@Purity of
"Trump isn't going to rewrite the constitution to give himself more power like Erdogan did."
REALLY?
In tRump's recent tweet he said 2 years should be"added on" to is his 4 year tenure (apparently some Hannity pipe dream), as the Mueller Special Council investigation has been a - distraction - that prevented him from getting things done...(and that the dog ate his homework...)
I have no doubt that tRump fervently hopes this -more power- idea is a possibility.
1
He may have finally overplayed his hand. If he loses this will be the beginning of the end.
5
Do the AKP is using the playbook of the Republican Party? Or do the Republican Party is using the playbook of the AKP?
3
This quote is chilling. “Removing this corruption, this fraud will exonerate the High Election Council, and also fill our nation’s heart with peace.” Erdogan's words? Yes, but be warned: It's right out of the Donald Trump/Steven Miller playbook. Autocracy is knocking on the Oval Office door. Republicans are eager to unlock the hinge.
14
Is it time to suspend Turkey from NATO?
7
Don't think it can happen here? Think again. It is happening as you read this, the destruction of our voting system, the thugs turning up their noses at congressional oversight, the contempt for our constitution. The sniveling cowards doing the bidding of a traitorous carnival barker, it's only going to get worse.
9
Interestingly the date for the re-election is June 23rd. On June 15th the summer holidays will start in Turkey. So those who already booked their vacation trip will not be able to vote, as Turkey’s law does not allow a postal ballot. This will affect mainly the strong middle class of Istanbul, who is in majority opposed to Mr. Erdogan. So it will be vacation or voting for many people in Istanbul.
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@Gerald
Vacation agents are offering free exchange / rebooking of travel as a gesture. But a real threat. Part of the calculations leading up to the choice of this date.
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“It can’t happen here.” (Frank Zappa)
3
Sure, if you lose, have another election. Makes sense to me.
4
This is the most undemocratic electoral event since...every gerrymandered American election. And then there's that there million vote plurality that went for naught.
3
This is a very sad day for democracy in Turkey. Millions of Turkish citizens took to the streets to defend Erdogan's democratically elected government from the Gulenist coup attempt which had tacit support from the US, Israel, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE as I make clear in my own chapter on the July 15 Coup attempt. Erdogan had a chance to build institutions and bring the country together. Instead he is giving in to his autocratic lust for power and his narrow circle of "evet effendim" or yes men like other exemplars of electoral authoritarianism including Netanyahu, Modi, Putin and of course Trump, if he can get away with it. This is why the true test of democratic consolidation is not winning elections as Erdogan has legitimately done in the past but in being willing to give up power when you loose them.
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For once, I am glad that I am so old that the harbingers of the future do not bother me so much as I am sure that I will have deceased as this slide down fully comes into being. But, until then, I will be raising my voice loud and often for freedom & education for all the world's people.
We are in real trouble people & at the center of that trouble is, as written on the front page of the NYTimes yesterday, ignorance of the people. The causes of that mounting ignorance is tolerances for brainwashing on all but a few print media.
Trump will not berate this action by Erdogan because he wants this type behavior to become more accepted worldwide. It is a disgrace for Mr. Erdogan to be a leader of a NATO nation. I do hope & expect that the EU will complain mightily against this Erdogan action, thus proving again that the EU is now the world's last great hope. The US has completely lost its right, if it ever had it, as the standard bearer for democracy and freedom.
7
Anyone else fear that this may foreshadow what will happen in the US in 18 months' time?
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A glimpse of our future here in the US, I’m afraid.
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This is an ongoing and successful trend in right-wing politics around the world. When you don't get your pre-determined results from the (election, investigation, court case, etc.)...just do it again while investigating or jailing the individuals involved in the first effort.
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Observe how differently the press reports on this nullification of an “incorrect” public vote, in order to rerun it and get the “correct” result, and on the idea of doing the exact same thing with the Brexit referendum in Britain
4
Or, try to be honest and observe that one’s a petition for another national vote, and the other’s a bottom-feeding Trumpist’s cheap little attempt to overturn an actual popular vote.
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I had the privilege of living and working in Istanbul from 2011-2014 and was there for the Gezi Park uprising. My heart bleeds for my many Turkish friends who have watched with increasing horror as their country is being stolen from them. If they could every single one of them would leave Turkey, I pray that Erdogan will be forced to leave his sumptuous palace as soon as possible before he completely destroys this wonderful country.
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Erdogan wants to reinstate the Ottoman Empire and be Sultan Recep.
