Last night, @HC_Richardson ended her thought-provoking letter by asking this:
"Last month, six in ten Republicans in a Reuters/Ipsos poll said they believed the election was stolen. Where do Republican lawmakers think this is going to end?"
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"Last month, six in ten Republicans in a Reuters/Ipsos poll said they believed the election was stolen. Where do Republican lawmakers think this is going to end?"
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Heather Cox Richardson is the author of⤵️, so the question comes from someone with a deep knowledge of party history.
It seems to me that the GOP leaders have no long-term plan, and no long-range ideas or visions.
They have a short-term plan: Win at any cost and hold power.
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It seems to me that the GOP leaders have no long-term plan, and no long-range ideas or visions.
They have a short-term plan: Win at any cost and hold power.
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Scholar @jasonintrator defines fascism as a set of tactics for seizing and maintaining power."
The fascist wants power. They do what it takes to achieve that power.
It comes from cynicism: They think everyone is out for power.
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The fascist wants power. They do what it takes to achieve that power.
It comes from cynicism: They think everyone is out for power.
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That's where Borowitz got his joke: "Republicans accuse Biden of ending the pandemic to score political points."
True cynics think all people act from self-interested motives. They don't really believe anyone wants to use power to help people.
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True cynics think all people act from self-interested motives. They don't really believe anyone wants to use power to help people.
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Because they think all people act from self-interest, they think attempts to achieve equality or fairness are really power grabs: They think people lower in the hierarchy want to displace them.
They don't believe fairness is possible. They don't believe equality is possible.
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They don't believe fairness is possible. They don't believe equality is possible.
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If this is your outlook, your only goal becomes seizing and maintaining power.
This is why Republican leaders cynically embrace what they know to be a lie.
They want to "win."
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This is why Republican leaders cynically embrace what they know to be a lie.
They want to "win."
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The advantage fascists have is that they are ruthless. They're willing to lie and cheat and steal.
The disadvantage is that they are a minority. That's why Biden has about a 60% approval rating now.
I don't think you can compromise with fascists. . .
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The disadvantage is that they are a minority. That's why Biden has about a 60% approval rating now.
I don't think you can compromise with fascists. . .
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https://twitter.com/Retrievers5/status/1384230215518285828
. . . but you can outnumber them. It isn't easy because they always punch above their weight.
But if people committed to democracy mobilize, they can be outnumbered. We have a few years now to rebuild and strengthen the institutions that Trump battered so we're ready again.
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But if people committed to democracy mobilize, they can be outnumbered. We have a few years now to rebuild and strengthen the institutions that Trump battered so we're ready again.
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Yup, that's because so many of my favorite scholars (the ones I learn the most from) are experts in Putin's regime and other fascist movements.
Everyone has a list of their favorite scholars, right? 🤓
(Make nerdiness cool again!)
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https://twitter.com/AvengingAngel21/status/1384231688113246215
Everyone has a list of their favorite scholars, right? 🤓
(Make nerdiness cool again!)
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About the GOP "plan" I think it's the "push off and keep turning" theory.
Remembering back several decades to a college test: A guy wants to cross the river, so he calculates where to aim the boat to end in the right place, given the strength of the current. . .
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Remembering back several decades to a college test: A guy wants to cross the river, so he calculates where to aim the boat to end in the right place, given the strength of the current. . .
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I am not a scientist, so what jumped into my head was, "This wouldn't really work! You'd have to push off and keep turning."
I think that's basically what the GOP leadership is doing. In 2015, they hoped someone else would take on Trump.
Same thing now.
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I think that's basically what the GOP leadership is doing. In 2015, they hoped someone else would take on Trump.
Same thing now.
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Trump hijacked the party and turned the subtext into text.
Their policies are not popular with most people, so all they can do is lie ("the election was stolen").
They're figuring how to grab power (and money) as they go.
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Their policies are not popular with most people, so all they can do is lie ("the election was stolen").
They're figuring how to grab power (and money) as they go.
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I turned this thread into a blog post, here: terikanefield.com/there-is-no-gr…
(just added a few examples)
(just added a few examples)
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