Brynn Tannehill Profile picture
May 11 13 tweets 3 min read Twitter logo Read on Twitter
A ton of ink (virtual or otherwise) has already been spilled on Trump and CNN. Obviously it was Trump at his most awful. And obviously CNN did our country a disservice by hosting what was effectively a Trump rally. But, there's an angle that's missing from the discussion. 1/n
Namely, the audience. These were all Trump supporters. Republicans and independents who were supporters of the former President. Clinton called them a "basket of deplorables" in 2016, and they got offended.

Last night was a reminder she was right. 2/n
They laughed and cheered as Trump mocked the woman he was found liable for sexually assaulting. He was cheered when he called "moderator" Kaitlan Collins "a nasty woman." They eagerly devoured the myriad of lies he told about EVERYTHING. 3/n
It was a Gish Gallop, right down to claiming he would end the war in Ukraine in 24 hours without giving details. (Hint: there's no way the US could do that, even if we cut off aid immediately. Ukraine would keep fighting and looking for alternate suppliers of arms.) 4/n
And they believe it all. They LOVE it all. The cruelty is the point. They love Trump and Putin and Orban. They love Jesus too, and have claimed all of American Christianity for their own. They've destroyed its reputation in the process. 5/n nytimes.com/2023/05/10/opi…
For most decent people, who don't laugh at people for being raped, seeing someone wearing a cross is a big warning sign: this person is not safe. This person is not kind. This person does not even vaguely live in the same reality the rest of us do. 6/n
And yes, this thread will get a lot of "not all Christians" messages here. But these folks are at the spearhead a fascist movement that revels in cruelty, domination, and abuse of power. Not everyone that wore a swastika pin was bad, but there weren't many Oskar Schindlers. 7/n
But, above all else, last night was a reminder of what America under Trump was, and will be again if we put him back in office. Cruel, theocratic, vulgar, misogynistic, unmoored from reality, ignorant, immune to evidence, and racist. 8/n
These are not good people, even if they believe their religious beliefs make them inherently good. This is a movement centered on grievances and vengeance against enemies of the herrenvolk. What we saw are the true believers Milton Mayer wrote about. 9/n
Hardly anyone will read this. And even if it goes viral, it still isn't enough. But for those that do read it, I hope it reminds you that what is coming is dark beyond all belief. They want vengeance on those they believe they have tolerated for too long. 10/n
There is no bottom: there is no point at which his supporters will say, "No, we're going too far, this is wrong." These are people with an axe to grind, and without empathy for anyone who seen as an enemy. 11/n
If the 2nd Trump administration was putting trans people through tree shredders, his supporters would demand that they be dipped in lemon juice first.

Last night was a chilling reminder not only can it happen here, it WILL happen here if we get a second Trump term. 12/n
P.S. The best Christian ambassadors (to me) have always been the ones who don't proclaim it loudly or insist that people MUST share their faith exactly as they do. The examples they set for decency, kindness, and empathy were their sales pitch. (See: Fred Rogers)

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More from @BrynnTannehill

May 9
This is a great example of how misinformation flourishes, and later contradictory information dies. Right after Nashville, police said that had found a "manifesto".

Later, they admitted it was just a jumble of ramblings, with motivation other than admiring shooters. 1/n Image
It doesn't matter that police admitted the shooter didn't write anything about trans or religion in their notes: it has become "tribal knowledge" that there was a "manifesto" and they did it to target xtians or as political retribution. 2/n fox17.com/news/local/nas…
"But TBI director David Rausch did talk candidly about the contents of the manifesto at a Tennessee Sheriffs' Association meeting. Rausch said what police found isn't so much a manifesto spelling out a target but a series of rambling writings indicating no clear motive." 3/n
Read 7 tweets
May 9
Good article on Erin Reed. I disagree on the trajectory of things, though: while some states are setting themselves up as sanctuaries, the GOP will find ways to circumvent it the way they do abortion access in blue states (see: Mifepistrone).
thepinknews.com/2023/05/09/eri…
Going a step further, if the GOP gains the trifecta at the federal level in 2024 (House, Senate, Executive) it's game over. They will use the executive branch to remove trans people from all federal service (and most federal contractors). 2/n
We'll also see the FDA used to ban access to HRT nationally. Military ban is coming back. Ban on trans people in bathrooms on all federal buildings or buildings that receive federal funding (schools, universities, state owned buildings, hospitals, etc...) 3/n
Read 8 tweets
May 3
Last night two small drones struck the Kremlin. Russian media is claiming it was an attempt on Putin's life, and vowing retaliation. There's hyperventilation in some parts of the social media ecosystems that this means WW3. Neither is true. Let's talk about what it means. 1/n
First, UA has apparently been trying to do this for a bit. The US reportedly waved off UA plans to "celebrate" the anniversary of the invasion with strikes. Another crashed drone was found just outside of Moscow last week. 2/n apnews.com/article/russia….
These strikes are pinpricks: the warhead on the drones doesn't appear very large in the video on the first tweet. The wings on them are straight and thin, meaning this is likely a small, slow, cheap, long endurance, (relatively) unsophisticated vehicle. 3/n
Read 20 tweets
Apr 30
First, this isn't going to enamor Gen Z with Republicans.

Second, the military has spent 50 years as an all volunteer force. It is NOT set up to handle draftees. For example: 1/n Image
What do you do with the people who are overweight?

Or disqualifying medical or mental health conditions? Only 23% of graduating seniors are medically qualified.

Then there's our pay for play medical system, where if you can pay, you can get a disqualifying diagnosis. 2/n
Then there's the draft exemptions, that would of course favor rich people and those going to college. Or not, and pissing off a bunch of suburbanites paying for kids to go to university. And then there's Genesis... 3/n
Read 13 tweets
Apr 29
Last night UA drones apparently hit a fuel tank farm in Russian occupied Crimea last night. There's quite a bit to poke at here. A few thoughts: 1/n
First thing to point out is that this complex is south of Sevastopol. It's nearly at the far end of the peninsula. This suggests UA's reach may be improving. 2/n Image
With the US and NATO balking at providing long range weapons, UA has focused on producing its own indigenously produced long range strike drones. This may signal that some of them are starting to come online. 3/n yahoo.com/lifestyle/ukra….
Read 10 tweets
Apr 29
I'd like to highlight two of the biggest pieces of misinformation out there about trans people right now. The people who send me nasty emails endlessly repeat them, and I'd like to post something evergreen debunking them. 1/n
First is that the Nashville shooter did it because they hated Christians, or as an act of political violence. In reality, the supposed "manifesto" turned out to be ramblings of a disturbed individual who admired mass killers. There was nothing about politics or religion. 2/n
"Rausch said what police found isn't so much a manifesto spelling out a target but a series of rambling writings indicating no clear motive." 3/n
Read 8 tweets

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