Don Moynihan: From Access Hollywood to Anti-Statism

[Nevilledog]

Link to tweet

Tweet text:

Don Moynihan
@donmoyn
·
Follow
New, from me: The search of Mar-A-Lago saw Republicans quickly back Trump over law enforcement.

This loyalty rests on an increasingly anti-statist philosophy that hurts democracy, encourages violence, and weakens state capacity. 🧵

donmoynihan.substack.com
From Access Hollywood to Anti-Statism
Republican loyalty to Trump is fueling more radical positions about the role of the state
6:21 AM · Aug 14, 2022

https://donmoynihan.substack.com/p/from-access-hollywood-to-anti-statism

The FBI’s search of Trump’s Mar-A-Largo left many unanswered questions but revealed one basic fact about contemporary American politics: the conservative movement has abandoned a healthy skepticism of government to embrace a peculiar brand of anti-statism. As soon as the news of the search broke, Republican leaders and right-wing media fell over themselves to attack public officials rather than accept the possibility that a man with decades of dishonesty behind him might have done anything wrong.

The political philosophy underpinning this support for Trump holds that state power is corrupt, and this corruption in turn justifies abuses of state power that Trump and supporters are promising in the future. Our victimhood necessitates our extremes. As an approach to governing, it is deeply destructive to a pluralistic democracy where parties exchange power on a routine basis.

Reflexively anti-statist (when we are not in charge)

Republicans concerned about the investigation of Trump could take two tracks. One is to ask for information and justifications from the relevant government officials. This shows a faith in democratic processes, and checks and balances. Some did, and Merrick Garland quickly responded by seeking to make the details of the warrant available.

The other option was to assume without evidence that the search was illegitimate. This was the route that many Republicans took. It quickly took an extreme and even absurdist form.

“If they can do this to a former President, imagine what they can do to you” was a popular mantra, as if the FBI could not already seek a warrant to search your premises if there was probable cause, that the imposition on Trump’s personal space suddenly made you vulnerable in some new way. This reflects, to put it kindly, a privileged position when it comes to understanding how the law operates.

*snip*