this post was submitted on 27 Feb 2025
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Summary

Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell claims Republicans fear criticizing Donald Trump due to threats against them and their families.

He says Trump’s social media attacks provoke harassment, forcing lawmakers to consider costly security measures. This fear, he argues, is eroding GOP support for Ukraine and discouraging opposition to Trump’s policies.

Other figures, including Liz Cheney and Mitt Romney, have echoed these concerns. Elon Musk has also pressured Republicans by funding primary challenges.

Some GOP lawmakers reportedly faced FBI warnings of credible death threats for opposing Trump-backed nominees.

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[–] UnexpectedBehavior@lemmy.world 232 points 4 weeks ago (3 children)

That's what fascism feels like.

[–] kescusay@lemmy.world 74 points 4 weeks ago

Yep. Fascism doesn't work without a dedicated cult of personality, and that's exactly what Trump has with his legion of MAGA asshole-idiots who are willing to commit violence for their messiah.

[–] Asafum@feddit.nl 73 points 4 weeks ago (1 children)

You're not allowed to say that or invoke Hitler until we're all in gas chambers! You're only allowed to call it out after it happens! You're supposed to believe the liars until people start writing the history of the events!

-Magoos

[–] UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world 9 points 4 weeks ago* (last edited 4 weeks ago)

Historically, the problem of "this is just like Hitler!!!" has been the way in which it numbs people to the invocation.

That is, in no small part, the appeal among conservatives of calling everyone from Hegel to Whole Foods a form of creeping fascism. Putting every liberal politician (and a fair number of conservatives) in Hitler Cosplay helped diminish the idea of an authoritarian police state to seat belt laws and smoking bans.

The flip side is that stodgy NYT Op-Ed Writers who casually reject that any fascist impulse exists at all. Everyone from Fransisco Franco to Sheriff Joe Arpaio was just interested in Law & Order. The game of explaining why a given genocidal policy or nakedly fascist aesthetic is actually something different, you idiot, you imbecile, goes right up to the point of denying migrant detention camps along the border and mass extermination of Semitic people in the Middle East and trillionaires doing the "Roman" salute are what they clearly appear to be.

In the end

gets you coming and going.

It becomes a casual invective to describe even the most mildly distasteful political views and a "you're just being hysterical" rebuttal to any policy that is quite literally adopting mass extermination.

[–] Nougat@fedia.io 21 points 4 weeks ago (2 children)

They can't kill all of us.

[–] BaroqueInMind@lemmy.one 10 points 4 weeks ago (2 children)

How so? Do you own any guns to protect us?

[–] Sanctus@lemmy.world 23 points 4 weeks ago* (last edited 4 weeks ago) (1 children)

Because if we actually did what they did for the Civil Rights, show up to DC in the hundreds of thousands, they wouldnt have the balls to call the military death squads. Without even entering, we would win. No man is without fear. Everyone is scared. You either allow the fascists to take over or you dont. There is no path that allows a peaceful way forward without action.

[–] earphone843@sh.itjust.works 15 points 4 weeks ago (1 children)

They would absolutely call the military death squads.

[–] Sanctus@lemmy.world 17 points 4 weeks ago (5 children)
[–] earphone843@sh.itjust.works 9 points 4 weeks ago

I mean, that's like 3 or 4 missiles from a helicopter or drone. The US military would logistically have no problem taking out that many people.

[–] WagyuSneakers@lemm.ee 6 points 4 weeks ago

No, they absolutely still would. The amount of people means less than nothing. That is absolutely on the table with them.

[–] Carmakazi@lemmy.world 6 points 4 weeks ago* (last edited 4 weeks ago)

Looks like a target-rich environment for raking belt-fed machine gun fire. Tiananmen Square had a lot of determined, angry people show up too.

Might wanna pack more than some picket signs.

[–] peoplebeproblems@midwest.social 5 points 4 weeks ago (3 children)

Tiananmen Square had like 1.5m people at one point. Thousands hurt or killed. But that was just army tanks and soldiers.

They didn't have any of the fancy dispersal shit they do now.

Plus if there were ever a march the size of the March on Washington, they'd close access to DC.

No bridge crossings, no ferries, no subways.

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[–] BaroqueInMind@lemmy.one 5 points 4 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

There's plenty more bootlicker MAGA loyalists, who all have enough firearms to equip quadruple their numbers and pacify a crowd double that size. You underestimate their rabid stupidity, which is how these dipshits got into power in the first place. Fuck Trump and fuck MAGA, but dont forget Democrats are all toothless finger waggling pearl-clutchers and allowed this to happen.

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[–] Nightwingdragon@lemmy.world 61 points 4 weeks ago (2 children)

Some GOP lawmakers reportedly faced FBI warnings of credible death threats for opposing Trump-backed nominees.

I'm not saying it's not entirely true because we've been hearing about this for years. But given who is in charge of the FBI now, I wonder how many of these "credible threats" are actually credible vs. how many of them are actually just made up by Patel to make sure they stay in line.

That said, it's one thing for a civilian to not want to put themselves in a position where they could be harmed. They didn't sign up for that. Civilians are largely in no position to do anything about it. But Senators and Representatives? This is literally what they fucking signed up for. This is what we grossly overpay them for. This is why we spend so much for their security. We elected these people and empowered them to do what we can't.

Maybe if we start seeing a couple of these town halls full of angry people exercising their 2nd Amendment rights live and in real time, they might get the message.

[–] NuXCOM_90Percent@lemmy.zip 17 points 4 weeks ago

I’m not saying it’s not entirely true because we’ve been hearing about this for years. But given who is in charge of the FBI now, I wonder how many of these “credible threats” are actually credible vs. how many of them are actually just made up by Patel to make sure they stay in line.