Take heed, Trump is watching this play out, while drooling that he might get to keep Air Force One. Michael Cohen told us Trump might not leave if he loses.
Like Erdogan, Trump also has an empowered unelected son-in-law.
.
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@Alan Is this coming from the hubris of the Democratic party who still haven't accepted the 2016 election and who's leader Pelosi is already accusing Trump with regard to 2020?
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@Pat
Trump himself said, before the 2018 election, that he might not accept the result if he lost. Please do pay attention.
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@Pat
Nonsense. Trump is in office. His criminal acts may get him impeached but the acquiescence of the Republican party to his criminality guarantees his tenure. Democrats are understandably upset that they won the vote but lost the election (not for the first time). The only Presidential election stolen in recent history was in 2000 and the Democrats laid down for that as well. Your attempt at equating Erdogan and the Democratic Party is based on your over-dependence on Fox and Friends.
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A truly sad day for Turkey and for Democracy. Trump no doubt approves of the tactics Erdogan has used.
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Turkey used to be a democracy. The damage that one person can do!
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@Perspective And America is repeating that mistake right now.
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NATO is like the Holy Roman Empire; neither holy nor Roman nor an empire. It is neither limited to North Atlantic, equal among members, democratic nor defensive only. It is a Washington lead clique for countries to maintain their colonies after decolonization.
Turkey is in because it has aspiration for pushing USSR out of Balkan and Central Asia and reestablish the Ottoman Empire
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Expect this to happen here if Trump loses.
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"Never before has the loser in Turkey refused to recognize the outcome of an election."
Or in the US, until Hillary yesterday said her election was "stolen"
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@Sparky Jones
Sure it was. The winner of the popular vote should be the winner. Further, if one goes back in American history, there have been other losers of elections who have complained.
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It's a good thing my wife isn't overly interested in world news and geopolitics. We are headed to Turkey in less than two weeks and the first stop is five nights in Istanbul. I'll tell her when we land.
@Bill
Why support the continue occupation of Hellenic Constantinople?
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@Bill
Istanbul is an absolutely glorious place!
Enjoy your stay, just talk to people, some of the things they say about Turkish politics- hilarious!
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@Bill , you'll realize first hand that the reality on the ground vs the dire tone of this article are at complete odds. As another commentator said, its a stunningly beautiful place with lots to see and do. Enjoy !
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Don't be surprised Erdogan did this.
Trump will do the same if he loses in 2020.
And keep rerunning it until he wins.
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This is disgusting. Turks of any political affiliation better fight this or just stop pretending you don't have a dictator. So sad for the millenials in Istanbul in particular.
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Istanbul, as the rich economic center of Turkey, has been very important for Erdogan’s grift and corruption since his mayoral days in the 1990’s. It was clear immediately after the election results were announced that he and his inner circle of sons, son-in-laws, and close friends would not give up on the city that has been raining dollars and euros on them. This precedent, unless somehow overturned in the next election by an overwhelming majority, will ensure that Erdogan will never lose another election, regardless of the vote.
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This is a bad idea for Erdogan. He let his emotions get in the way of his clear thinking.
It was so close that it could go either way the next time.
If it goes against him, it is then not merely a close election lost, it is strongly reinforced. Furthermore, voters commonly resent being asked to do it again. That for example worked out very badly for Democrats in Wisconsin.
Even if it goes for him, it will be close, and he'll have sullied his reputation. He could have shown people that he can lose a close one, then come back for the next one. That would make him much stronger than a close win of this.
It is a mistake.
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@Mark Thomason
1. He did it with the last praliamentart elections, and in serted a war against the Kurds to drum up support; racist appeals play well there, too.
2. Read other news sources, see how much Erdogan's party relies on Istanbul for kickbacks and loyalty. The municipal contract system there is rather unlike anything you might imagine in MI. Yes, pulling that power back to the provinical level (Governor and Big City Mayor cover the same territory, but the Governor is appointed by Ankara), but there are likely tens of thousands of jobs at stake, hence votes as well.
Here endeth the lesson.
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@Mark Thomason
Aren't we being a bit naive? I believe there are forces that will make it impossible for Erdogan to lose next time.
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I think that, at this stage, we can confidently say that not only has Turkey "drifted closer to authoritarianism" but it has been well and truly swept away by it.
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What will this rerun 'election' look like? Will only Mr. Erdogan's 'government' representatives be monitoring the election? Will there be fairness, open access to ballot boxes, open counting of the ballots cast?
