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Dec 19 • 4 tweets • 1 min read
I hope Donald Trump pays a price for Jan 6, but whoever replaces him will likely be even worse and in the unlikely event that elite impunity fails and he’s punished, it will not vindicate our broken system or redeem our politics. #Jan6Committee
I don’t know how many times it must be said: Donald Trump is a symptom of the disease that afflicts America, not the disease itself. And we have not treated the disease; if anything, we’ve made it worse. #Jan6Committee
We treat the disease that Donald Trump represents in part by providing basic security and recognizing a set of economic rights. We must renew the social contract to meet the material needs of the working class in the 21st century and make fascism less appealing.
Guaranteeing economic rights will not erase white supremacy or vanquish capitalism or solve countless other intractable problems, but it would be a start. Of course, the ruling class opposes even the most basic changes to counter oligarchy.

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More from @EricShapiro3

LeftOfTheDial Profile picture
Dec 20
Defining fascism exclusively in economic terms, as a synonym for corporatism, does NOT capture its full meaning. Corporatism can exist without fascism and fascism (at least early on) can exist without corporatism.
As fascism becomes more of a real threat than at any time since the 20th century, we have to simultaneously be less afraid of using it (or “neofascism”) and more careful to use it in a way that is meaningful. Fascism = corporatism is too broad.
You CAN define fascism exclusively as the marriage of government power and corporate power; you wouldn’t technically be wrong, but that definition leaves out key, recurring features and describes most modern states. It’s not very useful.
Read 6 tweets
LeftOfTheDial Profile picture
Dec 20
MAGA is rebranded movement conservatism. There are some distinctions, but mostly there is continuity. Donald Trump and Liz Cheney have different methods but a similar goal: minority rule/illiberal democracy.
Donald Trump sought to impose autocracy by overturning an election with an insurrection that violated the rule of law. Movement conservatives like Liz Cheney want to do so within the law through institutions like state legislatures and SCOTUS.
Liz Cheney has repeatedly refused to reject racist voter suppression/gerrymandering that allows GOP state legislatures to restrict the franchise and impose minority rule. She has applauded a SCOTUS that is committed to ending multiracial democracy.
Read 8 tweets
LeftOfTheDial Profile picture
Dec 19
It’s hard for me to believe that the “suburban moderates” who love Liz Cheney (and perhaps Liz Cheney herself) will not ditch the Dems to back “normal Republican” Ron DeSantis in 2024.
By framing Donald Trump as THE PROBLEM rather than the solution and calling for a “strong Republican Party” or praising “rational Republicans,” Liz Cheney and Dem leaders have given “suburban moderates” tacit permission to jump ship.
Ron DeSantis may be seen as Trump’s MAGA successor right now, but if the GOP is smart they’ll spend the 2024 general election portraying him as a “normal Republican,” the second-coming of Reagan and not the Orban-inspired fascist he is.
Read 4 tweets
LeftOfTheDial Profile picture
Dec 19
Thomas Frank, a (former?) conservative, wrote one of the best critiques of the modern Democratic Party/liberalism I’ve seen in a mainstream publication. I’m a bit surprised NY Times published it.
Something @thomasfrank_ does effectively is critique neoliberalism (although he does not use the term) using populist rather than leftist language. A lot of people are still suspicious of socialism and stop listening if an argument sounds “too radical.”
Populism can be a good gateway to socialism and other left ideologies. That’s why it’s worth applauding things like a John Fetterman victory even though he is not a leftist. More wins like Fetterman’s could (gradually) move Dems away from Third Way/Clintonism.
Read 10 tweets
LeftOfTheDial Profile picture
Dec 18
Liberals can’t simultaneously defend the existence of billionaires and be outraged by Elon Musk. While he receives/courts more public attention, Musk is not fundamentally worse than any other billionaire.
Considering the human and economic impact of Amazon, Jeff Bezos is WORSE than Elon Musk. I don’t hear liberals complaining that he own WaPo, one of their favorite publications or calling to break up Amazon.
Liberals showered Warren Buffett with praise for saying the rich & billionaires should be taxed more. The same Warren Buffett who owns BNSF and deprives rail workers of paid sick leave. Joe Biden just helped Buffett break a strike. Where’s the outrage?
Read 5 tweets
LeftOfTheDial Profile picture
Dec 18
Elon Musk didn’t purge Taylor Lorenz for “doxxing” any more than he bought Twitter to protect “free speech,” both are mere excuses to seize power/punish enemies. Under fascism, all allegedly cherished principles are dispensable means to an end.
As someone who values/enjoys debate, it’s been hard for me to accept that debating neofascists actually serves to ENABLE fascism by helping them maintain the illusion that their “principles” are real and not just a means to gain power.
Fascism deploys all manner of language and ideas (some noble, some not) as weapons, tools to manipulate the working class and elites into affording them a level of respect/legitimacy even as they work to seize power and crush their enemies.
Read 8 tweets

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