General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region Forums2026 & 2028 elections... talk me down...
The Repubs are acting like they don't care that a sizable majority of the voters are unhappy with their policies and obstructionism.
Do they believe they won't have to face the voters in 2026 & 2028?
I am not normally a conspiracy person, but I worry that trump will send troops to major cities in blue states and do things like seizing ballot boxes because of "voter fraud". And more.
As I say.. talk me down.

chicoescuela
(2,363 posts)Good luck
Bernardo de La Paz
(59,171 posts)... would alienate a great majority, including some even in the maga base.
There is a possibility they might say "what the hell" and try, but I think it is a very faint possibility because everything would come crashing down including the economy and ... bottom line ... billionaires would lose billions.
BComplex
(9,586 posts)There were republican precinct chairs allowing access to the voting machines by republican "computer technicians". There were over 30,000 voters purged in Georgia, and many again in North Carolina. I still don't believe that republicans, at EVERY level of government, won the election.
Trump said they already had all the votes, and that nobody had to vote. He said Musk took care of the computers in Pennsylvania. There are still court cases working their way through the courts where people say they sent in their ballots, and that they were never received, or never counted, or showed they voted for someone else.
Democrats were too timid to raise hell. We're losing our democracy every day because of it what the republicans, with help from their silicon valley billionaires and their hacker toadies, are doing to this country.
I'm not optimistic.
Bernardo de La Paz
(59,171 posts)I hope, expect, Democrats at every level everywhere are attending to a lot more things than we are aware of on the surface.
jonstl08
(503 posts)Feel Trump about 1-2 of months before the election when he knows the GOP will lose badly will somehow declare a national emergency and "pause" the elections for public safety keeping the GOP in power. Democratic politicians and people will revolt. He will then declare Martial Law and probably arrest political opponents such as leading democrats. Similar to what happened in 1930's Germany. He and the GOP are following a similar playbook
chicoescuela
(2,363 posts)johnnyfins
(3,003 posts)There is more evidence that elections won't happen than there is that they will. Contact your representatives. Tell them your concerns. Your voice matters. Even if your reps are not on your side. PRESSURE!!!!
Fiendish Thingy
(20,879 posts)Quotes by incompetent minions and MAGA pundits is not evidence.
Stop spreading defeatist Doomerism.
johnnyfins
(3,003 posts)Pay attention to what the party in power is DOING. Not what they are SAYING.
EXAMPLE: Trying to get voter data from every state that they can.
EXAMPLE: Trying to put military on the streets of "blue" cities.
EXAMPLE: Early Gerrymandering.
WAKE THE FUCK UP!!!!!!!!!
Bernardo de La Paz
(59,171 posts)Bernardo de La Paz
(59,171 posts)... so they want to force married women into getting proper documentation with their birth names AND their married names. The result would depress deeply the votes of women, if they can get it through.
Fiendish Thingy
(20,879 posts)Their rhetoric and buffoonish attempts at election interference have thus far been met with mockery and failure.
Despite gerrymandering, Dems are on track to retake the house, with anywhere from a 20-30 seat pickup.
They have power, but they dont have control
Dont surrender in advance, and dont buy into the mythology.
Trump is not omnipotent, and the states and the people are not powerless.
STOP DOOMPOSTING AND FACE THE FUCKING REALITY THAT WE HAVE POWER, AND THE MAJORITY OF THE PEOPLE ARE ON OUR SIDE!!!
BComplex
(9,586 posts)I also don't think Albacore is alone in the suspicion that this rogue government, their party, and their supreme court are planning to do ANYTHING resembling democracy in the 2026 election.
Septua
(2,884 posts)..but.
Countries considered to be dictatorships or authoritarian regimes that still hold elections are often categorized as "electoral autocracies". In these systems, leaders use elections to claim legitimacy and project an image of democracy, even as they suppress opposition and limit freedoms.
Examples of countries with these characteristics include:
Azerbaijan: Elections are held, but the New Azerbaijan Party and the Aliyev family have maintained power for decades by restricting political competition and consistently winning with overwhelming majorities.
