🔹One or more social groups experience a “representation crisis” because the political establishment doesn't appear to govern on its behalf, or
🔹An incumbent group experiences a “power-devaluation crisis” when the political establishment appears to favor . . .
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. . . new social groups over established groups.
That's fancy language for "they don't like the fact that Blacks, women, and other minorities are moving into positions of power."
When groups don't believe the political establishment has legitimacy, they seek to destroy it.
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That's one reason their base doesn't trust the government and why the Republican leaders are trying to undermine confidence in the government by making it fail.
These scenarios reflect the basis for populist ideologies that promote a “politics of resentment” whereby the aggrieved constituency comes to believe that the establishment [has an] ulterior agenda they feel powerless to stop."
It's also bad news for Trump, who no doubt planned to make the same argument.
(The defense is that the speech these guys gave on Jan. 6 was within the scope of their employment so they're entitled to the DOJ defending them. The DOJ said nope.)
Here's the document: s3.documentcloud.org/documents/2101…
The DOJ is calling his activities "campaigning and electioneering," which isn't part of his duties as a Congressman.
Also "it is no part of the business of the United States to pick sides among candidates in federal elections."
🔥
Actually, Trump did make the same argument in this case.
The 14th Amendment (which says that any elected officials who incite insurrection can not run again for office) creates an interesting loop.
If they are guilty of what they're charged with, the DOJ can't defend them.
1/ I’ll post a transcript shortly. (Having technical difficulties.)
Republican crimes (and criminology in general) is a huge topic, but here are a few thoughts.
I’ve been tweeting about a lot of this, but I think laying it out this way helps me explain it better.
2/ Putting the blame where the blame belongs: Turns out, it wasn't a technical difficulty. It was me being a computer dork. (No! It was keyboard gremlins making mischief!)
What a coincidence! Thomas Barrack, another Trump “advisor” and chair of the Presidential Inaugural Committee has been arrested and charged with acting as a foreign agent.
This isn't actually a FARA violation. It's worse.
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22 USC 611 (FARA) is a documentary requirement and (if you lie) can carry a 5-year sentence.
Barrack was charged with the "espionage lite" statute for people working on behalf of a foreign power: law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18…
This one carries up to a 10-year penalty.
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One reason I said, "what a coincidence" is that this week I'm writing about Republican lawbreaking.