Republicans have a new version of ‘Lock her up!’

[homersapien 11,812]

(Don't forget the embedded references! )

 

During the 2016 presidential campaign, no Donald Trump rally was complete without chants of “Lock her up!” shouted with a wild glee. Whenever Hillary Clinton’s name was mentioned, Trump’s supporters indulged in a vivid fantasy, one that saw Clinton arrested, handcuffed and tossed behind bars. It was not enough to defeat her in the election; she had to be punished, in a very personal and physical way.

Versions of that fantasy are becoming more common on the right, not just among the rank and file but from Republican leaders, conservative media figures and right-wing celebrities. Though liberals are not immune to the impulse, conservatives are usually most eager to contemplate deploying the criminal justice system against their foes.

This desire isn’t really about the actual procedures of that system. It’s about the fantasy itself, one that thrums with an undercurrent of violence.

Take Elon Musk, the new Twitter Troll in Chief of the American right. He recently tweeted “My pronouns are Prosecute/Fauci” (a pronoun joke, so original!). Leading conservatives have long demanded the prosecution of Anthony Fauci for his work as the government’s leading coronavirus adviser, throwing around violent metaphors to describe what they would like to do to him.

Some right-wing pundits have even demanded that Twitter employees Musk opposes should be jailed, while Musk wields his platform to spread QAnon memes. Central to the QAnon vision is the idea of an impending reckoning, called “The Storm,” in which all of the right’s enemies will be rounded up and either executed or imprisoned. Musk was only a little behind Trump, who lately has endorsed QAnon more explicitly than ever before.

And in his latest attention-grabbing stunt, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) asked the state’s Supreme Court to impanel a grand jury to investigate “criminal or wrongful activity” relating to coronavirus vaccines. Though DeSantis has apparently now gone full anti-vax, he was at one point an enthusiastic promoter of vaccination. He has not said whether he himself should be prosecuted.

In any controversy today, sooner or later someone on the right will be calling for people they disagree with to be locked up.

Look at this rationally, and you might conclude that it would be politically unwise to get your base whipped up with the idea of prosecuting your enemies, because you will almost certainly not be able to deliver. Trump led those “Lock her up” chants and told Clinton in a debate that if he were president, “you’d be in jail." But as president for four years, he made no attempt to prosecute her. So why didn’t his supporters rebel?

The answer might be that they knew all along it was just an act, what in pro wrestling they call “kayfabe.” The point was merely to indulge in the fantasy, to dream of a burly cop wrenching Clinton’s arms behind her back and slapping on the cuffs, then shoving her into a jail cell.

At that thought, many conservatives would vibrate with joy. The fantasy was a gift Trump gave them, and they weren’t too upset that he never gave it to them in real life.

But lately, politics hasn’t offered conservatives much satisfaction. They keep coming up short in elections, and even after four years of the Trump presidency, the things they hate about American politics and American life, particularly the very existence of liberals and liberalism, did not disappear.

It’s frustrating for them — and more frustration is on the way. Having won control of the House, Republicans can mount as many investigations of Hunter Biden as they please, or try to impeach the secretary of homeland security. But none of that will amount to much; it certainly won’t make them feel as though they’ve vanquished the left once and for all.

We should acknowledge that the desire to see terrible things happen to your political opponents is nearly universal. Liberals have long dreamed of prosecuting Trump; social media is awash in complaints that Attorney General Merrick Garland is moving too slowly against the former president.

The difference is that Trump has been credibly accused of a wide variety of real crimes, and several of his associates have pleaded guilty or been convicted and sentenced to prison terms for schemes in which he played a key part.

For liberals, the fantasy of tossing their enemy behind bars might be limited to Trump, at least right now. They dislike plenty of other Republicans, but they’re not clamoring for those Republicans to be jailed.

Anyone of either party who commits genuine crimes should be held to account. But the more vivid and violent fantasies of locking up people you disagree with are toxic to our politics, especially because those who don’t realize they are fantasies might take matters into their own violent hands.

Leaders of all kinds, whether those in office or those with large social media followings, can choose to pander to those violent impulses or tamp them down. At the moment, too many on the right are making the most dangerous choice.

By Paul Waldman

December 16, 2022

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/12/16/new-lock-her-up/

Edited December 16, 2022 by homersapien

[aubiefifty 17,492]

On 12/16/2022 at 2:45 PM, homersapien said:

(Don't forget the embedded references! )

 

During the 2016 presidential campaign, no Donald Trump rally was complete without chants of “Lock her up!” shouted with a wild glee. Whenever Hillary Clinton’s name was mentioned, Trump’s supporters indulged in a vivid fantasy, one that saw Clinton arrested, handcuffed and tossed behind bars. It was not enough to defeat her in the election; she had to be punished, in a very personal and physical way.

Versions of that fantasy are becoming more common on the right, not just among the rank and file but from Republican leaders, conservative media figures and right-wing celebrities. Though liberals are not immune to the impulse, conservatives are usually most eager to contemplate deploying the criminal justice system against their foes.

This desire isn’t really about the actual procedures of that system. It’s about the fantasy itself, one that thrums with an undercurrent of violence.

Take Elon Musk, the new Twitter Troll in Chief of the American right. He recently tweeted “My pronouns are Prosecute/Fauci” (a pronoun joke, so original!). Leading conservatives have long demanded the prosecution of Anthony Fauci for his work as the government’s leading coronavirus adviser, throwing around violent metaphors to describe what they would like to do to him.

