As more comes out about the WH preventing preparation for & holding back response to the attack on the Capitol, the more I want to know about comments to reporters that White House staff were in touch with “protest leaders” and discussing their objectives. /1
Because right now it looks like Trump weaponized a mob, sent it into the fire, held back response — endangering lives of Congress, staff, police, reporters — and watched on TV hoping for — what?
What was the objective they had been hoping for? /2
I want to know about those comms. /3
Ok now I really want to know more about these comms
cc @AshaRangappa_
Still totally struck by sense of non-reality of the mob in the Capitol — no idea at all what they have just done.
As I mentioned earlier, after the one participant is shot, you see police trying to help but the livestreamers initially get in the way. /1
The priority is to feedback into the online loop.
In one video, this extraordinary moment, where a young man initially goes to check the woman who is shot, backs off for police, realizes “oh I should record this,” gets out his phone — and realizes he has blood on his hand. /2
It’s just extraordinary. Everyone coming out of the Capitol is dazed. Why weren’t the cops on our side. Something big was supposed to happen. In the universe we live in, we just saved America.
Here’s a snapshot of information diet of the veteran who was shot today invading the capitol in defiance of the constitution she had sworn to uphold: flynns, trumps, QAnon, antimasker LARPing, gang rape hot takes. They all hate pence so now say he must also be a pedophile
QAnon. Flynn’s. Lin Wood. The fight continues after the inauguration. Pedophiles everywhere.
It’s a sad broken non-reality that is a totally unremarkable trumpworld social media footprint. All the grifters and goons are reflexively posted,
Little original content.
QAnon memetics. Trump rallies. Praise for a Russian intelligence front.
Millionaire sh*tposter Tucker Carlson says “there are old people and people with jobs here, maybe that should give you pause and make you wonder why”
Stream of guests justifying “anger and fear” of insurgents.
Tucker: “Donald Trump didn’t actively try to ruin the lives of Hillary Clinton supporters in his four years in office, and I think the right has real reason to fear what’s coming now from the left”
FoxNews: appalling. Looking for next fire to light.
Tucker: “political violence begets political violence” and now someone is dead he says with heavy ...
It’s clear what he is asking for.
Hannity is not differentiating between political and militant wings of trumpism 🙄
Amazing and perfect commentary from @abbydphillip on today’s events:
“This is a Republican party who has nurtured and fed this creature that is now about to eat them alive. They’ve lost control over a base that doesn’t trust them, doesn’t want them to do the right thing... /1
... doesn’t want them to follow the Constitution — and they can’t do anything about it... There is a Trump base who wants this [chaos] to happen today, but they can’t be reasoned with anymore, and the Republican party in Washington — the people who “know better,” — /2
— they don’t have control over this anymore. How do you lead when you don’t have the respect of your constituents, when you don’t have the moral authority? ... When they go home to their districts, their constituents believe the lies... /3