Our Republic is in a very unique and dangerous moment. The traditional political spectrum no longer truly serves as a good guide. A titanic shift is under way. We are largely falling into two major camps: those who believe in democracy and those who reject it for authoritarianism. At the center of it all is the fading “strongman”. As his mind and health weaken and his regime shatters, those in it are jockeying to take his office.

Like the Machiavellian reptiles they are, this is the moment they’ve all been waiting for. The tyrant is weakening before our eyes. It their time to push aside competition and attempt to consolidate power. Vance, Miller, and Vought are all trying to grab Trump’s office. They all want the unlimited power they think it has. Each wants their authoritarian flavor to win.

Each has studied and waited. Each is their own iteration of evil. None should have ever been let anywhere near our democracy. Each is going to attempt to cease power. None of this will be legal.

The roaches are scrambling since the lights came on. The regime is leaking like crazy. A lot of folks on the inside are talking to the press and trying to shape the message in their direction. Problem is, everyone is complicit, and no one wants to face the consequences of their blatant attack on our Constitution and Republic. There is no innocence in this White House, just as there is no honor amongst thieves. Because, let’s be clear, that is what we are talking about here. These folks have stolen money, power, lives and more all in their quest to install a white supremacist authoritarian Christian ethno-state.

While speaking at the Nixon Library, JD Vance Trump’s admin is nothing compared to Nixon’s. JD just publicly fingered his boss with a classic passive aggressive jab, "If Watergate happened tomorrow, it would be like a 12-hour news story. The idea that it would have taken down a presidency is crazy" The first unspoken implication is that he knows the depth of the corruption, rot and illegal activities. The other unspoken implication is that he is directly comparing Trump to Nixon and subtly suggesting that Trump has done far worse and deserves to be “taken down.”

So is it JD’s turn for a coup? Trump resigns for a pardon? JD then never delivers the pardon? He declares a national emergency and fires Miller and Vought to consolidate power around himself? To quell public resistance he will suspend habeas corpus or invoke the insurrection act?

To be clear, this is my hunch, but this is also complete conjecture. I have no proof except the very public words of our very Machiavellian VP. He is inviting the public to compare Trump to Nixon and Watergate unfavorably. That is a very public betrayal and a very subtle declaration of intentions whether he knows it or not. It will likely go over his boss’s head, just as Xi’s Ancient Greek reference did.

My intuition about this moment is that it has a “John Gotti kills Paul Castellano for control of the Gambino Family” feel to it. Trump is, after all, our Racketeer-in-Chief. He leads a corrupt criminal organization and these are his power hungry fascist minions. There is no law of democracy or decency that can contain their imperial hubris.

To the pro-democracy community: Let’s all keep our heads on a swivel and our eyes on our Republic. To quote the great Heather Cox Richardson, “Power is sloshing around.” It is indeed and the vampires in the regime are thirsty for it all.

There is no guarantee that our democracy and our republic will come out intact.

We, the people, must be that guarantee. Democracy Must Prevail!