Posts by tzimmer_history@mastodon.social
(DIR) Post #ArBLsYLtLSIWBvjvUG by tzimmer_history@mastodon.social
2025-02-16T13:49:27Z
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Trump is the fascistic leader of a far-right coalition that unites different shades of radical reaction and “counter-revolutionary” extremism.It’s unclear if they will succeed in destroying the constitutional order and ending democratic self-government. But they are undoubtedly trying.https://thomaszimmer.substack.com/p/donald-trump-american-fascist
(DIR) Post #ArKSusDWuENSU0WOBs by tzimmer_history@mastodon.social
2025-02-21T02:19:25Z
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Kash Patel confirmed as FBI Director.Genuinely frightening to see a conspiratorial extremist who urgently desires vengeance against the regime's enemies and whose only loyalty is to Trump elevated to such a position of power.I don't see how anyone can confidently declare America is not accelerating towards outright authoritarianism.
(DIR) Post #ArKSutTsCx2qOzAxIu by tzimmer_history@mastodon.social
2025-02-21T02:20:29Z
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Nothing is determined - there is a range of outcomes to consider. But I sincerely struggle to see how, after this first month of Trumpism in power, we could reasonably conclude that on the bad side, the spectrum doesn't go all the way to straight-up authoritarianism and even forms of dictatorial rule.
(DIR) Post #ArKSuuRmcCy1OnCngW by tzimmer_history@mastodon.social
2025-02-21T02:20:44Z
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Combine the Musk-led destruction of the state's capacity to tackle any of the major collective action problems we face as a society and Patel-style weaponization of government against the regime's enemies - and we are very much on a trajectory towards life in America becoming a lot more dangerous.
(DIR) Post #AreEjyYEwtbKEstreK by tzimmer_history@mastodon.social
2025-03-02T14:09:54Z
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Sunday reading: One week ago, the far right emerged from the German election stronger than it has ever been since 1945. I wrote about the relationship between MAGA and the AfD and what to make of the transnational alliance of extremists. This week’s piece: https://thomaszimmer.substack.com/p/maga-the-german-far-right-and-the
(DIR) Post #AreEklTJ41llxly7GK by tzimmer_history@mastodon.social
2025-03-02T14:29:07Z
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But if democracy falls, it won’t be because those who want to abolish it are so smart and brilliant. They are not cunning geniuses or irresistibly magnetic political superpowers. Resistance against those people will never be futile. They are, in so many ways, the worst.
(DIR) Post #Arhknts04kyYszwC8W by tzimmer_history@mastodon.social
2025-03-03T18:42:21Z
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We need to trust our eyes.Nazi salutes, racist purges, an ambush on the Ukrainian president by a far-right regime. If what we see aligns with what we know and is also in line with an established track record, our default assumption should be that what is happening is actually what it looks like.
(DIR) Post #ArhkoUp6gTe7UjruGO by tzimmer_history@mastodon.social
2025-03-03T18:45:13Z
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I am not telling you there is no need for nuance and complex analysis. The above is indeed not the be-all and end-all of our situation.But too often, the polite discourse isn’t actually looking for nuance, it demands we sanitize and obscure. It’s a big reason why we got here. It needs to stop.
