Thread by @1JoshGreenberg

THREAD

TRUMP’S TACTICS ON NOVEMBER 3—PART II: STRATEGIC RESPONSE

As our nation gets closer and closer to all-out crisis, our strategic response continues to significantly influence our fate.

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Here, I discuss what we must do—and how we can cope—in the face of Trump’s key tactics analyzed in Part I of this series.

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https://twitter.com/1JoshGreenberg/status/1315045880974594049

After four years of experiencing Trump’s assaults, we can and we must do better—because we all have the power to adjust our strategies to overcome his agenda.

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First, let’s recall his four primary tactics: (1) chaos, (2) media dominance, (3) unimaginable surprise, and (4) bottomlessness.

On or before November 3, these tactics are likely to reach levels that no one could have ever fathomed. So we must be prepared.

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The core solutions to Trump’s tactics include the following, each of which I will describe further:

(1) Remember reality.

(2) Maintain resolute focus.

(3) Do not allow Trump to dominate you.

(4) Never be surprised.

(5) Cherish your humanity.

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Strategy #1: Remember reality.

People should realize that reality seems to be slipping away from them because those in power follow a different reality—because impunity and falsehood is the new reality.

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Moreover, Trump’s chaos is intended to destroy our reality and to entangle us in a web of deception.

Do not become entangled. Do not give him what he wants.

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To help safeguard your sense of reality, return to your core values, and maintain your relationships with those around you. Let your principles and your loved ones anchor you. Whenever you may be in doubt, go back to these anchors.

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Recognize that the presence of chaos itself—rather than the specific minutiae within the chaos—is the primary problem.

Therefore, while keeping objective reality in mind, do not try to piece together the alternate reality that Trump seeks to create.

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https://twitter.com/1JoshGreenberg/status/1296519924643487744

Attempting to sift through and refute the maze of rumors and doubts and ambiguities and false equivalencies and lies is a futile task that ultimately does not contribute toward resisting Trump.

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Often, in a setting of deliberate chaos, even attempts to refute misinformation are themselves laden with misinformation, further distorting our understanding of reality.

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For instance, amidst the Covid drama, conspiracy theory and rumor began to paralyze the resistance movement itself. We cannot afford to let this happen.

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nytimes.com/2020/10/07/tec… @kevinroose

In other words, it is not worthwhile attempting to dissect the daily dramas of the Trump Tabloid. When life becomes a tabloid, that in itself is the problem. That in itself is evidence of society’s lost reality.

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That in itself is evidence of an authoritarian agenda set on destroying the credibility of information and carrying out oppressive acts.

These realities are more than enough to know. Let's not spend our time in the tabloid pages as well.

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Strategy #2: Maintain resolute focus.

Amidst the orchestrated chaos, our fundamental task is to maintain sanity and focus—and to continue effectively resisting an autocratic coup.

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Rather than become lost within the blur of chaos deliberately created by the regime, we must keep our eyes trained on the ultimate ends: freedom and justice.

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https://twitter.com/1JoshGreenberg/status/1312099482318721025

The ambiguity of chaos is unsettling—indeed, the chaos is designed to make us uncomfortable and to knock us out of kilter.

But we will need to navigate the chaos. Most of all, we must learn to discern the signal from the noise.

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To do so, keep in mind that no matter what the “truth” may be behind Trump’s antics, the bottom line always remains the same: Trump is an oppressive autocrat who must be resisted to the greatest extent possible.

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That is the key signal. That is the clarity within the seeming ambiguity. The other details of the chaos tend to be meaningless noise.

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https://twitter.com/1JoshGreenberg/status/1296857657773559810

Such clarity is critical because, no matter what we do, Trump will always attempt to spin the situation in his favor.

Do your best to ignore him, his spins, and his chaos. Just remain focused on his oppression and on freedom and justice.

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https://twitter.com/1JoshGreenberg/status/1312879881127165956

Given Trump's pathology, realize that we may never know the full truth behind his ploys, at least not in the short-term. Find a way to settle with this fact.

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This is not to say that we should not demand truth. However, the task right now is simply to execute a successful resistance strategy that will ultimately place us in a position to unravel and to tell the full extent of that truth.

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Most of all, stay focused on what you can do to resist—namely, protest. Concentrate on what is within your control: actions that you can take to help save our country. Expend your energy where it is most useful.

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https://twitter.com/1JoshGreenberg/status/1295472525921718272

Your best contributions will likely happen outside of social media, since much of social media operates in an echo-chamber and since physical presence and connection is typically necessary to demonstrate moral force and to restore order to social systems under assault.

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Strategy #3: Do not allow Trump to dominate you.

When we all become distracted by his ploys, we unwittingly further his agenda, providing him cover to commit criminal acts. When we all spend our lives occupied by Trump’s antics, we unwittingly give him more power.

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We paralyze ourselves while allowing his image to seep into the mind of the citizenry, amplifying a leader who is in reality feeble into a seemingly powerful force.

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We must resist these tendencies.

Do not fear Trump—for he operates based on appearances, shrouding an intrinsic emptiness.

Reassure yourself with the fact that a majority of the country stands against him. Remember that Trump is not omnipotent.

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Strategy #4: Never be surprised.

Expect to be ambushed. Trump’s ambushes may shock and horrify you—and they should—but they should no longer surprise you.

We must realize that the situation in our country may well become worse and worse—and worse.

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Before things reach such a point, try to paint a picture in your mind of what such horror might look like.

That picture should first and foremost motivate you to act NOW, rather than waiting until later.

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Furthermore, if and when the horror comes, you should be outraged—but you should also be in position to channel the outrage toward a strategic, constructive resistance effort.

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Strategy #5: Cherish your humanity.

Trump may take away our health. He may take away our education. He may take away our security. He may take away our freedom.

But he can never take away our humanity.

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Do not let Trump provoke you into driving further escalation that may help lead to the implosion of our country, even if that is not your intention.

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Remember your innate capacity for goodness. Let that be your compass. Remember your moral principles, and stick to them. Cherish your humanity. Never let go of it.

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It is more emergent than ever that we take the foregoing steps to bolster our resistance. With this collection of strategies, we will be in a far better position to resist the unparalleled onslaught that will likely be launched against our country on or before November 3.

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