You could point your finger at the authority figure who invited you to commit the illegal act.
https://t.co/QwdXVmXXuk
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The Authority Figure Defense
My latest for the Washington Post with https://t.co/QwdXVmXXuk
The" target="_blank">@reichellaw
https://t.co/QwdXVmXXuk
The Public Authority Defense will make it harder for the Trumps, Giuliani, and pals to squirm out of facing consequences.
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You could point your finger at the authority figure who invited you to commit the illegal act.
https://t.co/QwdXVmXXuk
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If not, was it reasonable for you to believe that he did?
See where this is going?
https://t.co/QwdXVmXXuk
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Every day, more evidence emerges that the lies told by people like @tedcruz, @HawleyMO, and @KellyannePolls led to the violence.
https://t.co/QwdXVmXXuk
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But depending on the circumstances, a defense like this one can mitigate or even eliminate their culpability or lessen their punishment.
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How would it look to a jury if the people who incited the failed insurrection go free, while the foot soldiers doing their bidding pay the price?
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What it may take to stop these liars— and deter others from spreading lies — will be seeing their names dragged into a criminal trial as part of a defense, which shines the spotlight on them.
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Maybe this will make them care.
https://t.co/QwdXVmXXuk
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https://t.co/2lYIEGpZ6C
Naturally, people like @tedcruz, @HawleyMO, and @KellyannePolls want to be able to "condemn" the violence they sparked and then avoid personal responsibility for their destructive lies.
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Brian Kilmeade says Trump voters are angry that 'Trump was robbed' even though Trump has been "unable to prove that in 70+ cases," therefore we should all just move on from the Jan 6 insurrection since all those people "are ready to explode." pic.twitter.com/8nd5oBXfmL
— Bobby Lewis (@revrrlewis) January 11, 2021
More from Teri Kanefield
This is what he wants to do.
No matter how this trial plays out, the US will remain divided between those who choose truth, Democracy, and rule of law and the millions who reject these things.
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The question is how to move forward.
My mantra is that there are no magic bullets and these people will always be with us.
Except for state legislatures, they have less power now than they have for a while.
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The only real and lasting solutions are political ones. Get Democrats into local offices. Get people who want democracy to survive to the polls at every election, at every level.
It’s a constant battle.
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Maybe I should tell you all about Thurgood Marshall’s life to illustrate how hard the task is and how there will be backlash after each step of progress.
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Precisely. That's why Thurgood Marshall's life came to mind.
We are still riding the backlash that started after the Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education.
That's why I keep saying there are no easy
No matter how this trial plays out, the US will remain divided between those who choose truth, Democracy, and rule of law and the millions who reject these things.
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Wouldn't he just use this to repeat his Big Lie and have GOP echo him?
— Thel Marquez (@theljava) January 31, 2021
The question is how to move forward.
My mantra is that there are no magic bullets and these people will always be with us.
Except for state legislatures, they have less power now than they have for a while.
2/
The only real and lasting solutions are political ones. Get Democrats into local offices. Get people who want democracy to survive to the polls at every election, at every level.
It’s a constant battle.
3/
Maybe I should tell you all about Thurgood Marshall’s life to illustrate how hard the task is and how there will be backlash after each step of progress.
4/
Precisely. That's why Thurgood Marshall's life came to mind.
We are still riding the backlash that started after the Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education.
That's why I keep saying there are no easy
Yep. My relatives continue to support Trump and make false equivalencies as justification. I\u2019ve found it impossible to present factual information that changes minds. Trump\u2019s emotional appeal registers with them: that things were better before civil rights advances.
— Martha Brockenbrough INTO THE BLOODRED WOODS (@mbrockenbrough) January 31, 2021
Happy New Year 🪅🎉🥳
Goodbye 2020 and good riddance.
Thank you all for sharing the journey with me. Thank you for the questions, comments, gifs. We got through 2020. 2021 will be better.
2021 will be the year to Make Democracy Cool Again.
How about a few resolutions?
#1: Run for Something
(or help someone else run for something)
Want to really make a difference in politics and government? Don’t just march, @runforsomething.
Make sure things are done right. Be the person in
#2: If you can’t run for something, find someone you know who would be terrific, and encourage that person to run.
You can also volunteer to help Run for Something screen candidates.
#3: Be a Community Organizer
Do you have a talent for organizing? If so, democracy needs you. One reason the Tea Party was successful was that they organized locally and put pressure on local officials.
#4: Register New Voters
Start now. It's not too early.
In some states, you can become an official volunteer voter registrar. James Williams in Maryland told how he did it in his state.
Goodbye 2020 and good riddance.
Thank you all for sharing the journey with me. Thank you for the questions, comments, gifs. We got through 2020. 2021 will be better.
2021 will be the year to Make Democracy Cool Again.
How about a few resolutions?
#1: Run for Something
(or help someone else run for something)
Want to really make a difference in politics and government? Don’t just march, @runforsomething.
