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Will Stancil Profile picture
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2 Jun, 4 tweets, 1 min read
bizarre moment where Trump-as-an-idea is an object of profound talismanic importance for tens of millions of increasingly rabid Americans, while Trump-as-a-man is a tiny figure whose pronouncements are ignored and forgotten
dude is a martyr but he's not dead, he's just in Mar-a-Lago
honestly I'd argue this has kind of always been the case. experienced political observers have never understood Trump or Trumpism and have imputed a lot of weight to his specific statements (i.e. endorsements), but his following is affective, not hanging on to his every last word
Trump was and remains powerful but he's in many ways a vehicle for advancing and vocalizing the reactionary popular sentiments he has kindled, and his power sharply declines when the things he wants deviates from those sentiments

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More from @whstancil

Will Stancil Profile picture
2 Jun
don't authoritarians, which are existential threats to the nation, also reliably accuse their opponents of being existential threats to the nation, inevitably creating this exact dynamic?

what is the point of this tweet?
MAYBE it's true that if you make no attempt to evaluate the substance of either party's view or the values of their leaders, and just focus on their tone in the vaguest possible way, they sound sort of similar

but why would anyone adopt such a lobotomized approach to politics
(I don't even think this is true, really - Dem leaders and supporters are notably less histrionic than GOP leaders and supporters, although I'd argue that's a dangerous error)
Read 4 tweets
Will Stancil Profile picture
1 Jun
How has Biden fallen so far so fast?

They rammed through the totally partisan stimulus bill and it's wildly popular. And then it's like their brains reset to the worst of 2009-style thinking.
Remember when @RonaldKlain and others would (correctly) point out that the stimulus bill WAS bipartisan, in the sense that it had broad bipartisan support, regardless of DC maneuvering?

What happened to that approach?!?
LOW 👏 INFO 👏 SWING 👏 VOTERS 👏 DO 👏 NOT 👏 EVEN 👏 KNOW 👏 IF 👏 A 👏 BILL 👏 RECEIVED 👏 TEN 👏 REPUBLICAN 👏 VOTES 👏 IN 👏 THE 👏 SENATE 👏 OR👏 NONE 👏 AT 👏 ALL
Read 4 tweets
Will Stancil Profile picture
29 May
One thing you see a lot on here is people pointing out the contradictions in the putative views of Trump’s GOP. COVID is a Chinese plot but also a hoax. The insurrection was antifa but also a tour of patriots.
What people need to understand is that these contradictions aren’t a SYMPTOM of Trumpism.

They point to its very core - its emotional, psychological appeal to millions of America. The ability to sustain these contradictions is why Trump was elected, how his movement exists.
Ultimately what Trump offers - what fascism offers - is a philosophy of total emotional and psychological indulgence. Believe whatever makes you feel best. Live your politics examined.
Read 11 tweets
Will Stancil Profile picture
28 May
There is so much fear and anger and energy for change bottled up in the Dem coalition right now, and it has nowhere to go because many elected Dems PREFER a world in which they are powerless to one where they take risks, so they play helpless constantly
Elected Dems want to keep their voters on the endless treadmill of campaign donations and turnout drives, and they never ever want to stick their neck out and fight the final boss of Trumpian authoritarianism, so no matter what voters do, the princess is always in another castle
First it was that we didn’t hold either house so we couldn’t obstruct, then investigations or impeachment would backfire, then they wouldn’t listen to subpoenas so why bother, then we needed to focus on the election, or had to show voters we could get things done
Read 5 tweets
Will Stancil Profile picture
28 May
Serious question: doesn’t this sort of thing change the voting math? Like if you don’t have to be present to vote against, e.g., preserving the filibuster, then why have anyone present at all?
Please tell me that the answer isn’t “We can’t take advantage of senators going home early to force tight votes, because that would be rude”
Folks, the party split in the Senate today was 48-41 Democratic. The nuclear option on the filibuster takes a simple majority vote of senators present.

THIS IS WHY I WAS ASKING
Read 4 tweets
Will Stancil Profile picture
27 May
A better man than me would have the good grace to not say "screw you all, I was always right about this"

But I am not that man
Here I am saying it in March!
Here I am saying it in January!
Read 7 tweets

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