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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsKrugman: Trump Is Making Caligula Look Good.
For one thing, Caligula did not, as far as we know, foment ethnic violence within the empire. For another, again as far as we know, Romes government continued to function reasonably well despite his antics: Provincial governors continued to maintain order, the army continued to defend the borders, there were no economic crises.
Finally, when his behavior became truly intolerable, Romes elite did what the party now controlling Congress seems unable even to contemplate: It found a way to get rid of him.
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The fact is that white supremacists have long been a key if unacknowledged part of the G.O.P. coalition, and Republicans need those votes to win general elections. Given the profiles in cowardice theyve presented so far, its hard to imagine anything up to and including evidence of collusion with a foreign power that would make them risk losing those voters support.
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So the odds are that were stuck with a malevolent, incompetent president whom nobody knowledgeable respects, and many consider illegitimate.If so, we have to hope that our country somehow stumbles through the next year and a half without catastrophe, and that the midterm elections transform the political calculus and make the Constitution great again.
https://www.nytimes.com/subscription/multiproduct/lp8J36Y.html?mktgrfr=gw_mob&campaignId=67LWR&EXIT_URI=https%3A%2F%2Fmobile.nytimes.com%2F2017%2F08%2F18%2Fopinion%2Ftrump-caligula-republican-congress.html
via:
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2017/8/18/1691162/-Paul-Krugman-Trump-Is-Making-Caligula-Look-Good
dalton99a
(81,570 posts)oasis
(49,407 posts)Love that line.
world wide wally
(21,754 posts)That way they will be on record for their answers come election time.
zipplewrath
(16,646 posts)The democratic party had to desegregate themselves to get the bigots out of the party. Unfortunately, the GOP saw that as an opportunity to accept them into their party. It is time for the GOP to do the same, expel them to political no man's land. Yes, it will hurt in the short run. But they might be surprised how many "moderate dems" return to their party and once again participate in governing this country.
Johonny
(20,888 posts)Hugin
(33,198 posts)This guy:
"Early in 192 Commodus, declaring himself the new Romulus, ritually re-founded Rome, renaming the city Colonia Lucia Annia Commodiana. All the months of the year were renamed to correspond exactly with his (now twelve) names: Lucius, Aelius, Aurelius, Commodus, Augustus, Herculeus, Romanus, Exsuperatorius, Amazonius, Invictus, Felix, Pius. The legions were renamed Commodianae, the fleet which imported grain from Africa was termed Alexandria Commodiana Togata, the Senate was entitled the Commodian Fortunate Senate, his palace and the Roman people themselves were all given the name Commodianus, and the day on which these reforms were decreed was to be called Dies Commodianus."
The guy who renamed Rome as Commode.
From: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commodus