s Stifling of Dissent Reaches a New Level​

The crackdown on dissent and speech in Minnesota this winter follows a pattern that is common in countries that slide from democracy to autocracy: A leader enacts a legally dubious policy. Citizens protest that policy. The government responds with intimidation and force. When people are hurt, the government blames them and lies about what happened.

The New York Times editorial board published an index in October tracking 12 categories of democratic erosion, based on historical patterns and interviews with experts. Our index places the United States on a scale of 0 to 10 for each category. Zero represents the United States before President Trump began his second term — not perfect, surely, but one of the world’s healthiest democracies. Ten represents the condition in a true autocracy, such as China, Iran or Russia.

Based on recent events, we are moving our assessment of one of the categories — stifling speech and dissent — up one notch, to level four:

The wide-ranging abuses in Minnesota are the main reason for the change. The Trump administration is conducting a military-style operation in an American city under dubious pretenses.

Opinion | ICE and Minnesota Have Pushed the U.S. Closer to Autocracy

Measuring America’s slide toward democratic erosion.

www.nytimes.com

The sister piece to this one with a link in the second paragraph is.............

Donald Trump has wielded power as no previous president has, often in open defiance of the law. His actions have raised a chilling question.

ARE WE LOSING OUR DEMOCRACY?

Countries that slide from democracy toward autocracy tend to follow similar patterns. To measure what is happening in the United States, the Times editorial board has compiled a list of 12 markers of democratic erosion, with help from scholars who have studied this phenomenon. The sobering reality is that the United States has regressed, to different degrees, on all 12.

Our country is still not close to being a true autocracy, in the mold of Russia or China. But once countries begin taking steps away from democracy, the march often continues. We offer these 12 markers as a warning of how much Americans have already lost and how much more we still could lose.

Opinion | Are We Losing Our Democracy?

Donald Trump has wielded power as no previous president has.

www.nytimes.com

The other categories are as follows.
1. Persecuting political enemies. 5
2. Bypassing the legislature. 4
3. Defying the courts. 3 (That should be higher after the 100 times ICE defied court orders in MN)
4. Declaring false emergencies. 5
5. Using the military at home. 3
6. Vilifying marginalized groups. 6
7. Controlling information. 2
8. Trying to take over universities. 2
9. Creating a cult of personality. 6
10. Using power for personal profit. 7
Authoritarians often turn the government into a machine for enriching themselves, their families and their allies. Mr. Trump glories in his administration’s culture of corruption.

He openly uses the presidency as an opportunity to pad his bottom line, in ways that range from the comically petty (like charging the Secret Service up to $1,200 per night for rooms at his hotels) to the shamelessly greedy (like the $40 million that Amazon paid for the rights to a Melania Trump documentary or his recent demand that the government pay him $230 million because he was investigated for breaking the law). He solicits favors from foreign governments, including an airplane from Qatar. His children also profit from their father’s position, through real-estate deals, crypto, a private club in Washington and more. And he rewards those who enrich them, recently pardoning the head of a cryptocurrency firm who worked with the Trump family.

In the first six months of this year, the Trump Organization’s income soared to $864 million, up from just $51 million a year earlier, according to a recent Reuters analysis. It’s worth noting that recent Supreme Court decisions have made corruption harder to police.
11. Manipulating the law to stay in power. 2 (In other words, lawfare)

We can quibble about where the levels are set but not the facts underlying the concern. As difficult as it is, given our long history as a democratic republic, to grasp the full extent of the direction trump is taking us the evidence is indisputable. Though trump fans will no doubt employ all the tools of denial, false comparisons, and lies in an effort to credibly dispute it. They will fail.

Interfering with law enforcement isn't speech, it's civil disobedience when done peacefully, and violent crime when not done peacefully.

 

[Dragonlady]

You got to be real desperate to distract from the Epstein files to come up with a post like this.....

Really? Enforcing a law passed by Congress is pushing us closer to autocracy.....geez man

You've got to be really stupid to ignore his undermining of democracy.

 

[Hafar1014]

Trump’s Stifling of Dissent Reaches a New Level​

The crackdown on dissent and speech in Minnesota this winter follows a pattern that is common in countries that slide from democracy to autocracy: A leader enacts a legally dubious policy. Citizens protest that policy. The government responds with intimidation and force. When people are hurt, the government blames them and lies about what happened.

The New York Times editorial board published an index in October tracking 12 categories of democratic erosion, based on historical patterns and interviews with experts. Our index places the United States on a scale of 0 to 10 for each category. Zero represents the United States before President Trump began his second term — not perfect, surely, but one of the world’s healthiest democracies. Ten represents the condition in a true autocracy, such as China, Iran or Russia.

Based on recent events, we are moving our assessment of one of the categories — stifling speech and dissent — up one notch, to level four:

The wide-ranging abuses in Minnesota are the main reason for the change. The Trump administration is conducting a military-style operation in an American city under dubious pretenses.

