Thomas ZimmerAug 15, 2023
“This should be decided at the ballot box” is such an utterly deranged thing to say when the reason why we are in this situation is that Trump and his enablers didn’t respect the decision at the ballot box and instead engaged in a vast conspiracy to end constitutional government.
Show threadThomas ZimmerAug 15, 2023
It is one thing to argue that holding Trump accountable in court won’t magically solve the political problem of Trumpism and the anti-democratic radicalization of the Right. But this is something different entirely – a disqualifying level of bad faith and dishonesty.
Show threadThomas ZimmerAug 15, 2023
As they are rallying around the man they have chosen as their leader, nothing is ever too outlandish, too ridiculous, too bizarre, too disingenuous, too bad faith for rightwingers. There’s absolutely no line of dishonesty they don’t feel justified to cross.
Show threadThomas Zimmer

In July, I wrote this about why Republicans are sticking with Trump. Part of the reason: They have gone so far already with and for Trump, and in the process become complicit in his rise, his rule, his lawlessness, his breathtaking corruption. All the bridges have been burned…

https://thomaszimmer.substack.com/p/how-republicans-give-themselves-permission

How Republicans Give Themselves Permission to Embrace Trump and His Many Crimes

Rightwing politics is driven by a logic of escalation, the loyalty to Trump additionally fueled by a sense of having burned all bridges – a toxic combination that only allows for radicalization

Democracy Americana
Aug 15, 2023 at 5:58pmIvory for iOS
Show threadThomas ZimmerAug 15, 2023
Republicans – elites and base alike – are so deep into the Trump experience that it’s worth turning the question around: How could they not close ranks behind Trump now, no matter what happens, after all they have accepted, supported, justified, and condoned so far?
Show threadAngry CentristAug 15, 2023
@tzimmer_history So they're taking the Ben Franklin route... "We must all hang together or, most assuredly, we shall all hang separately." In that case, Ms. Willis has the right idea: We'll hang them all together!
Show threadKrzysztof SakrejdaAug 16, 2023
@tzimmer_history this is why I'm enjoying the Georgia endictment which set up something like 18 of them to throw each other under the bus. They know they can't trust each other.
Show threadThomas ZimmerAug 15, 2023
One key dynamic here seems to be that those who are still on Team Trump (or committed to being anti-anti-Trump) in August 2023 have invested so much in terms of justifying their actions to themselves and to the world, and have thereby enabled such outlandish behavior.
Show threadThomas ZimmerAug 15, 2023
It might be hard, even purely from a psychological standpoint, to imagine getting out now. At the very least, it would necessitate a whole lot of critical introspection: If you leave now, was it all for nothing?
Show threadThomas ZimmerAug 15, 2023
All the times you had to debase and embarrass yourself in public? And the people who you have painted as the radically “Un-American” enemy, those whose witch hunt you have decried for years, are you ultimately going to let them win?
Show threadThomas ZimmerAug 15, 2023
And so, they stick with Trump – and have to find ever more ridiculous, extreme justifications for why he is, at worst, the lesser evil compared to the “leftist” enemy. That is partly why rightwingers are constantly playing up the threat of “woke” radicalism and the “illiberal Left.”
Show threadRaven OnthillAug 15, 2023
@tzimmer_history that's Stuart Stevens, right? But having read him, I can say that he genuinely believes still in the ideology of conservatism, even though it's entirely failed. people can throw over personal loyalties, but it's much harder to reject an ideology that is central to your life.
Show threadNicole ParsonsAug 16, 2023

@tzimmer_history

What's very odd is that Republicans decry Communism while taking money from Russia.

Which Republicans are helping oligarchs evade sanctions?

https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2023/08/16/one-question-for-arkady-volozh-and-other-russian-billionaires-a82160

One Question for Arkady Volozh and Other Russian Billionaires

Opinion | Arkady Volozh, one of the founders of Russia’s tech giant Yandex and one of the wealthiest individuals in the country, publicly condemned the war in Ukraine after 533 days, calling it a "barbaric invasion."

The Moscow Times
Show threadbettybarcode (she/her) 🚲Aug 16, 2023
@tzimmer_history
I still think there's also kompromat involved.
Show threadMadisonMonkeyAug 19, 2023
@tzimmer_history nahh, it was an important lesson about power structures, wealth and the illusion of egalitarianism in a corporate owned structure 🤷‍♂️
Show threadMastodon MigrationAug 15, 2023

@tzimmer_history

So basically, sunk cost fallacy.

Show threadmiketcopeAug 15, 2023
@tzimmer_history thanks looks interesting. Will Saletan’s piece centering on Lindsey Graham is also good https://specialto.thebulwark.com/p/the-corruption-of-lindsey-graham?utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
An Introduction to The Corruption of Lindsey Graham

Senator Lindsey Graham is a central player in the Republican party’s capitulation to Donald Trump. We can watch his and the GOP's surrender to despotism and turn to authoritarianism, by reviewing Graham's many public statements.

Special Projects by The Bulwark
Show threadJ.H.NoyesAug 15, 2023

@tzimmer_history

No Rush
No Hannity.
No Tucker.
Not sure they can win without their propaganda apparatus. They're suffering leadership spillage. And no, Vanity programs on X don't count.

@axeshun

Show threadDebbie Goldsmith 🏳️‍⚧️♾️🇺🇦Aug 16, 2023
@tzimmer_history I feel that the central philosophical principle of the Republican Party is motivated reasoning. It's all they have.
Show threadChris Aug 16, 2023
@tzimmer_history @dgoldsmith well I can't quit my job at the Sunk Cost Factory! Not after all the time and effort I put in! /s
Show threadDavid FowlerAug 16, 2023
@tzimmer_history
Terrific read.