We have all watched the Republican Party sell its very soul to trump and his fascist-like catering to the haters and racists on the extreme right; people like the Proud Boys, the Oath Keepers, and other Neo-Nazis up to and including the KKK, accepting an endorsement from no less despicable character than David Duke. Many of us have always known that anybody that wasn’t a rich white heterosexual was considered “less than” by large swaths of the Republican party, and racism was pretty well vindicated by the Southern Strategy as represented as far as Nixon, and then, of course, made even worse by Reagan’s “Tickle down economy” bullcrap. But now, as of 2016, the Republicans have fallen all the way in authoritarianism and the absolute willingness to destroy all the norms that made the United States a great nation.
If there was any doubt about this fact, it was removed when the republican party not only stood in the way of the righteous impeachment of trump, but actually, in many cases, defended his propaganda of lies about actually winning the election. The assertion might have been accepted at the beginning but after republican leaders in the states he indicated had “fraud”, recounted and certified repeatedly that the vote was valid, his lies became more and more obvious to anybody paying attention to what was going on.
But on Jan 6, 2021, many republican leaders actually cheered on the insurrection attempt, or more exactly and concisely, the attempt to overthrow the legal process and have Biden removed and trump placed back in the office. The lie that the Vice President had the power to wave his hand like a wand and overturn the whole process was used, even though Pence himself acknowledged that was not within his legal authority, even if he had wanted to do such a thing.
So, this week, the House drew up a bill to clarify the process. It stipulates that 1. while a candidate can seek a recount or legal recourse if they have the idea that maybe the votes were miscounted, BUT 2. they do not have the right to take action to overturn the results, and 3. the Vice President does NOT have the power to ignore the legally appointed electors to the electoral college.
Sadly, only nine republicans had the backbone to stand for justice and decency and the legal transfer of power. Those persons included Liz Cheney, Adam Kinzinger (two that have fought energetically to call trump to justice for his actions regarding Jan 6th), Peter Meijer, Tom Rice, Fred Upton, Jaimie Herrara Beutler, John Katko, Anthony Gonzalez, and Chris Jacobs.
Sadly, all nine of these valiant and decent Americans will not be in the House come 2023. In other words, it appears that the last 9 republicans with any moral sense and any real loyalty to the United States and its system of Democratic Republic are leaving at the end of January, and the rest of the Republicans are nothing more than sycophants for the Trumpian-semi-fascist movement wherein they cater to the MAGAt cult members who operate on hatred of anybody not exactly like them….including immigrants (refugees included), especially Hispanics, followers of the religion of Islam, LGBTQ persons and the health rights of women.
I wonder how far the republicans will continue to support the destruction of everything we in the United States have always insisted we stood for and still do not pay attention? How long will they flirt with and support an attempt at dictatorship and still claim to be “loyal American Patriots” when by hating all immigrants, especially refugees, they are violating the spirit of what the Statue of Liberty expressed so well about our welcoming of the downtrodden and oppressed? How long will they rail against followers of Islam, despite the fact that the constitution clearly says that the government can not and will not legislate or place one religion over another? How long will they justify denying women freedom of choice when that is a violation of personal liberty?
But even more important, how much longer will these people support and cover for a man who tried to overthrow the American government with violence on Jan 6th?? With the disappearance of the nine that had the guts to fight against that evil, will there be anybody to take their place…or will the Democrats be alone in trying to ensure the American dream for ALL of our citizens?
These questions have no answers right now, but the elections coming up in November will be a start on getting some answers. Hopefully, we will have a democratic congress so some decency will be recoverable in the short term, and then maybe the republicans will see the error of their ways and get serious about working for the people, all of the people, instead of against most of us, because when you add Hispanics, Blacks, Woman, LGBTQ persons and followers of Islam, WE really are bigger than just White Heterosexual males…by a long shot.
