There’s a bunch of unpublished because only half-narrated/written 2cotAED posts, which I aspire to publish (not narrate/write but publish!) daily. Spirit willing, flesh feeble etc.
So shit is accelerating – not just with Musk datagrabbing at Treasury, but also the tariffs and the retaliatory tarrifs.
Read something (on Bluesky, can’t find) pointing out that Trump thinks in zero-sum and – crucially – that the entity he is ‘negotiating’ with can’t retaliate in meaningful ways. He’s used to bullying through against weaker opponents. We shall see how it goes with the tariffs on Canada, Mexico, China etc.
Read something (on Bluesky, can’t find) that there are very few rules in American politics (and fewer now since he kept touching the third rails around race, or Gold Star families and then not dying) but there is still one – don’t fuck with the money that rich and middle class people expect to keep coming.
Just because he won the election (and the popular vote this time), doesn’t mean there aren’t loads of governors and congresspeople out there who won’t be getting outraged and alarmed phone calls from now to their next elections.
So, the “vibes” at the moment, with the Trump lot (probably just given free rein/reign so he can play golf and eat hamburgers) is akin to the delirious shituation in late 2022, after Queenie was buried and Li Truss was able to ram through her Budget/Financial Statement etc. These people seem to think that once they’ve got into office they are now – to choose a term – “World Kings.” They don’t really think about how the little people (or the ‘deep state’) will respond. This is checkers, not even two dimensional chess.
Now, the Westminster parliamentary system is different in two (1) important ways.
Firstly, because of Prime Ministers Questions etc, the boss can’t be shielded from scrutiny as easily as an American President can (so, I think Reagan did like two or three press conferences in his entire second term). That may help Trump as shit spirals, but dodging scrutiny begins to look weak? Not that anyone is yet to make up their mind about Trump, but SOME people who voted for him (!!) will be changing their minds, partly because their wives got deported, and partly because the money aint’ flowing. I know, I know “leopard-face-eating party”, but what can you do?
Second, there’s no easy way of getting rid of a president. There’s no backbencher revolts, or votes of no confidence, 1922 committee.
The Democrats forced LBJ not to run again in 1968. Everyone threatened Nixon with impeachment till he resigned. Clinton kept his job even after splashing out on a new dress for someone who wasn’t his wife.
BUT. If Trump becomes a deadweight (well, when), then Article 25 section 2 is an option – the Vance gang might go there?
And IF the 2026 mid-terms (and all the gubernatorial and state elections) go badly badly wrong, is it impossible that Trump gets impeached in 2027? The Republicans need a new candidate for 2028 (the third term block is not going to get overturned, even by the Supreme Court as it stands, and in any case, the man would be 82). Those who want the job will be looking for ways to make Vance look complicit/weak etc.
All idle speculation. Why did I write this far? Why did you read?
Meanwhile, what will the ppmv be in 2028? What other hyper-events will we have had?
Thank goodness I didn’t breed. I bet you breeders are rueful af right now.
Footnote
(1) Well, probably many more, but there are limits to my interest/knowledge/capacity to learn/your interest
marchudson.net 
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