Opinion | ICE and Minnesota Have Pushed the U.S. Closer to Autocracy

Measuring America’s slide toward democratic erosion.

www.nytimes.com

The sister piece to this one with a link in the second paragraph is.............

Donald Trump has wielded power as no previous president has, often in open defiance of the law. His actions have raised a chilling question.

ARE WE LOSING OUR DEMOCRACY?

Countries that slide from democracy toward autocracy tend to follow similar patterns. To measure what is happening in the United States, the Times editorial board has compiled a list of 12 markers of democratic erosion, with help from scholars who have studied this phenomenon. The sobering reality is that the United States has regressed, to different degrees, on all 12.

Our country is still not close to being a true autocracy, in the mold of Russia or China. But once countries begin taking steps away from democracy, the march often continues. We offer these 12 markers as a warning of how much Americans have already lost and how much more we still could lose.

Opinion | Are We Losing Our Democracy?

Donald Trump has wielded power as no previous president has.

www.nytimes.com

The other categories are as follows.
1. Persecuting political enemies. 5
2. Bypassing the legislature. 4
3. Defying the courts. 3 (That should be higher after the 100 times ICE defied court orders in MN)
4. Declaring false emergencies. 5
5. Using the military at home. 3
6. Vilifying marginalized groups. 6
7. Controlling information. 2
8. Trying to take over universities. 2
9. Creating a cult of personality. 6
10. Using power for personal profit. 7
Authoritarians often turn the government into a machine for enriching themselves, their families and their allies. Mr. Trump glories in his administration’s culture of corruption.

He openly uses the presidency as an opportunity to pad his bottom line, in ways that range from the comically petty (like charging the Secret Service up to $1,200 per night for rooms at his hotels) to the shamelessly greedy (like the $40 million that Amazon paid for the rights to a Melania Trump documentary or his recent demand that the government pay him $230 million because he was investigated for breaking the law). He solicits favors from foreign governments, including an airplane from Qatar. His children also profit from their father’s position, through real-estate deals, crypto, a private club in Washington and more. And he rewards those who enrich them, recently pardoning the head of a cryptocurrency firm who worked with the Trump family.

In the first six months of this year, the Trump Organization’s income soared to $864 million, up from just $51 million a year earlier, according to a recent Reuters analysis. It’s worth noting that recent Supreme Court decisions have made corruption harder to police.
11. Manipulating the law to stay in power. 2 (In other words, lawfare)

We can quibble about where the levels are set but not the facts underlying the concern. As difficult as it is, given our long history as a democratic republic, to grasp the full extent of the direction trump is taking us the evidence is indisputable. Though trump fans will no doubt employ all the tools of denial, false comparisons, and lies in an effort to credibly dispute it. They will fail.

All of this nonsense because democrats are caught in a huge welfare fraud scandal. Let the chaos begin

 

[struth]

You've got to be really stupid to ignore his undermining of democracy.

How is enforcing laws passed by Congress undermining democracy?

 

[berg80]

View attachment 1215879

Imagine my surprise that you have nothing to say. One more observation. I find it curious for someone who claims to hate trump that you consistently use your meager abilities to try, but fail, to defend him.

 

[TNHarley]

Imagine my surprise that you have nothing to say. One more observation. I find it curious for someone who claims to hate trump that you consistently use your meager abilities to try, but fail, to defend him.

I didnt defend him. I just poked fun at your ignorance.

 

[theHawk]

Trump’s Stifling of Dissent Reaches a New Level​

The crackdown on dissent and speech in Minnesota this winter follows a pattern that is common in countries that slide from democracy to autocracy: A leader enacts a legally dubious policy. Citizens protest that policy. The government responds with intimidation and force. When people are hurt, the government blames them and lies about what happened.

The New York Times editorial board published an index in October tracking 12 categories of democratic erosion, based on historical patterns and interviews with experts. Our index places the United States on a scale of 0 to 10 for each category. Zero represents the United States before President Trump began his second term — not perfect, surely, but one of the world’s healthiest democracies. Ten represents the condition in a true autocracy, such as China, Iran or Russia.

Based on recent events, we are moving our assessment of one of the categories — stifling speech and dissent — up one notch, to level four:

The wide-ranging abuses in Minnesota are the main reason for the change. The Trump administration is conducting a military-style operation in an American city under dubious pretenses.

Opinion | ICE and Minnesota Have Pushed the U.S. Closer to Autocracy

Measuring America’s slide toward democratic erosion.

www.nytimes.com

The sister piece to this one with a link in the second paragraph is.............

Donald Trump has wielded power as no previous president has, often in open defiance of the law. His actions have raised a chilling question.

ARE WE LOSING OUR DEMOCRACY?

Countries that slide from democracy toward autocracy tend to follow similar patterns. To measure what is happening in the United States, the Times editorial board has compiled a list of 12 markers of democratic erosion, with help from scholars who have studied this phenomenon. The sobering reality is that the United States has regressed, to different degrees, on all 12.

