DC Unrest Megathread

[Buffalo Mayor Young Kim]

Liberals would do well to reflect on this quote by Martin Luther King, there is a lot of truth to it with regard to how many Americans feel.

A riot is the language of the unheard - Martin Luther King

If there is one thing on God's green Earth that a trump supporter is not, it's unheard. You can't open a paper without reading yet another profile of one of their diners in the middle of nowhere. They are not an oppressed minority like African Americans in the civil rights era, they are a coddled, romanticized minority that uses violence and corruption to achieve their political goals and to stay in power despite almost always receiving less votes than the majority party.

Don't twist Dr. King's words to defend racists, neo-nazis and murderers. It's disgusting.

All the major institutions, corporations, academia, media, the entertainment industry are opposed to Trump supporters who are ridiculed and often lose their jobs for the views, they are an oppressed group, they are oppressed by all of the major institutions and their voices are not listened to by any major institution in America except for now the WH.

On the contrary, the existence of the electoral college and the Senate, two of our founding institutions, makes sure their voices are overrepresented.

and they stole 2 SCOTUS seats so they're overrepresented in all three branches.

Also everyone at an elite law school who’s enough of a hack or lunatic to join the Fedsoc gets strapped to rocket re: clerkships

[CookieDamage]

Liberals would do well to reflect on this quote by Martin Luther King, there is a lot of truth to it with regard to how many Americans feel.

A riot is the language of the unheard - Martin Luther King

If there is one thing on God's green Earth that a trump supporter is not, it's unheard. You can't open a paper without reading yet another profile of one of their diners in the middle of nowhere. They are not an oppressed minority like African Americans in the civil rights era, they are a coddled, romanticized minority that uses violence and corruption to achieve their political goals and to stay in power despite almost always receiving less votes than the majority party.

Don't twist Dr. King's words to defend racists, neo-nazis and murderers. It's disgusting.

All the major institutions, corporations, academia, media, the entertainment industry are opposed to Trump supporters who are ridiculed and often lose their jobs for the views, they are an oppressed group, they are oppressed by all of the major institutions and their voices are not listened to by any major institution in America except for now the WH.

You're just flat out wrong. What institutions and corporations oppressing them? Are they universally denied mortgages, marriages, and healthcare, for instance, because they are Trump supporters? Are they disallowed to buy coca-cola or doritos because they are conservative? Are the bank accounts of all known trumpies frozen by their respective banks and institutions cuz they like trump? Are they restricted from owning property and booted from all but a few menial jobs cuz they are republicans? Are they denied the right to vote and to participate in town halls? Are they jailed, tortured, and summarily executed when they scream the n-word at people or say they want Hillary dead? Are they ghettoized into awful living conditions and made to live for generations in poverty? THAT'S oppression.

Losing your job cuz you broke into the capitol building with zip-ties or because you chanted "hang Mike Pence" is not oppression. Having academics write about your fascist tendencies is not oppression, nor is having half the country think you are a vile, entitled, self-victimizing racist oppression either. And no, it's not a violation of any amendment either for you to face the consequences of your actions.

[Non Swing Voter]

The clarifying part about this episode is that the Trump cult has in the past claimed that violence in DC was due to BLM and DC people instigating with Trump supporters.  Now they have no excuse.  It was just them. 

[Red Velvet]

Liberals would do well to reflect on this quote by Martin Luther King, there is a lot of truth to it with regard to how many Americans feel.

A riot is the language of the unheard - Martin Luther King

What policy they stand for that people are ignoring though? They had a limited set of demands and I think those were pretty much heard by everyone, which is why they’re getting backlash lmao

I agree that there’s a lot of economic anxiety behind a lot of the crisis of representation, people don’t feel either side represents the working class people.

However, that is NOT the main talking point of these groups even if it’s something that definitely led to their radicalization. Their voiced political demands were:

- Ignore the results of the election, have Donald Trump installed as new dictator
- Hang Mike Pence, kidnap politicians
- Bring back confederacy, I guess? Based on the flag at least
- ?

Like, if they did the same thing and invaded the capitol to demand actual policies like economic justice (ex: universal healthcare) or another democratic political demand, without the murdering politicians chants and racist flags, they would probably have been taken way more seriously as activists instead of coupers, even if there would still be a looot of attacks and imprisonments. But at least they would have the narrative in their favor and be considered political prisoners by some instead of unanimously seen as criminals.

To be a political prisoner you actually need to have politics and these people, sadly, are mostly apolitical actors being used as free mass of maneuver by a dictator wannabe who radicalized them based on personality-cultism instead of policies. I do feel sorry for some of them (the non-fascists ones) because it’s quite sad to go to jail or die for the sake of defending the honor of Donald Trump simply because you lack critical thinking and need to emotionally attach yourself to the narrative of a cult to feel you matter and is part of something bigger than your existence. To feel less alone. No different than other types of cults designed to create that emotional urgency, such as religious ones and others.

