It's easier to bash than build.
It's easy to jump to conclusions without all the information.

I've seen this reasoning: "There's no reason for this to take so long, therefore, Garland is either incompetent or corrupt."

The flaw logical flaw lies in: there is "no" reason.
When I took philosophy courses in college, I was taught that it's easy to criticize and find flaws, but first, try to understand.

When I taught English at the college level I found that students were quick to judge characters.

It's easy to bash.

Some of this comes from the nature of social media.

If you missed the video Timothy Snyder posted yesterday, please see it. In the second Tweet, I linked to the thread in which I tackled the same issues before seeing his video.
When I first come on Twitter, someone said, "You can't express complex ideas on Twitter."

I'm a bit stubborn and thought, "Oh yeah?"

I often feel like I'm taking on a tsunami of rage-inducing simplifications.

The truth is nuanced and complex.

Are these similar?

Republicans discourage vaccinations and mask-wearing and blame Biden for not containing Covid.

The left spends 2 years bashing the Democrats,* then blame the Democrats for losing in 2022.

(*At least partly by spreading rage-inducing simplifications)

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More from @Teri_Kanefield

29 Nov
What if instead of repeating: "there've been no consequences," everyone did:

"OMG, the Trump Org has been INDICTED for FRAUD!
And the GJ is still hearing evidence."

Repeat a million times. Let it sink into the public consciousness. ("Her emails")

Instead of minimizing it.
These things puff Trump up and help his Strongman image:

🔹There are never any consequences!
🔹He gets away with everything"
🔹Yeah, okay, but what about . . . ?

These guys ⤵️LOVE when you say that.

("no consequences" also isn't true)

2/
The right-wing understands how to do that. They take something that wasn't a crime ("her emails") and repeat it over and over. Mainstream media picks it up. Pretty soon even people who don't know better start thinking HRC was a crook.

What do Trump critics do?

3/
Read 8 tweets
28 Nov
Yes, the Republican Party is radicalized and will stop at nothing to get power.

I am suggesting that this is not new, and that trying to
achieve a true liberal democracy is a constant battle.

The problem is one of expectations.

1/
People who have been following me for a while will find this threat repetitious, but I have new followers, so here goes.

One way to see the current Republican Party is that they want to return to the 1920s (or earlier!)

But let's take the 1920s.

2/
White men ruled all of our institutions: Universities, governor's mansions, both political parties, labor unions, Congress, the press, etc.

There were no laws against fixing prices, or manipulating markets, or insider trading.

3/
Read 15 tweets
28 Nov
The best way to save your sanity is to get busy as a volunteer.

You work with like-minded people.
You are strengthening democracy.
And you lift yourself out of the exhausting daily news cycle.

There is plenty to do: terikanefield.com/things-to-do/
I practice what I preach:

Past 6 years: I worked in several elections (in 3 different states) as a voter protection volunteer lawyer.

I spent several weeks in a detention center offering legal advice to asylum seekers through @RAICESTEXAS

I worked in a polling place . . .
. . .in the CA recall because I was afraid enough people wouldn't volunteer because the poll workers were facing so many threats and so much violence.

When you're busy you have less time to doom scroll.
Read 4 tweets
27 Nov
Timothy Snyder said that shock is "pre-helpless."

The idea that doom is inevitable unless X happens removes our agency and makes us helpless. In fact, what we do makes a difference.

The closest we have to a magic bullet is a Democratic sweep in 2022, including local elections.
This person also misunderstood me.

The only thing standing between us and the return of the Trump regime is the Democratic Party -- so maybe trashing and battering the Democratic Party isn't smart.

Of course, everyone is free to talk about Democratic failures . . .
. . .but if a majority of voters believe the Democratic Party is a failure (or they believe the Democrats are responsible for Republican law-breaking because they stubbornly refused to Do that Something that will solve the problem) I can't see Democrats winning in 2022.
Read 21 tweets
27 Nov
I feel so misunderstood.
I know, right?

But don't you all worry. I've raised kids and survived teenagers.

True story . . .

Son returns from summer camp. Within an hour he rolls his eyes at me 3 times.

Me: Wasn't it nice at camp when you didn't have to roll your eyes?

Him: I rolled them anyway because I knew somewhere you were being annoying.
🤣

You'd think Twitter trolls could at least be funny.
Read 4 tweets
25 Nov
The planners of the insurrection intend to cast themselves as persecuted victims of a foreign plot coordinated with FBI and Antifa.

Instead of worrying about legal defenses (which they won’t have) they’ll focus on creating an alternate reality.
The danger would be if a significant enough portion of the population comes to believe this.

My opinion is that the gravest danger to democracy is the spread of this kind of disinformation.

(By the way, one thing Flynn says is "we don't trust the institutions.")
This isn't a backup plan because they have nothing else.

This is the plan.

Democracy (the form of authority based on rule of law) depends on facts and shared factuality.

Fascism (the form of authority based on a powerful leader) is based on myth.
Read 13 tweets

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