[normalaccess]

I'm under the impression that trump is doing exactly what at least 51% of the population want him to do. He campaigned on dismantling the wheels of established power in DC.

EDIT: To expand on that Idea there is the exact apposing view that Biden was doing the same thing by the people that voted Trump in. But as we all know the media prefers one candidate over the other. Trump is the grenade that is supposed to destroy the power structures (the so called Deep State or permanent bureaucracy) in DC.

[thejazzman]

i agree in principle but it's not reality

my moms lifelong friend recently told us her grandkids are all trumpers

they're all on SSI. one had four abortions. and they LOVE trump.

every group in america was promised whatever they want, despite the endless hypocrisies/lies with that, and none of them seem to care whatsoever??

for this reason i see no way out of this hell. it's simply beyond reason at this point.

(this take is from pennsylvania)

[normalaccess]

If there is one thing about Trump everyone can agree on, it's that he is a devastatingly effective communicator.

And when I say that I don't mean good or correct or proper, I mean effective. He has an innate ability (and if you watch old clips always has) to pull the conversation where he wants it.

[anon_shill]

Correction: 31% of the eligible voting population and ~50% of the popular vote. A lot of people did not vote.

[normalaccess]

Thank you, that is an important point. Voting numbers can only estimate the totals.

I should have use the term *Electorate*.

  The collective people of a country, state, or electoral district who are entitled to vote.

[scarface_74]

And they too are getting exactly what they asked for by not voting.

[tweezy]

I think the issue is that this is not "dismantling the wheels of established power", so much as it is centralizing and increasing the power of the executive branch.

It's not getting rid of all these bureaucrats in DC and giving power back to the people. It's getting rid any sort of independence and removing the barriers to centralizing power under Trump so that he can grab even more power and control.

And just to be pedantic, Trump received 49% of the vote and Kamala receive 48%. And that's of people who voted. He received 77 million out 244 million of the voting-eligible population, or around 31%.

There may be a plurality of people who want the Executive branch under Trump to consolidate power, but it's not the majority.

https://election.lab.ufl.edu/2024-general-election-turnout/

[normalaccess]

I can see that, on the one hand he is removing what he thinks is bureaucratic fat while at the same time giving himself (or the position) powers to do so.

I personally believe the government of the USA is probably 10x the size it needs to be so i like seeing the cuts but I am well aware of the dangers you speak of.

Either way, we live in interesting times.

[scarface_74]

The cuts in the federal government aren’t going to come from getting rid of the civilian workforce. It’s going to have to come from decreasing the military and cutting social security and Medicare. Do you think he would be willing to do either?

[77pt77]

The militray? Never!

The other 2, depends.

[tweezy]

I wish I could find a link, but I remember a study that argued that large bureaucracies can actually impede authoritarian governments concentrating power.

The idea being that when there are so many levers to pull and a disjointed system managing them, it makes it effectively impossible for a small group to effectively wield power. It’s like a buffer against concentrating power into a single individual.

Not that I’m arguing for endless bloat to the US government, that comes with its own problems. I agree we need to rein it in.

But I think there is a freedom-centric argument for a slightly larger government bureaucracy than is strictly necessary.

Or thinking about it in reverse, the bureaucracy is currently preventing the executive branch from just doing whatever it wants. I know Congress and the Supreme Court should act as blocks, but to paraphrase Stalin how much infantry do they have?

A slow moving bureaucratic executive can act as a buffer against ineffective other branches.

Or for those that may support the current administration consolidating power, what if the tides turn? What if in 4 years whoever the liberal villain du jour is takes power? Are we making it so that AOC is the most powerful president in history?

[BlueTemplar]

You seem to assume that Trump will willingly give away his power in 4 years.

He most certainly remembers the January 6th failed coup and will likely spend the next 4 years making sure that he comes on top this time.

And yeah, if he fails, you better hope that the person which did succeed was liberal (and from I heard, AOC is not), because otherwise instead of putting back a system of checks and balances, they will just use the power that Trump concentrated to their own ends.