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Thomas Zimmer @thomaszimmer.bsky.social · 10h

🙏

Reposted by Thomas Zimmer

Thomas Zimmer @thomaszimmer.bsky.social · 1d

The Daily’s credulous portrait of Vought matters because it is indicative of a much broader tendency to normalize the assault on the constitutional order - to sanitize those who are responsible for it and the extreme, conspiratorial ideas that are animating them.

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Thomas Zimmer @thomaszimmer.bsky.social · 21h

I wrote about the bizarrely credulous way the New York Times’ flagship podcast “The Daily” presented Russell Vought, how it is indicative of blind spots and fallacies that undermine the public response to Trumpism - and what we actually need to understand about this dangerous man:

Thomas Zimmer @thomaszimmer.bsky.social · 1d

We need to talk about Russell Vought – But Properly

Why certain mainstream outlets insist on sanitizing Vought as a devout “small government” conservative – and what actually animates his war against pluralistic democracy.

Some thoughts from my new piece:

🧵

We need to talk about Russell Vought – But Properly

Why certain mainstream outlets insist on sanitizing Vought as a devout “small government” conservative – and what actually animates his war against pluralistic democracy

steady.page

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Reposted by Thomas Zimmer

Barred and Boujee aka Madiba Dennie @audrelawdamercy.bsky.social · 23h

"The Daily’s bizarrely credulous approach to Vought matters bc it is indicative of a much broader tendency to normalize the assault on the modern state, democratic self-government, & the constitutional order–to sanitize those who are responsible for it and the extreme ideas that are animating them."

Thomas Zimmer @thomaszimmer.bsky.social · 1d

We need to talk about Russell Vought – But Properly

Why certain mainstream outlets insist on sanitizing Vought as a devout “small government” conservative – and what actually animates his war against pluralistic democracy.

Some thoughts from my new piece:

🧵

We need to talk about Russell Vought – But Properly

Why certain mainstream outlets insist on sanitizing Vought as a devout “small government” conservative – and what actually animates his war against pluralistic democracy

steady.page

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Thomas Zimmer @thomaszimmer.bsky.social · 23h

So kind, thank you, Nathalie!

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Thomas Zimmer @thomaszimmer.bsky.social · 23h

🙏

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Thomas Zimmer @thomaszimmer.bsky.social · 1d

Vought is at war with large swaths of the population, with the very idea of a society defined by democratic pluralism.

If you have correctly identified that this guy is now in a really powerful position, that people like him are in control of the government, how is that not the main story?

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Thomas Zimmer @thomaszimmer.bsky.social · 1d

But there is nothing noble or respectable about what Vought is doing, about his vision for the country. He is a fully competent, utterly committed radical ideologue. He lusts for counter-revolution and radical measures. There is no line he doesn’t feel justified to cross.

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Thomas Zimmer @thomaszimmer.bsky.social · 1d

It is October 2025, the assault on what is left of American democracy is escalating, and one of the New York Times’ most influential formats insists on presenting one of the Trumpist regime’s leaders as a devout “small government” conservative with a great work ethic.

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Thomas Zimmer @thomaszimmer.bsky.social · 1d

Too oftem, mainstream outlets refuse to approach people like Vought as the leaders of a radicalizing authoritarian movement – as opposed to “normal” political operatives who can be described within the boundaries that define the comfort zone for neutrality-theater journalism.

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Thomas Zimmer @thomaszimmer.bsky.social · 1d

The overriding goal of too many journalists is to provide “balanced” coverage from a “neutral” position in equidistance to both sides. That framework is much easier to justify if you pretend to be dealing with “normal” politicians – as opposed to committed ideologues pursuing an extreme project.

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Thomas Zimmer @thomaszimmer.bsky.social · 1d

The Daily is committed to sanitizing Vought and ignoring what they regard as unsavory ideology. Because engaging with what is actually animating Vought would make it very hard to uphold the “normal politics” framework that defines much of mainstream political journalism.