Our country is still not close to being a true autocracy, in the mold of Russia or China. But once countries begin taking steps away from democracy, the march often continues. We offer these 12 markers as a warning of how much Americans have already lost and how much more we still could lose.

Opinion | Are We Losing Our Democracy?

Donald Trump has wielded power as no previous president has.

www.nytimes.com

The other categories are as follows.
1. Persecuting political enemies. 5
2. Bypassing the legislature. 4
3. Defying the courts. 3 (That should be higher after the 100 times ICE defied court orders in MN)
4. Declaring false emergencies. 5
5. Using the military at home. 3
6. Vilifying marginalized groups. 6
7. Controlling information. 2
8. Trying to take over universities. 2
9. Creating a cult of personality. 6
10. Using power for personal profit. 7
Authoritarians often turn the government into a machine for enriching themselves, their families and their allies. Mr. Trump glories in his administration’s culture of corruption.

He openly uses the presidency as an opportunity to pad his bottom line, in ways that range from the comically petty (like charging the Secret Service up to $1,200 per night for rooms at his hotels) to the shamelessly greedy (like the $40 million that Amazon paid for the rights to a Melania Trump documentary or his recent demand that the government pay him $230 million because he was investigated for breaking the law). He solicits favors from foreign governments, including an airplane from Qatar. His children also profit from their father’s position, through real-estate deals, crypto, a private club in Washington and more. And he rewards those who enrich them, recently pardoning the head of a cryptocurrency firm who worked with the Trump family.

In the first six months of this year, the Trump Organization’s income soared to $864 million, up from just $51 million a year earlier, according to a recent Reuters analysis. It’s worth noting that recent Supreme Court decisions have made corruption harder to police.
11. Manipulating the law to stay in power. 2 (In other words, lawfare)

We can quibble about where the levels are set but not the facts underlying the concern. As difficult as it is, given our long history as a democratic republic, to grasp the full extent of the direction trump is taking us the evidence is indisputable. Though trump fans will no doubt employ all the tools of denial, false comparisons, and lies in an effort to credibly dispute it. They will fail.

You’re describing everything the Dems have already done.

The lack of self awareness is rather stunning.

 

[berg80]

It's safe to say at this point that he'll go as far as he can.

So it's up to congressional Republicans and the press to stand up to this.

IF MN taught us anything it's like all bullies he will back down in the face of an overwhelming rejection of his brutal, illegal tactics. BUT, he thinks anything less gives him license to forge ahead.

Example, for all the media coverage of his grifting in order to enrich himself he has not stopped.

Trump's $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS raises conflict of interest concerns​

Trump's $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS raises conflict of interest concerns

Legal experts say President Donald Trump's $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS over leaked tax information raises a host of conflict of interest questions

abcnews.go.com

 

[berg80]

You’re describing everything the Dems have already done.

The lack of self awareness is rather stunning.

Though trump fans will no doubt employ all the tools of denial, false comparisons, and lies in an effort to credibly dispute it. They will fail.

 

[Auld Phart]

I didnt defend him. I just poked fun at your ignorance.

I do that a lot as well.

these fools don't acknowledge a middle ground.

 

[TNHarley]

IF MN taught us anything it's like all bullies he will back down in the face of an overwhelming rejection of his brutal, illegal tactics. BUT, he thinks anything less gives him license to forge ahead.

Example, for all the media coverage of his grifting in order to enrich himself he has not stopped.

Trump's $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS raises conflict of interest concerns​

Trump's $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS raises conflict of interest concerns

Legal experts say President Donald Trump's $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS over leaked tax information raises a host of conflict of interest questions

abcnews.go.com

So the govt breaks the law, but accountability is a conflict of interest?

 

[theHawk]

It's safe to say at this point that he'll go as far as he can.

So it's up to congressional Republicans and the press to stand up to this.

The Dems tried to throw him in jail, remove him from the ballot, then when that didn’t work tried to kill him.

I sure hope he does go “as far as he can” to destroy their power.

 

[berg80]

I didnt defend him. I just poked fun at your ignorance.

In an attempt to poke fun at my alleged ignorance you exposed your own.

 

[TNHarley]

In an attempt to poke fun at my alleged ignorance you exposed your own.

In your head, goof troop.

 

[theHawk]

Though trump fans will no doubt employ all the tools of denial, false comparisons, and lies in an effort to credibly dispute it. They will fail.

False comparisons? The Dems tried to throw Trump in jail. Remember the “mug shot” you all gloated about? It helped get him re-elected. Then when they tried to kill him….it clinched his victory.

It is standard practice for the left to use lawfare against their opponents.

So spare us the lecture, commie.

 

[berg80]

The Dems tried to throw him in jail

That is a disingenuous description of what happens to someone when they break multiple laws. They get investigated, they sometimes get indicted, and they go to trial. Except in this case trump was able to use his wealth, lawfare, and an election to escape going to trial for his most egregious crimes.