The far right Trump insurgency just scored a huge propaganda coup

[Nevilledog]

Link to tweet

Tweet text:Greg Sargent
@ThePlumLineGS
Let's be clear: For the far-right groups that carried out Trump's insurrection, the siege of the Capitol was a huge success, a major propaganda coup. I talked to experts in right-wing extremism about what this event really meant to them. Alarming stuff:

Opinion | The far right Trump insurgency just scored a huge propaganda coup
For the Stop the Steal movement, the siege of the Capitol was actually a big success.
washingtonpost.com
9:34 AM · Jan 8, 2021

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/01/08/capitol-mob-far-right-trump-propaganda/

As we seek to absorb the meaning of a violent insurrectionist mob storming the seat of government on President Trump’s behalf, a kind of split screen is emerging.

On one screen, Trump is shriveling into a buffoonish, pathetic figure. His violent and destructive fantasies remain unchecked and dangerous, but news accounts are depicting an increasingly isolated figure whose advisers are deserting him, even as he rages ineffectually over his inability to reverse his election loss.

On the other screen, a different picture is emerging: For the loose network of groups and lone actors that carried out Trump’s calls for violent disruption of the lawful conclusion of the election, it’s becoming clear that the siege was a huge and momentous success, a propaganda coup that will energize them for a long time to come.

“Make no mistake: Wednesday was a watershed moment for the far-right extremist movement in this country,” Jonathan Greenblatt, the CEO of the Anti-Defamation League, told me.

“By all measurable effects, this was for far right extremists one of the most successful attacks that they’ve ever launched,” Jared Holt, who tracks far right groups for the Atlantic Council, added. “This will be lionized and propagandized on likely for the next decade."

*snip*

[beachbumbob]

1. lets see when 500 are charged with murder and have death sentence

[Bettie]

8. They are white people

a few may be charged with vandalism, one may be charged with murder, if there is video of him (probably a male) actually hitting the guy in the head, but remember the way this shit goes.

There will be virtually no consequences for these assholes beyond a few losing their jobs.

Were they not-white...they'd be arrested or dead already.

[beachbumbob]

15. time will tell, but there is nothing off the table with any of this, BTW Federal Prosecutors go for

max number of charges in the first place. Murder can be one of them

[Bettie]

19. I truly hope I'm wrong

but right wingers don't tend to get punished for anything.

[dware]

21. Every one of those traitors who entered the bldg.

can be charged with murder as the deaths occurred during the commission of a crime.

The Govt. is going to come down hard on these traitors, especially now that Judge Merrick Garland is going to be the US Attorney General.

[Bettie]

28. CAN be

I'll believe it when I see it.

Being charged is a stretch for most of them. Being convicted is nearly impossible.

Hope I'm wrong, but I have little hope that any of them will see consequences beyond losing a job (and then getting a new one from some local MAGAT).

[tblue37]

40. I'm still traumatized by the fact that Ammon Bundy and his criminal insurrection gang

got off without any punishment.

[Bettie]

41. That is precisely why I don't think any of them

will face any consequences.

[Miguelito Loveless]

13. Unlikely,

though a lot of them could face hard time for theft of mail, vandalizing government property, various conspiracy charges, some assaults, etc. A creative combing of the statutes should provide plenty of fodder to keep quite a few in a federal pen for multiple years.

The bigger fallout is going to be loss of jobs, divorces, family alienation, loss of child custody, and financial destitution defending against charges.

[BusyBeingBest]

2. I don't think so. I just don't get that sense.

I think there is a lot of regret.

[Cosmocat]

3. Regret with this assholes?

The assessment is spot on - unless there are a LOT, I am talking hundreds, of prosecutions that see most doing prison time and many doing major prison time.

[BusyBeingBest]

12. Well, there's always going to be anti-government right wing militia types, Neo nazis, etc.

They might pat themselves on the back, but I don't think the majority of participants in that disgrace are that committed. I bet most of them feel kinda stupid.

