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Dear GOP Senators:
You'll soon face a choice.
Will you accept the evidence of your eyes and ears—and the findings of the US intelligence community (and Mueller)?
Or will you stand with Trump let him do whatever he pleases👇?
You won't be able to do both.
Dear GOP Senators:
You'll soon face a choice.
Will you accept the evidence of your eyes and ears—and the findings of the US intelligence community (and Mueller)?
Or will you stand with Trump let him do whatever he pleases👇?
You won't be able to do both.
1/ Trump’s tactic for maintaining and consolidating personal power — and his defense against all accusations— is to lie.
His defense, for example, to the Ukraine scandal is a tissue of fiction, which goes like this:
Trump was framed by Deep State operators.
His defense, for example, to the Ukraine scandal is a tissue of fiction, which goes like this:
Trump was framed by Deep State operators.
2/ According to this story, Ukrainians—not Russians—hacked the DNC server. The innocent Russians were framed.
nytimes.com/2019/09/25/us/…
Moreover, the DNC server is now in Ukraine.
The Ukrainians tried to return it to the U.S. but were blocked by Democrats.
nytimes.com/2019/09/29/us/…
nytimes.com/2019/09/25/us/…
Moreover, the DNC server is now in Ukraine.
The Ukrainians tried to return it to the U.S. but were blocked by Democrats.
nytimes.com/2019/09/29/us/…
3 According to this theory, the Ukrainians attacked the 2016 election to help the Democrats.
The “scam” was driven by “Deep State” operators—members of law enforcement and U.S. intelligence agencies out to get Trump.
The “scam” was driven by “Deep State” operators—members of law enforcement and U.S. intelligence agencies out to get Trump.
4/ Glenn Beck explains that poor victim Trump just wants the server back so he can prove his innocence.
Sen. Ron Johnson is helping to advance this story by declaring that he doesn’t trust the CIA or FBI.
This gives Trump freedom to ignore advice.
Sen. Ron Johnson is helping to advance this story by declaring that he doesn’t trust the CIA or FBI.
This gives Trump freedom to ignore advice.
5/ This ⤵️ feeds Trump’s narrative that he knows better than the intelligence community and that his instincts are superior to the rational logic used by intellectuals.
If that sound familiar it’s because that is precisely how scholars like Paxton describe a cult of leadership.
If that sound familiar it’s because that is precisely how scholars like Paxton describe a cult of leadership.
6/ Remember when Trump said “I alone can fix it”? theatlantic.com/politics/archi…
And when he said “I know more about Isis than the generals do?” washingtonpost.com/news/post-poli…
Your silence told him you agreed.
So now he does whatever he pleases,
including inventing his own facts.
And when he said “I know more about Isis than the generals do?” washingtonpost.com/news/post-poli…
Your silence told him you agreed.
So now he does whatever he pleases,
including inventing his own facts.
7/ You all know Trump lies👇
Which lie is biggest is debatable.
Attacking the FBI, CIA, and journalists:
💠torpedoes truth by attacking those whose job is to find truth
💠creates a leadership cult / personal authoritarian rule
💠destroys those pesky regulatory agencies.
Which lie is biggest is debatable.
Attacking the FBI, CIA, and journalists:
💠torpedoes truth by attacking those whose job is to find truth
💠creates a leadership cult / personal authoritarian rule
💠destroys those pesky regulatory agencies.
8/ Trump & pals want to destroy regulatory agencies
because regulations and law enforcement prevent them from doing whatever they want.
Why do so many people let Trump lie?
I collected the academic research and wrote this article:
slate.com/news-and-polit…
because regulations and law enforcement prevent them from doing whatever they want.
Why do so many people let Trump lie?
I collected the academic research and wrote this article:
slate.com/news-and-polit…
9/ In a nutshell: They know the lies destroy and they want to destroy.
Dear Senators: As you weigh the decision you will soon face, listen as @TimothyDSnyder explains why it’s so dangerous for Trump to try to get world leaders to buy into his lies.
Dear Senators: As you weigh the decision you will soon face, listen as @TimothyDSnyder explains why it’s so dangerous for Trump to try to get world leaders to buy into his lies.
@TimothyDSnyder 10/ “This is a turn away from democracy to something much more frightening,” Yale Professor @TimothyDSnyder says.
“In personal authoritarian or totalitarian regimes, the leader defines what the truth is, and then people run around trying to make the world match the fiction."
