Lies Are the Building Blocks of Trumpian Authoritarianism
Will Saletan on deceit and the danger to democracy.
Recently at The Bulwark:
HANNAH YOEST: Where the Sidewalk Ends š
CHARLIE SYKES: Why The RNC Is Obsessed With Liz Cheney š and The Conscience of Mike Pence.
JVL: America Is Going To Have to Hug It Out š and Hope Is Not a Plan. But Despair Is Not a Solution.
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WILL SALETAN: Lies Are the Building Blocks of Trumpian Authoritarianism.
In a country immune to authoritarianism, this campaign of lies would fail. But the campaign isnāt failing. Itās working. Rank-and-file Republicans, joined by many independent voters, believe the lies. Theyāre ready to put Republicans back in charge of Congress. Theyāre ready to support McCarthy when he shuts down the Jan. 6th investigation. And many are ready to re-elect Trump.
These people donāt think theyāre betraying democracy. They think theyāre saving it. In polls, Republicans are significantly more likely than Democrats to say that āAmerican democracy is under a major threat,ā that āthere is a serious threat to the future of our democracy,ā and that āthe nationās democracy is in danger of collapse.ā What makes these Republicans functionally authoritarian is that theyāre completely wrong about who poses the threat. In October, when a Quinnipiac survey asked whether āDonald Trump has been undermining democracy or protecting democracy,ā 94 percent of Democrats said he was undermining it. But 85 percent of Republicans said he was protecting it.
Today, three-quarters of Republicans continue to insist that Biden ādid not legitimately win the election.ā When theyāre asked why, they cite Trumpās lies, which they think are true. In a December survey by the University of Massachusetts Amherst, 61 percent of Republicans said Biden was illegitimate because āfraudulent ballots supporting [him] were counted by election officials.ā Forty-six percent said āballots supporting Donald Trump were destroyed by election officials.ā Forty-one percent said āvoting machines were re-programmed by election officials to count extra ballots for Biden.ā
Once you believe these lies, itās easy to believe Trumpās lies about Jan. 6th, since the point of the Jan. 6th uprising was to block certification of the election.
TIM MILLER writes a Memo To Dems: Stop Taking These Maskless Pictures.
[T]ake some advice from Winston Wolf:
Donāt {make people} Do Shit Unless.
Unless what?
Unless you are going to do it first.
So yeah, if you are in a room full of peopleāespecially kidsāand they are being forced to wear masks, you should wear one too. And if the COVID rates in the area or the air circulation in the room or your desire to look pretty for a picture doesnāt require you to do so, then make sure everyone else knows they can make the same choice you are. Because we are all in this together.
You don't have to renounce democracy or reject the Constitution ā all you have to do is be persuaded to believe a few lies. Will Saletan joins Charlie Sykes today for the launch of our new 'Charlie & Will Monday' on The Bulwark Podcast.
DENNIS AFTERGUT argues: Prosecutors Are Justified in Seeking Bannonās Lawyerās Records.
In seeking the records from Bannonās lawyer, the DOJ seems to have Bannon dead to rights. Bannon has asserted an āadvice of counselā defense. That means that he claims that his lawyer advised him it was fine to refuse to show up when the Jan 6th Committee subpoenaed him.
An āadvice of counselā claim waives the attorney-client privilege for the obvious reason that the defendant has put in issue what his lawyer said to him. Hence, the jury is entitled to hear the advice in order to decide whether the defense is valid.
In addition, in early November, Costello sat twice for FBI interviews in which he, according to Politico, ādescribed repeatedly advising Bannon not to cooperate with the select committee, saying he viewed their process as flawed and illegal.ā Those interviews reinforce the intentionality of the attorney-client privilege waiver privilege.
Costello is an experienced criminal defense lawyer. It isnāt such lawyersā practice to talk to the FBI about a clientās potentially criminal conduct unless the decision is part of a deliberate strategy to put forward the matters discussed.
DANIEL FATA writes: Putin Announced His Manifesto Against the West Fifteen Years Ago. His Story Hasnāt Changed.
Since 2007, Putin has remained intent on shaping political and security developments in Russiaās periphery. He wants to be seen as a necessary player on the world stage. He wants Russia to be seen as global power whose approval must be sought. As he said at Munich and many times thereafter, he seeks to reestablish Russian influence in the world.
Successive U.S. administrations and European governments have failed to convince Putin that he could have more influence by playing a constructive, cooperative role than a destructive, antagonistic one. His countryās forces wreaked havoc in Georgia in 2008 and Ukraine since 2014, splintering the territory of both nations and launching disinformation campaigns which have degraded their democratic processes (and those of other democracies as well). Putin and his cronies have paid relatively little compared to what damage they have been able to inflict militarily, psychologically, and diplomatically on millions of people.
With potential violence and devastation an order of magnitude greater than anything Europe has seen since World War II awaiting only Putinās order, the Biden administration is again engaging in strategic framework talks with Russia, entertaining Moscowās grievances and revisionist fantasies. Thankfully, United States and Europe have rejected Putinās proposals, which essentially amount to a do-over of the Cold War. No doubt, talking is better than fighting, but the cost of talking is legitimizing Putinās quest for dominion over Russiaās neighbors, as if that were the kind of thing about which the United States could or should negotiate.
šØOVERTIME šØ
Happy Monday! Hope you had a great weekend. Like my pal Matt Labash, I am not watching the Olympics, though the NHL All Star Game and the Pro Bowl were good substitutes. That, and some darts on my new dartboard.
While Iām not watching the Olympicsā¦ Hereās an interesting story about how Americaās best female cyclist and multiple medal winner ended up homeless in Seattle. (And itās not why you might think.)
Catās got his tongue! Brave Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis canāt pick a side in the Trump / Pence skirmish, but he will go to great lengths to suggest the FBI was involved in January 6. What a profile in courage, that Ron DeSantis.
The stories donāt end when a story teller leaves. The final column of a sports columnist, Mark Whicker.
Give Kevin Killeen all the awardsā¦ A modern Groundhog Day brief from a radio humorist at St. Louisās KMOX.
Inside the J.D. Vance implosionā¦ A nice 98 page deck. My favorite one? His people in the southwest part of Ohio? Not fans!
Sandy Berger and Donald Trumpā¦ Iām old enough to remember when Conservatives were up in a tizzy (not wrongly!) about Sandy Berger. (Background if you forgot.) And now, President rip-all-the-papers had to deal with NARA coming to Mar-a-Lago to āretrieveā 15 boxes of documents that somehow didnāt make it into the records. Iām sure itās fine.
Thatās it for me. Tech support questions? Email members@thebulwark.com. Questions for me? Respond to this message.
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