‘Authoritarianism In GOP Not An Outlier, It Is the Mainstream’ Yep. Been That Way For Some Time

The reason that Ron DeSantis feels so comfortable with violent rhetoric like “slit throats on Day One” or “kill drug cartels stone, cold dead” is because autocracy and authoritarianism is what the Republican party is about these days — unless a saner breed of Republican comes in and takes over. There’s little evidence of that. Asa Hutchinson is talking a recognizable conservative party line, but he’s also polling at 1% or under. Will Hurd is talking sense as well, about how all Donald Trump is trying to do is stay out of prison, but he’s not making too many waves, either.

The Lincoln Project has a take on this. The only thing I disagree with here is the inference that any of this is news to Democrats. Not to ones who are paying attention, it’s not.

The future of our democracy is at stake in the 2024 election. In order to protect it and fight Trump's authoritarian regime, we must be aggressive and unrelenting, @TaraSetmayer tells @MSNBC. pic.twitter.com/gZMXBXfWFV

— The Lincoln Project (@ProjectLincoln) August 6, 2023

pic.twitter.com/FX0aRz0gKF

— 💙Infinity & Beyond🏳️‍🌈🟦🌻🌎🌊🇺🇦 (@TeamHope60) August 6, 2023

The only thing I want to say is that I don’t think Trump has the power he would have us all believe that he does.

1. He’s not fundraising like he used to;
2. Four indictments (and soon it will be that) is a lottt of baggage;
3. He already was resoundingly defeated by Joe Biden once;
4. Members of his own party are turning against him as never before. Not enough, certainly, not in big enough numbers, but still the difference is palpable.

So I don’t think that there’s going to be this horserace election, which is the only model of political reporting that the mainstream media seems to know. That’s a problem in and of itself.

I think Trump is going to flame out in a memorable and pyrotechnic display. I think the term “trumprecedented” may become a newly minted one in our common parlance. I think, in short, that he’s toast.

That said, vigilance is the price of liberty and we, as Democrats, as Americans, can never be too prepared, too mobilized, too engaged. My message is not kick back and don’t worry, my message is Get Out The Vote and watch the bum go down in flames.

[goosestepping elephants image by New York Magazine]

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