Make sure things are done right. Be the person in
#2: If you can’t run for something, find someone you know who would be terrific, and encourage that person to run.
You can also volunteer to help Run for Something screen candidates.
#3: Be a Community Organizer
Do you have a talent for organizing? If so, democracy needs you. One reason the Tea Party was successful was that they organized locally and put pressure on local officials.
#4: Register New Voters
Start now. It's not too early.
In some states, you can become an official volunteer voter registrar. James Williams in Maryland told how he did it in his state.
How to become a volunteer voter registrar
— 5 DAYS UNTIL THE GEORGIA RUN-OFF. KEEP THE FAITH. (@JamesMWilliam18) May 31, 2019
It is actually very simple. I live in a Maryland suburb, and I called my county Board of Elections to schedule a meeting. Once that was done, I spent about two hours going over the laws, rules and regulations.
Reading recommendation: Rand Corp, "The Russian Firehose of Falsehoods Propaganda Model," includes advice on how to counter a rapid and continuous stream of lies.
https://t.co/1Jg5CvgrJC
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The liar has a “shameless willingness” to tell outrageous lies that lots of people know are lies.
The liar doesn’t care about consistency.
He doesn’t care if it’s obvious he’s lying.
https://t.co/C08paJsKTT
In fact, that's the whole point.
Putin perfected the method.
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It seems to come naturally to Trump.
@TimothyDSnyder tells how reporters were often so astonished by Putin's outrageous lies, that they focused on the lies instead of Putin's latest atrocities.
The lies became the news.
The actual news gets pushed off the stage.
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The goal is the “disruption of truthful reporting and messaging.”
https://t.co/C08paJsKTT
That's why Trump really wants an actual trial, and why he was so annoyed with the Supreme Court (and other courts) refusing to hear the case.
He wants a stage for the lies.
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From the Rand study: The Firehose of Falsehood technique “entertains, confuses and overwhelms the audience.”
I think the "entertainment" part applies to the GOP leadership who know Trump is lying but cheer the lies because they are so destructive.
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https://t.co/1Jg5CvgrJC
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The liar has a “shameless willingness” to tell outrageous lies that lots of people know are lies.
The liar doesn’t care about consistency.
He doesn’t care if it’s obvious he’s lying.
https://t.co/C08paJsKTT
In fact, that's the whole point.
Putin perfected the method.
2/
It seems to come naturally to Trump.
@TimothyDSnyder tells how reporters were often so astonished by Putin's outrageous lies, that they focused on the lies instead of Putin's latest atrocities.
The lies became the news.
The actual news gets pushed off the stage.
3/
The goal is the “disruption of truthful reporting and messaging.”
https://t.co/C08paJsKTT
That's why Trump really wants an actual trial, and why he was so annoyed with the Supreme Court (and other courts) refusing to hear the case.
He wants a stage for the lies.
4/
From the Rand study: The Firehose of Falsehood technique “entertains, confuses and overwhelms the audience.”
I think the "entertainment" part applies to the GOP leadership who know Trump is lying but cheer the lies because they are so destructive.
5/
KM asks why the GOP leadership is terrified of losing.
(Both Lindsay Graham and Matt Gaetz said if the GOP loses this election, they'll never win again.)
GOP is a minority party. If they lose power, they lose the ability to manipulate systems to keep minority control.
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The fear is also explained by Richard Hofstader, who wrote the classic work⤵️
Hofstadter reviewed American politics from before the founding of the nation through McCarthyism. He noticed a pattern among an impassioned minority on the fringes of the political spectrum.
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He called their behavior the “paranoid style” in politics.
Those embracing the paranoid style of politics believe that unseen satanic forces are trying to destroy something larger in which they belong.
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According to Hofstadter, the “something larger” to which they belong is generally phrased as “the American way of life.”
They “feel dispossessed” and that “America has been largely taken away from them and their kind.”
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They therefore adopt extreme measures. They will stop at nothing to prevent what they see as an impending calamity.
Remember, Hofstadter published this in the early 1960s.
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(Both Lindsay Graham and Matt Gaetz said if the GOP loses this election, they'll never win again.)
GOP is a minority party. If they lose power, they lose the ability to manipulate systems to keep minority control.
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Does their life end if they lose an election? Is it worth a complete loss of integrity??
— KM (@Kyarmot) November 10, 2020
The fear is also explained by Richard Hofstader, who wrote the classic work⤵️
Hofstadter reviewed American politics from before the founding of the nation through McCarthyism. He noticed a pattern among an impassioned minority on the fringes of the political spectrum.
2/
He called their behavior the “paranoid style” in politics.
Those embracing the paranoid style of politics believe that unseen satanic forces are trying to destroy something larger in which they belong.
3/
According to Hofstadter, the “something larger” to which they belong is generally phrased as “the American way of life.”
They “feel dispossessed” and that “America has been largely taken away from them and their kind.”
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They therefore adopt extreme measures. They will stop at nothing to prevent what they see as an impending calamity.
Remember, Hofstadter published this in the early 1960s.
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