Trump's inadvertent hat-tip to Stalin

[FatPhil]

Joseph Stalin — 'Those who vote decide nothing. Those who count the vote decide everything.'

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/02/us/politics/trump-nationalize-elections.html

President Trump called in a new interview for the Republican Party to "nationalize" voting in the United States, an aggressive rhetorical step that was likely to raise new worries about his administration's efforts to involve itself in election matters.

During an extended monologue about immigration on a podcast released on Monday by Dan Bongino, his former deputy F.B.I. director, Mr. Trump called for Republican officials to "take over" voting procedures in 15 states, though he did not name them.

"The Republicans should say, 'We want to take over,'" he said. "We should take over the voting, the voting in at least many — 15 places. The Republicans ought to nationalize the voting."

Given what he's got away with so far, I can't rule it out, despite it being as out there as his third term rhetoric.

 

[Gary C]

Unconstitutional and guaranteed to provoke a crisis. OTOH this is the sort of careless excess that could cause a major segment of his libertarian base to jump ship. Federal overreach has been a key motivator for them for generations generating multiple conspiracy theories themselves.

 

[enilc]

Unconstitutional and guaranteed to provoke a crisis. OTOH this is the sort of careless excess that could cause a major segment of his libertarian base to jump ship. Federal overreach has been a key motivator for them for generations generating multiple conspiracy theories themselves.

How many jumped ship over tariffs? How many jumped ship over Venezuela? How many jumped ship over Iran? How many jumped ship over NG deployments to US cities?

Any "Libertarian" who has supported the current Admin since 21 Jan 2025 is lying one way or the other.

 

[Gary C]

How many jumped ship over tariffs? How many jumped ship over Venezuela? How many jumped ship over Iran? How many jumped ship over NG deployments to US cities?

Any "Libertarian" who has supported the current Admin since 21 Jan 2025 is lying one way or the other.

Mostly to themselves.