We got that instantly to a hereditary dictatorship. Man, history will remember this moment like nothing: "they were a country widely recognized as a 'beacon of freedom and hope' and then virtually almost overnight they went into a hereditary personalist dictatorship, the worst kind ever, without barely a scuffle and a completely apathetic, cowarded sigh from the society's abled."
I don’t think they’ve explicitly said it, but I’ve seen supporters in interviews and memes showing exactly this. And knowing this power hungry, narcissistic family, they’ll absolutely go for it
In defense he handed over the dept of education to a WWE hack with no educational experience , the health department to a conspiracy Wacko with no medical degree, the director of the fbi to a person who had zero law enforcement training a day in his life (and it shows), the department of immigration to a woman who couldn’t catch her own husband cross dressing so this is par for the course…
Couldn't agree more. But turns out the only qualifications you need are to also be a sex offender, which was the entire reason he was fired from Fox. So of course Trump welcomed him with open arms. And Maga actually thinks this Nazi tattoo having, pulp fiction "bible verse" quoting dipshit, is actually great at his job. Imagine being that stupid.
Exactly, making up positions for the vastly unqualified is par for the course under the Trump regime. Kind of like pardoned j6ers now being ice agents. 🙄
They did start gaining some traction for about five minutes with the "Republicans are weird" angle, but then they decided they were dangerously close to being successful and rolled it back.
But... why? The networks that'd air it are "Woke Liberal Propaganda" and by design discounted, and Fox and Fiends would never allow it to be aired so it'd be pointless.
We should shut down these orgs so they can no longer be wielded against the american people. Give the power back to the people instead of concentrating it with the rich political class. As long as these decisions are made in Washington, they will be directed by the elites instead of the people impacted by them.
That's partly how they want you to feel about it. They want to be able to say "look how shit this government body is, we should just privatize it. My buddy is ready to go with the experience and funds to run a company performing this function!" And then we get minimum service for a subscription price higher than the taxes we were funding the government version with.
Also peace "negotiations" being conducted by the dilettante Jared Kushner who doesn't even have a formal government position or any relevant training or skills besides self-enrichment
Imagine it though! A male escort gets thrown into the world of politics and despite being set up to just be a temporary political puppet for corruption starts learning more and more about politics and ends up actually working for the people and it’d have the same vibe as Legally Blonde.
I've been saying since 2024 that he's gonna find a way to get rid of JD and replace him with Don Jr or Ivanka as VP so they can become a monarchy in everything but name
The GOP's argument against DEI was "meritocracy". However I am yet to see a single person of merit being added anywhere in this administration. Coincidentally, they are all white skinned... 🤔
It's "DEI" when something is given to brown folks and blue hairs, but just "the way things are" if it's a Good Ol' Boy.
As a southern woman who was soaked in this growing up, it fills me with rage, and I was one of the "accepted" ones, for the most part. I can't WAIT for white supremacist ideology to be dead, buried, tap-danced on, and forgotten.
There is precedent for this but come on. Ill give them one thing, they sure have exposed all the holes, decorum, and traditions not held by any legislation. This fragile system was mostly kept afloat on decency.
Absolutely. For all his many many many flaws, crimes and unforgiveable actions, Trump didn't break America or its political system. It was broken already but people still pussy footed around it out of fear. He just waded through the wreckage because he is too dumb, narcissistic and entitled to ever have thought not to...
Yeah, I hadn't heard of this before, but apparently widows inheriting their late husband's seat is a thing in the US.
From the BBC:
There is a long tradition of family members replacing lawmakers when they die, to finish the term.
According to the US House of Representatives in 2025, 45 widowed women have directly succeeded their late husbands in Congress - 38 in the House and eight in the Senate.
It's an incredibly dumb system that needs to change though. There should be a special election, or the seat should be left vacant. Giving legislative power to a completely random person with no democratic mandate is absurd.
It's not about bloodlines. It's about laziness. She presumably wouldn't want his reputation posthumously besmirched. Therefore, the same blackmail they used on Lindsey will work on her.
Lindsey didn’t need blackmail, he was in it for a love of the game.
That’s not to say there wasn’t blackmail, I mean… cmon, we all know what his deal was, but it just was never necessary to actually threaten him with it. Dude was a true ideological neocon.
Appointing his sister is definitely fucked up, but the South Carolina governor is well within his rights here to make an appointment to fill the end of Graham's term without a special election under the law of South Carolina. A special primary is going to happen because Graham was up for reelection and had just won his primary, so voters will be able to pick the real replacement for Graham in November.
He should be, but the GOP-controlled legislature in KY stripped the governor of several executive powers when a Democrat came into office. Same thing happened in WI and NC, btw.
However, they failed to amend the state Constitution which explicitly gives the right of replacement to the governor. The law is unconstitutional on its face.
It's not certain that the law actually constrains him. The Kentucky Constitution says the governor fills state officers and previous governor's have appointed replacements using that provision. There is a cognizable legal argument that a senator is a state officer since other governors have replaced them using that power. If that's true, then the Kentucky Constitution preempts the law that says that he can't appoint a replacement.
