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babylonsister

(172,645 posts)
Mon Feb 2, 2026, 10:16 AM Monday

A healthy democracy...would not allow a deranged, serial abuser of women and children to occupy its most powerful office

Posted by a friend on FB. He's right.

Peter Birkenhead

Donald Trump is a serial rapist. There can be no serious or reasonable argument against that assertion.

Yet reporters, pundits and Senators will tell you that they go on having conversations with the president about housing policy and taxes and ballrooms because, well, he’s the president, and no matter what he’s done that fact makes his every utterance newsworthy and important.
Because the institution of the presidency is important, and must be respected.

Read that again, slowly.

“We respect the institution of the presidency so much we must allow it to be occupied and administered by an utterly depraved criminal.”

This is not a logic that “respects institutions.”

This is a logic that worships power.

If an assistant deputy director at the EPA was a serial rapist, no reporter would ask them about anything other than being a serial rapist. No Senator would speak to them.

What would happen if the reporters at a press briefing in the Oval Office asked Donald Trump detailed questions about the sickening evidence of his depravity and refused to let him change the subject?

Yes, he would send everybody out. How do you think that would play on the evening news later?

Yes, he would deny those reporters access in the coming days. How long do you think he could go without on-camera attention from them? Yes, he would only allow sycophants from Fox and Newsmax to attend the next press briefing. How long do you think he’d be able to withstand the coverage and criticism of that fact by other news organizations? A day? A week? Two weeks?
What if members of Congress gathered in the Oval Office said to the President, on camera, “We’ve read the following evidence of your shocking, disgusting behavior and refuse to conduct business-as-usual with an unrepentant, violent criminal”?

Does anyone think that would play to the benefit of the criminal?

A healthy democracy, one that actually respected its institutions, would not allow a deranged, serial abuser of women and children to occupy its most powerful office.

In such a democracy it would be a matter of course to speak to a sociopathic rapist occupying the office about nothing other than his crimes, to extend him no deference, no benefit of the doubt, and no opportunities to cause more harm and suffering.

To do otherwise would be to engage in blatant disrespect of the presidency and the principles embedded in the Constitution that established it in the first place.

Allowing Donald Trump to continue wreaking havoc on our institutions and their founding principles is not an act of respect for those institutions and principles. It is an act of disdain for American democracy and an exaltation of power for its own sake.
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A healthy democracy...would not allow a deranged, serial abuser of women and children to occupy its most powerful office (Original Post) babylonsister Monday OP
Our democracy is light years from being healthy. spanone Monday #1
Kick dalton99a Monday #2
My husband last night was talking to a friend about this United States as NOW. chouchou Monday #3
Keyword being "healthy". Solly Mack Monday #4
Half the people don't vote which left us defenseless against those who would do us harm. Blues Heron Monday #5
It has been reported for years that most people get 15 minutes of news a day... IthinkThereforeIAM Monday #20
I really hope Nixon can't see what's going on n/t leftstreet Monday #6
This very thing was the subject of Olbermann's Countdown this morning. flashman13 Monday #7
I would expand that statement EYESORE 9001 Monday #8
Maybe he was sent to a military school because his first sexual assault was against a younger female family member ChicagoTeamster Monday #9
Not likely, based on what is known about the family. ShazzieB Monday #21
Thanks for the info. I hope this clears things up not just for me but other lurkers as well. ChicagoTeamster Monday #23
Yes, it's very easy to speculate! ShazzieB Monday #24
Excuse my language.... SergeStorms Monday #10
Very well-written piece BaronChocula Monday #11
No shit, right? Joinfortmill Monday #12
It appears this could well be the largest honey trap and sex trafficking ring run by Putin and the KGB Bev54 Monday #13
How is this creature affecting the mental health of millions? young_at_heart Monday #14
I am I_UndergroundPanther Yesterday #28
A good article, but it is off target sarisataka Monday #15
And who said we were a "healthy democracy"? kentuck Monday #17
That is an assumption of a fact not in evidence sarisataka Monday #22
All the swing states. MaeScott Yesterday #30
Worse than that. He caused an insurrection and got away with it. spanone Monday #16
No healthy democracy would ever elect such a criminal - rapist, fraudster, tax cheat, treason -- but racist failing one JT45242 Monday #18
The "Advent of Gingerich"... IthinkThereforeIAM Monday #19
I lived in Houston when DeLay was around. Yes, babylonsister Monday #25
The elite have ALWAYS abused women and children. DJ Synikus Makisimus Monday #26
I wrote a poem I_UndergroundPanther Yesterday #29
not to mention the stunning corruption... JudyM Yesterday #27
Rec rec. rec malaise 23 hrs ago #31
Yep....and yet, here we are Bettie 23 hrs ago #32

chouchou

(2,922 posts)
3. My husband last night was talking to a friend about this United States as NOW.
Mon Feb 2, 2026, 10:40 AM
Monday

He said something like: "You know ralph, you remember the YUGO car" "Even "Consumer Reports" said "Worst automobile we've ever tested"
"I'm starting to think America is turning into a YUGO"

Not far from it.

