Brendan NyhanVerified account

Sadly, we've known for decades that a subset of people have authoritarian tendencies and that hatred toward outgroups is often widespread

People's vulnerability to Trump-like figure hasn't changed. What changed is that the institutions of Am. govt./party system legitimized one

That's why I'm dubious about all the root cause psychologizing - where's data showing economic anxiety or racial hatred is that much higher?

Trump's rise represents a failure in American parties, media, and civic institutions - and they're continuing to fail right now

Shockingly few public figures and elites are defending the norms of public debate and restraint from violence that Trump is bulldozing.

These norms are fragile precisely because, per @emilythorson, they are not formal or legal. And they are hard to restore once breached.

No one person or institution is at fault for Trump. Everyone has their favorite monocausal explanation. They're all incomplete.

@BrendanNyhan - I'll pay you $1000 to go to a #BlackLivesMatter protest and yell "All lives matter!" The authoritarians are on both sides.

@MathChecker @BrendanNyhan that's not anti-authoritarianism, that's purposeful use of flippant racism and proves nothing

@isaaclubow @BrendanNyhan - You seem to believe that some races are intolerant of all races. "All lives matter" is not a racist statement.

@MathChecker @BrendanNyhan not inherently, no. But when it's presumed all lives matter, but one race is treated as though theirs do not,

@MathChecker @BrendanNyhan it's a flippant attempt at obfuscating a very real issue.

@MathChecker @BrendanNyhan A lot like if a house caught fire and you said "all houses matter" as... An excuse not to extinguish or pay attn.

@isaaclubow isaaclubow @BrendanNyhan - I PRESUME - very much so - that all lives matter.