Nothing Biden proposed last night was "radical."

It was an uncontroversial plan to modernize America after decades of intentional destruction on behalf of the wealthy and powerful.

We have to recognize how we've arrived at this point of crisis.

1/

jaredyatessexton.substack.com/p/making-up-fo…
Biden's address is already being framed as "radical" and "socialist," but it was simply a reckoning with very real problems.

That it could be treated as dangerous is proof of just how far the Right has lost its grip on reality, and the purpose they serve.

2/
Let's be very clear.

The GOP's only purpose at this point is to obstruct progress, redistribute wealth from the poor to the wealthy, and convince Americans the government can never do anything to help them and then redirect their anger toward vulnerable populations.

3/
The GOP isn't actually a political party.

It's a PR front for the wealthy and powerful and is bankrolled explicitly to keep their taxes low and stonewall any potential reform.

They have no ideology beyond the pursuit of power and profit.

4/

jaredyatessexton.substack.com/p/there-is-no-…
How we arrived here is a history Americans should know, because this moment of inequality, government powerlessness, and division was an intentional demolition.

That we're here, trying to make up for DECADES OF LOST TIME, is no accident.

5/
Ronald Reagan's legacy is that of a pitchman for a radical redistribution of wealth from the poor to the wealthy, a project that has completely hollowed out the country, created our current crisis, and has resulted in America falling behind in every possible way.

6/
Biden wasn't wrong. Trickle Down Economics never did work.

But it was never supposed to. It was half-baked economics that gave the Right legitimacy to completely turn our economy upside down and turn it into a cruel engine for growing inequality and governmental destruction.

7/
The era of hypercapitalism was ushered in by Reagan and Margaret Thatcher.

It taught citizens to expect nothing from government and that if they fell behind it was their fault, that they were lacking, that they deserved it.

It was institutional abuse.

8/
Meanwhile, Reagan partnered with the Religious Right to grant this gross inequality and disgusting economic philosophy an air of religiosity, resulting in a white supremacist worship of power and wealth that has infected our culture and brought us to the brink of destruction.

9/
As Reagan and the Right funneled money away from social and human projects, it neglected to modernize us, prepare for the 21st century, even engage with the idea that human beings deserved even a modicum of dignity.

It collapsed society and unleashed terrible forces.

10/
This is why I saw Donald Trump was a symptom, not the disease.

He recognized the growing frustration resulting from hypercapitalism, and instead of trying to fix it he used it to make a buck and redirect anger from those responsible to his enemies and vulnerable peoples.

11/
To protect its redistributive project, the Right has continued to stoke white supremacy and white paranoia, leading to a moment in this country where declining material conditions produces radicalized violence.

These people are meant to protect the economic order.

12/
To keep their base in line, and protect the accumulation of wealth, the Right has sold Americans on the idea of "Replacement," or that people of color and "shadowy forces" are out to destroy them.

This redirects anger and creates protection.

13/

jaredyatessexton.substack.com/p/replacement-…
What we have seen though is an intentional shredding of the social safety net and economic protections laid out by FDR in the wake of the Great Depression.

It was a radical departure concealed behind stars and stripes rhetoric and white nationalist appeals.

14/
If you want to know what "radical" is, look at FDR's proposed Second Bill of Rights.

Guaranteed work, home, education, and healthcare.

We could already be there if it wasn't for the Right. We could be addressing climate change and progressing. That we aren't is a crime.

15/
I understand the need some have to frame Biden as FDR, but the truth is that none of what he's talking about is radical.

It's modernizing. It's common sense.

Do not let the Right define the debate. It's one of the only things they're good at.

16/
Refuse this framing that Biden is pushing something outlandish or radical.

It's common-sense, noncontroversial stuff.

There shouldn't even be a debate. It's about recognizing reality as it is and as it has been.

It's about smashing through the Right's twisted propaganda.

17/
If we're going to avoid destruction, whether through fascism, climate change, or economic collapse, we have to start by understanding the Right intentionally destroyed government and redistributed wealth while delaying necessary modernization.

That's simply the truth.

18/18

• • •

Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to force a refresh
 

Keep Current with Jared Yates Sexton

Jared Yates Sexton Profile picture

Stay in touch and get notified when new unrolls are available from this author!

Read all threads

This Thread may be Removed Anytime!

PDF

Twitter may remove this content at anytime! Save it as PDF for later use!

Try unrolling a thread yourself!

how to unroll video
  1. Follow @ThreadReaderApp to mention us!

