Thread by @dcpetterson

The dichotomy between Republican faux-freakout over Hillary's emails (on the one hand) and their non-reaction to Trump's destruction of White House documents (on the other) highlights that Republicans are not hypocrites. They're fascist authoritarians.

Hear me out.

1/14

First, let's make sure we've highlighted the important similarities.

Republican propagandists feigned being aghast that Hillary Clinton had official State Department business in her private email server. They insisted there were classified communications there.

2/14

Republicans even claimed Secretary Clinton had improperly (even illegally) deleted some of those emails.

Turns out, she didn't have anything classified there, and she deleted nothing but private emails unrelated to official business, and she did nothing illegal.

3/14

The truth didn't matter, of course, Psyops propagandists refused to be convinced by facts, and simply continued the fauxtrage day after day and week after week.

I won't mention the 22 MILLION emails that were deleted from the G W Bush White House...

4/14
newsweek.com/2016/09/23/geo…

... many of which had been on private or corporate (not government) email servers.

No, I won't mention any of that. Instead, let's talk about the boxes of White House documents that Trump took away to Mar-A-Lago...

5/14
newsweek.com/2016/09/23/geo…

... many of which were classified (in the colloquial, "above top secret"). And the documents Trump ripped apart. And the ones he chewed on, or flushed down White House toilets. All of which is massively illegal.

Republicans are, of course, silent about all that.

6/14

This has been pointed out as an example of Republican "hypocrisy," but it's not. It's part of a larger and more insidious pattern.

It's not hypocrisy. It's not that Republicans say one thing when Democrats do something and another when Republicans do the same thing.

7/14

Hypocrisy would only exist if they saw the situations as in some sense "the same," as if there was a rule that should pertain to both, but is being applied unequally. =That= would be hypocrisy.

The actual Republican view is far more dangerous.

8/14

Republicans do not see these situations as being in any way comparable. Nor do they see Trump's actions as illegal or as lawbreaking.

You see, Republicans are the rightful rulers. They're demi-gods. The mere laws of Man don't apply to them.

9/14

It isn't that the law restricts everyone, but Republicans are treating their own differently.

It is that LAWS DO NOT APPLY TO REPUBLICANS AT ALL.

This is how totalitarian rulers act. This is how monarchs act. This is how slave owners act.

10/14

If in the future there's another "scandal" involving Democrats and possible inappropriate handling of sensitive material, Republicans won't see a connection to what Trump did. If you draw a parallel, they will stare at you in confusion, with blank, uncomprehending looks.

11/14

Republicans truly don't see any hypocrisy in their unequal reactions to such situations, because they don't see those situations as being in any way comparable.

Republicans have the right to do whatever they want. They are not subject to any restrictions.

12/14

Democrats, on the other hand (and certain other groups--women, black people, immigrants, The Gays, etc.) are =supposed= to be oppressed. Of course they have to obey laws, but more than that, they also need to be restricted in any way the Republican Overlords desire.

13/14

It isn't a matter of hypocrisy, or even of unequal treatment, but simply of the Proper Order Of Things. Racist fascists are supposed to be in charge. The rest of us are supposed to obey--or submit to punishment if we don't.

It's not hypocrisy. It's worse.

14/14

PS Once you understand this principle, other Republican actions make sense as well, such as the difference between how McConnell handled Obama's nomination of Merrick Garland for the Supreme Court, and how he handled Amy Covid Ferret. Not at all comparable, you see.