This is no longer about "alternative reality" it is about power and the ability to control the agenda. Trump and republican congress have for years worked on the premise that their vision of the world is correct, and that the press are "lying liars"! So far, they've been supported by FOX news, Breitbart and Alex Jones (and many many others). It was funny at first, Americans thought that this was going to pass, and that eventually the American people will figure out that they were being lied too!
Reality is otherwise, poorly informed, scared of the world, getting their news from "alternative news sources" that has a different agenda -- selling fear. The arrival of Trump is the first instance where the Right has a chance to really change things around, with a majority in Congress they can make substantive changes that will be permanent; shutting down the Education department and the EPA (now that they know that the Energy department is mostly about supervising America's nuclear arsenal...). Ending the ACA (aka Obamacare) -- the ACA will be killed not by some grand act, but by neglect ( e.g. an essential piece of the puzzle will be eliminated) and suddenly the ACA will cease to exist in most of America. I suspect that by the end of 2017, most of those who obtained their healthcare via the ACA will be without healthcare, because insurance companies cannot make the numbers work -- if insufficient healthy Americans register the system doesn't work.
I suspect that the State Department will be gutted, that the Federal Reserves will become an adjunct to the White House, all this in full view of Congress that has decided that for now Trump is good for their agenda -- and they are largely right.
However, how long will it take for certain senators or congresspeople to become "The Enemy of the People"? My guess is that McCain must be near the top of the list -- and what are the implications? If you've made some group "enemies" it is easy for others to join a growing list of perceived "traitors". Today, Paul Ryan is a "friend" but could become an "enemy" should he block Trump's projects.
Will the worse case scenario unfold? I hope not, bit already border agents are far more aggressive and taking a very serious look (sometime based on racial profiling) of would be visitors -- again this is largely "circumstantial" evidence, because everyone has a agenda. Recently, some US Congressmen (they are mostly guys) are asking for their "armed friends" to protect them from protesters. How long until we have an accident; where the police will decide that: the black unarmed women was at fault for walking down the street and that the white guy with the modified M16 was in his right to shoot her in the head?
America has always prided itself on the idea of an armed milicia -- Once the gloves are off, they are off for good! Already efforts are afoot to reduce the inspection power of the electoral commission so Americans could eventually be greeted by a candidate's armed friends near the poll to insure that no voting irregularity occurs...well that is the price of peace in America.
At the other end of the spectrum I learned that there are currently 16 intelligence agencies in the US. Probably too many. America has been on a war footing since the terrible events of September 11, the police have been provided with nearly "assault like" armaments (even Stanford University has military style equipment). The leaks of the last four weeks provided Trump with a wonderful opportunity to "streamline" these agencies, and change the country's intelligence apparatus for ever.
Granted this is a very very gloomy look at what could happen, but the truth is that the usual balance between the executive and the legislative seems to have disappeared. That Congress would investigate Benghazi more than 10 times but cannot find the time to investigate the White House/Russia links or that any review of the Russia links focus only on the leaks... is telling.
Trump is no Hitler, but both had enablers that were more than willing to look the other way, because of their short term interest. The American legislative branch is in this position today, and it is very worrying because it would be very easy for a shift to occur.
Trump has been able to "reshape reality" On Friday is mentioned the "terrible events in Sweden" in a speech about terrorism -- the Swedes had no idea what he was going on about, apparently he was referring to a documentary about the immigration problems in Sweden...but America (and Sweden too) though he was referring to a terrorism act -- probably a poorly worded phrase on Trumps' part, but for a lot of Americans -- there was a terrorist act in Sweden that the MSM media didn't cover...me thinks conspiracy! Voila -- reality has been shifted -- the press is not covering the important stuff, they've become the "Enemy of the people"
Reality is otherwise, poorly informed, scared of the world, getting their news from "alternative news sources" that has a different agenda -- selling fear. The arrival of Trump is the first instance where the Right has a chance to really change things around, with a majority in Congress they can make substantive changes that will be permanent; shutting down the Education department and the EPA (now that they know that the Energy department is mostly about supervising America's nuclear arsenal...). Ending the ACA (aka Obamacare) -- the ACA will be killed not by some grand act, but by neglect ( e.g. an essential piece of the puzzle will be eliminated) and suddenly the ACA will cease to exist in most of America. I suspect that by the end of 2017, most of those who obtained their healthcare via the ACA will be without healthcare, because insurance companies cannot make the numbers work -- if insufficient healthy Americans register the system doesn't work.
I suspect that the State Department will be gutted, that the Federal Reserves will become an adjunct to the White House, all this in full view of Congress that has decided that for now Trump is good for their agenda -- and they are largely right.
However, how long will it take for certain senators or congresspeople to become "The Enemy of the People"? My guess is that McCain must be near the top of the list -- and what are the implications? If you've made some group "enemies" it is easy for others to join a growing list of perceived "traitors". Today, Paul Ryan is a "friend" but could become an "enemy" should he block Trump's projects.
Will the worse case scenario unfold? I hope not, bit already border agents are far more aggressive and taking a very serious look (sometime based on racial profiling) of would be visitors -- again this is largely "circumstantial" evidence, because everyone has a agenda. Recently, some US Congressmen (they are mostly guys) are asking for their "armed friends" to protect them from protesters. How long until we have an accident; where the police will decide that: the black unarmed women was at fault for walking down the street and that the white guy with the modified M16 was in his right to shoot her in the head?
America has always prided itself on the idea of an armed milicia -- Once the gloves are off, they are off for good! Already efforts are afoot to reduce the inspection power of the electoral commission so Americans could eventually be greeted by a candidate's armed friends near the poll to insure that no voting irregularity occurs...well that is the price of peace in America.
At the other end of the spectrum I learned that there are currently 16 intelligence agencies in the US. Probably too many. America has been on a war footing since the terrible events of September 11, the police have been provided with nearly "assault like" armaments (even Stanford University has military style equipment). The leaks of the last four weeks provided Trump with a wonderful opportunity to "streamline" these agencies, and change the country's intelligence apparatus for ever.
Granted this is a very very gloomy look at what could happen, but the truth is that the usual balance between the executive and the legislative seems to have disappeared. That Congress would investigate Benghazi more than 10 times but cannot find the time to investigate the White House/Russia links or that any review of the Russia links focus only on the leaks... is telling.
Trump is no Hitler, but both had enablers that were more than willing to look the other way, because of their short term interest. The American legislative branch is in this position today, and it is very worrying because it would be very easy for a shift to occur.
Trump has been able to "reshape reality" On Friday is mentioned the "terrible events in Sweden" in a speech about terrorism -- the Swedes had no idea what he was going on about, apparently he was referring to a documentary about the immigration problems in Sweden...but America (and Sweden too) though he was referring to a terrorism act -- probably a poorly worded phrase on Trumps' part, but for a lot of Americans -- there was a terrorist act in Sweden that the MSM media didn't cover...me thinks conspiracy! Voila -- reality has been shifted -- the press is not covering the important stuff, they've become the "Enemy of the people"
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