To those Bush Republican leaders now crawling out the woodwork, condemning Trump:

[C Moon]

Where were you for the past three years when Trump began his crusade against the U.S. and our constitution?
You were oh so quiet. You were sitting back—watching to see what would happen next. You were hoping to reap benefits of a new conservative U.S.

Well, each day, every week, every month of those three plus years, the rest of us have been railing about these tyrants. We even impeached the bastard—and where were you when we needed help to impeach him in the Congress?

I hope the GOP dies a grisly death in November.

There are still battles to be fought—it's not over. But when the dust settles, and we've taken the presidency, the congress and the senate, we will remember how silently you stood and watched.

Go to hell Bush Republicans.

[JI7]

1. I don't get this anger people have over those who don't support Trump

I would rather ask those who continue to support him "how the fuck aren't you a shitty person if you still support him" ? .

[elleng]

2. Yes.

How history is made: Not everyone hops off the sinking ship at once.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/opinion/opinions-how-history-is-made-not-everyone-hops-off-the-sinking-ship-at-once/ar-BB155hnN?

[still_one]

27. exactly.

[qazplm135]

3. nah, I'll say thanks and welcome to the team...

until we beat Trump.


THEN I will say fuck you. Until, it's beyond stupid to not welcome them.

[Newest Reality]

11. Exactly!

This is time to work together to cut off the tyrant en masse. Withholding consent and cooperation in various ways is a good strategy.

The enemy of my enemy is my friend. We can encourage and support denouncements and perhaps more will join in.

[Cha]

4. I Welcome them NOW!

[fleabiscuit]

7. +1

[Cha]

9. Hey Aloha,

flea!❤

[Hortensis]

10. Yep! +1000.

[Cha]

12. Aloha Hortensis!❤

[Hortensis]

14. Aloha, Cha! Nice to see you. Oh, I just came by to get some milk.

[Cha]

18. Sorry, don't have

any! Vegan here

[Hortensis]

20. Ah, I'll stroll over to produce with you.

[Hekate]

17. Yes Cha, I want Trump utterly isolated, so welcome aboard to any disgusted Republican.

We'll deal with other issues after he has been extracted.

[Cha]

19. Exactly, Hekate.. the more the Merrier..

It's even better that it's not only Dems who are thoroughly Disgusted with BLOTUS & NMFTG.. Republicans, too!

[struggle4progress]

5. Be flexible

[UCmeNdc]

6. Tell them to vote Biden and a straight Democratic Party Ticket if they are really concerned!

Tell them to send a real message to the GOP.

Actively campaign for Joe Biden!

[Blues Heron]

8. They are full of shit, and engaging in virtue signalling

they are pukes now and forever, don't be fooled by shitbag boosh and his wife Sleazy.

[Dirty Socialist]

13. Be flexible

[Hortensis]

15. We're probably seeing crumbling of yet another "layer of support"

for a wannabe dictator and his inner cabal. This one is of elites fairly close to the center, one of the inner circles joining the outer resistance.

A The Atlantic author believes crumbling is what we're witnessing.

What the United States is witnessing is less like the chaos of 1968, which further divided a nation, and more like the nonviolent movements that earned broad societal support in places such as Serbia, Ukraine, and Tunisia, and swept away the dictatorial likes of Milošević, Yanukovych, and Ben Ali. ...

(Sharp) wanted to understand the weaknesses of authoritarian regimes—and how nonviolent movements could exploit them. ... Sharp’s foundational insight is embedded in an aphorism: “Obedience is at the heart of political power.” A dictator doesn’t maintain power on his own; he relies on individuals and institutions to carry out his orders. A successful democratic revolution prods these enablers to stop obeying. It makes them ashamed of their complicity and fearful of the social and economic costs of continued collaboration.

Sharp posited that revolutionaries should focus first on the regime’s softest underbelly: the media, the business elites, and the police. The allegiance of individuals in the outer circle of power is thin and rooted in fear. By standing strong in the face of armed suppression, protesters can supply examples of courage that inspire functionaries to stop carrying out orders, or as Sharp put it, to “withhold cooperation.” Each instance of resistance provides the model for further resistance. As the isolation of the dictators grows—as the inner circles of power join the outer circle in withholding cooperation—the regime crumbles.