[beachbumbob]

17. the main outcome is having these organizations declared terrorist organization, somethign the FBI

has wanted since Oklahoma City bombing and congress lacked the will. This is THE gamechanger

[BusyBeingBest]

24. I think that is key. Would kind of lose its cachet when you realize you

could lose your livelihood being associated with a terror group. Most of these numbnuts are regular people with jobs and businesses who just got super-hyped from too much tv and internet.

[beachbumbob]

26. FISA courts, military tribunals, enemy combatant status, these are the outcomes once

groups are labeled and then members, leadership, assets can all be siezed/ The radical rightwing nightmare and DREAM to be the "resistance" and take on the USGovt, I say go the fuck for it

[roamer65]

42. Bingo. THIS.

Especially if these freaks use the ready made honeypot called Parler.

[Cosmocat]

25. eh

I see 95% of the the people on my feed who are "trumpists" going into histrics with all the bullshit circular "logic" blaming it on Antifa false flag operations, etc.

Going by how these people have relentessly doubled down after every last bit of bullshit 45 has pulled for a half decades now safe bet you can count on one hand anyone of those who were part of it feeling stupid, cause they LIVE stupid and celebrate living that stupid all the time.

[smirkymonkey]

9. Neither do I.

I think it has turned a lot of people against them who may have been formerly sympathetic. This was the last straw. Only the biggest psychos think this was a success.

[BusyBeingBest]

16. Agreed

[Hortensis]

4. They're delusional and jazzed. BUT they don't exist in a vacuum.

How much of a victory or defeat they come to believe this is will depend on how their own communities regard them. Reactions around the nation so far suggest this will be much more of an isolating, ultimately deflating event than an expansionary, empowering one. Notably, the supposed strongman leader of their failed putsch is about to become an exiled loser with huge legal problems.

[wiggs]

34. Also depends on what 95% of talk radio, Hannity, Levin, Jones, and Trump TELL them how

this should be viewed.

The RW media empire developed over decades exists EXACTLY for the purpose of shaping events like these.

[Hortensis]

36. And which they're busy doing. From what I'm hearing, though,

while creating the crazies and continuing many of the lies, Fox is tossing them under the bus by backing themselves and Trump away from the attempted coup. In fact, Fox is once again showing Trump condemning the "heinous attack" (which is still the chyron message several minutes later) and promising those who broke the law will pay.

[Quixote1818]

5. Yes and no. In the eyes of the general public they are scum and so if they keep making waves

they keep hurting the GOP. The biggest problem is their violence.

[lame54]

6. Yes, it will fill their masturbatory fantasies for years to come

[Cosmocat]

7. Y E P

unless law enforcement is able to prosecute hundreds of them, with most receiving prison sentences and many receiving LONG prison sentences.

[Thekaspervote]

11. The FBI is asking for tips.. tip line #s are posted on all social media site

They are working with CCTV, CC vendors, motel records. If you broke the law, they are coming for you!!

[Cosmocat]

18. I hope ...

nm

[Downtown Hound]

10. I disagree

I think this is going to be a lot like Charlottesville. Initially they're going to think it was a huge success, but eventually, when more and more of these assholes are found, fired, shamed, arrested and imprisoned, they're going to realize that they made a huge tactical mistake. Most of the country is enraged by what they did.

Another analogy might be Pearl Harbor. Although initially a milary success, in the end it wound be being the stupidest thing the Japanese could have done. All it did was awaken America and bring about Japan's destruction and ruin.

[Thekaspervote]

14. +1000

[soothsayer]

20. They won't enjoy the greeting they get next time

[dalton99a]

22. They should be hunted down. More publicity should be given to the photos taken

[padah513]

23. I don't know about that

I was driving from the store on my way back home and listening to WOGL in Philly. During a break, an announcement came on that said if you know anyone that went to the rally in D.C. you are to contact the police. I'm paraphrasing it but that's the gist of it. Sure they won a battle, but I think they lost whatever delusional war they had going on inside their heads. Trump's gonna be sitting home, they're gonna be sitting in jail.

[KY_EnviroGuy]

27. I always thought successes were where something useful is achieved.

There was no chance of them achieving anything at all with this rally even before it began.

I realized they're looking at it through conspiracy theory glasses but with several dead, dozens wounded and another bad stain on America's international reputation, I can't call it a success by any stretch of the imagination.

