r/politics • u/Quirkie The Netherlands • 1d ago

Soft Paywall Obama Breaks Silence on Trump’s ‘Unimaginable’ Presidency - “Imagine if I had done any of this,” the former two-term president said.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/obama-breaks-silence-on-trumps-unimaginable-presidency/
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u/innosins Kentucky 1d ago

He's fucking right. They'd be blowing the damn roof off the place if anyone else was pulling this bullshit.

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u/dIO__OIb 1d ago edited 18h ago

where is the republican congress? they need to be held accountable. this is not just trump, the GOP handed over their power and are silent. The republican party just passed the biggest tax increase in decades and tanked our 401ks. they need to go down. //edit: me bad mobile type

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u/AlphaGoldblum 1d ago

The old Republican guard is dead and gone. Now it's either full loyalty to MAGA or leaving the party altogether.

Some Republicans are grumbling about tariffs, but they know actually doing anything about it will cause the party and Trump to turn on them like sharks smelling blood in the water.

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u/GoodIdea321 America 1d ago

Sounds like it's a good time for them to switch parties, and switch how they vote.

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u/blorbschploble 1d ago

I too believe in fairy tales. I am not making fun of you. I just don't think these fools have spines or principles, or even a decent sense of self preservation (in terms of money and power)

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u/GoodIdea321 America 1d ago

If you were making fun of me, that's fine. I prefer to look at the opportunity they absolutely have, rather than what they'll do with it.

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u/blorbschploble 2h ago

No disagreement.

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u/GroundbreakingRun186 1d ago

Maybe I’m optimistic. But I would think for someone who is fiscally conservative and socially closer to libertarian than maga, self preservation would be flipping to become a moderate democrat.

I feel like the dems are inching to the left and the right is sprinting to the right. Lots of people on the right (especially in red states) could probably go for a DINO (dem in name only) that is actually fiscally conservative and has a live and let live social policy philosophy.

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u/robertscoff 23h ago

It’s more basic than that. For these people, policies don’t matter, it’s just tribal. I have family in the US, and for them it’s “my party right or wrong”- instead of having a favourite football team, they have a favourite political team ;(

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u/JohnStamosAsABear 1d ago

Unfortunately that requires a spine and morals other than clinging to power. 

This is fascism at work. They’re afraid of being stuck in the out-group.

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u/GoodIdea321 America 1d ago

If they had more foresight, they would know they will become part of the out-group eventually. Just look at the end of Nazi Germany.

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u/livsjollyranchers 1d ago

No need to look at the end. Look at the very beginning.

Hitler and the Nationalists (the "old-school" conservatives of their day) formed a coalition government in the early 30s. Before long, Hitler seized full power and the Nationalists were scrambling for their life.

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u/GoodIdea321 America 1d ago

And the Reichstag fire after the politicians voted to give up their power.

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u/No_Fail_1325 20h ago

Kristallnacht

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u/DiscotopiaACNH 1d ago

The Nazi's defeat was not inevitable. It took countless lives and global cooperation to get rid of Hitler. There is zero guarantee that this maniac and his goons will ever be defeated before they destroy the planet.

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u/GoodIdea321 America 1d ago

Their defeat was because of their own policies and actions which weren't rational to win the war. Obviously the world took them down as well. They could have surrendered at some point too, but Hitler wouldn't consider it.

Fascism isn't a particularly stable government type historically. Franco's Spain lasted what, 40 years? And the more infamous Nazi Germany and Mussolini's Italy combined didn't last 40 years.

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u/MageBayaz 3h ago

It's true that fascist governments can easily collapse once the leader dies.

That said, all of these countries are much smaller and in a much less geographically advantageous position than the US.

Democracies ultimately won because the US happened to be a democracy.

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u/GoodIdea321 America 3h ago

Some of that advantage disappears if Canada and Mexico aren't allies. And overall, it seems frequently true that Fascist governments don't understand or use their advantages well. If you look at the map of Europe in 1941, Germany seems extremely strong, but 3 years later, they're retreating everywhere.

Our geographic advantage could easily turn into a disadvantage depending on how things play out.

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u/FalstaffsGhost 1d ago

Yup. And they are afraid we’d treat them the way they treat us.

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u/PerformanceCandid499 1d ago

Hey, the rural folk have been voting republican for generations. It's their "team" no matter how poorly they do. That's not going to change anytime soon. they'd still vote republican if the Republicans said they were going to throw them all in jail. They are not capable of critical thinking.

