Thread time (SORRY!) I've been thinking about Chris Stanton, one of the individuals who was arrested for being involved in the Capital insurrection, who died by suicide. How does a - seemingly - regular guy throw his entire life away to help commit an act of terror? 1/?

We need to address the rot that goes well beyond Trump. As someone who voted Republican back when these games started, I know their playbook by heart. I know they use fear to mobilize. I’m angry that so many Republicans will walk away from this with their career unscathed. 2/?

They're coming for your guns!
Socialism!
Trans story time!
They hate America!
They want to allow the murder of newborns!
Immigrants are going to take your jobs & rape your women!
Refugees = terrorists!
The media hates you!
You can't say Christmas!

And on and on and on.... 3/?

Nancy Mace mentioned the dangers of rhetoric the other day w/o acknowledging her part in this. Separating herself from an out of control fire after she’d been stoking it. And she’s far from alone. Rubio, Cruz, Haley, [insert hundreds of names] have all had a hand in this. 4/?

Men like Chris Stanton listened to the fear mongering, then he had Trump reaffirming it all, and an entire party lining up behind whatever beliefs brought them increased funding reaffirming it all. They told supporters to fight, they sold them on “war,” 5/?

burning newspapers and posing with guns, telling followers that the left hates their way of life, and sending them emails saying “PATRIOT WE NEED YOU!” and "We are all that stands between the USA and socialism!" Beyond inciting violence, this has also torn families apart. 6/?

This is what happens when your 'news' sources are able to convince you the left wants to make pedophilia legal -- you end up storming into a building where your fellow patriots are dressed literally like animals and smear their own feces on the walls. 7/?

You are so afraid of dead communists returning from the grave to burn your MAGA hats and give your kids free healthcare, that you order pipe bomb supplies for curbside pick up at Menards because God forbid you're asked to wear a mask. 8/?

And even after all this, DURING THE ATTACK ON THE CAPITAL, many Republicans were still refusing to wear masks, to care about their fellow human beings, because "FREEDOM" or something. They were still determined to keep up this nonsensical war on decency. 9/?

B4 you say “both sides...,” of course both sides play politics. There’s a difference between saying "they're going to take all your guns!" & saying a fascist leader will encourage insurrection. One of those things has been threated for years, the other just came to fruition.10/?

There's a difference between a terrifying truth and a terrifying lie. For example: Telling people that Democrats want the right to murder fully developed and healthy babies is a terrifying lie. Saying that Trumpism encourages violence is a terrifying truth. 11/?

They’ve dehumanized immigrants, minorities, and anyone who opposes their policies. They've convinced these people that a literal war is always around the corner, and their media is even worse. Breitbart News, The Federalist, Red State, Fox News, and on and on... 12/?

Now their supporters are showing up to war because the GOP set this party up to be run by a madman, and now when they pull the trigger of a gun loaded by these politicians and go to war all these instigators act like they weren't part of the problem, that it was all Trump. 13/?

So yeah, it’s unsurprising that some of these people are going to walk out & realize they're now abandoned, & to protect themselves, the people they trusted will call them “terrorists,” and the their leader is being reduced to nothing. Of course they're going to feel lost.14/?

I get being happy that some are doing the right thing, but the blood has been spilled, & if we don't address the rot & the rhetoric we'll just end up with another Trump. So I guess my point in all this is to say that the GOP as a whole needs to be held accountable after DT.15/?

Calls of unity are fine and dandy (and for many awfully convenient), but 6 people are dead, families are torn apart, the damage is done. If we don't learn from this and change things, it's just going to happen again. 16/16