It probably did successfully enrich the tRump family by a few hundred thousand dollars.

KY

[RAB910]

29. As is common among cultists, what they believe and reality are very very different

they may think they scored a major victory. All they succeeded in doing was completely discrediting the MAGA movement in the eyes of 80% of Americans, at least to a degree.


As the arrests are made and the punishments are issued and they see they will not be saved by their beloved cult leader you are going to see a fracturing of the cult

[BruceWane]

30. I can imagine how many MAGATs are seeing this

The millions of MAGATs across the US who watched this from their living rooms/bunkers saw just how far a fairly small and very disorganized uprising went.

They're thinking "wow, if we really pull together and get organized, we can actually pull this off".

I hope I'm wrong, but I fear we're going to see an event that is going to make 01/06/2021 look like a quaint little dress rehearsal.

[Locrian]

32. I think you're right

We have to remember they live in alternate reality.
They see this and think "oooh, how close, we actually got in!"

They're already blaming everyone else: antifa, blm, police, etc, etc

They'll just twist this into their own sick fantasy and continue to think they're "patriots"

[Yeehah]

31. As the imbecile traitors boohoohoo in front of judges at their sentencing hearings

The rule of law will have a propaganda coup.

[inwiththenew]

33. It remains to be seen I think

I believe though you will have a lot more lone wolf type attacks likely on infrastructure. The FBI already broke up one such plot but the fact remains that if someone was able to determine an important link in power grid they could destroy it and it would take weeks or a month to get it back online. Most of these power substations are only protected by a fence with a camera designed to keep out trespassers not to repel saboteurs.

[honest.abe]

35. Once they realize they cant change the election they will have to rethink their mission.

I suspect it will turn into random terrorist attacks on Federal buildings and perhaps assassination attempts. This will be the legacy of the Trump era.

[roamer65]

43. I have no problem with retaliatory assassinations of known domestic terrorists by the CIA or FBI.

It can be turned back on them if they choose this route and perpetrate heinous acts of terrorism.

War is hell.

[honest.abe]

44. I suspect these two-bit terrorists will probably be caught before they do anything huge.

They are mostly ignorant Duck Dynasty types.

[roamer65]

45. I would hope so. My attitude is dead or alive for ones who have already committed acts...

where there has been injury or loss of life. Like Timothy McVeigh. I would have had no problem if the FBI had shot and killed that bastard.

Just to clarify.

[honest.abe]

46. Agreed.

[Vivienne235729]

37. they will be euphoric until reality hits when people are charged and hauled off to jail.

or the realization that on the flip side of their historic "win", they also exposed the weak, fault lines of multiple law enforcement systems and providing justification to massive reforms. In a way, they helped BLM further their cause to reform racism in LE in a way that BLM could not get done.

[marie999]

38. A lot will depend on 1/20. If they try something big and they are taken down hard and bloodied,

many of their ranks will quit.

[roamer65]

39. I don't see it outside of their minority clique.

A lot of moderates around me are now calling them terrorists.

[Caliman73]

47. I am sure they see it that way. I don't believe it.

They have held on to the Ruby Ridge and Waco situations since the 90's too. They thought that those incidents and the Murrah incident were going to kick off their insurrection against the "Radical Clinton Presidency".

It was a significant event, but for everyone but the right wing, it was a disgrace.

What needs to happen in order for it not to be a propaganda win, however, is for there to be consequences, all the way to the top.

It won't suffice to have the actual rioters arrested. Their leader, Donald Trump, needs to be cast as the disgrace that he is, needs to be cast from office as a disgrace, and then charged with inciting insurrection. Those Senators and Representatives who threw in with him also need to be removed.

Finally, the right wing media (Fox, OANN, Newmax, and all the garbage on the internet and hate radio) need to be dealt with. This has been a project close to 50 years in the making. The only saving grace is that the right wingers through their lot in with a complete moron in Donald Trump. If they had a more intelligent, articulate, and capable leader, they may have pulled this off. They will keep trying too, so we need to, as a SOCIETY make them understand that The US will never be a right wing fascist state.