Faith or Fear Thread – When Autocratic Verticals are Challenged

It doesn't matter what autocratic vertical it is. The one in Putin's Russia (currently under stress), Lukashenko's Belarus (cracking up), Xi's China (firmly in place), or Trump's GOP (it is getting nuts fast) Autocrats have a singular objective – Gaining and Maintaining Power. They do this by "demonstrating inevitability and invincibility through fear." Structurally, they create a vertical with the autocrat on top and a vertical power structure underneath them.

In the weeks ahead remember the Seven Rules for confronting Autocrats & their enablers. We need everyone using whatever they can bring to the battle for democracy! Please share and I hope you will encourage others to follow me as I have lots of exciting stuff coming in this space

Given Don's little explosion over the @ProjectLincoln ad (attached in the following tweet), it's an excellent time to remind all of Rule #7 of dealing with Autocrats and their enablers. @TheRickWilson & the entire LP team live this rule each day. The Ad, which if you have not seen, is a must watch and retweet.

https://twitter.com/ProjectLincoln/status/1567877713506992129?s=20&t=Ib5OhtTckCp8pYYYN_4Gog

Faith or Fear Thread: The Rules for Dealing with Autocrats & Their Enablers – J6 Committee Edition

Working around the world with those fighting for democracy, I understand we need Seven Rules for democratic forces to prevail. Remember, all Autocratic illiberal actors strive solely to gain and maintain power. They do so by creating Fear of each other at the expense of faith in one another – think of what Putin is doing in Ukraine versus Zelensky.

This by @JaneMayerNYer about the PR firm @zenogroup which is part of @EdelmanPR is a fascinating case study to me on PR firms, corporate America, and the political world we live in versus the one we have known. It is a classic case of misunderstanding democracy v. autocracy.

https://twitter.com/JaneMayerNYer/status/1522652021471518721

In a healthy democracy, you can have policy disagreements within a win-win system whereby not just political actors have power, but whereby many within society including corporations (as human endeavors) hold the rightful opportunity to advocate what they view as their interests.

Faith or Fear Thread

This by @OKnox @washingtonpost is something. He takes comments from the 90's by foreign policy icons on NATO expansion & wraps them into the Rand Paul/Russia line NATO is partially to blame for Ukraine

This in particular

washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/… "Paul took some knocks on social media for seeming at times to excuse Russian President Vladimir Putin’s military action against Ukraine, Georgia, and Moldova by noting they had been part of the U.S.S.R. And blaming NATO enlargement is popular in Russia & among its apologists.

Faith or Fear: Would I Stand at the Barricades?
Marina Ovsyannikova is many things -- brave, a hero, a speaker of truths, and a symbol of the power of holding faith in her fellow Russians and all of us around the world who witnessed her bravery today. History will judge by how her actions inspire -- those living in her country & those worldwide. She took a leap of faith in storming Russia's main state news channel with a sign speaking the truth it tries to conceal. She knew the consequences -- arrest & likely far worse.

Faith or Fear Thread: Democracy Dies in Silence

I texted again with my friend in Kyiv. Our conversation caused my heart to ache, and my soul was left bare and needing to be searched. He is ready for whatever comes tomorrow and for the terror he lives each day. He is brave and resigned. He is filled with desperation and optimism. But, mostly, he is ready and anything but silent in the struggle for his nation's Freedom. He speaks through his faith in his fellow citizens and their everyday actions to defend his country and its democracy.

Faith or Fear Thread: Some Thoughts About the NATO Enlargement.
Twitter and punditry are abuzz with the Russian talking point NATO's enlargement is responsible for the geopolitical insecurity we now witness. That NATO is a threat to Russia. Stupidity like if Mexico (a democracy) entered an alliance with China, the US would feel threatened. That NATO enlargement made a US-Russia military confrontation between nuclear powers more likely. That Putin has a point. (you @tuckercarlson)

@JenGriffinFNC I think, having worked in that region for decades on democracy-building efforts, an under-appreciated part of this is events in Belarus after the elections in 2020. The masses coming out to the streets and nearly taking down Lukashenko scared Putin. He had to come

https://twitter.com/JenGriffinFNC/status/1500487133945081858

in and save him. Having watched those dynamics since Putin's original rise to power -- through the colored revolutions -- he seemed different afterward. Ukraine played a role in events in Belarus in many ways -- but most importantly was a point of aspiration for Belarussians.

