Thread by @DougKass

My 2020 @realdonaldtrump "No Apologies" Tour:
June 5, 2020
"There was no correlation between our plan of moving the perimeter by one block and the president’s going over to the church.” Bill Barr, defending the attack on protestors in Lafayette Square by federal officers.

“It's certainly something that we need to take a look at [to determine] what, if anything, is appropriate for us to do in the wake of what's going on.” Mitch McConnell, explaining why the Senate will not consider police reform legislation.

“I haven’t seen it.” Senator Ron Johnson declining to comment on the attack on protestors in Lafayette Square.
“I’m late for lunch.” Senator Rob Portman (R-KY) declining to comment on the attack on protestors in Lafayette Square.
“I was only following orders.”

The defense used in the Nuremberg Trials by defendants charged with crimes against humanity, including the genocide of Jews.
“Expanding the perimeter.” “What, if anything is appropriate?” “I’m late for lunch.” Such innocent, banal phrases, yet they conceal and excuse the

brutality visited on black Americans and peaceful protestors calling for change. In truth, they are coded messages to those who use violence against American citizens: “Don’t worry; we have your back. Nothing will change.” Those who provide political cover to a wannabe dictator

are complicit—and history will mark them as such. See The Atlantic, “History Will Judge the Complicit.” (“Why have Republican leaders abandoned their principles?) (This is a very deep dive, but well worth your time.)
Shortly before George Floyd was laid to rest, Bill Barr held

a press conference in which he professed concern about systemic violence against black Americans by police. Since Bill Barr has lied to the American people repeatedly, there is no reason to believe his belated profession of concern for the civil rights of black Americans. To the

contrary, at every opportunity, his Department of Justice has sided with states seeking to suppress the right of black Americans to vote. See, e.g., “DOJ Says Witness Requirement on Alabama Absentee Ballot Does Not Violate Voting Rights Law.”
Barr quickly pivoted from his

faux concern for black Americans to blaming “outside agitators” for violence that has marred some protests. Barr specifically blamed “Antifa” for the violence even though the only reported FBI investigation on the subject has found no evidence of involvement by Antifa. See The

Nation, “The FBI Finds ‘No Intel Indicating Antifa Involvement’ in Sunday’s Violence.” Barr made only vague references to “other groups” seeking to incite violence—despite the fact that a white nationalist been arrested for arson committed during protests over George Floyd’s

death. Moreover, Twitter took down a white nationalist group posing as Antifa. See generally, Just Security, “Far-Right Infiltrators and Agitators in George Floyd Protests: Indicators of White Supremacists.”
As he lied to the American people and winked to white nationalists by

blaming Antifa for violence, Barr spoke in smooth, understated tones. The banality of evil. He was shocked to learn that anyone could be concerned about anonymous paramilitary-style troops who occupied D.C. HuffPost, “William Barr’s Vast, Nameless Army Is Being Brought To Bear

On D.C. Protesters.” Those unidentified troops come from the Bureau of Prisons, the Drug Enforcement Agency, the FBI, and other federal enforcement agencies that have no business patrolling the streets of our nation’s capital.

The militarization of D.C.’s streets by Trump and Barr continued to provoke outrage among military leaders and some politicians. See WaPo, “As protests spread, tensions escalated over Trump’s use of military in response.” Senator Lisa Murkowski said that General Mattis

’ comments yesterday were “true and honest and necessary and overdue.” Gen. Martin Dempsey, former chair of Joint Chiefs of Staff, told NPR that calling the military to suppress mostly peaceful protests “was very dangerous.” One general officer told the NYTimes that he hoped to

make it through another day without having to resign in order to uphold “his constitutional obligations to decline an illegal order.”
Trump’s strongman tactics are costing him support among his base. See NYTimes, “Trump’s Approval Slips Where He Can’t Afford to Lose It: Among

Evangelicals.” In the last three months, Trump’s approval ratings among white evangelicals has dropped by 15%—from 80% to 62%. The PRRI poll cited in the NYTimes article compares support for Trump among Republicans for the two weeks before and after the outbreak of protests over

the killing of George Floyd. During that period, “favorable views of Trump among Republicans declined significantly between the first (88%) and second half (79%) of the field period. The same is true for independents.”
As Republican Senators hurried to their lunches and avoided

watching the news about the strife roiling America, George Floyd was memorialized in a ceremony open only to invited guests. Reverend Al Sharpton rose to the occasion with a eulogy that embraced George Floyd’s life and the struggles of all black Americans. See News10, “‘Get your

knee off our necks’: Rev. Al Sharpton delivers powerful eulogy for George Floyd.” Reverend Sharpton used the occasion to announce a march on Washington, D.C., to be led by the families of black Americans killed by police officers. Bill Barr’s secret police cannot stop grieving

and outraged Americans.
As Trump feels the fences closing in on him, he is erecting physical fences around the White House. See video here. His presidency is shrinking, both in terms of its support and its footprint. He is hunkering down in the White House, until he flees to

Mar-a-Lago. On Friday, Trump will visit a small town in Maine that is heavily populated with his supporters. Most of Maine doesn’t want Trump to visit and is anxious for him to leave even before he arrives. See Portland Press Herald, “Bill Nemitz: An open letter from Maine to

the president who isn’t.” (“Donald Trump's looming visit to Piscataquis County, another in a long line of ego trips, cannot be over soon enough.”)
We cannot let up. Although there are signs that support for Trump is beginning to crack, we cannot take anything for

granted. As the PRRI poll cited above notes, Trump’s support has a “hard bottom” of 40%. While that is not enough for Trump to win in 2020, we must ensure that Trump loses in a landslide. Such a victory will make clear that Biden has a mandate to reverse the damage inflicted by

Trump. If we defend the House and flip the Senate, we can also reform the Supreme Court. These are challenging and painful times. But that pain may be the impetus for a rebirth. Lean into it. @jimcramer @tomkeene @cnbcfastmoney @threadreaderapp unroll @ScottWapnerCNBC