YOU WERE WARNED

 

Rick Wilson:

"Imagine a country perched on the edge of a political cliff, trembling in the shadow of an authoritarian leader. Elected officials, business elites, and even everyday citizens know they’re dealing with a dangerous man who does not respect democratic norms, the rule of law, or basic human decency. 

He wants others like him by his side—deficient, broken people—the cruel, sadistic, ugly, and jealous. He wants this broken soul reflected in the distorted, dirty glass of the mirrors held aloft by his minions. He wants men whose character is a slurry of greed, lust, avarice, and weaknesses. 

Donald Trump is that authoritarian, and Pete Hegseth is the modern-day American Psycho Trump wants in charge of the Defense Department."

[skip]

"Watching the pathetic, groveling Republicans in the confirmation hearings for unqualified and morally vacant party-boy Pete Hegseth, that was the most potent takeaway: these people are terrified. Joni Ernst, who knows better, practically invited Hegseth over for a kegger and some time in the hot tub. The yahoos—Tuberville, Mullin, and a few more—reveled in their lowbrow bro-fest, but the normie Republicans reek of raw terror."

[skip] 

 "Here’s the brutal truth: fear doesn’t stop authoritarians. It feeds them. Fear, like oxygen to a fire, only emboldens these leaders to become more dangerous, violent, and unrestrained. Too many people fail to grasp this fundamental political dynamic. 

Call it Putin’s Law: the more fearful a nation’s people, business leaders, and elected officials are of an authoritarian leader, the more they inadvertently incentivize increasingly dangerous, destructive, and violent behavior from that leader."