Mental contortions on the right

New York magazine

Jonathan Chait:

....The story told by conservative media is one in which innocent conservatives are relentlessly persecuted by an all-powerful progressive cabal. 

This persecution justifies the right’s increasingly illiberal methods, which they present as a necessary defensive response to stave off political annihilation. If they were to acknowledge even one episode of a violent maniac attacking their enemy, it would mean contemplating a reality in which evil and blame are more complex.

....deflecting this reality allows them to avoid having to confront a faction within their own coalition. If they conceded DePape was on the political right, they would concede that ideas like Trump’s stolen-election lie or QAnon contained at least the potential to inspire violence and criminality. 

Their denial grew out of an impulse to close ranks. They might be able to afford cutting DePape loose, but they could not afford to alienate those who shared his most important beliefs.

As the Republican Party has attracted a greater number of bigots, conspiracy theorists, and paramilitary members, the need to engage in these mental contortions has grown increasingly common on the right in recent years. 

The right has responded in a similar way to every new appearance of an unacceptable element of its coalition: QAnon, election truthers, antisemites, insurrectionists, and anti-vaxxers. Insisting the unacceptable idea does not merit condemnation is a bridge that usually leads to reconciling with that idea....

The Republican Party’s response to January 6 is the most vivid example of the dynamic. At first, nearly the entire party recoiled in horror. (Even the likes of Sean Hannity and Donald Trump Jr. sent messages of concern on the day of the insurrection.) 

But then some Republicans seed false-flag cover stories and other reasons to question the narrative. The party’s mainstream decides it is sick of being asked to condemn the episode. Eventually, it becomes perfectly acceptable for Republicans to embrace the insurrectionists as heroes and martyrs.

The right’s response to the Pelosi attack has followed the pattern. Rather than directly praise DePape, they cast doubt on the “official” account of his crime. “No one should accept at face value the strange account of what happened to Paul Pelosi, husband of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), at their California home last week …” writes Julie Kelly. “Details continue to change while leading Democrats including Hillary Clinton blame the incident, without evidence, on Republicans and Donald Trump"....

The attack on Pelosi, like the January 6 invasion, becomes fundamentally another episode of conservatives suffering persecution....

See also The MAGA right takes repulsive behavior to whole new levels over Paul Pelosi.