Some thoughts on the Capitol protest:

First off, LOL at talk of a "coup." Media narrative-pushing has become absurd.

There were some terrible events, including the death of the policeman. Any serious violent crimes should be prosecuted. 1/12
The vast majority of people there were simply peacefully protesting. Some broke the law. As with any protest, any vandalism or trespass was bad and should be treated in line with similar acts at other protests. 2/12
We need details on who did what. It appears the worst activities were committed by a small number of people, and we need to know who they were and what exactly they did. 3/12
We need details on what lines were crossed. Videos show both barriers and doors being opened to protesters, so many who entered the Capitol may have believed they were allowed in. Normally it is a public space, and other protests have taken place there... 4/12
...including during the Kavanaugh confirmation a concerted effort to “occupy” Congressional offices to pressure senators to vote against a Supreme Court nominee. Citizens who believed there was voter fraud were as justified in protesting the electoral certification... 5/12
...as citizens who believed unsubstantiated sexual assault allegations were in protesting Kavanaugh's confirmation. Protests have likewise "occupied" state capitols, such as the 2011 Wisconsin protests, without legal sanction. 6/12
We need explanations of the response. A woman was shot and killed by police—was this justified and necessary? Besides decisions to open barriers/doors, the police were clearly unprepared. 7/12
DC’s mayor and the Capitol Police rejected offers of help from the Pentagon and FBI before and the day of the protests. The way this grew out of control shows the danger of improperly preparing for protests. 8/12
As for Trump's role: I don't believe he incited violence according to the legal definition of the term. I am not endorsing his actions, and I don't know his true beliefs or intent. Trump may have contributed to a culture where some protesters choose to cross the line. 9/12
Other politicians may have too: Kamala Harris supported a bail fund for BLM protesters in June, and Cory Booker once told people to "Go to the Hill today. Get up and please get up in the face of some congresspeople." 10/12
Many people and ideologies have contributed to our tense national culture. It's impossible to know all that leads people to riot. Perhaps the wrong sort of people were listening to the mantras repeated this summer and a few of them felt “unheard”? 11/12
This whole situation is tragic. It reveals a country that is deeply divided, and has lost much of the culture and trust necessary for political unity and republican government. 12/12

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More from @NateAFischer

21 Dec 20
Prediction: Demands will escalate that amateurs abstain from independent analysis and defer to credentialed experts.

The better the analysis, the more strident the denunciations will be.

The reason is that credentials are increasingly a filter for ideology, not competence. 1/7
Within many academic & professional domains, a key purpose of gatekeepers (credentialers, journals, etc) is to enforce ideological discipline—to ensure that an analysis is not just correct, but also advances dominant ideological priorities. 2/7
The real threat is not error (which can be refuted) but accurate analysis that transgresses ideological norms. This will rarely come from inside experts; they have already been filtered for conformity and would face professional repercussions.

The risk is from amateurs. 3/7
Read 9 tweets
20 Dec 20
Unsurprisingly, @DavidAFrench continues to harp on an alleged white evangelical/“Christian Nationalism” fusion (it’s become his signature crusade).

The study he cites lumps all non-white evangelicals together.

But his narrative breaks if we consider Hispanic evangelicals. 1/4
In a poll I helped sponsor in October, we found that by a substantial margin Hispanic evangelicals supported Trump—and aligned with white evangelicals on many other issues (a pattern confirmed in other polls). 2/4
Across every race, orthodox theological beliefs correlate with greater support for Trump and for traditionally conservative political views.

This suggests that theology, rather than French’s hypothesized racial/religious fusionism, is the real driver. 3/4
Read 4 tweets
19 Dec 20
Jill Biden and her doctorate have blown up online this past week. Writers have criticized her use of the honorific and (as @rkylesmith does) the quality of her dissertation.

I think it is a mistake to focus on her. 1/3

nationalreview.com/2020/12/jill-b…
Other have noted that her dissertation is far from atypical in her field, and my sense is this is not limited to education schools. Singling her out, given that her public profile comes mainly from her husband’s status, risks coming across as petty. 2/3
Rather, recognize that Biden’s degree is the norm for an elite increasingly obsessed with credentialism even as these credentials grow more disconnected from true learning.

The problem is a system where “Dr.” often means little, yet “Drs.” rule ever more of our lives. 3/3
Read 4 tweets
19 Dec 20
This is certainly a need, but I fear that many Classical Christian schools—while committed to truth and intellectual rigor—have not sufficiently steeled themselves against the intellectual and cultural forces driving wokeness. 1/4
Culturally, many share the mindset of politicians like Ben Sasse: oriented toward important truths, but failing to appreciate that these values are not just absent in the broader society, but under aggressive assault. The same is true of many Biblically oriented churches. 2/4
This mindset seems particularly prevalent in insular, high-social-capital Christian subcultures.

They diligently pursue truth, but do not explicitly contrast it with and challenge contemporary heresies—rendering themselves vulnerable to shrewd opponents pushing such errors. 3/4
Read 5 tweets
28 Nov 20
This is important and many misread the danger.

Marginalizing/censoring/deplatforming dissenters from the establishment narrative will not just make everyone fall in line.

But it will still cement that narrative’s power by atomizing any opposition.

Thread on dissent:

1/12
I doubt many mouthpieces actually think they can convince all Americans of the official narrative. On the contrary, they often barely hide their partisanship.

But fragmenting dissenters, and signaling the required position to anyone hoping not to be ostracized, is enough. 2/12
Thus even open censorship is effective.

Driving people to conspiracy theories may even strengthen an official ideological narrative by creating convenient straw men.

Any wonder the media obsessed over (and actively created social proof for) QAnon? 3/12
Read 11 tweets
3 Nov 20
Today is Election Day. My vote is for Donald Trump, and I believe yours should be too. 1/18
God has blessed us with an incredible inheritance—a country and culture that, despite past and present flaws, have helped create nearly unparalleled freedom and prosperity for generations of Americans. 2/18
America faces profound crises and divisions, and we have imperfect choices to govern us. Yet Trump is not just the lesser of two evils. He has been right in important ways that nearly all others have downplayed or ignored. 3/18
Read 18 tweets

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