OTTAWA (Reuters) - About two-thirds of Canadians surveyed this month said American democracy cannot survive another four years of Donald Trump in the White House, and about half said the United States is on the way to becoming an authoritarian state, a poll released on Monday said.

The November U.S. election is likely to pit President Joe Biden against Trump, who is the clear frontrunner to win the Republican nomination as voting in the presidential primary race kicks off in Iowa on Monday.

Sixty-four percent of respondents in the Angus Reid Institute poll of 1,510 Canadians said they agreed with the statement: “U.S. democracy cannot survive another four years of Donald Trump.” Twenty-eight percent disagreed.

The Jan. 6, 2021 attack on Capitol Hill by Trump supporters seeking to block certification of Biden’s 2020 election win shocked many Canadians, and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau publicly blamed Trump for inciting the mob.

Trump has vowed if elected again to punish his political enemies, and he has drawn criticism for using increasingly authoritarian language.

Three times as many Canadians say a Biden victory would be better for Canada’s economy (53%) than a Trump win (18%), according to the poll which was seen exclusively by Reuters. The poll, taken between Jan. 9-11, had a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points

  • Dark Arc@social.packetloss.gg
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    9 months ago

    Because we don’t want to interfere with the system and make it a politically orchestrated arrest.

    The normal forces that be are working on it… It’s just taking time… Due process and all that jazz

    • TengoDosVacas@lemmy.world
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      9 months ago

      Dead wrong. The only reason it’s “political” is because the fucking Telecommunications Act hasnt been violently repealed.

      This is not an “it takes time” issue. It’s a criminal offensive. Incrementalist bullshit is why we have fascist threats now.

      • pearsaltchocolatebar@discuss.online
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        9 months ago

        Part of the problem is that they’re trying to not give him anything he can appeal.

        Prosecution like this can take a while to happen because you only get one shot at it, and it’s vital that it doesn’t fail for bullshit reasons.

        • TengoDosVacas@lemmy.world
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          9 months ago

          How does that work for private citizens or bottom ranked government employees who steal government documents and try to sell them to foreign nations? Do we go slow and try to get it right because there’s only one shot at it and you dont want it to fail for bullshit reasons?

          • pearsaltchocolatebar@discuss.online
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            9 months ago

            Those people don’t have a cult of millions of deranged terrorists itching to violently overthrow the government and a good chance at being president again (which would be the end of our country).

            Sometimes you have to be patient to get your desired outcome.

            But, just look at Al Capone. We knew he was guilty as fuck for a long time, but it took a long time to build a case to put him away, even if it was just for tax fraud.

            • TengoDosVacas@lemmy.world
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              9 months ago

              The cult doesnt go away, and they have to be dealt with as a violent domestic terrorist threat also. Because THEY ARE.

              • pearsaltchocolatebar@discuss.online
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                9 months ago

                I’m not arguing against that, but some situations require a more nuanced approach. Just arresting him and throwing him in prison would make him a martyr to his cult of dumbasses

                • remus989@sh.itjust.works
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                  9 months ago

                  I get what you’re saying but even if every I is dotted and every T crossed and he goes to jail, he’ll still be a martyr.

                  • Marin_Rider@aussie.zone
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                    9 months ago

                    his cult can’t be reasoned with and the process doesn’t matter to them. who it DOES matter to are the swing voters and ones that havnt gone off the deepend. if you ignore process, you lose those people and democracy ends. follow the process and at least some of them will have the sense to agree with the process

                • pinkdrunkenelephants@lemmy.cafe
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                  9 months ago

                  Oh, sweetheart, if you can find the courage to try to insult me, then you can scrape together enough courage to demand Democrats hold Trump accountable.

        • UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world
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          9 months ago

          they’re trying to not give him anything he can appeal

          There’s nothing that cannot be appealed. Just look at the last round of fighting over his slander of Eugene Caroll. He lost that legal fight fair and square and he’ll be appealing it up the chain for the next decade to avoid making any kind of payments.

          This is a bullshit excuse to drag your heels and do nothing.

      • Dark Arc@social.packetloss.gg
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        9 months ago

        Investigating, bringing charges against, and prosecuting a large scale criminal enterprise does not happen overnight.

        You can say I’m “dead wrong” all you want but if this happened “instantly” or anywhere near instantly, it would not be sound, and it would not be right.

        Trump would walk because they jumped the gun and entered the room under prepared.

        This isn’t a gang, the Democrats can’t just say “go throw him in jail” and even if they could I would argue that would be a bad thing. Political prosecution is the opposite of a system running on the rule of law which is what the US system aspires to be.

    • UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world
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      9 months ago

      make it a politically orchestrated arrest.

      Every arrest is politically orchestrated. That is the nature of a public sector police force.

      What shields Trump isn’t politics but power. He’s got armies of angry old white guys - many of whom occupy the very offices that would be charged with his arrest, prosecution, and imprisonment - and Biden’s gang is terrified that if they were to actually demand his siezer they would be the ones in handcuffs by the end.