Six months ago I witnessed the Capitol Insurrection firsthand and reported the open embrace of authoritarianism--not just by the hardcore extremists who stormed the building--but also by the crowd outside who called themselves "Patriots" and said this was "Our 1776." 1/6
https://twitter.com/TerryBoutonHist/status/1348365375449268226
Hearing a diverse mass of ordinary looking, middle-class white people discussing violence in calm, matter-of-fact tones was more chilling than the organized militias and proud white supremacists because it revealed authoritarianism's grip on a large minority of the US. 2/6
Since 1/6 that grip has tightened and spread. Republican leaders who condemned both the Insurrection and Donald Trump have nearly all backtracked. They blocked impeachment and then a bipartisan investigation into 1/6. Now they increasingly deny the Insurrection even happened. 3/6
Republicans have paired their 1/6 gaslighting with an all-out assault on voting rights across the nation. Both efforts are boosted daily by Fox News and rightwing media to create an alternate reality that caters to their viewers' anger, bigotry, and deepest fears. 4/6
This is a powerful, dangerous combination of bottom-up and top-down anti-democratic forces. It is not "creeping authoritarianism." This authoritarianism is marching in streets, strolling the halls of Congress, and boldly announcing its intentions in nightly news broadcasts. 5/6
As I walked around the Capitol grounds on 1/6 eavesdropping on conversations, I heard many people talking about the Insurrection as "just the beginning." They weren't kidding. Their revolution is just getting started. Take them seriously. Democracy hangs in the balance. 6/6
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