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Cheryl point out 👇 in response to my lengthy thread and blogpost in which I tried to dislodge the notion so many people hold that the Trump-FOX-GOP—including most of the GOP members of Congress—kowtow to Russia because the Russians are holding blackmail against them.

1/
Here is the thread:
Here it is as a blogpost: terikanefield-blog.com/no-the-entire-…

Yes, of course Trump is compromised. He is compromised by decades of entanglement with the Russians.

He is compromised because he took Russian money.

2/
In fact, in 2018 when "collusion" was the word on everyone lips, I argued that "collusion" was completely inadequate to describe the Trump's connection with the Russians.

It was much deeper than mere "collusion" or even "conspiracy."

See👇

3/
Trump is compromised because he and the Russians have committed crimes together.

This is really a chicken-and-egg argument. Which causes what?

People have the idea that Trump does Putin's bidding because he is terrified that Putin will expose him.

4/
I have argued at length that Russia has been beckoning America's far right wing for decades, presenting Russia as the savior of the [white] Christian race.

They infiltrated right wing organizations.

Start reading here👇


5/
The question, of course, is why.

The answer is because liberal democracy 👇didn't fully come to America until after the 1950s, the women's rights, and Civil Rights movement.

We've always had robust democratic institutions, but they (mostly) protected white men.

6/
A portion of the GOP has been trying to dismantle the New Deal since it was passed. They argue it was an unconstitutional infringement on their personal liberty.

The argument against Brown v. Board (the 1954 case that declared segregation in schools illegal) is the same.

7/
Even Justice Rehnquist, as a law clerk, argued that Brown v Board was wrongly decided.

He didn't think the federal government had the right to outlaw segregation.

We're still riding the backlash from Brown v. Board of Education.

8/
A lot of people don't like what America became after the 1950s. They want to take us back.

This is when Russia entered, offering something to everyone. To the people who resented Brown v. Board, they offered the promise of white supremacy.

9/
To people like Trump who wanted the trappings of wealth, they offered that.

Notice, though, that Trump has only the trappings of wealth. His "empire" is heavily leverage and mortgage. He floats on death. There's no real value propping it up.

10/
Back to the chicken v. egg.

People who subscribe to the "they GOP kisses Putin's ring because they are compromised" imagine a scenario like this:

🔹GOP Leader did something he shouldn't have done.
🔹He wrote about it in an email.
🔹The Russians hacked his email.

11/
🔹GOP leader is terrified his crimes will be revealed so he does Russia's bidding.

Nope, here's why . . .

(It's early in California. 👇I'm writing this thread before my morning coffee. ☕️ Coffee keeps the keyboard gremlins away.)
Anyone who watched the impeachment trial must understand that the GOP isn't afraid their "crimes" will be revealed.

Their crimes are revealed every day. No one cares.

12/ (I think this is 12. I forgot to include a number back there. Need ☕️)
We just had GOP Senators dump stock after classified briefing that we were about to hit a crisis. They dumped the stock while reassuring the public that nothing was amiss.

The Fox-GOP did not care. Their voters did not care.

They are not afraid crimes will be revealed.

13/
When you are backed up by a propaganda network and the president is a cult leader whose very word is the "truth" to his followers, you don't care about facts.

The truth doesn't faze them. Fear of blackmail assumes that they are afraid of the truth.

14/
The truth has no meaning (and presents no obstacle) in the Trump-FOX-GOP.

Liberals accuse Trump of projection.
The idea that the GOP leadership is kowtowing to Putin because they are afraid is projection.
It's the only way a liberal can imagine anyone bowing to Putin.

15/
Trump is entangled with Russia because he wants the US to be like Russia. He and his cronies want to BE Russian style oligarchs.

A subscriber to my blog asked this👇

The GOP doesn't think they are dismantling the Republic.

They think they are making America great again.

16/
They think they are saving the Republic from the errors of liberal ways.

They think that America careened off the rails in the 1950s and the 1960s.

They think they are restoring America to goodness and purity.

17/
No 👇
That theory originated with (and is propagated by) people engaging in fear-mongering.

Fear-mongering is a form of demagogery.

The Democrats won by 8 points in 2018 and there's no reason they can't again.

See my FAQs. terikanefield-blog.com/faq/

18/
Got ☕️.

Only substantive change: "No one cares" in (12) should be "nobody in the Trump-FOX-GOP bubble cares."

Many of us care passionately, and that's why we understand the importance of the coming election.
As @luvthesnark says, it's sad that "they're afraid because they're compromised" was a bit of wishful thinking.

There's also this:

They're not afraid of blackmail.

They're afraid of losing power.
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