Imagine it’s 2024, Trump runs for presidency again, and he wins.

The Democrats, surprised by the results in a few counties, ask for a forensic audit of the voting machines but some get denied, “there’s no evidence”.

1/N

2/ You, a Democrat, don’t like the answer, because the other party spent the last 4 years talking about interference during the elections.

3/ You get told to respect the democratic process.

But you do already want to respect it! Perhaps, you even believe that your candidate did lose, but now you get suspicions because the Republicans are dismissing the claims of foul play rather than investigating them.

4/ So, you begin asking question on social media.

But your posts get marked as “disputed”.

5/ At the beginning, you didn’t care too much about the result of the elections. But now, you see the fairness of the democratic process at stake.

How can you know that elections are fair, if claims of wrongdoing are dismissed?

You get angry.

‘The perfect target’: Russia cultivated Trump as asset for 40 years.

This really doesn’t surprise anyone, right? It shouldn’t — most of us have been talking about it on Twitter for at least four years.

“Then, in 1987, Trump visited Moscow and St Petersburg for the first time. Shvets said he was fed KGB talking points and flattered by KGB operatives who floated the idea that he should go into politics.” 2/X

Shortly after, Trump began considering running for POTUS one day.

“For the KGB, it was a charm offensive. They had collected a lot of information on his personality so they knew who he was personally. The feeling was that he was extremely vulnerable intellectually, and psychologically, and he was prone to flattery.” 3/X

I’ve often discussed how Trump was vulnerable to world leaders and intelligence agencies due to the fact that it’s so easy to get inside his bubble — you just have to satiate his ego and his personal sense of grandiosity.

Say nice things and spend money at his properties. 4/X

“This is what they exploited. They played the game as if they were immensely impressed by his personality and believed this is the guy who should be the president of the United States one day”

Putin is a master at this. 5/X

Trump was the catalyst.

He represented to many people a key figure in an historic narrative and that created a massive divide with passions running high.

He exaggerated this due to his nature.
We can't escape that.

But without him, the hysteria will continue.

Its not Trump.

Third Thread: The Conspiracy Theory Voters

Aka let's try to do SPD again, Sarah Palin's Disease. Sorry, my 2nd Thread was longer than I expected with Newt.

So now let's do Sarah Palin properly, in her own thread.

While George Wallace is the grandfather to Trump's run in 2016 (starting in 2015), there are not enough racist voters to win the election. Not even enough racists to win the NOMINATION of the GOP.

Trump needed to expand his support in 2015 & 2016. He needed INSANE voters.

The real prototype candidate to Donald Trump is Sarah Palin - a candidate so bad, she COST John McCain millions of votes in 2008 against Obama. Yes, exit polls are clear, for every 2 votes Sarah brought in to McCain she brought 3 votes to Obama. Net cost to McCain several MILLION

Sarah Palin was the Fake News candidate, who bravely battled reality and 'Lame Stream Media' for the past 12 years since her loss in 2008. She had a lunatic base of voters who believe in the conspiracy theories she spews. As Sarah Palin wasn't running, those voter went to Trump

We need to discuss the Tea Party. Back in the 2008 cycle, the progressives had a spontaneous movement in the economic criss to 'Occupy Wall Street'.

VERY EARLY in that movement, a 'sister' movement started as the Tea Party, against big government

Night Shift Thu. Dec. 3, 2020
The only way is the military.
Biggest drop on Pol.
BIBLICAL.
@realDonaldTrump
@SidneyPowell1
@LLinWood
@GenFlynn
#WeAreTheNewsNow
#DigitalSoldiers
#TheKrakenHasBeenRelease
#KrakenOnSteroids
#PanicInDC
#Trump
#MAGA

1)Our 17 friend LOVES to have multiple meanings to just about everything so I thought I would cover one of those things in this thread. Today's cover is....

WATCH THE WATER.

Before President Trump took office China/DS was pressuring NK to use its newly acquired (from U1 Obama

With just over 3000 minutes left for Trump, the White House staff is doing a great job at denying us images of their "walk of shame" out.

