As you would expect, @AdamSerwer demolishes the exculpatory myth of Republicans being afraid of and/or seduced by Trump and gets right to the heart of the matter: Republicans are convinced that if democracy yields Democratic governance, then democracy has got to go.
https://twitter.com/adamserwer/status/1400461551052591116
That’s why the intense focus on Trump’s #BigLie is actually somewhat misleading. It can easily obscure the real problem when it is taken to suggest that Republicans were wholeheartedly embracing democracy until they were seduced and overwhelmed by Trump’s brilliant propaganda.
What we need to focus on is that the “Big Lie” can flourish and have such a massive effect because it builds on longstanding anti-democratic tendencies and impulses on the American Right and among conservatives.
And, just as @AdamSerwer outlined in his great piece, because it can latch onto the decades-long attempts by Republicans to present themselves as the only legitimate representatives of “real” America, and to denounce Democrats as an “Un-American” threat.
Here’s an extended reflection on Trump’s #BigLie, and why it managed to capture the Republican Party.
Bottom line: Democracy has become a partisan issue, and Republicans have been on a trajectory towards authoritarian minority rule for a long time.
Bottom line: Democracy has become a partisan issue, and Republicans have been on a trajectory towards authoritarian minority rule for a long time.
https://twitter.com/tzimmer_history/status/1397183068734099462
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