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Find the fracture points in the coalition and drive a stick of dynamite into each one of them.

The right-wingers have been doing this to the US left — “left” as in “everything left of fascist” — for a decade now, with •wild• success. Anything that divides the coalition, they inflame it, make it a crisis, force people to take sides.

2/

Russia and Musk going straight for the political jugular on Gaza is a prime example, but hardly a unique one.

(If you’re not sure what I’m talking about: Musk’s machine ran deceptive online ads that appeared to be from the Harris campaign expressing over-the-top support for Palestinians geotargeted to Jewish-leaning districts, and over-the-top support for Israel in Muslim-leaning districts.)

FInd the fracture point. Dynamite in the crevice. Boom. That’s the strategy.

3/

Back in July, @pluralistic wrote a much-overlooked piece on this topic:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/07/14/fracture-lines/

❝It's a huge mistake to think of the right as a stable, unified force, marching to victory after inevitable victory. The American right is a brittle coalition led by a handful of plutocrats who have convinced a large number of turkeys to vote for Christmas.❞

4/

He wrote that Project 2025, an internally contradictory mess, is ❝a blinking “LOOK AT ME” sign telling us where the right is ready to split apart.❞

One of those places? Look at Ben Shapiro and Matt Walsh’s audience turning on them for condemning CEO assassin: https://www.newsweek.com/unitedhealthcare-ceo-shooting-ben-shapiro-matt-walsh-backlash-1997728

#uspol 5/

Trump ran and won on the backing of (1) people who hate health insurance executives and (2) billionaires. And we’ve been handed a map for turning them against each other.

So:

Let’s talk about how Trump is going to pardon the UnitedHealthcare CEO assassin, and let’s not shut up about it.

If he cares about Americans, Trump will pardon Luigi Mangione.

#uspol /end

It’s hard, I know, but ground rules for this game involve letting go of all fact-based logic. Yes, it’s a state charge, therefore a president can’t pardon it. That does not matter •at all•. Demand the pardon anyway. Make Trump look like he’s trying weasel out if he says he can’t. Make him yell at staff and reporters about how he can’t. Make him try anyway.

https://hachyderm.io/@inthehands/113677200905192444 #uspol

@inthehands Your reasoning here supports my contention that Democrats should publicly support a progressive wealth tax. Ideally, one that is punitive at the high end. We should forefront the culture war fight they're trying to distract us from.

@oldprof
I’m with you. I’ve been saying for decades that the marginal tax rate should asymptotically approach 100%. I am a voice in the wind.

Per discussion in the replies, this isn’t just for Democrats. Political parties are •lagging• indicators of social change. Do what the right did to the Republicans starting in 2010: make noise from the bottom. Simultaneously punch, co-opt, and reinforce the party in a changed image.

IOW, bang that drum now, make the politicians follow!