JD Vance is the latest in a series of awful Republican VP picks. Dan Quayle who couldn’t spell potato, Sarah Palin who thought she could see Russia from her bedroom window.
Vance looks just as daft as them, if not more so. He’s not even called JD Vance, he is Jonathan David Hamel, if you google him under that name all kinds of odd stuff pops up. Like him in a blond wig. It doesn’t help that Harris’s pick, Tim Walz, is normal and sensible.
Clearly one of the reasons why Vance is on the ticket is to appeal to the manosphere, a group of on line men and boys, bursting with grievances and among the most enthusiastic Trump supporters. They are the backbone of MAGA and QAnon. Mostly they portray themselves as free thinkers or libertarians, but their politics is a mix of authoritarianism, misogyny, transphobia, homophobia and general grievances about the modern world.
But Trump already has that group of voters sewed up, None of them are going to join the KHive anytime soon. So why is Vance on the ticket?
It is hard to write about what potentially could happen to the Trump campaign without sounding like a conspiracy theorist. Partly because the Trump campaign is so mired in conspiracy theories and misinformation that you can’t talk about one without the other.
But the Trump campaign is in big trouble right now, and if Trump can’t see a lawful route to victory he will cheat to keep himself in the game. The only speculation is how?
Authoritarian tech bros give Trump tons of cash to rescue his floundering election campaign. In return Trump gives them Vance as the VP pick. This would also explain why Trump showed up at a Bitcoin conference
The election is marred by violence and misinformation. Trump emerges as the winner, under very dubious circumstances. The Supreme Court over looks widespread evidence of interference, lies on social media, and voter suppression
Trump returns to the White House, and is pardoned of all crimes. 6 weeks later he has a stroke under mysterious circumstances while playing golf. He retires to Mar E Largo where he posts nonsense on social media, each weird uttering more proof of his mental incapacity.
Vance takes over as President. Authoritarian tech bros now control the White House and can rapidly reshape US politics in their own image as an oligarchy. A broligarchy. Lots of rich and powerful people are very onboard with these changes.
America continues as a guided democracy. People vote, but only the tech bros candidate gets in.
OK, this is speculation, and in realty I think Harris will probably win, but equally as defeat becomes more certain Trump will cheat. I think the US is strong enough to resist Trumps attempts at a coup, but who knows.
But whatever the result in November the desire from Musk, Theil and their chums for an autocratic oligarchy won’t go away, and they have time and money to achieve their ends. If not this time, next time or the time after. They only have to get lucky once.
How Trump Wins | How America Is Lost
With Trump now a convicted felon it is hard to see a path for him back to the White House.
Even before this Trump’s campaign was doing badly. The majority of the money raised goes into paying his legal fees rather than campaigning, and money talks in US politics. Trump doesn’t have enough of it to stay competitive. The repeal of Roe vs Wade has given lots of Americans who are underwhelmed by Joe Biden a big incentive to vote.
But this isn’t the only way Trump can win.
Tuesday 5th November Americans go to the polls. In key swing states voters in Democrat districts arrive at the polls to be greeted by heavily armed right wing militias. Under they guise of checking ID, or stopping illegal immigrants voting, they blockade polling stations, turning away voters, particularly if they are non-white. In some districts police try and intervene, but mostly these militias have law enforcement with them to protect their right to carry arms.
By noon the election is in chaos, with millions prevented from voting. Those who do manage to vote find that their ballots are rejected by pro-Trump election officials. By the time polls close violence is widespread with clashes between the militias, voters and law enforcement.
Republican State Governors intervene in the chaos, declaring that Trump is the winner in their state. With the majority of states run by Republicans Trump wins the electoral college. Congress declares him the winner. Fox News lead the right wing media in legitimising the Coup.
Democrats appeal to the Supreme Court who decline to hear the case until after Trumps inauguration.
On the 20th January 2025 Trump is sworn in as President to widespread and violent protest. He deploys the military to suppress opposition, and to round up political opponents. Once elected, and with the Supreme Court on his side he stops any investigations into the events of 5th November, sacking and jailing judges and District Attorneys.
This might seem far fetched, but this is a commonly shared plan on pro-Trump/MAGA/QAnon message boards, and has crossed over to Republicans elected to public office. In reality the majority of swing states have Democrat Governors, and the Republican majority in Congress is too small for such a coup. By November they might not even have a majority at all
But that won’t stop some MAGA/QAnon using the 5th November for gunpowder, treason and plot.
#generalElection #Trump #USPolitics