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It's unsettling how much of our politics has become "don't do that or the GOP base will murder their fellow Americans." Seems pretty unsustainable but there doesn't appear to be any indication that American conservatives are capable or even interested in fixing that.
Trump appeared to be headed for a blowout according to pre-election polls so he shut down the mail. When that didn't work he filed lawsuits to stop votes being counted. When that didn't work he filed more lawsuits to stop votes being certified.
When that didn't work he filed more lawsuits to de-certify votes and he began telling everyone who would listen that the election was stolen. His party backed him up. When that didn't work he filed lawsuits to force Pence to ignore the electors.
All the while his party and RW media backed him up. Americans came to believe that the election was actually stolen even though there is no proof, there never was any proof, and Trump telegraphed the exact gambit he was trying MONTHS in advance. Conservatives insisted it was NBD.
And when all that didn't work, when the day came to officially certify the EC vote, Trump and his supporters brought thousands of angry, lied to cult members to DC, whipped them into a frenzy, and told them to go to the Capitol and "be strong." They were going to hang people.
And when that didn't work, when the soft coup with bumptious lawsuits failed and the insurrection at the capitol failed, the very same people who insisted it was NBD turned on a dime and are now insisting it's divisive to have longer than a 4hr memory about all this.
And now here we are after months of lies and fomenting mistrust culminating in a violent attack on our democracy, the same people want to remind everyone that if Trump and his enablers are made to pay for what they did, "conservatives" will get violent again.
At any time people could've spoken out. They didn't. Some of them are saying it's because they themselves are worried about their own voters killing them or their families if they don't toe the Trumpist line. And that's too bad. Really. But I don't care and neither should you.
It was foreseeable, or more likely inevitable, once the GOP base was hooked on Qanon and other insanities, that they'd find a reason to round on their masters for being insufficiently Trumpist. And if you helped that process along you deserve the consequences of your actions.
Doing the right thing is divisive as between a group of people who care about democracy and a group of people who care about power at any cost. Objective reality is divisive as between people who share it and those who insist on an alternate reality. Doesn't matter.
And if sanity cannot retake control of the Republican party and it's base of voters then a national dissolution or divorce or whatever you want to call it is as inevitable as Trump refusing to accept defeat. It's time for them to stop making excuses and making acts of contrition.
Look at that. Even now, as Republicans abusively call for "unity and healing" in lieu of consequences for Wednesday's violence, their lunatic base is already planning to get violent again. https://twitter.com/SammyBuc/status/1348996090058711041?s=20
Here's @kilmeade endorsing violence if Democrats seek to hold Trump accountable. He doesn't have to do this, he's choosing to. He could explain why threatening armed insurrection in response to losing a fair election is bad. But he won't. He supports it. https://twitter.com/LisPower1/status/1348988164216643586?s=20
Like, I know Trump is literally incapable of doing anything but incite his base. But that's still a choice he's making. And everyone who repeats the same message is choosing to endorse violence as a response to legal, constitutional, democratic processes. https://twitter.com/therecount/status/1349017452093517825?s=20
Maybe somebody should try to ask @kilmeade how many cops he needs to see beaten to death with fire extinguishers before he'll stop doing what he's choosing to do. Seems pretty divisive to be threatening peaceful democratic processes with violence just because he disagrees.
See. Trump incites an insurrection. GOP and allied media handwave away any responsibility and insist that any repercussions are divisive or will only further incite the minority of Americans who voted for him. Trump understands it all as approval. https://twitter.com/atrupar/status/1349019203513278469?s=20
This is all a choice. From him, even with his limited cognitive ability, choosing to incite the crowd on down to everyone choosing to excuse him and choosing to threaten further violence if he's made to face any consequences. It's all a choice. They could stop at any time.
Not even Josh Hammer's own mother expects and better from Josh Hammer but solidarity among fascists named Josh is also a choice. Hawley incited an insurrection with his lies. Hammer knows they're lies. He could explain that but chooses not. https://twitter.com/josh_hammer/status/1348832207662579714?s=20
Instead, what matters is protecting both his place as a RW media influencer and Hawley's place as a rising star in the fascist party. Doesn't matter how many cops get murdered or how many people try to lynch legislators. At any moment he could choose to be better but he won't.