There were millionaires laughing at these people in the capitol and talking about how this was supposed to be the greatest day of their lives. That is just disgusting to me. But it’s also the sad reality. Government works for the top 1% and everyone else is invisible. Yet they decide to compete against themselves instead of uniting against the top 1%. Better education, universal healthcare, access to affordable housing are all investments for a less unequal society that would stimulate a culture that people are stronger together. When you help your neighbors, help will come back to you when you need it.

[Bootes Void]

Liberals would do well to reflect on this quote by Martin Luther King, there is a lot of truth to it with regard to how many Americans feel.

A riot is the language of the unheard - Martin Luther King

If there is one thing on God's green Earth that a trump supporter is not, it's unheard. You can't open a paper without reading yet another profile of one of their diners in the middle of nowhere. They are not an oppressed minority like African Americans in the civil rights era, they are a coddled, romanticized minority that uses violence and corruption to achieve their political goals and to stay in power despite almost always receiving less votes than the majority party.

Don't twist Dr. King's words to defend racists, neo-nazis and murderers. It's disgusting.

All the major institutions, corporations, academia, media, the entertainment industry are opposed to Trump supporters who are ridiculed and often lose their jobs for the views, they are an oppressed group, they are oppressed by all of the major institutions and their voices are not listened to by any major institution in America except for now the WH.

corporations and major institutions, are you serious. Trumpists in america have a easy ride and are privileged people who have too much power

[John Dule]

Liberals would do well to reflect on this quote by Martin Luther King, there is a lot of truth to it with regard to how many Americans feel.

A riot is the language of the unheard - Martin Luther King

Most unheard people are unheard for a good reason. They have nothing of value to contribute to the ideological conversation and are plain stupid.

[Joe Republic]

The clarifying part about this episode is that the Trump cult has in the past claimed that violence in DC was due to BLM and DC people instigating with Trump supporters.  Now they have no excuse.  It was just them. 

Oh you haven't heard?  This riot was started by Antifa agents posing as Trump supporters.

[Crumpets]

The clarifying part about this episode is that the Trump cult has in the past claimed that violence in DC was due to BLM and DC people instigating with Trump supporters.  Now they have no excuse.  It was just them. 

Oh you haven't heard?  This riot was started by Antifa agents posing as Trump supporters.

Except for the woman who was killed. She was a martyr of Trumpism. Everyone else was Antifa in disguise.

[Horus]

The clarifying part about this episode is that the Trump cult has in the past claimed that violence in DC was due to BLM and DC people instigating with Trump supporters.  Now they have no excuse.  It was just them. 

Oh you haven't heard?  This riot was started by Antifa agents posing as Trump supporters.

Except for the woman who was killed. She was a martyr of Trumpism. Everyone else was Antifa in disguise.

Bankrolled by the Soros backed transgender antifa Islamic Chinese communists and BLM.

[Indy Texas]

The clarifying part about this episode is that the Trump cult has in the past claimed that violence in DC was due to BLM and DC people instigating with Trump supporters.  Now they have no excuse.  It was just them. 

Oh you haven't heard?  This riot was started by Antifa agents posing as Trump supporters.

Except for the woman who was killed. She was a martyr of Trumpism. Everyone else was Antifa in disguise.

No, they've already disowned her and claimed she was a false flag plant.

[Aliens]

Trump won North Carolina by 1.3% in the 2020 election... but Biden actually won North Carolina because of fraud and there's no way he could lose

This is basically the rationale that Trump's using with the swing states that Biden clearly won.

[Former President tack50]

Liberals would do well to reflect on this quote by Martin Luther King, there is a lot of truth to it with regard to how many Americans feel.

A riot is the language of the unheard - Martin Luther King

If there is one thing on God's green Earth that a trump supporter is not, it's unheard. You can't open a paper without reading yet another profile of one of their diners in the middle of nowhere. They are not an oppressed minority like African Americans in the civil rights era, they are a coddled, romanticized minority that uses violence and corruption to achieve their political goals and to stay in power despite almost always receiving less votes than the majority party.

Don't twist Dr. King's words to defend racists, neo-nazis and murderers. It's disgusting.

All the major institutions, corporations, academia, media, the entertainment industry are opposed to Trump supporters who are ridiculed and often lose their jobs for the views, they are an oppressed group, they are oppressed by all of the major institutions and their voices are not listened to by any major institution in America except for now the WH.

Regarding this point, at least in terms of the entertainment industry, I wonder if it's simply a matter of money.

At least here Spanish artists tend to get lots of subsidies. These subsidies (like most) tend to be increased by left wing governments and decreased by right wing governments; so if you work in the Spanish film industry it is a no brainer to support left wing parties; in the same way that most government employees would support left wing parties.

Then again I doubt Hollywood is getting much taxpayer money at all so this probably doesn't apply in the US.

As for the other groups, I don't know what you mean by "major institutions", but if you mean government institutions; most government things are going to support left wing parties (no wonder government doesn't like the people who want government to be smaller!). Similar story with academia, since university research is often taxpayer paid, most academia will support left of centre parties.

