A long-serving GOP state legislator is the author of a widely circulated right wing treatise that “called for replacing the U.S. government with a theocracy, as well as the ‘killing of all males who don’t agree.’” He’s been re-elected multiple times. crosscut.com/2019/12/wa-rep…
This is the apocalyptic telos to which Shea’s heady brew of 2nd Amendment edgelordism and evangelical fundamentalism point. He’s the ultimate conservative culture warrior.
So when you hear more benign-seeming conservatives like Mike Pence talk about “the culture war,” think about Shea and his many, many, armed supporters. They may disagree on short term means, but they almost entirely agree on the long term ends.
While the Malheur occupation might look like a fringe, “extremist” thing to those outside the west, it was quite popular with many western Republicans. The Oregon GOP convention narrowly voted down a motion of approval. ijpr.org/post/oregon-re…
The Washington GOP also recently (and belatedly) expelled one of their local party leaders who was a prominent white nationalist who helped organize the Charlottesville Nazi rally. seattletimes.com/seattle-news/w…
White identitarian domestic terrorist fascists like Shea and Allsup are working hard to occupy the GOP. The WA GOP eventually did the right thing. But it took way too long to do so.
Innumerable local journalists braved credible death threats to get Shea’s story out. Their bravery is the main reason why we know about this. I have difficulty trusting a GOP that tolerates Sheas and Allsups in their midst until some journalist exposes them.
For more on this story, listen to this stellar podcast by @Leah_Sottile and follow @jason_a_w. None of this story comes to light without the excellent work of journalists like them. npr.org/podcasts/60644…
More details on the journalists who covered this story, and how ridiculously long it took people in positions of power to do anything about it.
Ironically, on my drive home the other day I found myself behind this car at a red light. Matt Shea and his radical friends are not an abstraction. 
Here’s a general overview of who these 3 percent folks are, what they believe, and what they are preparing to do. pbs.org/newshour/show/…
This seems, um, relevant here.
Take a second to put yourself in the shoes of those scores of WA GOP legislators who caucused with Shea FOR YEARS, and who did nothing about this. Those folks appall me almost as much as Shea.
Let’s not forget that there’s a white nationalist working in the WH serving as one of the President’s closest advisors.
