Over the weekend, 17,000 people canceled their #WorldCup tickets

[hugoestr@functional.cafe]

@benroyce Immigration enforcement is shooting US citizens in the face. Why risk that as a foreigner taking a vacation?

[lynfox@aus.social]

@benroyce

Are you just trying to be optimistic or do truly believe he will let you have elections again?
He said there would be no voting after the last one, and he's trying to start world war 3 so he can cancel them.
If that doesn't work he'll just destroy the opposition votes.
The only option he's leaving you mass uprising and probably civil war.

[thierry_van_kerm@mastodon.social]

@benroyce I wish there were hundreds of thousands more...

[benroyce@mastodon.social]

@lynfox

you don't understand how voting works in the USA

it is controlled by the states

red states might do something corrupt, but they are already red states. blue states won't

also, you have to understand that this sentiment of yours is known as premature capitulation. fascists merely state a goal, and you act like it is reality already. why? it's weak

cynicism is nothing but acceptance. please do not articulate this sentiment anymore, you only help fascism when you do

we need to #vote

[ikuturso@mastodon.social]

@lynfox Authoritarians don't typically just get everything they want instantly after grabbing power when there is an established democracy they take control of. Even in Orban's Hungary and Erdogan's Turkey it is still possible for the opposition to win elections and in Poland it did.

I'm sure Trump will try something and he may be able to influence it to some extent but I would bet he won't make voting in the midterms meaningless. He'll try to gradually corrupt them if not stopped.

@benroyce

[lynfox@aus.social]

@benroyce

I hope you're right but I'm not saying capitulate I'm saying fight back don't just sit around waiting for him to start obeying laws which he clearly holds in contempt.
I agree that US citizens need to do something. I just disagree on what that something needs to be.
Surely when people are being shot in the face by a Gestapo-like internal terrorist organisation don't you think it's too late to rely on rule of law.

[paneerakbari@mas.to]

@lynfox @benroyce Suspension of the vote is a line that has to be crossed first and, well, good luck
They can take my ballot from my cold, dead hands

[jgg@qoto.org]

@benroyce @lynfox

The main asset of fascism is non-fascist defeatism.

Don't ever concede a victory to them without first fighting it.

It is the way Trump wins his battles: making people feel fear and desperation.

For as long there are urns, they must be used.

For as long there are streets, they must be used.

Otherwise, democracy dies.

[benroyce@mastodon.social]

@lynfox

americans are entitled and indolent

so they don't vote, they can't be bothered. they invent bullshit "high minded" rationalizations for their complacency

given that a general strike is even more unlikely

revolution happens when people are hungry. there is hunger in the usa, but enough have access to enough food it makes uprising unlikely. if the economy tanks, you may see it

so the easiest thing, of the difficult things, for lazy americans, is to get off their fucking asses and vote

[naturemc@mastodon.online]

@benroyce As I get it here in France and in our neighbourhood in Germany, even tourists are warned that they could get detained at the entry to the USA (it happened already too often). Tourist numbers to the USA already fell quite low - the only people doing the flight are the ones with family in the USA or working or not afraid of dangers ... and the ones who would pay for sport tickets in every dictatorship of the world.

[skedarwarrior@techhub.social]

@benroyce I don't blame anyone from wanting Americans to stay away from their country, except maybe progressives, aka anti-fascists/anti-nazis and similar.

I understand what a laughing stock my country is and we honestly deserve it for allowing him to have a 2nd term as president. Both the uncommitted voters and trump voters.

The uncommitted voters were protesting the genocide biden was helping with, well now its going to be even worse with trump in power.

Talk about fail...

Both of those groups are idiots.

One at least has a heart though albeit misguided

[martintheg@aus.social]

@benroyce @lynfox But the hungry are being shot in the face?

[martintheg@aus.social]

@ikuturso @lynfox @benroyce NO, no he won't.

He has not been prevented so far.

He believes he is a god.

He rules as such.

Remember,

[flowermob@mastodon.social]

@benroyce #BoycottFIFA

[bazcook@mas.to]

@benroyce - the same needs to happen in advance of the Olympics.
Agent Orange making the US unwelcoming for foreigners and locals alike. At least foreigners can choose not to support the country.

[bazcook@mas.to]

@ikuturso @lynfox @benroyce - Trump will find a way to de-legitimize the results of the mid-terms if Repugnicants lose seats, or preemptively cancel the vote entirely under the guise of a national emergency or declaring war on a country.

He’s already shown he’s not afraid of using his faux-military DHS / ICE / National Guard to quell internal dissent, even with deadly force. And the thugs in those agencies happy to play along.

[mrtulip@hachyderm.io]

@benroyce Voting will only help us if the opposition can win by a big enough margin that they can't contest it. It needs to be an absolute landslide. Unfortunately, Dems have a habit of shooting themselves in the foot any time they have the advantage. They've been running the same strategy (appeal to moderate Republicans, at the cost of alienating progressives) for 10 years, and lost to Trump twice.

I knew we were fucked when Biden barely won in 2020, and way too many liberals took a victory lap and went back to ignoring the conditions that gave us Trump in the first place.

You can't vote fascism away.

[lynfox@aus.social]

@bazcook

Yes this my worry too and even worse I think it may be left to what remains of the 'old empire' Australia, New Zealand, Canada, to clean up the mess. Not sure we can even rely on the UK (they have their own problems). But unlike last 2 times when the US was just late to the party, this time they will be the actual enemy.
I hate the whole idea but we can't ignore the possibility we may have to choose a position. We can't afford to retreat into a delusional bubble like the US seems to be doing. Pretending it's still a democratic country.

@ikuturso @benroyce

[benroyce@mastodon.social]

@martintheg @lynfox I don't follow

[benroyce@mastodon.social]

@martintheg @ikuturso @lynfox

I don't understand your comment

Because an asshole has a God complex... we should therefore obey and submit and act like they are a God?