General Discussion

kpete

(71,997 posts) Sat Jun 25, 2022, 08:31 AM Jun 2022

Many have said J6 was a 'dress rehearsal.' The truth of that needs to be fully understood.

Thread. A cautionary thought: the GOP can read polls. They *know* that a solid majority of Americans intensely oppose them on abortion, gun control and insurrection (to name but a few). They know these are big losers, in national electoral terms. Yet they persist.

The extremity of GOP positions reveals their intent. These are *not* positions that are viable in any normal political calculus (on a national level). No party 'playing by the rules' would push them as far as the GOP is doing.

They are acting, instead, like a party freed of the natural constraints imposed, in a democratic system, by the need to reconcile conflicting points of view. They are acting like they're not in that system any more. Because they are not.

We shouldn't indulge the comforting thought that the GOP, in a heedless fit of ideological fervor, has blundered onto the 'third rail' of our political system and will now incinerate itself in November.

It's more prudent to assume, rather, that they know full well that they're a minority party with unpopular policies, and are making preparations to see it through. How do they think they can make these unpopular policies stick ?

First, by subverting the popular vote. We see it in many places. Second, by brute force. Jan. 6 was the 'tell.' Not what Trump did but the acquiescence of virtually the entire GOP. Many have said J6 was a 'dress rehearsal.' The truth of that needs to be fully understood.

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