“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.
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.
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.
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
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.
Thomas Zimmer
Mastodon Migration