Are We All Trapped in Tom Cotton’s Authoritarian Wet Dream?

Illustration by The Daily Beast/Getty
Illustration by The Daily Beast/Getty

Lindsey Graham’s new, Trumpy bouffant. Bill Barr’s little authoritarians’ playbook. Tom Cotton’s status masturbation. They’re all featured on a very not-safe-for-Democracy edition of The New Abnormal, The Daily Beast’s podcast for a world gone off the rails.

As Rick puts it, “These guys are jacking themselves off like, well, why can't we have a spotter on the White House to call in the drone strikes on these hippie fields, the antifa.”

But that’s just the tip of the fuckery.

In Episode 14, Molly Jong-Fast and Rick Wilson talk about Cotton’s “over the top” New York Times’ op-ed and how it is likely his ploy to be some kind of “savior” in the 2024 election, who comes in to restore chaos but also has a plan “to shoot everybody who fucks with [him.]”

“Tom Cotton represents the cutting edge of a Republican party that has abandoned the idea of limited government,” says Rick.

The duo also hear from The Daily Beast’s Pilar Melendez about how rough (and weird) the NYPD is being on New York’s streets.

“The NYPD is pulling out all the stops,” she says. “They are chasing people down the street. I saw four cop cars chasing two teenagers on Tuesday, and from what I saw, he wasn't doing anything other than being out past curfew.”

Plus, Rick and Molly get to chat with Alabama House Minority Leader Anthony Daniels, about peaceful protesters getting teargassed there and why this reminds him of the civil rights movement.

“I've been a big supporter of law enforcement, but I'm more of a supporter of right and wrong. And so whenever faced with the situation about right or wrong, I'm going to be on the side of doing what's right.”

Justice Is Not White Folks’ Possession to Give

Of course, there’s always time to ask the important questions, like: Will Cotton’s pseudo-strongman shtick make him a new GOP king? And who is Meghan McCain’s father, anyway? A mantra from Rick Wilson’s grandmother makes a cameo as well. (Hint: it has to do with punch bowls, turds, and cops.)

Listen to The New Abnormal on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Stitcher.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!

Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.