(DIR) Post #AthMLIotw96IxvPArQ by tzimmer_history@mastodon.social
2025-05-02T22:58:47Z
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Lol. Of course he does! America’s government is openly aligning with German rightwing extremists – who love to snuggle up to the Trumpists. Frankly, they deserve each other. And there is no better way for them to tell the world who they really are than through this MAGA-AfD alliance of extremists.https://www.politico.com/news/2025/05/02/marco-rubio-germany-afd-00324283
(DIR) Post #AyIhSe0Dmje3ddwrZo by tzimmer_history@mastodon.social
2025-09-17T14:46:31Z
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Crucial to distinguish between a) the Right claiming the Kirk murder is akin to the 1933 Reichstag fire (and demanding drastic state repression in response)and b) an actual comparison between the situation in the United States today and Germany in early 1933. A few thoughts on both:🧵https://mastodon.social/@tzimmer_history/115219973759259031
(DIR) Post #Az8clBDbRJ1tjMlp2m by tzimmer_history@mastodon.social
2025-10-12T13:07:46Z
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Sunday reading:I wrote about the aggrieved extremist who is currently firing thousands of federal workers and ravaging state capacity based on conspiratorial nonsense - and about mainstream media’s infuriating tendency to sanitize Russell Vought and the regime he serves.Some thoughts from this week’s piece:🧵https://steady.page/en/democracyamericana/posts/08ca53da-bb0f-4eb4-aa08-c0648d2d9477
(DIR) Post #AzZwg0NfYAvj1PCsDo by tzimmer_history@mastodon.social
2025-10-25T14:25:14Z
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Please note that Democracy Americana is no longer on Substack.Come find my work on Steady: A privately owned, self-funded business, a real refuge from Silicon Valley venture capitalist domination. And the people who run it have their hearts and their politics in the right place.https://democracyamericana.com/
(DIR) Post #AzZwgwBGeRTMHjqmwa by tzimmer_history@mastodon.social
2025-10-25T14:36:02Z
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Look, I don’t want to be defensive about any of this. I just want to be honest. My presence on Substack inevitably helped legitimize the platform. And I’m not comfortable with that.As I am now asking my readers for financial support for the first time, I could not justify doing that on Substack. https://democracyamericana.com/posts
(DIR) Post #B0LDGVXY9BqgLfP01Q by tzimmer_history@mastodon.social
2025-11-17T14:44:31Z
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What is really going on in this society that elected Donald Trump president a second time? I wrote about three stubborn myths about Trump’s support – and why America has experienced a de-alignment rather than a rightward realignment. My new piece for Zeit Online – and some thoughts in English:🧵 https://www.zeit.de/kultur/2025-11/donald-trump-unterstuetzung-beliebtheit-maga-bewegung-usa?freebie=882372d9
(DIR) Post #B0LDHkr2h6C28Q79ay by tzimmer_history@mastodon.social
2025-11-17T15:31:41Z
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I am grateful to Zeit Online for giving me the space (about 2,500 words) for such a deep dive. I’m hoping to make an English version available via my own newsletter, Democracy Americana, soon.If you’re interested in such long-form explorations, please subscribe:https://democracyamericana.com/posts
(DIR) Post #B2B8EbpSJvzSMYIDpY by tzimmer_history@mastodon.social
2026-01-11T14:09:54Z
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When the State Terrorizes the PeopleThe killing of Renee Good reveals, yet again, Trumpism’s violent, authoritarian essence. MAGA is at war with the reality of American society.My new piece:https://steady.page/en/democracyamericana/posts/4b2f8d7a-55ba-4a6b-a523-1a1ee780fd69
(DIR) Post #B2B8FXTpyT9zAIcmBc by tzimmer_history@mastodon.social
2026-01-11T14:34:43Z
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This is a frightening situation. But no matter how many times the regime may claim otherwise: Most Americans are not ready to give up the Republic to a bunch of violent goons in masks terrorizing the streets. They are not ready to give up on democracy just yet.
(DIR) Post #B2aCAMAxYXGnA57xb6 by tzimmer_history@mastodon.social
2026-01-16T15:59:44Z
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I had a great (and long!) conversation with Jan Skudlarek: About where America stands one year into Trumpist rule, the violent assault on Minneapolis - and why we must remember that the gulf between Trump’s authoritarian desires and the reality of American life remains vast.https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/nicht-noch-ein-politik-podcast/id1732913415?i=1000745436623
(DIR) Post #B2aCAOUsvQOeMSStvs by tzimmer_history@mastodon.social
2026-01-16T16:06:18Z
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I really appreciate the extensive conversation we had - it’s rare to get a chance to properly reflect and investigate.If there is a message, it is this: While the Trumpist lust for authoritarian control is limitless, their ability to impose it is very much not. Resistance is *not* futile.
(DIR) Post #B2aCARZFVefbsrWveS by tzimmer_history@mastodon.social
2026-01-16T16:08:21Z
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If you are interested in an even longer reflection (in English): I wrote about the state-sponsored murder of Renee Good, the paramilitary occupation of Minneapolis, and how to situate this latest escalation in the context of the broader authoritarian assault:https://steady.page/en/democracyamericana/posts/4b2f8d7a-55ba-4a6b-a523-1a1ee780fd69