The author believes this is what we're witnessing, comparing events that toppled Ukraine's Yanukovoch and others. Trump's main communication platform Twitter labeling Trump's tweets as misleading was a key event, then hiding posts that threatened violence, which was followed by a "wide swath of" S&P 500 companies withdrawing support.

A cycle of noncooperation was set in motion. Local governments were the next layer of the elite to buck Trump’s commands. After the president insisted that governors “dominate” the streets on his behalf, they roundly refused to escalate their response. ... As each group of elites refused Trump, it became harder for the next to comply in good conscience. In Sharp’s taxonomy, the autocrat’s grasp on power depends entirely on the allegiance of the armed forces. When the armed forces withhold cooperation, the dictator is finished. Of course, the U.S. is far more democratic than the regimes Sharp studied and doesn’t fit his taxonomy neatly. But on Wednesday, the president’s very own secretary of defense explicitly rejected Trump’s threat to deploy active-duty military officers to American streets. ... Jim Mattis’s excoriation of his old boss prodded Trump’s former chief of staff John Kelly and Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska to echo his condemnation of the president. ...

We'll see. The Republican senators are a critical part of this regime's inner defenses. They're currently threatened with losing everything. Or are they? Title of another of this author's current articles, presumably written directly before recent events, is "Putin Is Well on His Way to Stealing the Next Election -- RIP democracy."

[KY_EnviroGuy]

21. "The allegiance of individuals in the outer circle of power is thin and rooted in fear."

That's well said but their allegiance is also rooting in money from the ultra-wealthy and corporations which comprises trillions in wealth from around the globe. Like little magnets temporarily pulled away from Big Mother Magnet, they'll later pop right back in line.

I've felt for decades that until we're able to dismantle massive economic and asset inequality around the world, Republicans will always rebound stronger the next time. They've done it a few times before. Saudi Arabia, Russia and others along with thousands of global plutocrats will see to it.

However, this time with Trump they really blew it.

KY.....

[Hortensis]

25. KY, note the OUTER in that sentence. That's talking about

the people, RW voters and other comparatively low-power supporters. Support is "relatively thin and rooted in fear." Rightly or wrongly, Trump's supporters fear us before they hate us.

The ones you're speaking of are the inner, elite layers this OP is about and the clips I copied speak of. And self interest rules with them, as well as personal dispositions to obedience. Amazing that even very powerful people at even the highest levels can become obedient authoritarian followers, though, but some are just wired that way. Strong obedience to religion is often a clue to this trait, "god" of course being the ultimate authority. Pence for instance? W himself.

Agree entirely that we must fix income -- and power -- inequality that is incompatible with both democracy and general prosperity.

So do our Democratic leaders, as Nancy told the nation (below).

[Dios Mio]

16. Stood by while democracy burned. Now, CYA.

[KY_EnviroGuy]

22. Republicans just blowing around with the winds of populism.

As in 2016.........

[Maxheader]

23. Shrub? Want into the club?

Nothin sez be my friend like $$.

Into Joe's war chest....

[handmade34]

24. "I hope the GOP dies a grisly death in November"

[PJMcK]

26. I hate Republicans

I'm not a hateful person and tend to be a bit of a pacifist.

But the Republicans have been so ugly, mean-spirited and plainly un-American for so long that they have pushed me over the edge.

I FUCKING HATE REPUBLICANS.

However, at this time in our history, anyone who is willing to publicly opposed Trump and his cadre is my ally for the time being.

We have to eliminate this cancer on our country. I'll take partners wherever I find them.

We can sort out the chaff from the wheat after President Biden takes office.

[Kaleva]

28. Trump is critical of them too and I won't join him in attacking them.

You are free to do what you think best.

[quickesst]

29. for everyone....

.... who are bashing, calling them nasty names, and heaping hatred upon these former bush republicans. Although the reason may be different, those are the same words Trump is / will be using against the same people.
For those who believe that using them, then trashing them after they are of no use, that may be okay for you if you believe this debacle will never happen again. If and when it does in the future, those same people and the people who will be in the same shoes that the bush republicans are now will remember being thrown under the bus after being used. I welcome their support, and will not judge them through the use of a crystal ball. I will judge them either favorably or negatively based upon there future behavior. Critical thinking cannot be guided by blind hatred.