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15 Feb, 5 tweets, 3 min read
"Whether we pass legislation to save our democracy will fall on the shoulders of Democrats for the next two years."-@CongressRadar firstbranchforecast.com/2021/02/15/for…

What's at stake? "The suffocation of American democracy."
web.archive.org/web/2018100803…

"after a failed coup attempt aimed at overthrowing the results of free & fair elections certified by all 50 states, [this] administration must come to grips with the stark reality that democracy…is in its worst crisis since the Civil War"-@piccone_ted brookings.edu/blog/order-fro…
"Our political process and electoral systems, while having endured a massive stress test, still need major work to comply with basic standards of free and fair elections with universal suffrage for all U.S. citizens"-@piccone_ted
The best antidote to rising autocracy & domestic extremism "is to first address urgent demands for political & economic renewal at home, including rebuilding a social safety net for effective delivery of equitable health & justice services"–@piccone_ted
nytimes.com/2021/01/31/us/…?
Not holding a President who pursued a self coup & incited a failed putsch accountable invites more sedition.
History shows us a Big Lie & failed coup heightens risks.
US now in a pre-fascist state.
Much depends on this Congress enacting democracy reforms commensurate to the need

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Alex Howard Profile picture
13 Feb
This speech by @LeaderMcConnell is months late, & his vote to acquit speaks the loudest.

History will show his immoral silence played a key role in Trump’s ability to lie & incite the insurrection, after years of cynical toleration of incompetence, corruption & authoritarianism.
The record shows that Senator McConnell first said Trump could not be tried before he left office, & now is arguing that a former officer cannot be held accountable for acts in office.

BS.

The “absurd end result” is that unprecedented corruption & sedition met with no sanction.
Not holding a President who pursued a self coup accountable & incited a failed putsch invites more seditious violence.

We should expect this abdication of accountability for inciting an insurrection to embolden future demagogues to seek to overturn elections — or this one again
Read 4 tweets
Alex Howard Profile picture
13 Feb
“Whataboutism is a variant of the tu quoque logical fallacy that attempts to discredit an opponent's position by charging them with hypocrisy without directly refuting or disproving their argument.”
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whatabout…
“It is particularly associated with Russian propaganda.”
After the fall of the USSR, “Whataboutism became a favorite tactic of the Kremlin. Russian public relations strategies combined whataboutism with other Soviet tactics, including disinformation and active measures.”
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whatabout…
Whataboutism “received new attention during Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea & military intervention in Ukraine. The Russian officials & media frequently used ‘what about’ & then provided Kosovo independence or the 2014 Scottish independence referendum.”
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whatabout…
Read 5 tweets
Alex Howard Profile picture
11 Feb
Listening to @Kantrowitz talk with tech journalists about @TwitterSpaces on @TwitterSpaces.

@Twitter launched audio rooms in December 2020, & I forgot about it.
Would you like to listen to people you follow like this?
Do you do it now on @joinClubhouse?
@Kantrowitz @TwitterSpaces @Twitter @joinClubhouse What I like about @TwitterSpaces is that I can listen to it while I use other apps ( @ tweetbot, in this case), just like a conference call in the background. The value is all about the speakers; great interviewers & guests will keep being compelling, but most may be dross.
@Kantrowitz @TwitterSpaces @Twitter @joinClubhouse What I haven’t heard the tech & biz journalists talk about yet is the potential use case for politicians & officials. @TwitterSpaces could create instant town halls for legislators & mayors, or public meetings for regulators — but archiving & accessibility could both be barriers.
Read 15 tweets
Alex Howard Profile picture
11 Feb
Why did the Pentagon strip the @DCGuard1802 (DCNG) Commander of his normal authority to dispatch troops to the @USCapitol? washingtonpost.com/national-secur…
Why did acting SecDef Miller issue a memo putting limits on DCNG on 1/4?
Was @WhiteHouse45 involved in either?
cc @HouseJudiciary
What did the @FBI & @DHSgov know, & when?
Why no press conferences from Director Wray? Why isn’t he being called? USCP chief? Sergeants-at-arms?
Were panic buttons removed?

Did Roger Stone conspire with the Proud Boys?

Witnesses would add key evidence, @HouseJudiciary. Call.
“For the sake of presenting the full case to the Senate and to the American people, the trial must include witnesses to Trump’s high crimes and misdemeanors” freespeechforpeople.org/wp-content/upl…
Read 4 tweets
Alex Howard Profile picture
24 Jan
What’s wrong @MeetThePress?
Who aired a clip of @GovRonDeSantis saying he’d “seen the stuff Biden is putting out, that he’s going to create these FEMA camps or whatever, & that’s not necessary for Florida” without first telling @NBCNews viewers that’s a conspiratorial falsehood?
The host, @chucktodd, said @POTUS Biden faces a challenges in making Republican governors partners in COVID response, & framed the clip as an example of “some Trump allies who are dismissive of his plans.”

That’s inaccurate: the challenge is Trump & allies will lie & fear-monger
After hosting a show in disinformation, @MeetThePress is still not adjusting its own editorial practices to the alternative reality in which official lies have disinformed people in post-truth America & stopped airing them or officials without inoculating viewers with #FactsFirst
Read 7 tweets
Alex Howard Profile picture
23 Jan
I’ve been looking at who the new @whitehouse accounts follow & have concluded that @TwitterGov has made a hash of how it’s labeling official US government accounts & campaign accounts.

Some are labeled, some are @verified, & some are neither.

I’ll offer examples.
The @WHCOVIDResponse @WHCOS @AmbRice46 @JOD46 are all US government accounts, but are not labeled. @LaCasaBlanca is.

@flotus has the label, but @SecondGentleman does not.

@usagov has a label, but @usaid @cbp @stevefda do not.
I haven’t audited all 538 x 2 yet, but @verified US Senator or Representatives accounts are not labeled as US government accounts.

Neither @joebiden nor @kamalaharris or @aoc or @HillaryClinton or @barackobama are labeled as campaign accounts, but @IlhanMN & @AyannaPressley are.
Read 7 tweets

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