FAITH OR FEAR THREAD -- My Friend in Kyiv

Last night I texted a Ukrainian friend of mine in Kyiv. Once long ago, he stayed with me in Minsk, at risk to himself, when I was afraid. Today, he fights for his homeland, for values many of us in America often take for granted. He is willing to give his life to protect his homeland from the same forces he and I were standing up to long ago. The same forces unleashing fear through chaos, destruction, and death on his nation. Those with a desire for power over him, his family, and his country

@newtgingrich -- these were your words on NATO in 1996 -- "Since its creation in 1949, NATO has been expanded on three separate occasions. In the spirit of a safer, freer, and more secure world, the time has come to once again enlarge NATO's membership. For 45 years, NATO has met

https://twitter.com/davidfrum/status/1495959349088423937

its mission under the leadership of both Republicans and Democrats, evolving as circumstances on the international front have changed. This is one of those moments in history when change is necessary to meet a greater need."

FAITH OR FEAR THREAD

What you are seeing, what the world is witnessing, is our generation's great battle -- between Democracy and Autocracy. An age-old struggle between faith in each other and fear of one another. It spans nations, as we see between Ukraine and Russia. It's occurring within countries a struggle between faith in each other or fear of one another. The Faith is what Putin and the autocrats fear. The fear is what they attempt to impose upon us.

Faith or Fear Threat – WWPD (What Will Putin Do)
This morning someone asked me, "Is Putin going to back down?" You have likely seen these headlines too. The query inspired me as a teachable moment from my work in Ukraine & worldwide with those fighting autocrats & for democracy. I told them; "I have no clue what choice Putin will make. But, I know he will do whatever serves his objective of maintaining or gaining power." So, herein lies the lessons. First, all Illiberal forces & autocrats have a singular purpose – to Gain & Maintain power.

FAITH OR FEAR THREAD
The Vertical Power Structure of the @rnc

Yesterday, presented stunning examples of the Illiberal Vertical Power the @GOP has become. I decided it warrants a thread. @reedgalen @stuartstevens @joetrippi @therickwilson @lincolnwatchman @ProjectLincoln. Let’s review the differences between democratic & autocratic power. Authority in democracy is a horizontal structure – it spreads across government & society. It flows from citizens through governmental & non-governmental institutions into society's norms & values at the top.

Faith or Fear Thread: Russia, Ukraine, and How it All Relates to What We See Here. @LincolnWatchman @ProjectLincoln @reedgalen @JoeTrippi @stuartpstevens @TheRickWilson I believe our generation of Americans' great global battle is between Democracy and Autocracy. For our parents, it was the Cold War – Communism versus Capitalism. For our grandparents, it was Freedom versus Fascism.

FAITH OR FEAR THREAD
How Big Lies, Conspiracy Theories, and Lozhnaya Informatsiya (False Information with a purpose) over a decade in the making led to events on January 6th. @JoeTrippi @stuartpstevens @LincolnWatchman @reedgalen @LincolnProject3 @TheRickWilson January 6th can now be seen through the lens of 363 days of hindsight. Thus, I wanted to provide thoughts on how we got here & why it will get worse before it gets better. They are based on decades of work I have done worldwide in both democracies and autocracies.

Faith or Fear Thread – WTF? @tuckercarlson’s new promo video broken down and why it is so dangerous. @JoeTrippi @reedgalen @stuartpstevens @TheRickWilson @SteveSchmidtSES @LincolnWatchman @ProjectLincoln @jefftimmer Even though I have worked in some of the most challenging non-democratic, autocratic, and illiberal places around the world, @TuckerCarlson & @FoxNews promo this morning left me stunned. Thus, I am going to break it down based on tactics non-democratic forces use to gain power.

Faith or Fear Thread -- 2022 in key swing states and the determination of democracy as we know it. @JoeTrippi @LincolnWatchman @ProjectLincoln @reedgalen @stuartpstevens @TheRickWilson @jefftimmer There will be a tendency to focus on the national elections in 22, those for the House and Senate. While they are certainly critically important, there are state races that will have a far greater impact on the outcome in 2024 of our democracy's survival as we know it.

This is a video of anti-vax people chasing a mom & child down a street for wearing masks. It is reprehensible, but let's talk about what is really going on here beyond the obvious. @reedgalen @LincolnWatchman @ProjectLincoln @TheRickWilson @JoeTrippi

https://twitter.com/jsrailton/status/1445823871500779524?s=20

There are four escalating levels from a psychological standpoint for those who become extremists. The first is Psychological Distress. In this case, there is a pandemic & "They are afraid both of what it means and how it is affecting their lives negatively."

Faith or Fear: Democracy is a Choice We Each Make

We often think of democracy as a set of rules spelled out in documents—the significant papers like the Constitution, Laws books, or Publications of Rules and Regulations. Perhaps when you think about democracy, the top of mind are its institutions, the norms by which it operates, or elections determining who holds power.