Am I paranoid?

[The Night Owl]

I have a difficult time believing that the Republicans would hand over as much power to the executive branch as they have if they were not absolutely sure that they could keep power. Has anyone else here had the same thought? Are we paranoid?

[niyad]

1. as we said in the radical 60's:"just because you are paranoid

doesn't mean they aren't out to get you"
tis wise to be very suspicious of everything the thugs in power are doing.

[AlCzervik]

2. i think they got fat, lazy and comfortable and complacent. Remember

when Bush's ratings were in the 90's? I don't think the GOP factored in a big turn around for Bush so they put all their eggs in that basket and now the chickens are really coming home to roost.

[smirkymonkey]

3. If you are, then so am I.

Maybe I've just become overly cynical, but I don't see a seemless transition from Republican to Democratic leadership. I just can't believe that the vindictive, power hungry bastards in the Bush Administration are going to go away quietly and without incident.

[hootinholler]

17. We can all be paranoiacs together,

Maybe we'll even go to the same camp.

-Hoot

[maveric]

4. My take? Regardless of election results in 08, * will remain as prez.

They have come too far and worked too hard to let something like a fair, democratic election process remove their boy from the oval office.
Expect an attack or another crisis along the lines of "national security" to have bu$h postpone the swearing in of the next president indefinitely.
I just have this sick feeling that * will be at the helm for many more years.

[AnneD]

9. We have elected.....

Presidents in war time before. That would require an amendment or something. I don't think, esp given the mood of the country and if the Dems DO gain control of at least one house, that stands a snowballs chance in hell of happening. Folks may indeed finally take to the streets.

[maveric]

20. bu$h and his cronies can do whatever the hell they want to.

Haven't they proven that yet?
And he (*), stated that the Constitution "is only a goddamn piece of paper".
I'm convinced that we live in a fascist dictatorship under the guise of democracy.
He/they can and will do whatever they seem fit to maintain power and income.

[sofa king]

10. I concur.

For the past year I've been getting nervous laughs at parties by answering the question "who's going to be the next President" with "George W. Bush."

When people reply, "he can't do that," I say "you don't steal two trillion dollars and then just walk away to let your opposition convict you for it."

The reason I've been getting nervous laughs is because a lot of my friends still remember what I told them in 2004, which was that Bush only needed to get close to winning in 2004, "close enough to steal it." That's exactly what happened.

[AnneD]

21. The though has crossed my mind...

and I believe in my heart of hearts that the last 2 elections were stolen, but this time it really feels different. Too many that honestly voted for him in 2004 have realized the error of their way. Too many eyes watching now. I really do see a revolt if they hog the power.

[onenote]

23. ooh, can I add you to my wager list?

I have a standing offer: I'll donate $100 dollars to DU if chimpy doesn't leave office as scheduled in January 2009 (if not before). You willing to put up an equal amount if you're wrong and he does?

[Matariki]

5. that's the million dollar question

i keep asking myself if i'm just reading too much news and spending too much time on this board. one day i'll think that bush's house of cards *has* to come tumbling down, the next day i'll be sure we're headed for certain fascism complete with detention centers for dissidents.

Last night i had a terrible dream that the BIG WAR was started - one that was fought here. It wasn't a violent dream but the sense that the unthinkable had happened - that US cities were going to resemble Fallujah and that our lives would be FOREVER different.

[reprehensor]

6. No. n/t

[rubberducky]

7. I`ve been saying for a long time now,....

they have not built up so much powere in the executive branch to hand it over to dems.

[The Night Owl]

14. What a great way to say what I have been thinking! (NT)

[Tesha]

19. Since most of these new powers are illegal...

Since most of these new powers are illegal, if the
Democrats regain control of the executive, the Rep-
ublicans will just bring all the lawsuits that the
Democrats *SHOULD HAVE BEEN BRINGING ALL ALONG*,
thereby getting all these new powers declared illegal.

Tesha

[lectrobyte]

8. The question is not whether you are paranoid, it's whether you

are paranoid enough... I don't envision them giving up the executive branch, either.

[DaveJ]

11. Logically, their deranged policies will have an effect on the future...

...of the U.S. regardless. They have attempted to create a foothold in the M.E. which Dems will have to do something to maintain. Hundreds of thousands are maimed from the war. They have put in their Supreme Court judges. They have wracked up a national debt that Dems will have to pay off. The trust of other nations is destroyed. Etc.

[solara]

12. You are not alone

I often wonder how I got to be so cynical and so paranoid. Even in the 60's when there was a -major- paradigm shift, i.e. Students being shot dead for protesting, our President resigning.. I did not feel this level of cynicism and yes, sometimes, hopelessness.

Finding others of like mind here at DU has given me hope because I can actually 'see' that I am not alone in my dark musings, nor am I alone in the glimmers of hope that occur more frequently now. Somehow, through all of this anger and frustration and depression, I find that I still believe in miracles.

The unthinkable happened in 2000 and 2004.. our country was stolen and everything we believed in was subverted and it certainly seemed that we had no power. No wonder there is paranoia. But this time, the rational thinkers and courageous speakers have started to emerge and they have a platform from which to speak. The internet is rich with blogs which are -not- inconsequential so the people have a platfrom too. There is Air America and Keith Olbermann and the media is starting to get real and are actually speaking out. There -is- hope, but we cannot let up for a minute. If we falter in our belief in what we are doing we cannot not give into the fear, we must keep working for the shift until our personal hope returns, because it will.


The wheel is turning.

[Rosemary2205]

13. I am an incurable optimist

I'm really hoping the American public won't sit by and let the R's steal this election. -- and mark my words the R's will do everything they can think of to steal this one.

[valerief]

15. Makes too much sense to dismiss. nt

[SmokingJacket]

16. Yeah... did they want to give Unitary Executive powers to HILLARY?

Either they can't think ahead at all (and that's pretty likely, seeing how the last six years have gone) or they honestly believe, for whatever reason, they're going to be in the WH forever.

[The Night Owl]

22. An interesting experiment...

Ask a Freeper if he or she is comfortable with Hillary Clinton or any other Democrat having the powers which George W. Bush has and wants. I guarantee that they will say something to the effect that Democrats won't win any elections any time soon.

[springhill]

18. No, you are not..........

in fact I firmly believe that. They have not grabbed this much power and changed the landscape this much just to give it back. You are not alone in your beliefs. Chris Floyd, the writer, wrote about this several years ago. Whether by fraud or whatever, I don't believe they will allow the democrats to gain control.

[slackmaster]

24. You are a victim of the Fear Campaign

Not that of the Republican demagogues, rather the one being conducted by the our own demagogues.

[The Night Owl]

26. My fear is not based on anything our people have said.

I don't think GWB is going to stay in power, but I think the Republicans will do nearly everything they can do, legal or illegal, to get a Republican into the White House in 2008.

[slackmaster]

27. Anything they do that is legal is not a real problem

Let's concentrate on detecting and reporting anything illegal that either party does.

[woodsprite]

25. I think the same thing. But then I also think that some Dems (Dinos)

are in on the take (Carper, Lieberman, etc.) If they had stood up with conviction at least there may have been a fight on some of these things that passed. I just cannot fathom that every single repub is going along for the ride. That in my mind means that none of them in there were honest or were there to serve the people - only themselves - and that's almost every single one of them. I feel like our country and it's people have been raped.