The nonchalance with which too many mainstream media outlets have treated the revelations of how close the country came to a self-coup would perhaps be *somewhat* justifiable if Trump were fully ostracized from politics and society.
But the American Right is unified behind him!
At this point, Trump must be considered the clear favorite to be the Republican Party’s next presidential nominee: The base wants him, GOP elites stand with him - even supposedly “moderate” ones like Nikki Haley -, Trumpism is rapidly becoming the Republican orthodoxy.
Conservative intellectuals are either all in on Trumpism (the Claremont Institute types, for instance); or claim to be loathing Trump the Man while absolutely supporting Trump the Politician who promises to shut up the Libs (the religious conservatives like Dreher, Ahmari…).
That doesn’t mean there’s no friction on the Right. The self-proclaimed nationalist conservatives are basically ready to break with the Reaganite consensus and end the fusion of traditionalism and libertarian anti-statism, no longer believing it serves their reactionary project.
And Steve Bannon wants to purge everyone who’s not unabashedly white nationalist, having no patience for any kind of even purely rhetorical / tactical adherence to the existing system - and I’m sure the far-right militias agree that it’s time to go all radical, all the time.
But none of that seems to undermine Trump’s position - at the very least, no alternative to Trump has emerged that could seriously fracture the Right. Trump is their man, Trumpism their credo. He’s the chosen vessel to deliver the victory over the despised leftist enemy.
Considering all that, it should absolute be a big freakin deal that this guy who leads the Right and dominates the Republican Party had concrete plans to stage a self-coup, fake national emergency and all, and effectively end democracy in America right there and then!
If someone can stage an assault on the system like Trump did, and continue to attack and undermine the system in every conceivable way, and then just go on to lead one of the major parties, probably become a presidential nominee once again, democracy is unsustainable.
If the institutions that are tasked with upholding democracy and sustaining a democratic political culture do not possess the strength and/or will to mount an effective defense against Trump now, it will soon be impossible to halt the accelerating slide into authoritarianism.
The Republican Party has made its choice; the conservative movement has made its choice; the American Right has made its choice: They all stand with Trump, they have chosen Trumpism over democracy.
Now everyone who prefers democracy has to make their choice too. And quickly.
It’s not just the Democratic politicians. Every newsroom has to make a choice. Every journalist has to make a choice. Everyone who has any kind of public platform has to make a choice.
America is at a crossroads. The time to choose is now.
But could it really happen here? It is happening right now.
American democracy is on the brink, and if we want to save it - want to eventually, finally realize the promise of a functioning multiracial, pluralistic democracy - we have to acknowledge that these are the stakes.
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