I got you though. For your carnal pleasure, a collection of other photos of them leaving.

Mnuchin. Ross. Pompeo. Perdue.

Weird luggage dude. Bye.

Ivanka's PR luggage vs her real luggage. Bye.

Bye Kayleigh.

Let me be honest
Everything may seem calm, but you need to know exactly what we have ahead of us.

There seem to be two paths ahead, and choosing each one raises huge issues that are just as important in nature.
Read more ..

@realDonaldTrump @LLinWood @SidneyPowell1 @Raiklin

1/10
Three days ago, we saw the putrid runoff of what’s been stoked, distilled & fomented by Trump since the beginning of his term. The riot in service of an attempted coup wasn’t spontaneous. It was planned & encouraged by the President of the United States of America. #velshi

2/10
The halls of our Capitol have only twice seen such insurrection - the last being August 24, 1814 when the British invaded Washington DC, set fire to the White House and breached the U.S. Capitol building before setting it ablaze. #velshi

3/10
The U.S. Senate was unable to meet in the historic Old Senate Chamber for nearly 5 years after that. On Wednesday, Senators returned after just five hours. But what a chaotic five hours it was. #velshi

4/10
Members of Congress were in the building because federal law dictates that the sealed certificates of each state's Electoral votes - which were cast on 12/14 - be transported to the Congressional chamber to be counted. There they were stored in the three wooden boxes.#velshi

5/10
Staffers took those boxes with them as they were ushered out of the House chamber. There are duplicates and, had the rioters taken the boxes and burned them, we’d still be able to account for all of the votes and get this done. #velshi

JUST POSTED: The Trump administration is rushing to approve a final wave of large-scale mining and energy projects on federal lands, encouraged by investors who want to try to ensure the projects move ahead even after President-elect Biden takes office

Let's take a look at some of these projects awaiting actions in the remaining weeks of Trump's tenure. MASSIVE mining projects on federal lands. First stop, ARIZONA. Sacred Native American lands now in a national forest are targeted for destruction to make way for a copper mine

Next stop SOUTH DAKOTA. Area near Black Hills planned for massive new uranium mine, on land also historically held by Native American tribe. Groundwater would be contaminated to extract the radioactive uranium.

Next stop, NEVADA, were one of world's largest lithium mines slated to be built starting soon on federal land. Final "Record of Decision" on project by Interior Department expected in EARLY January.

Next stop, UTAH, where Interior as soon as NEXT week, slated to give approval to what could soon be one of the large helium drilling operations in the United States on land in and around an iconic federal WILDERNESSS area.

I don't really want to boost Cohen, but I also don't want to rip it off, so here it is, but I'll tell you what he said @emilyjanefox is the interviewer here.

Starts at noting that Cohen said at the beginning that Trump wouldn't transition peacefully ... and granted that's true. Cohen on Trump - "pure narcissism."

Cohen says - and I agree with him - that Trump could have easily won the 2020 election if he had committed to doing things like an infrastructure bill. If Trump had done a reasonable job with COVID, he would have won as well.

This interviewer Emily Jane Fox says she is a long time friend of Cohen - which is a bit of a pause. Cohen is a bit inconsistent as to whether Trump knows he lost - seems to be on the bottom line that Trump is working on his next steps - to rip off Fox News and do a TV network

Trump TV, per Cohen, will be "one fucking infomercial after another and there are 20 Million stupid people out there ... that are willing to part with their money.... Educated people, too."

From REX:

1. As the tables turn against the Dems, it's all becoming clear.

Trump knew what the Democratic Crime Group was up to well before the election.

In hindsight, it all makes sense.

That's why Trump didn't declass. Because it didn't matter. It wouldn't have made...

@Fiorella_im @Oinklet2 @LincolnS1866 @Ihavenousefora1 @ChaseLa74813330 @ComandanteMDT @WSWS_Updates @Genevievewsws @jkishore Response to this thread:

Petty-bourgeois radicals like @Fiorella_im, @Ihavenousefora1 are awed by Trump. They think this fascist representative of finance capital is an "oppositional" figure, they transform the mob wearing "camp auschwitz" shirts into oppressed victims.