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Thomas Zimmer @thomaszimmer.bsky.social · 1d

Vought, we are told, is a pious man who never curses. Ok! Not a word about his Christian nationalism; instead, one of the most influential political platforms in the world chooses to perpetuate the number one fallacy about the modern Right: That this is all about “small government.”

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Thomas Zimmer @thomaszimmer.bsky.social · 1d

Vought dreams of a comprehensive “counter-revolution” and believes that *any* measure, regardless of how extreme, is justified in this struggle against the “leftist” enemy.

But if you only listened to The Daily, you wouldn’t get any of that.

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Thomas Zimmer @thomaszimmer.bsky.social · 1d

Russell Vought embodies the radicalization of the conservative movement; his example captures how far removed from democratic politics the Trumpist Right is. Vought is convinced to be fighting a noble war against a vast leftist conspiracy that has supposedly taken over the country.

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Thomas Zimmer @thomaszimmer.bsky.social · 1d

The Daily’s credulous portrait of Vought matters because it is indicative of a much broader tendency to normalize the assault on the constitutional order - to sanitize those who are responsible for it and the extreme, conspiratorial ideas that are animating them.

1 33 190

Thomas Zimmer @thomaszimmer.bsky.social · 1d

However, the picture of Vought that is being presented in major mainstream outlets is, unfortunately, severely flawed and misleading in ways that will only serve the regime.

One example: This week, the NYT’s The Daily podcast portrayed Vought in a bizarrely credulous way.

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Thomas Zimmer @thomaszimmer.bsky.social · 1d

There is so much public attention on Russell Vought right now. And for good reason: He is a key figure in the world of Trumpism, with a rare – and dangerous – combination of ideological zeal and operative competence, an extremist causing real harm.

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Thomas Zimmer @thomaszimmer.bsky.social · 1d

This piece is intended as both a profile of one of MAGA’s most committed ideologues and dangerous operatives – and as an investigation into why influential mainstream media outlets still insist on normalizing his extremism by sanitizing what Vought believes and does.

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Thomas Zimmer @thomaszimmer.bsky.social · 1d

We need to talk about Russell Vought – But Properly

Why certain mainstream outlets insist on sanitizing Vought as a devout “small government” conservative – and what actually animates his war against pluralistic democracy.

Some thoughts from my new piece:

🧵

We need to talk about Russell Vought – But Properly

Why certain mainstream outlets insist on sanitizing Vought as a devout “small government” conservative – and what actually animates his war against pluralistic democracy

steady.page

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Thomas Zimmer @thomaszimmer.bsky.social · 1d

Who, exactly, are you talking to? I wrote a long profile about Vought last November and had written about him many times even before that. Do you want to show me what you contributed, and when? This “How are you getting this only now?!” act is so silly. Disqualifying.

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Thomas Zimmer @thomaszimmer.bsky.social · 1d

I wrote about the bizarrely credulous way the New York Times’ flagship podcast “The Daily” presented Russell Vought this week, how it is indicative of certain blind spots and fallacies that undermine the public response to Trumpism, and what we actually need to understand about this dangerous man.

1 6 71

Thomas Zimmer @thomaszimmer.bsky.social · 1d

We need to talk about Russell Vought – But Properly

Why certain mainstream outlets insist on sanitizing Vought as a devout “small government” conservative – and what actually animates his war against pluralistic democracy.

New piece:

We need to talk about Russell Vought – But Properly

Why certain mainstream outlets insist on sanitizing Vought as a devout “small government” conservative – and what actually animates his war against pluralistic democracy

steady.page

6 81 200

Thomas Zimmer @thomaszimmer.bsky.social · 2d

It’s really not surprising that someone who thinks the post-1960s civil rights thing was a mistake doesn’t have much of an issue with Hegseth’s white male warrior nonsense or the Trumpist promise to resegregate all the major institutions and spheres of American life. That’s the Right’s core project!

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Thomas Zimmer @thomaszimmer.bsky.social · 2d

If there is one thing the American mainstream media simply cannot resist, it’s a “Relax, the Libs are overreacting again!” take that presents a wildly disingenuous version of what is actually going on in MAGA land to launder the Right and chide “the Left” for being hysterical.

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