Last night actually happened. It hurt. It was abusive. It was an emotional assault. It was what a cornered scared wild animal does. It was the death throes of antiquated thinking. Joe got bum rushed, he knew it was coming, but it still stings the senses to see it play out.
Imagine for a second that the wicked witch was real. Imagine the terror you might feel when you see her literally melt in front of you. It’s not a pleasant thing. There is yelling. There is violent hand waving, there is destruction. All on display last night.
Last night we saw the witch get wet. trump didn’t do that for him. His own people are saying it was a bit much. He didn’t do it for the votes. He didn’t even do it for money. He did it for the distraction. He is a weapon of mass distraction. And he needs a big one.
Last night was a US Presidential Debate! People watched. They saw the wet witch screaming and smoking into oblivion. An old man screaming at clouds. An authoritarian. A caricature of what he thinks it means to be strong.
He bullied because that’s who he is. He mocked, because that’s who he is. His old ideas about who we are aren’t even accurate. He’s bastardized our own history. He is in his own reality and anything that is outside that reality is fake to him. That is offensive.
It is offensive, dangerous and hurtful to not disavow racists. It is offensive, dangerous and hurtful to maliciously feign confusion over which of Biden’s sons he is talking about. It is offensive, dangerous and hurtful to gaslight a covid weary citizenry looking for leadership.
And he did all those things amid this backdrop:
205,000 dead
$750 tax bill
Another campaign manager arrested
DNI disseminating propaganda
Cambridge Analytica vote suppression
All happened this week and it’s just Wednesday! All the trains are coming in at once. None have brakes.
After the spectacle, I got reaction from Fox. Hannity had Jr. on to give his expertise of how his dad did. The thing he said that stuck with me is this:
‘There’s actual Russia collusion now, there’s wire transfers.’
‘The FBI was working with a known Russian agent, a known spy.’
Who? Why did those specific words fall from his head? Is he trying to lay the foundation for the base that they will be hearing about people working directly with Russian agents? Might it be because of this?👇🏻
Thanks to the Mueller Report we know trump committed up to 10 acts of Obstruction of Justice.
Thanks to Jr., we know they’re thinking about what is coming.
This is their classic get ahead of the story to control the narrative play. It is a winning formula so far. But we know better. If last night hurt, it was designed to. We again have to show our strength and our resilience. Again, we are being called to do better.
We’re going to have to pull ourselves together to be better, be best, be bestest better and better best. We have to overcome this. We have to start putting the pieces together. Be there for each other, wear a mask, wash your hands, register to vote, vote.
END
• • •
Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to
force a refresh
“There is no place for political violence” has been a pretty common refrain throughout the weekend. It really got me thinking. ”Political violence” must be one of those “you know it when you see it” types of things.
Let’s see…
🧵👇🏻
Political violence strikes me as a visual medium but there are so many things that occur before we see the blood that I think might be political violence. Are we just numb to it? How do we define what is political violence and what is just violence? Why is it different?
Are Texas Gov Greg Abbott’s razor balls floating in the river, considered “political violence”? Kind of. I mean, the idea is people from south of the US shouldn’t be allowed to come here and take our jobs.
Political.
To deter from this, razor balls in the river.
Violence.
There’s been a lot said about Joe Biden since the debate. I, along with so many of you, watched it play out in real time as respected news transmitters read out ‘inside texts’ from knee jerk reactionaries.
After much thought, I won’t be voting for Joe Biden because he’s old.
🧵👇🏻
I’ll be voting for Joe Biden because he’s team democracy. I’m voting for ideas he represents. I’m voting for the team of people he can put together. I’m voting for my own interests and for your ability to vote for your own interests. I didn’t vote for him last time either, btw.
In 2020, I voted for a November 5th, 2024 election. Joe Biden and Kamala Harris were the only options on the ballot that allowed this. I colored in Joe and Kamala’s bubble to keep the lights on long enough for us to have this election. Like many of you, I voted team democracy.
I am loathe to do predictions. However, there are some things you just can’t help but see coming. Project 2025 is a blinking red alarm and we all need to be aware of the stakes of this election. Please familiarize yourself with EO11246, be discriminating voters.
A wee thread🧵👇🏻
On September 24th, 1965 President Lyndon Johnson signed Executive Order 11246. EO11246 established Equal Opportunity Employment. It includes Non-Discrimination in Government. It includes Non-Discrimination Employment by Government Contractors and Subcontractors.
Focus on Non-Discrimination Employment by Government Contractors and Subcontractors. In Sub Part B under Contractor’s Agreements, contractors agree to not discriminate against employees based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or national origin.
“I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."
Trust me…
🧵👇🏻
The above is the oath the President takes at 12 noon on January 20. Typically, it is administered by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court but there is no law that makes that a requirement. You could have your gran do it. So why is it *usually* the Chief Justice?
For this thread let’s assume the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court is there as a symbol of the law. Chief Justice Roberts in a way represents the Judicial Branch of our government on the day it grants power to the person who will symbolize the Executive Branch.
If trump wins, the period between Biden and trump would see the installation of trump acolytes in every corner of our government ready to begin the dismantling of institutions on January 20, 2025.
Have you ever heard of a Blackie’s Warrant?
🧵👇🏻
Of course not because it has no impact on your life whatsoever. Or does it? Because it totally does. If you have ever eaten in a restaurant, or eaten food from a grocery store or stayed in a hotel, or had a loved one being cared for, you may want to keep reading.
On March 17, 1978, a warrant was served upon Blackie’s restaurant as Immigration and Naturalization Services removed 15 employees. 10 of those were proven to be subject to deportation. What was the probable cause to issue such a warrant?
You may have recently seen an article @mtredden wrote in the Huffington Post about Judges going to a fancy West Virginia resort with the Koch funded Judicial Education Institute picking up the tab.
The article discusses how a newly appointed federal judge (who is married to an Affinity Partner of Jared Kushner, btw) did away with mask mandates on airplanes with the help of something called the Corpus of Historical American English.
The COHAE is a database of words and their meaning throughout history. According to Corpus of Founding-Era American English and former Chapman University (👀) professor James Phillips, “Corpus linguistics is the tool that originalists have been waiting for.”