Solly Mack

(96,617 posts)
4. Keyword being "healthy".
Mon Feb 2, 2026, 11:13 AM
Monday

A healthy democracy doesn't torture either.

Alas...

Haven't been healthy for a long, long time.

Blues Heron

(8,502 posts)
5. Half the people don't vote which left us defenseless against those who would do us harm.
Mon Feb 2, 2026, 11:17 AM
Monday

We’ll be fighting these bastards the pukes for the rest of our lives. People need to vote. It should be mandatory.

IthinkThereforeIAM

(3,292 posts)
20. It has been reported for years that most people get 15 minutes of news a day...
Mon Feb 2, 2026, 01:24 PM
Monday

... a bit here, a bit there... flipping channels on the boob tube and radio. Trying to watch some news but then, "oh, oh, my kettle on the stove is whistling... oh, no, junior is sceaming and needs his diaper changed"... Never enough of the news article to get the details, usually headlines only and a few first lines.

flashman13

(2,206 posts)
7. This very thing was the subject of Olbermann's Countdown this morning.
Mon Feb 2, 2026, 11:27 AM
Monday

What would happen if the reporters at a press briefing in the Oval Office asked Donald Trump detailed questions about the sickening evidence of his depravity and refused to let him change the subject?

In such a democracy it would be a matter of course to speak to a sociopathic rapist occupying the office about nothing other than his crimes, to extend him no deference, no benefit of the doubt, and no opportunities to cause more harm and suffering.

EYESORE 9001

(29,508 posts)
8. I would expand that statement
Mon Feb 2, 2026, 11:35 AM
Monday

to say ‘a healthy SOCIETY wouldn’t put up with this’.A healthy society must proceed a healthy democracy IMO.

ChicagoTeamster

(564 posts)
9. Maybe he was sent to a military school because his first sexual assault was against a younger female family member
Mon Feb 2, 2026, 11:50 AM
Monday

And they've been covering it up all these years

ShazzieB

(22,326 posts)
21. Not likely, based on what is known about the family.
Mon Feb 2, 2026, 01:28 PM
Monday

Trump was sent to military school at the age of 13, which would have been in 1959. If he sexually assaulted anyone at that age, I think it's vanishingly unlikely to have been a family member, due to lack of opportunity.

Both of his sisters are older than him. The oldest, Maryanne, was 9 years old when he was born; Elizabeth was about 4. That means they were 22 and 17 when their 13 year old brother was sent away. There wasn't much extended family to speak of, due to their mother being a recent immigrant to the U.S. and dad being the son of immigrant parents. His only other close female relative is niece Mary, who wasn't born until 1965.

On the other hand, he was expelled from the private school he had been attending due to bad behavior at school, and we don't know what all that included. So feel free to speculate there!

ChicagoTeamster

(564 posts)
23. Thanks for the info. I hope this clears things up not just for me but other lurkers as well.
Mon Feb 2, 2026, 01:39 PM
Monday

Based on his Mom's comments about him and what we've known about his past and are now finding out from the Epstein drops, it's easy to speculate a lot of bad things just because there's so much that's bad already. He's a horrible human being.

ShazzieB

(22,326 posts)
24. Yes, it's very easy to speculate!
Mon Feb 2, 2026, 04:29 PM
Monday

I was very happy to set the record straight in yhis case.

I just happen to know a lot of details about the family and Trump's upbringing, due to books I read during his first term, when I was trying to figure out what the freaking hell was the deal with this weirdo!

BaronChocula

(4,156 posts)
11. Very well-written piece
Mon Feb 2, 2026, 12:52 PM
Monday

Every day is akin to a journalists conducting an interview about a local sports team in the middle of a massive hurricane. They're trying to hit content quotas like ICE trying to hit detention quotas - It doesn't matter what they get, as long as they get something. Softball questions = helpless 5-year olds.

And he wrote this without using the word "normalize." Impressive.

