Rising right-wing domestic terrorism has driven the Justice Dept. to form a new unit to combat it. Of course that's never stated clearly in the story, which is mostly both-sides coverage highlighting Republican gaslighting & whataboutism. washingtonpost.com/national-secur…
One note on this: read the story & you'll see another example of a very, very familiar reactionary dynamic I've been pointing out repeatedly. In this instance, it goes like this:

1) RW media/elites whip the RW base up into fury at schools & educators based on CRT nonsense.
2) The base reacts as expected, forming thuggish mobs, shouting at school board meetings, & threatening the lives of educators.

3) There are so many threats that it draws FBI attention; the agency starts an investigation & speaks out.
4) RW media/elites claim that the RW base is now the *victim*, being singled out & harassed by the FBI, having their "free speech" threatened.

5) On the basis of this fraudulent victimology, the RW escalates -- more mobs, more threats, more censorious laws in RW states.
I know I keep harping on this, but: look at the pattern. It's always the same pattern. RWers insert themselves in a situation w/ belligerence & threats, prompt a defensive reaction, & use the defensive reaction to justify escalation.
You see it in McConnell's strategy on the filibuster & procedural norms. You saw it from Ahmaud Arbery's killers, from Rittenhouse, from the Jan. 6 insurrectionists. You see it in the RW "cancel culture" nonsense. You see it in past reactionary movements. Same pattern, always.
People like me can't help thinking that if these patterns are made explicit, the culture won't be fooled the next time, won't react the same predictable ways with the same predictable effect. But ask Arendt, Orwell, or Hofstadter if describing these dynamics stops them. 😞

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More from @drvolts

14 Jan
So, y'all, I have a theory about Joe Manchin. To be clear up front, this is just deduction & speculation, not any kind of inside info. But I think it explains some otherwise puzzling facts. A thread.
Recall that, early in Biden's term, the common take on Manchin was: "He'll kick up a fuss, demand a few symbolic concessions, but in the end, he'll vote w/ Dems." And that take held true through the Covid relief bill, even through early BBB negotiations, until late last year.
Around autumn of last year, the vibe shifted from "grumpy guy in the caboose begrudgingly going along for the ride" to "asshole who's determined to stop the train." People in talks w/ Manchin about the BBB's clean energy standard say he went from constructive to obstinate.
Read 13 tweets
13 Jan
This seems like an opportune moment to reiterate my view that much of the behavior of rich/famous/powerful people that we ordinary folk find mystifying is best explained by the composition of their epistemic environments: who's around them, who they listen to.
When you become a US senator, it is incredibly easy to slip into a bubble where you're only talking to other senators, lobbyists, rich people, & lifer pundits. They all flatter your ego. You feel like you're seeing into some special inner circle that knows the *real* truth.
Read 8 tweets
13 Jan
The real problem is not the horrible things conservatives do. The real problem is other people holding them accountable. washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/…
I remember a whole series of studies & surveys around 2015-16ish finding that the most predictive factor for intensity of Trump support was hostility toward out groups, primarily women, minorities, & immigrants. Trump's cult consists of *self-selected sexists & racists*.
Some links -- and a lot of other interesting stuff I'd forgotten -- in this dazed piece that I wrote shortly after Trump was elected. vox.com/policy-and-pol… Image
Read 4 tweets
12 Jan
There's a lot of confusion out there about the root of the filibuster dispute, so ... a short thread.

The key: political scientists have found that, on balance, legislation favors progressives. More often than not, those seeking legislation are seeking change/reform.
That's not always true, of course, but on average, over time, the more legislation there is, the more movement there is in a progressive reform direction. Active gov't is, on balance, a tool for change. It's really important to understand this.
The obvious upshot is, if you're on the conservative side -- the side benefiting from & protecting status quo power dynamics -- you want less legislation. Less/smaller gov't generally. You want gov't to leave things alone, because the way things are works for you/your people.
Read 9 tweets
12 Jan
My kingdom for a single website that maintains an updated list of all electric vehicle models currently available in the US. Is there such a thing?
Hm, this will work in a pinch, though it would be nice to be able to click through to individual models & learn more about them. evadoption.com/ev-models/
Read 4 tweets
11 Jan
This focus group is a monument to the lack of left media infrastructure. There was an attempted insurrection, inspired & coordinated by one party's leaders, a *no one's in the public's face telling them about it*. They're left to piece it together on their own.
Ordinary people do not have some inherent sense of how significant events are. We act based on social cues. If Jan. 6 were a big deal, they'd be hearing about it constantly. People would up in arms. Instead, a quiet, bureaucratic investigation & a one-year-anniversary speech.
Now, libs taking over schools & indoctrinating kids with CRT -- *that* seems to be a real thing. It's on TV constantly, parents are being interviewed about it, Dems are responding defensively to it, states are passing all these emergency laws. Social cues indicate: this matters.
Read 7 tweets

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