“In personal authoritarian or totalitarian regimes, the leader defines what the truth is, and then people run around trying to make the world match the fiction."
@TimothyDSnyder 11/ George Orwell already explained it.
Totalitarianism (or personal authoritarian rule) succeeds by undermining factuality.
This is how Trump thinks he will:
💠beat any and all charges against him,
💠consolidate power, and
💠destroy anyone and anything in his way.
Totalitarianism (or personal authoritarian rule) succeeds by undermining factuality.
This is how Trump thinks he will:
💠beat any and all charges against him,
💠consolidate power, and
💠destroy anyone and anything in his way.
@TimothyDSnyder 12/ Dear Republican Senators:
Will you embrace a world of lies?
Or will you reject Trump?
Some of you, of course, are on board with what Trump is doing.
You understand that white male supremacy and liberal democracy cannot exist together👇
Will you embrace a world of lies?
Or will you reject Trump?
Some of you, of course, are on board with what Trump is doing.
You understand that white male supremacy and liberal democracy cannot exist together👇
@TimothyDSnyder 13/ With liberal democracy expanding and the U.S. becoming more diverse, you—like other Trump fans—are in a panic.
Like Katie Hopkins, you think Putin rocks.
You admire Russia for being “untouched by the myth of multiculturalism and deranged diversity.”
rt.com/uk/429777-kati…
Like Katie Hopkins, you think Putin rocks.
You admire Russia for being “untouched by the myth of multiculturalism and deranged diversity.”
rt.com/uk/429777-kati…
@TimothyDSnyder 14/ You want to return to the days when America was "great"— before regulatory agencies when [white] men could grab whatever they wanted.
They could grab land!
They could grab people and enslave them!
They could grab women⤵️
🎶Those were the days🎶
They could grab land!
They could grab people and enslave them!
They could grab women⤵️
🎶Those were the days🎶
@TimothyDSnyder 15/ Or maybe you're not one of those.
You don’t admire Putin and you don’t want to destroy our democratic institutions and agencies.
Maybe you’ve tried to have it both ways: You tried to avoid embracing Trump’s destructive agenda while avoiding angering Trump or his supporters.
You don’t admire Putin and you don’t want to destroy our democratic institutions and agencies.
Maybe you’ve tried to have it both ways: You tried to avoid embracing Trump’s destructive agenda while avoiding angering Trump or his supporters.
@TimothyDSnyder 16/ Be warned: Soon Trump will force you to choose.
Impeachment and a Senate Trial is coming.
Trump will force you to openly embrace his lies, or incur his wrath.
Keep in mind Trump will lose.
Our institutions are holding out.
More whistleblowers are coming forward.
Impeachment and a Senate Trial is coming.
Trump will force you to openly embrace his lies, or incur his wrath.
Keep in mind Trump will lose.
Our institutions are holding out.
More whistleblowers are coming forward.
@TimothyDSnyder 17/ This morning a judge ordered Trump to turn eight years of taxes over to the Manhattan DA.
nytimes.com/2019/10/07/nyr…
Democracy will win.
You can be on the right side of this. Or not.
cbsnews.com/live-news/dona…
The decision shouldn't be hard.
History has its eyes on you.
End/
nytimes.com/2019/10/07/nyr…
Democracy will win.
You can be on the right side of this. Or not.
cbsnews.com/live-news/dona…
The decision shouldn't be hard.
History has its eyes on you.
End/
@TimothyDSnyder All my threads are also blog posts. You can view this one here: terikanefield-blog.com/open-letter-to……
For new followers, all my threads are categorized and indexed.
This all started as research for a book tentatively entitled How Trump Happened.
I got the idea to Tweet my research. . .
For new followers, all my threads are categorized and indexed.
This all started as research for a book tentatively entitled How Trump Happened.
I got the idea to Tweet my research. . .
@TimothyDSnyder . . . as I did it. I had a Twitter account I never used.
I lost interested in writing the book (I've written enough books!!) and decided to spend my spare time this year doing voter protection legal work.
So I put my research on a website . . .
terikanefield-blog.com
I lost interested in writing the book (I've written enough books!!) and decided to spend my spare time this year doing voter protection legal work.
So I put my research on a website . . .
terikanefield-blog.com
@TimothyDSnyder . . . and made it public.
I also post to an author Facebook page, for people who still prefer Facebook: facebook.com/terikanefielda…
I also post to an author Facebook page, for people who still prefer Facebook: facebook.com/terikanefielda…
