We live in a new age of authoritarianism. Russian sycophants have cleared the way for Putin to remain in power for at least 16 more years.
This from CNN:
Vladimir Putin’s path to an extended presidency is almost clear after lawmakers voted to change term limit rules in the Russian constitution. Under current Russian law, Putin would have to step down as president in 2024, but the proposed amendment would either scrap term limits altogether or just allow Putin to run again, extending his time in office all the way to 2036. Why? The legislator who put forth the measure said Putin’s continued rule would be a stabilizing factor in the country and alleviate people’s fears over Russia’s political future. Putin, of course, approves of the proposed changes. The amendments still face two more rounds of approval today in parliament.
Remember that Trump declared a national emergency because of the spread of COVID-19.
Scary thought: will he use this national emergency to postpone the 2020 elections? Who would stop him?
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Don the Con has a problem.
Currently, he is protected by the DOJ’s Office of Legal Council ruling on Presidential immunity from prosecution. But when he loses the election, he will immediately be subject to prosecution for hundreds of crimes–tax evasion, diversion of charitable funds for personal use, violation of the emoluments clause, treason, money laundering, rape, violation of civil rights, and much, much more.
So, doubtless this is much on what little mind he has.
LikeLike
Glad you posted this, Diane.
This is NOT good and I expected as much.
I also have to REPEAT: Trump is THE NATIONAL Security THREAT.
LikeLike
This from the Boston Globe this morning–but if a relative of mine acted like this, we’d all find a way to put him in a “home:”
“MIXED MESSAGE Trump now claims he always knew the coronavirus would be a pandemic
“For weeks, President Trump has minimized the coronavirus, mocked concern about it, and treated the risk from it cavalierly. On Tuesday he took to the White House podium and made a remarkable assertion: He knew it was a pandemic all along. . . . ”
Also, Trump standing by the speaker at the podium a few minutes ago on CNN–reminded me of that old video of Mussolini “mugging” on his balcony. I think I am going to throw up. CBK
LikeLike
A very scary thought and one that could provoke riots and demonstrations. Oh wait, maybe not, with the corona virus, who would want to be in a large crowd of people. Not to mention that the authorities and the police would probably outlaw such demonstrations or marches. We should be making preparations and work arounds for such a possibility. Having voting by mail (computer?) or extend the voting over a period of a week or longer so that people could go to the polls on an alphabetical basis or by age cohort? No one in DC is talking about the possibility of postponing the elections in November.
Side note: boo hoo, looks like Bernie’s run is over. Very discouraging. I was hoping he could make it to the NJ primary in June but it’s not looking good.
LikeLike
Hail, hail, the gang’s all here: A short list of folks Trump wants to be like when he grows up:
Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines
Vladimir Putin of Russia
Xi Jinping of China
Kim Jong U of North Korea
Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi of Egypt
Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey
Jair Bolsonaro of Brazil
Viktor Orbán of Hungary
Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia
to name a few
LikeLike
Jodi and Hindu Nationalism, Maduro in Venezuela has to be admired for holding on, Daniel Ortega wins the Orwell pig into man award for his recent support of big guys over regular guys. The Honduran and Guatemalan experiences, I am getting tired.
Is representative government even possible? Now? Is the dream of the Atlantic Charter dead?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Very worried here, Roy!
LikeLike
Ah yes. Forgot Modi. Quite a crop of extremist nationalist dictators we have now. And Trumpty the wanna-be.
LikeLike
The legislator who put forth the measure said Putin’s continued rule would be a stabilizing factor in the country and alleviate people’s fears over Russia’s political future.
Sounds just like:
The Republican legislator who put forth the measure said Trump’s continued rule would be a stabilizing factor in the country and alleviate people’s fears over the United State’s political future.
LikeLike
I want to put THAT evil genie back it its bottle.
But Trump cannot claim extension of his office would be a “stabilizing force.” His presidency has been the most destabilizing force we have ever undergone–weakening the pillars of democracy, for one.
Two instances: the Statue of Liberty and the blindfold over Lady Justice’s eyes as she holds the balance are now material instances, symbols of our hypocrisy, and constant reminders of the National Farce that we all are now involved in.
All who ever died defending democracy are rolling over in their graves, in great and constant concert as we speak. CBK
LikeLike
FLOR-UH-DUH MAN: Let me tell you whut. This whole Cornavirus thang is a Democrat hoax. Oh, hale. Doughreen: did you get toilet paper? You was supposed to stop at Wal-Mart and get 5,000 rolls of toilet paper. And do we have enough ammo?
LikeLike
“Remember that Trump declared a national emergency because of the spread of COVID-19.”
Literally five days ago you were asking, “Why won’t Trump declare a national emergency?” He did (that day, in fact) and now you’re complaining that he did.
Look, I know everyone here thinks otherwise, but I really don’t like Trump. But it’s impossible to really fight him if we’re just going to act like a bunch of nap-less two-year-olds and whine about everything he does. Declaring a national emergency was the right thing to do.
LikeLike
Whoopee, Trump does a few things right, so did Nixon but ultimately he had to resign for being a crook.
