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William Barr's latest moves on Trump's behalf are extraordinary.

They again confirm that only one of the candidates is a lawless extremist. And it isn't Joe Biden.

But Barr and Trump are operating from a genuine worldview. I tried to engage it here:

washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/…
This new Trump effort to deny funding to "anarchist" cities is based on the idea that officials are *deliberately* allowing violence.

That's disgusting: Officials are balancing competing imperatives. But the Barr/Trump worldview doesn't permit for this:

washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/…
Both Trump and William Barr have delivered major speeches declaring open war on the left.

By painting the leftist enemy as an existential threat, they lay the groundwork to justify extraordinary and extralegal means of their own to crush that enemy:

washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/…
William Barr is operating in a tradition of anti-liberalism. This glorifies the strongman executive, unfettered at times of crisis.

In Barr's case, the crisis is largely invented to justify Trump's lawlessness.

Relying on @lkatfield and @ProfessorShaw:

washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/…
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Greg Sargent
@ThePlumLineGS
1) Some extraordinary polls came out today.

CNN finds 58% of Americans say Trump's response to protests has been "more harmful."

Ipsos finds 59% say Biden would do better at reducing violence.

This strategy is failing Trump. But what's driving this?

washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/…
2) The polling all tells a story: That majorities see Trump's blustery threats of overwhelming force and incitement of more hatred and violence as a clear and present *danger* to the country.

Look at these numbers:

washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/… Image
3) Trump keeps telling us the only answer is overwhelming brute force. Local officials working to balance safety and civil liberties are "anarchists." Trump, by contrast, could solve the violence "in 15 minutes."

What if majorities are rejecting *that*?

washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/… Image
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Greg Sargent
@ThePlumLineGS
"Law and order" without rule of law is neither "law" nor "order." Any news org that says Trump is running on "law and order" is carrying his propaganda. He is the candidate of corruption, lawlessness, arbitrary violence, and civil breakdown. New piece:

washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/…
Trump's "law and order" appeals as a candidate, and his open contempt for the rule of law as president, are often treated as separate things.

But they are part of the same story: Trump is running on "law and order" without rule of law. That's explicit:

washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/…
Trump is openly inciting *political* violence, and we need to say that clearly.

When Trump says the only way to control "Democrat run cities" is with "strength," he's explicitly declaring himself the candidate of arbitrary, lawless political violence:

washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/…
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Greg Sargent
@ThePlumLineGS
Any Dem who hand-wrings to the media about how violence will help Trump is him/herself helping Trump. You're feeding the storyline that violence is good for him, ie that voters will see him as "strong," and not as part of the problem, w/o doing a damn thing that's constructive.
Here's a better idea, hand-wringers. Draw more attention to the fact that a top strategist for Trump openly and explicitly declared that violence is "better" for him politically, and to the fact that Trump is a *total failure* on safety and law and order.
Some folks responded to this by asking for video of Trump's adviser saying violence is better for him, so here it is:
Read 3 tweets

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