Thread by @Teri_Kanefield

(Thread) In the choice between Putin-style oligarchy and liberal democracy (⤵️) the Trump GOP has chosen Putin.

Now, why would they do that?

I’ll give you 6 reasons. Then I’ll offer a suggestion from a CSIS report about what we can do about it.

1/ Reason #1: Russian money. Lots of it.

Here are 3 examples (of many):

As per a senate report, Russia funneled money to the Trump campaign through the NRA: feinstein.senate.gov/public/_cache/…
Russian oligarch Vekselberg gave Michael Cohen $500K in 2016:
nytimes.com/2018/05/08/us/…

2/ And of course, the Russians bought and paid for Trump:
threadreaderapp.com/thread/1042072…

Reason #2: Power.
To retain power, the GOP must coverup how Russia helped elect Trump.
Also, to retain power, the NRA, Trump, and the GOP need Russian money (See Reason #1)

3/ Reason #3: Many in the GOP prefer oligarchy and autocracy as a form of government.

Representative Democracy is difficult, requiring compromise & give and take. It's slow moving (run for your local city council and try to get something done if you haven't experienced it).

4/ Autocracy is more efficient. Change happens swiftly and easily.

The GOP believes ideological purity means rejecting compromise.
‘My way or else,” isn’t democracy, it’s authoritarianism.

For more on the GOP's shift to authoritarianism, see👇

https://twitter.com/Teri_Kanefield/status/997276647710646272

5/ Reason #4: Putin’s Russia is a white majority, anti-homosexual patriarchy.

America, prior to 1920 was a white majority, anti-homosexual patriarchy.
There was enormous income inequality before the New Deal. About 5% of families could afford to send their children to college.

6/ No income taxes and no minimum wage meant people with money lived like kings and everyone else toiled long days without hope of economic advancement.

Which is exactly how things are now in Russia.

Which is also exactly what GOP policies are aiming for.

7/ Reason #5 (this one overlaps with #4) They admire Russia for being “untouched by the myth of cultural multiculturalism and deranged diversity,”👇
rt.com/uk/429777-kati…

Reason #6: Many are fooled by Russian propaganda.

They think liberals are more dangerous than Putin . . .

8/ And they don’t understand what it’s like for the masses with no hope for economic advancement (unless one of the oligarchs bestows generosity).

Newsflash to NRA folks: You won’t get to keep your guns in Putin’s America. Once oligarchy's in place, you'll no longer be useful.

9/ So what can we do?

The Center for Strategic International Studies issued a report on how to counter Russian attacks on democracy.

The conclusion is on p. 11: One of “the most effective countermeasures is to increase public resilience against. . .
csis.org/analysis/count…

10/ . . .the kind of techniques used by Russia.”

How? By “increasing public understanding of the threat” and "strengthening our commitment to democratic institutions.”

If you've canvassed for a campaign, you know the strategy:
Talk to people who lean toward your views.

11/ Don’t try to convert MAGA people. You’re unlikely to do so, and they'll wear you out.

I think Twitter MAGA trolls are trying to pull us into arguments so we won't have energy to be productive.

Find people who lean Democratic, but feel discouraged, frustrated or apathetic.

12/ If they feel frustrated that “nothing is being done," explain that due process—like democracy—is slow and laborious, but the alternative is tyranny.

Dictatorship is easy. “My way or you go to jail (or die),” gets things done quickly—but we don’t want that.

13/ I think what the CSIS report meant by “strengthen a sense of shared narrative around the value and importance of our democratic institutions” is this:

We need to help everyone fall back in love with representative government, even with its flaws. We’ll miss it if it’s gone.