Why do I doubt the entire new vote? Because Erdogan would not call for it unless he knew that he would win?
What is he going to do to swing the vote for him?
This is authoritarianism complete. Turkey is not 'drifting' to it any longer. The country has arrived thanks to this latest move by their Dear Leader.
And what can the people do if they don't like this? Social 'unrest' is never a great option but if it is your only one?
Democracy in Turkey is under full attack.
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No surprise whatsoever. After all, Erdogan has been working his fingers to the bone for the better part of a decade to be able to achieve such an outcome, to overturn an election when the result doesn't suit his needs.
Wake up call: This is what Trump dreams of realizing in this country.
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Nobody expects this rerun to be an entirely fair election. If it is close, Erdogan's candidate will surely win. It will thus offer an interesting test for Erdogan's more moderate supporters. Which will prove stronger -- their commitment to the integrity of democratic institutions or to Erdogan?
The ideological framework of Islam historically has proven ill-suited to the give and take of electoral democracy and its requirement for peaceful transfer of power. Absolute truth only recognizes a winner. The Turks' earlier democratic successes have relied heavily on the influence of a secularized military. But the Islamists are running the show now.
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Erdogan will win this time.
His boys will be counting the ballets.
And the coup was fake.
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@New World -- The coup was not fake. It was CIA too. No doubt Israel played a role as well. It was war on an ally.
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@Mark Thomason. And your proof of Israeli involvement in the failed Turkish coup is what exactly?
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A sad day for the citizens of Istanbul and all of Turkey, a day the will of the voters us ignored and overturned. All the more reason Dems must defeat Trump by a WIDE margin in 2020!
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I'm sorry, WHY is this a reason to vote against (or for) Trump? I just dont see any logical connection. Trump, O ama, both Bushs, and Clinton have held to a pretty consistent line - hold your nose and let Turkey be our "ally" against the dystopian Middle East.
3
@TJ It's about elections, Tom.
@TJ <>
To quote Sesame Street: one of these things is not like the others. False equivalency like yours is toxic—not a mere distraction— when times are as ominous as this. Trump is singular in his craving of authoritarianism and his contempt for the law. He sets himself apart in countless other ways, but since the subject is strongmen, lying, and cheating, I’ll leave it at that.
3
Turkey's erosion of trust in government, and Erdogan's abuse of power, are becoming ever more manifest. And the reversal of an election to counter Erdogan's despotism is one more nail in their democracy (if any). Not that Trump would object to this abuse, seasoned as he is in his own 'right', and his known affection towards dictators, however destructive of human rights they are.
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Erdogan did pretty much what Trump has been busy doing - he put men loyal to him at high places. It seems to work.
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This is how authoritarians approach elections. Monopolize the media, ban or silence opponents, manipulate voter registration and voter rolls, etc. And when all that is not enough, nullify the result.
It's a tribute to Turkey's maturity as a democratic society that the opposition won the election in Istanbul. It's a sign of Mr. Erdogan's growing unsuitability for leadership that he can't accept the result.
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@Pquincy14 You just described the Democrat's plan for 2020.
4
Dude, please. The only verified voter fraud in the US was a North Carolina house race that was perpetrated by the GOP candidate.
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@AR
Yet Stacy Abrams still claims she won the Georgia governors race.
1
Erdogan...
Get over yourself!
Majority don’t like you in Istanbul.
It is a fact.
Istanbul-ites: I ask you to come out in force again and redeliver the mandate- slap! Sometimes it takes shouting twice, once is not enough.
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Sound familiar? Sound like Trump? You betcha!
An authoritarian tyrant's playbook includes rewriting history, defying the rules of law and placing only his sycophants in power to support him - people who swear allegiance to him and not their country.
Just watch Trump and extrapolate. HE will declare the next election whatever HE wants it to be. I hope the American people love their country and have enough guts to stand up to this tyrannical hissyfit when it happens - and it will. Perhaps WE should declare HIS very marginal and questionable Electoral appointment null and void on behalf of Hillary. What's good for the gooses good for the gander, and our present goose needs to be well-cooked. Quack, quack Donald!
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Erdogan is a shameless Islamist Dictator prepared to destroy what remains of democracy in Turkey. His desire to eradicate our Kurdish YPG allies is appalling, as is his meglomaniacal attempt to end freedom of speech and elections,not to mention secularism in general throughout the country. His purchase of arms from Putin's Russia betrays NATO, and makes a nonsense of his claiming to be an ally. He must be opposed wherever possible and the Turkish people once again returned to freedom.
