Archived copies of the article: ghostarchive.org archive.today web.archive.org
About the only way we’re going to actually have a democracy is if they consistently lose elections. That’s going to mean volunteering, donating, and actually turning out to vote
Sorry, I should have been more explicit. My bad. All the things he lists are the alternate reality he lives in. He really believes the Democrats have done those things and thinks the beneficial things the Democrats have done are evil. Like he thinks Democrats have poisoned the blood of our country by letting in immigrants, even though we’re a nation of immigrants, and even though Republicans killed the border bill. He thinks mail in voting is bad, because he wants to suppress voter turn out. That list was him thinking he’s being clever, to paraphrase, “The Democrats have already destroyed our democracy.” He even accuses the Democratic party of being an authoritarian regime, when we know that is what Republicans want on day 1.
When he says he wants to restore our constitutional republic he means he wants to destroy our democracy. Constitutional republic is conservatives code for “we are not a democracy, we have minority rule”. He then accuses us, anyone left of him, all of hating white, straight, “successful people”, when it’s the same group of white straight screw ups that hate all of us. He says we hate our founders, our history, and self made people when, all conservatives do is lie about the founders and history. Most of the founders were Deists, but conservatives insist we are a christian nation. Conservatives say they don’t want activist judges, but then use British law in their opinions to overturn Roe v Wade. The say billionaires are self made success stories, but Elon Musk and billionaires they hate like Bill Gates just inherited a bunch of money.
Do I need to do a full translation of his speech or have I a clarified enough? He wants to destroy democracy. I thought his “joke” was self explanatory too. The commenter I was replying to seem to suggest Republicans don’t want to form a christofascist dictatorship because they’re saying it with a sarcastic tone of voice. Which is nonsense and so 2016, “He’s just trolling”. Does anyone else remember that? Self proclaimed internet trolls got interviewed and proudly explained how they had got Trump elected and were in on the joke. I’m never going to let that kind of rhetoric slide again. edit: typo
Fair enough, but none of that means he wasn’t being sarcastic. Merriam-Webster defines that as “a sharp and often satirical or ironic utterance designed to cut or give pain”, which this clearly was. That is of course not a get-out-of-jail-card for being a dumbass, but he doesn’t intend to abolish (his twisted idea of) democracy.
I mean suppose for a second, just for arguments sake, that the Democratic party did indeed steal the 2020 election and you would have to re-evaluate things like January 6th being an insurrection, because violent resistance against somebody undermining a country’s constitution is legitimate. Which is a stance you might have to take yourself sooner rather than later, especially if Trump wins again.
On a side-note, as a German growing up on copious amounts of Nazi history in school and some TV channels running 24/7 documentaries about them it seems rather clear to me where these MAGA people are headed. Already was in 2016. It’s fascism. But it is important to remember that such movements aren’t as monolithic as they might seem from the outside. There are many people in them who are just high on their own supply of bullshit, and you don’t do yourself any favours by misinterpreting them and fielding arguments which are then easily refuted, doubly so if you are fighting against their confirmation bias.
To be fair though, the article in the OP seems to make that very same mistake.
The comment I replied to was:
What this implies is, because the speaker said it a certain way, he doesn’t really mean he wants to destroy democracy. I’m saying, no, he clearly does, in the second half of his CPAC speech he describes destroying democracy.
His joke in the first half of the CPAC speech was he said “this is my plan”, listed stuff the Democrats have done, and then the punchline was Democrats have already destroyed democracy. It doesn’t matter how he said it. Many MAGA support believe the Democrats have done those things or that the beneficial things the Democrats have done are evil. He does intended to abolish Democracy as do many MAGA supporters.
If you have an argument that can refute this and demonstrate that the fascists in the Republican party are not trying to build a christofascist dictatorship please share it.
See my reply to you up-thread.