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u/zordonbyrd 1d ago

I live in a rural republican stronghold and I can confirm 100% they cannot critically think

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u/GoodIdea321 America 1d ago

Everyone is capable of critical thinking, it can be taught. Rural voters could change, the people who lived through the Great Depression and FDR voted for the Democratic party for decades. Not all of them of course, but millions.

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u/PerformanceCandid499 22h ago

True, its just so discouraging to watch. It feels like it's getting worse.

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u/GoodIdea321 America 22h ago

It's darkest before the dawn.

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u/owala_owl11 Florida 20h ago

I DONT UNDERSTAND! The republicans aren’t putting any money in their pockets. They’re raising their taxes and causing inflation with their little tariffs. But then the entire reason America was against Biden was because of how he handled the economy. Like how do republicans just NOT see this! Like if they’re gonna vote for the guy they should be honest. They’re not voting for him bc he’s a good businessman, or bc he’s saving their money and the economy, OR BECAUSE HES CHRISTIAN. Bc idc what anyone says, God did not call that man to be the president with all his spiteful and erratic energy. They simply voted for him because they like him and they don’t want to see a woman much less a minority in power that cares about the middle class.

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u/PerformanceCandid499 7h ago

It is becoming apparent that the Republicans voters will vote for someone that will cut off their nose as long as the party will attack DEI, abortion rights and treat minorities like crap. They don't care as long as they feel like they are stepping on someone.

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u/aequitasXI Massachusetts 22h ago

Username checks out

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u/GoodIdea321 America 22h ago

I don't know if anyone has said that to me before, thanks.

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u/HostFew3544 1d ago

No, that would mean I was wrong.

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u/Phrainkee 1d ago

You say that to them and they'll just say you're trying to steal votes from the Rs and swing the vote towards the Ds. I don't know how any of this gets fixed but Orange Palatine exploited the system's loopholes and is running as fast as he can with it...

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u/GoodIdea321 America 1d ago

If I was talking to them I would say, yeah, the D's are better at governing. The louder the disapproval from people, the more likely things have to change.

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u/jaytix1 23h ago

Lol good one.

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u/LordBaileyGC 1d ago

No one is switching parties. Democrats are at an all time disapproval rating while Republicans are WAY up. Trump won by a landslide..

How did you like them gas prices under the failure Biden was? How about them food cost…

Give me a break.

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u/GoodIdea321 America 1d ago

We can discuss after you personally ask every eligible voter in America if they are switching parties.

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u/LordBaileyGC 1d ago

Orange man bad.. even though he won by a landslide and have massive approval ratings.

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u/GoodIdea321 America 1d ago

You should go to college to learn how to do propaganda better.

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u/LordBaileyGC 1d ago

Yeah that’s because college is where they teach it amongst other stupid political beliefs like communism.

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u/sonfoa 1d ago

You do realize Trump's economic policy has more in common with the Soviet Union than any president in the past fifty years?

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u/blowback 1d ago

At this point I believe the cult of MAGA has convinced itself that being like Russia is a good thing.

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u/GoodIdea321 America 1d ago

Let me know how you do in Communism 101.

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u/yhwhx 1d ago

Here in reality:

Trump only got 49.8% of the popular vote. Less than 50% is in no way a "landslide".

Trump stands at 42% approval and 56% disapproval which is not "massive approval ratings".

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u/68024 Colorado 1d ago

So is this "winning by a landslide" all that matters to you? Are sound economic policies not important? I've asked this before of Trump voters, is there ANYTHING you don't like about him? Because if there isn't, I think you should take a long hard look in the mirror.

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u/VanbyRiveronbucket 1d ago

Hey LORDBAILEYGC…. it wasn’t a landslide,… or are you gonna double down that it was, cause I would love to hear it.

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u/blowback 1d ago

Trump didn't win by a landslide, that is just propaganda for idiots. Gas prices under Biden weren't Biden's fault, but once again, idiots believe the propaganda. And food prices because of current Trump policies are going through the roof.

As a conservative I believed that strong measures are needed to bring down the deficit and trim government, but that is the only commonality I feel with MAGA. Trump wields a sledge hammer when a scalpel is needed, his appointments based on boot licking instead of skill and competence present dangers for our republic, his attacking of our allies is reprehensible and likely catastrophic in the short and long term, his ham-fisted solutions are harming this country, and his attacks on judges, lawyers, and firms simply for revenge and his self-serving tendencies often reek of corruption. There is nothing conservative about MAGA and MAGA and Trump are clearly harming America.

Hope you can break out of the cult one day, sincerely.