If the people saying there are death threats against you are the same ones who are supposed to investigate them: There are death threats against you. It just might be a fed holding the gun.

[–] ilinamorato@lemmy.world 7 points 4 weeks ago

I wonder how many of these "credible threats" are actually credible vs. how many of them are actually just made up by Patel to make sure they stay in line.

Well, he only just took office this week, and this crop of death threats have been reported for a month or so now. But I absolutely believe that Patel is going to try to return the FBI to its J. Edgar Hoover days of gathering komprimat on every single person in the country. We're gonna need another MEDBURG soon.

[–] krebssteven@lemmy.world 49 points 4 weeks ago (2 children)

This is called ‘stochastic terrorism’. Publicly painting people in the most outrageous light until some of your acolytes feel called upon to realize the supposedly non-commital threats you made.

Fuck Trump. Fight the fascists.

[–] notsoshaihulud@lemmy.world 4 points 3 weeks ago

This is called ‘~~stochastic~~ terrorism’.

It's carefully timed and targeted, thus no longer "stochastic"

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[–] DrFistington@lemmy.world 30 points 4 weeks ago

So then you're saying they need more threats from constituents for supporting Trump?

Tldr: Threats work and nothing will be done until they're more afraid of you than they are of fascists.

[–] MerrySkeptic@sh.itjust.works 26 points 4 weeks ago (1 children)

So if there were threats against them for NOT standing up to him would it cancel the other threats out?

I'm excited to find out!

[–] RamblingPanda@lemmynsfw.com 25 points 4 weeks ago

You know, something like this can't happen in the USA because of the Second Amendment. I've learned this from countless of dudes on the internet that screamed endlessly about it, so this must all be a dream. Only woke nations line Nazi Germany can fall for this 🙄

[–] einlander@lemmy.world 24 points 4 weeks ago

Republicans: We're in charge!

Trump and ELon's SS:

[–] Kalysta@lemm.ee 21 points 3 weeks ago

Fascists are cowards. We know this.

[–] RattlerSix@lemmy.world 20 points 4 weeks ago (1 children)

The tough-talking pro-gun people who, when your kid gets shot at school, says more guns are the answer, won't stick up for your kid or anything else out of fear that someone might send them a threatening message for doing so.

[–] prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone 5 points 4 weeks ago* (last edited 4 weeks ago)

won’t stick up for your kid

Emphasis mine. Why would they give a fuck about someone else's kid? That is how conservatives actually think, including the ones that get fucking elected. It's literally their job and they still can't give a fuck about a thing until it literally happens to them.

[–] HenriVolney@sh.itjust.works 19 points 4 weeks ago

The MAGA crowd are today's brown shirts. US democracy won't survive this term.

[–] Rooskie91@discuss.online 17 points 4 weeks ago

Knives are starting to feel extra long at night...

[–] AntelopeRoom@lemm.ee 16 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

So what you're saying is they aren't afraid enough of the other side.

[–] Treczoks@lemmy.world 5 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

Nothing that cannot be helped or fixed.

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[–] BetaBlake@lemmy.world 11 points 4 weeks ago
[–] athairmor@lemmy.world 10 points 4 weeks ago

This is one situation where I think telling someone to “man, the fuck, up” is appropriate.

Protect your family, yes. But, also protect the fucking country. Step aside if you can’t or don’t act the victim when the blowback hits you.

[–] Raiderkev@lemmy.world 9 points 4 weeks ago (1 children)

Pretty soon they're going to be terrified of everyone for the same reason. Grow a spine, and do what's right for your country, not Krasnov

[–] WagyuSneakers@lemm.ee 11 points 4 weeks ago

If a death threat makes you back down I want you out of my government. I'd consider it on par with treason or like a soldier going AWOL in combat.

Maybe we should make them more afraid of us than of them? If that's what they're signaling works.

[–] Dimmer@leminal.space 8 points 4 weeks ago

Is that true? I haven’t seen any Republican got hurt physically so far.

[–] jaggedrobotpubes@lemmy.world 8 points 4 weeks ago

It's easy. You call him a fat little bitch who sucks at everything and who only won because Republicans are all idiots.

And that's playing it neutral. If you like, you can start leaning into it a little.

[–] officermike@lemmy.world 7 points 4 weeks ago (2 children)

Is there any mechanism for Congress to hold anonymous votes on topics that might upset the fragile man-baby?

[–] NuXCOM_90Percent@lemmy.zip 6 points 4 weeks ago

The only thing providing ANY resistance is the fear of what happens if constituents realize their representative killed social security.

There will be no resistance whatsoever for an anonymous vote.

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[–] irotsoma@lemmy.blahaj.zone 6 points 3 weeks ago

I mean that's what they asked for. They've seen how Putin operates and Trump has shown great admiration for his methods. So they should assume he would use those kinds of threats and alleged follow-through.

[–] Maeve@kbin.earth 6 points 4 weeks ago

I suppose fear, anxiety, stress and worry are back to being acceptable only for those not lucky enough to be monied. Moreso. Again. Smh

[–] RotatingParts@lemmy.ml 6 points 4 weeks ago
[–] Treczoks@lemmy.world 6 points 3 weeks ago

Wait until the threats against them for criticizing Trump and those for not protecting their subsidies and pork barrels cross the equilibrum and start to shift the balance.

[–] HootinNHollerin@lemmy.dbzer0.com 5 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

Remember when his wife made her cause ‘fight against bullying’

[–] inbeesee@lemmy.world 5 points 3 weeks ago

Counterpoint, send credible death threats when they DON'T oppose Trump's policies.

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