Belarus: The country holds elections, but they are widely seen as rigged. Civil liberties are heavily suppressed under President Alexander Lukashenka's authoritarian rule.
Cambodia: While constitutionally a multi-party state, the Cambodian People's Party has systematically dismantled meaningful opposition, effectively creating a one-party state.
Egypt: Since 2014, the government under President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has restricted opposition and cracked down on dissent, while still holding elections.
Iran: Elections take place, but powerful unelected bodies, like the Guardian Council, control the process by vetting all candidates. This allows them to eliminate reformists and uphold the system of clerical rule.
Nicaragua: The Sandinista National Liberation Front has been accused of consolidating power by restricting political participation and disqualifying opposition leaders. Elections are still held, but are not considered free or fair.
Russia: President Vladimir Putin has used elections to legitimize his rule, but opposition candidates face systematic harassment and restrictions.
Singapore: Elections are held regularly, but the People's Action Party has maintained a dominant, one-party system for decades.
Tanzania: President Samia Suluhu Hassan and the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party are expected to win future elections due to long-standing dominance.
Togo: In 2024, the government passed a new constitution that secures the president's power indefinitely, despite holding elections.
Turkey: Described as a "competitive authoritarian regime," Turkey holds elections where the ruling party uses state institutions to undermine political opponents.
Uganda: President Yoweri Museveni's regime holds elections, but the 2026 election is viewed as a contest between his dictatorship and an opposition movement facing severe restrictions.
Uzbekistan: Elections are held, but they lack genuine competition. The real opposition is often prevented from registering or participating.
Venezuela: The country holds elections, but they are often used to confuse voters and fragment the opposition, rather than serve as a fair or competitive democratic process.
This list is not exhaustive, and the level of authoritarian control in these countries can vary.
Since Trump took office, we have witnessed a hostile and aggressive attempt by a President to take autocratic control of the government. And I'm confident he's determined to maintain GOP control of Congress to further his agenda. He can't afford to lose his power over the Congress...
He's broken all the rules, many of the laws, has no compunction to do otherwise and assumes the authority to do whatever he pleases. It doesn't take a lot of imagination to devise a scenario where he could fuck up the 2026 elections, in his favor.
Fiendish Thingy
(20,879 posts)So, if Trump is rigging them, hes doing a piss poor job of it.
Fiendish Thingy
(20,879 posts)States run the elections and they cannot be canceled by the feds on a whim or a lie.
Trump is not omnipotent, and the states and the people are not powerless
johnnyfins
(3,003 posts)We are in a land of "they WILL". Rule of law is almost DEAD!!! Wake UP!!!!
Elessar Zappa
(16,373 posts)Hes not all powerful.
Fiendish Thingy
(20,879 posts)Just because you can imagine something, and type it on the internet, doesnt make that thing plausible, possible or probable.
They can, and have, done many evil things and wreaked havoc and destroyed institutions.
That doesnt mean they can or will cancel elections - you havent thought this through.
They have power, but they dont have control
Bernardo de La Paz
(59,171 posts)MrWowWow
(1,422 posts)We'll be lucky to even have the 2026 Midterms.
Regime Change(peacefully and legally). Now better than later...after it's too late.
.
Bernardo de La Paz
(59,171 posts)EdmondDantes_
(963 posts)There's no path to do what you're worried about. And the signs are more that they know they will lose. Why would they further gerrymander if they could fix the elections? Why do they keep losing elections this year if they can fix elections?
If they cancel elections (which they can't as others have explained), Trump's term along with the House, and a third of the Senate still ends at noon on January 20th.
The reason Republicans are going along with Trump is they are afraid of being primaries. That dam might break after the 2026 elections much as George W Bush became persona non grata late in his term.
And all of this doesn't account for Trump finally succumbing to any of his unhealthy habits.
But the biggest thing I would suggest is to find a thing to take your mind off of things. Go volunteer with some cause meaningful to you where you can see the results in the short term. Even the 2026 elections are a long way away. It helps to see immediate good. Because yes things look bad with the evil incompetence of the Trump administration, but there's still so much good out there.