“One of the greatest threats the country has ever faced”
Lincoln Project co-founder and GOP strategist became Democrat Steve Schmidt, who issued a dire warning ahead of Donald Trump’s speech to the North Carolina Republican Party this weekend: America is just a choice from the enduring autocratic rule of the former President and his allies removed.
In a 512 word Twitter thread, Schmidt warns that Republicans have gotten stronger since the January 6 riot and that those who think Trump is out of the spotlight and off social media have weakened him are “fools “. He also urges the media to stop focusing on the downfall of Trump’s blog.
Trump is the “likely candidate” for the 2024 presidential election, says Schmidt, a history student, and warns that “elected officials of the Republican Party are obedient soldiers in Trump’s personality cult”.
“His words will surely kill again,” says Schmidt.
Here is the entire Twitter thread in full length (a few minor changes in case sensitivity due to the way Schmidt writes his tweets):
Today marks the third day of deeply stupid media coverage of the downfall of the Trump blog. How should we assess Trump at this moment and in particular assess his relative power and influence? Some have posited that Trump’s loss, social media bans, and inability to maintain a blog are evidence of his demise, insignificance, and degradation. Many of these people have argued that saying Trump’s name out loud fuels and perpetuates the Trump threat. All we have to do, they claim, is treat him like Voldemort as long as no one says his name out loud, no problem. These people are fools and their delusions are dangerous to the survival of American democracy.
We’re in an hour that people need to wake up. Trump is powerful and he is a clear and PRESENT threat to our democratic society and national stability. Trump has the ability to kill and destroy with the spoken word. His words; his lies, delusions and conspiracy theories have caused bloodshed. It happened on January 6th. His words will surely kill again.
Trump is the leader of an authoritarian movement made up of an eclectic mix of extremists including Proud Boy fascists, neo-Nazis, white nationalists, religious fanatics and conspiracy theorists. The Republican Party is the vessel of this movement, and the members of that party are overwhelmingly united on the Trump cause.
Trump is not only the front runner in the GOP nomination, he is the alleged candidate. Trump is in command of the lock, shaft and barrel of the party. The elected officials of the Republican Party are obedient soldiers in Trump’s personality cult, which can be measured against tens of millions of people. This movement has become faithless to American democracy, and it takes an almost troop-like level of historical ignorance not to recognize it as one of the greatest threats the country has ever faced.
Trump’s power and influence are both terrifying and real.
It has been said that there are no stupid ideas. There are. At the top of the list is the notion that Trump’s failed blog is proving its declining power. It doesn’t. It means nothing. An indictment against Trump will not kill Trump or his movement, it will only accelerate his candidacy. If he becomes a candidate again, Facebook and Twitter will lift their well-deserved bans.
We are in the first few years of a great struggle in this country that will last a long time, provided the pro-democracy side can win elections because we are far from the autocratic side taking power. They won’t give up again when they do.
The GOP was not chastised until January 6th. It’s gotten more extreme and is well on its way to regaining control of the House of Representatives in 22nd. The Coalition for Democracy won a great victory when Joe Biden became president. That victory took us some time, but all the time in the world cannot cure a deliberate and delusional blindness to the great danger, resilience, ambition and authoritarianism of Trump’s movement.
Image by Gage Skidmore via Flickr and a CC license
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