Trump and Republicans have been getting blown away in elections in 2025 and 2026 (latest case in point, the 31 swing towards Dems in the Texas SD 9 special election). It's worth talking about if it may have reached a point when their only option for avoiding accountability would be keeping Democrats out of power by any means necessary.
The UnPopulist argues the Trump administrations sheer lawlessness may have crossed the point of no return, where they have more incentives to push their authoritarian consolidation over the finish line than risk ceding power to Democrats peacefully.
Posted by loremipsumot
2 Comments
It’s yet to be seen whether they’ll push to make some sort of constitutional crisis that will genuinely alter our nation’s Republic but I do “sense” something. I think they’re beginning to realize that if shit doesn’t go to well these next months, there might be a political call for retribution against them (which im for btw).
But in that case, I imagine they’ll prepare pardons which will undoubtedly create a new conundrum. Do we prosecute even after pardons, or do we let them go?
Regardless, I think they lost the plot and started scaring the institutionalists in SCOTUS, Conservatives NGOs, and moderates who genuinely thought there was gonna be a soft closing of borders.
I think there’s obvious interests in the party that very clearly do not want to go quietly. Steve Bannon said (paraphrasing) “if we don’t win in 2026 or 2028, some of us, me included, are going to jail”. First of all – waow. But also even though Bannon is ancillary these days I do think there’s probably more than a few ghouls in office who think the same way and it feels disturbingly possible that they might seize power to protect their own asses.
On the other hand I have recently gotten a bit more hopeful about public reaction. It’s mind boggling that it’s gotten to this point but it does feel like more and more people see through them every day. I don’t think they can get away with something like that anymore.