THREAD

A PREDICTION OF DENIALISM ON NOVEMBER 3

Our country appears ready to enter a new phase of denialism on November 3, when Trump is likely to steal the election—barring revolutionary action by the American citizenry in the time between now and then.

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I make this prediction not because I am resigned to defeat—but because we must confront reality in order to discover hope.

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In the next phase of denialism, the rationalizations will start with the following: “Let’s wait for the legal challenges to conclude. Surely he won’t get away with stealing the election!”

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This response is to deny that our system of government itself is currently being destroyed—for such destruction is Trump’s very agenda.

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It is also to deny that the total bifurcation of the country and the erosion of social trust will severely undermine the acceptability of the election results for a large camp of citizens on one side or the other, regardless of the “official” outcome.

5/ https://twitter.com/1JoshGreenberg/status/1298686992667025409

Because of these realities, legal remedies alone are bound to be insufficient in the face of a discredited and tainted election. The only force that will stop Trump is the power of the people, exercised through mass peaceful protest.

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Yet, in place of their personal, civic duty to stand up against oppression, many Americans will instead likely advocate “patience” as the electoral disputes “work their way through the system.”

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Patience, however, has never been on the side of justice. Patience always serves the interests of oppressors.

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When the electoral theft is sealed, Americans will begin adapting to the zillionth “new normal” of the past four years, propelling our country’s denialism into yet another stage.

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“Well, somehow we will have to survive with him for another four years,” people will say. “Our checks and balances will continue to reign him in.”

But this must be clear: if Trump manages to hold on to power for another term, it will not be his last term.

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Term limits will end. Our system of government will not survive another four years of his war on our institutions. Most critically, he will face little restraint in pursuing his violent criminal and white supremacist agenda.

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We do not want the foregoing predictions to come true. And they do not have to. But I am painting this picture because we must stand ready to forcefully counteract the denialism.

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Indeed, as the recent designation of “anarchist jurisdictions” has been met with a muted response, denialism persists in full force.

13/ https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/doj-designates-new-york-city-as-an-anarchist-jurisdiction/2627588/

This series of threads provides concrete strategies to overcome denialism.

Right now, we all must be educating and mobilizing our family and friends to the greatest extent possible.

14/ https://twitter.com/1JoshGreenberg/status/1296982982222372866

Everyone should be protesting now—and we should certainly be ready to protest, and to recruit others to do so, if and when the dreaded scenario unfolds following November 3.

15/END https://twitter.com/1JoshGreenberg/status/1295472525921718272