We all love democracy, right? WRONG! Surprisingly (or not), at least half of Republicans are in favor of ditching it altogether if it means getting their own way.
Politics
Democracy is the bedrock of America and what this country was founded on nearly 245 years ago. Having laws created by Congress, 3 branches of government as a watchdog for the others, fair elections where the results are accepted no matter the outcome, and a nation that is united and indivisible without thinking of other Americans as “the enemy” is what America is supposed to be all about.
Too bad it isn’t.
According to a new CBS News-YouGov poll, 2/3rds of Republicans said they pledge unwavering fealty to Donald Trump — even if it clashes with the ideals America was built upon. Additionally, these same Republicans have not only bought into the belief that Joe Biden is not the legitimate President of the United States, but a whopping 47% of them would rather change the laws and rules to their advantage than create policies that appeal to the masses.
Earning the right to govern by winning elections fair and square is a common example of democracy at work. However, Republicans would rather make it harder for minorities and anyone who doesn’t buy into the ReTRUMPlican way to vote at all. They’re in favor of gerrymandering, suppressing Black and Brown votes, limiting (or completely eliminating) early voting, putting an end to SOULS TO THE POLLS programs (where predominately Black churches bus their members to vote after Sunday services), and anything that will give them a cheating advantage to win and remain in power by any means necessary.
THAT is not democracy.
Regrettably, this Republican position is an admission that they can no longer win on their own merits and are left with no other alternative but to cheat their way to victory. After all, the once Grand Ol’ Party’s decision to get in bed with Donald Trump and hand complete control of the party over to him is the realization that without Trump’s MAGA misfits, white supremacists, conspiracy theorists, and certified nut jobs they simply don’t have the numbers to ever win another national election again.
How pathetic is it that Republicans have turned their backs on democracy and sold their souls to Donald Trump — a man who makes up his own rules and logic depending on however the wind blows? How pitiful is it that the Republican Party skipped creating a GOP platform last election for the first time in history and instead announced that their platform would be whatever ‘The Donald’ came up with on any given day? How tragic is it that so many Republicans flushed the time-honored American tradition of accepting the Electoral College and congressional certification as proof-positive of the duly elected President of the United States — and are still holding onto the bald-faced lie some 6 months later that Trump actually won simply because he said so?
The day Donald’s ReTRUMPlican mob stormed the US Capitol, hung a noose for Mike Pence for not doing Trump’s bidding, hunted the halls of Capitol Hill for Speaker Nancy Pelosi and anyone who didn’t buy into their idea of right-wing ideology, and used Trump’s marching orders and their strength in numbers to attempt to overturn a duly held election just to install their own rule of law and revered dictator is the day Republicans showed the world just what they think of democracy.
Since then, they’ve publicly slaughtered and sacrificed Rep. Liz Cheney for daring to have a democratic opinion/mind of her own and for not following the Trump cult. They’ve opposed a bipartisan commission to investigate and prevent an attack like the one on January 6th from ever happening again. They’ve turned Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Leader Kevin McCarthy into cowering rabbits who can’t do their jobs or blink without first obtaining Trump’s permission and blessing. And, they’ve set the precedent that rules and laws and reality no longer matter — and that they will never accept another election result or legal ruling again if it doesn’t fit into their conservative and supremacist belief system.
To them, democracy is DEAD. Only their way, their beliefs, their politics, their anointed savior matters from now on.
Washington Post: Aggravation and drama have defined the Republican Party since Trump left office. In just the past two weeks, Republican leaders have punished his enemies, continued to pursue a revisiting of the election results and, on Capitol Hill, opposed bipartisan efforts to create a commission to investigate the Jan. 6 insurrection there. A few members expressed concern for those who broke into the building where they work. A new generation of Trumpist acolytes — such as Missouri attorney Mark McCloskey, who became famous for drawing a gun on Black Lives Matters protesters — have announced their intention to run for high office with a set of Trump issues that motivate them. McCloskey has announced plans to run for the Senate. The moves pose a threat to the party’s efforts to reclaim moderate, largely college-educated voters who were turned off by Trump, while muddying an attempt to shift the national… Read more »