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@Cmank1
What do you think Turkey? the terrorists that you call allies are killing a citizen every day. you are a community with Israel and you see your own unlawful attitude. you support vote theft in elections. Erdogan is a world leader and this is your challenge
3
@Cmank1
The YPG/PKK is a Marxist Leninist terrorist group which has a North Korean style cult of personality around Ocalan as it sells it self to Trump, Netanyahu, and MBS. This is hardly the democratic opposition Turkey or the region needs.
I’d call it a setback for democracy more than just for the opposition.
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Certainly Don the Con is paying attention.
Do not be surprised if he starts complaining about how rigged the system is against him as the next election approaches.
17
Turkey is the model Trump will use for his resounding defeat in 2020. Just watch.
14
Wow. This is almost as disgusting as what happened in Florida in 2000.
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@Tony Long Almost?
1
The most moronic move that is being suggested is to boycott the re-vote of the election. If anything, this whole debacle should enrage the electorate to vote against Erdogan's malice towards Turkish democracy.
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@thumb
Votes will be counted differently next time. Erdogan wins. He continues to have far more support than Maduro, and that guy is holding on.
4
Erdogan rigged almost everything — the system, the media, the bureaucracy — in his favor and still lost. Under Erdogan, Turkey is returning to its more familiar state - the sick man of Europe.
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It is like a manual that provides visual instructions to unchecked leaders. How to grab power and seize it for an unlimited time. Use democracy's basic concepts like majority rule while hallowing its main features out slowly. Erdogan took advantage of everyone; his supporters who gave him unequivocal support, those who were uncomfortable but gave him a benefit of doubt anyway, and opponents who thought that he will be gone the way he came to power--through elections.
Now we see the institutions that are supposed to protect the regime in Turkey are in shambles. They are just apparatus for Erdogan's dirty deeds.
So, this can happen here too. The stakes are much bigger than people realize. It is the system that is being threatened.
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Wake-up America. This is what will be happening here next, and with the full compliance of a Republican Senate and a compromised Justice Department.
What you need to ask yourselves is whether a strong economy is worth sacrificing your free and democratic society.
Think about it.
Choose wisely.
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@N. Smith . Hear hear! An American living in TR here -- it's been an education over the last ten years. I keep telling the folks back in my hometown to start paying attention -- the U.S. is on an clearly slippery slope with our current administration. People don't think it can "happen here" but ohhh, yes, it most certainly can. It IS. It has already begun.
The fix is in. Erdogan has too much power in the right places to be stymied.
17
Erdogan is no different than Putin or Trump. However, the US have a judiciary with deep roots in fairness & justice, which is capable of resisting Trump. Erdogan is smart and purposeful. Over the last 5 years, he successfully seized the Turkish judiciary via a referendum, thinly cloaked as the long awaited trial of the 12 September 1980 coup leaders. Ever since, he has been referencing courts, justices and prosecutors for all the unlawfullness he displays. because they are all handpicked by him. Whatever meager amount of Democracy Turks had, is all but gone now. If the economy doesn't pick up some speed, Erdogan might have to resort to plan B, or even C
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@Umur
You have more respect for Kavanaugh and Gorsuch than I do.
11
Nancy Pelosi is right to be concerned if Trump loses in 2020 - he will decry the election results as illegitimate. This is a page from the dictator's playbook. Michael Cohen has also warned about this.
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But that's just more reason for Pelosi to stop waffling and impeach the loser, who already lost in 2016, and if not prevent such a scenario then get the vile GOP's treasonous opposition on the record.
The media can help too, by refusing to regard his twit-whines as anything more than that, unless hate speech—and by generally refusing to "integrate" with his favorite anti-media pro-GOP marketing website.
Or they can keep begging Twitter for followers to sparkle advertiser eyes. No big deal, just the future of truth, justice, and journalism at stake is all.
7
This is the modus operandi of a dictator.
35
Foreshadowing 2020 in America.
27
If only Venezuela could learn to be a fair and democratic state like our stalwart ally Turkey!
23
My Turkish neighbor says that Erdogan is their Trump. I hope not. Erdogan seems very corrupt.
7
@Hah! Ergogan is far, far more competent than Trump.
17
Thus is why Nancy Pelosi is warning Democrats that Trump must lose decisively in 2020. I can imagine Trump contesting and demanding recounts and Supreme Court intervention of any narrow loss. His base is ignorant and gullible enough to support him.