Bev54

(13,310 posts)
13. It appears this could well be the largest honey trap and sex trafficking ring run by Putin and the KGB
Mon Feb 2, 2026, 01:04 PM
Monday

along with Israel. Trump and his cabal seriously need to be impeached immediately. Mandelson of the UK received payments through other channels and was involved with Epstein. These could very well be payments from Russia passed through others because they reveal Mandelson sent government information to Epstein. Daily mail is reporting the honey trap which I then watched on France 24 English but can't find it again.

Here is a couple of videos covering:




young_at_heart

(4,019 posts)
14. How is this creature affecting the mental health of millions?
Mon Feb 2, 2026, 01:07 PM
Monday

I can only speak for myself, but I'm guessing there are lots of us who are truly suffering because of this man and his cult.

I_UndergroundPanther

(13,348 posts)
28. I am
Tue Feb 3, 2026, 02:46 AM
Yesterday

Everyday anxiety. Hoping Ice won’t show up here, hoping they don’t do a big raid like they did in that subsidized housing complex in Chicago
for faux TeeVee . No, not on my hud apartment complex.
I am making an invisibility, keep away enemies and keep away hate oil /herb tincture mixture. One I can use on my person to protect myself because a little bit of witchcraft could help or at least assuage my anxiety about what is happening around me. Being nonbinary / trans I look different best to not be noticed . Especially if I am filming violence..If I see ice holes in my area I will lose it emotionally when back inside my apartment. I don’t like living in this crazy, violent awful environment at all.

sarisataka

(22,354 posts)
15. A good article, but it is off target
Mon Feb 2, 2026, 01:08 PM
Monday

The problem is not allowing such a person to remain in office; the problem is electing such a person in the first place.

They has been no great behavioral change since he took office, no sudden surprises appearing after the election. Much of what has been done he actually used in campaign, speeches, announcing how he would use power.

The problem is despite his known behavior, his openly campaigning that he would act as a dictator and widely publicized criminal history we have an electorate that was supportive of, or so apathetic they couldn’t be bothered to vote, such a person that they elected him to office

MaeScott

(955 posts)
30. All the swing states.
Tue Feb 3, 2026, 05:35 AM
Yesterday

This election was stolen, and we let them /are letting them get away with it
They’ll use the voter roles to hide their shenanigans by “voting” for those who don’t vote. And hide that vote the same way it was done in that last prez election. ALL THE SWING STATES

GMAB

JT45242

(3,907 posts)
18. No healthy democracy would ever elect such a criminal - rapist, fraudster, tax cheat, treason -- but racist failing one
Mon Feb 2, 2026, 01:10 PM
Monday

He won because to far too many people a white male adjudicated rapist and convicted felon was better than an uppity woman and especially better than an uppity black woman.

We are more racism and misogyny than we are a functioning democracy.

IthinkThereforeIAM

(3,292 posts)
19. The "Advent of Gingerich"...
Mon Feb 2, 2026, 01:19 PM
Monday

... or, "how he filled Congress with businessmen first, statesmen last", with his Contract On America.

I have said this for over 20 years. That is what has nearly destroyed Congress. Just look at the GOP heads of the committees we have had, let alone the nasty speakers of the House. Delay, who got the rules changed to allow/require bribes and pay offs just to get into his office for a visit. Required corporations and anyone interested in visiting with him in his congressional office to provide daily catering for his office. Just one of the things about him and the GOP that I cannot forget.

DJ Synikus Makisimus

(1,242 posts)
26. The elite have ALWAYS abused women and children.
Mon Feb 2, 2026, 09:46 PM
Monday

Men, too, for that matter. The elite have always gotten away with it in the past, and there's nothing to suggest that will change anytime soon. Lowborn are nothing to the highborn, and politics exists to protect those highborn and help them expand their wealth, privilege and power. Abuse is their privilege. That's civilization. Politicians are merely the servants of the elite.

If we really wanted something else, we'd have to figure out how to replace civilization with something better. That would be "uncivilized."

Like it or not, admit it or not, abuse is VERY civilized.

I_UndergroundPanther

(13,348 posts)
29. I wrote a poem
Tue Feb 3, 2026, 02:52 AM
Yesterday

That was about being wild and imprisoned in civilization. Read it at an open mic poetry slam years ago when I was done and picking my papers back off the floor I noticed I wasn’t the only one crying.

It was called Because I am Wild.

Bettie

(19,422 posts)
32. Yep....and yet, here we are
Tue Feb 3, 2026, 06:46 AM
23 hrs ago

and our country may never recover from this.

He's literally tearing our country down....and doing incalculable damage to every part of government.

I am losing hope for a future for my kids. They are just starting their adult lives and we're handing them a disaster.

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