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"In comparison, Trump’s four years in office look like a model of democratic dysfunction, not dictatorship. During his first term, Americans were free to protest, criticize him openly, and vote him out of office. The 2020 election happened as scheduled, and despite the noise about election challenges, Trump left the White House on January 20, 2021. No coup, no military takeover, no indefinite suspension of power—just Trump boarding Marine One and Biden taking the oath of office. The peaceful transition may not have been pretty, but it happened."

Wow. That reference to the "peaceful transition of power" not being "pretty" sure does a lot of work.

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That bit of sophistry aside, surely you'll at least concede that what he is promising is fascism, right? You're just hoping he doesn't mean it.

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Let me put some meat on that bone.

"Former President Donald J. Trump over the weekend escalated his vows to prosecute his political opponents, circulating posts on his social media website invoking “televised military tribunals” and calling for the jailing of President Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, Senators Mitch McConnell and Chuck Schumer and former Vice President Mike Pence, among other high-profile politicians.

"Mr. Trump, using his account on Truth Social on Sunday, promoted two posts from other users of the site that called for the jailing of his perceived political enemies.

"One post that he circulated on Sunday singled out Liz Cheney, the former Wyoming congresswoman who is a Republican critic of Mr. Trump’s, and called for her to be prosecuted by a type of military court reserved for enemy combatants and war criminals.

“'Elizabeth Lynne Cheney is guilty of treason,' the post said. 'Retruth if you want televised military tribunals.'"

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/01/us/politics/trump-liz-cheney-treason-jail.html

Please, I'm begging you, spare me the kneejerk BuT bIdEn iS tHe OnE pRoSeCuTiNg hiS eNeMiEs and consider his rhetoric in a dispassionate light.

But a guy who tried to steal an election, and incited a mob to invade our Capitol, causing millions of dollars of damage and injuring dozens of cops, is no danger, right? We have your personal assurance on that. (Turns around, Colombo-like) Just one more thing.

Did you predict January 6?

Have you gone back to look how you reacted to that day, so lightly alluded to in this post?

https://x.com/JoePCunningham/status/1346911986580221953

https://x.com/JoePCunningham/status/1346916997611843589

https://x.com/JoePCunningham/status/1346826035443195904

It's not a gotcha. It's a sincere plea, as I have always considered you a reasonable guy, to put aside the partisan pooh-poohing of the danger Trump actually does pose, and remind yourself how you felt that day. Click those links. For real. Did you think Trump capable of what he wrought that day? No?

But he was.

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