Thread by @tzimmer_history

On the second anniversary of an unprecedented, violent assault on democratic self-government, America doesn’t have much time for commemoration or reflection, because the same anti-democratic, anti-government forces are usurping the House from within. It’s terrifying. #January6th

Let it serve as a reminder that the problem is not just Trump, not even primarily Trump: It’s the party that elevated him in the first place, the party that embraces and elevates far-right extremists like Marjorie Taylor Greene and Matt Gaetz.

https://twitter.com/tzimmer_history/status/1611083614317338631

The problem is the party that has been completely taken over by the far-right “populist” energies that conservative elites have been fueling for decades, always believing they could harness and control them in their quest to entrench traditional hierarchies, but never succeeding.

The problem is the party that is dominated by people who are not just skeptical of “big government,” but hostile to government itself - who reject functional governance and are entirely uninterested in any kind of constructive public policy.

The problem is the party that doesn’t care about majoritarian principles, democratic self-government, or the rule of law because it is comprised of people who consider white conservatives the sole proponents of “real America” and therefore entitled to rule.

The problem is the party whose anti-democratic radicalization has outpaced what even most critical observers imagined, the party serving as the political arm of an escalating reactionary counter-mobilization that would rather tear the whole system down than accept pluralism.

The problem is the party ruled by people who have long given themselves permission to cross any line, to embrace any extremists, in that defining struggle against what they constantly play up as a totalitarian threat from “the Left” to the essence of the nation.

The problem is the party full of people who absolutely will go *that far* - because they have convinced themselves and their radicalizing base that the other side has already gone *much further* and will stop at nothing.

In a healthy democratic system and political culture, anyone associated with the deranged extremism of people like Matt Gaetz and Marjorie Taylor Greene would be shunned and ostracized, and the party that elevates such forces would no longer be considered a viable option.

Instead, enabled by the many anti-democratic distortions in the constitution and the political system, the door has been left wide open for that party and the extremist forces that control it - they have been put in a position to undermine and subvert democracy on all levels.

On the second anniversary of an unprecedented, violent assault on democratic self-government, the same anti-democratic, anti-government forces managed to capture the House from within.

The insurrection ended in triumph.

There is a real danger that the January 6 attack will go down in history not as a failure, but as a catalyst for the GOP’s radicalization, a rallying cry for the Far Right, and a milestone on the path towards democracy’s downfall.

Last night brought us closer to that scenario.

https://twitter.com/gdnusopinion/status/1574709572711088129

All that talk about Trump being so weak? Last night was a good night for Trump. Or, at least: It was a good night for Trumpism. Which is really just party orthodoxy at this point. The forces that led to Trump’s rise rose with him and keep rising with or without him.

https://twitter.com/RonBrownstein/status/1611622230798241795

There is not going to be a return to “normalcy” now that the spectacle is over. At least not in the sense of moderation and a focus on constructive governance. Because this *is* the new normal in the Republican Party, it’s all there is: Pure White reactionary grievance politics.

https://twitter.com/atrupar/status/1611609511608946690

One of the most “If they tell you who they really are, believe them” moments you’ll ever encounter.

What’s shocking (though not surprising) about this is the level of shamelessness: Exactly two years after #January6th, he’s basically saying: “Donald, look, we finally did it!”

https://twitter.com/acyn/status/1611625510274011136

McCarthy represents the Republican establishment. That doesn’t mean he’s a “moderate.” It means the GOP establishment is fully embracing the extremism as the party has moved so far to the right that yesterday’s radical fringe is now firmly in the center of conservative politics.

If you are looking for an extended discussion of what just happened in the House, here is our attempt to explain what the fault lines were and why the “moderates vs radicals” framework only obscures the full extent of the Republican embrace of extremism: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/9-c…