The Next Four Years
Best case scenario:
Harding administration redux, in which Trump turns out to be a garden variety kleptocrat, the most vulnerable among us are neglected, and the environment goes to shit.
Chances of the best case scenario coming to pass: 2-3%
Nightmare scenario:
Trump moves to rescind Iran nuclear deal and generally trash international treaties & agreements...
... aggressive escalation of war on ISIS, which provokes massive terror attacks vs. West & US...
... Trump uses terror threat as pretext to declare state of emergency and assume extraordinary powers (see Enabling Act, 1933)...
... GOP electeds & judges readily comply while...
... the Left fragments into disputatious factions (see Spanish Civil War, c.1937)...
... and the media obsess over Trump's latest diversionary tweetstorm over an instigated event (e.g. the "disrespecting" of VP Pence during an appearance on Bill Maher's show)...
... and there you have it: seizure of power is complete. The USA is no longer a Republic. Back to your regularly scheduled programming.
Chances of the nightmare scenario coming to pass: 60-65%
Harding administration redux, in which Trump turns out to be a garden variety kleptocrat, the most vulnerable among us are neglected, and the environment goes to shit.
Chances of the best case scenario coming to pass: 2-3%
Nightmare scenario:
Trump moves to rescind Iran nuclear deal and generally trash international treaties & agreements...
... aggressive escalation of war on ISIS, which provokes massive terror attacks vs. West & US...
... Trump uses terror threat as pretext to declare state of emergency and assume extraordinary powers (see Enabling Act, 1933)...
... GOP electeds & judges readily comply while...
... the Left fragments into disputatious factions (see Spanish Civil War, c.1937)...
... and the media obsess over Trump's latest diversionary tweetstorm over an instigated event (e.g. the "disrespecting" of VP Pence during an appearance on Bill Maher's show)...
... and there you have it: seizure of power is complete. The USA is no longer a Republic. Back to your regularly scheduled programming.
Chances of the nightmare scenario coming to pass: 60-65%