I have had same conversation 1,000's times in last 5 years:
Well-meaning academics & journalists: you should devote your time to studying disinformation from Russians on social media
Me: you should devote your time to studying disinformation from Republicans on mainstream media
False equivalency blinded journalists, but also academics, who confused falsely equating the validity the Republican & Democratic Party with "objectivity" when it was actually the exact opposite: it was blinding them from the obvious truth that one party had become disloyal to US
Everyone is comfortable chasing Russians in social media, because then you don't have to admit the org threatening US is one of two parties that dominates every aspect of our republic, and that their mode of distribution is not one of our core institutions: the mainstream media.
Any meaningful investigation into the insurrection on January 6 would need to accept fact that Republican leadership (and now more than 50% of supporters, from latest polls) are simply not loyal to the republic: they support an authoritarian state.
And, any investigation would have to acknowledge it was not just congress that failed to provide check on wannabe authoritarian president, but mainstream media spent 5 years trying to normalize him, spreading his disinformation, and aiding the radicalization of insurrectionists.
We cannot move on, until the immediate threat from anti-US insurrectionists is ameliorated, and that cannot happen simply by deploying troops, we need to confront the cold reality that Republican Party has rotted & abused every institution that was designed to protect US.
Politicians, Media, Academics, Corporate Leaders need to accept reality of their culpability in perpetuating false equivalency, accept fallibility of our institutions, embrace difficult & meaningful change necessary to not just end this immediate threat but allow US thrive again.
• • •
Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to
force a refresh
The Constitution provides that the House of Representatives ‘‘shall have the sole Power of Impeachment’’ and that the President ‘‘shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors’’. 2/17
Further, section 3 of the 14th Amendment to the Constitution prohibits any person who has ‘‘engaged in insurrection or rebellion against’’ the United States from ‘‘hold[ing] any office . . . under the United States’’. 3/17
Republicans want US to forgive & forget their violent insurrection at the Capitol, 6 day ago, but: 1) No forgiveness without accountability. 2) No unity with white nationalists. 3) We cannot move on while they are still, literally, threatening another attack in the next few days.
Before any consideration of forgiveness or unity: Republican leaders unequivocally call off the violence they have planned this weekend into the Inauguration.
Its basically 5 PM ET, seems reasonable to start drinking.
It was just earlier *this week* that President Trump threatened the Georgia Secretary of State to overturn the presidential election in his state, on tape. That was Sunday!
It was *3 days ago* that Democrats captured both senate seats in GA to win senate (along w/ house & presidency). Republicans did not take it well: Trump, Hawley, Cruz, >50% of Republicans in house, orchestrated a bloody take-over of the Capitol to try to block transfer of power.
If I need to sum up my Twitter feed for past 4 years it has basically been yelling this at political & media elite. Hence why I woke up super angry this morning that they have been mocking & derided this warning from atop their high horses for the last 4 years.
.@chucktodd a poster-boy for people whose quest for access, proximity to power, has blinded them to the reality of the Republican Party & right-wing terrorism, was literally on @MSNBC comparing McConnell to Churchill, as terrorists were storming the Capitol.
.@chucktodd just wanted so badly to absolve the Republican leadership of their nurture & protection of Trumpism over the last 4 years, he was willing to toss 4 years corruption, incompetence, cruelty, authoritarianism, and outright disloyalty to US, away for one decent speech.
Important to arrest those MAGA Terrorists who stormed & occupied the Capitol yesterday: we cannot tolerate attacks on our govt
Even *more* important to hold accountable those leaders who created & led those MAGA Terrorists with their rhetoric: @HawleyMO@tedcruz@realDonaldTrump
This attack on the Capitol, a show of strength of MAGA Terrorism, was the entire point of the last 2 months from the Trump Family & their followers in the senate & house. They were never going to overthrow the election, the republic, legislatively, they needed force to scare US.
If these terrorist leaders are allowed to escape this bloody attempted coup without political or legal repercussions, they will emerge stronger, and their white nationalist dreams, backed by violence & terror, will cripple US in the years ahead.