I want to make a few things very clear about this speech by Bill Barr.
Things we need to understand in order to know where we are and how to move forward. /1
Things we need to understand in order to know where we are and how to move forward. /1
When a norm-shredding underminer of the rule of law like Barr projects like that, it’s an abuser tactic called DARVO. Deny, attack, reverse the victim and offender. Familiarize yourself with the abuser playbook, because it’s the authoritarian playbook. /2
rantt.com/brett-kavanaug…
rantt.com/brett-kavanaug…
When Barr says the left “treats politics as [our] religion”, the complaint is that we should be treating (his) religion as our politics. That’s what the whole speech is about. He’s a theocrat. /3
Barr’s been giving variations of this speech since the last time he was Attorney General. This should not be news to us. And he’s just one of many Trump-affiliated lawyers and judges who think this way. /4
The theocratic movement’s lawyers and judges are almost exclusively Christian, and disproportionately Catholic. If they weren’t Christian, the press would call them radicals. Instead, they’re just another part of the DC establishment. /5
thedailybeast.com/the-secrets-of…
thedailybeast.com/the-secrets-of…
Because they’re Christian, the mainstream press has been letting them get away with open extremism. How many times before his confirmation did you hear Barr described as well-respected or establishment? And how much talk about this? /6
au.org/blogs/wall-of-…
au.org/blogs/wall-of-…
If we really want to pull back from the brink of theocracy, we need a press willing to report on it. But as @C_Stroop writes, “For too many pundits, commentators, and gatekeepers, the answer to ‘where were they radicalized’ is found in taboo territory.” /7
conversationalist.org/2019/11/14/if-…
conversationalist.org/2019/11/14/if-…
How the press handles Christian extremism is worse than just avoiding it. They actively whitewash it. Here’s a thread with a few egregious (but typical) examples from the New York Times. /8
And here’s another @C_Stroop article, on how the mainstream media serves as PR flacks for American fundamentalism. /9
rewire.news/religion-dispa…
rewire.news/religion-dispa…
Why does it matter how white fundamentalists are treated by the media? Because they're trying to make this country authoritarian. And they vote. We can't afford false optimism. We need to understand the size and intent of their voting bloc and out-organize them. /10
p.s. follow @C_Stroop
@C_Stroop “Listen for dangerous words. Be alert to the use of the words ‘extremism’ and ‘terrorism’. Be alive to the fatal notions of ‘emergency’ and ‘exception’. Be angry about the treacherous use of patriotic vocabulary.” – Tim Snyder
@C_Stroop It’s as simple as this. They’re trying to end democracy in America. This is why plutocrats, theocrats and white supremacists are so committed to Trump. His lawlessness and bigotry are the appeal.
And it’s why their language is so familiar to historians. They can’t come out and say what they really want, so they follow the playbook used by tyrants everywhere. We’re just not used to hearing it from “respectable” members of the DC establishment.
