Thomas Zimmer
Historian at Georgetown - Democracy and Its Discontents - Newsletter: Democracy Americana thomaszimmer.substack.com - Podcast: Is This Democracy podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/is-this-de…
- It’s far from the most important aspect in all this deeply corrupt mess, but the way in which Trump supercharges all the negative stereotypes about America and Americans across the rest of the world is… well, it’s yet another form of self-sabotage for this country. What a farce.
- The argument of the Trumpists (and the white Afrikaners) is: If a reactionary white person is asked to live in a society they don't get to dominate, if they are "forced" to accept a pluralizing public square and don't get to do as they please at all times, it's basically genocidal persecution.
- Within weeks of coming to power, the white nationalist regime flew in Afrikaners as refugees from what the regime's leader called an anti-white "genocide" - while at the same time shutting down asylum and escalating their purge of non-white people they declared "alien enemies." Not very subtle.
- Sounds really bad, when you put it that way* *list some basic facts about what the regime is doing. A consistent problem of the Trump era, amplified since January 20: A factual overview makes you sound “partisan” - which is why the mainstream discourse incentivizes us to constantly sanitize.
- The thing is: He didn’t just phrase this awkwardly - this guy’s view of the world is entirely shaped by eugenic ideas that he pairs with wild conspiracy theories. And then you have Oz talking about the “patriotic duty” to be healthy… Eugenics and aggressive nationalism - down that path lies evil.
- The regime is arresting judges and mayors, snatching people off the street, threatening to suspend habeas corpus. Is it getting worse quickly, as they escalate their assault? Or are they lashing out in frustration, as they keep losing in the courts and struggling to consolidate? The answer is: Yes.
- Escalate and intimidate. That is exactly the playbook. And it concerns me greatly: You know the Stephen Miller types in this administration are just itching for violence - searching, longing for something they can use as pretext for a drastic escalation so they can finally ditch all restraint.
- These guys dream of an escalating purge of all their enemies: the "alien enemies" and the "enemies within." And the more this regime runs into resistance from the courts, the more it is hampered by its own chaotic incompetence, the more frustration builds, the more they desire their Reichstag fire.
- Weekend reading: I wrote about the MAGA government siding with the German Neo-Nazi party. They share the same enemy: liberal democracy. What a moment in U.S. history. This week’s piece:
- I am very emotional after reading this - brilliantly clear, as always - report from @chrisgeidner.bsky.social: Relieved that Ozturk will hopefully get out of this nightmare. So angry that this young woman has had to go through this for absolutely nothing but constitutionally protected speech.
- BREAKING: Federal judge in Vermont orders that Rumeysa Ozturk be released from detention "immediately" and on her own recognizance with no travel restrictions. More to come at Law Dork: www.lawdork.com
- Here is Chris’ report. I am thinking of all my international students who spent this past semester angry, scared, confused - and rightfully feeling betrayed by this country. They will never think of America the same after this. And America is harming itself gravely by turning on them.
