Republican lawmakers may toe the party line in public, but in private, some reportedly fear retribution if they break with President Donald Trump — including some who are "scared s---less about death threats and Gestapo-like stuff."Vanity Fair published an eyebrow-raising report Wednesday that Repub...
oh look, the inevitable conclusion of what happens when you crave power for power's sake so much that you sell your soul to appeal only to the true believers that your entire political career is 100% dependent on their votes even though you know they're fucking insane and get ultraviolent at the barest perception of being slighted or inconvenienced.
It's the opposite of face-eating leopards. "Surely making myself more appealing to racists and fanatics while empowering them won't eventually lead to any consequences for me!"
This is why you don't radicalize people. The less Trumpy members of the GOP had ample opportunity to speak up and make a change.
In the short term, you get a dedicated, cult-like following. In the longer term, nothing functions -- even the stuff you want to function. Deradicalization takes a lot of time and resources, if you can even get that far.
I sincerely wonder what happens when Trump no longer exists. He is no spring chicken. Are all of these shortsighted politicians just going to bow to Don Jr. when the time comes? Because that's what they have set themselves up for by being either stupid or spineless.
I hate how true this is. I still won't personally engage in violence out of principle, but the populous as a whole can only take so much before not even Netflix can distract them any longer, especially when the fascist government actively engages in violent behavior against that same populous.
I also hate how most people don't care about what's happening until it personally affects them or someone they know. Like, it's just basic empathy.
I recall how in 2015 many in the Republican establishment were actually opposed to Trump getting into power. Then, they suddenly flipped and started saying he was the best ever, and have since then. It seems they got here on fear of Trump and his fervent fans and after enabling him for years, they end up... in fear of Trump and his fans.