An interview with political scientist Julia Azari, who argues that new polls showing public backlash to Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s authoritarian overreach give Democrats an opening
Democracy is just a managed, fairly agreed upon process for a governed people to exercise their will. But a governed people always have the ability to exercise their will. Authoritarian tactics can make that more difficult, but they cannot ever prevent it.
Remember, if there was nothing people could do to stop them, their propaganda would not be necessary. The fact that they are engaged in information control demonstrates that they do very much care about approval - or, at least, acceptance.
Exactly, fascists give zero fucks about public sentiment once they’re in power. All they need to do is control the media and polls will align with their goals again. Case in point is the renaming of the Gulf of Mexico
It’s a knee jerk reaction for many to want polls to still matter. Polls are important of course, but not this year and next year is uncharted territory.
The only thing to do watch now is the comfort zone of the 10,000+ people in the American billionaire families; and that is the only check in power right now
I’d be surprised if there aren’t massive changes to gun laws in the next 2 years and a giant restructure of the military in the next 3 so that Trump or one of his cronies can still be in power in 5…
There are basically only two lines that this administration can cross after which it will be, to employ the vernacular, on.
Cancelling retirees’ social security and/or retirement benefits
Trying to take everyone’s guns
The major difference is that one those groups is preeminently equipped to make that process very difficult. I’ll bet you can guess which one it is.
The one thing that every paranoid loon agrees on – left or right – is that the US government actually attempting to blanket confiscate guns is the 100% unquestionable and unambiguous indicator of everything going absolutely sideways. This is why gun bans have always been incremental; those in politics absolutely know that the end result of trying to do it all at once is only a guarantee that a lot of people get shot.
Watching all the rednecks try to reconcile that it is in fact Trump’s gubmint that is comin’ to a’take their gunz is going to be quite the spectacle, I’m sure.
The same 2a guys who cheered when Trump said take the guns first? Boomers who found out their precious affordable healthcare was the same as Obama care and still voted Trump twice… (X) Doubt. It’s a cult only one way it ends.
The difference is all the gun totin’ Trump voters genuinely believed, either via self delusion or with the assistance of right wing media, that Trump wouldn’t take their guns. They made up any number of excuses to rationalize what was said in order to maintain support for their man. “He didn’t actually mean it.” “He was just speaking figuratively.” “It was taken out of context.” Etc., etc.
That will last only right up until he actually does this. Never mind that it’s already too late in that they voted for him. I am predicting that exact moment is when the realization will finally set in. I’m sure many will probably also try to cope by trying to find someone else to blame. That won’t change the fact that in the moment, regardless of the rationale, showing up in a uniform and trying to kick in a paranoid nut’s door and tell him you’re here for his guns is a monumentally stupid idea. The element of surprise will surely work in the feds’ favor only until it comes out that the first gun owner has been killed as a result of a mass confiscation incident.
Both sides will ultimately and inevitably decide that “shoot first, ask questions second” will be the only viable strategy. Except it isn’t, when both sides are doing it. The only winning move is not to play.
All gun control in the past has been to disarm marginalized populations and put ownership behind a paywall and within a national registry. I don’t think they’ll ban gun ownership for everyone, however I foresee ownership to be much more stringently controlled and for tax stamps to increase. Making it so that the majority of guns are still owned and operated by white middle to upperclass men, or private security and law enforcement that serve the wealthy to protect property and the current power structure as it stands.
The last poll they cared about was in early November 2024.
Approval always matters, even without democracy.
Democracy is just a managed, fairly agreed upon process for a governed people to exercise their will. But a governed people always have the ability to exercise their will. Authoritarian tactics can make that more difficult, but they cannot ever prevent it.
Remember, if there was nothing people could do to stop them, their propaganda would not be necessary. The fact that they are engaged in information control demonstrates that they do very much care about approval - or, at least, acceptance.
Exactly, fascists give zero fucks about public sentiment once they’re in power. All they need to do is control the media and polls will align with their goals again. Case in point is the renaming of the Gulf of Mexico
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2025-02-19/donald-trump-gulf-of-mexico-gulf-of-america
Edit as things are moving very fast.
Here’s an even more boldfaced attempt at controlling the media. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/fox-news-newsmax-oppose-trump-ap-ban_n_67b85283e4b05145b9c53cce
The idea that AP is “radical left”. LOL.
It’s a knee jerk reaction for many to want polls to still matter. Polls are important of course, but not this year and next year is uncharted territory.
The only thing to do watch now is the comfort zone of the 10,000+ people in the American billionaire families; and that is the only check in power right now
I’d be surprised if there aren’t massive changes to gun laws in the next 2 years and a giant restructure of the military in the next 3 so that Trump or one of his cronies can still be in power in 5…
I’m wondering when private gun ownership will be banned. At the rate they’re going it might happen within 6 months.
There are basically only two lines that this administration can cross after which it will be, to employ the vernacular, on.
The major difference is that one those groups is preeminently equipped to make that process very difficult. I’ll bet you can guess which one it is.
The one thing that every paranoid loon agrees on – left or right – is that the US government actually attempting to blanket confiscate guns is the 100% unquestionable and unambiguous indicator of everything going absolutely sideways. This is why gun bans have always been incremental; those in politics absolutely know that the end result of trying to do it all at once is only a guarantee that a lot of people get shot.
Watching all the rednecks try to reconcile that it is in fact Trump’s gubmint that is comin’ to a’take their gunz is going to be quite the spectacle, I’m sure.
The same 2a guys who cheered when Trump said take the guns first? Boomers who found out their precious affordable healthcare was the same as Obama care and still voted Trump twice… (X) Doubt. It’s a cult only one way it ends.
The difference is all the gun totin’ Trump voters genuinely believed, either via self delusion or with the assistance of right wing media, that Trump wouldn’t take their guns. They made up any number of excuses to rationalize what was said in order to maintain support for their man. “He didn’t actually mean it.” “He was just speaking figuratively.” “It was taken out of context.” Etc., etc.
That will last only right up until he actually does this. Never mind that it’s already too late in that they voted for him. I am predicting that exact moment is when the realization will finally set in. I’m sure many will probably also try to cope by trying to find someone else to blame. That won’t change the fact that in the moment, regardless of the rationale, showing up in a uniform and trying to kick in a paranoid nut’s door and tell him you’re here for his guns is a monumentally stupid idea. The element of surprise will surely work in the feds’ favor only until it comes out that the first gun owner has been killed as a result of a mass confiscation incident.
Both sides will ultimately and inevitably decide that “shoot first, ask questions second” will be the only viable strategy. Except it isn’t, when both sides are doing it. The only winning move is not to play.
Death Cult gonna Death Cult
All gun control in the past has been to disarm marginalized populations and put ownership behind a paywall and within a national registry. I don’t think they’ll ban gun ownership for everyone, however I foresee ownership to be much more stringently controlled and for tax stamps to increase. Making it so that the majority of guns are still owned and operated by white middle to upperclass men, or private security and law enforcement that serve the wealthy to protect property and the current power structure as it stands.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gun_law_in_the_United_States
https://socialistra.org/
Fascism rarely plays well with personal gun ownership. Trump has already floated the idea once, so he’s definitely going to try.
Yeah I don’t think either of them would care in the slightest about this type of polling.
Entirely predictable.
Trump was mocking the voting public on presidents day with that “Long live the king” quip.
That said, it’s just bonkers that 40% of voters feel like things are going in the right direction. Honestly the whole thing is cooked.