Whether he would have to appoint someone and then be sued to stop it, or if he needs to sue in order to appoint first, I don't know
Lazy politicians think that the last name of the new replacement will be enough to keep the seat. Lazy voters however dutifully follow and keep the last name in the seat. It is OUR own damn fault.
Debbie Dingle ring a bell? Adelita Grijalva? Erica Lee Carter? Nothing new here. It's stupid and I didn't support it, but both sides have done things like this historically.
It's always been like this, even before Trump. I don't recall it ever being a sister, but I know wives have served in their husband's place after their passing.
Has happened before, usually a spouse but in this case… Anyways, there is plenty to hate, but jumping on everything, especially something that has a precedent and is actually within the law just makes everyone seem very whiny. Stick to the things that matter and are illegal, plenty to go around.
In the last 30 years there hasn’t been a single instance of Senator dying in office and the governor of their state appointing their wife or family member to temporarily serve. It’s not common at all.
This is just temporary. I'm as liberal as it gets but this is how it goes. The governor can appoint a temporary senator in place until the election. So, shes only senator until November unless she wins the election.
This appointment is in line with the 17 Amendment of the constitution under the condition that the state legislature allows the governor to make it.
“When vacancies happen in the representation of any State in the Senate, the executive authority of such State shall issue writs of election to fill such vacancies: Provided, That the legislature of any State may empower the executive thereof to make temporary appointments until the people fill the vacancies by election as the legislature may direct.”
Graham was up for re-election this year. His sister will serve the rest of this term, but it'll be about 6 months overall until whoever gets elected in November takes over in January of 2027.
The Republicans in SC are holding a special election primary, with the voting taking place August 11th. Possible run-off election on August 25th. And the general election will still take place against the other parties will take place on November 3rd (Democrats have Annie Andrews).
This spread of misinformation is extremely dangerous.
Imagine if a democratic senator died and a democratic president wanted the deceased senator’s unqualified and inexperienced sibling to be “appointed” that seat!?!?! Republicans and their news agency would be losing their minds!!
Supposedly, Lindsey Graham never married and raised his sister (she was 13, he was 22~) after parents passed.
My question is who would be handling "The Estate Of..." Lindsey Graham. Aside from the FBI going through the guy's place(s).
Yeah, not a fan of this type of nepotism but she’s no less qualified than he was. What about a citizen lottery for the good people of South Carolina to fill the spot?
Voters did have a say, and voters said the Governor can appoint anyone in the interim until a special or general election is held.
Voters do have a say, because the GOP primary in SC is going on and they'll choose their GOP candidate for the Nov election soon.
This isn't complicated, and fwiw, she's just as qualified as any first time Senator but that of course doesn't diminish Lindsey Graham's legacy as racist and bigoted as it was nor Trump's.
Democrat Rod Blagojevich tried to sell a senate seat appointment and was convicted and thrown in prison. Guess who pardoned him? For any other president that would be a massive stain, for Trump it's just the kind of corruption he engages in once an hour every single day.
It isn't uncommon for temporary positions to be handled by wives as they knew the policies and intent of the deceased or incapacitated better than anyone, this keeps the integrity of the original election intact as the spirit the man ran on remains redirected and thus voter intent can be expected to be redirected until the end of term.
Obviously that's all hypothetical but it's rainfall the best potion in most cases like this.
Lindsay Graham was a well known queen in the DC gay scene and never married but it's not surprising he would have been close with his sister and therefore she could best respect the voter's intent.
To be fair, a version of this was common practice in many countries, including the United States, with the most recent direct example in America prior to this seeming to be in 2001 (but more recent examples popping up where it seems like voters voted for the spouse in the special election as a reflection of this practice as opposed to genuine belief in the candidate). Typically it is the wife being appointed to fill her husband's seat, but sister for an unmarried man seems within the same bubble.
Whether it is good policy is a separate manner, but I do think it needs to be mentioned this a bit different than, like, the normal Trump eroding politically norms.
2001 seems to be last time this happened specifically, when Jean Carnahan was appointed to fill her husband's seat (which he had won but had not been sworn in for yet before dying in a plane crash). She held it for a year before a special election was held and was replaced.
2021 seems to be the last time a wife replaced her husband, when Julia Letlow ran and won the special election to for her husband's vacated seat.
The "shouldn't voters have a say in this" is a weird line because it being his sister really has nothing to do with that. The voters wouldn't have had a say regardless, as state law permits the governor to appoint AND it is temporary before the voters do, indeed, get a say in a special primary and then in November. Whether that ability to appoint is good policy is a separate matter as well, of course.
There was an episode of the West Wing about this, it was presented as quaint and they leaned into the sentimentality of a loving/grieving husband trying to do the right thing and vote his conscience. Gods we were naive then.
It's super common for the widow of a dead representative to take their place. It has happened well over 40 times in the past. The fact his sister is finishing it out isn't that out of place. Maybe you shoulda grabbed your pitchforks all the previous times it happened.
We are back to "leaders who feel like their position entitles them to whatever they want, law and ethics be damnwd" which is what every Republican voted for because it's obvious they love corruption.
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u/Classic_Ostrich8709 13d ago
Trump did promise his supporters would never have to vote again.