Recommended Reading: Not an Uniquely Texan Travesty

This Week's Recommended Reading on Substack: Andrea Grimes, Ruth Ben-Ghiat, Oliver Willis, Ben Cohen, Charlotte Clymer, Melissa del Bosque, and Thor Benson Interviews Andy Campbell

The Week's Recommended Reading on Substack:

Andrea Grimes

writes that she hopes “that folks across the country — even in ‘safe’ blue geographies — are finally, finally, after years and years of ignoring the folks who’ve been making the argument, starting to understand that Texas isn’t an outlier, it’s a bellwether. It’s a miniature funhouse mirror showing us a terrible preview of what’s to come for our national political situation if we don’t course-correct (or, more terrifying but possible, can’t course-correct).”

Paxton's Trial Wasn't A Uniquely Texan Travesty

Ruth Ben-Ghiat

writes that “it's unsurprising that Paxton was acquitted of all charges by his cronies in the Texas Senate. The Texas GOP is one of the most extreme in the nation. Paxton has been a vociferous supporter of Trump's claim that Trump won the 2020 election. In October 2021 Paxton, a hard-core Trump defender, characterized Joe Biden's presence in the White House as an ‘overthrow’ --the word implying that Biden pulled off a coup to take power.”

Paxton Acquittal: Protecting the Lawless is what Authoritarian Parties Do

Oliver Willis

writes that “The ‘good’ Republican Party is mythology. It is a story people tell themselves because it allows the brain to construct a false narrative absolving the party of its ills. You see, the Republican Party once stood for principled ideas that it forthrightly pursued following the rules, and it was only when the barbarian Trump showed up circa 2016 that everything went bad. If it can only rid itself of this meddlesome beast, things can go back to ‘normal.’”

Mitt Romney, John McCain And The Myth Of The 'Good Republicans'

Ben Cohen

writes that according to Elon Musk, “the Anti Defamation League is ‘somehow complicit in creating the very thing they complain about!’ Or in other words, Jews are responsible for antisemitism… Taking responsibility for one’s actions and apologizing for spreading insane antisemitic conspiracy theories is for liberals. Never apologize, and never back down. And when in doubt, always, always blame the Jews.”

When In Doubt, Go For The Jews

Charlotte Clymer

writes that “if you're a couple fondling each other in a crowded theatre, with people literally sitting all around you, there is no right to privacy. Once again, there are two standards in American politics, especially when it comes to how reporters cover these events: one for Democrats and one for the GOP. And folks, there is no way in hell that any Democrat, let alone someone who is LGBTQ, would have this behavior ignored. There is no way on God’s green earth that a trans person, elected official or not, would get away with this.”

When You're a Republican, They Let You Do It

Melissa del Bosque

reports that “this summer, at least 13 Republican-led states, in addition to Florida, have deployed law enforcement and National Guard to Texas. It’s the second time in three years. In June 2021, Texas governor Greg Abbott and former Arizona governor Doug Ducey requested police and soldiers under an Emergency Management Assistance Compact, and more than a dozen Republican-led states, including South Dakota and Tennessee, sent equipment and personnel.”

“An Occupying Force”: Florida Troopers Descend on Texas Border Communities

Thor Benson

interviews Andy Campbell: “These extremist movements simply evolve. That’s why I say that if the Proud Boys change their name tomorrow, nothing changes because you still have all the same talking heads out there. Gavin McInnes still has a popular talk show. Steve Bannon still has a podcast. Joe Rogan is still platforming every Nazi under the sun. Milo ​​Yiannopoulos and Nick Fuentes are still hanging out with GOP elites. The faces that you saw at Gamergate and Charlottesville are still out there. A January 6 can and will happen again, because the architects are still able to do their thing unimpeded.”

The state of right-wing extremism nearly 3 years after J6

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