this is funny because it’s true that the republican party has been a threat to democracy since 1968 or so, unless you downplay black voter suppression to the point where (white) people agree it doesn’t really count
That’s been the thing about the whole debate to me. It kind of comes down to semantics and whether people should be alarmed about the expansion of racist discriminatory policy that’s been aimed at Black people forever. There aren’t any stakes in it imo except to properly categorize oppression.
And I totally get being annoyed with people who act as if Trump is the spring from which all harms have flown but I don’t understand how acting like those things are just fine and good and acceptable as regular business helps anyone.
what I would say is that Trump is rooted in traditional conservative authoritarianism, racism, and lunacy going back to the 30s (which used to be quite bipartisan), but also a major break with tradition. Dixiecrats never attempted a coup against the national government
Not against the *national* government no but they did against state governments, and part of the reason why is, they didn’t need to because they were firmly in charge. Trump is a break inasmuch white people don’t feel firmly in charge anymore so definitely an escalation.
The TNC thesis that Trump is an expression of white backlash to the Obama presidency feels right, and I don’t know why people need to link it to foreign traditions of fascism, which there are plenty of, to feel an urgency about opposing it.
Man, I didn't even LIKE Obama very much, but he's so far above any Republican candidate of the past sixtyish years that it's not even funny.
But scary black man, so GOP gonna GOP
Absolutely! He was a fairly middle of the road moderate! He even kept up the drone strikes that Republicans love so much! But his skin tone makes him a horrible existential threat to them.
He: truly was the centristest centrist that ever centristed! So imagine my surprise when, at my son's eye dr appt in early 09, we had this chat with the nurse training him to use his first contacts:
N: where are you guys from
We: Russia
N: doesn't it make you guys just mad that, after you came here
2/ to escape communism, there's now a communist in the White House?
(no witty retort, I was speechless. I think I managed to squeak out "we wanted him" and she then changed the subject.)
