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Karl Rove brazenly told us in W's admin that there would be a permanent Republican Party in charge. That's not democracy. That's a plot - decades old even then - to overthrow democracy. If we are to restore our democracy & make it work for ALL, we can't be complacent.
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Koch bros & their network of self-serving non-profits & friends have for 40+ yrs bought govt & the courts to work for them, not us. "Dark Money" details, e.g., why even modest attempts to address climate change been defeated again and again?
2/ https://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/24/books/review/dark-money-by-jane-mayer.html
2/ https://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/24/books/review/dark-money-by-jane-mayer.html
Koch bros, etc. spent 40+ yrs buying the Courts through Federalist Society.
Our future ->
"...freedoms...limited to those useful to wealthy, Republican, White, straight, Christian, and armed males— and the corporations they control."
Read warning:
3/ https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2020/03/judge-james-dannenberg-supreme-court-bar-roberts-letter.html
Our future ->
"...freedoms...limited to those useful to wealthy, Republican, White, straight, Christian, and armed males— and the corporations they control."
Read warning:
3/ https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2020/03/judge-james-dannenberg-supreme-court-bar-roberts-letter.html
"It was Buchanan who taught Koch that for capitalism to thrive, democracy must be enchained."
The libertarian oligarchs are anti-govt, except for themselves. The rest of us have to fend for ourselves.
This is fascism = govt + big business
4/ https://truthout.org/articles/misinforming-the-majority-a-deliberate-strategy-of-right-wing-libertarians/
The libertarian oligarchs are anti-govt, except for themselves. The rest of us have to fend for ourselves.
This is fascism = govt + big business
4/ https://truthout.org/articles/misinforming-the-majority-a-deliberate-strategy-of-right-wing-libertarians/
Here's another look at the Republican plot & how far back in modern history we can take it.
"What we think of as dysfunction is the result of years of strategic effort." This exemplifies why democracy requires protesting + voting. Otherwise, this ->
5/ https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2017/07/the-architect-of-the-radical-right/528672/
"What we think of as dysfunction is the result of years of strategic effort." This exemplifies why democracy requires protesting + voting. Otherwise, this ->
5/ https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2017/07/the-architect-of-the-radical-right/528672/
"To see all this as simple obstructionism, perversity for its own sake, is a mistake. A cause lies behind it: upholding the sanctity of an ideology against the sins of the majority. This is what drives House Republicans to scale back social programs."
6/ https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2017/07/the-architect-of-the-radical-right/528672/
6/ https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2017/07/the-architect-of-the-radical-right/528672/
The above article mentions a blank slate & Chile. Naomi Klein talks about this & how Republicans have been using what she calls "The Shock Doctrine." Using crises, like the COVID-19 pandemic, Republicans push pro-corporate policies, undoing safety net.
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http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/269/book-review-the-shock-doctrine-by-naomi-klein
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http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/269/book-review-the-shock-doctrine-by-naomi-klein
#MoscowMitch blocked Obama @ every turn & wanted to slow economic recovery. He knew if enough people didn't see positive changes, they'd vote for change. As of March 2020, many counties across the US hadn't recovered from the 2008 recession.
8/ https://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2020/03/hundreds-of-counties-have-never-recovered-from-the-great-recession/
8/ https://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2020/03/hundreds-of-counties-have-never-recovered-from-the-great-recession/
Without a major course correction, we've been headed for authoritarianism for decades. It's been predictable based on patterns in history & human behavior, which give rise to a strongman taking control.
It's necessary to understand how this happens & why, so we can fix it.
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It's necessary to understand how this happens & why, so we can fix it.
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Studying how democracies & govts fail, we see patterns. Massive inequality is a destabilizing factor & so are propaganda machines. Our rights have been whittled away over decades, and this is how freedom is lost. How democracy is lost. Complacency is an enemy to democracy.
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People are waiting for a "savior" to swoop in, not realizing the "savior" is us. Democracy only works when a critical mass of people are engaged & working toward betterment of ALL. Now, that "savior" is the election.
Voting is NOT enough. Protest/volunteer/donate/strike
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Voting is NOT enough. Protest/volunteer/donate/strike
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In 1998, Richard Rorty wrote a must-read book "Achieving Our Country" and predicted we'd get a Trump b/c we'd be spectators to democracy w/o a vision for ALL and w/o the will to fight for it. He explained how it would happen & he was right:
12/ https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/21/books/richard-rortys-1998-book-suggested-election-2016-was-coming.html
12/ https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/21/books/richard-rortys-1998-book-suggested-election-2016-was-coming.html
Trump is just a symptom of decades of problems & systemic racism. Getting rid of Trump is just a first step & it won't solve these problems. Without massive reforms, we are kicking the can down the road. This will get even worse. We are watching how Hitler rose.