I disagree with the point about the media, there are left wing channels and right wing channels, left wing newspapers and right wing newspapers, etc. It's one thing to want a conservative newspaper, but a Qanon cultist echochamber is a very different thing. Any serious conservative newspaper or news station would not spend time in conspiracy theories.

Corporations are a bad fit for the modern left wing but tbh I think it's a matter of marketing. Corporations have made the calculated decision that appearing #woke is good for their profits since they'll get good publicity, but I have absolutely 0 doubts that big corporations would prefer "Tax cuts, but woke" (and unfortunately Dems are trending in that direction but that's a separate debate)

TL;DR: It's the economy

[Former President tack50]

To be honest, regarding the "unheard and oppressed" argument; in my view sure, the average MAGA cultist is 100% not unheard and oppressed.

But in their own eyes, they feel unheard and oppressed despite not being so. That is a perception issue that needs to be adressed somehow.

You can go all Ben Shapiro and say "facts don't care about your feelings", but that isn't really a strategy that will make the average cultist more reasonable.

[Inmate Trump]

I live in an 80% Trump county, and there is no MAGA opression.

On the other hand, I’m afraid to mention my political beliefs to people in my area, because MAGA hats are violent people.

[Wakie77]

To be honest, regarding the "unheard and oppressed" argument; in my view sure, the average MAGA cultist is 100% not unheard and oppressed.

But in their own eyes, they feel unheard and oppressed despite not being so. That is a perception issue that needs to be adressed somehow.

You can go all Ben Shapiro and say "facts don't care about your feelings", but that isn't really a strategy that will make the average cultist more reasonable.

The truth is that the roots of the MAGA movement can be traced back to Barry Goldwater's "Government isn't the solution it is the problem" position.  It took 55 years but there is a direct line between those things.

The average MAGA follower has been told time that any problem in their life is caused by government or by people on the other political extreme.  And if you believe that government is the problem then you inherently support anarchy.

[Hindsight was 2020]

Liberals would do well to reflect on this quote by Martin Luther King, there is a lot of truth to it with regard to how many Americans feel.

A riot is the language of the unheard - Martin Luther King

What an utterly ridiculous post. To equate the type systematic oppression that African Americans had/have to face in this country verses a bunch of people being butthurt over losing an election is unbelievably condescending to the struggles and actual oppression people in this country have had to face and still face today. To even draw a similarity to an actual struggle for being heard verses the political equivalent of a child throwing a temper tantrum because they didn’t get the toy they want is unbelievable offense and is a real mask off moment for you

[DINGO Joe]

To be honest, regarding the "unheard and oppressed" argument; in my view sure, the average MAGA cultist is 100% not unheard and oppressed.

But in their own eyes, they feel unheard and oppressed despite not being so. That is a perception issue that needs to be adressed somehow.

You can go all Ben Shapiro and say "facts don't care about your feelings", but that isn't really a strategy that will make the average cultist more reasonable.

The truth is that the roots of the MAGA movement can be traced back to Barry Goldwater's "Government isn't the solution it is the problem" position.  It took 55 years but there is a direct line between those things.

The average MAGA follower has been told time that any problem in their life is caused by government or by people on the other political extreme.  And if you believe that government is the problem then you inherently support anarchy.

Oh, I'm sure you can trace it back before that.  Violence and intimidation were staples of the political process in the South for quite some time and even sporadically elsewhere.

[Absentee Voting Ghost of Ruin]

https://twitter.com/JenniferJJacobs/status/1348253497813299202

[GeorgiaModerate]

https://twitter.com/jimsciutto/status/1348284578037960706

[Roll Roons]

https://6abc.com/politics/sen-toomey-calls-for-president-trumps-resignation/9507138/

Toomey calls for Trump's resignation

[Inmate Trump]

https://twitter.com/jimsciutto/status/1348284578037960706

Why the f aren't they charging Trump?  He's their freaking leader and he started the whole thing.

[rhg2052]

https://twitter.com/jimsciutto/status/1348284578037960706

Why the f aren't they charging Trump?  He's their freaking leader and he started the whole thing.

January 21st, hopefully.

[Inmate Trump]

Any chance of Trump's approval rating falling to around 30% over the next week and a half, following his incitement of a terrorist attack?

I would love to see an average of polls showing him at 30% approval and 60% disapproval.

[GeorgiaModerate]

Any chance of Trump's approval rating falling to around 30% over the next week and a half, following his incitement of a terrorist attack?

I would love to see an average of polls showing him at 30% approval and 60% disapproval.

So far there's only one recurring poll that's been in the field since Jan. 6, the monthly NPR/Marist poll.  See my post in the Biden approval thread for full details, but Trump lost a net 11 points from the previous month to 38/58.  The net -20 is the worst of his presidency in this poll. 

I'm interested to see what the YouGov/Economist and Ipsos weekly trackers will show; they should be released Wednesday and Thursday.  I post these weekly in the Biden approval thread.

[Non Swing Voter]

https://twitter.com/JenniferJJacobs/status/1348253497813299202

Every single prosecutor with dirt on Trump needs to charge him the day he leaves office.  He's unpatriotic scum.