Empires, like drug addicts, either reform, or self-destruct. The American Empire is roughly 250 years old. Historically, this is the time frame most empires either crumble from within or get conquered by a more powerful enemy.
There have been many books written about how and why empires collapse, but one of the common threads is that over time their leaders become intoxicated with greed and power for themselves and become indifferent to their citizens other than to exploit them.
A perfect example of this was the United States in the 1920s, the Roaring Twenties for the rich and powerful; not so much for 60% of the population who lived in miserable, squalid conditions below the poverty line. To make matters worse for them, the stock market crashed in 1929 and the Great Depression descended on America like the plague.
Fortunately, FDR emerged and instituted sweeping reforms to help average Americans, like social security, the minimum wage, child labor laws, etc. These reforms were paid for by the "Wealth Tax" that hit the upper class with a 75% tax rate. Needless to say, the Rich Boys Club in the U.S. felt that Roosevelt, who came from within their ranks, had betrayed them and eventually plotted to remove him from office. Fortunately, they didn't succeed.
But what if they had? What would have happened if FDR had not enacted those reforms and conditions had gotten even worse for the average citizen? Naturally, we can only speculate, but it's not a stretch to say that traditionally Americans don't like to be exploited or pushed around by kings or rich oligarchs. Eventually they'll reach a breaking point and get violent. As Thomas Jefferson noted, "The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants."
Have we arrived at this point yet? Are Americans ready to put their lives on the line against the tyranny of the Musk/Trump blunderbuss? Probably not. Nor are most Democrats, who are still talking about finding the right strategy to fight the Republicans or how they can win the midterms. Perhaps that's why their approval rating is currently a subterranean 27%, with many calling for their craven minority leader Chuck Schumer to slither off into the sunset.
As usual, only progressives like Bernie Sanders and AOC have the guts to promote an FDR-style agenda and talk about real issues that working class Americans care about, i.e., affordable health care, higher minimum wage, the rich paying their fair share of taxes, etc.
So far Bernie and AOC are drawing big crowds from dissatisfied Democrats and Independents, even former Trumpers. Is the reality finally dawning on the masses that neither party represents the working class? That large corporations and billionaires have taken over complete control of the country? That someone needs to man up and fight for freedom and democracy?
And isn't that the underlying motive why Luigi Mangione shot and killed the rich United Healthcare CEO in New York? Isn't that why those two guys attempted to assassinate Trump? And isn't that why masked protestors are currently firebombing Tesla dealerships?
In many ways, these real life violent anti-heroes resemble the fictional characters in the mind-bending 1999 film Fight Club. They're mostly young and anti-capitalist and they don't believe the system works for them anymore. They can't afford to buy houses, they hate their shitty low-paying jobs, and they know the deck is stacked against them because they don't come from the wealthy families that comprise the upper 10% of the population that own almost 70% of the country's wealth.
In addition, these working class individuals in their twenties and thirties hate the people in charge of the system because they know the people in charge are a bunch of ruthless selfish bastards who screw them every chance they get in order to have more for themselves.
They also know these same people get away with breaking the law and lying and cheating and stealing and nothing ever happens to them because they're rich and well-connected. And on top of all that, they know that many of the wealthiest of them don't even pay taxes! No wonder "Eat the Rich!" is their clarion call.
Is it any wonder then that they no longer believe they can change the system by working from within the system or peacefully protesting against it? Those techniques may have worked once in America before it became a corporate fascist state, but those days are over. So what's left? KABLAM!
Am I being alarmist? Perhaps. But there is no question the country is at a tipping point. Within the next year or so, if the economy gets worse and more people lose their jobs and health care (including many of the MAGA crowd), then perhaps even Donald Trump's most ardent supporters - along with the rest of the country -- are going to realize they've been played for suckers and turn against him.
If they do turn against him, then it follows the Republicans in Congress will turn against him because the only thing they fear more than Trump are their constituents who can vote them out of office. If this occurs, Trump will be impeached for a third time (and Vance for his first). Only this time Trump will be booted out of office, as will Vance. And if the Dems manage to retake the Congress next year (hopefully with a more progressive agenda), then Hakeem Jeffries will become president. I realize this is a long shot, but when a house of cards begins to crumble, it crumbles quickly.
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