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@MMD
Like Al Gore in 2000 and Stacy Abrams in Georgia. Pelosi of course assumes that Trump will do what she knows the Democrats have and will do: try to overturn any close election and deny the legitimacy of the race if they lose
1
Turkey, if you’re listening, show me how to stay in office. DJT
12
Lets hope the Donald is unaware of what is going on in Istanbul. He would try to pull it off here as he continues to lose.
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@c p
Too late. Trump is already knee-deep in Putin's playbook.
12
Wow, I'm speechless. The gall of those men...preposterous
Terrifying.
16
Dear Turkey,
Please stop giving Trump an authoritarian playbook to copy from.
Sincerely,
America
22
Waiting for the american response to outright election theft in a "democratic" country. Waiting to hear the phone call from Trump to talk sense into Erdogan.
Oh wait..Erdogan got the idea from us.
10
@Mike
No, you have it backwards, if anything. Erdogan has been up to this for years.
5
It's kind of like when a country elects a president then the powerful federal institutions like the one charged with investigating crimes starts investigating that elected person with the intent of kicking him out of office. Then the political opposition and the allies in the media use all their power to demonize the elected person every day, non stop, in a coordinated effort to kick the person out of office. They make up crimes that the elected person supposedly committed, let's say it's election collusion with a foreign government, and publish fake news stories, prop up phony witnesses like attorneys and porn stars, all in an effort to get him kicked out.
Not all that dissimilar to Erdogan, his control over the government and the media ....
4
@Kev
It's kind of funny how all the evidence and the subsequent report align with what the "fake" media has been writing for the past 2 years.
9
@Kev So how many participants do you think are involved in your anti-Trump conspiracy? Virtually all of the independent press, most judges (including those appointed by the Republicans), miscellaneous porn stars, the FBI, the CIA ... How is this vast "dark state" coordinated? Are they paid? Why else would so many people violate their oaths of office? I don't see an Erdogan-like figure with his access to the tools of power. Please enlighten me. (Be sure to reference Occam's razor.)
4
“There is fraud here, corruption,” Mr. Erdogan told an assembly...
True, the fraud and corruption is with Mr. Erdogan himself.
45
Maybe Trump will send election observers to the repeat election - to see how it's done.
24
So much for democracy.
I wonder what steps the regime will take to insure that the ruling party does not suffer an embarrassment in the new vote. A second defeat would be a massive blow to Erdogan's legitimacy. That cannot be permitted to happen.
17
This could easily happen here.
With a president and an attorney general who openly ignore the rule of law, why not void election results they don’t like?
40
How many Americans are wondering if Trump and his malicious muse Stephen Miller are taking notes?
Trump already “jokes” (or is he sending up a trial balloon?) he deserves two extra years as president because of the Mueller investigation. He loves playing the victim, like the child who kills his parents and demands leniency because he’s an orphan.
The blue wave of 2018 needs to be a blue tsunami in 2020. It’s not too soon to get involved, and grassroots energy makes an enormous difference.
41
Not a blue tsunami, but an actual Sane-ami this time. Too many Democrats are afraid to hold the vile GOP accountable, and they must be primaried in favor of actual Democrats if they still won't do their job in time.
If Pelosi and Schumer will just let the vile GOP break the law without even censure, and Manchin will just keep being Manchin, then why even keep them around?
1
I hope Turkey can maintain the original results and their democracy.
Unfortunately, something like this is now possible in the US as we have seen our established democratic norms eroded by Trump and the GOP. I could absolutely see them refusing to accept 2020 results.
All citizens should be on guard for these tactics by strongmen and their lackeys.
19
So--an autocratic polity that only honors elections if they produce autocratic confirmation? Smell the Turkish coffee--this is where we are heading with Trumpism. All hands on deck, as we have to save our democracy
17
The Turkish despot Erdogan is no doubt giving Trump more ideas about how to upend our 2020 elections, presidential if he loses, or a flipped Senate, if he wins. Either way, Nancy Pelosi is right: Trump needs to be defeated soundly, decidedly and with finality in 2020.
7
Clearly our president will do nothing to defend valid elections and a legitimate vote. For right now, we are no longer the leader of, "The Free World." Will any democracies be stepping up to defend free and fair elections?
Let's hope and pray that the opposition in Turkey can win this election a second time.
And yes, it does make me fear what trump will try in 2020.
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