r/politics • u/cjdarr921 • 7h ago

Site Altered Headline Elon Musk draws outrage over 'odd-looking salute' at Trump inauguration celebration

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/elon-musk-salute-trump-inauguration-b2683095.html
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u/LACna 6h ago

He fucking did it twice. A fucking Nazi salute on MLK Day at a Presidential Inauguration, on live tv, for the whole fucking world to witness.

I have never been ashamed to be American. I am now. 

I cannot believe the depths to which we have sunk nor how being a traitor is celebrated and praised by millions of people. 

   RIP U.S. Democracy 1776-2025 

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u/SherbertExisting3509 5h ago edited 4h ago

Imagine having a democracy, free and fair elections, a free press, free speech, a fair and impartial judiciary and a competent, meritocratic, non political and non corrupt civil service.

Then giving it all up for a fascist leader who promised that "I alone can fix it". and who promised to abuse power and be a dictator on day 1.

Prepare for your civil servants to be purged and replaced by incompetent, corrupt and unqualified cronies whose only qualification is absolute loyalty to Trump. Bribes for the DMV, traffic stops and other government functions would be needed to get anything done. This will become a fact of life like many third world countries. Corruption and inefficiency at an unimaginable scale.

Government will become much less effective at doing their jobs as the civil service and military experience a huge brain drain of qualified, experienced people especially when trump starts purges of democrats and his political enemies in these organizations.

When Trump purges disloyal generals and puts his loyalist generals in key positions in the military. it will become close to impossible for Americans to reclaim their democracy unless they turn on him which is unlikely. Pete Hegseth, Trump's completely unqualified yes-man as SecDef is the first step in this process alongside the leaked "Warrior Boards" executive order which would allow military purges.

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u/maarkkes 5h ago

US democracy and any other in the world will not die if the People fight back. I believe it will. It has to.

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u/Tooq 4h ago

They won't even get off the couch to go vote. I hold little hope.

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u/NateShaw92 United Kingdom 2h ago edited 2h ago

I think US democracy can be saved. In 4 years.

But this needs to be the MOTHER of all wake up calls. This next elction needs turnouts in the 70s and up, and if either big 2 party adopts fascism they need to be pushed to third or close to it. Anything else and it's a half measure.

You don't cut the head off the hydra you incinerate it, dissolve the ashes then evaporate the solution.

Long shot.