Trump is yesterday's man: "Spiked" nails the issues

[Belle]

A clear-eyed appraisal of the Trump phenomenon. If only the Left would acknowledge their role in the creation of their Frankenstein monster - they'd be guaranteed of not getting another one!!

https://www.spiked-online.com/2021/12/0 ... rdays-man/

[diegobueno]

People on "the left" are the only ones who bother to own up to their errors. The right just doubles down on their foolishness, making things doubly worse. If they'd had any sense of responsibility, they would have disavowed Trump, had him impeached and removed from office. They would have also removed his remaining acolytes, and worked with Congressional investigators to bring to light his crimes, and with the Justice Department to prosecute the band of criminals doing Trump's dirty work. But no, the "party of personal responsibility" is incapable of taking any responsibility, personal or corporate. They have doubled down in support of the orange menace, they blocked the impeachments, they've resisted the investigations, they've even resisted the sensible measures the current administration has put in place to contain the spread of the worst pandemic in a century, all for the purpose of making the Democrats look bad. They've rigged the state election laws so that Republicans in the legislature can override the election results in counties that vote for Democrats. This is all so they can reinstall King Donald I to his gold-plated throne, to rule without opposition.

Sorry Belle, this is all on the evil, criminal, slimy, disgusting creatures you, for some reason, identify with and continue to speak for.

[Rach3]

AxiosAM today:

Former President Trump and his associates are systematically reshaping the Republican Party:

They're installing hand-picked loyalists across federal and state governments, and trying to destroy those considered disloyal, sources close to Trump tell Axios' Jonathan Swan and Andrew Solender.

Why it matters: If many of Trump’s candidates win, he'll go into the 2024 election cycle with far more people willing to do his bidding who run the elections in key states.

Trump has made dozens of endorsements since last year's election, with many more expected ahead of crucial primaries next year.

How it works: Trump is tapping his national network of allies to identify Republicans who were "weak" in 2020 because they refused to go along with his efforts to overturn the election. No office has proven too small.

His apparatus touches everything from unseating governors, members of Congress, state legislators and secretaries of state, to formulating policy and influencing local school boards.
Behind the scenes: Sources who have spent time with Trump at Mar-a-Lago say it's impossible to carry out an extended conversation with him that isn't interrupted by his fixations on the 2020 election.

He's intensely focused on demands that Republicans "get smart" and pursue efforts to "audit" and overturn that result.

"We try to get him onto other topics, but you always get dragged back," a Trump adviser said.

Trump is trying to purge critics throughout the GOP, and replace them with loyalists who could object to certification of future elections.

Republicans in state legislatures enacted dozens of voting laws this year — many in direct response to Trump's pressure.

Trump is also going after the few congressional Republicans who have defied him. He endorsed primary challengers to Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Reps. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), Fred Upton (R-Mich.), Peter Meijer (R-Mich.) and Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-Wash.).All voted for his impeachment.

Trump's response: "To the dismay of Democrats and Republican-sellouts, President Donald J. Trump continues to be the most dominant voice in American politics," Trump spokesperson Taylor Budowich told Axios in a statement.