There are moments that, in their simultaneity, seem almost surreal. In Washington Donald Trump leads European heads of state and government through the West Wing and proudly shows them his cap collection. "4 MORE YEARS" is written on one of the red hats, which he holds up like a relic dealer in his own shrine. The cult around himself has long since become the core of his foreign policy: no talks about values, no debates about strategies - but merchandise, self-glorification and the unmistakable message that his political existence stands above everything. Fox News spreads the image as a triumph, while in truth the scene shows only one thing: the transformation of the highest office of the United States into a prop chamber of personal vanity.
At the same time Republicans in Texas are celebrating their newly drawn electoral map, which Trump hails on Truth Social as "ONE BIG, BEAUTIFUL CONGRESSIONAL MAP." It is the prime example of modern gerrymandering: Democratic islands in Austin, Houston or Dallas are trimmed down like leftovers, while the red patchwork around them is drawn in such a way that Republican majorities are cemented. It is no invitation to fair competition, but a declaration of war on democracy itself - mapping victory with a ruler, not with votes. And Trump is standing in the front row, thanking Governor Abbott and the architects of this manipulation with the words: "THANK YOU TEXAS — MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!"
But the farce becomes complete only when one looks at the other side. Just hours after Abbott announced that Texas would invest 146 billion dollars in road construction, the press office of California Governor Gavin Newsom spoke up: "Reminder: That is paid for by Californians!" And the numbers are clear - Texas is a "taker state" that receives about 70 billion dollars more from the federal government than it pays in. California, on the other hand, is a "giver state" that pays in 80 billion dollars more than it gets back. While Abbott sells billions as his own achievement, Newsom reminds everyone that these are federal funds, financed by the coffers of those whom Abbott and Trump otherwise denounce as enemies. The Texan myth of self-sufficiency thus reveals itself as a chimera, sustained by the subsidies of those states that in the Republican enemy image are branded as decadent, leftist or weak.
The posts and words circulating in these days appear like mosaic stones of political madness. Here Trump, the keeper of the caps. There Abbott, financed by California, while posing as the great independent. In between a party that redraws districts like spoils of war and then sells this act as a democratic necessity. And finally the staging of power itself, captured in images that tell more about the state of America than any sober statistic: a country fleeing into symbols while substance erodes.
In the end the bitter realization remains: what is being celebrated here is not strength, but the caricature of strength. A president who turns his own term of office into a product line. A state that tailors democratic rules to its needs. A governor who invests billions paid by others. And a public that consumes all of this in real time, shared through social networks, captured in screenshots that resemble chronicles of democratic decay. It is the dance of death of a nation trapped in its own mirror image - and in danger of finally sinking into it.
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Nicht zu vergessen die Executive Order, die Briefwahlen und Wahlautomaten verbietet.
Rainer, ist das rechtlich möglich? Liegt die Hoheit der Wahlen nicht in den Bundesstaaten?
Eine Partei, die weiß, dass sie die nächsten Wahlen verlieren würde, zieht alle Register um an der Macht zu bleiben.
Egal wie.
Das ist Autokratie, Tipps direkt von Putin erhalten hat.
Die Angst vorm eigenen Volk. Die Angst vor Machtverlust.
Eine Partei, die den Rückhalt der Bevölkerung hat, weil ihr Programm dem Volk entspricht, hätte das nicht nötig.
Abott investiert in Straßenbau?
Wie wäre es erstmal in Warnsusteme, Fluthilfen etc.
Groß getönt, dass die Demokraten mit ihrer feigen Flucht verhindert haben, dass über diese Dinge abgestimmt wurde.
Und nun?
Abbott ist der King von Texas, jedenfalls in der gleichen Parallelwelt,in der auch Trump lebt.
Die Midterms, vor einiger Zeit noch ein Zeichen von Hoffnung, verkommen zur Farce.
Wie in jeder Autokratie.
Ich fürchte der Kippunkt ist schon überschritten, als dass da noch etwas „rumgerissen“ werden kann.
Und Trump, ganz in seiner „ich bin der King“ Fantasiewelt, zeigt den Staatschefs dumme kleine Baseballcaps „made in China“, als wenn es eine Sammlung von Van Gogh Gemälden wäre.
Die US-Verfassung gibt den Bundesstaaten die Hoheit über die Durchführung von Wahlen. Der Präsident kann zwar über „Executive Orders“ Anweisungen an Bundesbehörden geben, aber er kann damit nicht die Wahlgesetze der Bundesstaaten außer Kraft setzen. Briefwahl und Wahlmaschinen fallen in die Kompetenz der Bundesstaaten und ihrer Parlamente. – Selbst der Supreme Court hat in früheren Verfahren betont, dass Wahlregularien in erster Linie auf Ebene der Bundesstaaten geregelt sind. Eine Executive Order, die pauschal Briefwahl oder Wahlmaschinen verbietet, hätte also keine rechtliche Grundlage und würde sofort von Gerichten kassiert.
Danke Rainer für die ausführliche Antwort.
Dann hatte ich das richtig in Erinnerung