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How not to waste Donald Trump.
Thread 1/
Thread 1/
There is no doubt that Donald Trump has tested and weakened the system, and the country. He's been a disaster in so many way. But Democrats need to use his example as a bludgeon over the next several years. 2/
Since 2001, the national security state and military adventurism have been driven both by the fear of foreign terrorism but also confidence that we would never use the surveillance apparatus and the military against ourselves. We are the exception, always. 3/
Trump has shaken many people's faith in how exceptional America is. The system barely worked, if at all. Half the country believes the other half stole the election. The Capitol was sacked by thousands of the President's supporters. The Trump cabinet is a bestiary of horrors. 4/
Civil libertarians should use Trump as a weapon against the national security state. Security tools are dual use: they can be used to defend or attack. Civil libertarians should say: "Do you want to let these awesome powers fall into the hands of another, smarter Trump?" /5
Would you trust another Trump not to use these tools against his political rivals? Voting rights activists must beat back attempts at further voter suppression by arguing that Republicans are doing what Trump did during 2020, undermine democracy. /6
Immigration reformers should use the muslim ban, the WALL and family separation as a way to restore immigration rights. Tech reformers should use Trump and his misinformation machine as a reason to reduce the power of social media platforms. /7
To use a phrase of Bruce Ackerman's, we need a "Never Again" agenda. We need to treat Trump as a stress test and the results are warnings about threats we did not take seriously enough. A smarter Trump is the biggest threat. /8
