"If Trump wins the 2024 election ...": Leaving the "carnival of madness" that was 2023 behind
"If Trump wins the 2024 election ...": Leaving the "carnival of madness" that was 2023 behind
Political experts take a look back at the tumultuous last year and make their predictions for the big year ahead
By CHAUNCEY DEVEGA
Senior Writer
PUBLISHED DECEMBER 26, 2023 5:45AM (EST)
(
Salon) In the best of times, the New Year season is very challenging for many people. The end of the year (and the holiday season more generally) brings an increase in depression, loneliness, interpersonal violence, stress, anxiety, drug use and alcohol use.
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Trump has promised to be a dictator on day one of his presidency if he returns to power in 2025. He is publicly channeling the evil of Hitler and the Nazis. Public opinion polls show that the American people are increasingly feeling down and depressed about the present and future of their country and lives. Still, he is leading President Joe Biden in the early 2024 election polls, with some polls showing that Trumps lead is increasing as Biden and the Democrats are losing the support of their base voters. It's a harsh juxtaposition and source of great frustration and dark feelings among Democrats and other pro-democracy Americans: Donald Trumps popularity is remaining steady (if not growing) because and not despite his Hitlerian dictatorial threats and plans as well as his multiple criminal trials.
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In an attempt to make better sense of this tumultuous last year, I asked a range of trusted experts for their thoughts and reflections, and what, if anything, surprised them. I also asked them to look ahead and share what they will likely be doing a year from now if Donald Trump defeats Joe Biden in the presidential election.
Steven Beschloss is a journalist and author of several books, including "The Gunman and His Mother." His website is America, America.
Optimism is a struggle right now, especially as Donald Trump and his sycophants have made it clear theyll aggressively push toward dictatorship and the end of democratic rule, an independent judiciary and a nonpartisan civil service, as well as pursue the deportation of millions of migrants without due process, the use of military against domestic protestors, the installation of thousands of loyalists and retribution against political opponents and the media. But this outcome is not inevitableeven as the authoritarians want Americans to believe it is and lose hope that theres anything they can do to stop it. ................(more)
https://www.salon.com/2023/12/26/if-wins-the-2024--leaving-the-carnival-of-madness-that-was-2023-behind/