Some right-wing pundits have even demanded that Twitter employees Musk opposes should be jailed, while Musk wields his platform to spread QAnon memes. Central to the QAnon vision is the idea of an impending reckoning, called “The Storm,” in which all of the right’s enemies will be rounded up and either executed or imprisoned. Musk was only a little behind Trump, who lately has endorsed QAnon more explicitly than ever before.

And in his latest attention-grabbing stunt, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) asked the state’s Supreme Court to impanel a grand jury to investigate “criminal or wrongful activity” relating to coronavirus vaccines. Though DeSantis has apparently now gone full anti-vax, he was at one point an enthusiastic promoter of vaccination. He has not said whether he himself should be prosecuted.

In any controversy today, sooner or later someone on the right will be calling for people they disagree with to be locked up.

Look at this rationally, and you might conclude that it would be politically unwise to get your base whipped up with the idea of prosecuting your enemies, because you will almost certainly not be able to deliver. Trump led those “Lock her up” chants and told Clinton in a debate that if he were president, “you’d be in jail." But as president for four years, he made no attempt to prosecute her. So why didn’t his supporters rebel?

The answer might be that they knew all along it was just an act, what in pro wrestling they call “kayfabe.” The point was merely to indulge in the fantasy, to dream of a burly cop wrenching Clinton’s arms behind her back and slapping on the cuffs, then shoving her into a jail cell.

At that thought, many conservatives would vibrate with joy. The fantasy was a gift Trump gave them, and they weren’t too upset that he never gave it to them in real life.

But lately, politics hasn’t offered conservatives much satisfaction. They keep coming up short in elections, and even after four years of the Trump presidency, the things they hate about American politics and American life, particularly the very existence of liberals and liberalism, did not disappear.

It’s frustrating for them — and more frustration is on the way. Having won control of the House, Republicans can mount as many investigations of Hunter Biden as they please, or try to impeach the secretary of homeland security. But none of that will amount to much; it certainly won’t make them feel as though they’ve vanquished the left once and for all.

We should acknowledge that the desire to see terrible things happen to your political opponents is nearly universal. Liberals have long dreamed of prosecuting Trump; social media is awash in complaints that Attorney General Merrick Garland is moving too slowly against the former president.

The difference is that Trump has been credibly accused of a wide variety of real crimes, and several of his associates have pleaded guilty or been convicted and sentenced to prison terms for schemes in which he played a key part.

For liberals, the fantasy of tossing their enemy behind bars might be limited to Trump, at least right now. They dislike plenty of other Republicans, but they’re not clamoring for those Republicans to be jailed.

Anyone of either party who commits genuine crimes should be held to account. But the more vivid and violent fantasies of locking up people you disagree with are toxic to our politics, especially because those who don’t realize they are fantasies might take matters into their own violent hands.

Leaders of all kinds, whether those in office or those with large social media followings, can choose to pander to those violent impulses or tamp them down. At the moment, too many on the right are making the most dangerous choice.

By Paul Waldman

December 16, 2022

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/12/16/new-lock-her-up/

your bottom link does not work. it wants me to sign up.

[SaltyTiger 8,240]

35 minutes ago, aubiefifty said:

your bottom link does not work. it wants me to sign up.

Sign up if you care to read. Just more opinion gibberish from Brother Homer. Looking for someone to argue with.

[aubiefifty 17,492]

45 minutes ago, SaltyTiger said:

Sign up if you care to read. Just more opinion gibberish from Brother Homer. Looking for someone to argue with.

i have burned up enough negative anger over trump. i think homer is worried about the country more than wanting to argue. when a discussion turns into an argument does anyone really pay attention to what was said? i think he knows this. it took me a while to learn this. and i still might fall off the wagon. we should try a different approach because many are afraid to meet folks from the other side fearing what might happen over sharing a meal. and i am not totally sure but i bet a few out there would love to kick off in my behind. drink one for me salty...........

[homersapien 11,812]

20 hours ago, aubiefifty said:

your bottom link does not work. it wants me to sign up.

You may have run out of "free articles". WAPO requires a subscription.

[homersapien 11,812]

20 hours ago, SaltyTiger said:

Sign up if you care to read. Just more opinion gibberish from Brother Homer. Looking for someone to argue with.

Opinion!!??  Posted on this political forum????

I am shocked I tell you, shocked!! 

Edited December 19, 2022 by homersapien

[CoffeeTiger 5,523]

16 minutes ago, homersapien said:

Opinion!!??  Posted on this political forum????

I am shocked I tell you, shocked!! 

I swear some people ONLY come to this forum just to piss and moan about what everyone else is posting about or discussing. 

[homersapien 11,812]

1 hour ago, CoffeeTiger said:

I swear some people ONLY come to this forum just to piss and moan about what everyone else is posting about or discussing. 

And the funny thing is, I post facts whereas they post mere opinions. 

Edited December 19, 2022 by homersapien

[SaltyTiger 8,240]

5 hours ago, homersapien said:

Opinion!!??  Posted on this political forum????

I am shocked I tell you, shocked!! 

Sure it is your opinion. Read your embeds “ The Storm”. Never hear mention of it other than folks like you continually bringing it up. Poor Fiddy has chosen “sides”. Read his post.