Folks, a very short thread on what the situation in Belarus can teach us about the value of #NeverTrumper folks like @RadioFreeTom @davidfrum and @ProjectLincoln /1

I'm by no means an expert on the country. Most of what I know comes from the Swedish-language radio program @p1konflikt, the latest episode of which examined the post-election situation in Belarus. /2

But one dissident they interviewed said something profound: that the transitional council the opposition was putting together had the aim of making it easy to defect from the regime. /3

Here is why that is important--because in Belarus, they are not debating ideas of governance. They are fighting for the right to have that debate. And in that fight, you need folks who don't agree with you but still want a system in which debate is possible. /4

I read a lot of folks who are treating this election just like any other, who love pointing out that Trump is the natural evolution of Republican Party ideology and ethics. And yeah, they are absolutely right. /5

But right now, the fight isn't about policy. It's about the right to have democratic input into our policies. And the Trump regime is a unique threat to democracy. /6

Here is a great thread by @McFaul on how the Trump National Convention exhibited all the trappings of autocracies everywhere. https://twitter.com/McFaul/status/1299393438522077190

And here's a great thread by @BrynnTannehill on how this election may well be the last chance in our lifetimes to preserve what passes for democracy in America. https://twitter.com/BrynnTannehill/status/1299305312256757761