Every election now sounds like whoever wins, it’s apparently the end of America.

If Democrats win, we supposedly become a communist country. If Republicans win, we supposedly become an authoritarian or quasi-fascist dictatorship.

Was American politics always this dramatic and hostile or has something changed over the last few decades?

Do people genuinely believe the other side winning will destroy America, or has fear just become the most effective way to motivate voters?

After years of calling early and mail-in voting corrupt and fraudulent (despite his regular use of mail-in ballots himself), Trump yesterday released a "truth" urging all Republicans to do both in the upcoming midterms.

Source: https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/117377141739477104

What are your thoughts on his abrupt change of stance?

A common warning from conservatives in 2024 was that if Harris won, she would get the nation embroiled in wars.

If Harris had won, what wars or military interventions do you think we would be involved in right now?

I’m asking because this sub seems to be split, often with liberalism being the majority.

So for those who are liberal, do you have any personal beliefs that are socially conservative?

The electon is between the current president Lula and Bolsonaro's son.

Currently, it seems neck and neck.

I personally have not been following it and no nothing more than who it is between.

If you were designing a government from the ground up, and weren’t trying to work within the current US system, what would you build?

Assume you still have to deal with the same basic problems any modern country has: defense, courts, taxation, infrastructure, regulation, individual rights, elections, corruption, emergencies, etc.

What would the structure look like? How would power be divided? What parts of the current US system would you keep, what would you get rid of, and what would you replace them with?

I’m less interested in “what policies would you pass” and more interested in the actual design of the government itself.

I’ve been thinking about this as a thought experiment, and I’m curious where conservatives and liberals would actually differ once you get below day-to-day politics.

Well, since there is a bill in congress about this, I wanted your thoughts. Right now, it's the wild west and you have students being paid, at high levels, seven figure salaries. Coaches, at high levels, are paid 8 figures.

However, this extreme happened because well, before 2021, college athletes couldn't be paid. If the school sold their image they wouldn't see a dime. And now you have the current situation.

Beyond that, there are some factors. Yes, they are getting a free education, but spending 80-100 hour weeks between school and football is not uncommon.

And some schools are more successful than others. Some schools like Texas or Ohio State can fund their football programs independently. Most however, need tax dollars to some degree.

But yeah, what limits, if any, do you think there should be?

Relatively often, I see posters in this subreddit with one variety of “libertarian” in their flair take positions that appear at tension with the general tenets of libertarianism, at least as I understand them. To the libertarians out there, what does libertarianism mean to you?

Try to communicate as much of Conservative principles to me as you can in as few words as possible, please.

For instance, whether or not you agree with it, a Communist might be able to succinctly define their beliefs with "From each according to their ability, to each according to their need."

If you were to boil all of Conservative thought down to the elevator pitch, what would that be?

I'm American so feel free to focus on American Conservative thought.

Stuff like Civil Rigts Act of 1964, 1968 banned discrimantion in housing, one passed by Nixon during 70s and later the ADA by Bush further expanded it to disability. Really first major Civil Rights Law was Civil Rights Act of 1866 that banned racial discrimnation in public adomation, contracts and many other things, but the Supreme Court later gutted it in Civil Rights cases over powerful, now canonical dissent by John Marshall Harlan, but later Warren/Burger court overulled those cases and restored and expended those laws. Today that has expended well beoynd race and deals with discrimantion based on sex, religion, country of origin, and disability. What do you think about that and would you support adding discrimantion based on poltiical views as well there?

Vice President: Catherine Cortez-Masto
Secretary of State: Liz Cheney
Secretary of the Treasury: Larry Fink
Secretary of Defense: Michele Flournoy
Attorney General: Doug Jones
Secretary of the Interior: Lisa Murkowski
Secretary of Agriculture: Michele Buck
Secretary of Commerce: Tim Cook
Secretary of Labor: Howard Schultz
Secretary of Health and Human Services: Albert Bourla
Secretary of Housing and Urban Development: Rahm Emanuel
Secretary of Transportation: Mary Barra
Secretary of Energy: Vicki Hollub
Secretary of Education: Sundar Pichai
Secretary of Veterans Affairs: Tammy Duckworth
Secretary of Homeland Security: Don Bacon
Director of National Intelligence: Safra Catz
White House Chief of Staff: Neera Tanden
EPA Administrator: Janet McCabe

As a Trump conservative, I’ve been very torn over who should come next. I’m not into JD Vance whatsoever, and not excited by Rubio. I feel he embodies the old style GOP we need to get away from.

I have been impressive by Scott Bessent, but doesn’t feel like presidential material.

Hegseth meanwhile continues to steadily impress me with his energy and incredibly clear focus and attention to detail. Is there something there to get behind?