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Trump has been using Hitler's playbook since before 2016. This was my response to a psychologist, who obviously hadn't studied authoritarians & Hitler, saying Trump was unique. No, he's not unique. He's part of a pattern in history. Warning signs ->
14/ https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2019/12/4/1903617/-Re-A-Theory-for-Why-Trump-s-Base-Won-t-Budge
14/ https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2019/12/4/1903617/-Re-A-Theory-for-Why-Trump-s-Base-Won-t-Budge
Great article from authoritarianism expert @sarahkendzior, warning us in Nov. 2016 we were headed for dark times & talking about Trump's REAL plan. Conformity requires people to blindly trust & become heinously cruel like Nazis did. Don't succumb.
15/ https://thecorrespondent.com/5696/were-heading-into-dark-times-this-is-how-to-be-your-own-light-in-the-age-of-trump/
15/ https://thecorrespondent.com/5696/were-heading-into-dark-times-this-is-how-to-be-your-own-light-in-the-age-of-trump/
We've stagnated for 50 yrs b/c ruling class has been concerned more abt money & power than uplifting ALL. Hidden costs of bigotry. We are watching how a failed state collapses -> people die. It's the overthrow of democracy Rs wanted. @umairh details->
16/ https://eand.co/this-is-how-a-society-dies-35bdc3c0b854
16/ https://eand.co/this-is-how-a-society-dies-35bdc3c0b854
Great article (long) on authoritarians' handbook & how it works. This isn't just happening in the U.S. @alfonslopeztena is from Catalonia. Notice the similarities to Trump & base. The author talks about how this happens & why.
17/ https://medium.com/@alfonslopeztena./not-our-first-rodeo-the-global-authoritarian-populism-60a8d260b7db
17/ https://medium.com/@alfonslopeztena./not-our-first-rodeo-the-global-authoritarian-populism-60a8d260b7db
When I was about 14, a guy on the news talked about how we were a declining nation. It was contrary to what everyone else was saying & I studied to understand it more. He obviously studied the patterns of decline in history. We need to teach this b/c I saw it 20+ yrs ago.
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Great video showing that 9 of 10 pie slices of wealth are owned by the top. So upper/middle/lower class share one piece of pie w/bottom owing. This video is from January 2020. It's so much worse now.
19/ https://twitter.com/CBSThisMorning/status/1223224310413905921
19/ https://twitter.com/CBSThisMorning/status/1223224310413905921
According to this, 2/3 of wealth is owned by the top 5% & 38+ million Americans live in poverty. In first 3 months of pandemic, net worth of 600 billionaires rose 20%. This isn't sustainable for a democracy. American Enterprise Institute = Koch funded
20/ https://www.jillonmoney.com/blog/2020/9/6/cbs-sunday-morning-income-inequality
20/ https://www.jillonmoney.com/blog/2020/9/6/cbs-sunday-morning-income-inequality
Part of the Republican plot is to keep people mired in debt, overwhelmed, confused. Survival mode. People trying to survive can't fight the system as effectively. Those who can fight need to do so.
protest
march
boycott
strike
volunteer
donate
vote
Everyone has a role.
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protest
march
boycott
strike
volunteer
donate
vote
Everyone has a role.
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Don't just vote in presidential elections. We must vote in all elections. Here's a great video. Don't be fooled by the title. Our votes count. The president can't change things alone. We must elect great people for Congress. The courts matter, too.
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The above part of the Republican plot is just part of this. Here is another part in this thread to install a Christian theocracy with Trump, Barr, etc. leading the way. Find out more about the far-right plot. https://twitter.com/LiberateAllOfUs/status/1307153997791453186
Here's more confirmation that we are paralleling Nazi Germany. "A leading Holocaust historian just seriously compared the US to Nazi Germany" McConnell is the von Hindenberg of Nazi Germany. https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2018/10/5/17940610/trump-hitler-history-historian
Sarah Kendzior, an expert on authoritarianism, has a podcast, which I highly recommend. She's absolutely right that the fascists want to depopulate the planet as much as possible. They aren't concerned about climate change b/c they'll use mass murder.
https://twitter.com/sarahkendzior/status/1242825084542300160
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https://twitter.com/sarahkendzior/status/1242825084542300160
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