![]() ![]() The inner circle are the extremists actively participating in potentially violent White nationalist extremism. But polling and other research suggests that the best way to think about it may be through concentric circles radiating out from hard-core believers willing to commit violence themselves to a much broader range of GOP voters who might not become violent personally but express sympathy or understanding for those who do. The exact share of the GOP coalition responsive to extremist White nationalist beliefs or the use of violence to advance political goals is impossible to measure precisely. This all but guarantees that Trump's coup plot and attack on the Capitol are a blueprint to be followed by members of the white right across the country.ĬNN senior political analyst Ronald Brownstein issues a specific warning in a new essay: Recent public opinion polling and other research shows that Trump Republicans believe that political violence is a reasonable tool for them to advance their goals. Such beliefs and values have broad support among Republican voters and other members of the right wing more generally. This is the essence of fascism and authoritarianism. In total, the Republican Party has created a precedent that right-wing political violence and terrorism, including coups and other attempts to overthrow legal elections, are now acceptable in the United States - as long as they are perpetrated by Republicans and their allies against Democrats and others deemed to be "un-American." In refusing to convict Donald Trump for his crimes against democracy, the Republican Party has announced that Republican presidents are above the law and can act with impunity, as kings or dictators do - and that this is now true for Republican officials on the federal, local and state level as well. But the outcome was preordained : Republicans in both the House and Senate repeatedly and publicly signaled weeks ago that they were going to acquit Donald Trump no matter what the evidence against him. It is true that his defense attorneys were incompetent - although in fairness the best legal minds in the world would have had a difficult time finding a way to exonerate Trump for his obvious crimes. The evidence presented by the House impeachment managers against Trump was overwhelming. All 50 Democrats voted to convict Donald Trump. On Saturday, Senate Republicans acquitted Donald Trump for the crime of insurrection and a lethal attack on the Capitol, which was part of a his larger coup attempt.
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