The (Current year) General Political/Salma Hayek discussion Thread Part V

[DoggyDaddy]

So on the heels of the INGO discussion of the Bolsheviks, the October Revolution, and thoughts of Lenin, I got an email from Donald Trump just now.

The subject line included "Something must be done."

Eerily reminiscent of this:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/What_Is_to_Be_Done?

The title is where the similarity ends.

 

[T.Lex]

The title is where the similarity ends.

I am not yet convinced.

 

[DoggyDaddy]

I am not yet convinced.

Yeah, because Trump is such a big ol' commie.

 

[foszoe]

Yeah, because Trump is such a big ol' commie.

You got Trumps email too?

 

[DoggyDaddy]

You got Trumps email too?

I get emails from The Whitehouse. Apparently I'm not on the same list as T.Lex since I didn't get the one in question.

 

[T.Lex]

I supported a primary opponent of his in the 2016 cycle, who apparently sold my contact information to Trump's campaign. I am very unlikely to support that candidate again, for anything.

But, it means I get 2 or 3 times a day messages either asking me for money or inviting me spend money on Trump swag. That's how I got the most recent one.

I don't know if Trump is a communist. I believe he shares more qualities with Stalin than Lenin, as an authoritarian. Lenin was very cerebral. Stalin, not so much.

 

[nonobaddog]

I don't know if Trump is a communist. I believe he shares more qualities with Stalin than Lenin, as an authoritarian. Lenin was very cerebral. Stalin, not so much.

Wow... just wow.

 

[T.Lex]

Wow... just wow.

Oh c'mon, that's not even the most controversial thing on INGO this morning!

 

[Ingomike]

I supported a primary opponent of his in the 2016 cycle, who apparently sold my contact information to Trump's campaign. I am very unlikely to support that candidate again, for anything.

But, it means I get 2 or 3 times a day messages either asking me for money or inviting me spend money on Trump swag. That's how I got the most recent one.

I don't know if Trump is a communist. I believe he shares more qualities with Stalin than Lenin, as an authoritarian. Lenin was very cerebral. Stalin, not so much.

Help me understand just how Trump is so authoritarian?

 

[T.Lex]

Help me understand just how Trump is so authoritarian?

Have you read none of my posts since 2016?

 

[Ingomike]

Have you read none of my posts since 2016?

I often see that accusation against Trump and I really do not get it. Maybe because my ox has not been gored. I really get puzzled when the authoritarian word is thrown out?

 

[jamil]

I supported a primary opponent of his in the 2016 cycle, who apparently sold my contact information to Trump's campaign. I am very unlikely to support that candidate again, for anything.

But, it means I get 2 or 3 times a day messages either asking me for money or inviting me spend money on Trump swag. That's how I got the most recent one.

I don't know if Trump is a communist. I believe he shares more qualities with Stalin than Lenin, as an authoritarian. Lenin was very cerebral. Stalin, not so much.

T.Lex. First there's the incoherent "systemic racism" stuff, and now the biggest question in your mind about Trump is whether he's more like Stalin or Lenin? Should I worry?

That aside, I've often wondered what candidates do with their mailing lists. I try not to land on their mailing lists. I don't tend to donate money to political candidates. I've ended up on some mailing lists where I suspect it may have been the NRA or some other group I might have supported. But anyway, I kinda thought campaigns just give their mailing lists to their party. But it does seem reasonable to suspect that campaigns may just treat email lists like any other asset and liquidate them after the campaign is over.

 

[jamil]

Have you read none of my posts since 2016?

Not to mention Trump's convention speech was probably one of the most authoritarian acceptance speeches I've heard. That said, Trump, with a few exceptions, has not been nearly as authoritarian in practice as his speech would have suggested. There are just a few actions that have really set me off, and none of which are anywhere in the order of magnitude that any Democrat has supported. I'd rather not have a president that goes around congress. If we want to protect our veto, we have to respect theirs.

 

[T.Lex]

T.Lex. First there's the incoherent "systemic racism" stuff, and now the biggest question in your mind about Trump is whether he's more like Stalin or Lenin? Should I worry?

hahaha

No. Unless you want to.

To me, this was looking at Trump through the prism of Russia and the figures of revolutionary Russia. Interesting intellectual exercise. I mean, Trump is clearly more of a capitalist, but he does share some traits with the personalities of that time.

It could've been worse. I could've compared him to Beria. (Although Trump hasn't done anything close to what Beria was responsible for - and probably can't get there.)

 

[nonobaddog]

That is one serious case of TDS going on there.

 

[T.Lex]

That is one serious case of TDS going on there.

Where?

 

[KLB]

hahaha

No. Unless you want to.

To me, this was looking at Trump through the prism of Russia and the figures of revolutionary Russia. Interesting intellectual exercise. I mean, Trump is clearly more of a capitalist, but he does share some traits with the personalities of that time.

It could've been worse. I could've compared him to Beria. (Although Trump hasn't done anything close to what Beria was responsible for - and probably can't get there.)

Interesting indeed. What would Trump do if he had absolute power like Stalin? I could see him imprisoning people that upset him. Not sure about killing 10s of millions of people though.

 

[Tombs]

hahaha

No. Unless you want to.

To me, this was looking at Trump through the prism of Russia and the figures of revolutionary Russia. Interesting intellectual exercise. I mean, Trump is clearly more of a capitalist, but he does share some traits with the personalities of that time.

It could've been worse. I could've compared him to Beria. (Although Trump hasn't done anything close to what Beria was responsible for - and probably can't get there.)

You're getting way off base.
To draw any stalin comparisons requires killing cabinet members.

 

[printcraft]

Where?

 

[T.Lex]

Interesting indeed. What would Trump do if he had absolute power like Stalin? I could see him imprisoning people that upset him. Not sure about killing 10s of millions of people though.

Yeah, probably not, since those would be fewer people to buy his stuff. Unless there was some commercial or electoral benefit to killing them.

Obviously, I'm not saying Trump is literally (or figuratively) Stalin. But, of the personalities involved in the October Revolution (in November), I think that's the closest analog. In the clickbaity "Which Friends Character Are You?" type quiz kinda way.

One of the issues leading up to that Revolution was the role of the media. It might be interesting to go back and look at that. IIRC, Lenin spilled alot of ink discussing the role, and necessity, of a state newspaper to deliver the party's communications directly to the people. The modern era has made that direct conduit a reality, and I think Trump would be very tempted to limit the ability of MSM to interfere with his direct communications.