The modern Republican Party + Putin = True Love because have common goals.
For decades now, Russia has been “beckoning” to America’s far right wing, presenting Russia as the savior of white majority rule. (Timothy Snyder’s word)
4/ Here is Katie Hopkins (with pal Ann Coulter) saying “Putin rocks.” rt.com/uk/429777-kati…
She praises Russia as being “untouched by the myth of multiculturalism and deranged diversity.”
Putin’s regime, remember, is built on homophobia and fear of those who are different.
5/ One more example because it's instructive.
Paul Hasson, they guy who planned to mass murder liberals, talked of “Looking to Russia with hopeful eyes . . .” scribd.com/document/40010…
Putin and the modern GOP want the same things.
They're soul mates❣️
6/ Putin would like:
💠Civil War in the U.S.
💠The U.S. to become a Russian style oligarchy
The GOP imitates Putin's tactics. He's their hero.
Putin entirely privatized the Russian government and put all wealth into the hands of a few white men.
2014: Pat Buchanan said Putin was “entering a claim that Moscow is the Godly city of today." buchanan.org/blog/whose-sid…
8/ Buchanan praised Putin for stamping out western evil like easy divorce and homosexuality. buchanan.org/blog/whose-sid…
The Russia - Republican love affair has been conducted in open view.
Why, then, are people surprised?
9/ For the past several years we've been hit with such a tsunami of spectacle and crisis that people can't step back and assimilate what's going on.
That's Putin's method of governing, by the way. From @TimothyDSnyder: Create so much crisis that nobody can focus.
10/ What is happening is that Putin is leading the way toward the kind of society the Republicans want: An oligarchy in which government is privately owned and privately controlled by a few wealthy men.
Sometimes I think we're better off now that the GOP isn't trying to hide it.
I expanded this thread into a short video.
(Yes, I'm still out here camping in the desert. Great background, but some wind.)
Video is here:
I'll also put a transcription up as a blog post soon.
Challenging Biden to a debate is a clever way to imply that there is room to debate.
"Debate" assumes a shared set of facts. Then you debate the implications.
This⤵️ is a tactic for elevating and giving credence to a falsehood. abcn.ws/3qX80Cl via @ABC
1/
This tactic is extremely effective. What Russian propaganda networks do is claim to air "all sides." They publish the truth as one of many possible theories, and then crowd the airwaves with so much "noise" that nobody can figure out what's true and what isn't.
2/
The American right wing does this by talking about their free speech right to promulgate lies. They claim that universities prohibit free speech by not allowing ALL ideas to be presented.
They want to put lies along side truth on the same stage.
3/
It's not a coincidence that the same people who spread disinformation are not interested in funding public schools.
While doing research for my book on disinformation, I learned about Kari Kivinen, a headteacher in Finland, who explained how Finland combats disinformation.
Alexander Hamilton understood that if the government does good things for people, they will come to have confidence in the government, and this will give the nation stability.
It's in one of the Federalist Papers. I quoted it in my book. I'm not at my desk or I'd give the #.
Hi, @robreiner. I'm happy to take a stab at answering the question.
A would-be oligarch (who wants both power and wealth) has to keep the masses in their place, so they have to enact legislation that actually hurts their constituents.
That's why Oceania had always been at war with Eastasia.
GOP leaders know that their position on Covid relief is unpopular with their base, but they also know they're giving their base something they want more: Protection from "dangerous" enemies threatening to destroy the U.S.