And more importantly, this case is how they are sending to every politician in America a crucial message: they will spare you any legal trouble, no matter what you do, if you align with them. That’s a massive power grab.
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That’s the bet, and they’re clearly winning. US politics is not operating under the rules of a functioning democracy, and people need to recognize that asap. Otherwise you will think there’s some self-correcting mechanism that is simply not there anymore.
Not very good at solutions… 😬 I tend to think by analogy with Brazil (which is in a much better position than the US right now), and there are big structural factors that make US democracy weaker.
First and foremost, Brazilian democracy has been saved by having weak party brands. Bolsonaro could never threaten to destroy political careers, bc there’s no equivalent to denying the GOP party label. So Congress was always an independent power center, indeed it became more powerful.
Second, civil service protections are way stronger in Brazil. A lot of the legal trouble Bolsonaro is in simply comes from regular civil servants refusing to turn a blind eye, and that comes from their actually being 100% no-kidding protected against removal.
Third, the judiciary was key, and it was truly independent. At the top, they’re not beholden to a party like SCOTUS is here. At lower levels, judges and prosecutors are not politically appointed. They take an extremely hard exam to get in, and can’t be removed. So no Aileen Cannons or Emil Boves.
All I know is that 15 years ago, Brazil was known for widespread corruption throughout government, from
beat cops up to the top level. So how did they change that?
I think our second-to-last stand is societal mobilization to show that it is "uncool" to be with the despots. It is a fight for public opinion/ "vibes", creating an environment that presents both carrots and sticks for those on the fence.
The goal would be to peel off the few remaining moderate Rs in Congress by giving them incentives to defect. For this the movement needs credible size (stick) and be broad enough to reach into the center (carrot).
How go we get there? We need to win public and published opinion by 1) turning the media into alarm mode, and get them off their ridiculous "view from nowhere" 2) mass demonstrations.
1) and 2) amplify each other. If you can work towards either, do so.
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https://www.courthousenews.com/justice-department-drops-prosecution-of-former-us-congressman-fortenberry/
beat cops up to the top level. So how did they change that?
1) and 2) amplify each other. If you can work towards either, do so.
https://bsky.app/profile/trisresists.bsky.social/post/3licx7atnc22l
This is in addition to the reports of the threats to the safety of those who may be singled out publicly.