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Karl Rove brazenly told us in W& #39;s admin that there would be a permanent Republican Party in charge. That& #39;s not democracy. That& #39;s a plot - decades old even then - to overthrow democracy. If we are to restore our democracy & make it work for ALL, we can& #39;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">https://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/2...
2/ https://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/24/books/review/dark-money-by-jane-mayer.html">https://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/2...
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">https://slate.com/news-and-...
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">https://slate.com/news-and-...
"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/">https://truthout.org/articles/...
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/">https://truthout.org/articles/...
Here& #39;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/">https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/...
"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/">https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/...
"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/">https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/...
6/ https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2017/07/the-architect-of-the-radical-right/528672/">https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/...
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">https://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/...
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http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/269/book-review-the-shock-doctrine-by-naomi-klein">https://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/...
#MoscowMitch blocked Obama @ every turn & wanted to slow economic recovery. He knew if enough people didn& #39;t see positive changes, they& #39;d vote for change. As of March 2020, many counties across the US hadn& #39;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/">https://www.motherjones.com/kevin-dru...
8/ https://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2020/03/hundreds-of-counties-have-never-recovered-from-the-great-recession/">https://www.motherjones.com/kevin-dru...
Without a major course correction, we& #39;ve been headed for authoritarianism for decades. It& #39;s been predictable based on patterns in history & human behavior, which give rise to a strongman taking control.
It& #39;s necessary to understand how this happens & why, so we can fix it.
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It& #39;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& #39;d get a Trump b/c we& #39;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">https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/2...
12/ https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/21/books/richard-rortys-1998-book-suggested-election-2016-was-coming.html">https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/2...
Trump is just a symptom of decades of problems & systemic racism. Getting rid of Trump is just a first step & it won& #39;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& #39;s playbook since before 2016. This was my response to a psychologist, who obviously hadn& #39;t studied authoritarians & Hitler, saying Trump was unique. No, he& #39;s not unique. He& #39;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">https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2...
14/ https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2019/12/4/1903617/-Re-A-Theory-for-Why-Trump-s-Base-Won-t-Budge">https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2...
Great article from authoritarianism expert @sarahkendzior, warning us in Nov. 2016 we were headed for dark times & talking about Trump& #39;s REAL plan. Conformity requires people to blindly trust & become heinously cruel like Nazis did. Don& #39;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/">https://thecorrespondent.com/5696/were...
15/ https://thecorrespondent.com/5696/were-heading-into-dark-times-this-is-how-to-be-your-own-light-in-the-age-of-trump/">https://thecorrespondent.com/5696/were...
We& #39;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& #39;s the overthrow of democracy Rs wanted. @umairh details->
16/ https://eand.co/this-is-how-a-society-dies-35bdc3c0b854">https://eand.co/this-is-h...
16/ https://eand.co/this-is-how-a-society-dies-35bdc3c0b854">https://eand.co/this-is-h...
Great article (long) on authoritarians& #39; handbook & how it works. This isn& #39;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">https://medium.com/@alfonslo...
17/ https://medium.com/@alfonslopeztena./not-our-first-rodeo-the-global-authoritarian-populism-60a8d260b7db">https://medium.com/@alfonslo...
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& #39;s so much worse now.
19/ https://twitter.com/CBSThisMorning/status/1223224310413905921">https://twitter.com/CBSThisMo...
19/ https://twitter.com/CBSThisMorning/status/1223224310413905921">https://twitter.com/CBSThisMo...
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& #39;t sustainable for a democracy. American Enterprise Institute = Koch funded
20/ https://www.jillonmoney.com/blog/2020/9/6/cbs-sunday-morning-income-inequality">https://www.jillonmoney.com/blog/2020...
20/ https://www.jillonmoney.com/blog/2020/9/6/cbs-sunday-morning-income-inequality">https://www.jillonmoney.com/blog/2020...
Part of the Republican plot is to keep people mired in debt, overwhelmed, confused. Survival mode. People trying to survive can& #39;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& #39;t just vote in presidential elections. We must vote in all elections. Here& #39;s a great video. Don& #39;t be fooled by the title. Our votes count. The president can& #39;t change things alone. We must elect great people for Congress. The courts matter, too.
22/ https://youtu.be/wMALeR1i-FM ">https://youtu.be/wMALeR1i-...
22/ https://youtu.be/wMALeR1i-FM ">https://youtu.be/wMALeR1i-...
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">https://twitter.com/LiberateA...
Here& #39;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">https://www.vox.com/policy-an...
Sarah Kendzior, an expert on authoritarianism, has a podcast, which I highly recommend. She& #39;s absolutely right that the fascists want to depopulate the planet as much as possible. They aren& #39;t concerned about climate change b/c they& #39;ll use mass murder.
https://twitter.com/sarahkendzior/status/1242825084542300160
25/">https://twitter.com/sarahkend...
https://twitter.com/sarahkendzior/status/1242825084542300160
25/">https://twitter.com/sarahkend...