LikeLike
Not a complaint. Just a realization that he could use it as a pretext to delay elections. It was still the right thing to do.
LikeLike
Yes, “delay the election” so the state had time to mail out the mail-in ballots to every registered voter, get them back, and then count them, but he didn’t say that. He still has time to do it, though. We will have to wait and see.
LikeLike
dienne77 I’ll be GLAD to call a good a good, and have done so (and so have many in the Press). I for one WANT Trump to do good. I just won’t kiss his ring (or his Great Leader . . . ) in the arbitrary fashion that his sycophants do. My naivete and optimism about THAT went away a long time ago.
BTW, do you know how lucky we are that it’s not worse than it is? (though it’s heading that way)–considering that an ignorant, self-serving, delusional sociopath is the President of the United States?
And BTW have you looked for a cure for your own cherry-picking? Maybe consider that there happens to be something truly authentic and important to raise concerned voices about (your hyperbolic “whining”)? CBK
LikeLike
CBK,
Thank you for this excellent comment.
LikeLike
It suddenly came to me where this virus came from. Dogs. Before this hiatus from school I would come home to a dog sleeping on the couch who would wake and stretch, eyeing me reproachfully. Now we are always at home. Today the dog was getting quality time with the daughter. Yesterday it was me, taking a nap with the dog curled up on my outstretched legs on the sofa.
There is no doubt. It was the dogs.
LikeLike
RT . . . now you’re thinking. CBK
LikeLike
The national emergency in tandem with claims of massive voter fraud will position Trump for claims that he is entitled to another term, regardless.
He will not take a defeat at the ballot box without throwing everything possible into litigation.
Even if he is not re-elected by an overwhelming majority (and with minimal documentation of voter fraud), he will still call on all of his loyalists to obstruct any peaceful transition in governance. He may also have packed the courts in a manner that would allow him to continue.
I also fear for RBG’s health and ability to continue to serve even if Trump is defeated.
The reasoning in the following link illustrates some legal strategies that might break the longstanding limit of two four-year terms in office. https://verdict.justia.com/2020/03/16/when-is-optimism-actually-pessimism-when-trump-is-president?utm_source=verdict-newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=2020-03-17&utm_content=text-recent-entry-1
See also : https://thehill.com/opinion/campaign/444394-donald-trump-president-for-life-we-need-term-limits-now
LikeLike
The LA Times, NY Times and others have run stories that the president cannot postpone or suspend the election. Google “president cancel election”
https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-cant-cancel-or-postpone-the-november-election-over-coronavirus-2020-3
https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2020/03/trump-cancel-election-day-constitution-state-electors-coronavirus.html
That won’t stop him because he thinks he is above the Constitution.
And, I am sure “martial law” is being uttered more than “social distance” in WH meetings (if he has any). And, gun sales are skyrocketing.
Uncharted waters with an invisible threat and a visible one in the WH
LikeLike
Who will stop Trump from using the pandemic to become Putin Jr?
While it doesn’t look good because of Moscow Mitch controlling the U.S. Senate and the five conservative justices that lean too far to the right, we won’t know until Trump attempted it.
Even if the Senate and the Supreme Court do nothing to stop Trump, there is still the military. If the military does nothing, the majority of Americans that are Never Trumpers might rise up in rebellion in an attempt to get rid of the Kremlin’s Agent Orange.
And the threat of that revolution or civil war might be enough to move some Republicans to break from Moscow Mitch and Deplorable Donald to join the Democrats and stop Trumpelstiltskin from crowning himself, king.
LikeLike
The Never Trumpers are not armed.
LikeLike
Somehow – I would bet the military would escort him and his cronies and armed supporters out of the WH and DC. From day 1 he has ignored them, disputed them, criticized them, bullied a POW, and shown only disrespect for the military in spite of their respectful applause at events.
As of midnight January 19, he is not their commander in chief.
LikeLike
That’s what Trump and the GOP want the Forever Trumpers to think, but the facts tell a different story.
I’m one example with a firearm safe with five firearms and hundreds of rounds inside of it, and I now several other combat vets that also do not support Donald Trump regardless of his claims that the military backs him. Like everything else, Trumpty Dumpty lied about that, too. According to the Military Times (annual polls), Trump has never had even 50 percent of the support from the troops and less than 40 percent from officers, and when Mattis left the Trump administration, Trump’s support from the active military dropped even more.
49 percent of Whites have a firearm in the house
32 percent of Blacks
21 percent of Hispanics
41 percent of high school grads
47 percent with some college
37 percent with a Bachelor’s degree
57 percent of Republicans
25 percent of Democrats
48 percent of Independents
https://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2017/06/22/the-demographics-of-gun-ownership/
Then there is this: “The Republican Party Has an Older Voters Problem”
https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2019/03/the-republican-party-has-an-older-voters-problem.html
And, The Mythology Of Trump’s ‘Working Class’ Support
His voters are better off economically compared with most Americans.
https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/the-mythology-of-trumps-working-class-support/
LikeLike