There are two ways of looking at these protests:
1. Elite manipulators are controlling them, and are shoring up more control.
2. Elite manipulators are not in control of them, and are losing control.
Given that we're talking about a dying empire, #2 seems much more likely to me.
1. Elite manipulators are controlling them, and are shoring up more control.
2. Elite manipulators are not in control of them, and are losing control.
Given that we're talking about a dying empire, #2 seems much more likely to me.
Like everything else, this debate largely boils down along boring partisan lines: you're more likely to believe #1 if you support the Republican president and his allies, because you believe (wrongly) that the establishment wants to get rid of him.
If you believe 1 then the establishment institutions expressing support for the protests are doing so because they like them. If you believe 2 then they're doing it with the goal of mollifying, neutralizing and co-opting (see entire Obama administration).
I haven't seen any solid arguments for why elite manipulators would want the rank-and-file mainstream population made aware that they are living in a militarized authoritarian police state. SOP for the narrative managers has always been to keep people asleep to that reality.
