Precisely. The real ugliness and violence is currently only simmering. The election is when the boil begins. And the boilover comes after that.
Remember: if Trump wins, there will be disorder, dispersed violence, and then state violence: mass deportations and the disruption and dissolution of various dimensions of the state itself as fascism assumes the helm.
If Trump loses, there will be broad social conflict, disorder, and intensive violence, including a rise in domestic terrorism. I’m actually concerned we will see something like “The Troubles” in Ireland. Federal and state agencies and institutions will be attacked as well as infrastructure: things like power stations and bridges.
There is no threading the needle here. Either scenario results in chaos and violence. Both scenarios result in an increase in danger and a decrease in stability. There’s no winning move. We’ll think back to this moment as “the good days.” Strap in.
To be clear, Trump losing (not just the vote, but also his inevitable attempt to seize power anyway afterward) is definitely the vastly preferable scenario here – “Troubles” are way better than a full-blown dictatorship – so stopping him is, if not “the” winning move, at least the do-or-die first step towards it.
There is no validity to a dismissive “eh, either way it’s gonna be bad” attitude here. We are in an existential fight to achieve “pretty bad” because the alternative is “absolutely catastrophic.”
Precisely. The real ugliness and violence is currently only simmering. The election is when the boil begins. And the boilover comes after that.
Remember: if Trump wins, there will be disorder, dispersed violence, and then state violence: mass deportations and the disruption and dissolution of various dimensions of the state itself as fascism assumes the helm.
If Trump loses, there will be broad social conflict, disorder, and intensive violence, including a rise in domestic terrorism. I’m actually concerned we will see something like “The Troubles” in Ireland. Federal and state agencies and institutions will be attacked as well as infrastructure: things like power stations and bridges.
There is no threading the needle here. Either scenario results in chaos and violence. Both scenarios result in an increase in danger and a decrease in stability. There’s no winning move. We’ll think back to this moment as “the good days.” Strap in.
To be clear, Trump losing (not just the vote, but also his inevitable attempt to seize power anyway afterward) is definitely the vastly preferable scenario here – “Troubles” are way better than a full-blown dictatorship – so stopping him is, if not “the” winning move, at least the do-or-die first step towards it.
There is no validity to a dismissive “eh, either way it’s gonna be bad” attitude here. We are in an existential fight to achieve “pretty bad” because the alternative is “absolutely catastrophic.”