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World history happens today on Twitter. More precisely, the echo of world history resounds in individual tweets of the actors. Although often subjectively twisted, but mostly earlier, denser and more interesting than elsewhere. Enriched by political spin, hard or hate pregnant exchanges and brazen deception.
Really new to it, however, are the speed and immediate reaction of a part of the public. The digital return channel is the most important invention of the 21st century. On Twitter, one can quickly guess what events happen to whom. The story of the beginning of the impeachment trial of Donald Trump can be read as a Twitter epitome of politics. Unfortunately, that does not say much about whether it is good for the glory of world history.
On the afternoon of September 24, 2019, around 5:00 pm Eastern Time, it is announced that Democratic members of Congress will initiate an official investigation to prepare for an impeachment trial of Donald Trump. Nancy Pelosi, the majority leader in Congress, comes to the cameras.
The TV stations not only broadcast but tweet their six-minute speech. Linear television, when broadcast live, is the medium of the 20th century that comes closest to the live feeling of social media. Unfortunately, he completely lacks the return channel. In Pelosis Tweet, which will later be published with her short speech on her own Twitter account, there is the set of historical depth that should sweep away Trump:
"The times have found us", literally: "The times have found us", which should mean approximately, one could not have acted by the events neither differently.
It is a slightly adapted quote from one of the founding fathers of the United States, Thomas Paine, who described how in 1776 the era of constitutional democracy began. It comes from his pamphlet "Common Sense", which is considered the spark of the American Revolution. Pelosi thus proposes the biggest conceivable political arc: it is about the American democracy itself, which endangers Trump, because he called on a "foreign power" to intervene in the US election campaign - a constitutional break, as Pelosi represents.
Trump can only win
Twitter responds as the favorite back channel of the hilarious angered rabble-rousers: Because the congress leader of the Democrats several times tangled and sometimes formulated angrily, she is ridiculed as drunk and asked to go to the rehabilitation center.
A comment below her tweet suggests the interpretation of events within the Trump parallel reality: "Thank you for guaranteeing a landslide victory for President Trump for the 2020 election." Another Twitter user threatens, "The American people will never forgive and never forget what you did today! It will destroy you!" He adds a mesh-typical moving image, an animated GIF, showing the Trump Train, the unstoppable MAGA pull of success. From German perspective, this symbol gets an unintentionally funny force, school move is thanks.
That will be the Trumpist's defense strategy: the real scandal lies with the Democrats and their presumption of attacking the President, a strategy of lese-majeste. In many reaction tweets their further interpretation becomes clear: Trump can only win, no matter how it ends. If he survives the trial, he has defeated the Democrats once again. If he loses, he is the victim of treacherous democrats who are intriguing against the exceedingly successful president.
Trump himself reacts with a series of own tweets. Naturally. In a kind of mocking, he complains that the successful day - his speech at the United Nations - is deliberately spoiled by the Democrats. He tries again the phrase "Witch Hunt", the witch hunt, it is Trump's favorite victim pose. In the five Trump tweets of immediate reaction, "witch hunt" occurs three times.
Scandals existed even before his election
Since November 12, 2018, however, Trump has taken a new turn, and it represents nothing less than "lese majeste" in a democratic garb: "Presidential Harassment." Harassment of the president. Twice Trump has shouted his anger in this form on Twitter. After a good kind of Internet culture, his state of excitement can be read off the spelling.
- Incorporated in the text, it means that he is angry with the Democrats.
- As a single-word exclamation point, Trump seems angry and alarmed.
- The highest escalation level, however, is the so-called ALL CAPS, so use only capital letters: "PRESIDENTIAL HARASSMENT!"
From November 2018 to February 2019, Trump explains his word creation and integrates it into longer contexts. On February 7, when Democratic activity around the Mueller Report reached its peak, Trump used capital letters for the first time. Then the uppercase attacks pile up on the 5th and 8th of March, on the 18th and 22nd of April, on the 22nd of May, on the 11th of June - and finally on the 24th of September against Pelosi. Exclamation point!
The visible responses to prominent tweets vary depending on who looks in which and when, because they are algorithmically tailored to the audience. And they have been concealed by the sender for some time. But they give information about the public impact.
While Pelosi is being attacked by Trump fans, Trump's latest massive massacre is "PRESIDENTIAL HARASSMENT!" Tens of thousands of angry opponents. One of the most eloquent answers is "SCARED SH * TLESS!", Which trumps a "fucking fear!" assumed.
The feeling of the democratically colored public can be guessed well: Trump is a criminal who fights here not only for his office, but also not to be condemned. Someone tweets an animated GIF of a steam locomotive that crashes into a river at full speed over a crumbling bridge: "Live Images of the Trump Train".
Celebrities and intellectuals, from Mia Farrow to Alyssa Milano, have a rendezvous in the form of sardonic or witty comments on Trump's sacrificial pose. Several times there is the famous cover of the magazine "TIME" in the answers. It shows the stylized, melting head of Trump, with the word "meltdown". Therein lies a special tragedy - because the cover is from August 2016. It refers to the sound recording in which Trump raves about sexual harassment: "Grab them by the pussy".
Trump was still selected. A disturbingly good symbol that the agitation of the Democrats is irrelevant for the rest of the course. All that matters is the Republican senators, who until now have had any presidential monstrosity.
An ambiguous silence
With presidential defenders tapping presidential harassment under his tweet, it's easy to see how those attacks fizzle out of those who may not be glowing Trump fans, but still stick to him. Anyway, if you think politics completely as a corrupt, ridiculous drama, then you can choose those characters that are the most entertaining. The destruction of the system from the inside as a spectacle. Just as there are thousands of spectators attending the high-rise blast.
And so, in cross-media exchanges between Pelosi, Trump and their followers on Twitter, the most important tweets to impeachment are those that are not written. In Congress, the Democrats have the majority, they will be able to bring an impeachment well on the way. But then the US Senate must decide by a two-thirds majority, that would be 67 of one hundred senators. However, 53 senators belong to Trump's republicans, which is why it is absolutely crucial what is thought, said and done there.
It is and remains unlikely that an impeachment comes through. If you look at what is being tweeted by Republican senators in the crucial hours, you'll find, as if on television, the usual suspects in defense who would praise Trump even if he or she shot people on New York's Fifth Avenue.
Most are silent. A very ambiguous silence. As I said, by no means a guarantee for a successful Impeachment. And yet - in 2019 these non-tweets could make history.
