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solarbirdI meant to bring these over at the time, but I never quite got to it. These are more originally-on-twitter, but were initially collected on tumblr, due to screencaps and the way those work over there, and a frankly much larger audience - thousands, vs. dozens.
Part 2 of 3. [Original thread on Twitter]
In a lot of ways, this is a very long subtweet at one person. But it’s more than that - it’s for every Civility Democrat out there. We’re well and firmly past civil,, with the possible exception of war. We have to hold here, and we should, but - it doesn’t get nice or normal again any time soon. Not until this entire movement is in the ditch. And maybe not then.
I’ve got someone making 1990s “divided government is good” noise on my Twitter feed.
Maybe there was a point to that in 1996. But there is _no_ good point to that as long as Republicans oppose democracy.
Don’t get this wrong: where there’s a WAY, there is a WILL. I know that expression usually goes the other way around, but this way around is AT LEAST as valid.
If they can overturn the election and keep power, _they will_.
I’ve seen some people saying, “This is about keeping the base riled up for the runoff elections in Georgia,” and others saying, “this is a last big cash dip, scamming their rubes.”
Those are both probably true.
But this is _also_ true: these goals are not mutually exclusive.
They will try and _are trying_ literally everything.
And they’ll take everything they can get.
This isn’t over.
I don’t think they’ll pull it off. If we’re vigilant, and keep at the wheel, they won’t.
Just... _stay on station_. World War II wasn’t over at the Battle of the Bulge, and this isn’t over now.
We’ll win. But only if we _don’t_ let them up.
Now here’s the thing: they tell themselves they don’t oppose democracy, for the most part. They do! But they tell themselves they don’t.
And it’s all about telling themselves that Democrats always cheat, so they can do literally anything and it’s okay.
This goes back at least to Kennedy/Nixon in 1960. Yes, 1960. I’ve had people who were alive then tell me stories about how Chicago kept not reporting results as numbers piled in from southern Illinois - until Democrats knew how many votes they needed to win.
They say they _remember_ this. They say they watched it on television. Live in coverage. At the time.
But here’s the thing:
It didn’t happen.
I mean, I can’t say there wasn’t some TV station reporting it that way. Maybe there was. Videotape wasn’t much of a thing yet and those live broadcasts weren’t kept.
But the newspapers were. And there were a lot more, then. And more importantly: newspapers with evening editions.
Afternoon and evening both, in fact. (Hell, Seattle didn’t lose its last afternoon edition newspaper until the mid-1990s. We were subscribers to it.)
And _they_ reported the votes reported from Chicago, many, many hours before these supposed late-into-the-night non-returns.
It’s a story they’ve told themselves for so many years that they believe it.
I write heavily about memory and how it can be manipulated, in fiction. It’s SF, sort of - but mostly, it’s really not.
They _do_ remember it.
It just never actually happened.
But since it’s “happened” for them now...
...now they have permission to do literally anything, and it’s fair game, as far as they’re concerned.
And that’s how they can lie like this, know they’re lying, and yet still believe it, and call themselves believers in democracy.
Understand that, and the fundamentalist absolutist political viewpoint that conquered the Republican Party in the late 1990s, and everything they do is eminently predictable.
And you also know why it must - _must_ - be stopped.
Stay on station.
We’ll win.
But it’ll be rough.
Part 2 of 3. [Original thread on Twitter]
In a lot of ways, this is a very long subtweet at one person. But it’s more than that - it’s for every Civility Democrat out there. We’re well and firmly past civil,, with the possible exception of war. We have to hold here, and we should, but - it doesn’t get nice or normal again any time soon. Not until this entire movement is in the ditch. And maybe not then.
The New York TimesOkay, this? This is why Republicans can’t be allowed to keep the Senate.
Breaking News: Senator Mitch McConnell threw his support behind President Trump’s refusal to concede the election, declining to recognize Joe Biden’s victory.
I’ve got someone making 1990s “divided government is good” noise on my Twitter feed.
Maybe there was a point to that in 1996. But there is _no_ good point to that as long as Republicans oppose democracy.
Don’t get this wrong: where there’s a WAY, there is a WILL. I know that expression usually goes the other way around, but this way around is AT LEAST as valid.
If they can overturn the election and keep power, _they will_.
I’ve seen some people saying, “This is about keeping the base riled up for the runoff elections in Georgia,” and others saying, “this is a last big cash dip, scamming their rubes.”
Those are both probably true.
But this is _also_ true: these goals are not mutually exclusive.
They will try and _are trying_ literally everything.
And they’ll take everything they can get.
This isn’t over.
I don’t think they’ll pull it off. If we’re vigilant, and keep at the wheel, they won’t.
Just... _stay on station_. World War II wasn’t over at the Battle of the Bulge, and this isn’t over now.
We’ll win. But only if we _don’t_ let them up.
Now here’s the thing: they tell themselves they don’t oppose democracy, for the most part. They do! But they tell themselves they don’t.
And it’s all about telling themselves that Democrats always cheat, so they can do literally anything and it’s okay.
This goes back at least to Kennedy/Nixon in 1960. Yes, 1960. I’ve had people who were alive then tell me stories about how Chicago kept not reporting results as numbers piled in from southern Illinois - until Democrats knew how many votes they needed to win.
They say they _remember_ this. They say they watched it on television. Live in coverage. At the time.
But here’s the thing:
It didn’t happen.
I mean, I can’t say there wasn’t some TV station reporting it that way. Maybe there was. Videotape wasn’t much of a thing yet and those live broadcasts weren’t kept.
But the newspapers were. And there were a lot more, then. And more importantly: newspapers with evening editions.
Afternoon and evening both, in fact. (Hell, Seattle didn’t lose its last afternoon edition newspaper until the mid-1990s. We were subscribers to it.)
And _they_ reported the votes reported from Chicago, many, many hours before these supposed late-into-the-night non-returns.
It’s a story they’ve told themselves for so many years that they believe it.
I write heavily about memory and how it can be manipulated, in fiction. It’s SF, sort of - but mostly, it’s really not.
They _do_ remember it.
It just never actually happened.
But since it’s “happened” for them now...
...now they have permission to do literally anything, and it’s fair game, as far as they’re concerned.
And that’s how they can lie like this, know they’re lying, and yet still believe it, and call themselves believers in democracy.
Understand that, and the fundamentalist absolutist political viewpoint that conquered the Republican Party in the late 1990s, and everything they do is eminently predictable.
And you also know why it must - _must_ - be stopped.
Stay on station.
We’ll win.
But it’ll be rough.
no subject
Date: 2020-12-20 03:29 pm (UTC)The abuser will look for even one instance of their abhorrent behaviors as justification for all of their instances of it.
And when they don't find one, they'll gaslight themselves into one having existed.
no subject
Date: 2020-12-20 08:41 pm (UTC)(Hi, I'd dig.)
In at least one case, I found a reference chain that managed to be circular. It was amazing.
no subject
Date: 2020-12-20 08:45 pm (UTC)Also also, see their definition of truth and goodness.