Jeet Heer, a staff writer for the New Republic, over the weekend took issue with so-called "elites" who have praised Sen. John McCain's (R-AZ) stance against President Donald Trump without taking responsibility for helping to create his style of politics.
In a Saturday evening rant on Twitter, Heer said that the eulogies slamming Trump at McCain's funeral "reflected the weakness of a certain type of politics, Decency Resistance."
"The overriding message of the funeral was to contrast, by barely disguised subtweets, McCain's decency & patriotism with Trump's squalor, selfishness & bigotry," he wrote. "The problem with the staging of the funeral is that it was designed to draw a contrast between the old establishment (bipartisanly embodied by Bush & Obama) with the off-stage Trump. But that's false dichotomy. That old establishment created Trump."
"As I've been arguing for the last 3 years, Trump wasn't created out of an immaculate conception but is the true heir to generations of bad politics, notably GOP 'Southern Strategy' of race-baiting," Heer continued. "McCain himself illustrates the true complex dichotomy here: yes, he stood up to Trump & offered an alternative nationalism. But McCain, by picking Palin & also fostering conspiracy theories about ACORN, helped pave the way for Trump."
Heer went on to posit, "Beyond the Southern Strategy & Palin, think of all the other elite choices that led to Trump: the lies of the Iraq war, the mainstreaming of Islamophobia, the casino economics that led to the 2008 meltdown, Obama's failure to prosecute bankers."
"We've had decades of elite failure, elite impunity, and elite coddling of racism, elite promotion of anti-intellectualism (think of climate denial). Are we surprised that the end result is President Trump?" Heer asked. "The American elite really thinks they can subtweet their way out of a fascist crisis. It's not so easy, my friends."
Read all of Heer's tweets below.
1. McCain's funeral was very moving and appropriately political (as befits the funeral of a major political figure)… https://t.co/HL0R1OBCnk— Jeet Heer (@Jeet Heer) 1535854351.0
2. To say the funeral was political is not to insult it -- I'd argue the funeral of any major political figure is i… https://t.co/dpHzsnKqBc— Jeet Heer (@Jeet Heer) 1535854436.0
3. The overriding message of the funeral was to contrast, by barely disguised subtweets, McCain's decency & patriot… https://t.co/4OqZxA6uZL— Jeet Heer (@Jeet Heer) 1535854581.0
4. The problem with the staging of the funeral is that it was designed to draw a contrast between the old establish… https://t.co/AjOzP1J1Ra— Jeet Heer (@Jeet Heer) 1535854721.0
5. As I've been arguing for the last 3 years, Trump wasn't created out of an immaculate conception but is the true… https://t.co/GkonLDXOJm— Jeet Heer (@Jeet Heer) 1535854867.0
6. McCain himself illustrates the true complex dichotomy here: yes, he stood up to Trump & offered an alternative n… https://t.co/zcXmSm2Ip8— Jeet Heer (@Jeet Heer) 1535854959.0
7. Beyond the Southern Strategy & Palin, think of all the other elite choices that led to Trump: the lies of the Ir… https://t.co/B33uymYluw— Jeet Heer (@Jeet Heer) 1535855086.0
8. We've had decades of elite failure, elite impunity, and elite coddling of racism, elite promotion of anti-intell… https://t.co/39P9wlOuNn— Jeet Heer (@Jeet Heer) 1535855182.0
9. And also elite tolerance of corruption. Figures like Paul Manafort skirted the law for decades and were welcome… https://t.co/owOt1adEqn— Jeet Heer (@Jeet Heer) 1535855305.0
10. The message of the funeral was "The American establishment has a bipartisan contempt for Trump." What was missi… https://t.co/lqRkqaEojd— Jeet Heer (@Jeet Heer) 1535855358.0
11. The failure of the elite to come to terms with its own responsibility vitiates everything at the funeral -- Meg… https://t.co/vTL4Zznipf— Jeet Heer (@Jeet Heer) 1535855497.0
12. The message of the funeral was "once we get rid of Trump, the grown-ups can take over again." Sorry, won't work… https://t.co/yeNq3LV9fd— Jeet Heer (@Jeet Heer) 1535855578.0
13. "If the rule you followed brought you to this, of what use was the rule?" -- Anton Chigurh. That's the question… https://t.co/zGrJ7dvvoQ— Jeet Heer (@Jeet Heer) 1535855731.0
14. The American elite really thinks they can subtweet their way out of a fascist crisis. It's not so easy, my friends.— Jeet Heer (@Jeet Heer) 1535857696.0
15. John McCain was admirably blunt & forthright. We owe it to his memory to be no less honest in our appraisal of… https://t.co/avHiXkuvm8— Jeet Heer (@Jeet Heer) 1535859598.0
