A Fact Of Life For Politicians/Judges: To Disagree With Trumpism Is To Put Your Life At Risk

After Judge James Robart temporarily blocked President Trump’s first travel ban, his home address was posted online and he was bombarded with 40,000 messages. 1,100 were serious enough to be investigated. U.S. Marshals set up camp outside his house. https://t.co/BmvB6INB0Q pic.twitter.com/RQvVGiLQzQ

— 60 Minutes (@60Minutes) February 22, 2021

Fauci Says He Still Has To Have Armed Guards Due To Threats Inspired By Trump https://t.co/Nx40k4FmQ0 via @TPM

— Josh Marshall (@joshtpm) February 19, 2021

The country’s leading epidemiologist who led our efforts to battle the worst pandemic of our times needs round-the-clock security due to the way he was vilified by his own president.

Let that sink in. The Trump presidency was literally insane. https://t.co/Imlu3WP1Ky

— Ed Greenberger (@EdGreenberger) February 21, 2021

Death Threats And Intimidation Of Public Officials Signal Trump’s Autocratic Legacy

Shelley Inglis, Executive Director, University of Dayton Human Rights Center, University of Dayton

The Conversation, January 26, 2021

As the impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump approaches, federal officials are investigating threats to attack or kill members of Congress. This comes in the wake of the Capitol riot, when a mob stormed the building where members of the House and Senate were preparing to certify the presidential election. Some rioters reportedly threatened the lives of elected officials in both parties.

When the House took up impeachment proceedings, Republican members of the U.S. House of Representatives reportedly felt afraid to vote to impeach Trump – even fearing for their lives. A video also captured a group accosting Republican Lindsey Graham, a U.S. senator from South Carolina, screaming that he was a "traitor" after he declared that Joe Biden had been lawfully elected president.

These threats do not simply reflect increased levels of anger and depravity among individual Americans. Rather, they appear to be evidence of a more systemic use of fear and intimidation in U.S. politics, seeking to force fealty from Republicans and reinforce the authoritarian turn that defined Donald Trump's leadership. . . .

With the advent of social media and the Trump presidency, however, the risks for public officials have grown substantially. As a professor of human rights and a practitioner of democracy-building and the rule of law, this trend symbolizes the depth of deterioration of democracy in the U.S. . . .

Trump altered the norms of acceptable rhetoric and behavior within the Republican Party. He increased the tolerance for intimidation, hate and bullying, and demonized the Democratic Party and social justice movements, like Black Lives Matter, as unpatriotic dangers to America.

Before the 2020 election, evidence showed that the Republican Party had fewer democratic traits than almost all governing parties in the world's democracies and "its rhetoric was closer to authoritarian parties, such as AKP in Turkey and Fidesz in Hungary." These parties seek to build power by undermining democratic institutions, such as fair elections, independent judiciaries and media, and by using threatening rhetoric and being disrespectful of opponents.

Trump also legitimized preexisting extremist groups that use violence and intimidation. . . . The unifying narrative for them was the false idea that American democracy is under attack by Democrats and traitors, and that violence could be justified as part of patriotic self-defense.

The Republican Party – with a few notable exceptions – embraced Donald Trump's post-election rhetoric and the massive lie about election fraud. This is as a result of Trump’s control throughout the party, from its general members up through party leadership and affiliated media outlets – who felt obligated to support Trump no matter what he said or did. . . .

As extremism rises, moderates who are willing to challenge the group's direction are the first to be intimidated or silenced. Party leaders who have now called out the "Stop the Steal" lie and voted for impeachment are facing repercussions. . . .

Nearly 9 out of 10 Republicans approved of Trump's job performance even after the Capitol attack.

Republicans may continue to support Trumpism out of fear.

More than likely, they do so because they support Trumpism.