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.
What did the German Citizenship do in 1934? Because they voted in 1932 to make the Nazi party the largest single party in the Reichstag and for the next 2 years they had no input on the machinations of Hitler to become a dictator. Any of that sound familiar?
The speed at which the German government was dismantled was extreme. In less than 45 days after Hindenburg died, Hitler was a dictator. DOGE and Trump are making much of the same changes to our government. Fascist or Monarchist or Oligarchy or Kleptocracy, it doesn’t matter. Our government is currently being dismantled at a rate at which our institutions have never seen before.
Polls don’t matter once they’re in power. The only thing that’s going to stop this is large unified action at the local level and probably a general strike. Both of which take time to organize and to do so in an encrypted and secure way. That takes time. We’re years away.
If you’d like to join an open unencrypted movement you can start at the below links.
You’re think you’re disagreeing with me, but I want to be clear that you’re advocating for exactly the same things I am.
Polls don’t matter, but public opinion absolutely does. You can’t organize a mass movement of resistance without a mass of people to organize. The fact that Trump’s agenda is becoming increasingly unpopular is an opportunity for those organizing resistance to bring in more support.
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
Quite the contrary. They base their power on the perception that they have a mass movement behind them. Protests can break that perception. There’s an entire wikipedia article on it:
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.
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.
Americans are still too comfortable to revolt.
What did the German Citizenship do in 1934? Because they voted in 1932 to make the Nazi party the largest single party in the Reichstag and for the next 2 years they had no input on the machinations of Hitler to become a dictator. Any of that sound familiar?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adolf_Hitler's_rise_to_power
The speed at which the German government was dismantled was extreme. In less than 45 days after Hindenburg died, Hitler was a dictator. DOGE and Trump are making much of the same changes to our government. Fascist or Monarchist or Oligarchy or Kleptocracy, it doesn’t matter. Our government is currently being dismantled at a rate at which our institutions have never seen before.
https://www.hks.harvard.edu/faculty-research/policy-topics/democracy-governance/analyzing-doge-actions-one-month-trumps-second
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2025/02/21/trump-wild-first-month-doge-musk/78657028007/
Polls don’t matter once they’re in power. The only thing that’s going to stop this is large unified action at the local level and probably a general strike. Both of which take time to organize and to do so in an encrypted and secure way. That takes time. We’re years away.
If you’d like to join an open unencrypted movement you can start at the below links.
https://generalstrikeus.com/aboutus
https://www.fiftyfifty.one/
If you’re interesting in organizing locally you could follow the suggestions in this comment.
https://lemmy.world/comment/14983176
or check out https://lemmy.world/c/Resist@fedia.io
You’re think you’re disagreeing with me, but I want to be clear that you’re advocating for exactly the same things I am.
Polls don’t matter, but public opinion absolutely does. You can’t organize a mass movement of resistance without a mass of people to organize. The fact that Trump’s agenda is becoming increasingly unpopular is an opportunity for those organizing resistance to bring in more support.
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
Quite the contrary. They base their power on the perception that they have a mass movement behind them. Protests can break that perception. There’s an entire wikipedia article on it:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_resistance_to_Nazism
It’s not time to put away that tool just yet. Protests on a mass scale can do a lot.
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…
They’ve already started on the military https://www.defense.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/4074482/secretary-of-defense-pete-hegseth-statement-on-general-officer-nominations/
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.
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.