We don’t typically post about national politics – but this Twitter thread seemed both insightful and important. It is from Peter Daou (@peterdaou), who is a former Hillary advisor. Read it.
1. THREAD. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but @realDonaldTrump is consolidating his power. He and Bannon are getting stronger. (1/15)
2. It’s risky to assume the righteous uproar from the opposition (#TheResistance), forceful as it may be, has necessarily weakened Trump.
3. Bannon has explicitly said that the fury of the opposition is perceived as validation of success. FRICTION GIVES THEM TRACTION.
4. Here’s the bitter truth: It CAN and IS happening here. @brianklaas explains how American democracy has suffered.
5. #TrumpRussia is at a fever pitch now, but could STILL fizzle. GOP leaders have abdicated their duties, cravenly covering for Trump.
6. The new #travelban has a better chance in the courts than its predecessor. Meanwhile, we’re already hearing deportation horror stories.
7. The news media squandered their credibility by helping to elect Trump, so don’t put your faith in them. You’ll be let down if you do.
8. As I wrote recently, a BIG misconception among people accustomed to democracy is that when freedoms are curtailed, life grinds to a halt.
9. In fact, as Constitutional rights dissolve, the trappings of everyday existence continue. Life ALWAYS goes on.
10. But the liberties undergirding what used to be normal life will start crumbling. Freedoms that were taken for granted will be gone.
11. Those who sound the alarm will be scoffed at. Many Americans won’t see the damage. And some will CHEER Trump as he tightens his grip.
12. What’s worse: The really unsettling stuff, the breakdown of rules and norms IS HAPPENING NOW, not at some hypothetical future point.
13. The proverbial sh*t is hitting the fan EVERY SINGLE DAY and the damage is being done. It will be exceptionally hard to undo.
14. We have to see the truth for what it is: Faith in our institutions, faith in our government, faith in reality itself is under assault.
15. None of this is to say that people should stop defending their rights and principles. But let’s be clear-eyed about what’s happening.
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