'More Important Than the Law'

[applegrove]

'More Important Than the Law’

August 16, 2022 at 9:53 am EDT By Taegan Goddard 82 Comments

https://politicalwire.com/2022/08/16/more-important-than-the-law/

"SNIP......

Tom Nichols: “I spoke with one of the original Never Trumpers over the weekend, a man who has lost friends and family because of his opposition to Trump, and he told me that one of the most unsettling things to him is that these same pro-Trump family and friends now say that they believe that Trump broke the law—but that they don’t care.”

“They see Trump and his crusade—their crusade against evil, the drama that gives their lives meaning—as more important than the law.”

......SNIP"

[Wounded Bear]

1. Yep, that's what we're dealing with...nt

[Irish_Dem]

2. They value Russia more than fellow Americans.

So it doesn't matter if Trump gave secrets to Putin.

[gab13by13]

3. Trump was sent by God to purge the world of evil Democrats.

[patphil]

4. The thing is that they see evil as a legitimate way to combat evil.

But all that does is increase the amount of evil in the world...it doesn't make things better, only worse. It increases the amount of hate and violence by institutionalizing it.

But they're so evil they can't see that...no love in their hearts whatsoever.

[NQAS]

5. Important point

Many MAGAs - probably most - will stick with him. Their reality doesn’t resemble actual reality. Sad. Pathetic. Probably scary.

Tough.

[hadEnuf]

24. 35+ years of trashing and demonizing Democrats & Liberals day and night on right wing media

has had an effect, whether we want to believe it or not.

Many adults today were raised to hate anything that is not RW Conservative. They know nothing else.

[unblock]

6. Abortion has a lot to do with how they radicalized the right

Once they convinced their base that abortion was murder, and and nothing about the woman's perspective mitigates thus in the slightest, then anyone who has an abortion is a murderer, and anyone who wants it to be legal is allowing murder on a mass scale.

At least that's the way they think.

Then, since mass murder is so horrific, and stopping mad murder is so virtuous, comparatively minor lawbreaking is a small price to pay for the ultimate good of stopping abortions.

At least that's the way they think.

And with that, they've allowed themselves to support virtually any amount of evil because winning the abortion war is more important than anything else.


In short, the abortion issue was key to radicalizing the right.

[mopinko]

7. what's that quote from thomas moore-

what will save you from the devil when you have mown down all the laws?

[gratuitous]

9. Yep, we're well into the territory of the ends justify any means

Some of them seem to have come round to the notion that if they barber the laws to achieve their ends, it's possible that could be used against them. Right now they're teetering on the edge between "we're doomed so let's take as many with us as possible" and "let's just declare a dictatorship."

[DavidDvorkin]

14. It's from a play about Thomas Moore

But it's still a great line.

[RAB910]

8. Ironic, since Trump and his followers are the evil and the threat

[PatSeg]

10. And more important than democracy

Many of them seem to no longer believe democracy is all that important.

[Torchlight]

11. Trump is a secular televangelist, and knows how to play that role well

and his fungal base will not allow themselves to see he's ripping them off.

Admiration for a sacred cow is not anything to find pride in, yet here they are in all their majestic ignorance, memorable denial, and a grace found only in flies swimming at the bottom of a pitcher plant.

[Wingus Dingus]

12. The Atlantic article/Tom Nichols is spot on.

[Jade Fox]

27. Is there any way to read it w/o buying a sub to The Atlantic?

[Wingus Dingus]

29. I always clear my history and then try again--sometimes that works.

[Jade Fox]

30. Thx!

[halfulglas]

13. Is anyone truly surprised?

Remember when Trump was still in office and some MAGATs were confronted with proof of actual lies and so many good Christians acknowledged it but they said they didn't care. Yeah, these great Christians who know lying is supposed to be a sin and proves somebody isn't trustworthy, but yeah, he did it for us thing.

My daughter lives in Trump country (for now) and the Trump parades are diminished but still ongoing. They get in their pickups with Trump flags and roll along the streets. In the normal course of events when a president leaves office, and news coverage diminishes, etc. he gradually fades and so does the intensity of his people. But Trump didn't follow the rules and his die hard crusaders still believe in him and Q didn't help. The fact that most of them are clinically delusional but are for the most part functional and appear like regular folks doesn't diminish their threat, especially with the availability of guns. The fact that they apparently needed someone like this is alarming but we as a country no longer teach the need for the common good in public schools and religion was able to incorporate Trumpism without strong push back from normal Christians doesn't help. To many Christians the push back is what violates the rule about mixing church and state.

[Lonestarblue]

23. Right-wing Christian evangelicals deserve no respect. They sold their souls for political power.

They claim to be Christians but break most of the commandments and violate many Biblical admonitions, such as that against lying or committing adultery or welcoming strangers or taking care of the poor. If you fail to follow such Biblical admonitions, how can you call yourself a follower of Christ when you obviously are not.

[calimary]

26. I can't help but think they still love him because of the life he lives.

It’s what they can only dream about, for themselves, but maybe it invigorates them because they see it’s at least somewhat possible for somebody somewhere - and he’s the proof.

I also can’t help but suspect what they love the absolute most is how he seems to get away with everything. EVERYTHING!!! And therefore, he’s living THEIR dream. And he’s the proof there, too: that SOMEBODY actually lives that way in real life, so that somehow makes it attainable, after a fashion. So they get a vicarious thrill that way.

Just a theory, but it’s one I keep coming back around to.

[Mr.Bill]

15. Not surprising.

Hell, half this country thinks the bible is more important than the law.

[2naSalit]

16. K&R

[randr]

17. Gitmo ain't good enough

Or big enough!

[mercuryblues]

18. They have never cared

trump hates the same people they do and that is all that matters. Trump could eat a baby on live TV and they will defend it. They will kill and eat their own babies to prove it.

[Mr. Ected]

19. None of their heroes exist singularly - they have to attach to a liberal demon to derive any power

The right wing media has demonized our party to the point where these folks would have preferred Vladimir Putin to Hillary Clinton in 2016. Imagine that! In their own right, they are weak and they are felonious. But give them a dragon to slay and they are the darling of the brainwashed.

This is the price of decades of relentless propaganda.

When are we going to realize that, although free speech is protected under the Constitution, yelling FIRE in a crowded theater is not?

[flying_wahini]

20. And when they get picked up by the FBI they sputter and cry that they were just

Following orders.

[kentuck]

21. Hopefully, they are a minority with that belief?

When the majority believes that, it's over. Shut it down.

[Baggies]

22. Have people figured out that the never-Trumpers

Have people here figured out that the never-Trumpers are primarily neo-cons? Because it sure doesn’t seem like it.

As far as what Tom Nichols said, for what reason should I believe he’s telling the truth?

[IcyPeas]

25. "the drama that gives their lives meaning"

this is so sad, and so true. imaging this is what gives their lives meaning. They get so excited at his rallies and waiting in long lines for him with all the other sadsacks in their red, white and blue tee shirts... owning the libs. They should go home and read a book.... a history book.

THIS GIVES THEIR LIVES MEANING.

[Duppers]

28. ReichWing media makes huge $$$

From their blatant lying.

[Jade Fox]

31. This Tom Nichols article is well worth reading.....nt