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Trump was incompetent at his brand of authoritarianism, and he lost. But this isn't a triumph: the Democrats lost almost everything else. Make no mistake, about what's coming: The next Trumpist, in 2024, will be talented, competent and not easy to beat. https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/11/trump-proved-authoritarians-can-get-elected-america/617023/
There'll be a push to make this appear as a big triumph, some version of "our national nightmare is over" because the tweeter-in-chief is gone. The situation is exactly the opposite; unless countered effectively, this week is the most worrisome development of the last four years.
I'm sorry. I really thought about that and it sucks to say all this now. But the way these things work, once the narrative sets in, it becomes harder. The triumphalism that is already all over the place is dangerous. Hope lies in *understanding* reality. https://twitter.com/1LoafOfMeat/status/1324779954635182084
It is less likely to be one of the names that get thrown around now, and is less likely to be a figure already powerful in the legislative wing. Who'd have thought Trump is next in 2012? The next one won't stumble into it, though, like Trump did. https://twitter.com/lt_tslothrop/status/1324781391150800896
Yes. After her loss, Stacey Abrams did not run for Senate, but went to build infrastructure empowering and protecting voters in Georgia. The rest is history, made today. Threats can be countered if they are are both recognized correctly and fought hard. https://twitter.com/erica1933/status/1324782385825808384
The rest of the world—awash in competent authoritarians who win elections again and again—may have some examples to help broaden the imagination. https://twitter.com/NateSilver538/status/1324787851645640704
Yep. I wrote this to counter the American-exceptionalist narratives around Trump. I mean, yes, of course in some ways, he is American as apple pie. But this *is* a global wave, familiar to many of us around the world. It doesn't require only him to happen. https://twitter.com/Swarthy_Bastard/status/1324790154117083136
Thank you. And I wholeheartedly agree. I’m definitely enjoying today. I just wanted to put a note against the emerging triumphalist narrative, from a global perspective as well as what I’m seeing here. (I’m in North Carolina!) https://twitter.com/ezralevin/status/1324792167114694656
Yes, exactly. This isn’t some rare thing that just happened because of weird circumstances. This is a playbook that works. This is a global playbook on the rise. This is a playbook found in America’s past, too. Realism is the true basis for hope. https://twitter.com/theannagat/status/1324798491986710536
So this is the counter-argument: there was too much suis generis celebrity in the recipe for it to be replicated. My feeling is that the celebrity made up for the incompetence, and the next iteration may be a media personality or political charismatic. https://twitter.com/jbouie/status/1324798113882800130
By the way, this tweet was posted and quickly deleted but... As I wrote in the piece, this is an excellent outcome for GOP that is not Trump or his family—they are well positioned for the next four years, and many of them are eyeing 2024 already, without the Trump ballast.
You know, this is actually a very good point. Identifying would-be authoritarians early on and defining them is a crucial job. It really matters. Trump is product of The Apprentice, no question about it. https://twitter.com/TWmimsong/status/1324832432126861312
TIL that many Americans think that Trump had some unique, unrepeatable sorcery, while many around the world look at him and concur that we were lucky and we got an incompetent version—for this time. It won't repeat the same, but the playbook is so common. https://twitter.com/yudhanjaya/status/1324790209758720000
MIT scholar Daren Acemoglu ("Why Nations Fail") also has a piece titled "Trump Won’t Be the Last American Populist" and says"the conditions that produced him need to be understood to be addressed." Acemoglu is also, uh, from Turkey. Compleeete coincidence! https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/united-states/2020-11-06/trump-wont-be-last-american-populist
On the one hand, the incompetence is now on full display. Four Seasons Landscaping for the win! 
On the other hand it’s only *last week* he got abandoned by Fox News, and saw actual pushback from Facebook and Twitter. Only after he lost. Watch the next four years for that, too.
On the other hand it’s only *last week* he got abandoned by Fox News, and saw actual pushback from Facebook and Twitter. Only after he lost. Watch the next four years for that, too.
