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Comment by oytis | Hacker News Reader

This is all bad, but the real test will be the next presidential elections and, to a lesser extent, midterms. If you can vote a dictator out, it's not a real dictatorship.

And again, I'm not really seeing Europe staying democratic for long after the fall of the USA

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> but the real test will be the next presidential elections and, to a lesser extent, midterm

Sorry, but that is just extremely naive. Just look at how this usually works. Or look at what the orange fuckhead tried the last time. Now, repeat, but with much more power and influence in all the right places, from government to big tech.

Sorry, I am not from the USA, but like many people know a lot more about it than I would like - still might be missing some context because of that. I am not sure how it really works - all these people who now support Trump in achieving their goals - why would they want to support him in staying in power indefinitely? Isn't it clear that when there is no democracy, their opinion doesn't matter anymore? It's still very non-obvious to me that US as a whole will let that happen.

Me neither, and same!

I have no idea, but many keep supporting him through all of the above. So what would make them stop?

I hope you're right, but it's not looking good so far :/

Let me put your mind at ease, the version of US politics you think is happening is just a mirage. As in it doesn't exist. Real US politics doesn't take place in the media anymore. Its all just propaganda now. Trump is a terrible statesman, but he is nothing like what is described by the media nor anything you mentioned in any real way nor are current events in any way unique or different from how the US functions normally. Its just that now it seems to be OK to call an ICE facility holding people to be deported (something that exists in almost every country) is now called a concentration camp in the media (and even in this thread). But Obama, Clinton and Bush deported about the same number of people as Trump. So please believe me, as someone who actually lives in the US, you are just watching a scripted reality show from another universe, not actual life in the US.

the difference between a prison and a concentration camp isn't the facility, but the prices by which people are brought there. Previous administrations deported people, but they deported people who were in the country illegally, as opposed to grad students who published op-eds disagreeing with the administration, refugees who entered the country legally and properly followed the asylum process, and US citizens.

Incarceration without process is not normal in the US or in any functioning democracy.

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