1. The third of the people who didn’t vote had Trump previous to realize what he’d do and still said “Meh, either’s fine with me.” They’re complicit.

And 2. I get so fucking sick and tired of the “Dems are corporate shills” when the left can’t be faffed to show up at voting. I don’t mean the 4 year presidential votes. I mean the yearly all the way to the local shit. You want to know how we got Trump? Because the ultra-right made it a point to get in bed with the republicans and beat down doors to tell people to vote to secure the supreme court, to secure state positions, to secure fucking school board positions.

I have never met someone who had interest in Republicans who didn’t think they paid attention to the news. It may be Fox and Infowars but they paid some attention. If I had a nickle for every individual who was interested in left wing ideals but told me “I don’t know. I don’t like politics” I’d have enough to afford a plane ticket out of this fucking country.

Thank you. Audible was my lifesaver when I was working on the road but I’m definitely on the prepare part.

The reason you’re getting downvoted is it’s a problem even here in the country. It’s the “Why aren’t you doing anything about it?” to all of us.

In the case of me, I live 1000 miles away from the seat of power, our representatives actively are dismantling things we voted for, not national I’m talking, state level, because we’re outright surrounded by the people who are actively cheering for this. (and the example of the voting against, state voted to get rid of the most strict abortion law in the country, legalizing it… and now the representatives on state level are trying to get a pregnancy registry “to try to stop preventable abortions.” while the state rep at national level is trying to get a national abortion ban going. This is one of many many many things in the state by itself. Hell, I just learned the state just gained police control to the other city after they managed to vote that out.)

I didn’t downvote, but I want you to read “What are you going to do about it?” out loud. Hell, you yourself said it’s the apathy. But the fuck am I going to do? Show up and wave a sign at the people who already have shown they couldn’t give a flying shit about our opinions? Or be there when the fight starts and be a martyr. The second option the best case scenario is getting to be like Tank Man, but honestly demographics I’d be one of the many forgotten in the Tiananmen Square Massacre. And that’s what it’s going to look like, because this administration you better believe is looking for an opportunity to go full martial law, and if we don’t do it, their brownshirts will for them.

So the best I can fucking do is stock up, prepare, keep my head down, keep in contact with the people who are in the same boat as I am being in effectively enemy territory and use the privilege I have of looking like a standard white conservative to see how many I can keep safe when being that demographic is important.

US citizen here… can I bump up that number for them please? I’ll work and pay taxes without complaining about them.

Theoretically maybe the “savior” won’t shoot, maybe.

Look, it’s not a good deal, but hey, I’m trying this optimism thing out. Don’t think it’s working.

That said, anyone who makes a deal with Trump hasn’t paid attention to any of the deals he made in his last administration that he’ll drop them when they’re inconvenient.

I mean… that’s probably (about as close as he has one) the plan…

Worked as an EMT. Dealt with plenty of angry drunks.

Not supporting the cocaine thing, just saying there’s been plenty of “I’m gonna kick your ass” and the sloppy fighting is negated by the pain not registering as badly drunks.

But it’s why I’m mad at weed being illegal. I’ve never once had a stoner try to kick my ass. It’s usually a lot of “Yes yes I know everything is wonderful will you get on the damn cot?”

God… I actually want this.

Absolutely an anti-Trump voter in a red state who works in the healthcare industry where most of my repairs come from Canadian parts.

I know it’s against the Canadian way but do not apologize. We voted this way, time to learn.

I’m in the US. Fucking make it hurt. Maybe it’ll make the shitstains finally learn, or at least kill off enough that this shit won’t be a worry in the near figure.

Is it gonna suck for me? Yup. But it is anyways, so instead of the frog in the pot lets flambe this shit.

Dunno, I remember those days.

I remember commenting how we were a pretzel away from President Cheney…

Then again I remember Cheney being the “He picked him as a running mate to be a body shield because I’d take a bullet for W just to stop that from happening.” Unfortunately now we’re in the era where Cheney is the sensible politician (I threw up in my mouth a little when I just typed that last bit)

I’m sorry you’re getting the thoughts you didn’t vote, but I’ll admit I’m very much in the “Enjoy the collapse, losers!” territory so at least I’ll express mine, hopefully it helps make sense, and honestly, I appreciate your feeling to try to do better. If you figure out a way to move forward, fantastic. I just remember the top post of a comment when Trump won however and it so truly fits, “I’m tired, boss.”

I have been fighting to get people to vote for years, trying to keep them involved. Not trying to get to vote every 4 years, but every year, local stuff, this shit is important, people need to stay up on it. I’m considered a news hound amongst people I know… I listen to the morning news on the 30 minute commute to work, that’s how much time I put in to the news, that’s it. It’s not hard. Some days I say fuck it and listen to an audiobook.

People I’ve known who vote R, lets be honest, they went through the last Trump era and learned nothing. I remember back in the W. era people saying it should be illegal to speak against the president, who turned around and called Obama a muslim who should be deported. End of Trump era I knew republicans who were just starting to get it, maybe healthcare is fucked, maybe a lot of big corpo things are the problem… but immediately turned around and jumped right back in to Trumps circle the moment it came around “I couldn’t just vote for Kamala” just like “I just couldn’t vote for Hillary” and so on. Hell my state voted to repeal the strictest abortion ban and make abortion legal in the state, but still voted pretty much straight R despite a history of the party overturning ballot initiatives “Because the voters didn’t know what they were voting for.” So yes… after years of this, there’s the tribal “If you’re republican, you can go fuck yourself with a pineapple” especially as this collapse is coming.

On the non-voters. I’m sorry, I consider them just as culpable. In 2016 at least Trump was a… well anyone who paid fifteen minutes of attention knew what he was about but fuck it, I’ll give the people who said “Fuck it lets try something new” a bit of a pass. This time, there were no surprises on the table. You had Kamala, which yes was about as dead standard democrat as you got, and you got Project 2025 Trump back with a vengeance. Those that say “I didn’t vote for Trump” but by doing so stayed home gave their voice to “meh” and whatever happens they agreed to it. People I directly know who were in this, I know of one at least in a gay marriage, a few hispanic workers, and a trans individual, all who were “I’m just not interested in politics.” Well, suddenly they’re REALLY interested in politics. And many wanting to “rise up”, well I’m not going to trust someone who couldn’t be faffed to even do the basic fucking minimum to try to prevent things to watch my back when shit hits the fan.

So yes, we’re all hosed and anyone who didn’t see it coming had their heads so far up their own asses in the past 8 years they’ve proven they can’t be taught. I’m sitting in the fire too, I’m not going to like the collapse. But after years of the fighting and still witnessing the apathy, my empathy is dead. The tribalism is useful, these were the people who were willing to do the basic minimum to resist, so maybe we can actually help each other. I’ll help them as I can. The others I expressed about, no, I don’t want bad to happen… but at least the schadenfreude can be a little bit of light through some very dark times coming. Don’t weep for the stupid, you’ll be crying all day.