  2. From a Twitter thread mention us with a keyword "unroll"
@threadreaderapp unroll

Practice here first or read more on our help page!

More from @JYSexton

28 Apr
Here’s the thing though. These people actually do believe slavery had positives.

The white supremacist mindset continues to hold that slave labor was necessary to build the economy and that people of color require paternalistic direction lest they destroy the world.
When people talk about “protect our culture and heritage,” they’re talking about perpetuating a myth that white supremacy was necessary and the cruelty, slavery, and oppression was required to build the modern world.
This is why the Right demands fealty and worship of the Founders, a mythological history that deifies America, and a well-funded law enforcement over education.

Maintaining the alternate reality where white supremacy and oppression of people of color is of the utmost importance.
Read 4 tweets
27 Apr
As it's becoming increasingly clear the FBI and police have partnered with the Proud Boys, we need to talk about the long and ugly history of the alliance between law enforcement and fascist groups in protecting white supremacy and the wealthy.

1/

jaredyatessexton.substack.com/p/a-natural-al…
It was shocking to a lot of people to see police and paramilitary groups buddy up to each other during the BLM protests, but history shows these groups have the same interests and goals.

They work together for a common goal: protecting white supremacy and the economic system

2/
Revelations have shown that the Proud Boys and their leaders have been partnering with law enforcement, federal and local, in targeting "Antifa."

This is how it happens. The Right and law enforcement partner to take down possible reformers.

3/
Read 14 tweets
25 Apr
Great culture where an incompetent, megalomaniac like Elon Musk can announce plans for a space kingdom beyond our laws and staffed with indentured servants and people will jump to his defense, screaming, “You don’t like his Space Feudalism because it sounds fun!” Image
I mean, Musk’s grotesque accumulation of wealth is already an abomination and indictment of a broken meritocracy and destroyed system, but it’s the glassy-eyed sycophants who worship him that really drive home how truly wrecked everything is.
“But Elon Musk is singlehandedly keeping space travel alive!” they say, neglecting to think, even for a moment, that if accumulation wasn’t so rigged and redistribution of wealth upwards so strong, that the public might be able to do it.
Read 4 tweets
22 Apr
There’s no “YOLO Economy” and people aren’t lazy.

You so thoroughly monopolized your markets, perfected exploitation, and cruelly oppressed people that they can’t afford life anymore and are forced to either give up or work 80 hours a week in the gig economy to avoid starvation.
Pretty soon people are going to re-learn the lesson that keeps getting taught every time hypercapitalization destroys the market.

Reckless pursuit of profits to the detriment of people only works so long before you destroy yourself.
These corporations cannot help themselves. They push and push and push until they self-destruct and take the entire world and everyone in it down with them.

Things are crumbling. Quickly. Learn the lesson or see what happens. There’s really no in between.
Read 6 tweets
21 Apr
The fascist ideology is that evil is a constant external threat, that the world would be perfect if the right people were oppressed, disenfranchised, eliminated.

It is an aggrandizement of self to the status of an all-powerful, all-perfect, unquestionable god.
It’s not a coincidence that fascism traffics and connects through mediums charged with megalomaniacal ideology.

Politics. Capitalism. Religion. Technology.

It’s a gnawing need to bend the world to your will and eliminate all “evil” impediments. To realize your own utopia.
It’s absolutely necessary for fascists to believe they’re imbued with holy purpose, a destiny sent by god or the universe or history, because that revealed knowledge allows them to never acknowledged contradictory information and legitimizes violence and blatant oppression.
Read 6 tweets
19 Apr
Notice this shift.

“Commander” of an “army” that is “looting and murdering.”

The rhetoric is escalating quickly, venturing into military terms that legitimize preemptive violence as a means of protection against a mobilized threat.
This isn’t accidental. The recent embrace of future fascism, laundering of January 6th as a legitimate action, along with the pushing of Replacement Theory and a resurrection of America First is about advancing violence and antidemocratic actions.
We keep trying to tell you.

Trump was a symptom, not the disease. The Right is embracing fascism and normalizing it. Things are speeding up and only worsen with every political setback.

It’s happening, people. It’s happening.
Read 4 tweets

Did Thread Reader help you today?

Support us! We are indie developers!


This site is made by just two indie developers on a laptop doing marketing, support and development! Read more about the story.

Become a Premium Member ($3/month or $30/year) and get exclusive features!

Become Premium

Too expensive? Make a small donation by buying us coffee ($5) or help with server cost ($10)

Donate via Paypal Become our Patreon

Thank you for your support!

Follow Us on Twitter!