Asha Rangappa - STEP DOWN FROM THE LEDGE THREAD

[Roland99]

Link to tweet

STEP DOWN FROM THE LEDGE THREAD. Let's take a deep breath and understand what is happening and why. When we understand motives, we are better able to evaluate the situation clearly and choose how we want to respond, rather than react. So why are we dealing with this sudden crazy?

Rest

2. First, EGO. Specifically, Trump's ego. Trump has never had a situation so completely beyond his control. He believed that his exhortations of "mail fraud," perhaps combined with Pooty's help, would result in a win. He is frightened and disoriented and unable to cope w reality

3. For reasons that are sad and disturbing, the people around him -- including his staff, many R officials -- can't seem to break it to him. So expect a huge 💩how as they enable his tantrum: psycho tweets, firings, threats, etc. Smile and nod like you would to a crazy person


4. GRIFT. This entire presidency has been about making money off of the office. The "fraud" narrative is an excuse for his Fatal Attraction emails demanding money from his supporters. That $ is going to his campaign "debt" (which exists bc everyone was skimming off the top)

5. THE NEXT CON. He has to set up a narrative that, once he leaves office, will give him a clear "enemy" against which to launch his next venture -- Trump TV. At the end of all this, I expect not just the usual suspects, but Fox News, SCOTUS, and several R's to be on the 💩list

6. ATTENTION. Boo Boo is not going to be ignored. Having attention go to President-elect Biden -- his plans, his celebration, his FACE -- drives him bonkers. So he needs to bring it back to him, even if it means acting like a complete lunatic

7. FEAR. Trump is facing some serious criminal investigations and potential indictments once he leaves office. It's about to get real for him. Some thoughts on the crazy to expect on that front https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2020/11/09/trump-justice-department-pardon/

8. These are the basic things I see. Why is most of the GOP going along with it? I think bc 1) they are scared of the Senate runoff in Jan and 2) this is their jam. They have no choice. See here

9. It feels scary, but the problem is they gambled on voter suppression, and lost. The courts can't help them under these facts. So all they have left are attempts to create chaos and panic in an attempt to get YOU to buy into their narrative. Don't. Let it play out. And breathe.

P.S. I always take for granted that my followers follow the people I follow. My recommendations (not exhaustive, just off top of my head):

For authoritarian tactics and how to recognize them:

@ruthbenghiat
@jasonintrator
@jenmercieca
@Teri_Kanefield
2A. For assessment of the *real* merits of legal claims (and doomsday scenarios like “faithless elector” nonsense, etc.):

@steve_vladeck
@eliehonig
@JoyceWhiteVance
@jgeltzer
@neal_katyal
@Mimirocah1
@rgoodlaw
3A. For insight into what these doofuses are up to, from people who have been in or close to this scene:

@RadioFreeTom
@WalshFreedom
@SteveSchmidtSES
@Scaramucci

(Following them doesn’t mean you have to be BFFs with them, people! But learn from people who know)

[samsingh]

1. trump's enablers like barr, moscow mitch, leningrad lindsay graham and others could also be

criminals caught up in trump's criminal enterprise.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

6. Great point. Motivation & self survival of enablers key! Obvious to sane/unencumbered

people - he needs to go. So their personal situations and motivation key.

[Thekaspervote]

2. Excellent post.. TY!!

[Laura PourMeADrink]

3. Good post...but don't really feel like people are freaking out.

We have the presidency in the bag. Doubt many are worried about that, are they really???

Now what Covid-45 will do... don't think anyone on either side knows that. We are talking maniacal thinking. Perhaps trained, expert psychologists can ascertain?

[Roland99]

4. Yes. Quite a few are freaking out or at least beyond Collins concerned

[Laura PourMeADrink]

7. I wouldn't go by that. Not seeing it elsewhere.

[Cha]

12. I'm a little freaked out inside.. just

so sick of it all.. 2 more long months.

December should go pretty fast though. We'll see what happens Dec 14.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

13. Not understanding this at all. "Step off the ledge" is such a

curious title. It implies that we are all gonna commit suicide or something over trump. That's outlandish imho.

Yes, anyone with a brain is concerned that Trump may do something unbelievably crazy. Hell, due to his utter negligence, a quarter million US citizens are dead. There is nothing out of the realm of possibility. Why demean the concerned is my only point.

[lastlib]

14. Think of it more as "Come back in the window"........Don't jump1!

[BComplex]

20. If trump does something really really terrible, it is on ALL the republicans in congress, starting

with mitch mcconnell.

They have seen what he's done to the security of our country during this vulnerable period, and they have done NOTHING to secure the USA.

They are not patriots. They are not even decent people.

[BigmanPigman]

10. His niece, Mary, is onto him.

Both as a trained professional psychiatrist and as a first hand insider who knows what this family is made of.

[ellie]

5. If they

need someone to tell trump he lost, I will do it.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

9. Lol. Me too! He caused a quarter million people to die! Bet every

loved one would volunteer to tell him he lost!

[LudwigPastorius]

8. Sorry, but if you're not scared shitless at the thought of Trump, in command of...

nuclear weapons with nothing left to lose, you don't know him or his history.

1) He's fucking crazy.

2) He's never faced a significant losing scenario before in his entire life.

3) He is at heart an authoritarian Nazi, and he couldn't give a rat's ass about the Constitution, the legal code, norms, or traditions. He will, most likely, employ the tactics of authoritarian Nazis once his legal options are toast.

4) He might resort to a violent lashing-out, to put the country on a "war footing" and make him a "war president", in order to frighten people into supporting him, and to invoke emergency powers. Iran would be the most likely choice for an attack.

5) He has fired/forced the resignations of precise two people who would be in charge of securing our nuclear arsenal and having the final say on troop deployment.

6) He's got a Supreme Court that very well could back up these moves.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

16. Precisely. Except for #3. He's a severely flawed narcissist.

without any values or ideology. ANYONE who gets in his way, from a lowly peasant on the street to the pope in the Vatican will face his ire.

If a lowly peasant on the street likes him, they are A-OK in his twisted mind. Authoritarian, yes. He had always had everyone...wives, employees, children do exactly what he wished. Until now MF.

[flibbitygiblets]

17. Agree with all but your 2nd point

He's had many losing scenarios, more than I can count. More important lawsuits than I can remember, there's Trump University, the charity fiasco, coupla divorces, major defectors like Cohen, his eldest sons are the definition of stupid, Trump Casino (now a public hazard which will be blown up a week after inauguration day), impeached...

No, not nearly as many losses as we'd like, not by any means. But people keep saying he's 'never lost anything in his whole life" or words to that effect, and I'm thinking that he should actually be quite used to losing, he does it pretty regularly.

[Cha]

11. Rt & Bookmark! Very well explained by

Asharangappa!

[BobTheSubgenius]

15. This brutish, half-mad criminal has blundered and blustered his way to this point.

He ended up in the most powerful job in the world with nothing more than that. Imagine if everything else was the same, but he was actually smart.

[iluvtennis]

18. Excellent thread - thanks for posting. nt

[SunSeeker]

19. You know he's going to commit fresh new crimes when he leaves office:

From the WaPo link in the OP:

This is especially true when we consider that the FBI’s counterintelligence interest in Trump will continue even after he leaves office: He’ll still know highly classified information, so it will be more important than ever for the intelligence community to know whether foreign countries have any leverage they can exploit over the former president. This would provide grounds for further investigation into Trump’s, and the Trump Organization’s, financial entanglements abroad.