1/

@Oinklet2 @LincolnS1866 @Ihavenousefora1 @ChaseLa74813330 @ComandanteMDT @WSWS_Updates @Genevievewsws @jkishore .@Fiorella_im was awed by Bernie Sanders, campaigned for him, now is mightily impressed by the petty-bourgeois rabble in the Capitol. On behalf of which class did this fascist mob mobilize? Anti-socialist, anti-Lockdown, anti-any measure to protect workers from #covid.

2/

@Oinklet2 @LincolnS1866 @Ihavenousefora1 @ChaseLa74813330 @ComandanteMDT @WSWS_Updates @Genevievewsws @jkishore In this discussion, the anti-WSWS ppl have explicitly called for orienting to the fascists. @Ihavenousefora1 and @LincolnS1866 have both said socialists must win over the fascists in the mob in Washington. Betrays hostility to mobilizing working class as ind'y social force.

3/

@Oinklet2 @LincolnS1866 @Ihavenousefora1 @ChaseLa74813330 @ComandanteMDT @WSWS_Updates @Genevievewsws @jkishore They argue Trump is to be defended, that he has "free speech" right to launch a coup. It is the equivalent of saying "Hands off Hitler." And they claim to be offended when told they are aiding Trump.

As always, there's never any historic content...

4/

@Oinklet2 @LincolnS1866 @Ihavenousefora1 @ChaseLa74813330 @ComandanteMDT @WSWS_Updates @Genevievewsws @jkishore They should study history. Are they aware of the experience of the Red Referendum of 1931?

This defense of Trump is like the upside down world.

Good lawyers refrain from absurd statements, understanding this undermines one’s credibility. This person is refraining from any non-absurd statements.

Phew. I was worried we’d go 10 minutes before hearing #BothSides.

How this guy thinks the protestors last summer are anything like the President of the US inciting an insurrection against a coordinate branch of govt on a sacred day of their performing their most impt duties is beyond me.

This guy says "you can't incite what was already going to happen." What kind of defense is that? For 1 thing, House saying Trump gave instructions to make it happen. For another,if Trump thought it was inevitable, why didn’t he have Natl Guard in advance ready to stop it on 1/6?

Per Playbook:
Backstory on Raffensperger recording Trump's call:
After Graham's attempt in Nov to get him to throw it, Brad felt threatened, so he recorded Saturday's call
After Trump tweet attacked him yesterday, BR released it to WaPo & AJC
Here:

2-"It started on Saturday when Trump and his team reached out to talk to Raffensperger, who, according to an adviser, felt he would be unethically pressured by the president. Raffensperger had been here before:

3-"In November he accused Trump ally and South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham of improperly exhorting him to meddle in the election to help Trump win Georgia. Graham later denied it.

4-"So why not record the call with the president, Raffensperger’s advisers thought, if nothing else for fact-checking purposes. “This is a man who has a history of reinventing history as it occurs,” one of them told Playbook.

5-"“So if he’s going to try to dispute anything on the call, it’s nice to have something like this, hard evidence, to dispute whatever he’s claiming about the secretary. Lindsey Graham asked us to throw out legally cast ballots.

Tuesday 1/19/21 check-in on Pro-Trump social media: tl;dr -still no plans for big organized violence leading up to Inauguration
-Today is National Popcorn Day which is the day QAnon supporters think The Storm (massive arrests) will happen
-I'm worried about what comes next
1/

Ok so the good news is that the paranoia continues to strengthen and there seems to be no plan for any organized action, protests, riots, demonstrations, or anything today or tomorrow. The consensus is to stay home. Horay good news! 2/

Some people are getting antsy, but almost all realized there are huge risks and no benefit. They thought they could force Congress to keep Trump in office on 1/6. They know they can't force anyone to appoint Trump tomorrow. 3/

Can’t take credit for this, but great poem! 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

Twas the weekend before covfefe, and all thru the land,
The lefties were trembling at the cards in Trump's hand.
The patriots were nestled, all snug in their beds,
While visions of perp walks danced in their heads.