Today a leading GOP Congressman said we're headed for a Second Civil War and then retweeted a Nazi sympathizer and said he wasn't sorry for doing it.
Let me repeat: a leading GOP Congressman. Time was when the media would already be hounding the president to denounce Steve King.
Let me repeat: a leading GOP Congressman. Time was when the media would already be hounding the president to denounce Steve King.
2/ And why isn't U.S. media making a stink about this? Because they and most of America already accept that the President of the United States not only won't denounce Nazi sympathizers or implicit threats of future violence but actually warmly embraces both of these. God help us.
3/ I've now said it many times: everything short of occupying Washington lawfully and peacefully until new elections untouched by Russian interference—and repeated attempts by Trump and his minions to coordinate with a hostile foreign power—is basically cathartic window-dressing.
4/ We know the 2016 election was illegitimate. But we wouldn't blame Trump or the GOP for it if they hadn't stymied attempts to notify us beforehand; repeatedly lied to law enforcement and voters about it; actively attempted to cover it up; and done nothing to prevent its repeat.
5/ Had Russia "merely" tampered with the 2016 election—after which Trump and the GOP had done everything possible to aid the probe of what happened and prevent it ever happening again—there's a *chance* we might've said the 2016 election was illegitimate but an unredressable ill.
6/ What *actually* happened is that not only did Russia tamper, we found out Trump's whole Russia policy was part of a business deal, all his top aides had clandestine Russia negotiations they lied about, McConnell covered it up pre-election, and Trump is ensuring its repeat now.
7/ Under such circumstances, the voters of *every other Western democracy* would have called for a general strike and new elections. Instead, we're sitting here arguing about the Red Hen Restaurant in Lexington, Virginia. We look like idiots who don't know what "democracy" means.
8/ We all sat and watched as Congress ran sham investigations of the biggest political scandal in modern American history—and what's more, as a House committee actively obstructed the most complex and important federal criminal investigation of our lifetimes. We sat—we *watched*.
9/ This man, who's actively encouraged violence, deceit, misogyny, and racism in U.S. culture—and who is daily engaging in corrupt practices and obstruction of justice—now sends his minions out (e.g. Laura Ingraham) to both imply violence is coming and pre-blame Democrats for it.
10/ Stop following Trump's laser-pointer through each mini-crisis—most concocted by his own venality, deceit, and incompetence. Expert Democratic organizers need to be talking about something peaceful and lawful that nevertheless is much bigger than mere marches. We've had those.
11/ We've *already been told* by law enforcement that the mid-terms elections will be tampered with and that we won't be able to stop it *because* the president and his party deliberately took no action whatsoever to safeguard the most precise commodity Americans have: our votes.
12/ So we have a choice: wait until a sham mid-term election in which—if Democrats do well—it will only be because the Russians weren't able to do enough with the carte blanche Trump has given them, or plan to vote in those elections if we must but *also* do something right now.
13/ The GOP flagrantly stole a Supreme Court seat, meaning the rule of law is compromised at the judicial level; at the executive level, the president has made himself a king by saying he can pardon himself; at the legislative level, Congress does nothing or it obstructs justice.
14/ The judicial branch can't be rectified with this Congress—as it was these same GOP leaders who stole it. The legislative and executive branches are now voted for—in *America*!—under circumstances in which we can't trust the vote because those branches refused to safeguard it.
15/ Now we have a fascist border policy, a racist travel ban, open coordination with Russia on sanctions despite them tampering with our elections...and the media can't do anything about it because the journalistic enterprise in America has learned *nothing* about covering Trump.
16/ Either Democrats, independents and Republicans of conscience execute a peaceful and lawful general strike this summer—including an occupation of critical public spaces—or America will in short order stop circling the drain and simply go down it irretrievably once and for all.
17/ Republicans in Washington had *two years* to do the right thing—starting with federal law enforcement and the previous presidential administration begging them to let the government warn voters of Russian cyber-aggression before it stole an election (which it ultimately did).
18/ There's nothing rash or undemocratic about a peaceful, lawful, *long-term* general strike this summer by those in a position to participate in it without a threat to themselves or their dependents. There's nothing rash or undemocratic about occupying D.C. instead of marching.
19/ There are organizers out there with vision and experience in building complex coalitions—as well as a commitment to peaceful, lawful protest and (as necessary) civil disobedience—so one has to wonder where they are. Surely not debating Red Hen or setting up yet another march?
20/ Ask yourself tonight—does this get better? If so, how and when? Ask yourself: do you think the 2016 vote was legitimate, given what we know? Ask yourself: do you think Trump is helping cover up Russian crimes, obstruct investigation of those crimes, and enable their *repeat*?
PS/ And remember, this week the SCOTUS the GOP used theft to get not only approved a racist travel ban but *also* exactly the sort of state-level gerrymandering that is taking away the vote from anyone but those who Republicans want to see in the voting line. America is cornered.
